With the state championships only a few weeks away, the Fresno City College track and field team has kicked its performance into high gear. The Rams went into the Central Conference Championships on April 28 and showed that they are ready for this year’s state championship. The men took first in this year’s championships while the women took second.

The sprint team was once again a huge factor for the Rams. Freshman Damean Williamson was as stellar as he had been all season long. He took first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.73 seconds and second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.22. FCC’s Malcolm Anderson trailed Williamson in the 100-meter dash and came in second. Anderson then took part in the 200 where he finished second. Roger Blake led the way for the Rams in the 200 as he finished first with a time of 21.68. He topped that performance in the 400 where he added another first place finish. Robert Towne also took part in the 400 and finished in third. Joshua Garza edged out Sequoias’ Marcos Villareal in the 800-meter run and finished first with a time of 1:55.6.

Garza is thankful for the hard work the team put in before the season even started. Though it’s late in the season, Garza says fatigue is not a factor.

“We did a lot of cardio work at the beginning of the season so now we’re just working on our speed. We’re still putting in a lot of miles and doing whatever coach tells us so right now everything is working out,” said Garza.

Germay Tesfai once again led the way for the Rams in long distance. Tesfai was first in the 1500 and 5000 meter run.

The hurdle events also gave the Rams a major boost. Lee Daniels took the win in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.36 seconds while teammates Donnell Love, Tyrone Jones, Vernell Green and Jared Jean finished second to fifth respectively. The Rams took another sweep in the 400-meter hurdles where Donnell Love took first while teammates Tyrone Jones and Vernell Green followed with a second and third place finish.

Love joined Damean Williamson, Roger Blake, and Malcolm Anderson in the 4×100-meter relay. The Rams finished the relay in second behind College of the Sequoias. However, it was a different story in the 4X400-meter relay. The team of Blake, Garza, Green and Love blew by Sequoias and took first.

On the field, it was more of the same for the Rams. For freshmen Vernon Sampson, all the hard work finally paid off. Sampson took the victory in the triple jump and pole vault. The Rams clinched many more victories thanks to Sopuruchi Chima (high jump), Ian Dildine (long jump), and Jeremy Masiello(shot put). Justin Neyman contributed to the Rams success with a second place finish in the high jump and pole vault.

The women couldn’t overcome Sequoias to take the championship. Neverthless, they came away with several strong performances. Sophomore Aireanna Johnson continued to display her versatility. She took first in the 100-meter dash with a time 12.66 and also took first in the javelin throw with a throw of 26.56 meters. Johnson also teamed with Shantelle Mitchell, Raquel Rochon, and Manza in the 4X100-meter relay where the Rams took first.

Looking back at where she was in the beginning of the season, Johnson says that she has come a long ways.

“My attitude towards working hard has improved a lot,” said Johnson. “In track you have to work hard everyday and give it a 100 percent every time if you want to get better.”

In the long distance events, Nina Gaeta led the way for the Rams. Gaeta finished first in the 10000-meter run and first again in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The duo of Karissa Bell and Harpreet Basi found success in the pole vault. Bell finished first with a jump of 3.45 meters while Basi followed with a second place finish and a jump of 2.45 meters.