Ruiz & Capetillo lead Mt. SAC to first day lead at CCCAA Track and Field Championships
May 19, 2018
By Fred Baer
College of San Mateo
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Rebecca Ruiz and Salvador Capetillo won women’s and men’s 10,000 meter races Friday night to give Mt. San Antonio College the first track titles at the California Community College Athletic Association Championships at Bakersfield College’s Memorial Stadium.
College of San Mateo
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Rebecca Ruiz and Salvador Capetillo won women’s and men’s 10,000 meter races Friday night to give Mt. San Antonio College the first track titles at the California Community College Athletic Association Championships at Bakersfield College’s Memorial Stadium.
The only other first day finals were the javelin throws. State leader Angelo Flores of College of the Redwoods took the men’s event at 193 feet, 4 inches, ahead of the Mt. SAC duo of Ruben Retana (187-11) and Hector Sanchez (186-11). Flores was slightly short of his season best of 206-11, which ranks No. 2 nationally among community college throwers this season.
Mystasia Alexander of Cerritos repeated as women’s javelin throw champion with a mark of 143-2, followed by Senna Forkner of Mt SAC at 124-4 and Tori Wiley of host Bakersfield at 120-5. State season leader Alexander ranks No. 3 nationally this season with her best of 145-11.
Ruiz completed the 25-lap women’s 10K race in 39 minutes, 9.15 seconds to finish ahead of her Mounties teammate Maria Castello (39:24.94) and Northern California champion Jewel Jasso of College of the Sequoias (39:42.64).
Southern California champion Capetillo won the men’s race in 31:25.93, defeating national leader Raymond Lopez of Glendale, who took second in 31:36.63. He just nudged Eric Jimeneznava of Santa Ana by .01 for the silver medal.
MT. SAC LEADS TEAM RACES: Southern California men’s team champion Mt. San Antonio took the early lead in the state competition with 29 points, followed by College of the Redwoods with 10 and Glendale with eight. Mt. SAC is also the women’s team leader, with 26 points – followed by defending state champion Cerritos, with 10.
The first day of the men’s decathlon was a duel between 5-event leader Derreck Affor of San Bernardino Valley, with 3,413 points, and Alex Robie of American River with 3,411. The pair were eight points apart after the shot put, then stayed there by tying at the same height in the high jump. In the day’s concluding 400 meters, Robie ran 51.84 to make-up six points on Affor and finish the day just two points off the lead. Joshua Godfrey of Southwestern is in third place at 3,238.
Amani Briggs of Cerritos leads the women’s heptathlon by just a point with 2,753 after four events. Her Cerritos teammate Michaela Banyi is second with 2,752. Hanah Smrt of Yuba is third with 2,721 and Kymberlynn Jackson of Cerritos is very much in the chase with 2,707.
--Competition continues on Saturday (May 19) at Bakersfield, with decathlon competition resuming at 9:30 a.m. The opening ceremonies at 3:45 p.m. will feature a special presentation to hall of fame star Jim Ryun, who set a world record of 3:51.1 on the Bakersfield College track on June 23, 1967.
Live webcast coverage will begin at 3:45 p.m. on baosn.tv