Steeplechase

Grant Gordon It's not an event with a lot of fanfare or recognition, but the steeplechase has become a tradition at Glendale Community College. A winning tradition. Women's Coach Eddie Lopez and men's Coach Tom McMurray are counting on that tradition to continue during the Vaqueros' 2005 track and field season. Last season, four Vaqueros advanced to the State Finals, three in the steeplechase. On the men's side, both Humberto Espino and Patrick O'Neil have moved on. Espino was a sophomore, while O'Neil transferred to UC Riverside after a stellar freshman year.

NORWALK — Cecilia Nicolas hoped to break the Glendale Community College women's track and field record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but winning was the only thing on her mind in the middle of the race. Nicolas hit both marks, as she took first and bested the previous record by about four seconds with a time of 11 minutes 06.26 seconds Saturday in the 2012 California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College. "I wanted to break the school record, but at the same time, I wasn't worried about the time, just go and push to the end," Nicolas said.

GLENDALE ? Ten Glendale Community College track and field athletes went north looking to win state championships in their respective events. Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, their bids all fell short despite turning in some quality performances at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships at College of San Mateo on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Zitlalic Ley had the best finish for the Vaqueros. Ley clocked 11 minutes 19.41 seconds to place second in the women?

It takes a rare breed of athlete to flourish in the steeplechase. It’s an event that demands competitors to mesh speed, endurance and jumping ability all into a single race — a pedigree that not many possess. Over the years, the Glendale Community College track and field program has had a knack for churning out top-notch steeplechasers, with four state champions to its name, and this season is no different. Sophomore Michael Flowers and freshman Zitlalic Ley are the latest Vaqueros sensations hoping to add state crowns to their resumes at this weekend’s California Community College Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.

COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Glendale Community College in Southern California finals: The 3,000-meter steeplechase proved to be GCC's bread and butter during Saturday's final at Bakersfield College. On the men's side, Patrick O'Neill won the Southern California title in the event in 9 minutes 36.13 seconds, marking the fifth time that a Vaquero athlete had won the event in the So-Cal finals. Teammate Humberto Espino finished third in the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:39.

SOFTBALL Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 3, Louisville 0: The visiting Tologs kept their bid for a playoff appearance alive after posting a Mission League win Monday. Junior pitcher Jessica Ferri, an all-league second-team member last season, struck out 11 to pace the Tologs (11-9, 4-5 in league). Ferri (10-7) has struck out 219 this season. Ferri and Amy Leos each had run-scoring singles in the first to stake Flintridge Sacred Heart to a 2-0 lead. The Tologs made it 3-0 when Mary Knauf was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth.

GLENDALE ? Samantha Bogatz won the 100- and 200-meter races on Saturday at the Southern California Track and Field Championships at Mt. San Antonio College to lead a group of seven Glendale Community College athletes and one relay team to the upcoming state meet, where many have a strong shot at earning All-American honors. Bogatz won the 100 in a school-record time of 11.77 seconds and took the 200 in 24.33. She also anchored the Vaqueros? 4x100 relay team, which includes Ashley Baucham, Janette Morfin and Melani Artoun-Livaskan, to a third place finish in 47.75, good enough to qualify for state.

GLENDALE — Having made it through a bevy of invitational, conference and qualifying meets, 11 Glendale Community College track and field athletes can now look ahead to their biggest meet of the season — the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships. Each will attempt to reel in a state championship when the meet begins today and concludes Saturday at Antelope Valley College. Leading the way will be women’s sprinter Samantha Bogatz, who captured the 100- and 200-meter races Saturday at the Southern California Championships at Saddleback College.

DATELINE — The Glendale Community College men's and women's track and field teams went to San Diego trying to keep their season alive. Competing in the Southern California Regionals on Saturday, the Vaqueros managed to send a handful of their athletes to the State Meet on May 18-19 in San Mateo. Leading the charge for the Vaqueros was a trio of women's runners. Tove Berg finished first in the 5,000 meter and set a school record in the process with a time of 17 minutes, 6.79 seconds.

NORWALK — Cecilia Nicolas hoped to break the Glendale Community College women's track and field record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but winning was the only thing on her mind in the middle of the race. Nicolas hit both marks, as she took first and bested the previous record by about four seconds with a time of 11 minutes 06.26 seconds Saturday in the 2012 California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College. "I wanted to break the school record, but at the same time, I wasn't worried about the time, just go and push to the end," Nicolas said.

It didn't play out ideally for Cecilia Nicolas and Nohemi Martinez, but both Glendale Community College women's track and field runners said their desire to succeed fueled them to cross the finish line first at the Western State Conference Championships. Rodriguez and Martinez were the only Vaqueros - both men and women - to finish first Friday at Moorpark College, as the women took third with 108 points, behind West L.A. College (119) and College of the Canyons (112). The Wildcats swept on both sides, as their men also finished first with 135 points.

LANCASTER — Battling through pain, torrid winds and stiff and physical competition, Rosa Del Toro emerged Saturday afternoon as a state champion. Running a brilliant and strong race from start to finish, the Glendale Community College sophomore claimed victory in the women’s 1,500-meters race at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships at Antelope Valley College. “It’s so exciting, it’s indescribable,” said Del Toro, who won the race in 4 minutes 43.88 seconds, pulling away down the final stretch in front of second-place Sara Toberty of Orange Coast, who finished in 4:45.

GLENDALE — Having made it through a bevy of invitational, conference and qualifying meets, 11 Glendale Community College track and field athletes can now look ahead to their biggest meet of the season — the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships. Each will attempt to reel in a state championship when the meet begins today and concludes Saturday at Antelope Valley College. Leading the way will be women’s sprinter Samantha Bogatz, who captured the 100- and 200-meter races Saturday at the Southern California Championships at Saddleback College.

There’s not much margin for error while competing in one of track and field’s most strenuous events. Glendale Community College men’s athlete Jonathan Alpizar learned that while competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the Southern California Championships at Saddleback College on Saturday. Having just begun the taxing race, Alpizar stumbled after barely clearing the first of seven water boards on a windy afternoon. Fortunately for Alpizar, he regained his composure en route to clocking a personal-best mark of 9 minutes 19.46 seconds for second place.

GLENDALE — It won’t take long for Samantha Bogatz to find out if she will repeat as a champion in a pair of dashes. Bogatz, a sophomore sprinter on the Glendale Community College women’s track and field team, cautioned it won’t be easy as she will strive to capture the 100- and 200-meter dashes again at the Southern California Championships at Saddleback College today. “It’s going to be hard because it’s a talented field,” said Bogatz, a Glendale High graduate who won both races for the second consecutive season at the Western State Conference Championships on April 30 at Moorpark College.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Sounds of cowbells and turkey calls filled the air Sunday at the sixth annual Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot Cyclocross race at Verdugo Park. The farm noise was fitting for the sport, a hybrid of mountain bike riding and obstacle courses, that’s known for its precision and impromptu decision-making. “It’s been called the steeplechase of cycling,” said Matt Gunnell, the event’s race director. Riders compete in one narrow lane up hills, through a sand trap, and over foot-tall hurdles.

GLENDALE ? Ten Glendale Community College track and field athletes went north looking to win state championships in their respective events. Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, their bids all fell short despite turning in some quality performances at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships at College of San Mateo on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Zitlalic Ley had the best finish for the Vaqueros. Ley clocked 11 minutes 19.41 seconds to place second in the women?

GLENDALE ? Samantha Bogatz won the 100- and 200-meter races on Saturday at the Southern California Track and Field Championships at Mt. San Antonio College to lead a group of seven Glendale Community College athletes and one relay team to the upcoming state meet, where many have a strong shot at earning All-American honors. Bogatz won the 100 in a school-record time of 11.77 seconds and took the 200 in 24.33. She also anchored the Vaqueros? 4x100 relay team, which includes Ashley Baucham, Janette Morfin and Melani Artoun-Livaskan, to a third place finish in 47.75, good enough to qualify for state.

In the world of elite track and field runners, a 33-year-old athlete would often be considered on the downside of his career. When you add into the equation that the 33-year-old athlete missed all of the 2007 season due to a heel spur injury — a hindrance to any runner, let alone a steeplechaser — it would be easy to write off that athlete’s career. But Jacques Sallberg isn’t the type of athlete you ever disregard. The former Glendale Community College standout steeplechaser has an unwavering passion for running that helped him bounce back from the devastating injury to quickly regain his form.