Runners win two medals at finals

Lancer track and field athletes came home with two medals from the state championships held over the weekend in Sacramento at American River College.Tracee van der Wyk won first place in the 1,500-meter run making her the fastest woman in the state and PCC’s first woman to hold a state title in track. Her time of 4:40.22 was four seconds ahead of the second finisher.

Having run the 1,500-meter first, a tired van der Wyk came in ninth place in the 800-meter run.

The men’s team didn’t do as well as it had hoped. It won one medal and was disqualified from two events.

In the 4×400-meter relay the men finished in fourth place. Vincent Bryant, Ron Spears, Stephen Peeve, and Korey Brown finished with a time of 3:14.50.

The team of Robert Pachorek, Spears, Peeve, and Brown was disqualified from the 4×100-meter relay. The second leg was unable to give the baton to the third leg making them unable to finish the race.

Peeve came in seventh place in the 400-meter dash run. His time of 48.81 seconds didn’t gain the team any points. Team Captain Korey Brown’s 400-meter dash run ended with unexpected results. Brown ran on the inside of his lane in more than three consecutive steps (touching the line) getting him disqualified from the event.

“Everyone who went to the meet, it was their first time going to state,” said Track and Field Head Coach Larry Wade. “As a coach, I am very competitive and I don’t like losing. But my student athletes have come a long way and I am very proud of them for that reason.”

Steven Williams’ high jump tied him in ninth place.

“I am looking for him to place in the top three next year as a returning athlete to state finals,” said Track and Field Assistant Coach Pat Williams.

As the track and field season is over, the athletes are now going to focus on their academic studies, said Coach Wade.

“I am very grateful for all the coaches’ hard work. They did a great job for helping me this season,” said Coach Wade.

“It’s been a great season. We can’t do anything but better our results next year. I look better to a bigger and better season next year.