Cougars Track & Field Runs at WSC Championships

By Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information

SANTA MONICA — After claiming a pair of individual conference championships the week prior, College of the Canyons was back in action at the Western State Conference (WSC) Championships hosted by Santa Monica College on April 29. 

The Cougars finished eighth in the team standings on both the men's and women's side but had several individual student-athletes qualify to compete at the upcoming CCCAA Southern California Prelims.

Semaj Freeman represented the Cougars in the 100m (11.11) placing seventh and securing his spot at the SoCal prelims.

The Cougar 4x100m relay team consisting of Joshua Christopher, Kory Bacon, Freeman and Simon Sampson ran their way into fifth place with a time of 43.33.  

Freshman pole vaulter Phillip Vizmanos lifted himself into third place with a mark of 3.90m (12' 9.5")

Layne Buck represented the Cougars with a conference title in the long jump (6.85m, 22'5.75") during the first portion of the meet, hosted by Canyons on April 22. In Santa Monica he took third in the triple jump (13.31m / 43'8") to advance. His seventh-place finish in the 400m (50.08) also claims him a spot in the SoCal prelims.

Joining his fellow Cougars, Matthew Ballentine's conference championship in the javelin (52.01m, 170'8") the week prior and fourth-place finish in the 110h (16.24) got him a ticket to prelims in both events. Ballentine already qualified for the CCCAA State Championship meet based on his fifth-place regional result at the SoCal Hep/Dec Championship hosted by El Camino College on April 5-6.

On the women's side, the Cougars will be sending two student-athletes to compete in three events at the SoCal Prelims.

Simone Barries seventh-place finish in triple jump (9.86m / 31'9.25") pushes her through to the regional prelims.

Representing the Cougars in distance events, Milca Osorio took seventh in the 5,000m (19:48.33) and later was eighth in the 1,500m (5:07.08) to move on in both events. Osorio also placed third in the 10,000m (40:04.24) the week prior to advance in that event.

Upcoming Schedule

The CCCAA Track & Field Southern California Regional Prelims & Championships will be hosted by Moorpark College beginning Friday, May 6 and continuing Friday, May 13.

The preliminary stage if the meet gets underway at 9 a.m. on May 6. The championships heats will be staged on May 13 beginning at 10 a.m.

Canyons is slated to send a combined contingent of nine student-athletes to compete in 11 events over the two-day meet.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information