Canyons Hosts WSC Prelims, Multiple Cougars Moving On
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
College of the Canyons hosted day one of the Western State Conference (WSC) Prelims & Championships at Cougar Stadium on Friday, with several COC student-athletes advancing to this week's championship events.
Friday's meet featured a combined eight men's/women's field event final flights (long jump, shot put, discus, high jump) in addition to finals race for both the men's and women's 10k race.
All other events served as preliminary heats ahead of the WSC Championships on Friday, April 24, at Moorpark College. For each event the heat winner and next six fastest times move into the finals.
Thurlee Bowers won the men's 100m (10.74) with teammate Elijah Reid (10.80) following close behind in third. Reid will also move on to the finals in the 200m (21.79) after taking third in that event.
Josh Smith advances to the finals in the 400m (48.59) with his second-place finish.
In the 800m Alejandro Cueto (1:58.07) took fourth and Elisha Himsl (2:01.21) finished sixth with both advancing to the finals.
Antonio Moore won the 400h (53.76) and will have the chance to defend his 2025 WSC championship in the same event. Moore, also the defending 2025 WSC champion in the 110h, will again run in the finals of that event, which did not require preliminary heats.
Jonathan Kanaley placed seventh in the final of the shot put event (11.76m) and will now advance to the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championship Prelims being held Saturday, May 2, at Bakersfield College.
Also moving on to the SoCal Regional Prelims is Bowers, who finished fifth in the high jump (1.85m).
In women's competition it was sophomore Hazel Rhodes leading the way with a pair of heat-winning runs.
Rhodes took first in both the 200m (24.49) and 400m (54.63) to advance in both events. She is the defending WSC and 3C2A state champion in the 400m.
Canyons will be well represented in the blocks during the conference finals of the women's 400m with both Amara Shields (3rd/59.69) and Syrai Piper (4th/1:00.35) also qualifying to move on.
Monique Fulling earned the chance to defend her 2025 WSC championship in the 100h after placing second at a time of 14.97. Similar to Moore on the men's side, Fulling will run in the finals of both the 110h and 400h events. She is also the defending conference champion in the 400h.
Victoria Jamison moves on in the 1500m after running third (4:58) at the prelims.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
—Photo by Robert Hanashiro/COC Sports Information
