Ballentine and Osorio Combine for Three Top-Five Finishes at State Championship Meet
WALNUT — College of the Canyons had two Cougars compete at the 2022 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Track & Field State Championships hosted by Mt. San Antonio College May 20-21, with Matthew Ballentine and Milca Osorio finishing among the state's best in several events.
The appearance at the state championship meet for Canyons represented the conclusion of what was a successful return to competition for the Cougars, after a series of cancellations dating back to 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Osorio represented the COC women's program and was entered in two distance events to cap a spectacular first year of collegiate competition.
The freshman, who also competed at the CCCAA Cross Country State Championship meet in the fall, ran to a fifth-place finish in the 10,000m on Friday, clocking a time of 38:58.91. Mannat Gill of De Anza College won the event at 37:11.18.
A Canyon High School graduate, Osorio had previously qualified for the state meet with a time of 39:39.29 at the Southern California Championships. Friday's time was nearly 40 seconds faster representing a personal best. Osorio's 10K time now ranks No. 3 all-time in women's track & field program history.
On Saturday Osorio returned to finish seventh in the 5,000m with a time of 18:49.26, concluding her season.
Matthew Ballentine, a Saugus High School graduate and dual-sport athlete for the Cougars, competed in the individual javelin event and men's decathlon over the two-day championship meet.
Throwing for a mark of 53.22m (174' 7") during Friday's javelin event, Ballentine claimed third in the field of 14 student-athletes from across the state. That position earned Ballentine JC All-American honors in a season in which he also won the individual Western State Conference (WSC) javelin championship.
The winning throw at the state championships came from Kyle Wood of San Diego Mesa College at a distance of 56.12m / 184' 1".
Ballentine, who also played football for the Cougars, later placed fifth in the decathlon after totaling 6,009 event points, also representing a personal best for the first-year track & field athlete. He had previously finished fifth at the Southern California championships (5,571).
His results at the state championship meet included: first place in the javelin (51.11 / 167' 8"); second in the shot put (11.10m / 36' 5"); third in the 1500m (4:54.29); third in the 400m (51.50); fourth in the 110h (16.66); fifth in the 100m (11.36); fifth in the discus (32.51m / 106' 8"); eighth in the high jump (1.73m / 5' 8"); ninth in the long jump (6.20m / 20' 4.24"); and 10th in the pole vault (3.00m / 9' 10").
Ballentine was one of five athletes in the field of 12 to top the 6,000-point plateau. Max Daniels (6,577) of Mt. SAC won the event.
The host Mounties also claimed team titles in the men's and women's competitions.
As a result of their performances both Osorio and Ballentine earned All-State Team honors.
Full results for the CCCAA Track & Field State Championships can be found here.
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.