By Tadzio Garcia
For the second-straight week, the track and field team competed against top four-year universities, producing top results, including All-American Shawnta Barnes top javelin throw in the state. At the Long Beach State Classic Barnes threw the javelin, 142 feet 8.2 inches.
“Barnes broke Adreana Cano’s 15-year school record,” head coach Louis Ramirez said. Cano holds the current national throws pentathlon record for women, ages 35-39, according to USA Track and Field.
The Huskies competed in the Ben Brown Invitational last Saturday and brought home 14 top results of the season. “We are stressing that we need to rise to the level of competition, which the team did in the last two weeks,” said Ramirez.
Adrian Gaytan, Linda Alvarado and Gloria Hernandez posted their fastest times this season in the 800-meter run. Other top season running times include Armendariz Avanti (200 dash), Jimmy Palencia (110 hurdles) and Carlos Segovia and Jesus Hurtado (both in the steeplechase.)
“To me, the steeplechase is more difficult than running the marathon because you have to use your upper leg muscles to jump over hurdles. After hitting the water, running over the highest hurdle, you sludge a bit, which feels like running in sand,” said Segovia.
Six ELAC throws resulted in best marks of the year in Giovanni Leon and Raquel Acosta (hammer), Acosta and Lizett Herrera (discus), Acosta and Jessica Herrera (javelin). Barnes’s third-place finish in the high jump beat three jumpers from UCLA.
Barnes also took fourth place in the long jump and 9th place out of 59 sprinters in the 100 dash. Bette Bosch placed third in her 100 hurdles heat, beating Diana Carrada from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
East Los Angeles College throwers improve each week. Raquel Acosta won her first ever javelin heat by over three feet. Iris Abrego won her javelin heat by one-third of an inch over Beatriz Delgadillo from Biola.
Daniel Zaragosa-Rincon placed sixth-out-of 30 runners in his 5,000 heat, running to his best time of the year, 16:03.57 minutes. Avanti’s second-place finish in his heat of the 100 dash beat runners from Concordia and Alaska Anchorage universities.
The team will compete against four-year universities and top community colleges this week. The long distance runners will travel to Occidental College in the Distance Carnival on Friday, starting at 6 p.m.
The rest of the team will compete at the Cal State Northridge Invitational on Saturday all day.