Men Finish Second, Women Third at Conference Championships

The El Camino College cross country team earned a pair of podium finishes at the South Coast Conference Championships on Friday at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City, Calif.

The men's team finished second overall with 58 overall points, paced by freshman Aaron Cohen and his third-place finish in the four-mile race. Mount San Antonio claimed the conference title with 18 total points as 12 runners finished in the top-14 for the Mounties. Cerritos placed third to round out the podium finishes.

Cohen finished the race in 21:05.2, just seven seconds behind first place. His finish earned him a spot on the All-South Coast Conference First Team for finishing in the top-7 places. Teammate Alan Canales placed 12th overall with a time of 21:39.4 to earn a spot on the All-SCC Second Team for finishing in the top-14. They were the only two non-Mounties to earn spots on the All-SCC Team.

On the women's side, the Warriors finished third overall in the team standings with 80 total points. The Mounties claimed the top spot with 29 points and Cerritos finished second with 59.

Sequoia Gonzales ran a personal-best 18:20.6 to finish second overall on the individual side. Teammate Ami Jacobson finished fourth overall with a time of 18:49.7, also a personal best. Both runners earned spots on the All-SCC First Team for their efforts and finishing in the top-7.

With the two team finishes, both the men and the women qualified for the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships, which will take place on Friday morning at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, Calif. The top 16 teams will advance to the 3C2A State Championships, which will be held at Woodward Park in Fresno, Calif. on Nov. 18.