By JAIME HERNANDEZ
The Pima Community College men’s and women’s track team made big strides in the second day of the Region I track championships in Mesa on May 6.
The final day of competition took place after Aztec Press went to the printer.
Results will be posted at aztecpressonline.com as they become available.
Pima returns to Mesa May 15-17 for the NJCAA national outdoor championships.
Women take five-point lead
After two days at regionals, the women’s team had a five-point lead in the overall standings.
Sophomore Brianna Rodriguez took first place in the long jump with a jump of 18-7. Freshman Vanessa Fox took second place with a jump of 17-7.
Freshman Kaysee Pilgrim took second place in the high jump with a jump of 5-5 1/4.
The relay team of sophomore Nikki Regalado and freshmen Raelene Yocupicio, Shanice Alchesay and Col’Bi Nez set a national qualifying mark with their second-place finish in the 4×800 relay with a time of 9 minutes, 50.6 seconds.
On April 26, the Aztec women set national qualifying marks in their final meet of the regular season at the University of California Triton Invitational in San Diego.
Pima was led by Regalado and sophomore Kathy Fisher.
Regalado set a new national qualifying time and school record in the 5,000-meters with a time of 17:30.58, destroying her old record of 18:26.90.
Fisher set a new personal best in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:03.06. She finished in third place.
Alchesay set a national qualifying time and new personal record in the 5,000 race with a time of 19:25.59.
Men sitting in second place
The men’s team was in second place with one day left in the regional championships.
They were down by three points and still had heavy hitters left to compete.
Sophomores Khalill Hakim and Eddie Wilcox tied for second place in the long jump with jumps of 6-8.
Freshman Luke Ross took fourth place in the high jump with a jump of 6-4.
At the Triton Invitational on April 26, freshman Anthony Spendlove set a national qualifying mark in the 5,000 with a time of 15:42.96.
