Grover Wins Historic 1500 Meter Title in San Diego
Hartnell College sophomore Malena Grover never envisioned she would develop the ability to win a state championship but heading into Saturday's CCCAA Track & Field Championship at San Diego Mesa College, she carried the state's top ranking in the 1500 meters. All her running career, Grover saw herself as a long distance specialist but as she racked up the miles and trained with the Hartnell men on most days, she started to see she could run the middle distances just as well. Facing not only the same two women that finished second and third behind her at the Northern California regional, the former Salinas High School standout also faced several women from Southern California she had not competed against all season. From the gun, Grover built a substantial lead that grew to as much as four seconds by the end of the second of the three and three quarter lap race. The close race and come from behind kick needed to win her regional never materialized as the sophomore broke the tape 4.09 seconds ahead of second place. Her winning time of 4:37.49 was her second best performance of the season but was the only time in the competition under 4:40. Grover becomes Hartnell College's first ever state champion in the 1500 meter run and just one of a handful ever to accomplish the feat in school history in any event. Grover also placed third in the 5000 meter run in 17:38.51 to earn her second All-American honor of the meet and the third on the track to cap her two year career. Malena Grover finishes as the school record holder in the 1500, 5000, 10,000 meters, a three-time track all-american, two-time cross country all-american, regional champion in the 1500 meters, and now a state champion at 1500 meters.
Sophomore Nancy Rodriguez qualified last spring to the state championship in the 3000 meter steeplechase and placed tenth overall. This year the goal was to contend for the state championship and the former North Monterey County Condor did just that. Having won the Coast Conference title over Michelle Perez-Lopez, the top ranked runner in the event in the state, Rodriguez knew the state championship could come down to the two. Perez-Lopez lead from the gun with Rodriguez chasing and the placing stayed the same at the finish. Rodriguez was awarded a state runner-up finish and all-american honors for her efforts. Her mark of 11:29.39 was the third best performance by a Hartnell College woman in the event trailing fellow all-americans in the event Victoria Alcala (11:14) and Rachel Shimabukuro (11:28). Dustin Samms lived up to his third place overall seed in the men's hammer as he held off Southern California champion Christopher Brown of Riverside Community College. Samms mark of 184-8 feet sealed his all-american third place finish and just missed bettering his school record of 184-9. Sophomore Tori Teraji placed eighth in the discus with a mark of 132-2. For Teraji, the medal was redemption for not qualifying out of last year's regional championship. Frosh Jorge Sanchez placed eighth as well in his first state championship in the 10,000 meters (31:54.47). Alyssa Pochop placed ninth in the hammer throw instead of her seeded twelfth. Her mark of 145-0 will make her the second best returnee in not just Northern California for those who advanced to this year's final. Freshman Norman Napolitano placed tenth in the pole vault at 14-7. Sophomore Nathan Bishop improved on his decathlon score to 5420 to place twelfth overall.