The Vaqueros proved to be resilient on Friday despite hot weather, high winds, injuries and tough competition at the WSC South Meet at Moorpark College.
The Lady Vaqueros came in second place with 102 points while West LA took first place with 149 points. Moorpark took third with 95 points.
“The women’s team really stepped up today,” said Head Coach Eddie Lopez. “The women dominated the long distance events.”
In the women’s 800 meter run, Lilia Asserian came in first for the Lady Vaqs with a time of 2:18. Cecilia Nicolas came in fourth place with a time of 2:23.
In the 1,500-meter run, Angela Martinez finished second with a time of 4:59.71. Charlene Quintanilla took third with a time of 4:59.86. Zulma Herrera finished fourth with a time of 5:04 and Nohemi Martinez took fifth with a time of 5:05.
Nicolas finished second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 11:03. Quintanilla finished third in 11:04. Nohemi Martinez finished fourth in 11:06 and Angela Martinez finished fifth in 11:10.
During the 100 meter hurdles, Flor Cardenas tripped on the first hurdle and injured her leg. Despite the stumble, Cardenas was able to recover and finish third in the 400 meter hurdle with a time of 1:11.07.
“If Alyssa Selve and Nandy Watson weren’t injured, the Lady Vaqs would have taken first place,” said Lopez.
In the men’s competition, Moorpark College finished first with a score of 118. GCC finished second with a score of 98. Santa Monica finished third with a score of 95 and West LA was fourth with 94.5.
In the men’s 800 meter run, Mario Castillo took first place for Glendale with a time of 1:59. Alexander Nelson placed second with a time of 2:01.
In the 3,000-meter run, Issac Diosdado finished first with a time of 9:01. Vladimir Diaz finished fourth in 9:07. Mizrael Mendez finished fifth in 9:12 and Kurt Lutz finished sixth in 9:21. Dylan Bourne finished 17th in 10:23.
“I didn’t have a good performance today,” said Bourne, 18. “I wasn’t fully prepared by not warming up enough and I started the race too fast. The team performed really well overall though.”
The competition for second place came down to the final events such as the javelin throw and shot put.
“It was a really fun and competitive meet,” said Lopez. “The shot putters aren’t used to have a large crowd cheering them on because by the time they start their event, the rankings don’t change much.”
Nicholas La Croix clinched the second place finish for Glendale with a 41-foot throw and placed third.
Jason Ahn finished first in the javelin throw for GCC with a 172-foot throw. David Renteria finished second with a 152-foot throw.
The track and field teams will participate in the Occidental Distance Carnival at Occidental College on Friday at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, GCC will compete at the Northridge Invitational at CSUN at 9 a.m.
On March 23, the teams will participate in the Riverside City College Open at 2 p.m.
