By Tadzio Garcia
The men’s track and field team won fourth place at the South Coast Conference finals for the first time in a decade with their first men’s two-time champion since 2007.
“It was our best showing at the SCC finals while qualifying the most athletes to SoCal in recent years,” ELAC Head Coach Louis Ramirez said. The SCC finals were Friday at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. The Huskies advance to the SoCal Preliminary Finals this Saturday at Riverside City College.
Gonzalo Ceja won the gold medal in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase event running a personal record. He also won gold in the 5,000-meter run, winning the race after planning how he would run each lap.
“It’s been a long road to this point. I took advice from coaches Ramirez and Loera and ran my races accordingly. I trust them and the advice paid off,” Ceja said. Ceja advances to SoCal as the No. 2-seed in the steeplechase and the No. 3-seed in the 5,000. “I don’t set myself up for defeat. I run to win,” Ceja said.
All-American Laura Aceves led the women’s team to a fifth place finish in the SCC out of eight teams. She finished in second place in two races to Sierra Ungerman of Mt. SAC’s first place finishes.
In the 1,500-meter Aceves lost by 39/100ths of a second and in the 5,000-meter run Aceves was 40/100’s of a second short of a win. “Laura won the 2013 cross country title by following our advice (the coaches) to the tee. I still cannot believe she didn’t win the 1,500. She didn’t exactly follow our advice in both races, picking it up too late,” ELAC Assistant Coach David Loera said.
Aceves took third in the 800-meter run. “She actually ran a faster second lap, which is very rare,” Loera said.
Aceves advanced to SoCal in five events (800, 1500, 5000, 10000 and steeplechase runs) but opted to race in only three events. “I am not satisfied with my results in the SCC finals. I will compete to win at SoCal in the steeplechase, the 5,000 and 10,000 runs,” Aceves said.
She has the fastest times in the Southern California in all three events and is top-seeded in each race at the So-Cal prelims.
Adriann Crespo advanced to SoCal in the hammer throw after throwing a personal record in the SCC finals. “She returns to SoCal for the second consecutive year in her best event,” ELAC Assistant Coach Ernesto Rodriguez said.
The track and field team was denied access to all campus weight rooms this semester. “It’s amazing (ELAC’s) throwers did well at all. Our access to the weight was taken away from us. We were told the weight room was going to be turned into lockers, but that hasn’t happened,” Crespo said.
“Without lifting weights you have no improved strength or power. Without power we rely on our technique, which is not much going against top athletes in Southern California at SoCal,” Crespo said.
Three Huskies took three of the top six spots in the men’s 10,000-meter run at the SCC finals. “For the first time since 2004 we qualified three men to SoCal in the 10,000 run and they all qualify to SoCal,” Ramirez said.
Daniel Zaragoza won the silver medal, teammate Kris Chacon took fifth and Ceja placed sixth. Other Huskies that advanced to the SoCal prelims out of the SCC finals include the team of Luis Hernandez, Cristian Flores, Adrian Gaytan and Jorge Romo (400-meter relay) qualifying for ELAC in the event for the first time in six years.
Also, Zaragoza qualified to SoCal in the 5,000 run, Romo (long jump, 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles), Hernandez (400 hurdles), Flores and Viridiana Hernandez (steeplechase), Crespo (discus) and Gaytan (1,500).
Zaragoza also qualified in the 1,500 run but opted to forgo to concentrate on long distance running. He is the No. 3-seed in the 10,000 run at SoCal. ELAC alternates to the SoCal prelims include Robert Villafan (hammer) and Hernandez (100-meter hurdles). “Alternates have a good chance to qualify,” Loera said. Alternates who advance to the SoCal prelims will be officially announced today.
