Hernandez State Champion

Everything came together at the right time this track season for Panther sophomore hammer thrower Clarissa Hernandez. Hernandez enjoyed a steady progression of improvement throughout the season, a school record at Norcals Finals, and lastly a state individual championship on Saturday at the California Community College Championship at American River College. Hernandez was only second at the Northern California regional meet but had shown signs of a greater performance in the week leading into the state championship. On her first throw, Hernandez improved on her own school record by five feet moving it to 162'8". As each competitor took her throw, it became more and more evident Hernandez's first throw had put the pressure on the rest of the field. Even Northern California Champion Jazmin Porter of Shasta College couldn't equal her best from the week before. When it was all said and done, Clarissa Hernandez had brought Hartnell College its first ever state title in the women's hammer throw. Hernandez, who prepped at Alisal High School, never participated in track and field prior to Hartnell College focusing her attention on swimming. After two years, she leaves Hartnell College as the school's record holder in the event, the 2011 Coast Conference Champion, and the California State Champion.

The next highest placing Panther was sophomore Matt Battaglia in the 800 meter run. Battaglia, who returned to the state championship as the third fastest competitor in the field, managed to improve not only on his ranking but on his finish from the 2010 edition. Battaglia ran a solid 1:53.08 to place second and earn his second consecutive All-American honor in the event. Battaglia completes his Hartnell College career as a two time Coast Conference champion in both the 1500 and 800 meter runs, two time community college All-American in the 800 meter run, and the third fastest performer in the event in school history.

Sophomore Michael Grayson exacted some slight revenge in the 110 high hurdle final. Running into a headwind, Grayson placed fifth and was the highest placing Northern California hurdler in the race. Grayson had only placed third in the regional final. Fellow sophomore Will Welch placed seventh in the decathlon with 6027 points. Welch was in second place overall at the completion of the first day of competition. Freshman Maria Suarez managed a ninth place in the women's triple with a mark 36'6.25". Sophomore Mayra Garcia was tenth in the 1500 meters (5:00.84) as was Clarissa Hernandez in the shot put (38'1.75").

Hernanez Breaks School Record at Norcal Finals

Sophomore Clarissa Hernandez produced her best series of hammer throws in her career at the Northern California Championships. One of those throws, measuring 157'9.7", bested the school record of 150'1" held by Cindy Rojas set in 2006 and placed Hernandez second in the competition. The mark was a season best by almost 11 feet. Only ranked third going into the hammer final, Hernandez put the pressure on host favorite Jazmin Porter of Shasta College. Hernandez pushed Porter to her best competition as Porter also set a season best by 14 feet. The two will be the top two ranked hammer throwers at next week's state championship competition held at American River College in Sacramento.

Sophomore Matt Battaglia took on the challenge of competing in three events at this year's Norcal meet. Battaglia narrowly missed the win in the 1500 meters placing second with a time of 3:57.29. Freshman Cristian Soratos placed seventh with a lifetime best 4:02.82. Battaglia returned to the track for the 800 where he placed fourth, also advancing to state in the event, with a time of 1:56.38. He completed his trio by helping the 4x400 relay team to a second place finish in a time of 3:20.82. Also advancing to next week for the men was Michael Grayson who placed third in the 110 high hurdles (15.53). Cristian Soratos also placed seventh in the 5000 meter run iwth a season best 15:51.79. He was followed by teammates Eric Yepez in eighth (16:15.03) and Kevin Roa in ninth (16:23.98). Roa was fourth in the 10,000 metes with Yepez fifth. Will Welch placed eighth in the high jump and eleventh in the long jump. Donte Mosley was tenth in the triple jump. Kevin Dorsey placed ninth in the 100. The men placed sixth out of twenty scored teams.

In addition to Hernandez for the women, sophomore Mayra Garcia was a second place finisher. Garcia, was fifth in last year's meet, moved up with a time of 4:59.98. Stephanie Castro scored a lifetime best 5:06.25 to take fifth and Zaira Guzman seventh. Freshman Maria Suarez will make the trip next weekend in the triple jump. Suarez placed fourth with a mark of 36'8.15". Kristine May Olivas was seventh in the 100 meters as was Erica Williams in the javelin. Clarissa Hernandez also placed seventh in the shot put and will have the opportunity to compete in the event at next week's championship after a scratch from Wendy Izqueirdo of Fresno City College since Hernandez has meet the state standard in the event. The women's 4x100 relay team placed seventh. Mayra Garcia was the highest placing Panther in the 5000 meter run at seventh. Garcia was also sixth in the 10,000 meter run. Stephanie Blalock was eighth in the 3000 meter steeplechase in a personal best 12:26.16. Amparo Olivo was eighth in the 800 meters and Megan Francisco twelfth in the pole vault. The women's 4x400 was eighth. As a team, the women placed seventh of twenty two scored teams.

Six Hartnell student-athletes will compete in this weekend's state championships at American River College in Sacramento. Michael Grayson (110 high hurdles), Matt Battaglia (800 meters), Will Welch (Decathlon), Maria Suarez (Triple Jump), Mayra Garcia (1500 meters), and Clarissa Hernandez (Shot Put/Hammer). Top four finishers in each event will be designated All-American. h

Panther Men Regain Conference Championship

After a two year drought, the Hartnell College men's track and field team regained the Coast Conference Championship in surprising fashion. Prior to the start of the meet, it appeared City College of San Francisco was the heavy favorite but Hartnell College had already established a solid leads of 30 points in the first four scored events. With individual titles won by Kevin Roa (10k), Vaughn Soratos (javelin), and points scored in the long jump and hammer throw, the Panthers put the pressure on the Rams of CCSF and fellow Coast rival DeAnza College going into the final day of competition.

At the start of day two Friday, the championship charge started with sophomore Will Welch winning the high jump (6'5.50). Donte Mosley picked up important points in fourth (6'1.50). Although the men's 4x100 relay failed to finish their race, points were immediately made up by Mosley in triple jump where he took second with a lifetime best (45'6.50"). Welch also contributed in the triple jump in fourth (44'0.75") and Sean Bromell in eighth (41'6.50"). Alex Hanakahi picked up seventh in the steeplechase. Sophomore Matt Battaglia unselfishly set the pace for the 1500 meter field and set-up a perfect Panther 1-2 finish winning in 4:04.77 and freshman Cristian Soratos taking second in a season best 4:05.36. Michael Grayson won the 110 high hurdle title in a season best 14.67 with teammate Aaron Vaughn sixth (15.45). Grayson heads to the Norcal regional with the second best time to Merritt College's Davon Wilson-Angel who has a time of 14.52. Carlos Morales took sixth in the 400 meters. Freshman Kevin Dorsey saved his best 100 meters of the season for the final, recording a time of 10.85 good for third overall. Matt Battaglia established a Coast Conference Championship meet record for the 800 meter run on Tuesday in the qualifying rounds. Battaglia's time of 1:52.24 is third best mark in the state and third fastest all-time in school history. In the final, Battaglia and former Salinas High School teammate Robert Anderson made sure the Panthers took the top two spots. Battaglia was first (1:55.68) and Anderson right behind (1:56.81). Freshman Zach Wilhelm placed eighth in the 400 hurdles. Kevin Dorsey came back for a fourth place finish (22.19) in the 200 meters with Michael Grayson in eighth. Freshmen Frankie Martinez and Marcelis Short picked up important team points in the shot put. Martinez was seventh and Short eighth. Martinez also placed seventh in the discus with a surprising team point being picked up in eighth by Will Welch. A top three sweep of the men's 5000 meter run sealed the team championship. Freshmen Cristian Soratos lead the sweep winning in 16:02.30 followed by Eric Yepez (16:03.54) and Kevin Roa (16:09.72). The men's 4x400 took second in 3:22.95 to put in the nail in the coffin. With points scored in every event, it truly was a team effort for the Panthers. Final scoring had the Panthers with 193, DeAnza College 153, and pre-meet favorite CCSF 149.

On the women's side, the team title was all but decided prior to the second day of competition. DeAnza College was the returning team champions with many of that team returning for their sophomore season. The Panthers were shooting for a solid second and defeating the sprint powerhouse of Laney College in Oakland. On day one, Clarissa Hernandez was the expected hammer throw champion but what happened on day two was a tremendous surprise. With an identical best mark in the shot put, Hernandez would learn that the tie breaker in competition is the second best mark which she had. Hernandez became Hartnell's only double event champion. Her mark of 38'3.50" was a lifetime best. Freshman Stephanie Blalock continued the day of surprises placing fourth in the 3000 meter steeplechase. In just her third race at the distance, Blalock placed a solid fourth in a time of 12:28.80. The mark is only 3 seconds away from the state qualifying standard and the sixth best mark in school history. Sophomore Amparo Olivo took control of the 1500 meter run in the final lap to win in 4:55.43. Her mark was a lifetime best and sixth best in school history. Last year's champion Mayra Garcia took third (5:05.48). Garcia would move up one spot in the 5000 meter run and take second (19:45.28). Freshman Maria Suarez brought home a bronze in the triple jump (36'7"). Freshman Kristine-May Olivas produced one the fastest 100 meter races in school history. Olivas was clocked in 12.56 in placing third overall. Her time is the fifth best short sprint time in school history. Amparo Olivo would also take third in the 800 meter run with a lifetime personal best 2:22.19. The 4x400 relay team of Kelsey Palassou, Sabrina Washington, Kristin Gebin, and Amparo Olivo earned the bronze with a season best 4:11.51. The women's team scored 164 points moving up from their third place team finish in 2010. With a solid group of returners, the 2012 women's team will look to move into the top podium spot.

The track and field athletes who have reached the Norcal regional qualifying mark will advance to the regional trials this coming Friday in Modesto.

Welch and Grayson Place at Norcal Dec

The first event of the Northern California Championship was contested over the last two days at the College of San Mateo. Ten athletes representing Hartnell College, San Joaquin Delta College, Butte College, Santa Rosa JC, City College of San Francisco, and Monterey Peninsula College took on the ten event challenge of the decathlon. Competing for Hartnell College were Will Welch and Michael Grayson.

Day one started with Grayson placing second in the 100 meters (11.11) and Welch third (11.22). In the long jump, Welch had the best jump of the group with a new personal best of 22'8.50". Grayson placed fifth in the long jump competition (20'10.25"). Welch placed third in the shot put with a mark of 35'8". Grayson was eigthth with 32'5". Welch, who was eigthth in last year's Norcal decathlon, won the high jump competition with a clearance of 6'4.25". Grayson cleared 5'7.25". The final event of day was the 400 meters. Grayson was fourth (51.23) and Welch (53.24). At the completion of day one, Welch lead the competition with Grayson comfortably in fourth.

Michael Grayson, who prepped at North Salinas High School, kicked off the second day of competition with an all-time Norcal decathlon top ten mark in the 110 high hurdles. His time of 14.90 easily bested the field of decathletes. Welch scored a personal best 16.28 and retained his lead after six events. In the discus, Welch enjoyed a significant personal best with his toss of 115'10" to maintain his lead. Grayson recorded a distance of 84'4.25". Welch continued to set personal bests as he reached 155'10.25" in the javelin. His mark was the second best in the competition. Grayson had a mark of 134'3.25" good for fifth best.In the pole vault, Welch cleared 9'3.75" but would relinquish his lead at the ninth event dropping to second overall in the competition. Grayson cleared 7'8". In the final event of the two day competition, the 1500 meters, Welch closed out his decathlon with a time of 5:29.78. His teammate Grayson was just in front with 5:28.75. Welch, who prepped at Everett Alvarez High School, completed the competition in third place with a score of 6108 and just 24 points away from second. Grayson, held on to a solid sixth place with 5604 points. Welch's score makes him just the ninth Panther in school hisotry to eclipse the 6000 point barrier in the decathlon and advances him to the California State Championship on May 21-22. The two tallied 9 points toward the Northern California team competition.

The Hartnell track & field team will compete in the Coast Conference Trials on Tuesday, April 26th. The Coast Conference Championship will take place on Friday, April 29th at San Jose City College.

Lady Panthers Speed to Relay Time at Compton

Competing at the Maurice Compton Invitational, the Hartnell Lady Panthers produced the fastest 4x100 meter relay time in over 12 years. The team of Kristin May-Olivas, Kristin, Gebin, India Grayson, and Sabrina Washington recorded a time of 49.95 in placing third. The time is the seventh fastest in school history. In addition, sophomore Matt Battaglia scored two individual wins taking the 1500 meter run (4:08.28) and 800 meter run (1:55.01).Kristin Gebin placed second overall in the 100 meters (12.77) as did sophomore Amparo Olivo in the 1500 meters (4:57.99). The time makes Olivo the tenth best performer in school history. Also scoring an all-time list mark was freshman India Grayson in the 100 hurdles. Her time of 16.23 was a season best and sixteenth in school history for the short hurdles. Stephanie Castro improved on her season best in the 5000 meter run. Castro's time of 19:25.62 is the thirteenth best mark for the 5000 meters. Freshman Matt Garcia reached the Norcal qualifying mark in the hammer throw with his toss of 130'5". Also hitting season bests were Angelica Banuelos high jump (4'8"), Stephanie Blalock steeplechase (12:43.90), the women's 4x400 relay team (4:11.63) comprised of Kelsey Palassou, Amparo Olivo, Kristin Gebin, and Sabrina Washington, and Dominique Dixon hammer throw (96'9.25").

The Panthers have a bye week as the Panthers observe spring break then return to action for the Coast Conference Championships.

Panthers Shine at Ed Adams Home Meet

The annual Ed Adams Invitational is Hartnell College's opportunity to bring teams from all over California, and this year the nation, to the Salinas Valley and share with them our amazing weather and meet hospitality. As part of the meet, teams are treated to a barbecue lunch and a produce bag with a variety of locally grown vegetables provided by local farms. Teams ranged from Coast conference rival DeAnza College to NCAA D1 Central Michigan University to club athletes competing for four year schools Bethany College, UC Santa Cruz, and even Carlmont High School. The first contested running event was held on Friday with Hartnell's Mayra Garcia taking the win in 11:03.32. Her time is the 10th best in school history and the 2nd fastest in Northern California. She was followed closely by teammates Zaira Guzman (11:06.64) in second and Stephanie Castro (11:10.94) in fifth. Middle distance ace Matt Battaglia stepped up to the challenging 3000 meter distance with no change in success. He was an easy winner in 8:54.28, the fastest time in Northern California. Kevin Roa (9:20.95) and Eric Yepez (9:24.08) produced the third and fourth best marks in the region. On Saturday, the Lady Panthers enjoyed five event winners. Maria Suarez tied the third best triple jump in school history at 37'3" in winning. Zaira Guzman took the 1500 meter run (5:10.48), India Grayson the 100 hurdles (16.32), and the women's 4x100 relay team lowered their season best mark to 50.51. Clarissa Hernandez remained undefeated against regional competition winning the hammer throw with a toss of 147'10". Picking up a silver medal was Kristine May Olivas in the 100 meters (12.63), with the 5th fastest short sprint in school history. Also placing second overall in their events were Amparo Olivo in the 800 meters (2:23.35) and Hernandez in the shot put (36'9.75"). Bronze medal winners were Kristin Gebin in the 100 meters (12.73), Olivo 400 meters (64.47), Mayra Garcia 800 meters (2:26.55), Stephanie Castro 1500 meters (5:12.50), Angelica Banuelos 100h and high jump (17.30 and 4'7"), and Erica Williams in the javelin (110'6"). The men enjoyed seven event winners. The 4x100 relay team of Will Welch, Mike Grayson, Adeola Adenuga, and Carlos Morales were victorious in 42.96. Also winning were Grayson 110HH (14.79), Kevin Dorsey, Jr. 100 meters (11.19), Matt Battaglia 800 meters (1:56.83), Will Welch high jump (6'6.75"), and the 4x400 relay team of Grayson, Battaglia, Richie Garban, and Robert Anderson (3:20.46). Silver medalists included Welch in the long jump (21'8") and Anderson 400 meters (50.41). Third place finishers were Battaglia 400 meters (50.65), Anderson 800 meters (1:59.92), Aaron Vaughan 110HH (15.59), Broc Bangloy 400 IH (57.94), and Frankie Martinez hammer throw (117'0.25"). Kevin Roa (16:05.79) and Eric Yepez (16:09.62) hit the regional standard for the 5000 meter run.

The Panthers will travel north to Oakland on Friday for the Maurice Compton Invitational hosted by Merritt College.

Fast Time in SLO for Panthers

Heading to the Cal Poly Invitational for the first time in school history, the Hartnell track and field team was prepared to face some very tough competition and potentially be the only community college program in attendance. With local two year Cuesta joining the Panthers, both schools faced four year programs from Pepperdine University, UC Santa Barbara, host Cal Poly, Fresno State, and CSU Bakersfield. In a competition similar to the regional or state championship, the Panthers walked away with an event winner and many season best performances. On Friday, sophomore Clarissa Hernandez hit another 140 foot mark in the hammer throw. Hernandez placed fifth with a toss of 143'9.50". Saturday kicked off for the ladies with two very surprising performances. Freshman Erica Williams of King City, placed third overall in the javelin throw. Her toss of 115'5.25" is the fourth best in school history and ranks her in the top six in the region. Sophomore Mayra Garcia produced the sixth best women's 1500 meter run in school history. Her time of 4:54.68 was a personal best by six seconds and catapulted Garcia into the third best performance Northern California. Sabrina Washington recorded a season best in the 400 meters (1:04.37). Sophomore Amparo Olivo and freshman Kelsey Palassou are turning into powerful duo in the 800 meters. Olivo lowered her lifetime best to 2:23.18 with Palassou inching closer to the form she enjoyed while at Salinas High School with a season best 2:26.06. Freshman Maria Suarez continued to improve in her signature event the triple jump. Suarez added 8 inches to her personal best with her leap of 36'9.50". The jump is the fourth best in school history. Sophomore Kristen Gebin tied her lifetime best in the 100 meters (13.11). Sophomore Matt Battaglia faced some of the best middle distance runners on Central Coast and held his own. Moving up to the longer 1500 meter race, Battaglia scored a lifetime best and Norcal leading 3:55.28. The time ties him for the third best performance in school history and within sight of the school record 3:48.22 set in 1995 by double state champion Brian Wilkinson. Battaglia doubled back for the 800 meters and raced a solid 1:55.05. He was followed very closely by teammate Robert Anderson in a season best 1:55.88. Sophomore Michael Grayson was the only event winner for the Panthers. Grayson took the 110 high hurdles race in 14.99. Sophomore Will Welch inched his way out to 21'1.75" in the long jump. Salvador Coronado achieved the regional qualifying mark with his 58.14 in the 400 hurdles. The Panthers will host the annual Ed Adams Track & Field Invitational starting Friday, April 8th with action continuing on Saturday, April 9th. Teams already confirmed to compete Cuesta College, Allan Hancock College, San Jose City College.