Bakersfield College’s track and field team hosted the Battle of the Regions where 11 teams competed.
It was a near perfect day for a track meet. The sun was out and the temperature was nice and warm.
The BC women’s team competed well against their opponents.
Kyra Saunders placed first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.55 seconds. Tyra Saunders fell just short of her twin sister Kyra taking second place with a time of 12.78.
Kyra said, “I’m happy that I won but I’m not happy with my time.”
Nicole Lewis took first place in the 200 with a time of 25.71 seconds. Tyra placed second place with a time of 26.48.
Leah Theroux placed first in the 800, beating out 27 other runners, with a time of 2 minutes 21.47 seconds.
BC’s relay B team consisting of: Tyra, Kyra, Lewis, and Liliana Portillo placed first in the 4×100 relay with a time of 50.21 seconds. Portillo and Lewis nearly exceeded the handoff zone, which would have disqualified them, but they saw there near mistake and made a fast correction to stay in the zone for the handoff.
Lewis said, “Besides the handoff not being put together I feel good. It’s early season and we’ll correct it and move on to do better.”
Jessica Campbell ran strong in the 1500 where she slightly trailed most of the race. On the last lap, she used the energy she had saved by pacing herself to surge into the lead and took first place with a time of 4 minutes 48.16 seconds.
Campbell was originally supposed to compete in the 4×400 but could not. The BC relay B team ended up taking second place without Campbell with a time of 4 minutes 13.33 seconds.
BC’s women struggled in the field events as other schools dominated in them.
The men’s track events were fierce as there was tons of talent. Most of the running events were run in multiple sections due to the high number of athletes.
BC’s men’s team had a hard time keeping up with the other schools, but they did not give up. It was a tough day as they placed top three in only one out of 19 events.
Dillen Littles placed third in the Shot Put with a distance of 12.56 meters.
BC’s Juan Calderon is known for doing well in the 1500 but he did not partake in the event.
It’s early season and all the athletes plan on improving and doing better.
“Home meets are always hard. You don’t know who’s going to compete or be distracted. As a whole, things went well but we need to try new systems and new things,” said Coach Pam Kelley.
The team accepts the past, knows the present, and has their eyes glued to the future as they look forward to competing in the WSC Relays on Feb. 20 and the WSC North on Feb. 27.