Four Wins for Briggs

Bryce Alderton

Certain track and field athletes jump from event to event, barely

having enough time to take a much-needed breath before the gun sounds

again.

Breath or no breath, Orange Coast College’s Keinan Briggs showed

his prowess Thursday in an Orange Empire Conference tri-meet with

visiting Fullerton and Santiago Canyon, winning four events to lead

the hosts to 174 points. Fullerton came in second with 121 while

Santiago Canyon tallied 16.

Coast improves to 6-0 with the OEC preliminaries and championships

scheduled for late next week.

Briggs, who broke the school record in the 110-meter hurdles earlier this season in 14.2 seconds, won the same event Thursday in

15.44 while placing first in the high jump (5-feet-7), triple jump

(48 feet, 7 1/4 inches) and long jump (21-5 1/4).

“I was trying to keep my lead leg in tight because it swings out a

lot,” Briggs said about his effort in the 110 hurdles. “The wind

makes it feel like I have a parachute behind me.”

“He is our most valuable kid,” OCC men’s and women’s track and

field head coach John Knox said of Briggs. “He handles all the jumps

and the 400 relay.”

Blustery conditions prevailed Thursday on OCC’s track, but the

ominous-looking black clouds in the distance stayed away from Coast,

keeping things dry.

But Coast tasted from the fountain of victory in nine of the

remaining 14 events following Briggs.

Marlon Conerly won the 100 (11.37) while Juan Carrillo bested the

field in the 800 (2:00.40) and Gilbert Salas took second in 2:01.70.

Vidal Barragon and Kevin Curley went 1-2 for Coast in the 3,000 in

9:01.3 and 9:06.1, respectively, while Anthony Daniels in the 400

(58.35) and David Bare in the pole vault (13-1) each placed first.

Bare took second in the javelin throw (131-6).

Blake Dorman won the shot put (44-6) and the 400 relay team of

Conerly, Daniels, Washington and Briggs crossed first in 42.73.

Sophomore Art Diaz won the 1,500 in 4:02.5, while Barragon took

second in 4:07.10. Diaz set a personal best in the 1,500, but he

needed all the energy he could muster.

“I wanted to get out quick, but the wind really kills you, I am

tired,” Diaz said.

Pedro Nambo placed second in the high jump (5-4) while Ryan

Stevens followed Bare in the pole vault, clearing 12-2. Ronaldo Vivar

leaped 19 feet in the long jump and Joshua Lazear followed Briggs in

the triple jump (38-11).

Robert Brown in the 200 (23.67) and Antquan Washington in the 400

(50.7) also doubled for the Coast men Thursday.

Only the first and second place finishers were scored in each

event Thursday, an attempt to keep the meet as competitive as

possible, Knox said.

“This is an NCAA scoring system, which is used to prevent

blowouts,” Knox said. “We might have placed 1-4, but we could only

use first and second in the overall score.”

Coast will compete in the OEC prelims Thursday at Santa Ana

College with the finals set for Friday.