Huskies Get Five First Place Wins
The track and field team won five events in its best showing in 13 years at the Pasadena Games, this the 72nd edition, Friday March 27 at Robinson Stadium at Pasadena City College.
The meet drew athletes from all over the country including Olympians.
To add to one of the greatest Husky finishes at the Pasadena Games, the 72nd edition of the nationally acclaimed non-scoring meet, East Los Angeles College results included 19 personal records, 36 top-10 finishes including four second place and five third place nods.
“It was a good mid-season results from the team,” ELAC Assistant Coach Yannick Allain said.
All-American sophomore Laura Aceves won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase run despite falling hard during the final stretch. “Her cleats caught the end of the last hurdle,” ELAC Head Coach Louis Ramirez said.
Aceves paused for a second after hitting the ground hard about 50 meters from the finish line. “After the fall, my legs had no energy, but I got up, pushed and finished,” Aceves said.
She had built a large enough lead to finish 46.43 seconds faster than runner up Ruby Medina, a sophomore from Mt. San Antonio College.
Aceves has the fastest time in the nation in the steeplechase run.
Aceves also won women’s 1,500-meter run running a lifetime best, which is the 5th fastest time in the country.
Husky freshman Ramiro Arreola won the men’s shot put with freshman teammate Cesar Santiesteban placing second. The two Huskies defeated a trio from Mt. San Antonio College as well as top shot put throwers from Pasadena and Long Beach city colleges.
Three ELAC freshmen took three of the top four spots in the women’s shot put. Darling Durant won the event with Maureen Contreras and Arianna Carter taking third and fourth places, respectively.
Freshman Kaniya Bawlson won the women’s long jump. She competed in three events in a tune-up for the SoCal Heptathlon Championships in which she will compete during spring break, April 7/8 at San Diego Mesa College.
Bawlson needs to place in the top six in the SoCal heptathlon to advance to the state finals. She is currently in eighth place.
The full Husky team will compete in the Arnie Robinson Invitational at San Diego Mesa College on Saturday beginning at noon.
Also during spring break, top Huskies will compete in the Mt. SAC Relays on April 11. The community college division of the Relays only invites the top competitors in each event.
Freshman Alease Wilson led the Husky personal record brigade with three.
“Alease ran two personal records in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and had a lifetime best in the 100-meter hurdles,” Allain said.
Recording two personal records each were freshmen Bawlson (100 dash, 100 hurdles), Jessica Perez (pole vault, 100 hurdles), Cesar Santiesteban (shot put, discus) and sophomore Eduardo Encarnacion (javelin, discus).
Freshmen that each recorded a personal record were Arianna Carter (shot put), Ramiro Arreola, Darling Durant and Karissaa Cabral (each in the hammer), Nelson Na and Maureen Contreras (each in the discus) and Daniel Lopez (400-meter dash).
Story By Tadzio Garcia