ELAC women T&F qualifies in four events

LONG BEACH, CA — The East Los Angeles College small women’s track and field team qualified for the finals rounds in four events at the South Coast Conference Championships, a two-day event at Long Beach City College.

Four Huskies qualified in the 10,000-meter run finals, which was today. All other finals are on Friday. Today’s events were prelims events except of the 10,000 run.

Sophomore Luz Badillo (Alhambra High School) scored for ELAC with her eighth place finish in the 10,000 run with a personal record.

Sophomore Viridiana Hernandez (South Gate HS) placed 10th while competing in her first-ever 10,000 run.

Sophomore Melissa Preciado (Bell Gardens HS) placed 12th in the event and freshman Jazmin Ortiz (Bell Gardens HS) placed 13th in her first-ever 10,000 run.

One of the highlights of the day for ELAC was that sophomore Alease Wilson (Alhambra HS) recorded two personal records in her final season. She ran a lifetime best in the 100-meter dash and a personal best time in the 200-meter dash.

ELAC sophomore Ruby Padilla (Montebello HS) placed 11th in the 1500-meter run prelims and qualified for the finals. Padilla placed seventh in the 800-meter run in heat two of the prelims.

Three Huskies will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase run finals on Friday, Hernandez, Badillo and Preciado. They are the third, fourth and fifth seeds, respectively.

Six Huskies will compete in the 5,000-meter run finals on Friday, sophomore Guadalupe Yanez (Bell Gardens HS), Hernandez, Padilla, Badillo, Preciado and Ortiz. Yanez is the fourth seed.

The SCC finals begin at 2 p.m. for ELAC in the 1500 run. The top six finishers in each event move on to the Southern California Prelims on May 7, at Antelope Valley College.

submitted by Tadzio Garcia