May 19th, 2007
Vikings Compete at State Meet
Hernandez Goes Sub-4

San Mateo - West Valley College brought eight athletes up to CSM for the 2007 CA State Championships to compete with the top community college athletes in the state. The Vikings had a successful 2-day affair with each of them finishing higher than where they were ranked. The men tallied 6 team points and finished 30th out of the 44 scoring teams.

Freshman Robin Yoo was the top Viking finisher at these championships in the men's long jump. The recent Milpitas grad took 7th with his opening leap of 22-4. He would be the top finisher in the Conf and 3rd man from NorCal.

Ending his season with a new personal best was freshman Josh Hernandez in the men's 1500m. A solid 3:59.52 clocking was good enough for an 8th place finish and a trip to the awards podium.

The men's 4x100m relay team also beat out rival San Jose City College to finish 8th in the State. Their time of 42.27 was just off their season best of 42.26. The relay team consisted of Kyle Ricks, Nick Gancayco, Ben Mullen, and Darren Barrera.

Mullen would soon return to earn his own 8th place finish in the men's 110HH. The freshman would record a time of 15.84.

Freshman Angel Gonzalez logged the most miles of the weekend for our Vikings with over 9 miles of racing. The Del Mar grad competed in the 10k on Friday and finished in 8th, just off his personal best with a time of 33:04. On Saturday, the young Viking ran a tough 5000m race in the wind and just missed his second medal. He would finish 9th with a time of 15:57.

Our lone female of these championships was freshman Brittany Wise. The recent Silver Creek alumni cleared 4-11 in the women's high jump to finish 9th overall.

A great season from all the Vikings this year. All the hard work paid off for these young athletes and the support from all the fans was tremendous. Be sure to check out our All-Time Top 10 List as many 'Vikes rewrote the books.

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May 12th, 2007
West Valley Will Send 8 Athletes to the State Championships
Hernandez and Men's 4x100m Relay Place 3rd

Sacramento - A total of 8 Viking athletes have stamped their ticket to the 2007 California State Championships. This year's Northern California Championships were action packed, as always. In team scoring, the Vikings finished 8th, while Sac City took the crown on the men's side. The lady 'Vikes, with only 4 athletes finished 17th out of the 21 schools in attendence. American River's women won by over 80 points.

Freshman Josh Hernandez (at left) earned All-NorCal honors with his 3rd place finish in the men's 1500m with a time of 4:03.68. The men's 4x100m relay (Kyle Ricks, Nick Gancayco, Ben Mullen, and Darren Barrera) also earned All-NorCal by placing 3rd with a time of 42.31. Also advancing on to the State Meet are Mullen in the 110HH (5th, 15.81) and Robin Yoo in the men's Long Jump (6th, 22-1). Freshman Angel Gonzalez also nabbed the last qualifying spot in the men's 5000m (6th, 15:42.28).

On the women's side, Brittany Wise would be our top finisher with her 4th place tie in the women's High Jump (4-11). Wise was also a member of both relays (6th-50.15 and 8th-4:18.72). Joining her were Brianna Hagen, Melissa Prestano, and Yareni Carrasco.

This week, those few Vikings will compete at the CA State Community College Championships at the College of San Mateo. Events begin on Friday the 18th with some Finals and will continue on Saturday with the remainder of the regularly scheduled running events.

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May 5th, 2007
Vikings Compete at NorCal Trials
Gonzalez Places 2nd in 10,000m Final

Oakland - Seventeen West Valley athletes qualified for the 2007 Northern California Championships. The trials portion of the competition was held yesterday at Merritt College in Oakland. Preliminaries were contested for most races and events in order to qualify for next Saturday's Finals. The only event on Friday that was a final was the 10,000m races.

Freshman Angel Gonzalez was the first Viking to stamp his ticket to the State Championships with his 2nd place finish in the Men's 10k. The former Del Mar HS standout fought a strong battle for the entire 6.2 miles and finished with a new best time of 32:56.03. Gonzalez also earned his first All-NorCal honor of his career. He will compete this coming Saturday at the Finals in the Men's 5,000m in hopes of another top finish.

Earning their spot on the line at American River College for NorCal Finals are Nick Gancayco (100m and 200m), Yareni Carrasco (100m), Ben Mullen (above) (110HH and 400IH), Josh Hernandez (1500m), Jesus Atanacio (1500m), Brittany Wise (High Jump), and Robin Yoo (Long Jump). All of our relay teams have also qualified to compete in the Finals, as well as frosh Valerie Weilert in the Women's 5000m.
- Complete Results -

NorCal Finals will begin at 2pm at American River College on Saturday May12th. From there, the top 4 athletes in the sprint events and the top 6 athletes in the field events and distance races will advance to the CA State Championships.

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April 28th, 2007
Gonzalez and Weilert Win Conf 5k's
Men Place 4th and Women Tie For 6th

San Mateo - Another exciting Coast Conference Championships where the West Valley Vikings took aim at top marks and succeeded once again. Hartnell's men and women took home the team titles, while the Vikings took 4th and 6th in the men's and women's divisions, respectively.

The Vikings walked away with 3 Coast Conference Champions and 13 All-Conference honors. The first win of the championships was from freshman standout Robin Yoo. The recent Milpitas grad won the men's Long Jump on Wednesday with a leap of 22-7.25, over a foot better than his nearest competitor.

The final pair of wins came from distance aces Valerie Weilert and Angel Gonzalez (at left). At the end of the day on Saturday, the freshmen Vikings won both men's and women's 5000m events. Weilert, who already finished 3rd in the women's 1500m earlier in the day, led from the start and finished with a time of 19:44.83. Gonzalez, who had already finished a narrow 2nd in the men's 10,000m on Wed (33:24), pressed the pace from the gun and earned his first Conf title as a Viking (16:10.68). The freshman also finished 4th in the men's 1500m earlier in the day with a new season best of 4:07.35.

The WVC relay squads saw success as all teams got All-Conference with their top 3 finishes. The men finished 2nd in the 4x100m (Kyle Ricks, Nick Gancayco, Ben Mullen, Darren Barrera), and third in the 4x400m (Gancayco, Terry Gross, Jairus Taylor, Mullen). The women finished 3rd in both relays (Brianna Hagen, Yareni Carrasco, Melissa Prestano, Wise).

Other individual All-Conference honors (top 3) went to Mullen in both hurdles (15.59 and 55.25, 2nd place); Josh Hernandez in the 1500m (4:05.51, 3rd), and Brittany Wise in the high jump (4-7, 3rd).

Next up for the young 'Vikes is the Northern California Trials at Merritt College on Friday May 4th. Events start at 11am with the Final of the Men's 10k.

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March 10th , 2007
Hernandez and Gancayco Win Again
Carrasco and Gonzalez Have Fine Doubles

Modesto - The Jack Albiani Invitational at Modesto Junior College helped our squads earn a number of new bests. Perfect weather greeted the athletes and your West Valley Vikings took advantage of it. With two wins and a number of top 5 finishes, the Vikings definitely showed the depth of talent this season.

Collecting his 4th win in as many attempts, freshman Josh Hernandez kicked past teammate Angel Gonzalez in the final meters to tally another victory in the 1500m event (4:10.40). Gonzalez wasn't too far behind with a 4:13.18 clocking. He would later come back to run a 15:45 in the 5000m as the top community college finisher.

Grabbing himself another victory was Nick Gancayco, this time in the men's 100m (11.01). The sophomore finished 2nd in the 200m a short time later and he was also a member of both relay teams that finished 2nd. Freshman Robin Yoo would also nab a 2nd place finish with his leap of 22-2 in the men's long jump.

On the women's side, freshman Yareni Carrasco successfully put herself in the West Valley record books with her anchoring role in the women's 4x100m and her individual performance in the women's 100m. Joining her on the relay was Brianna Hagen, Brittany Wise, and Melissa Prestano. Their time of 51.59 puts them at #6 on the All-Time List. Carrasco's time of 12.87 finds her with the 10th fastest time in school history for the 100m.
- Complete Results -

This week the Vikings return to the College of San Mateo to meet up with most of Northern California and a few teams from the South. CSM will be hosting the State Championships in May, and the meet this Friday will act as a State Meet Preview. Join us on Friday at 11am as your Vikings continue to raise the bar and earn top marks within the conference and in the record books.

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March 4th , 2007
Vikings Take 2nd at Beaver Relays
Many Season Bests in Relays Highlight Day

Sacramento - The men's and women's track & field squads took part in no less than 14 different relay competitions throughout the long day at American River College on Saturday. With most of the community colleges in northern California in attendace, the meet also gave us a closer look at how deep our squad is compared to others. Our men surprised everyone with their runner-up finish in the team competition behind City College of San Francisco (3-time CA State Champions). The women also got some attention with their 4th place finish.
- Complete Results -

This week the Vikings travel back to Modesto JC for the Jack Albiani Invitational as they continue to show off their fitness.

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February 24th, 2007
West Valley Collects 13 Wins at Home
Vikings Finish 2nd and 3rd in 5-way Meet

Saratoga - In their first home meet of the season, your Vikings caught the eye of not only their competitors, but all that were in the crowd as well. Donning their brand new speedsuits, the men were victorious in 6 of the eleven running events which helped them finish just behind Fresno City in team competition with 221.5 points. The Lady Vikes also had a successful day with 5 wins on the track to give them 117 points for third. Chabot College won the women's division.

Collecting two individual victories was freshman Yareni Carrasco (at left). The former Evergreen Valley star and recent 4th place finisher at CCS in the 100m, Carrasco broke the tape for both the 100m (13.14) and 200m (27.31) events. Also grabbing a win for the second week in a row was frosh Valerie Weilert in the women's 5k. Her time of 19:22 puts her at the top of the NorCal list this week. Freshman Brianna Hagen earned an individual ten points with her win in the women's 400mIH (70.15). The first to shake up the record books this season was freshman Brittany Wise (above left). With a clearance of 4-10 in the high jump, Wise is now tied for 6th on the WVC Top 10 All-Time List.

Josh Hernandez continued his win streak in the men's 1500m this season with a new best of 4:07.93. His time gives him the 4th best time in NorCal. Freshman Robin Yoo also kept to his winnings win a leap of 21-10 in the long jump. He matched that win with a victory in the triple jump as well (41-8). Sophomore Nick Gancayco doubled in the 200/400 this week, as well as running in both relays, and won the men's 200m for the third time this season. Also collecting wins at home were Ben Mullen in the men's 400m (51.31) and Jairus Taylor in the men's 110mHH (16.52).
- Complete Results -

This week the Vikings travel to Sacramento for the always enjoyable Beaver Relays. The meet gives the athletes an opportunity to compete in a variety of relays that are not regularly contested during the season. It is always a great experience and fast times and high marks are sure to come.

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February 18, 2007
Vikings Match Up With Some of the Best in NorCal
Gancayco, Yoo, and Hernandez Remain Undefeated

Modesto - The West Valley Track & Field teams met up with three of last year's top 6 teams in Northern California. In the scored 4-way meet against San Francisco, Modesto, and Sacramento, the Vikings finished 4th for both men and women. Sac City won both divisions.

Sophomore Nick Gancayco won the 200m event again this week (22.22) not long after finishing 3rd with a season best of 10.98 in the 100m. Freshman Robin Yoo also repeated as the champion in the men's long jump (22-8.75). The former Milpitas star also recorded a lifetime best of 43-0.75 in the triple jump, which was good enough for 2nd place. Also collecting his second win this season was Josh Hernandez. The freshman from Evergreen Valley improved his season best in the 1500m to 4:12.58 to win the event.

Getting her first win for the season was frosh Valerie Weilert. The former Leigh HS and San Jose State runner won the women's 1500m with a time of 5:25.19. Freshman Brittany Wise took 2nd place in the women's high jump with a clearance of 4-6. Fellow freshmen Yareni Carrasco and Brianna Hagen joined Wise in the relays while also running a pair of individual races.
- Complete Results -

This week your Vikings will host a 5-way meet against Chabot, Fresno, De Anza, and Marin. Join us this Friday (2/23) at West Valley College at 2pm and watch your Vikings continue to earn top marks.

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February 9, 2007
West Valley Shines at Coast Conference Preview
Six Vikings Earn Overall Wins

San Mateo - In the first official competition of the season, the West Valley College Track & Field team saw a lot of success. Between the down pours of rain, the Vikings were able to see how their fitness matched up versus their conference opponents. The winter training paid off as many athletes were able to collect wins in their heats and some overall victories.

Former Milpitas standout, Robin Yoo, started the string of wins with his 22-4.75 long jump victory. The men's 4x100m relay would soon follow with a 43.56 clocking (Kyle Ricks, Nick Gancayco, Tim McDowell, Ben Mullen). Gancayco, a returning sophomore and 2-time All-Conference performer in '06, won the men's 200m (22.07) shortly after winning his heat of the 100m (11.30). Freshman Josh Hernandez, a recent All-Conference recipient from cross country, opened up his track season with a win in the men's 1500m (4:17.92).

On the women's side, freshmen Brianna Hagen and Yareni Carrasco each collected first place honors in their first collegiate track meet. Carrasco, the recent Evergreen Valley HS grad and 4th place finisher at CCS in the 100m in 2006, enjoyed a win as a Viking in the women's 100m (13.42). Hagen, a former Independence star, defeated last year's conference champion in the women's 400m hurdles with a time of 70.07.
- Complete Results* -

The Vikings head to Modesto next Friday (2/16) to compete against San Francisco, Sacramento City, and Modesto Junior College. The following week (2/23), West Valley will host their own 5-way meet. View the 2007 schedule for results and upcoming races.

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December 7, 2006
2007 Track & Field Schedule Up

The 2007 West Valley College Track and Field schedule is now up. Mark your calendars so you can join us and show your support.

For more information about the season, the team, or how to become a part of it... simply contact the coaches at 408.741.2457 or Lisa_Renteria@westvalley.edu

As we prepare for the upcoming season, take a moment to look at results and highlights from our 2006 campaign.

- - - 2006 WVC Track & Field - - -

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