MEN'S TRACK & FIELD: WALKER ROCKS THE SOCAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
A warm, dry and very windy day at Antelope Valley didn't dampen the performance of Justin Walker as he came up big in the Regional Championships.
Walker won both of his events in the Long Jump and 110m HH and will be one of the favorites in both events at the State Championships in San Diego Mesa next Saturday.
In the final round of the Long Jump, Cerritos College had taken over first and second place with jumps of 7.38m and 7.36m. Walker was in third place at 7.23m. On his final attempt he soared 7.40m to win the championship on his final jump.
Walker then came back in the 110m HH and upset the favored hurdler from Mt. San Antonio College winning the race by 1/100 of a second: 14.34 to 14.35. Walker's time was 2/10 of a second faster than he has ever run even though it was into a strong headwind.
In the Shot Put, Francisco Padilla came up big in the preliminary, setting a personal best of 14.46m (47' 5"). This placed him in the regional final. Alas, Francisco came up a little short in the final, but he finishes the season ranked 11th overall in Southern California. Francisco and Justin are both freshmen competitors, so the Hornets look forward to next year's track season.
Up Next: The State Championships will be held on Saturday, May 21st at San Diego Mesa College.
