Garibay takes 23rd in WSC Championships

Yuliana Garibay placed 23rd in the Western State Conference Championships on Friday, leading SBCC to a sixth-place finish and a berth in the Southern Cal Championships.

Garibay, a sophomore from Santa Ynez High, covered the 5K course on the Oxnard College campus in a season-best 20:27. Miranda Dashian of Cuesta College won the race in 18:35 and Glendale captured the conference title with 30 points. Canyons and Cuesta were second at 81. SBCC totaled 154 points for sixth in the 13-team field.

Christy Chavira  and Karla Jaime were close behind Garibay, placing 26th and 31st, respectively, in 20:39 and 21:04. Bridget Cooke was the Vaqueros' fourth runner in 21:18. Myleka John ran her fastest time of the season with a 25:03 for 75th place. Lizbeth Zebadua suffered an injury, but still finished strong in 83rd place in the 98-runner field.

"I'm very proud of the girls," said coach Scott Fickerson. "The top 5 all ran their fastest times of the season. They ran aggressively and competed really well as a team. I look forward to seeing them compete like this again in two weeks."

The Vaqueros advance to the Southern Cal Championships on Nov. 4 at Irvine Regional Park, starting at 10 a.m.