Griffith Takes SoCal 400m, Places Fifth in 200m

Tristan Griffith was a busy man on Saturday in Cerritos. The sophomore from Camarillo High School improved on his fourth place finish from a year ago, winning the 400m at the Southern California Track & Field Championships Saturday in Cerritos. He also finished in fifth place in the 200m race. Griffith's regional championship earned him a trip to the CCCAA State Championships in Sacramento next weekend.

Griffith made his final SoCal race a winning one on the sunny but windy afternoon in Cerritos. He took the lead from the onset and held off all late challenges to earn his first regional title in the 400. Even though his winning time of 48.58 was well off his seasonal and lifetime best of 47.82, the win was most important.

Griffith also returned to place fifth in the 200 meters, and seventh in the 4x400 meter relay with  Jason Mesa, Isaiah Batis, and Max Carmona in 3:19.98. Alyssa Carrillo placed ninth in the women's discus throw closing out her Pirate career with six conference and regional appearances. Daniel Alejandre and Terrence Nunnery also finished their seasons with 10th place finishes in the men's discus throw and men's long jump, respectively.

The VC women had one race on the track in the 4x400 meter relay as Miranda Rodriguez, Paricia Ramirez, Karen Reyes, and Alisa Houston placed seventh overall as their time 4:04 moved them to No. 6 all-time in VC history.

"It was great seeing Tristan hold onto the top spot in the South, taking on all comers this season," commented head coach Tony Veney.

The CCCAA State Championships will be held on the campus of American River College in Sacramento Friday and Saturday May 19 and 20. Griffith runs at 6:00 pm Friday afternoon.