Warriors Prepared for State Championships, After Finishing 10th at Regionals
Torrance, Calif. — No. 13-ranked El Camino College ran a strong race at the Southern California Regional Friday, November 4th to qualify as a team for the State Championship on November 19th.
"We are very well prepared and things are going well as we approach the championship meet on Saturday. Six of our top seven guys are returning from last season," commented Coach Dean Lofgren. "We have a group that has been working together for two years now and are hoping to place in the top 10."
The Warriors are looking to have their finest performance yet as a team in this upcoming grand finale. This fall will mark the 27th consecutive year the men's team has advanced to the State Championships which will feature 28 full teams and around 50 individuals in each race.
With championships right around the corner, the Warriors are no newcomers when it comes to making it to State. The men' group is led my six sophomores and one freshman who have all made it to the State Championships before, with El Camino and at the high school level.
Freshman Brianna Harmon will represent the women's team for the Warriors. Harmon is coming off two solid championship races and is ready to compete on Saturday. She placed at 41 in the women's race at Regionals with a time of 20:09.89.
Coach Lofgren commented on Harmon qualifying for State, "Brianna has had a very good season. All though the team did not qualify, she will represent herself and the school very well as an individual."
Sophomore Solomon Kanehailua ranked at 44 in the SoCal Regionals and crossed the finish line in 21 minutes, 36.22 seconds and Sophomore Israel Cardona was right behind him, finishing in 47th with a time of 21 minutes and 39.54 seconds.
Overall, the Warriors finished Regionals at 10th for the men's team with a total of 323 points and an average of 22 minutes.
The CCCAA State Championships will take place this Saturday, Nov. 19 at Woodward Park in Fresno, Calif.