By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

SAN DIEGO — College of the Canyons track & field is on the home stretch of the 2018 season and heading for the state championship meet once again after the Cougars claimed a total of seven state qualifying spots at Saturday’s’s CCCAA Southern California Championships hosted by San Diego Mesa College.

In all, Canyons will send six athletes from the women’s team to compete in six events (10,000m, 5,000m, 1,500m, high jump, 4x100m relay, heptathlon) at the state championship meet. The Lady Cougars placed 11th at the SoCal Championships with 14.5 event points.

The women’s 4x100m relay team of Sydni Jordan, Amber Gatewood, Alicia Hurst and Takaira Beard clocked a time of 50.57 to finish fifth in SoCal and nab a qualifying spot.

Beard also tied for sixth place in the high jump with a leap of 1.55m and will move on to the state championships after previously winning the Western State Conference title in the same event. She will also compete in the heptathlon at the state meet after placing eighth in SoCal earlier this spring.

Additionally, COC sophomore Stephanie Martinez qualified in the 10,000m by placing third with a time of 40:57.65 at the SoCal Prelims on May 5. She will also compete in the 5,000m after recording an eighth-place time of 19:01.24.

Sophia Stephan placed ninth in the 1,500m at a pace of 4:53.63 to also nab a qualifying bid.

COC’s men’s team will also send five athletes representing two events (high jump, 4x100m relay) to the state meet.

Canyons finished tied for 10th in SoCal with 18 points. That total left COC even with Saddleback College and one point behind ninth-place Glendale College.

Mt. San Antonio College swept the event with both its men’s and women’s teams taking home regional titles.

The Cougars’ 4x100m relay team of Leo Lambert III, Slade Cavallaro, Blake Beeler and Calel Christian was the top finisher for COC with a second-place time of 41.91. That result should position Canyons as a top contender for a state championship in the event.

Marcel Sylvester settled for third place in the high jump with a mark of 2.05m, which tied for the event’s top result. However, Sylvester was slotted into the No. 3 spot based on his previous jumps on the day. He should also be among the top competitors at the state championship meet.

See the results, the box score and more meet photos.

Canyons will conclude its season by compete at CCCAA State Championships hosted by Bakersfield College Friday and Saturday, May 18-19.

Stay up to date on all this season’s action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.