The men’s and women’s Track and Field team succeeded once again at the Compton Invitational last Friday. The coaching staff has high expectations on the team due to the outstanding performances the team has shown even though this is the beginning of the season. “All athletes did better; in fact, there is a ninety-five percent improvement rate in all athlete’s personal bests,” said distance coach Armand Crespo.
A runner that made an impact on the team is freshman Lamisha Duree, first time track and field participant, by placing 1st in the 400-meter dash race with a time of 1 minute. “Lamisha ran really well, she has never ran track before,” coach Crespo said. “Running her first race at one minute flat totally opens a spot for her in the state championships.” Lamisha now ranks fourth in the conference.
The women’s distance team stood out at the invitational. Sophomore Cassandra Lew obtained 1st place in heat on the 800-meter race with a season personal best of 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
Freshman Arielle Steimer-Barragan earned first 1st place in the 1500 meter race, while sophomore Elizabeth Lyons placed 1st in the 3000-meter women’s race with a time of 11:20. Lastly, freshman Yvette Bastidas also placed 1st in the shot put, putting her 9th in conference.
On the men’s side, freshman Alfredo Folgar placed 3rd overall in the 800 meter race and the 1500. Folgar ran a season personal best for both meets beating Long beach, Cerritos, and Compton. “Alfredo has a lot of potential;, he’s getting better every race. Unfortuately, he couldn’t run with us last season because after high school he went to the marines, but now he’s back, and ready to have an outstanding season,” stated Crespo.
Sprinter Malik Gillion once again placed 1st in the 200-meter dash, and freshman Devil Rojas followed him with a second place overall.
Distance runner Chris Le earned 3rd place at the men’s 3000 meter race with a season best of 9 minutes and 27 seconds.
In the field, sophomore Daniel Walker took a well-deserved 1st place in the Javelin, beating Mt. SAC by one inch. Walker is now ranked first place in the conference with a secure spot in state.
“Overall this was a great meet. Most of the fastest times were ran here in Compton. We always seem to perform well in this track. Now, the big invitationals are coming and this will give the athletes a chance to represent Pasadena City College, and show others what we’ve got,” concluded Crespo.
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