It was another outstanding effort by the Bakersfield College track and field team on March 2 at Antelope Valley College.
Competing against four other schools, and despite weather conditions that were not desirable by anyone, the BC squad fared well, and represented the school with some seasonal best performances.
Rachel Evans gave her season best mark (1:02.87), while finishing fourth in the 400 meter run.
Natalie Fernandez had a nice double, she ran a personal best (5:07.12) in the 1500 (third), and came back and won the 3000 (11:21), and Frickel mentioned that she’s run a little faster 3k this year.
Sarena Underwood posted her best for the year in the 100 hurdles (16.09), and finished fifth.
The women’s 4 x 4 (meter relay) team saw their best time of the year (4:10.74), and a third place finish.
In the women’s triple jump, Tejera Dial performed her seasonal best (36-00), and finished second.
Breann Goodman, in her first time in the javelin, finished second (99-08) with her throw. She also took second in the hammer throw (124-03) as well.
For Myren Moore, it was the first time he ran the 100-meter dash in his two years at BC, and he took first place (11.12), and would have been under 11 seconds if the weather conditions were better, according to Frickel.
Michael Norwood had a very respectable second place finish in the 200-meter (22.25).
Justin Evans ran his seasonal best in the 400 (50.85), and finished second.
Chris Schwartz continued his strong outings and ran in the 800 for the first time in a year, and finished second (1:58.98), then ran his seasonal best in the 1500 (3:57.35) and placed second as well.
The men’s 4 x 100 relay team of Walter Hunt, Myren Moore, Justin Evans, and Michael Norwood ran their season best in the event, and won it (42.15).
In the men’s high jump, Bevan Wemhoff tied for first in the event (6-03 ½), and Frickel made mention of the fact he had gone 6-04 ¾ this year, so it was a little bit off his best mark.
Ethan Horsey accomplished his season best mark in the men’s long jump, and took first (22-03 ½), then came back and won the triple jump (45-05).
Bert Flores competed in his first meet of the year, and came away with a second place finish in the men’s shot put (41-11.25), a second place finish in the discus (124-04), and again a second place finish in the hammer (132-04), in an impressive debut.
Add to the fact that all the results came despite adverse weather conditions; it made it that much more gratifying for coach Frickel.
“The weather was really cold and windy all day, so it was never really ideal conditions.”
“We had some pretty good marks, some pretty good performances, so overall; everybody’s improving and getting better.”
“We have the first conference mini meet this week on Friday (March 9) down in Ventura, so once again, we’re just looking for continued improvement, people dropping (times), getting better marks as the season continues.”
In the WSC North Meet at Ventura College on March 9, the BC men placed second overall (amongst six schools), and the women placed fourth.
The BC men showed dominance in the 100-meter dash as they swept the top three spots. Walter Hunt won the event (10.92), Myren Moore finished second (11.08), and Michael Norwood place third (11.10). In the 200, it was more of the same, with Norwood winning it (22.05), Justin Evans taking the second spot (22.21), and Hunt coming in third (22.24).
Schwartz continued his success in the 1500 and won that (3:53.90), while also winning the 3000 (8:39.93). Bert Flores had a strong showing in all three of his field events, as he got second place in the shot put (14.03m), second in the discuss (40.34m), and second in the hammer (39.11m) as well. Ethan Horsey placed third in the long jump (6.74m), and also took third in the triple jump (13.14).
On the BC women side, Ensley Davis won the high jump (1.55m), Tejera Dial won the triple jump (10.85m), and placed second in the 800 (2.22), and teammate Eilzabeth Sanchez finished third (2:26). Natalie Fernandez finished second in the 3000 (11.21). Sarena Underwood took third in the 100 hurdles (16.03), and also third in the pole vault (2.75) with three others also at the same height. She also placed third in the long jump (4.68).
In the women’s 4 x 400 relay, the BC team of Evans/Dial/Tidahl/Sanchez placed third (4:06.73).
Frickel was pleased with the performances, “It was a very strong meet, we had some really good marks, some seasonal bests. Real good times, a lot of stuff got dropped down time wise.”
And when referring to the weather in Ventura, “It was kind of hot when we got there, then it cooled off eventually, a breeze came in off the ocean, but it was actually kind of hot. There was a little breeze throughout the day but nothing like we had at AVC (Antelope Valley College). It was actually not too bad, it kind of cooled off halfway through the meet.”
The team returns to competition on March 17 for the BC Relays at Memorial Stadium.