With an undefeated season on the line, EC’s shot put prodigy trounced over her competition while contending in the State Championships Saturday at Cerritos.
Reaching the pinnacle of their competition, and taking the field against the best athletes from all over California, the Warriors knew they had to compete hard so to not leave any regrets on the field.
Na’I Leni, EC’s women record holder in the shot put, once again finished in first place, as she maintained her undefeated record with a shot of 46 feet, 1/4 inches.
“I thought somebody was going to step up and beat me,” Leni said. “But it did not happen.”
Leni’s amazing year in the shot put event is something that coach Dean Lofgren admits does not come by too often.
“Not since the late 80’s or early 90’s have I seen somebody be that dominant,” Lofgren said. “She had an off day and she still beat the closest person by almost four feet.”
Leni, who admits she was disappointed by not getting a farther throw on Saturday, acknowledges that her practice and conditioning played a key factor in her dominance this year.
“I guess all the hard work paid off,” Leni said. “But I still want to hit fifty feet.”
Rounding out the rest of women’s track and field team, were Megan Adams and Gabriela Rubi, who represented EC in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Rubi improved from last week’s time and completed the chase in 11.59.20, which not only placed her in a respectable sixth place for the meet, but also propelled her to third all time in the EC records books.
Adams had strong performance in the chase as well. Adams finished the meet just over 11.28 and was able to take the second place spot. Adam’s strong performance now places her first in the EC’s all-time list in the steeplechase.
“She (Adams) really stepped up and was able to beat the girl from Glendale,” Lofgren said.
Jacob Weintraub highlighted the men’s competition by finishing in second place in the shot put with a throw of 56 feet and just narrowly missing the first place spot by one foot.
Freshman Steven Calise had the lead in the 1500-meter event for a large portion of the race but, as the race continued, a first place finish slowly slipped away but ended in a solid third-place finish.
“He likes to be upfront, and he was with good company,” Lofgren said. “Third place in that field is highly respectable.”
With the official track and field season over, it will be up to individual members of the track and field team to strengthen up and get themselves ready for next year.
“They are probably going to do a little of the weight room,” Lofgren said. “Maybe some lifting, and some individual workouts.”
