Nickelson and Nevitt Advance with Naugle to SoCal Finals
Luke Nickelson and Taylor Nevitt punched their tickets to the Southern California Regional Finals with top eight finishes during the preliminaries on Saturday at Antelope Valley College. The Nipomo High School graduates joined Hancock distance runner Rachel Naugle on the docket for next Saturday's Regional Finals.
During the preliminary round, the top 12 finishers advanced to the finals.
Nickelson finished fifth in the men's long jump competition with a mark of 22 feet, eight inches. Justin Walker of Fullerton finished first with a mark of 23-6.25. Nickelson also competed in the triple jump. However, he finished 19th with a top mark of 43-0.5
Nevitt qualified for regionals in four throwing events, but opted to compete in three on Saturday. The freshman finished third in the discus throw with a top mark of 125-10. The left-hander finished eighth and qualified in the shot put with a top mark of 37-2.5. Despite throwing for a season-best 87-10, Nevitt finished 18th and did not advance in the women's javelin throw.
Naugle finished 16th in the women's 1,500-meter event with a time of 5:19.21. The freshman did not advance to the final in the 1,500. She already qualified for next weekend's final in the 5,000-meter run.
The SoCal Regional Finals will be Saturday, May 14, at Antelope Valley College. The top six in each event advance to the California Community Colleges Athletics Association (CCCAA) 2016 State Championships. The state meet will be May 20-21 at San Diego Mesa College.