On Friday, March 28 the Western State Conference’s Inland Meet for Track & Field was held in the Memorial Stadium. Four other community colleges traveled to Bakersfield College for this meet: College of the Canyons, West Los Angeles, Glendale, and Antelope Valley.
Even if you have not attended any Track & Field meets, the events may be familiar to those who have watched any Summer Olympics-skilled and dedicated athletes competing in running, jumping, or throwing. It takes its name from the fact that these events are held on a track and field.
The WSC Inland Meet was an exciting event–athletes, coaches and spectators alike were abuzz with evident enthusiasm. There was a never a dull moment; As soon as an event ended, another started merely minutes afterwards. Scores of student athletes lined up not only to score points for their schools, but to prove to themselves that they are making progress. “I got a season best, so I’m happy about that. [The team] is getting a lot of PRs (Personal Records), especially the girls. We’re all improving,” said Renegade runner Jonathan Salinas, in between deep breaths.
It was amazing to see so many athletes wearing red and white doing their absolute best out on the track and in the field. Apparently, they faced some stiff competition! “It was hard, there’s a lot of fast kids here,” Jonathan explained. One of his teammates concurred. “On the first heat, [the girls] were really competitive,” Bakersfield College long-distance runner Cristina Herrera said, “We will need to practice harder.”
All in all, it was an exceptionally fun place to be. Family members and faculty cheered for their students during the events, rivaling athletes high-fived and congratulated each other at the finish line, and teammates spent some quality time together sprawled out on the cool grass after their events. Bakersfield College was proud to host this years Western State Conference’s Inland Meet! In the end, the Men placed 5th and Women 3rd overall. Go ‘Gades!
