ELAC Women’s Track & Field Team Ends Season on a High Note

TORRANCE, CA —  The East Los Angeles College Huskies women’s track and field ended their season at the South Coast Conference Championships today at El Camino College’s Murdock Stadium.

The Huskies took sixth place behind fifth place Long Beach City College. Cerritos College ran away with the title and won its sixth straight SCC championship.

Freshman Sylvia Calvache (Rancho Mirage High School) competed in her first 10,000-meter run of the season and ran a strong time. Calvache’s seventh place finish earned her a winner’s podium nod. The ELAC team rooted her on from the other side of the field during Calvache’s strong sprint the final 200 meters.  

Calvache is the first Husky from the women’s team in 11 years to run her initial 10,000 run at the SCC Championships and score points for ELAC. In 2007, then freshman Sylvia Hernandez took second place on 2007 in her initial 10k of that season with a time of 42:50.70. In the last 16 years at ELAC, Calvache has the ninth fastest time in the 10k (best time per person) at 43:35.98.

On Tuesday at the SCC Prelims, Calvache placed seventh in the 5,000-meter run and reached her first ever winner’s podium. And, at the end of the season when it counted most. She sprinted the final 200 meters and flew by Mt. San Antonio College sophomore Hanna Batchelor crossing the finish line 11 seconds faster.

Calvache posted the fastest times for ELAC in five events this season, the 10k, 5k, 3k, 1500-meter run and in the 800-meter run. In the 800-run, her personal record was 2:38.56, less than a second faster than teammate freshman Daisy Ortiz (Warren HS) who’s best time is 2:39.38. Ortiz received SCC bids to the Prelims but has been injured for two weeks.

Freshman Jazmin Romero (Roosevelt HS) and freshman Yesenia Carias (Los Angeles HS) made it to the 800-run finals today with fast performances in the Prelims. Romero made the winners podium with an eighth-place finish today in 3:03.81. Carias placed ninth less than a second behind Romero in 3:04.74. Carias ran a personal record in the event at the Prelims. Freshman Indira Acosta (Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science HS) who competed in her first meet this season in the Prelims in the 800-run.

Freshman Cameron Chang (South Pasadena HS), who has the fifth best time in the 400-meter hurdles in 10 years at ELAC, ended her season with a personal record in the event in the Prelims. Chang improved through the season with three personal records in the event. She was warming up to compete to compete in the 400-meter relay with Carias and Jimenez, but Calvache wasn’t able to compete in the event, which was moved to just after the 5,000-run.

Chang has ELAC’s 12th fastest time in the 200-meter dash in the last nine years.

Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index or on Facebook at ELAC Huskies Athletics (@elachuskiesathletics). 

story submitted by Tadzio Garcia