CCCAA T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO CSM FRIDAY & SATURDAY

SAN MATEO – The largest California Community College Athletic Association championship event, track and field, returns to College of San Mateo this weekend, May 15-16, for the fourth time.

While most of the finals will be conducted Saturday afternoon (with opening ceremonies at 1:25 p.m.), there will be running championships on Friday in the women's and men's 10,000 meters, starting at 11 a.m., along with eight field events and the first day of the decathlon and heptathlon (starting at 9:30 a.m.).

More than 600 athletes and coaches from all areas of the state will be coming to CSM for the championships. There will be an accent on speed, as usual – and much more.

WORLD LEADING 100 SPRINT: Last year's state meet produced the world leading time in the 100 meters, 9.93 seconds by Kemerley Brown of Oakland's Merritt College to set a National Community College record. That topped the previous best by an athlete out of Oakland, the former world record of 9.95 by 1968 Olympic champion Jim Hines (who was also the first person to break 10 flat in the event).

CSM freshman JD Elzie (out of Aragon High), the Coast Conference champion, ran a huge personal best of 10.70 in the Northern California championships over the weekend, finishing sixth and is an alternate for the state finals.

Drelan Bramwell of College of the Sequoias won the NorCal race in 10.38 and is the top qualifier in both sprints. 

Several U.S. leaders will compete in the CCCAA's state meet on CSM's state-of-the-art Mondo track facility.

Men's leaders include Diego Leon of Hartnell, in the 5,000 meters (14 minutes, 26.65 seconds), Reed Scale of Mt. San Antonio in the pole vault (17 feet, 0 3/4 inches), Eric Sloan of San Joaquin Delta in the triple jump (54-0); also the College of the Sequoias 4 x 400 meter relay team (3:07.10).

Aminat Olowora of Southwestern is the national women's leader in three events: the 1,500 meters (4:24.67), the 5,000 meters (16:47.15), and the 10,000 meters (33:43.00).

Other U.S. women pacesetters are Laura Aceves of East Los Angeles in the steeplechase (10:54.96), Augusta Thomason of Cuesta in the pole vault (13-4 1/4), Jacklyn Chasteler of Saddleback in the hammer throw (185-7), and Kelsey Shaw of College of the Siskiyous in the javelin throw (166-4).

Shot put leader Olivia Kana (54-5 1/4) of Riverside qualified in the discus and hammer throws but not in her specialty.

Returning women's champions: Aceves is the defending champion in the steeplechase (11:15.14) and the 10,000 meters (37:30.09). Yesenia Silva of Sequoias will defend her title in the 5,000 meters (17:57.91) and is also in the 1,500 meters, where she was second last year (4:34.58). The 1,500 has the 2-3-4 finishers returning.

Kortni Smyers-Jones of Laney won both the 100 meters (13.50) and the triple jump (38-11 3/4) last year and also placed fifth in the long jump. She has qualified in those three events and the 200 meters and should also figure on Laney's top-ranked 4 x 100 meter relay. Sarah Dunmore of Mt. San Antonio will defend her sprint titles in the 100 (11.63) and 200 (23.75) meters.

Returning men's champions: Delta's Sloan is the defending triple jump champion and was also second in the long jump in 2014, but did not qualify in that event this year. The triple jump has the top four finishers back.

The only individual track champion returning is in the 800 meters, Logan Stahl (1:51.95) of American River;

THE TEAM RACES:

WOMEN: Mt. San Antonio is the defending women's champion, winning with 88 points over 2013 champ Cerritos (75), followed by Riverside (73), El Camino (53), and Laney (47) in 2014.

In last week's region meets, host American River won the Northern California championship in Sacramento with 109 1/2 points, ahead of Sequoias (88), Fresno (70 1/2), Hartnell (69), Laney (62 1/2), and De Anza (61).

Host Cerritos took the Southern California title with 133 1/2 points, just ahead of Riverside (131 1/2), followed by Mt. SAC (101), Southwestern (53 1/2), and East Los Angeles (41).

MEN: Riverside won its third consecutive men's crown in 2014, ahead of 2011 champion American River (83), Cerritos (64), Mt. SAC (62), and Sequoias (52). Riverside has won six of the last seven state men's titles.

Sequoias took the 2015 NorCal title with 161 1/2 points, followed by American River (155 1/2), Modesto (83), Fresno (69), and Hartnell (65). Mt. SAC took the SoCal crown with 160 1/2 points, followed by Riverside (122.84), Cerritos (79), El Camino (60), Saddleback (48), and Cuesta (46).

TOP MARKS ON CSM TRACK: Other top American stars who ran on the CSM track as National JC/CC record breaking community college athletes include 1968 Olympic 400 meter champion/world record breaker Lee Evans of San Jose City College and 7-time American half mile champion James Robinson of Laney College.

THE JC/CC OLYMPI & GOLD MEDAL TRADITION: An entire book has been written (by Larry Knuth) chronicling about the achievements of former California Community College athletes. A few more examples.

Valerie Brisco-Hooks of Long Beach City College, the 1981 double winner in the 200 and 400 meters, went onto become the women's star of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games with gold medals in the 200 and 400 meters (Olympic record) and 4 x 400 meter relay.

Bob Seagren of Mt. San Antonio College, the 1965 state pole vault champion, set the world record the next year and went onto win the 1968 gold medal in Mexico City. He later achieved fame as the inaugural Superstars champion and as that star of the TV sitcom Soap.

Glendale College product Frank Wykoff began the California CC gold medal "tradition" in 1928 in Amsterdam with gold on the 4 x 100 meter relay and repeated in 1932 and 1936. CSM's Archie Williams won the 400 meters in 1936 at Berlin, while Ken Carpenter out of Compton College won the discus throw and Cornelius Johnson from Compton took the high jump. The tradition has continued through 2012 in London when San Diego Mesa alum Felix Sanchez won gold in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles. 

Friday's schedule highlights: 9:30 a.m. decathlon (100 meters); 10 a.m., heptathlon (100 meter hurdles), men's hammer throw;  11 a.m., women's 10,000 meters; 11:30 a.m., men's long jump; 12 noon, men's 10,000 meters, women's hammer throw; 1:30 p.m. women's long jump; 2 p.m., men's javelin throw; 3 p.m. men's and women's high jump; 4 p.m. women's javelin throw.

Saturday's schedule highlights: 9 a.m., decathlon (110 meter hurdles); 10 a.m., heptathlon (long jump); 11:45 a.m., women's triple jump; 12 noon, men's shot put; 12:40 p.m., women's 3,000 meter steeplechase; 1:05 p.m., men's 3,000 meter steeplechase;

1:25 p.m. opening ceremony, followed by remaining running events and field events.

5:30 p.m., men's 4 x 400 meter relay concludes running events, followed by team and outstanding athlete awards.

Regional Championship Results [Northern CA][Southern CA]

SoCal Championship Photos

State Championship Performance List