by Brian Ortega
Staff Writer
It was a big weekend for the University of La Verne track and field team, as they traveled to Ted Runner Stadium at the University of Redlands for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Dual Meet Saturday.
The men were able to come out with second place in the meet standings.
The men put away Redlands 137-59 and Caltech 136-65.
This put the men at a 6-1 overall score at the meet, only failing to beat cross-town rivals Claremont- Mudd-Scripps.
Meanwhile, the women were able to come out on top beating all three schools with wins of 108-94 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Redlands 128-68 and Caltech 134-64.
“I was really excited that the women won, but I was disappointed that the men lost,” said head coach Pat Widolff.
The women came out the strongest, as competitors like senior Liz Lucsko, dominated the track.
Lucsko took first place with a time of 12.17 in the women’s 100 meters. However, Lucsko took a hard fall in the hurdles.
“Liz’s fall might have hurt, but she still ran and showed a lot of heart; she did great,” Widolff said.
Dejuana Satchell and Eje Ash followed right behind with times of 12.33 and 12.69, taking the second and third slots.
Satchel also took first place in the 200 meters.
Lakia Simms was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week with an exceptional performance in five different events
Simms took first place in the 400-meter hurdles, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.
Simms also played a vital role in the 4×100 relay.
“Lakia did a phenomenal job and really stepped it up for us and did some events she had not done before,” said Widolff.
Lori Waters and Ellen Soakai dominated the shotput event, taking first and second places 13.74 meters and 13.50 meters, respectively.
Crystal Marks made herself a force of which to be reckoned. Marks took first place honors as she cleared 9-0 feet in the pole vault event.
In the steeplechase, Alexis Candelara had a time of 12:25.8 that secured a first place victory.
Christy DeLapp contributed to the women’s domination with her first place victory in the high jump event.
Selected Leopards, who performed well in the Dual Meet, compete in the ninth annual California-Nevada State Track and Field Championships today and tomorrow in San Diego.
Winners in each event will earn All-State honors.
