(Mesa, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s track & field team made an impact after the first day of the NJCAA Region I Championships on Tuesday at Mesa Community College.
The Aztecs closed out the day in first place in the updated team standings with a total of 104 points. Mesa is in second place with 89 and Central Arizona College sits in third place with 33 points.
Freshman Johnathon Lane (Walden Grove HS) snagged the Region I title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes, 30.66 seconds earning Pima 10 points. He defeated Jorge Corona from Central Arizona College by almost 19 seconds (9:49.51).
Freshman Jett Jue (Winslow HS) took home the Region I crown in the Long Jump, improving on his national qualifying mark with a jump of 7.25 meters (23-feet, 9.50-inches). Teammate Jacques Jones (Mountain Pointe HS) took second place in the Long Jump with a mark of 7.15 meters (23-5.50). The Aztecs accumulated 23 points in the Long Jump alone.
Sophomore Joshua Bowen claimed the Region I championship in the Javelin with a mark of 51.30 meters (168-3). He took second place in the event in last year’s Region I Championships.
Sophomore Nathan Jones (Show Low HS) secured eight points for the Aztecs after he finished second place in the Hammer Throw and set a national qualifier with a personal-record of 49.87 meters (163-7).
Sophomore Joel Gardner (Ironwood Ridge HS) placed second in the 10,000-meter race and earned a national qualifying time of 31:57.61. It is his third national qualifier of the Outdoor season as he previously set qualifying times in the 1,500 and 5,000 meter races.
Other finishes that earned team points:
Dillon Arvayo (Mountain View HS) – 3rd in Javelin 47.16 meters (154-8) (6 points)
Jacob Acedo (Gila Ridge HS) – 4th in Javelin 46.27 meters (151-9) (5 points)
Anthony Avila (Show Low HS) – 5th in Hammer Throw 45.44 meters (149-1) (4 points)
Dale Snook (Flowing Wells HS), Jeremy Ozbirn (Sunnyside HS), Nathan Plant, Abraham Valenzuela (Palo Verde HS)– 5th in 4×800 relay 8:27.17 (4 points)
Collins Maiyo (Marana HS) – 6th in 3,000 steeplechase 10:25.45 (3 points)
Rowan Coulombe (Mountain View HS) – 6th in Javelin 44.61 meters (146-4) (3 points)Kayden Cockrell – 6th in Long Jump 6.71 meters (22-0.25) (3 points)
Jace Boren (Cienega HS) – 7th in Long Jump 6.64 meters (21-9.50) (2 points)
The final day of the NJCAA Region I Championships is on Thursday at Mesa Community College. Events begin at 5:00 p.m.
See updated team and individual results on WingFootFinish:
https://results.wingfootfinish.com/meets/23922
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez