Yuba College Track and Field: Sprint Punch and Heptathlon Champ

Both Men’s and women’s YC Track and Field worked their way into the state championships with strong showings at the April 21 end-of-regular-
season event.

Jonathon Adams, one of a cast of Saturday stars, is a member of the men’s sprint team. The 100 meter sprint is one of Jonathon’s specialities. He is a member of a top-notch three-man-group with Micah Bernal and Malik Pruitt.

Together, these three have posted some of the best times for the 100M in the Conference this year. Adams placed second in both preliminary and final events, running a 11.24 second time in the prelim and a final time of 11.18.

Teammate Bernal finished first in both events, posting the fastest time of the day with a 10.98, for a Yuba College on-two punch. Adams time at this “Last Chance” event for the Nor-Cal Multi Track meeting was his season best.

The meet included track members and coaches from Yuba College, Butte College, Hartnell College, De Anza College, San Joaquin Delta, Sacramento, and Chico State University.

Yuba College, with the strength of their men’s sprint team, finished an overall second, edging Chico State and Butte Colleges, with a strong sixth place showing by the women as well.

In Fresno, at the Central Valley Conference Championship Meet, Adams was fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200M and 100M sprint events, excellent against a strong field of top competitors.

Bernal, once again, had the best Yuba College showing, finishing fourth in both the 100M and 200M, while also taking third in the long jump. Pruitt was seventh in both sprints and helped the men’s team place second in the 4x100M relay.

Yuba College had several bright spots at this meet, as Liam Tufts placed second in the triple jump, and third in the pole vault, also manning the men’s relay team.

The men’s discus team sparkled, taking all three top spots, with Austin Greer, Darrell Kaanaana, and Bryant Williams besting sixteen athletes.

Williams and Kaanaana also placed first and third, respectively, in the hammer throws.

This year’s Yuba College Men’s Track and Field team prepared itself well after the mid-season break, coming back stronger and fresher in the second half by practicing harder and developing the stamina necessary to keep the body and the mind fine-tuned for better quality performances, improving each week, while facing tougher competition through the run to the State Championship Finals after the season’s end.

The women’s team features Hannah Smrt, the heptathlon winner at the Last Chance Event, headed to the State Championships in Bakersfield, perhaps the best heptathlon competitor in the state.
Hannah helped the Yuba College Women move up to second in the overall performance standings the next week at the aforementioned Central Valley Championships (CVC) in Fresno.Smrt was the key to this strong placing after the sixth place placing at home the week prior int the Last Chance Event.

She won the heptathlon once again, placing best in ten of the fifteen Yuba women’s team events. Smrt won the 100M, 200M, 800M sprints, along with the 100M hurdles, the high jump, long jump, triple jump, the javelin, and as mentioned the overall heptathlon.

Hannah placed first in all three jumps and the 100M Hurdles in the overall competition. She is one of the best women’s Track and Field stars ever to attend Yuba College.
Yuba College has improved under Coach Howdy Atkinson, since Assistant Coach of Sprints and Hurdles Montrell Williams arrived.

The Sprint team has benefitted by William’s hard work ethic and has taken on the professional personality of their Assistant Coach. Track and Field has become a staple of an excellent Yuba College Athletic program which includes all sports.

Everyone, here in Marysville and the college community, is expecting a great showing in the State Championship Finals, May 18-19, 2018 in Bakersfield.
Online postings of this event, as well as anecdotes and quotes, will be available at theprospector.org.