Eagles Land Just Short of State Track and Field Championships
The Eagle track and field team returned to postseason competition in 2023 and landed just short of sending its top two athletes to the California Community College State Championships.
Sophomore Aiden Ellis, the team's Male Athlete of the Year, placed 8th in javelin and 9th in triple jump at the NorCal finals on May 12 at Yuba College.
Sophomore Teya Amidei, the team's Female Athlete of the Year, placed 9th in javelin.
Only the top 6 finishers in NorCal Finals field events qualified for the state meet.
"It was a great season," said Eagles head coach Julius Jones, who praised Teya and Aiden for their athletic skills, leadership and competitive desire.
Aiden, this year's Golden Valley Conference triple jump champion, went 12.84m in that event at the Finals, about half-a-meter short of the PR he set a week earlier and half-a-meter out of sixth place. He ended the season ranked 15th in the state in javelin and 23rd in triple jump.
His Finals javelin throw of 47.83m was more than a meter better than a week earlier at the NorCal Trials and about a meter and a half out of sixth place. Though he had a state-qualifying throw of 51.09m earlier in the season, Aiden did not qualify for state because the top six Finals finishers also had state-qualifying throws.
Teya had her best javelin throw in several weeks at 30.61m in the Finals and finished the season ranked 19th in the state. Her PR of 33.76m would have placed top six at the Finals.
Coach Jones said both Teya and Aiden are looking to continue their track and field careers at a four-year school.
Jones sees Aiden as capable of being a competitive decathlete at the next level. The coach said Teya, a three-sport athlete at COS, wants to continue in both basketball and track while prioritizing javelin.
Aiden "really developed as a leader this year, willing to take charge and willing to do or say things to uphold the standards of our program," Jones said. "He developed as an athlete and human being and is a great all-around guy. I enjoyed having him here and wish I could have another two years with him. He made coaching enjoyable."
Teya, too, took on a greater leadership role this season, Jones said. "She's one heck of a competitor, and she did a much better job this season bonding with the team. During a multitude of weeks working on javelin, she helped teammates on technical aspects of javelin and took the time to make sure they understood."
The coach said another Eagle sophomore, Marcus Dilworth, has the ability to advance to the next level as both a football player and hurdler.
Looking to "bolster the roster" for next spring, Jones sees good things ahead for several of this year's freshmen, including James Coefield and Frances Fleener in the throwing events; Edric Moroyoqui, Chase Callison and Zane Callison in pole vault; William Allen in the 400m, hurdles and javelin; and Christian Givan in the sprints.
By Steve Gerace