It was a cold Friday afternoon in the Antelope Valley that was set to see loads of track and field action. As the Moorpark Raiders arrived at Antelope Valley College ready to compete, so did three other colleges including Glendale College, West Los Angeles College and Santa Monica College.

The men’s distance crew took care of business in the 1500 meters, sweeping the first four places. Freshman Johnny Slone had an impressive kick in the last lap and pulled away from the field in the last lap finishing in a blistering 4:06.89.

“I wanted to be more aggressive and get out with the front group,” said Slone. “I am usually passive in these types of races but today I wanted to try out my new strategy and it completely paid off.”

Slone was also asked about his upcoming events in the next two months. “Honestly after this race, I want to focus more on getting my endurance up and prepare for the 10k.” Slone mentioned.

Meanwhile, in the 400m hurdles, freshman Samantha Crane won her heat in 1:16.58.

“I just wanted to hold a steady pace while racing, and nine out of ten times it’s not about being faster than the runner next to you, it’s about being able to run longer” Crane described.

Crane, who also ran for the Moorpark College Cross Country Team in the fall, discussed her transition from long distance to sprint-oriented events.

“It has been very exciting and I am grateful to try out new events with the rest of the team” Crane elaborated. “I also feel very ecstatic about being able to improve in the coming months.”

Head coach Traycie Kephart discussed the overall results of the meet along with the plan for the next upcoming meets.

“Today our team went out and did absolutely amazing, I was especially impressed with the men’s 1500 meters and 200m,” replied Kephart. “And for our team to continue to keep up these types of performances, we need to continue doing the little things ranging from consistency, proper nutrition, good sleep and of course, our studies,” Kephart explained.

Both the men’s and women’s programs led all five teams in scoring with the men accumulating 235 points and the women 217 points.

Be on the lookout for Moorpark College Track & Field’s next meet which will take place at Occidental College on Sat. March 12.