Track and Field: Vikings qualify three for State Championships; men 13th, women 18th at SoCal Finals

Long Beach City College will send two individuals and one relay team to the upcoming California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Track and Field State Championship meet scheduled May 15-16 at College of San Mateo.

Sophomore Jared Jones has qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, freshman Chantel Dunson will move on in the triple jump, and the men's 4x100-meter relay team will all be heading north to the bay area for the state finals after their performances at Southern California Championship Finals at Cerritos College on Saturday.

Jones continues to improve on his time in the steeplechase as the season continues. He shaved nearly six seconds off his prelims time to take third place in the SoCal finals at 9:26.84. The time ranks No. 9 on the all-time LBCC performance list.

He is seeded fifth for the state championships. The steeplechase final is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on Saturday.

The 4x100-meter relay squad of Travis Thomas, Jordan Noble, Damond Burns, and Jacob Thorton was a late addition to the travel roster for the state championships. The group finished sixth, just one spot out of qualifying for state, with a time of 42.00 at the SoCal finals. But College of the Canyons, the fifth-place team, did not post a state qualifying mark during the season which allows the Vikings (who already posted the qualifying mark) to go ahead of Canyons to the state meet.

The relay team took the ninth and final spot for the state finals. The 4x100 relay is set to run at 1:55 p.m.

Overall, the Viking men totaled 23.33 points to finish in 13th place in the final team standings.

For the women, Dunson finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.19 meters (36' 8 ½"). She is seeded fourth for the state finals with the triple jump scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Dunson, along with sophomore Danasia Richard (6th place, 100 meters) totaled 11 points to place Long Beach 18th in the final team standings.

Complete LBCC-SoCal Finals results below:

Southern California Championship Finals
May 10, 2015 – Cerritos College
*- State Championship qualifiers

MEN
Jose Ochoa, Javelin, 8^th, 48.50 meters
Jacob Thorton, High Jump, 8^th, 1.87 meters
*Jared Jones, 3000-meter Steeplechase, 3^rd, 9:26.84
*4x100-meter relay (Travis Thomas, Jordan Noble, Damond Burns, Jacob Thorton), 6^th, 42.00
Justin Weaver, 1500 meters, 12^th, 4:21.36
Damond Burns, 100 meters, 7^th, 10.83
Phillip Powell, 800 meters, 6^th, 1:55.46
Travis Thomas, 400-meter hurdles, 5^th, 54.59
Damond Burns, 200 meters, 7^th, 22.07
Omar Torres, 5000 meters, 12^th, 15:42.68
4x400-meter relay (Damond Burns, Travis Thomas, Phillip Powell, Justin Weaver)
Omar Torres, 10000 meters, 10^th, 32:16.44

WOMEN
*Chantel Dunson, Triple Jump, 2^nd, 11.19 meters
Danasia Richard, 100 meters, 6^th, 12.25
4x100-meter relay (Chantel Dunson, Danasia Richard, Deborahnay Love, Sharone Nora), DQ