Track & Field: Long Beach advances three to SoCal Regional finals

Three members of the Long Beach City College track and field team have qualified for this Saturday's Southern California Regional Finals meet at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster after posting qualifying times at last week's SoCal preliminaries.

Leading the way is freshman Jaylynn Branch (pictured) as she will represent the LBCC women in a pair of events. In the 200 meters, Branch ran 26.05 to finish third in her heat and eighth overall. She also clocked in at 58.60 in the 400 to once again take third and eighth overall.

On the men's side, freshman Christian Bassman was second in his heat of the 100 and fifth overall with a time of 11.38. Also, freshman Justin Weaver took fifth place and 11th overall in the 1500 at 4:08.18.

Branch and Bassman will need to finish in the top four, while Weaver needs a top-six placing to advance to next week's California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Track & Field State Championship meet on May 17-18 at College of San Mateo.

Photo by Dean Lofgren