VC sophomore Emily Stephenson led a host of SoCal regional qualifiers for the Pirates' women's track and field team at the Western State Conference Championships Friday in Santa Barbara. She shattered her lifetime best in winning gold in the conference. Meanwhile, Dylan Roberts placed second in the triple jump to become the only regional qualifier from the VC men's team.
Stephenson's jump of 34'10" increased her personal best by over a foot and a half, and stands as the fifth best VC triple jump performance. She will compete at the regionals in both the triple jump and the long jump.
Other Pirate women moving on to the Regionals included the women's 4x100m relay team of Sidney Walker, Alisha Greenlaw, Marissa Tobin and Stephenson. Greenlaw also advanced to SoCals with a fourth place finish in the 100m hurdles and in the 100m dash while Brigitte Kiesewetter placed sixth in the 1500m run. Tobin brought home bronze in the pole vault while Brittany McWaid was fourth in the discus, as she will also compete in the javelin and hammer throw at the regionals.
Roberts continued his fine horizontal jumping grabbing the silver medal in the men's triple jump and stands as the only qualifier on the men's side. He will compete in both the long jump and triple jump events.
The SoCal Regionals at Cerritos College will hold prelims on Saturday May 2 and finals on Saturday May 9. The top-4 on the track and top-6 in the field will advance to the CCCAA State Championships May 15 and 16 in San Mateo.