Torres Paces Panthers to Norcal Preview Team Title

With nearly all the Northern California teams in Hayward Saturday for the Norcal Preview Meet, the Hartnell College track & field team got a good idea of the path that they must traverse to reach potential top three team trophies come May. The women were paced by four State Auto qualifying marks that helped the Panthers to the overall team score victory versus sixteen teams. The men, with four State qualifying marks, were a solid third place just three points from second. 

Sophomore Isabelle Torres, a graduate of Salinas High School, has patiently awaited the return of community college competition after having perservered through a fibular stress fracture as a freshman and COVID interrupting what was thought her final season as a Panther. Thankfully, with a full return this spring and granted a part-time enrollment waiver for those student-athletes who have earned his or her Associate Degree, Torres is back and ready to return to the CCCAA State Championship. As a freshman, she placed fifth in the 1500 meters and also represented Hartnell College in the 10,000 meters. Saturday, she showed her Norcal and State counterparts she continued to remain diligent with her training the last two years producing the fourth fastest 10,000 meters in Hartnell history in 38:22.27. The mark sits only behind fellow Salinas High School graduate Malena Grover, Kathey Lenno, and Pam Burkes. Torres earned the State Auto mark after also running 5:04.23 in the 1500 meters. Isabella Reimann, an international student from Austria, made her hammer throw prescence known winning the competition with 43.35m. That mark moves Reimann, who is new to throwing, to sixth best all-time in Hartnell College history. Lorraine Mankins equaled her season best and State mark clearing 3.00m and saw her Norcal title will go through host Chabot College who's Andie Aymond cleared 3.15m to take over the Norcal lead. Freshman Faith Mora, who also missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to CoVID, punched her ticket to state running 40:41.97 in her first ever track 10,000 meters. She moves into the top 20 all-time. Freshman transfer Jazmin Mora and freshman Mariah Changco dipped under the State "B" mark, which will be used to complete the field if needed, in the 10,000 meters with 41:22.35 and 41:46.06. 

Panthers who surpassed the Norcal Provisional qualifying mark who had not preivously included Katelyn Strader in the hammer and discus, Roxana Ruelas in the 400mLH, Karla Herrera and Andrea Villegas in the 800 meters, Sofia Camacho, Ashley Ochoa, Mariah Changco all in the 1500 meters, and Lorraine Mankins in the triple jump. Strader improved her hammer throw to 40.50m and discus to 33.24. The hammer mark is currently ranked sixth in Northern California. Roxana Ruelas competed in the 400mLH for the first time and posted a time of 69.25. That sits third best in the region and tops in the Coast Conference. Herrera lowered her 800 meters season best to 2:26.32, just off her 2:25.31 lifetime best from high school. Villegas lowered her lifetime best to 2:30.53. Sofia Camacho, fall's Norcal cross country champion, debuted at 1500 meters in 5:02.31, Ochoa was 5:14.34, and Changco 5:16.06. Mankins bettered her personal best in her first triple jump contest as a Panther with a distance of 10.26m. The women's relay team of Ruelas, Herrera, Camacho, and Marilyn Macias won in 4:18.05, currently the top time in Northern California. 

Having won the team title at the Norcal Preview Meet, the Panthers appear primed to chase a third women's team title in a row. The Hartnell track & field team will compete on Friday, March 4 in the Wildcat Cup hosted by Santa Rosa Junior College.