W. Track & Field: Cerritos turns in strong marks at UCLA Meet

Falcons were strong in the throwing events at UCLA
Falcons were strong in the throwing events at UCLA

As the lone community college to compete in the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival and Rafer Johnson & Jackie Joyner Kersey Invitational over the weekend at UCLA, the Cerritos College women's track and field team put in an impressive performance. The Falcons were entered in 17 events and turned in multiple outstanding performances, as they continue to qualify entries into the Southern California Prelims in early May. The team will take part in the Vince O'Boyle Invitational at UC Irvine next weekend.

All three entries in the hammer posted personal best marks on the season, with Milika Burdett (Cypress HS) placing 10th overall with a distance of 42.16, while Jessica McLennan (Warren HS) finished in 12th place at 41.62 meters. The third Falcon thrower, Natalie Bailey (Mayfair HS), recorded a season-best throw of 41.27 meters, which put her in 14th place. In the discus, Dimitra Vitogiannis (Downey HS) finished in sixth place with a throw that went 41.24 meters, while Andrea Villalta (Norwalk HS) placed second in the javelin with a throw of 36.03 meters.

High jumper Zharia Taylor (Long Beach Poly HS/University of Southern Mississippi) won the event when she matched her personal best height of 1.67 meters. She attempted to clear 1.72 meters, but failed on her three attempts.

In the 4x400-meter relay, the quartet of Elena Mack (El Camino Real Charter HS), Jasmine Soto-Castro (Schurr HS), Crystal Nguyen (Fountain Valley HS) and Alona Davis (Bellflower HS) finished in second place when they turned in a time of 4:05.01, with Mack recording a season-best time of 58.39 in the 400 meters, which put her in 10th place overall. She also improved in her best time in the 200 meters with a seventh place time of 25.38.

Below is a list of all athletes who competed in the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival and Rafer Johnson & Jackie Joyner Kersey Invitational.

NAME EVENT TIME/DISTANCE PLACE
KeeAnna McCaulley 100 Meters 12.97 15th Place
Elena Mack 200 Meters 25.38 7th Place
KeeAnna McCaulley 200 Meters 28.01 19th Place
Elena Mack 400 Meters 58.39 10th Place
Jasmine Soto-Castro 400 Meters 1:01.44 11th Place
Crystal Nguyen 400 Meters 1:02.40 14th Place
Leslie Juarez 800 Meters 2:31.25 15th Place
Ariel Alvarez 800 Meters 2:37.25 17th Place
Kimberly Ibarra 800 Meters 2:39.29 18th Place
Diana Raya Perez 1500 Meters 5:13.75 3rd Place
Lila Palmer 1500 Meters 5:28.30 7th Place
Delilah Chavez 1500 Meters 5:29.26 9th Place
Evelyn Mejia 1500 Meters 5:34.83 10th Place
Megan Feitz 5000 Meters 18:45.30 2nd Place
Zharia Taylor 100-Meter HH 15.88 7th Place
Kailah Utsi 100-Meter HH 16.74 10th Place
Amaya Nolan-Gieskes 100-Meter HH 18.32 11th Place
Kailah Utsi 400-Meter IH 1:17.95 9th Place
KeeAnna McCaulley, Alona Davis, Crystal Nguyen, Jasmine Soto-Castro 4x100-Meter Relay 48.69 6th Place
Elena Mack, Jasmine Soto-Castro, Crystal Nguyen, Alona Davis 4x400-Meter Relay 4:05.01 2nd Place
Zharia Taylor High Jump 1.67 Meters 1st Place
Zharia Taylor Long Jump 5.15 Meters 8th Place
Andrea Alvarado Triple Jump 10.33 Meters 8th Place
Dimitra Vitogiannis Shot Put 11.19 Meters 10th Place
Jessica McLennan Shot Put 11.11 Meters 11th Place
Milika Burdett Shot Put 10.69 Meters 14th Place
Natalie Bailey Shot Put 10.06 Meters 15th Place
Dimitra Vitogiannis Discus 41.24 Meters 6th Place
Emily Ortiz Discus 38.67 Meters 8th Place
Jessica McLennan Discus 30.92 Meters 13th Place
Natalie Bailey Discus 29.72 Meters 14th Place
Milika Burdett Hammer 42.16 Meters 10th Place
Jessica McLennan Hammer 41.62 Meters 12th Place
Natalie Bailey Hammer 41.27 Meters 14th Place
Emily Ortiz Hammer 37.35 Meters 17th Place
Dimitra Vitogiannis Hammer 32.83 Meters 19th Place
Andrea Villalta Javelin 36.03 Meters 2nd Place