Maurice Compton Invitational previews NorCal
By Aaron Turner
The Guardsman
In their final invitational of the season, the City College track and field team headed into Merritt College on April 17 in preparation for this week’s Coast Conference Trials with the hopes of finishing strong.
In perhaps a preview of coming attractions for those competing, the Maurice Compton Invitational was a showcase for many of the Rams’ top competition in Northern California.
“Our main goal was to make sure everyone felt and ran well,” head coach Doug Owyang said following the meet. “We felt this was the perfect tune-up for our guys, and it allowed them to get a good look at what they will be facing in the Conference and NorCal Trials.”
Sophomores Trevor Rogers and Carlos Proctor and freshman Norman Terea led the way for the men’s sprinters, while sophomore twins Mark and Luke Frazier, along with Benny Willers and Fernando Diaz, finished among the top five in three separate distance events.
In the men’s 200-meter dash, Rogers took fifth overall, while Tarea and Proctor were right behind in sixth and ninth. Rogers and Proctor would then team up once more in the men’s 100 to finish sixth and ninth, respectively, while Chen finished 24th.
Luke Frazier and Willers also claimed the top two spots in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase, while Diaz and Mark Frazier placed second and eighth in the men’s 1,500 run.
“I think everybody has improved all year long,” Willers said. “So we all felt pretty good running out there. This is a good chance to see where we’re at at the end of the season and where we are going into conference.”
On the women’s side, sophomore Agnes Silvestro and freshman Stephanie Cano took fourth and sixth overall in the 1,500 run, while sophomore Lydia Offord took seventh in the 400 dash and eighth in the 200 dash.
“My goal was to make sure I felt good running, but also try and get my best times,” Offord said. “The coaches are still pushing me to work on my form and my running style, to get ready for Coast and NorCal.”
The Rams field side also had two top finishers. Rogers took first place in the men’s long jump for his third event of afternoon, while freshman Daniel Harris-Lucas took fifth overall in the men’s shot put.
“I went in trying to make sure I was well prepared,” Lucas said. “This also helped the team to be focused and ready to go once conference begins.”
The Coast Conference Trials are set to take place April 28 at San Jose City College, followed by the Coast Conference Finals on May 1. The team will then have six more days before heading to American River College in Sacramento on May 7 to compete in the Northern California Trials. The Northern California Finals are on May 14.
To qualify for the May 21 State Championships, runners must finish in the top six for their respective events.
“Our team is really prepared this season for both Conference and NorCal,” Owyang said. “I think depending on the runner, for some NorCal will be their last event of the season, while for some, they will be looking to go even further.”