Cougar Runners Roar at SBCC Easter Relays
The COC men’s and women’s teams combined to win multiple events and set two school records.
The College of the Canyons track and field team was firing on all cylinders Friday, as the men's and women's teams combined to win multiple events and set two school records at the 2016 Easter Relays hosted by Santa Barbara City College on Friday, March 25.
Highlights of the day, and there were many, included the performance of the men's 4000m distance medley team and the women's 4x800m relay team which both set new school records.
The men's distance medley team of Robert Brennan, Jason Hillquist, Joel Estrada and James DeMello posted a time of 10:12.22 to break the program's previous school record and win the event.
Not to be outdone, the women's 4x800m relay team also set a new COC mark, while winning the event with a time of 9:45.50 with the team made up of Jada Selexman, Marissa Kneisel, Jazmine Burrell and Tayler Stiverson.
Also making headlines was freshman Dana Bowers who took first place in the women's javelin with a throw of 38.92m — a mark that is tops in Southern California this season. Bowers also placed second in the hammer throw with a mark of 35.06m. She later took third place in the shot put at 10.89m.
The men's 4x800m relay team of Arnold Bautista, DeMello, Estrada and Hillquist took first place at a time of 7:57.55. Likewise for the men's 4x400m relay team of Jordan Neely, Zachary Larson, Jaeton Williams and Robert Brennan.
The men's 800m sprint medley team of James Berkley, Seth Hellerstein, Jonathan Choi and Luis Silva earned another first place finish at a time of 1:34.85.
Sophomore Cole Mears also took first place in the men's javelin with a mark of 47.60m.
The women's 4x400m relay team also earned the event's top spot with a time of 3:56.91 from Selexman, Diani Ellis, Tisian Nealy and Skylin Harbin.
Individual event winners included Amanda De Jesus in the 1500m at 4:59.46 and Sandra Garcia in the 5000m at 19:57.69.
Kaitlyn Matthews had a high mark of 1.63m to win the women's high jump event.
Canyons will next compete at Western State Conference Meet No. 2 hosted by Antelope Valley College on Friday, April 1.