The men’s four-mile race began at 10 a.m.
As El Camino and four other college cross-country teams got to the start line a crowd of supporters began cheering.
Anticipating the gun, the runners looked ready.
As the gun went off, so did they and the race began.
El Camino College’s men’s cross-country team took part in a four-mile run at the South Coast Conference Championship on Friday, Oct. 27, at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City, after the women’s race which began at 9:30 a.m.
Pasadena City College, Cerritos College, Mt. San Antonio College, Compton College, Los Angeles Harbor College and East Los Angeles College all made it to the South Coast Conference Championship race along with the Warriors.
El Camino’s men’s team came in second place at 58 points, Mt. SAC came in at first place with 18 points and Cerritos College placed third place at 66 points.
The women’s team came in third place with 80 points and had two runners finish the 5k in the top four.
On the men’s team, cross-country runner Aaron Cohen, 18, came in third at 21:05.2 minutes. Mt. San Antonio College runner Aidan Gomez earned first place with a time of 20:58.3 minutes.
Throughout the race assistant coach Kirsten Green kept track of the individual team members’ locations via a new method that uses GPS watches.
“Being able to control and look at the amount of mileage each person is running has been kind of a new intervention method,” Green said
After the race Cohen said he and the team had a good day, but added he had his mind set on beating Mt. SAC.
“Mt. SAC had a really good team, and last time we raced against them they had seven guys in front of me and I didn’t want that to be the case anymore,” Cohen said.
Cohen said El Camino and Mt. SAC has a history.
“We’ve always wanted to beat them, and they have always just been a powerhouse,” Cohen said. “I feel like we gave them a run for their money and just came pretty strong.”
El Camino runner, Sequoia Gonzales, 18, came in second place for the women’s individual race at 18:20.6 minutes.
Gonzales said she began her racing career early thanks in part to her parents.
“They would put me in small races,” Gonzales said.
El Camino’s cross-country, and track and field coach Dean Lofgren had some praise for Gonzales following the races.
“She has some performance and marks [in] different courses that are amongst the best ever in the history of the school,” Lofgren said.
Lofgren took over the program in 1989, giving him 33 years of coaching experience at El Camino.
Lofgren ran with his team and photographed them throughout the meet.
He also complimented men runners Cohen and Alan Canales. Lofgren said both runners were strong from the start. Canales came in 12th for the men’s race with a time of 21:39.4 minutes.
While Cohen’s goal was to beat Mt. SAC, Canales said his goal was to beat the Cerritos team.
Canales said his advice for other runners is to “not hold yourself back and [go] past your limits.”
The Warrior’s next race is Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. The next race will take place at El Dorado East Regional Park in Long Beach and will be the start of the California Community College Athletic Association Southern California Championships.
Editor’s Note: Article altered to correct inaccurate spelling of Sequoia Gonzales and Kirsten Green as well as other inaccuracies on Nov. 2, at 3:30 p.m.
