2011 Meet Stories
By Dave Loveton, SBCC sports information
Saturday, May 21 -- State Championships at American River College (Sacramento).
Schaeffer takes second in State steeplechase
Bransgard, Johnson place fifth; Women are 17th
SBCC sophomore Erika Schaeffer finished second in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase on Saturday in the Community College State
Track & Field Championships at American River in Sacramento.
Schaeffer, who won the Southern Cal title last week, was clocked in a personal-best 11:15.53, the No. 2 mark in school history.
Courtney Anderson of American River won in 11:07.65.
Three Vaquero women placed in the top five in the state. SBCC totaled 15.5 points and finished 17th.
Elisabeth Bransgard, a freshman from Sweden, was fifth in the discus with a throw of 41.06 meters (134 feet, 8 inches) on
the last of her six attempts. It was her second-best toss of the year and the No. 5 mark in SBCC history.
Kelli Johnson, a sophomore from San Marcos High, tied for fifth in the high jump at 5-1¼.
Freshman Matt Bailey, the Vaqueros’ only state qualifier in the men’s meet, was 12th in the 1,500 meters in 4:08.95.
“Last year, we had two athletes at state and this year, we had four,” said coach Scott Fickerson. “It’s a great accomplishment
just to get to this meet and it was impressive for us to have three women in the top five.”
Friday, May 13 -- Southern Cal Championships at Mt. San Antonio (Walnut), 3 p.m.
Schaeffer wins Southern Cal steeplechase
Bransgard, Johnson take third in discus, high jump
SBCC’s Erika Schaeffer took the lead with 1,000 meters to go on Friday and went on to capture the women’s 3,000 Steeplechase
in the Southern Cal Track & Field Championships at Mt. San Antonio College.
Schaeffer, a sophomore from Newbury Park, ran 11:20.71, which is the third-fastest in school history. She also has the No.
2 all-time mark of 11:17.
Schaeffer had trouble with the sun in her eyes on the early water jumps but was able to track down the top-seeded leader
from Moorpark.
“Erika was able to close the gap around the mile mark,“ said coach Scott Fickerson. “She was looking directly into the sun
on her first few water jumps, then she got used to the angle of the sun and started clearing them better. Once she took the
lead with 1,000 meters to go, she quickly opened up a gap and never looked back as she ran to a comfortable win.”
Elisabeth Bransgard and Kelli Johnson also qualified for the State Championships on May 20-21 at American River in Sacramento.
Bransgard took third in the discus (41.69 meters) and ninth in the javelin (29.06m) while Johnson was third in the high jump
with her second-best leap of the year (1.67). Liza Messner was 10th at 1.46 meters.
Katie Voss took sixth in the women‘s 400 hurdles in 65.47.
For the men, Matt Bailey was eighth in the 1,500 in a personal-best 3:59.49 and earned a trip to the State meet. Cal Keating
placed 10th in the long jump at 6.59 meters.
Friday, May 6 -- Southern Cal Prelims at Mt. San Antonio (Walnut), 10 a.m.
Schaeffer takes fifth in Southern Cal 10,000
7 Vaqueros qualify for So Cal Finals
Erika Schaeffer of SBCC placed fifth in the women’s Southern Cal 10,000-meter final on Friday at Mt. San Antonio College
in Walnut.
Schaeffer was clocked in 39:04.66 in the 10,000, which was the only final held during the Southern Cal Track & Field Prelims.
She also took first in her heat in the 3,000 Steeplechase (11:29.24) and is the No. 2 seed for the Southern Cal Finals on
May 13 at Mt. SAC.
A total of seven Vaqueros qualified for the So Cal Finals, up from last year’s four qualifiers.
In the women’s meet, Katie Voss was second her 400 hurdles flight and fourth overall in a time of 64.59. Elisabeth Bransgard
was second in her flight in the discus and fifth overall with a heave of 132-11.
In the high jump, Kelli Johnson jumped 5-1 and Liza Messner cleared 4-11 to earn trips to the finals.
Cal Keating placed seventh in his men’s long jump heat and 11th overall at 22-5¾ (the top 12 qualified). Matthew Bailey was
eighth in his 1,500 heat and 12th overall in 3:59.93.
“I'm proud of our women for qualifying for the finals by performing really well when it mattered most,” said coach Scott
Fickerson. “I’m especially happy for Matt and Cal, who both rose to the occasion by qualifying for finals with big personal
bests. Matt led his heat for 800m to make sure the pace was fast and eight athletes from his heat qualified while only four
from the first heat moved on to the final."
Friday, April 29 -- WSC Finals at Bakersfield, 2 p.m.
Schaeffer takes WSC steeplechase
Women place third in conference
Erika Schaeffer captured the women’s steeplechase for SBCC on Friday and took fourth in the 5,000 meters in the WSC Finals
at Bakersfield College.
Schaeffer, a sophomore from Newbury Park, scored 21 points in three WSC races. SBCC’s women finished fourth at the Finals
with 81.5 points, a half-point behind L.A. Valley but placed third in the final conference standings, based on their finish
at two previous WSC meets.
West L.A. won the meet with 187 points. The top six in each event advanced to the Southern Cal Prelims on Friday at Mt. San
Antonio.
Schaeffer ran 11:17.41 to win the steeplechase and 18:44.39 in the 5,000. She was third in last week’s 10,000 final.
Katie Voss took second in the 400 hurdles (1:05.43) while Elisabeth Bransgard was fourth in the hammer (34.77 meters) and
fifth in the javelin (28.55m). Bransgard won the WSC title in the discus last week and also qualified in a fourth event, the
shot put.
Laurel Lawson was fifth in the pole vault (2.73m) and Ayla Granados placed sixth in the 1500 (5:04.80.
The Vaqueros’ 4x400 relay was fourth in 4:08.83, the eighth-best time in school history. The team featured Kate Earle, Granados,
Lorien Patmore and Voss.
The 4x100 relay was sixth in 50.89, the No. 10 all-time mark. That unit consisted of Earle, Liza Messner, Voss and Trishawna
Fayerweather.
Cal Keating led the Vaquero men with a fourth-place leap of 6.68 meters in the long jump. Matthew Bailey was fifth in the
1500 (4:09.40) and Luis Garnica was seventh (4:16.42). Garnica received a spot in the Southern Cal Championships due to a
scratch.
James Pearlstone was seventh in the 100 (11.69) and is the first alternate for the Southern Cal meet.
West L.A. won the men’s meet and SBCC finished 10th.
“Our men competed hard and have a lot to be proud of,” said coach Scott Fickerson. “Our qualifiers to So Cal will be the
leaders of a much stronger and experienced team next season."
Thursday, April 21 -- WSC Prelims at Santa Monica, noon. (Finals held in field events and 10,000m).
Johnson, Bransgard win WSC titles
Schaeffer, Edwards qualify for So Cal 10,000
SBCC’s Kelli Johnson captured the WSC women’s high jump title on Thursday and teammate Elisabeth Bransgard won the discus during
the WSC Track & Field Prelims at Santa Monica College.
The field events and 10,000-meter runs were finals and the top six in each event qualified for the Southern Cal Prelims on
May 6 at Mt. San Antonio in Walnut.
Johnson, a sophomore from San Marcos High, cleared 1.67 meters. Liza Messner also advanced with a sixth-place jump of 1.47m.
Bransgard, a freshman from Fjugesta, Sweden, won the discus with a heave of 40.55m. She also qualified for the So Cal Prelims
by placing sixth in the shot put at 10.05m.
In the 10,000 women’s final, Erika Schaeffer took third in 39:11.89 and lowered her No. 4 all-time SBCC mark from last year.
In the men’s 10,000, Garrett Edwards also advanced to the So Cal Prelims with a 32:53.62 sixth-place effort. It was the ninth-best
time in school history.
Six Vaqueros advanced to the WSC Finals on Friday (April 29) at Bakersfield.
Ayla Granados qualified in the women’s 800m (2:22.61) and 1500m (5:02.19). She was joined in the Finals by Kate Earle (100
hurdles, 16.48) and Katie Voss (400 hurdles, 66.48).
A trio of SBCC men advanced to the Finals -- James Pearlstone in the 100 (11.14) and 200 (22.44) and a pair of 1500-meter
runners, Matthew Bailey (4:05.83) and Luis Garnica (4:15.61).
“Kelli, Elisabeth and Erika put 26 points on the board for the women's squad heading into next week's Finals,” noted coach
Scott Fickerson. “Erika and Elisabeth will both compete in two more finals (Steeplechase, 5K and Hammer, Javelin, respectively)
and can add a lot more to the total. I think Ayla, Kate and Katie are ready for some big performances as well.
“Our distance squad had a good day and advanced a lot of athletes to the Finals. Erika and Garrett ran brave races over 25
laps to advance to the Southern Cal Prelims. James was firing on all cylinders. I am real proud of him qualifying in both
sprint races.”
Friday, April 8 -- SBCC at Orange Coast Classic, Costa Mesa, 10 a.m.
Women are third at OCC Classic
Granados runs fifth-best 3000 in school history
SBCC posted four firsts on Friday and the women's team placed third in the Orange Coast Classic Invitational at Costa Mesa.
Ayla Granados won the 800m (2:20.94) and took second in the 3000 (10:40.35). Her 3000 mark was the fifth-best in school history
and her 800 time was No. 9.
Erika Schaeffer was first in the 3000 steeplechase in 11:17.0; Katie Voss took first in the 400 hurdles (65.64) and Elisabeth
Bransgard was first in the discus (40.88m) and third in both the hammer (34.28m) and shot put (10.14m).
Orange Coast won the seven-team women’s meet with 160 points, followed by Antelope Valley (139) and SBCC (134).
Orange Coast also topped the men’s field with 182 points. SBCC was sixth with 63.
Garrett Edwards was second in the 3000m (9:10.40) and Cal Keating took second in the long jump (6.58m). Third-place efforts
were turned in by Richard Somdah in the 400 (50.39) and James Pearlstone in the 100 (11.38).
The Vaqueros will compete in the WSC Prelims on April 21 at Santa Monica.
Friday, April 1 -- SBCC at WSC No. 2, hosted by L.A. Valley, 1 p.m.
Women take second at WSC No. 2
Voss runs 2nd-fastest 400 hurdles in school history
Katie Voss won the 400-meter hurdles on Friday in the second-fastest time in school history (65.60), leading SBCC to a second-place
finish in WSC Track & Field Meet No. 2 at L.A. Valley. West L.A. finished first with 183 points, followed by the Vaqueros
at 109.
Kelli Johnson won the high jump at 1.67 meters and Elisabeth Bransgard captured the discus with a throw of 41.06m. Bransgard
was second in the hammer (36.98m) and shot put (10.82m).
Ayla Granados placed second in the 1500m (4:51.04) and third in the 800 (2:25.28). Kate Earle was second in the 100 in 16.38.
SBCC was sixth in the men’s meet with 27 points. Glendale took first, edging Bakersfield 147-134.
The top Vaquero performers were Ryan Fluence (4th, 110m hurdles, 17.55); Richard Somdah (5th, 400m, 49.76); Josh Moore (5th,
hammer, 32.20; 6th, discus, 33.35m) and Cal Keating (5th, long jump, 6.37m; 5th, high jump 1.73m).
"We went against the strongest teams in the conference today and against some tough weather conditions as well (90-degree
temps),” said coach Scott Fickerson. “The athletes got after it and competed tough and we got some very strong results.
"Heading into the conference championships, the women are ranked second and we‘re going to get fired up and go for the top
spot at Bakersfield.”
The Vaqueros will travel to Costa Mesa for the Orange Coast Invitational on Friday.
Friday, March 25 -- Easter Relays at SBCC, La Playa Stadium, 11 a.m.
Women notch 3 wins at Easter Relays
Granados, Instebo, Johnson triumph
SBCC’s Ayla Granados and Cecilia Instebo ran to victory and Kelli Johnson outjumped the competition on a windy Friday in the
Community College division of the Easter Relays.
Granados captured the women's 1500 meters in 5:10.31 on her home track at La Playa Stadium, beating the runner-up by more
than four seconds. Instebo won the 3000 steeplechase by 16 seconds in 12:28.04 and Johnson posted her third high-jump win
of the year (1.55m/5 feet, 1 inch). Teammate Liza Messner was second at 1.50m (4-11).
Erika Schaeffer took second in the 5000 in 18:35.83. The winner, Briana Diaz of Sequoias, set a new meet record of 18:28.14.
Schaeffer also beat the previous record.
Laurel Lawson was second in the pole vault at 2.70m (8-10 1/4) and Trishawna Fayerweather was fourth in the long jump (4.58m/15-0
1/4). Elisabeth Bransgard, who won three throws in last week’s WSC meet, didn’t compete due to illness.
SBCC’s 4x100 relay squad was third in 52.02 in the competition that featured 11 schools.
Cal Keating led the Vaquero men, finishing third in the triple jump (12.65m/41-6), fourth in the high jump (1.85m/6-0 3/4)
and fifth in the long jump (6.29m/20-7 1/2). Matthew Bailey was fourth in the 1500 (4:18.85) and the 4x200 relay team placed
fourth in 1:31.86.
The Vaqueros will compete in WSC No. 2 on Friday at L.A. Valley.
Friday, March 18 -- WSC No. 1 at Cuesta College, 1 p.m.
Vaquero women take WSC No. 1
Bransgard captures three events at Cuesta
Elisabeth Bransgard won three events on Friday to guide the SBCC women to victory in WSC Meet No. 1 at Cuesta in San Luis
Obispo.
Bransgard, a freshman from Sweden, took first in the hammer (37.41m; 122 feet, 9 inches), discus (42.73m/140-2) and javelin
(31.39m/103-0). Her hammer and discus marks are No. 2 on SBCC’s all-time list. She also took third in the shot put (10.06m).
The women totaled 149 points to beat L.A. Valley (128) and Moorpark (125) in the six-team field. Cuesta won the men’s meet
with 221 points. SBCC was fourth at 71.
Kelli Johnson broke the all-time SBCC record while winning the high jump with a leap of 1.69m (5-6½). The Vaqueros went 1-2-3
in the high jump with Liza Messner second and Lorien Patmore third.
Ayla Granados won the 800m in a season-best 2:23.99.
Cal Keating topped the Vaquero men, taking first in the triple jump (12.27m), second in the long jump (6.48m) and third in
the high jump (1.82m).
"It was a great team effort,” said coach Scott Fickerson. “We had some athletes really shine like Elisabeth, Kelli and Cal,
but it was the 45 season-best marks that made the difference. We had many athletes working hard for lots of 2nd, 3rd, and
4th-place finishes to accumulate a lot of points.
“A few studs can't win a track meet, it takes a whole team and we had that today. I'm really proud of our athletes.”
The Vaqueros will host the Easter Relays at La Playa Stadium on Friday, starting at 9 a.m.
Fri-Sat, March 11-12 -- Occidental Distance Carnival (Fri) and CSU Northridge Invitational (Sat).
Granados takes 2nd in Oxy 1,500
Men, women post 40 season bests at two meets
The SBCC men’s and women’s teams combined for 40 season-best marks in a pair of meets on Friday and Saturday. The Vaqueros
competed in the Occidental Distance Carnival in Eagle Rock and the Cal State Northridge Invitational.
The women posted 20 season bests, led by Ayla Granados, who took second in the 1,500 meters at Occidental. Her time of 4:48.13
is No. 7 in the state this year and No. 6 all-time for SBCC.
Erika Schaeffer was fourth in the 3000m steeplechase in 11:25.18, which ranks fourth in the state and second in SBCC history.
Other top marks were turned in by Elisabeth Bransgard in the shot put (10.43m) and javelin (28.30m), Liza Messner in the high
jump (1.50m) and Trishawna Fayerweather in the 100 (13.60) and 200 (27.98).
The men also recorded 20 season bests.
Garrett Edwards ran a personal best of 15:48.03 in the 5,000m at the Occidental Distance Carnival. James Pearlstone turned
in season-best marks in the 100 (11.24) and 200 (22.61) and Ryan Fluence and Kyle Peete did the same in the 400 hurdles. Fluence
was clocked in 1:01.36 and Peete ran 1:01.62.
“Our athletes got out there and competed tough and the results showed with 40 season-best marks,” said coach Scott Fickerson.
“The hard work is paying off and there are a lot more season bests to come."
SBCC will compete in WSC No. 1 on Friday at Cuesta in San Luis Obispo.
Friday, Feb. 25 -- WSC Relays at Ventura College, 10 a.m.
Women’s medley relay takes second
Johnson is second in high jump at WSC Relays
The SBCC women’s distance medley relay team placed second on a rainy Friday in the WSC Relays track meet at Ventura College.
Cecilia Instebo (1200m), Margot Valenzuela (400m), Ayla Granados (800m) and Erika Schaeffer (1600m) combined to finish in
13:01.08.
Kelli Johnson was second in the high jump as she cleared 1.65 meters for the second straight week. Kate Earle was fourth
in the 100m hurdles (17.17).
The Vaquero men took fourth in the 800m Sprint Medley Relay with a team of Derrick Dallmeyer (100m), Adam Cotner (100m),
Justin Duran (200m) and James Pearlstone (400m) finishing in 1:40.79.
The top individual performance was Garrett Edwards, who ran fourth in the 3000m (9:10.3).
“The weather was foul and the conditions weren’t great for a track meet,” said coach Scott Fickerson. “Both pole vaults were
cancelled, along with the discus. I think they held the men’s shot put but the results were destroyed in the rain.”
SBCC’s distance runners will go to the Occidental Distance Carnival on Friday, March 11, with the rest of the team competing
at the Northridge Relays on March 12.
Saturday, Feb. 19 -- Pomona Pitzer All-Comers.
Johnson, Keating post wins
Vaqueros take men’s, women’s high jump at Pomona
On a cold and rainy Saturday, SBCC won the men’s and women’s high jump and took second in the women’s discus at the season-opening
Pomona Pitzer All-Comers track meet.
Cal Keating captured the men’s high jump at 1.8 meters (5-10¾ conversion) and placed third in the long jump (6.21 meters)
for the Vaqueros. James Pearlstone was fourth in the 400m (51.65) in the fast heat while Dylan O‘Reilly took sixth in another
fast heat of the 800m (2:02.66).
In the women’s meet, Kelli Johnson won the high jump at 1.65m (5-5 conversion). It was the No. 2 mark in school history.
Elizabeth Bransgard was second in the discus with the fifth-best mark in Vaquero history (39.38m, 129-2c). Laurel Lawson
recorded the eighth-best pole vault in school history at 2.45m (8-0½c).
In the 3,000 meters, Erika Schaeffer ran the fifth-best time of any SBCC runner (10:44.28), Ayla Granados moved into 9th
place (10:52.84) and Cecilia Instebo is now No. 10 (10:53.81). The marks were all personal bests.
SBCC will compete in the WSC Relays on Friday at Ventura.
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