Torrance, Calif. – The Mt. SAC Men's Track and Field Team opened the 2026 season in impressive fashion on Saturday, February 7, competing at the South Coast Conference Opener hosted by El Camino College. In their first meet of the year, the Mounties showcased their depth, versatility and strength by placing highly across nearly every event.
On the track, Mt. SAC delivered standout performances in the middle-distance events. Ethan Hufnagel led the way in the 800 meters, capturing first place with a time of 2:00.41, while Joshua Quinia added a third-place finish in 2:05.01.
The Mounties dominated the 1500 meters, claiming the top seven spots in the race, highlighted by Dillon Hightower's winning time of 4:10.75. Jacob Duregger followed closely in second at 4:11.53, and Hufnagel rounded out the podium in third with a time of 4:12.26. Mt. SAC continued its strong showing in the 3000 meters, placing runners second through eighth, led by Antonio Alcantar III in second place (9:01.32) and Jonah Botello in third (9:03.92).
The sprint and hurdle events also saw strong results for the Mounties. Don Parish III sprinted to a third-place finish in the 60 meters with a time of 6.98 and later captured first place in the long jump with a mark of 21'6.75". In the hurdles, Taiyo Ishiguro claimed first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.76), while Jordan Rios placed third (9.11). Rios followed up with a second-place finish in the 400 hurdles (1:00.99), with Seth Devers close behind in third at 1:01.47.
Mt. SAC relays made an immediate impact, sweeping both events. The 4x100 relay team of Johnny Gardner IV, Brandon Le, Dominic Lopez, and Isaac Rodriguez finished first with a time of 42.23, while the 4x400 relay squad—Dane Barker, Gardner, Mario Gallegos Jr., and Leniel Suarez Morales—took the top spot in 3:22.02.
In the field events, the Mounties were just as dominant. Mt. SAC swept the top five spots in the high jump, led by Ja'Len Taylor's winning height of 6'6.75", followed by Anik Singh (6'4.75") and Samuel Kolody (6'0.75").
The pole vault saw Jinhong Yang take first place with a mark of 13'7.25", while Luke Kottke finished second at 12'7.5". In the horizontal jumps, Naasir Ainsworth (21' 4.75") and Ethan Johnson (21' 4") finished second and third for long jump. Michael Danna captured first place in the triple jump with a leap of 46'8.75", and Tommy Larry earned third (42'4.75").
The Mounties also posted impressive results in the throwing events. Kase Schaffeld placed second in both the shot put (44'9") and discus (135'9"), while Andres Lambarena finished third in the shot put (42'3.5") and hammer throw (139'10"). Jacob Montez added a second-place finish in the hammer throw with a mark of 144'5", and Robert Medina earned third in the discus at 112'3".
NEXT UP:
With the first meet of the season under their belts and a strong foundation in place, the Mounties are ready to keep building momentum. Mt. SAC will be back in action at the RCC Early Bird Meet at Riverside City College on Friday, February 13. Keep it rolling, Mounties!
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.