All Entries in the "Track & Field" Category
Men’s track & field finishes 15th at indoor Nationals
Story by JOEL GANTT
Photo by ED ADAMS
In its first trip to the indoor Nationals since 2004, the Pima Community College track and field men’s team finished 15th and placed three in the top 10.
On March 4-5, the men’s and women’s teams competed at the National Junior College Athletic Association Indoor National Championships at Texas Tech University. Nine female Aztecs competed in six events and 13 male Aztecs competed in nine events.
The Pima women competed individually.
“Fifteenth place is a good beginning; we had some good results for this being our first indoor championship meet in six years,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “We believe we have a top 10 team, It is just a matter of putting our athletes in the events where we can earn the most points.”
Freshman Chris Howard placed seventh in the shot put with a personal best mark of 50’0.5.
Chris Howard
The men’s distance medley relay team of Sergio Carrillo, Stephan Bullard, Humberto Bravo and Mario Portillo was good enough for fifth place with a time of 10:36.7.
The women’s distance medley relay team of Brianna Fugere, Ashley Dorado, Julia Dittiger and Julia Peerenboom finished 13th.
Along with contributing to the men’s relay team’s fifth place finish, Bullard ran the men’s 1000-meters in a time of 2:29.5. That earned him a fourth place overall finish.
Dylan Moeykens finished 11th in the men’s heptathlon.
Freshmen Alice Odu finished 16th in the triple jump with a long of 10.90 meters and sophomore Chloe’ Nowell finished 18th in the triple jump reaching 10.79 meters.
Just before indoor Nationals, three more Aztecs were able to qualify for National Indoor Championships at a last-chance meet hosted by Glendale Community College on Feb. 26.
Freshman JaQuaisha Hickman took first place in the woman’s 60-meter dash and her time of 7.81 seconds qualified for the indoor national championships.
Sophomore Brittany Bishop was second in the pole vault and was able to qualify for the indoor National championships when she cleared three meters.
Odu was able to win first in the triple jump and qualify for the indoor national championships with a jump of 35’9.5”.
Now that the men’s basketball season is over, high flying sophomore forward Justin Chambers will go to the track and field team, competing in jumps.
The Aztecs will now turn their focus to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and qualifying more for outdoor Nationals.
Pima will travel to its last meet in Tucson on March 18-19 at the Willie Williams Invitational at the University of Arizona. A map and schedule can be found at AztecPressOnline.com.
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Track & field sends 15 to indoor Nationals
By JOEL GANTT
Photo by JAMES KELLEY
After two more successful meets, the Pima Community College track and field teams will send 15 athletes to the indoor Nationals and got a jump on qualifying for outdoor Nationals.
The Aztecs will send a party to the National Junior College Athletic Association on March 4-5 at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
The track and field squads traveled to Coolidge for the Arizona Relays on Feb. 18-19, where they placed first in nine events despite poor weather.
“We had a good meet but terrible weather, so some of the running events didn’t go as well as we had hoped,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said.
The relays were hosted by Central Arizona College and were the last opportunity for the Aztecs to qualify for indoor Nationals.
Although conditions were not ideal, two Aztecs qualifed for the NJCAA indoor championships. One athlete qualified for the more difficult outdoor championships in two events.
Sophomore throwing star Christian Tovar had a hammer throw that measured 50.69 meters. His winning mark was more than four meters farther than the second place throw, and qualified him for the NJCAA outdoor championships.
Tovar also qualified for the outdoor National in the shot put with a second place mark of 15.22 meters.
Sophomore Zach Dunbar took first place in the men’s javelin throw with a mark of 54.11 meters.
Sophomore Devin Phillips qualified for the indoor championships with a long jump of 7.15 meters.
Aztec runners went one-two in the men’s 600-meter run. Freshman Stephan Bullard qualified for the indoor championships with a winning time of 1:20.98. Sophomore Sergio Carrillo took second place with a time of 1:25.18.
Sophomore Matthew Robertson won first place in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.95. In the men’s 400-meter, Robertson qualified for the indoor championships with a time 49.24 seconds, which was also good enough for second place at the meet.
Freshman Zion Goode-Harvey received first place for the third time in two weeks when he ran an 11.39 in the men’s 100-meter dash.
The woman’s team did well at the meet also, lead by sophomore Chloe’ Nowell. She won the woman’s triple jump with an indoor championship qualifying leap of 11.15 meters.
“Chloe’ Nowell wins just about every time she goes to a meet,” Wenneborg said.
Sophomore Ashley Dorado won first place in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:10.01. She also took second place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.68 seconds.
Sophomore Brianna Fugere won the woman’s 1000-meter run with a time of 3:14.11.
In the women’s 1000-meter dash, freshman Ariel Moeser took first place with a time of 13.65.
The Aztecs also were successful at the Glendale Community College Invitational on Feb. 12, qualifying for the indoor championships in seven separate events.
Nowell continued to soar. When she cleared 5 feet 3 inches in the high jump, she took first place in the meet and qualified for the indoor championships. Nowell also took second place in the long jump with a distance of 16-11.
Freshman Adrianna Thomas placed second in the 600 meters with a time of 1:42.6.
In the women’s distance medley, freshmen Anaiz Zamorano and Josine Steemers teamed with sophomores Fugere and Julia Dittiger to take second place at the meet. Their time of 13:32 qualified them for the indoor championships.
On the men’s side, freshmen Humberto Bravo and Bullard both qualified for the indoor championships in the 1000-meter race. Bullard took first place with a time of 2:34. Bravo made it the Aztec’s event when he took second place with a time of 2:36.
In short distance, Thomas won first place in the men’s 400 meter-dash. His time of 50.45 qualified for the indoor national championships
Chloe' Nowell
Goode-Harvey took first place in two events. Goode-Harvey’s time of 6.88 in the 60 meter-dash qualified him for the indoor championships. In the 200-meter, his time of 21.72 also qualified for the indoor championships.
Tovar continued to prove he is one of the best throwers in the country. His throw of 15.62 meters was second only to Olympian Dan Taylor and qualified Tovar for the indoor national championships.
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Six track & field athletes punch their ticket to Nationals at home
By JOEL GANTT
Photo by ED ADAMS
Pima Community College won first place in seven events and qualified six for the National Junior College Athletic Association Indoor National Championships while hosting its only track and field meet of the season Feb. 5.
Both the men’s and the women’s teams competed in the indoor and outdoor qualifier.
The meet was held at West Campus, where the Aztecs competed against Mesa and Glendale community colleges.
Veterans Chloe’ Nowell and Derrick Coker lead their teams.
Nowell placed first in the triple jump with a jump of 11.53 meters. Along with being the best female triple jumper on Saturday, her jump also qualified her for the indoor Nationals.
Coker teamed with Sergio Carillo, Antoine Thomas and Mathew Robertson to win the men’s 4×400 meter relay. The team’s time of 3:19.9 qualifies them for the NJCAA indoor championship.
When Coker wasn’t helping the Aztecs win a relay, he was continuing his individual success. Coker sprinted to a first place finish in the men’s 60-meter dash. His time of 6.87 seconds qualified him for the indoor Nationals.
Coker was not the only star for Pima in the 60-meters. Freshmen Zion Goode-Harvey was only one second behind Coker in a race that came down to the wire.
Goode-Harvey ran a time of 6.88 seconds that qualified him for the NJCAA indoor championships in the men’s 60-meter dash. Goode-Harvey also also qualified for the indoor Nationals in the 200-meter dash.
The Aztec duo of Devin Phillips and JaQuaisha Hickman proved unbeatable in the long jump. Phillip’s leap of 6.97 meters was No. 1 at the meet, and Hickman’s mark of 5.16 meters was the best female long jump.
While jumps and sprinting continue to be strengths of the squad, the Aztecs are proving that they can be contenders in distance events as well.
Ashley Dorado
Sophomore Sergio Carillo won the men’s 600-meter with a time of 1 minute and 26 seconds. That finish gave Carillo a win in the men’s 600.
Freshman Stephan Bullard placed first in the men’s 1,000-meter with a time of 2:37.
Bullard was involved in one of the most exciting races of the meet. Bullard teamed with Mathew Robertson, Humberto Bravo, and Mario Portillo in the men’s distance medley.
The Aztecs ran an incredible race and were leading into the last lap. Portillo ran well but was eventually bested by the competition in the last 100 meters.
Their time of 10:37 qualified the relay team for indoor national championships. Indoor Nationals will be held on March 4-5.
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Huge squads looking to smash school records
Story by JOEL GANTT
Photo by JAMES KELLEY
How do we know that this year’s Pima Community College Track and Field team will be the greatest ever?
Athletes and coaches combine to make a roster of more than 80 men and women, which is the largest number of athletes that Pima Track & Field has ever had.
Eighty athletes is a lot compared to the 15 that were on the team when head coach Greg Wenneborg joined the Aztecs’ Track & Field team in 2005. The team has grown every year that Wenneborg has been head coach.
Along with the largest team in school history, Wenneborg also believes he has the most talented team.
“School records were broken last year; this year we look to break more,” Wenneborg said.
The Aztecs compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Aztec’s conference is the Arizona Community College Athletic Association.
This May the team will compete in two major events, the Regional Championships in Mesa and the NJCAA Championships in Hutchinson, Kan.
Wenneborg is looking forward to the competitions.
“Our goal is to rank in the top 10 with both the women’s and men’s team at Nationals this year,” Wenneborg said. “The key to being successful at Nationals is balance and our team has great balance this year.”
If both teams ranked in the top 10 at Nationals this year, it will be the best finish in school history.
Another sign of the program’s recent resurgence is the fact that 2011 will be the first time Pima Track & Field will compete indoors in six years.
This gives athletes the opportunity to qualify for events at the indoor national championships as well as the outdoor national championships.
There are also rankings for indoor and outdoor. Pima’s own Chloe Nowell is currently ranked seventh in the nation in the indoor triple jump. Last year Nowell qualified for Nationals in the long jump, high jump and the triple jump.
An athlete who will be impossible to miss this year is Christian Tovar. He is the returning regional champion in the shot put. With a 154-foot hammer throw and a 53-foot shot put, Tovar will likely leave his mark at every competition.
An athlete who will be hard to catch this year will be Derrick Coker. The fastest man on the team, he runs a 10.7-second 100m. Coker broke a school record last year and looks to improve this year.
Another returning sophomore to watch is Ashley Dorado. She competes in the 60-meter hurdles and will be a huge contributor to the team’s success this season.
The first and best opportunity to see the athletes compete in person will be Saturday, Feb. 5. The Aztecs will host the Pima Track & Field Invitational at West Campus starting at 11a.m.
Chloe' Nowell triple jumps. Nowell is ranked No. 7 in the nation in the indoor triple jump and finished seventh at the outdoor Nationals last year.
ONLINE EXTRA: 2011 Track & Field schedule
Photo by JAMES KELLEY
Fri. Jan. 21-Sat. Jan. 22 @ Puma Invitational (Phoenix)
Sat. Feb. 5 PIMA AZTEC INVITATIONAL
Sat. Feb. 12 @ Glendale Invitational (Glendale)
Fri. Feb. 18-Sat. Feb. 19 @ Central Arizona Relays (Coolidge, AZ)
Fri. Mar 4-Sat. Mar. 5 @ NJCAA Indoor National Championships (Lubbock, TX) M 15th
Sat. Mar. 12 @ *ACCAC Conference Meet #1 (Glendale, AZ)
Fri. Mar. 18-Sat. Mar. 19 Willie Williams Invitational (UA)
Sat. Mar. 26 @ *ACCAC Conference Meet #2 (Phoenix)
Thurs. Mar. 31 @ Paradise Valley Distance/Multi Meet (Phoenix)
Fri. Apr. 1-Sat. Apr. 2 @ Paradise Valley Multi Meet (Phoenix)
Fri. Apr. 8 @ Mesa Classic Invitational (Mesa)
Sat. Apr. 16 @ *ACCAC Conference Meet #3 (Phoenix)
Fri. Apr. 22-Sat. Apr. 23 @ UCSD Triton Invitational (San Diego)
Sat. Apr. 30 @ Glendale CC Last Gasp Meet (Glendale, AZ)
Mon. May 2-Tues. May 3 NJCAA Region I Multi Event Championship (Mesa)
Wed. May 3 NJCAA Region I Multi Event Championship (Mesa)
Wed. May 10 & Fri. May 12 NCJAA Region I Championship (Mesa) W 3rd M 4th
Thurs. May 19-Sat. May 21 NJCAA Championship (Hutchinson, KS)
Tucson meets in BOLD
*ACCAC Conference
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Chloe’ Nowell
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Early Pima newspapers record beginning of Aztec Sports
By JAMES KELLEY
Pima Community College student newspapers and Aztec sports both had humble and confusing beginnings.
The college held its first classes in 1969 and officially opened in 1970, but the start of the Aztec Press and Pima sports are a bit more hazy.
A student newspaper named Graffiti Press started in 1970. That was the first of six names before the publication became Aztec Press in 1981.
A “Department of Mass Communications” launched a publication called Campus News in 1973. The Library of Congress believes that newspaper evolved into the Aztec Press after a few name changes, but is also unsure when publication of the Graffiti Press ceased.
In 1975, the Campus News newspaper and Pima's athletic department held a logo contest.
In the sports arena, Pima’s first athletes played on club teams.
A judo martial arts team started in 1970, and was the first Pima team to advance to Nationals. It even hosted Nationals in 1974, where it finished second.
In 1971, teams included “girls’” volleyball, men’s softball (Pima Suns) and baseball (Pima Giants.) Softball and baseball played in a city league, while against teams like Frontier Liquor and the Jewish Community Center.
Intercollegiate sports officially began in 1973, when Pima launched men’s cross country, wrestling, men’s basketball, men’s track and baseball teams.
The athletic department celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pima sports in 1995, but now considers 1973 its launch year.
A 1973 fencing team won Pima’s first trophy.
In 1974, when only men played on the golf team, coach Bill Johnson was 20 years old. He coached one player who was 42 and another who was 30 years old.
The first successful team sport was “girls’” basketball, which in 1975 notched Pima’s first back-to-back winning seasons.
During the 1970s, the Campus News played a significant role with Pima’s logos.
In a Sept. 28, 1973 story, the CN explained Pima’s logo, designed by Gill Kenny, coordinator of Communigraphics and Reprographics Services. The logo is a “stylized ‘P’” that is repeated in a circle and is used today.
In 1975, the Campus News and the athletic department sponsored a “Draw the Aztec” contest after the sports editor and Pima’s first athletic director, Larry Toledo, decided the college needed an Aztec logo to go with the standard circle “P” logo.
Pima's logo is a "stylized P," repeated and highlighted here in orange, PCC's orignal color.
The contest offered more than $200 in prizes, including a $100 scholarship.
In May 1975, judges chose a logo by design major Bob Einfrank. The multi-Aztec head was put on sports uniforms and used as the newspaper’s logo.
The athletic department drew criticism in the 2000s when it began limiting recruitment to in-state athletes, but the philosophy was not new. Pima originally recruited only Tucson athletes, though it welcomed out-of-state athletes who decided on their own to enroll.
Pima’s most recent sport – football – was almost one of the first. In the mid-1970s, it seemed likely that football would be added, but the program stalled when voters rejected a $9.5 million bond by an almost 2-1 margin. Football was eventually added in 2001.
The Campus News alternately supported and trashed the potential football team.
A 1974 column said Pima students should follow Scottsdale Community College’s lead. At Scottsdale, students voted against a football team. When the school added one anyway, students voted to name the team the “Fighting Artichokes” and make pink their color.
In the early 1970s, PCC teams didn’t have an on-campus gym or home fields. The school did have cheerleaders and song leaders, and composers were working on a fight song. Two “authentic” Aztec mascots were also in the works.
Men’s basketball got off to a grand start in 1973, hosting the International Friendship Festival Tournament that opened on (tape delayed) TV. The athletic director, Toledo, gave 1,000 free tickets to students.
The start of Aztec sports coincided with the 1972 adoption of Title IX, the federal legislation that forbids schools to discriminate on the basis of gender.
Gradually, Pima’s female sports teams moved from club to varsity status and changed their names from “girls’” to “women’s.”
Progress wasn’t immediate. In 1974, Pima’s first women’s softball team had just 12 players. Stories didn’t indicate how many outfielders the team used.
In a 1974 story, the Campus News revealed that both basketball teams shared locker rooms. The men dressed while the females were playing their second half, and the women changed during the guys’ game.
The Arizona Community College Athletic Conference voted in 1975 to add women’s sports.
Only a few Pima teams (cross country, volleyball and baseball) currently compete against four-year schools. In the 1970s, however, the Aztecs regularly played university club teams.
If it had added football, Pima would have played junior varsity teams from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University.
The men’s basketball team did play against JV teams, and the Campus News couldn’t resist an occasionally snarky comment. When Pima beat UA’s JV team in 1975, a cutline said the Aztecs beat the “Wildkittens” 95-71.
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Aztec Press History
Graffiti Press: 1970-1973
Campus News: 1973-1977
The Downtowner: 1975-1981
Aztec Campus News: 1977-1978
Aztec News: 1978-1981
Aztec Press (merger of Downtowner and Aztec News): 1981-1986
Aztec: 1986-1987
Aztec Press: 1987-
AztecPressOnline.com: 2010-
Summer sports recap
Story and Photos by James Kelley
Pima sports ranked No. 16 nationally
The Pima Community College athletic department secured a top 20 finish in the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators Cup.
The Aztecs finished with the country’s 16th best athletic program in the scholarship division in the 2009-10 NATYCAA Cup.
Pima earned 69.5 points, led by the 41 points earned by Aztec women’s teams. The men scored 28.5, up from 9.5 the year before. For the 2008-09 season, Pima ended up in 24th place.
Softball team upset by Yavapai
The softball team’s postseason began on a sour note and ended a day later when arch rival Yavapai College upset them.
Jordan Trujillo
No. 4 ranked and top-seeded Pima (57-11, 26-6 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) lost 5-4 to second-seeded Yavapai on May 8 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Championship game, which ended the Aztecs’ national title quest.
Sophomore pitcher and Arizona Community College Athletic Conference player of the year Jordan Trujillo (31-6) earned a rare loss in consecutive days. When Pima opened Regionals, it lost to No. 4 seed Arizona Western College, 4-3.
Track & field teams both finish in top 17
The Aztecs had 10 top-eight finishes at the Nationals meet, as the women’s track and field team finished 13th and the men’s team took 17th place.
In Hutchinson, Kan., sophomore Sharissa Korn placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 135 feet, 9 inches. Freshman Kat Howard finished fifth in the 10,000-meters, setting a school record, 38:18.8.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of sophomore Stephan Bullard, freshman Derick Coker, sophomore Chris Phillips and freshman Mathew Robertson finished fifth in 3:15.5. On his own, Bullard finished sixth in the 800-meter in 1:54.1.
Sophomore Jessica Davis took fifth in the shot put, by putting up a score of 40 feet, 2 inches.
Freshman Christian Tover achieved a personal record, 160 feet, in the hammer throw, good enough for a sixth place finish.
Freshman Chloe’ Nowell leaped her way to a seventh place finish in the triple jump, with a mark of 36 feet, 7 inches.
Freshman Magda Mankel earned seventh place in the 1,500-meter, in a time of 5:04.6.
Sophomore Kyle Bush was 8th in the 1,500-meter in 4:11.6. Freshman Anthony Johnson placed eighth in the high jump, with a best of 6 feet, 8.75 inches.
The Aztecs started the postseason by finishing third at Regionals. Pima qualified 24 athletes in 21 events for Nationals.
Region championship winners were Nowell in triple jump, freshman Mario Portillo in 5,000-meter and Tover in shot put.
The men’s 4×400 team finished in third place, running a 3:13.26. That result broke a school record they set earlier in the season.
Tennis teams finish 19th at Nationals
Both tennis teams finished 19th at Nationals, with the men competing in Plano, Texas, and the women in Tucson.
Freshman Andrew Barnett made it to the quarterfinals of the Flight 1 Singles consolation bracket. The sophomore doubles team of Raphael Sepulveda and David Tellez advanced to the quarterfinals of Flight 2.
On the women’s side, freshman Gabriela Rodriguez reached the semifinals of the singles No. 1 consolation bracket. Sophomore Lori Cinnamond made it to the finals of the singles No. 3 consolation bracket.
Cinnamond and sophomore Ana Gallardo advanced to the semifinals of the doubles No. 2 consolation bracket.
The women’s tournament was held at the Reffkin Tennis Center.
Men’s golf ranks 18th at Nationals
The men’s golf team finished in 18th place at Nationals, while the women’s team was unable to field a team due to illness.
The men shot a three-round total of 933 at the rain-shortened Nationals at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail River Course, in Owens Crossroads, Ala.
Freshman Anthony Grijalva led the way for the Aztecs with a 227 (74, 78, 75), good enough for 50th place overall.
Sophomore Nicole Gentry missed the Nationals with an illness, so the women were unable to compete as a team.
The women’s tournament, held at the LPGA International Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., was also shortened by rain. Sophomore Brianne Anderson finished in 39th place, shooting 257 (80, 90, 85).
Elizabeth Livingston
Freshman Jennifer Candanoza finished 42nd with 260 (83, 88, 89), while sophomore Elizabeth Livingston finished 66th with 276 (97, 86, 93).
Online Extra: Aztecs earn Academic All-American accolades
Story and photo by James Kelley
Five Pima Community College student athletes were recognized as National Junior College Athletic Association Academic All-Americans.
Freshman Megan Carney of women’s cross country and track and field, sophomore Andrea Benjamin from women’s basketball, sophomore Gabrielle Siltanen and sophomore Lucas Volk from track and field and softball sophomore Kaity Ingram were named Academic All-Americans.
Andrea Benjamin
The prerequisites for Academic All-American are: attending at least three full-time semesters, completion of at least 45 class hours, competed for at least one season and a grade point average of at least 3.60.
Ingram and Benjamin were on the Distinguished All-American list, with a GPA of at least 3.80.
Online Extra: Women’s track & field takes 13th at Nationals, the men finish 17th
By James Kelley
Photo by Daniel Gaona
The Pima Community College track and field teams both finished in the top 17 at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship and had10 top-eight finishes, breaking records in the process.
The Aztec women finished 13th with 17 points, while the men finished 17th with 11.25 points. The meet was held in Hutchinson, Kan.
Sophomore Sharissa Korn placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 135’ 9”. Freshman Kat Howard finished fifth in the 10,000-meters, but more notably in a new school record time of 38:18.8.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of sophomore Stephan Bullard, freshman Derick Coker, sophomore Chris Phillips and freshman Mathew Robertson finished fifth in 3:15.5. On his own, Bullard finished sixth in the 800-meter in 1:54.1.
Stephan Bullard
Sophomore Jessica Davis took fifth in the shot put, by putting up a score of 40’ 2”.
Freshman Christian Tover earned Pima’s first points of the meet, going 160 feet with a personal record in the hammer throw and finishing sixth. Freshman Chloe’ Nowell leaped her way to a seventh place finish in the triple jump, (36’ 7”).
Freshman Magda Mankel earned seventh place in the 1,500-meter, in a time of 5:04.6.
Sophomore Kyle Bush was 8th in the 1,500-meter in 4:11.6. Freshman Anthony Johnson, was also an eighth place finisher, in the high jump, with a best of 6’8.75”.
Pima sent 24 athletes in 21 events.
Online Extra: Both track & field teams finish third at Regionals
Story and photo by James Kelley
The Pima Community College track and field teams finished third at the National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Championships.
Three Aztecs won region titles and four more qualified for Nationals.
Freshman Chloe’ Nowell CQ, triple jump, freshman Mario Portillo, 5,000-meter, and freshman Christian Tover, shot put, were crowned champions.
Nowell won the triple jump with a leap of 36’7”, Portillo won the 5,000 with a time of 15:51 and Tover won the shot put with a mark of 51’8”.
Chloe' Nowell
The new Pima qualifiers for Nationals are sophomore Kyle Bush in the 1,500-meter, freshman Derrick Coker in the 200 meter, freshman Magda Mankel in the 1,500-meter; and Nowell in the high jump.
The men’s 4×400 team finished in third place but broke a school record they had set earlier in the season. Sophomore Stephan Bullard, Coker, sophomore Nathan Manigault and sophomore Chris Phillips ran a 3:13.26.
Pima qualified 24 in 21 events for the NJCAA National Championship meet in Hutchinson, Kansas, May 20-22.
Nationals Qualifiers
Women
1. Acosta Zavala, Kathy 400-Meter Hurdles
2. Bishop, Brittany Pole Vault
3. Davis, Jessica Hammer
4. Dittiger, Julia 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
5. Dorado, Ashley 400-Meter Hurdles
6. Howard, Kat 5,000-Meters, 10,000-Meters
7. Korn, Sharissa Javelin
8. Loevenguth, Annalisa 1,500-Meters
9. Mankel, Magda 1,500-Meters, 5,000-Meters
10. Montano, Stephanie Pole Vault
11. Nowell, Chloe Heptathlon, Triple Jump, High Jump
Men
1. Bullard, Stephan 800-Meters
2. Bush Kyle 1,500-Meters
3. Coker, Derrick 4×100-Meter Relay, 200-Meters
4. Johnson, Anthony High Jump
5. Manigault, Nathan 4×100-Meter Relay
6. McIver, Daniel High Jump
7. Moeykens, Dylan Decathlon
8. Phillips, Chris 4×100-Meter Relay, 4×400-Meter Relay
9. Portillo, Mario 5,000-Meters
10. Robertson, Matthew 4×100-Meter Relay, 4×400-Meter Relay
11. Scarber, Frederick High Jump
12. Thomas, Antoine 4×100-Meter Relay
13. Tovar, Christian Hammer, Shot Put
Track and field carries high hopes into final meets
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
For the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams, regionals and nationals are nothing like ordinary meets.
Pima will travel to Mesa Community College on May 11 and 13 for the Region 1 Championships. Head coach Greg Wenneborg wants either the men or the women to be runners-up at regionals.
“Our goal is to get the upset,” he said. “Right now we’d probably take third or fourth at the region meet but we want to get runner-up.”
The teams are fully aware of what they need to do to bring home the hardware.
“We want to take a trophy home and everyone is going to have to do their part in order for that to happen,” Wenneborg said.
He also said the confidence level is high heading into the meet. Wenneborg feels that the team is set for a breakout meet and that it would surprise other teams because on paper it doesn’t look like Pima has a shot.
“Looking at the entries and looking at how our team is doing right now I think we could steal either a men’s or women’s second place finish,” Wenneborg said.
“The upside potential for the regional and national meet is so great and we’re just really excited for everyone.”
However, there is still some anxiety on the team.
“We’re a little nervous right now because there are sometimes downside potential and there are bad days,” Wenneborg said about regionals. “But right now I think we are poised to have a good meet.”
The biggest success factor through the whole season has been the depth and widespread talent for the Aztecs. It isn’t just a few events in which Pima is a contender.
“The thing I am so impressed right now is that we have such depth across the whole team,” Wenneborg said. “We’ve got our jumps crew in order, we’ve got our sprints crew in order, we’ve got our distances clicking right now and our throws are going to be a big surprise for us and score some huge points.”
Shortly after the regional meet, those on the team who qualified will head to Hutchinson, Kan. for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships on May 20-22.
Middle distance runner Stephan Bullard and javelin thrower Sharissa Korn will be the top two Aztecs to watch during the upcoming meets. Both are legitamate contenders for NJCAA titles.
Bullard is currently the national No. 3 800-meter runner on the men’s side and his season best was 1:52.65.
“He has had some great workouts recently and I think as usual we expect him to go for a national title,” Wenneborg said. “He has a great shot because he is sharpening very well right now.’
Korn is the No. 2 female javelin thrower in the NJCAA with a best of 139 feet, 2 inches. Wenneborg thinks she can break the school record, which is 142-4, and win the regional and national titles.
Other athletes to watch include sprinter Derrick Coker and Kat Howard, who are both freshmen.
Coker ran the 100-meter dash in 10.70 but he needs a 10.69 to qualify for nationals.
Howard is the No. 6 5,000-meter runner and the No. 5 10,000-meter runner in the NJCAA.
“She is a machine,” Wenneborg said about Howard. “She improves every time she steps on the track.”
In field events on the men’s side Christian Tovar is a threat in multiple throwing events. He is No. 11 in shot put and No. 9 in the hammer throw. Wenneborg expects him to be a “big force” in both events.
Anthony Johnson should stand out in the high jumps. He is currently No. 11 in the country and Wenneborg said he’s clearing close to 7-0 at practice.
Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads are ranked nationally. The 4×100 is No. 16 and the 4×400 team is No. 10. Chris Phillips and Matthew Robertson are on both of the relay crews.
Matthew Robertson and Chris Phillips
Chloe’ Nowell placed third at the Region 1 multiple-events meet on May 3-4. Her point total of 3,695 puts her at No. 10 in the nation and qualifies her for nationals in the heptathlon. She had already qualified in the triple jump as well.
On the men’s side, Dylan Moeykens is ranked 10th in the decathlon with 5,673 points.
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Track and Field national qualifiers as of May 6
Men
Stephan Bullard
Derrick Coker
Anthony Johnson
Nathan Manigault
Daniel McIver
Dylan Moeykens
Chris Phillips
Mario Portillo
Matthew Robertson
Frederick Scarber
Antoine Thomas
Christian Tovar
Women
Kathy Acosta
Brittany Bishop
Jessica Davis
Julia Dittiger
Ashley Dorado
Kat Howard
Sharissa Korn
Annalisa Loevenguth
Magda Mankel
Stephanie Montano
Chloe’ Nowell
Korn following family roots, eager to end season with wins
By Eric Townsend
Photo by Daniel Gaona
When Sharissa Korn travels to Kansas later this month for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships, she hopes to follow in her brother’s footsteps and bring home a national trophy.
Jeremiah Korn, Sharissa’s older brother and roommate, won the shot put title two years ago.
“I’m very excited,” Sharissa Korn said. “Just to have the opportunity is pretty awesome.”
As a sophomore, Korn is currently the nation’s No. 2 female community college javelin thrower. Colleen Felix from South Plains is the top thrower with a best of 146 feet, only 6 feet, 8 inches farther than Korn’s top throw this year.
“I don’t really know anything about her but I’ve seen her marks and they are impressive,” Korn said about Felix. “I just have to stay focused and have fun. There is really no point in doing a sport if you don’t have fun.”
The surprise is that Korn has been throwing the javelin for just two years because high schools in Arizona don’t offer it as an event. Last year was her first year and she immediately connected.
“It’s by far my favorite event,” she said. “I haven’t been throwing for long, but it’s by far my best event.”
Sharissa Korn
Korn’s athleticism and work ethic can be attributed to her athletic family. Jeremiah has helped guide her this season, providing his sister with insights about nutrition, training and weight lifting to help her compete at the highest level.
“He is very supportive,” she said about her brother. “We are both pretty level-headed, but he’s been making sure I’m getting into the weight room and eating right.”
Korn competes in all of the throwing events but javelin is the only event in which she qualified for nationals. She isn’t too concerned about shot put, discus or hammer throw.
“I’m just average at those other events,” she said. “I’m trying to focus on javelin and improving my techniques at this point. I just want to get into the weight room and improve my throws.”
Her talents have garnered national attention and she has recently received a few scholarship offers. She said the recruiting process has gone well, and she is looking at schools in Colorado and Kansas.
Come May 20, in addition to repeating her family history, Korn will also try to keep a streak alive for the track and field team. Pima has produced at least one national champion in each of the last three years.
Sharissa Korn
Track & Field begins to dominate field events
Story and Photo by Daniel Gaona
Field events are new additions to the strong points of the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams, with two regular season meets left.
Running events remain solid for the Aztecs, but the field events are beginning to gain national attention.
Pima will travel to the UCSD Triton Invitational in San Diego April 23-24, then to Glendale Community College on May 1. Beyond that are the regional and national championships.
Stephan Bullard is confident heading into the latter part of the season. He is hoping to run a 47.8 in the open 400-meter dash at the Triton Invitational. He also wants his team to run a 3:12 in the 4×400 relay and break the school record once again.
“I need to crank down on speeds and I have my competition scoped out and everything,” Bullard said. “I mentally know what I have to do, now I just have to do it physically with the speed work.”
Stephan Bullard
Off the track, head coach Greg Wenneborg is enthusiastic about the throwing staff.
“We have a lean crew, but three of them are going to the national championships with solid marks,” Wenneborg said about the throwers.
Sharissa Korn is currently the No. 2 athlete in the women’s javelin. Since qualifying for nationals earlier this season, she has continued to better herself each meet.
“I’ve just worked out really hard and have been training really hard and being strict with myself,” Korn said. “It’s a good feeling because all that is finally paying off.”
Korn plans on working on her form a lot more, which she said would make a big difference.
“I have to work on my form more because I’m using mostly just muscles right now and my form is pretty bad,” she said. “Once I get my form in that click, it will be good.”
She won the event at Mesa Community College on April 16. Her 139 foot, 2-1/2 inch toss bumped her up to second place nationally.
“I think she is a contender now,” Wenneborg said about Korn. “Just like that, she became a threat to win a national title.”
Her cohort Jessica Davis recently qualified for the women’s hammer throw, but she is still in search of more. Davis placed third in the hammer throw at Mesa with a 138-10 toss.
“I still have to qualify in discus and then shot put is after that,” Davis said. “I just have to get my throws perfect. I’ve done it before but when it comes to meet time, I can’t get it right. It’s just something for me to work on.”
Christian Tovar already qualified for shot put at nationals and he did not compete in it at Mesa. However, he placed third in the hammer throw.
Zach Dunbar, who splits his time between track and football, is hoping to qualify for the men’s javelin. He threw 169-1 earlier this season, which is about 15 feet shy of the qualifying mark.
Wenneborg also continues to be impressed by the jumpers.
“Jumps have never been a factor for us in the last five years and now they’re turning out to be another strong suit for us,” Wenneborg said.
At the conference meet on April 16, four Aztecs finished in the top nine spots of the long jump while three placed in the top four of the high jump.
Devin Phillips jumped 23-3-1/2 to win the long jump and Frederick Scarber cleared 6-6-3/4 in the high jump to place second.
On the women’s side, Chloe’ Nowell won the triple jump with a 36-4-1/2 jump and Gabby Siltanen won the high jump with a 5-1 leap.
Hector Araujo won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:12.
Wenneborg think the team still has more athletes to qualify.
“We’re really deep and wide right now and we are very excited to have 20 student-athletes to the national championships and I think we are still going to get another five or six,” Wenneborg said.
The coach expects the women’s 4×800 relay squad to qualify and Magda Mankel to secure a spot in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs.
Some athletes on the men’s side who are likely to qualify soon are Derrick Coker and Chris Phillips in sprints and Kyle Bush in distance.
Coker had personal bests in the 100-meter dash, 10.70, and 200-meter dash, 21.76, at the Mesa meet. Both of his times were within one second of the mark.
Phillips is pushing to qualify in the 400-meter dash.
He is within half a second and has a spot in the 4×400 team that is qualified for nationals.
Bush ran the 1,500 at Mesa in 4:07.43.
That time was seven seconds over the qualifying mark.
Track and field overcoming plateaus
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
After exploding in all aspects, the Pima Community College track and field teams suffered a minor downfall.
However, head coach Greg Wenneborg thinks the bumpy patch the teams hit is over.
“We hit a little bit of a plateau but we came out of it at the end of the last meet,” Wenneborg said. “We had about five people achieve lifetime-best marks.”
Among those athletes were Jessica Davis, who came within two feet of qualifying for Nationals in the hammer throw, and Kyle Bush, who ran the 800-meter in 1:56.02 to come within a second of standard.
Pima will travel to Mesa Community College April 9 and 16. The April 16 meet will be the season’s third conference meet.
“We have three weeks in a row where we have awesome opportunities in night time meets with good competition,” Wenneborg said. “It’s about 10 degrees cooler and you don’t have the winds. It’s better conditions for good performances all around.”
The Aztecs are coming off back-to-back meets at Paradise Valley Community College.
Thrower Christian Tovar may have been the most impressive performer. On March 27, he threw the shotput 49 feet, 11 3/4 inches to lock up his second spot at Nationals.
Christian Tovar
“I just feel like I did what I was supposed to do,” Tovar said. “It took hundreds and hundreds of reps. I tried to keep track but I couldn’t so who knows. It just took a lot of technical stuff I had to get done in the ring and I still have to.”
He also said that it will be his first time riding an airplane when the team travels to Hutchinson, Kansas, in May.
“I’m just a little nervous,” he added. “I’m more nervous about that than competing because that will be fun. I’m ready to compete.”
Wenneborg feels the team overcame its struggles and should be ready to prosper again.
“Our first goal is to achieve lifetime-best marks for all athletes and after that we are looking for National qualifying marks,” he said.
Wenneborg shifted to sharpening mode after the mid-season point passed. The regiment focuses more on quality instead of quantity.
“Everyone has started to sharpen,” he said. “We’ve shortened our weekly mileage and we’ve decreased our weekly volume. That way we are sharpening it.”
He is still confident that at least 25 athletes will qualify for Nationals. Currently there are 18.
“Just on the distance side alone I think we’ve got three or four athletes who are poised to hit qualifying marks,” Wenneborg said.
Overall the team has been successful but Wenneborg still feels it is early.
“Jumps have been strong and will continue to be strong for us and our sprints are coming together,” Wenneborg said. “I believe the men’s 4×400 relay team could set the school record two or three more times before the season is over.”
Stephan Bullard will be running at the Sun Angel Meet at Arizona State University while the remainder of the team is at Mesa. He is the No. 2 800-meter runner nationally.
“It’s looking like we are going to sharpen well in the next couple of weeks and be ready for a big Region and National Championships,” Wenneborg said.
Track & Field teams reaching new heights
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
At mid-season, the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams are ahead of schedule.
“We’re pretty much halfway through the season and now we go into this stretch with meets every weekend,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “We’re shooting all the way through to the end of April for big performances.”
After completing only three meets, the teams have a combined 15 athletes qualified for Nationals in 11 events.
“We’re right on pace, or actually we’re ahead,” Wenneborg said. “I remember previous seasons at Willie Williams when we would have two or three qualifiers at most.”
Wenneborg expects to have at least 25 athletes qualified by the end of the season. By early April, he thinks about five more should qualify.
“I believe last year we brought 22 (athletes) and we are way ahead of pace right now,” he added. “I think we’ll have 25 to 30 this year. Everything just has to come together smooth.”
Pima will travel to Paradise Valley Community College on March 27 for the second conference meet of the season and returns there April 1-3 for the Paradise Valley Invitational.
“There have been some great performances but now we are pushing through to Paradise Valley and hoping to come up big there,” Wenneborg said.
He feels that Pima has been all about quality this year.
“Even though our women’s team is lean in numbers, everything is going very well,” he said. “With the men we are definitely ahead of previous years in talent and the array of events that we have.”
The women’s team has five different athletes in six events qualified for Nationals.
Distance runner Kat Howard has locked up spots in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs. She placed second in the 5,000 in 18:47.21 at the conference meet hosted by Pima on March 13 and clinched a spot in the 10,000 at Central Arizona College on Feb. 20 with a time of 39:21.28.
“We’ve had a lot of good practices and a lot of good training,” Howard said. “We put in a lot of miles before the season started and I think that’s helped a lot. It will be interesting to be able to run in more than one event.”
Ashley Dorado will be competing in the 400 hurdles at Nationals. She ran her event in 1:08.82 at the Willie Williams Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona on March 19-20. She was injured in the meet but is expected to recover.
Chloe’ Nowell had a distance of 37 feet, 7 3/4 inches in the triple jump at the March 13 meet to secure a spot at Nationals.
“The second I landed I kind of knew it was a qualifying jump and it was a personal record by like a foot and a half almost,” she said about her jump.
She is planning on doing the heptathlon too and credits jumping coach Chad Harrison for her success.
“Chad has helped me out a lot and he’s gotten me a lot faster,” Nowell said. “Listening to his coaching has made me jump a lot further. I’m really excited to be doing eight events at the National Championships.”
Brittany Bishop will be doing pole vault. She cleared 10-0 at the Willie Williams.
Sharissa Korn is the only thrower locked in for Nationals right now but Jessica Davis is also likely to qualify in shot put and discus. Korn threw 123-10 in the javelin at the Willie Williams to set a new personal best. She ranks third nationally.
Mallory Drain and Stephanie Montano are both dual-enrollees and have been competing as unattached athletes. However, they both have hit qualifying marks.
On the men’s side, there are two relay teams and four individuals set to make the trip to Kansas for Nationals.
Daniel McIver
The Pima men’s 4×400 relay team broke a nine-year-old school record at the Willie Williams meet.
The squad of Matthew Robertson, Stephan Bullard, Phillip Hobart and Chris Phillips placed second behind Central Arizona in 3:14.46.
However, the Aztecs beat the Vaqueros in the 4×400 on March 13 in 3:16.14 to qualify.
“I looked up at the time and I knew that I had to run a 47 or under so we could break the record,” Phillips said. “That’s what I did and it was a personal record for me. I like the team that I have and I couldn’t have done it without them. I knew I had to anchor it in. The show isn’t over.”
Both Bullard and Phillip will each have a separate individual event as well.
Bullard, who just signed a letter of intent to University of Oklahoma, will be running the 800-meter dash. He won the event on March 13 in 1:53.07.
“I’m feeling pretty comfortable about my 800,” Bullard said. “I just signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, which is a big thing. It makes me relax and focus on running fast.”
Phillips will be running the 400. He won the race overall at the Willie Williams in 48.94. Wenneborg called Phillips “a great anchor for the 4×400.”
Daniel McIver and Frederick Scarber were battling to win the high jump at the Pima meet and in doing so both qualified for Nationals. They ended up tying at 6-6 3/4. Scarber matched that height at the Willie Williams to place second.
Christian Tovar secured a spot in the hammer throw with a 159-8 toss. He is less than one meter from qualifying for shot put as well.
The speedy 4×100 team is the other relay team that qualified. Antoine Thomas, Nathan Manigault, Robertson and Derrick Coker ran the race in 41.53 on March 13.
Wenneborg was impressed with not only Pima’s talent in the first conference meet of the season on March 13, but also the overall talent.
“Of all schools there were 45 qualifiers, so it was a very competitive meet,” he said.
Wenneborg is also aware that the team can’t let up or experience a downfall, especially at the end of the season.
“We’ll be doing more sharpening work in the coming weeks,” Wenneborg said on March 22. “We push a little bit hard so we can continue to push our peak pack because we want kids peaking in May when it counts.”
“You can’t always be on an upward swing and there are times when your performances level off a little,” he added.
National Qualifiers
Women
Chloe’ Nowell- Triple jump
Sharissa Korn- Javelin
Brittany Bishop- Pole vault
Kat Howard- 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs
Ashley Dorado- 400 hurdles
Men
Stephan Bullard- 800-meter dash
Chris Phillips- 400-meter dash
Christian Tovar- Hammer throw
Daniel McIver- High jump
Frederick Scarber- High jump
Antoine Thomas, Nathan Manigualt,
Matthew Robertson, Derrick Coker- 4×100 relay
Phillip Hobart, Bullard,
Robertson, Phillips- 4×400 relay
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