SBCC’s Kelli Johnson captured the WSC women’s high jump title on Thursday and teammate Elisabeth Bransgard won the discus during the WSC Track & Field Prelims at Santa Monica College.
The field events and 10,000-meter runs were finals and the top six in each event qualified for the Southern Cal Prelims on May 6 at Mt. San Antonio in Walnut.
Johnson, a sophomore from San Marcos High, cleared 1.67 meters. Liza Messner also advanced with a sixth-place jump of 1.47m.
Bransgard, a freshman from Fjugesta, Sweden, won the discus with a heave of 40.55m. She also qualified for the So Cal Prelims by placing sixth in the shot put at 10.05m.
In the 10,000 women’s final, Erika Schaeffer took third in 39:11.89 and lowered her No. 4 all-time SBCC mark from last year. In the men’s 10,000, Garrett Edwards also advanced to the So Cal Prelims with a 32:53.62 sixth-place effort. It was the ninth-best time in school history.
Six Vaqueros advanced to the WSC Finals on Friday (April 29) at Bakersfield.
Ayla Granados qualified in the women’s 800m (2:22.61) and 1500m (5:02.19). She was joined in the Finals by Kate Earle (100 hurdles, 16.48) and Katie Voss (400 hurdles, 66.48).
A trio of SBCC men advanced to the Finals — James Pearlstone in the 100 (11.14) and 200 (22.44) and a pair of 1500-meter runners, Matthew Bailey (4:05.83) and Luis Garnica (4:15.61).
“Kelli, Elisabeth and Erika put 26 points on the board for the women’s squad heading into next week’s Finals,” noted coach Scott Fickerson. “Erika and Elisabeth will both compete in two more finals (Steeplechase, 5K and Hammer, Javelin, respectively) and can add a lot more to the total. I think Ayla, Kate and Katie are ready for some big performances as well.
“Our distance squad had a good day and advanced a lot of athletes to the Finals. Erika and Garrett ran brave races over 25 laps to advance to the Southern Cal Prelims. James was firing on all cylinders. I am real proud of him qualifying in both sprint races.”
Way to go Vaqueros!!!