–Photo by Aaron Valdez, Beacon Media News
By Aaron Valdez
Pasadena High School track star Jaloni West finished third in both the 100- and 200-meter dash at the CIF-SS Ford Track and Field Divisional Championship Finals on Saturday.
As Pasadena’s sole representative at the competition, West’s skills were put to the test against some of Southern California’s most elite athletes. Despite not finishing in first place, the senior put together an impressive performance in his own right.
In the 100-meter dash, West hit a new personal record by clocking in at 10.76, which was .03 seconds faster than his previous best at the CIF-SS Division 3 Prelims. His effort was good enough for a third-place finish behind Santa Margarita’s Blake Hennesay (10.57) and Antelope Valley’s Jalen Perdue (10.73).
West also placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.05 seconds behind St. John Bosco’s Colby Bowman (21.81) and JSerra Catholic’s Kelley Stephens (21.85). West’s personal record of 21.86 seconds for the 200-meter was set at the prelims.
Out of all the runners that competed in the finals, only the top 11 advanced to the CIF-SS Ford Masters Meet this Saturday. West qualified for both events, as his times in the 100 and 200 were the seventh and eighth best, respectively.
