Community college track and field: OCC sends 11 to regional finals

The Orange Coast College track and field teams qualified 11

competitors in the Southern California Finals at Mt. San Antonio College

Saturday.

For the Pirates’ men’s squad, sophomores Tony Magana and Sean Abeyta

will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000 race. They

both finished fifth in their respective heats in the 3,000 steeplechase,

Magana in 9:41.6 and Abeyta in 9:45.4. Magana also qualified for the

State Championships May 17-19 in Sacramento after finishing sixth in the

10,000 regional final Saturday.

Also representing the OCC men’s team is sophomore Carl Olsson, who

qualified with the fastest time in the 110 high hurdles (14.68), while

teammate Aldee Winter finished fourth in his heat at 15.28, to move on to

the finals.

Pirates Donnie Deschenes (javelin throw, 169-7), Brandon Hazelett

(high jump, 6-4) and Steven Taelemon (pole vault, 15-0) qualified in

their respective events.

Among the women’s competition, OCC freshman Julie Kroening, a Costa

Mesa High product, qualified first in her heat in the 400 hurdles

(1:06.47), while Jennifer Urbieta qualified in the high jump (4-8).

Distance runners Heather Shurtleff and Lindsay Allen will compete in the

5,000 final. Shurtleff finished third in the 10,000 finals (39:11.16)

Saturday, qualifying for the State Championships, which takes the

region’s top six. And Allen finished seventh (40:04.37) as the top eight

contribute in the team scoring.