Canyons Captures Home Three Conference Titles at WSC Finals

The College of the Canyons track & field program will continue its season at next month's Southern California championships, after having a combined 29 student-athletes qualify to compete in the regional meet during the the Western State Conference (WSC) Finals hosted by Moorpark College on April 28.

The Cougars also brought home three individual conference titles, with sophomores Jasmine Hall and Dana Bowers representing Canyons as event champions.

Hall entered Friday's WSC Finals meet having already clinched a title in the high jump after her leap of 1.68m at the WSC Prelims the previous week. She followed up that effort with another strong all-around showing, this time emerging as the WSC champ in the javelin with a throw of 38.72m.

Hall also placed third in the 200m (25.78), third in the 100h (15.36), third in the triple jump (10.86m), fourth in the long jump (5.20m), and fifth in the shot put (10.79m). 

Bowers, who also won a conference title in the shot put at the WSC Prelims, added a third place finish in the javelin with her throw of 34.37m.

Also making a mark in the throwing competitions was sophomore Samiyah Hawkins who finished as runner up in the shot put (11.65m) and the discus (37.83m).

Ariana Cooper finished runner up in the 400h (1:03.86) and later joined Sophia Stephan, Keyana Session and Hall to clock a second place time of 4:06.16 in the 4x400m relay. 

Cooper, Hall, Tayler Stiverson and Session also placed fourth in the 4x100m relay at 50.16.

Díani Ellis was third in the 800m (2:20.13) and fourth in the 5,000m (19:03.4) to finish one spot behind teammate Shalyn Mabritto in third (19:01.91).

Ellis, an automatic SoCal Championship qualifier in the 3,000m steeplechase, will be joined by sisters Alexandra Whitman (12:29.20) and Celine Whitman (13:18.91), who finished fourth and seventh, respectively, in the same event.

Jessica Ruiz crossed the finish line third in the 1,500m (4:51.34) and fourth in the 10,000m (40:16.96).

As a team, COC's women's squad netted 155 points to finish as runner up behind conference champion West Los Angeles College at 173.5. Moorpark (109), Santa Barbara City College (66) and Glendale (55) followed suit in the field of 11 schools.

The men's team finished in sixth place with 74 points to trail Cuesta College (76), Moorpark (78), Santa Monica College (93), West L.A. (116) and conference champion Glendale College (131).

Top finishers for the day included the second place 4x400m relay team of Blake Beeler, Delon Buncio, Louis Eusebi and Connor Holcomb with a time of 3:18.94. The same combination also placed fourth in the 4x100m at 50.16.

Leo Lambert III was fourth in the 400m at 49.68.

In the 800m, Broadus (1:58.71) and Tochukwe Eze (1:58.84) finished fourth and fifth. 

Garrett Noltemeyer took third in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:07.40) and fourth in the 10,000m (34:17.77)

Weston Lombardo finished third in the pole vault at 4.30m.

Canyons will next compete at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Championships hosted by Cerritos College. Preliminary events will be held Saturday, May 6, with the finals scheduled for Saturday, May 13.

COC has qualified for a combined 47 spots across 31 men's and women's events.