Flores Wins Women's 1500m Conference Title, Diaz Also Advances

by Cerwin D Haynes

East LA College's Women's Track & Field star runner sophomore Marbella Flores keeps piling on the W's.

She won the South Coast Conference Championship in the women's 1500m last Saturday at El Camino College. Her time of 4:46.19 was nearly a whole 10 seconds faster than the runner up, Aariana Amezcua of Mt. SAC (4:56.01). 

Flores closely trailed Amezcua and another Mt. SAC runner in Cassandra Apahidean until midway through the third lap. Right before the third turn in that lap, she ran around both Mounties who seemed to have been trying to wall her off the inside lane. Flores moved into the third lane and put on the boosters, steadily increasing her lead for the duration of the race.

East LA freshman Carol Diaz also ran in th 1500m and finished seventh. She will move on with Flores to the 3C2A SoCal Regional Prelims this Saturday May 4 at Cerritos College, beginning at 9am.

HUSKY BITS

• In addition to the 1500m, Flores will also race in the women's 800m and 5000m at Regionals. The East LA native placed fourth last Saturday in the 800m conference finals.
• For the first time in his tenure as head coach, Milton Browne had athletes competing in the women's shotput and discus throw. Freshmen Naudia Perez, Esther Quinonez, Jada Dith and Alicia Garcia were all in both events but none qualifying for SoCal.
  • Perez had the best throws out of the group in both events: 17.69m in the discus, and 7.62m in the shot put.