COC Track & Field Finishes Strong at State Championships ; Hillquist Wins State Title

The College of the Canyons track and field program concluded its season with an individual state title and three JC All-American nods, as the Cougars sent eight athletes to compete in six events at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships, held May 20-21 at San Diego Mesa College. 

COC sophomore Jason Hillquist was the top performer of the day after capturing the 2016 CCCAA State Championship in the men's 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:16.04. He also was named a JC All-American in the event.

The state title comes on the heels of Hillquist's 2016 Western State Conference (WSC) and CCCAA SoCal Championship won earlier this spring.

Hillquist — the only student-athlete to compete for COC's men's team — follows in the footsteps of teammate Ethan Walker, who won the 2015 3,000m steeplechase state championship with a time of 9:16.32. Both Hillquist and Walker were members of the college's 2014 CCCAA State Championship cross country team. 

COC freshman Kaitlyn Matthews finished tied for third in the high jump with her leap of 1.64m. That mark actually tied with five other competitors, with Matthews and Ray'Ven Sanders of Merritt College eventually sharing the third place spot after officials applied tiebreakers based on previous jumps in the event.

Matthews also earned JC All-American honors as a result of her performance.

Canyons had four top-12 finishers in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, led by freshman Jessica Ruiz who finished third with a school record time of 11:36.16, while earning the designation of JC All-American. Earlier this season Ruiz won the 2016 SoCal Championship in the event. 

Freshman Lizeth Flores crossed the finish line in seventh place with her time of 11:54.19 and sophomore Amanda De Jesus finished in 10th place with a time of 12:16.67. Freshman Chelsea Wells finished in 11th place at 12:22.47.

In the 5,000m run, the Cougars had three runners compete, led by Ruiz who finished seventh in 18:34.30. Freshman Alexandra Whitman took 10th at a time of 19:11.18 and De Jesus was 11th at 19:18.66.

COC sophomore long jumper Marissa Kneisel, the 2016 SoCal Champion, placed fifth in the event with a distance of 5.39m.

The strong performance at the CCCAA State Championships concludes another terrific season for COC head coach Lindie Kane and the COC track and field program.

Both the men's and women's teams placed second at the Western State Conference Finals held April 29, at Bakersfield College.

At the WSC Finals, Canyons had 25 student-athletes (13 women and 12 men) qualify to compete in 14 events at the 2016 CCCAA Southern California Regional Championships held May 14, at Antelope Valley College. 

Two weeks later the Cougars were able to claim three regional titles and see eight state-athletes qualify for the CCCAA State Championships.

The women's team also placed fifth in the region, with a school-record 59 event points.

COC track and field will return to action for the 2017 season.