Junior College RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail Story’Gades’ Varner throws way into SoCal finals
| Saturday, May 3 2008 11:49 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, May 3 2008 11:49 PM
Sore shoulder? What sore shoulder?
Our readers recommend:
Loading Stories
Haylee Varner, who said last week her throwing shoulder was hampering her workouts with the Bakersfield College track team, uncorked the top javelin mark in Southern California this season during Saturday’s Southern California Community College Preliminaries at Memorial Stadium.
Varner qualified for next Saturday’s SoCal finals in the javelin and discus.
Her 146-6 in the javelin was a lifetime best by 22 feet and nearly 16 feet farther than the second qualifier, Ventura’s Randi Vicks (130-8). She also had a 116-3 in the discus.
“I only made one throw; I passed on the other two,” Varner said of her javelin mark. “My arm felt good.”
BC had two other javelin throwers advance to the finals: Anikia Jackson, who had the third-best mark with a 128-4, and Stefany Baker (110-10).
Jackson, BC’s sophomore who is the national leader among community college athletes in the heptathlon, also qualified for next Saturday’s finals in the 100 hurdles (14.89), 400 hurdles (1:06.63) and long jump (17-2).
Jackson said she is focusing on the heptathlon for the state meet in two weeks and may opt to withdraw from any individual events she qualifies for.
“This meet is really training for me for the hep,” she said.
Jackson, Holly Moseley-Raymond, Rachel Johnson and Shalisha Harris also qualified in the 4x100 relay with the eighth-fastest time (51.06).
Harris advanced to the finals in the long jump (third-best mark with a 17-6) and triple jump (35-43⁄4), Moseley-Raymond earned a spot in the pole vault (among many with a 10-1) and Emnet Habebo advanced to next Saturday in the 1,500 (5:06.50).
The BC men did not qualify anyone for the finals. The Renegades’ best hope was middle distance runner Cesar Mirales, who barely missed out, placing 13th in the 1,500 (4:07.23). The top 12 advanced. Mirales missed qualifying in the 800 by .52 of a second.
BC men’s coach Dave Frickel said Mirales’ season can only be kept alive if someone scratches in either race prior to next Saturday’s meet.
“Most of our kids are freshmen and we’ll build on that,” Frickel said. “They showed improvement this year. They gave their best. That’s all you can ask.”