The DVC track season is off and running, although both the women’s and men’s teams got off to slow starts.
The best finish for the women’s team was sixth, which they achieved three times so far this season. The men’s team has fared slightly better, with a fifth-place finish Feb. 21 at the 2009 San Joaquin Delta Rotational.
“I’m a little out of shape right now…I’ve been working hard in practice, and I can see myself doing better in upcoming meets.”
– Jovan Fulton-Wilson |
Head coach Daniel Cruz blamed the weather, as well as the fact that most team members are freshmen. “They are not used to the track season starting so early,” he said.
But there have been many bright spots so far.
Freshman runner Jacob Enemark has had consistent finishes in three running events. Enemark owns the third best time in the Big 8 Conference for the 1,500-meter race. He posted a time of 4:08.56 at the College of San Mateo meet on Feb. 27.
Freshman Jovan Fulton-Wilson had his best high jump of the year at the San Mateo meet. He broke the 6-foot mark for the first time this season, moving himself up to ninth at the high jump in the Big 8 conference.
“I’m a little out of shape right now,” Fulton-Wilson said. “I’ve been working hard in practice, and I can see myself doing better in upcoming meets.”
At the San Mateo meet, freshman runner Pilar Hastings-Smith had her best run of the year in the 800. She had the lead throughout the race before being taken over by Fresno City College runner Courtney Gooch in the home stretch. But Hastings-Smith managed to post the best time this season in the Big 8, despite her second-place finish, since Gooch competes in a different conference.
The women also have a multi-distance runner in freshman Amanda Ray, who got off to a promising start this season.
“Once the weather gets better, we should see better performances out of our vaulters and jumpers,”
– Coach Daniel Cruz |
She currently holds the seventh and eighth best times in the 800 and 1500 respectively. But Ray’s best distance has been the 5000 where she possesses the third best time in the Big 8.
“It has taken hard work and dedication in practice,” she said.
The team has high hopes for the rest of the season as the freshmen find their form.
“Once the weather gets better, we should see better performances out of our vaulters and jumpers,” Cruz said. “We need to work on our general fitness.”
The next home meet is the Harlan Anderson Invitational on April 17.