The 2017 Pirate track and field season kicked of at the annual Bakersfield College Battle of the Regions Friday. A constant rain storm reduced the participation of northern California schools resulting in 10 women's and nine men's teams in attendance. The cold, wet, and windy conditions were not conducive to good times or filed distances, but several Pirates still performed well.
On the women's side, 2016 SoCal triple qualifier, Alyssa Carrillo highlighted the day winning both the discus and hammer throw events on her last attempt. Other Pirate women performing well included Miranda Rodriguez (4th, 100m), Patricia Ramirez (3rd, 400m), Karen Reyes (4th, 400m), Aiyana Brown (4th, high jump), Dejahnae Brown (6th, high jump), Serenity Valoaga (4th, shot put), and Leslie Valoaga (6th, shot put).
On the men's side of the ledger, 2016 State All-American, Tristan Griffith sprinted to victory in the men's 100 meters despite having to navigate over an inch of water in his lane. Other Pirates that place in the top-6 finishers included Francisco Erazo (6th in both the 800m and 1500m), Alejandro Ambriz (3rd, 1500m), David Torres (6th, 3000m), Daniel Alejandre (4th in the discus & 5th in the shot put), and Anthony Flores (5th, hammer throw).
"You can't control the weather, and the conditions we faced today could occur at anytime of the season," commented head coach Tony Veney. "But the one thing we can control is focus, toughness and effort. We were able to get some of the later today, but we still have so much more before we become the team I feel we can become in May."
The Pirates travel to West Los Angeles College on Friday Feb. 17 for the annual Western State Conference Relays. Field events begin at noon while the first running event is scheduled for 1:00 pm.