Men's Track and Field Season Opens

The Pasadena City College men's track and field team started the 2024 season in participating at both the South Coast Conference Opener meet on Feb. 10, then the Cerritos Open on Feb. 16.

At the SCC Opener held at El Camino College, freshman Graham Baer (Gorman Learning Center) soared to third in the javelin with a throw of 161-11 feet (49.36 meters). Baer's throw is already #7 in the state rankings.

Sophomore Frank Macias placed sixth in that event at 125-02.

Freshman Kai Sebastian (Burbank High) scored seventh overall in the 200 meters in 23.42 seconds and took seventh in the long jump at 20-11.5 feet (6.38 meters).

First-year thrower Ridge Lalau (Baldwin Park HS) was eighth in the discus at 98-9 feet and letterman Jaden Pena 11th (94-7).

Sophomore Winsor Harmon was ninth (23.44) in the 200, followed by freshmen Hunter Davis (Marshall Fundamental) in 17th (24.39), Samuel Platz (Monrovia) 26th (25.73), Colt Reichman (North Hollywood) 27th (25.86), and Phoenix Cox (South Pasadena) 30th (26.69).

Platz placed 16th in the 400 meters at 57.49 while letterman Youssef Cherqaoui was 27th in the 1,500 meters at 4:28.52. Frosh Stephen Houlemard (Pasadena HS) scored 48th in the 60 meters (8.28).

Freshman Brandon Phan (San Gabriel) placed 19th in the long jump (17-2.75) Cherqaoui was 32nd in the 3,000 meters (9:51.24).

In the Cerritos College Open meet, only three college teams participated as Baer recorded PCC's first event victory of the season with a win in the javelin in 157-6. Macias was second in 140-1.

Pena was second in the discus at 114-10 while Lalau improved to 100-6 (placed fifth). Phan was third in the high jump at 5-6. Pena was fourth in the shot put (30-3) while Lalau was fifth.

In the 3,000 meters, freshman Jaime Loera (Mountain View) took second (11:57.17), frosh Sergio De Los Santos Jr (Mountain View) was third (11:58.38) and frosh Aghasi Melkonyan (Crescenta Valley) scored fourth.

Sebastian scored second in the 60 dash (7.40), Davis was fifth (7.64), freshman Kayvaughn Larry (Monrovia) sixth (7.66), and Houlemard improved to 8.01 in ninth. 

The 4x400 relay team of Davis, Cherqaoui, Harmon and Sebastian placed third in 3:33.67.

Cherqaoui took sixth with a far-improved time of 4:19.47 in the 1,500, followed by freshman Luca Augustyn (Temple City) 12th (4:52.12)

Harmon placed third in the 200 (23.33), followed by Davis fifth (24.36), Larry sixth (24.95), Houlemard seventh (25.43) freshman Ethan Rodriguez (Eagle Rock) ninth (26.20) and Cox 10th (26.28).

Cherqaoui took 13th in the 800 meters (2:10.5) while Augustyn was 21st (2:22.7). 

Directed by head coach Innocent Egbunike in his seventh season, the Lancers are next scheduled for the Santa Monica College Classic on March 1.