Pirates Compete at LBCC Viking Invitational

The VC men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Viking Invitational hosted by Long Beach City College Friday. Kevin Ramirez won the 5000m run to lead the men while the 4x100m relay team also claimed gold with the 10th fastest time in program history. Brianna Torres ran first again in the 5000m for the VC women. Elizabeth Mejia and Ashley Crist each won silver medals in the 400m hurdles and long jump events, respectively.

Ramirez (Rio Mesa) broke the tape in 16:53.96 to win the 5000m. Meanwhile, the quartet of Camren Harris (Oxnard), Trevor McCarthy (St. Bonaventure), Micah Contreras (Camarillo) and Max Daniel (Buena) carried the baton around the track in 42.11 to claim gold. The mark was the 10th fastest in VC history.

Other top performers included Contreras, who won silver in the 110m hurdles and bronze in the 400m hurdles while running sixth in the 100m, and Daniel, the fifth place finisher in the 100m. Shaun Tolson (Oxnard) placed fourth in the 400m and 10th in the 200m and Jacson Cutting (Camarillo) was fourth in both the 110m- and 400m hurdles. Dante Mata-Burney (Santa Paula) and Cole Everett (Nordhoff)  placed fourth and fifth in the high jump, respectively.

The Pirates also had some notable finished including Aaron Giron (Oxnard) who came in seventh in the 400m hurdles and eighth in the 110 m hurdles, Liam Genkel's sixth place finish in both the long jump and triple jump, and Nathaniel Lopez's (Ventura) ninth place finish in the 1500m. Zac Crist (Foothill Tech) placed 10th in the long jump and Jason Vasquez was ninth in the shot put. Jerry Ayala (Rio Mesa) came in 11th in both the discus and shot put while Ivan Aleman (Rio Mesa) was 12th in the 800m.

Torres (Oxnard) won the 5000m with a mark of 18:50.16. The win was her third gold in as many tries this spring. Meanwhile, Mejia (Oxnard) claimed silver in the 400m hurdles and A. Crist was second in the long jump. Leshelle Lee (Channel Islands) won bronze in the high jump and Amia Cason (Oxnard) was third in the 100m hurdles. Yesenia (Molina) Wynne (Oxnard) came in fourth in the 800m run.

Chloe Williams (Buena) placed sixth in the 100m and Kelsey Crist (Foothill Tech) came in seventh in the long jump. Mejia also finished eighth in the 100m hurdles while Lee was ninth in the long jump and 12th in the 100m.

"This meet provided a great opportunity for our athletes to fine-tune their performances in a competitive yet low-pressure environment," said head coach Tom Czerwinski.  "It was a valuable chance to build confidence, sharpen execution, and develop the mental toughness that will be crucial as we progress through the season."

VC's track and field teams next will compete at the Riverside Open on Friday Mar. 14.