SMC Track and Field Puts on Show at College of Canyons

The Santa Monica College men and women's track and field teams competed in their second Western State Conference match of the season at College of the Canyons Friday afternoon. With a flock of talented new athletes added to this year's roster, the Corsairs went into ? looking to put a strong showing against the four schools at the meet. Los Angeles Valley College and Bakersfield College also competed on Friday at COC.

The men's team had a number of athletes that competed in times that set a personal record. One of the top winners that came out of the meet was freshman Marcelino Rosas. Rosas took first place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.16 seconds, making him one of the conference leaders. He also took second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.12 seconds.

Another leader was freshman Dominic Jester. He ran a personal best in the 400-meter taking first place with a time of 49.37 seconds, earning him the leading time in the entire conference. He also took home first place in the 200-meter with a time of 20 seconds.

The Corsairs took third place in the meet, just after College of the Canyons and Bakersfield College
There were some disabling factors at COC. "They had a pretty bad runway which made it hard for the long jump, but we overcame it and ended up doing pretty well," said freshman DeVon Bucker, who took second in the long jump.

"I'm thoroughly impressed," said men's head coach Larry Silva. "Every single athlete improved dramatically from the first meet. Almost every single athlete had a personal best."

While the men put on the great showing in this meet, the women set some records themselves.

"A lot of our women dropped about three to four seconds from their time in the 400-meter. They all had personal bests," said Silva.

The women's team had to struggle with the loss of a runner unexpectedly when the meet started. Sophomore Deanna Daniel pulled her left hamstring a few seconds into the start of her race. "The gunman said take your marks, and then I was off and in the lead even. I took six steps and I was done. I knew I wouldn't be able to continue," said Daniel. "The team did very well though. I'm really proud of them."

The Corsairs are using all the practice time they can get at the moment. They were unable to practice on a field until a few weeks ago, so they are looking at these matches as a way to get practice in.
"Right now what we are doing is using the track meets as a workout because we had no time to train on a track until three weeks ago," said Silva

The men and women's track and field team is looking for a strong showing this season. With a numerous amount of new talent added to the roster, there are definitely hopes of being Conference Champs, Southern California Champs and even State Champs. At the moment, Moorpark College is ranked fifth in the entire state, a strong competitor in the conference.

"I'm looking forward to dropping some seconds on my time this season. With all the practice that we do, it's rewarding to have improved on my own personal time while competing for the school," said freshman Eric Moultrie.

As they spend numbers of hours training on the field, it is easy to tell that the Corsairs are looking to come out on top this season. In seasons past they have put on a good show, but things are looking different this year. "This season is looking to be one of the best," said Silva.
Eric Barron, head coach of the women's team sees a bright future for the rest of the season. "Friday went well. It showed that the runner's training is beginning to pay off. Most of the athletes on the team are first year students and they are still learning, but that also means that they have great potential," he said.

The Corsairs will compete in their third WSC meet on March 7 at Moorpark College.