De Anza Opens Season With Multiple Event Wins
The De Anza College track and field team opened the season with several standout performances across sprints, distance, and field events. The Lions were highlighted by event victories from sophomore Genesis Mailangi and sophomore Siena Pignataro, along with a podium finish in the men's 800 meters and strong depth across multiple events.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
Sophomore Genesis Mailangi led the meet in the throws, capturing first place in the shot put (11.83m) and first place in the hammer throw (44.85m). She also added third-place finishes in the discus (35.45m) and javelin (32.68m) to complete one of the most dominant all-around performances of the meet.
In distance events, sophomore Siena Pignataro won the 3000 meters in 10:58.15, giving De Anza another event victory on the day.
The women's sprint group was led by freshman Junya Zeng, who finished third in the 100 meters (12.96) and fourth in the 200 meters (27.09). Sophomore Sarah Morales placed sixth in the 100 meters (13.03) and sixth in the 200 meters (27.64). Freshman Emma Ulloa added another solid performance with a 12th-place finish in the 100 meters (13.65).
Freshman Angelina Perez represented the Lions in the 800 meters, finishing eighth in 2:54.38.
In the women's 1500 meters, freshman Angela Ellis finished 10th in 5:12.70, while sophomore Erika Pham also competed for De Anza.
MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
The De Anza men's sprint group was led by freshman Roman Johnson, who placed 7th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.31. Sophomore Fabian Oduk followed with 11.49, while freshmen Reign Garma (11.74) and Omar Shaaban (11.80) added strong performances.
Additional De Anza athletes competing in the 100 meters included Noah Deleon (11.91), Jordan McKinney (12.03), Aidan Shelley (12.21), Ryan Perez (12.23), Enoch Mak (12.29), Dylan Maskiewicz (12.34), Carlos Santizo (12.61), Leon Kovaci (12.80), Noah Tijerina (13.04), Kevin Duong (13.41), and Gustavo Testolin (13.46).
In the 200 meters, Oduk again led the De Anza group with 23.30, followed by Aidan Shelley (24.36), Jordan McKinney (24.76), Ryan Perez (24.92), Noah Deleon (24.93), Dylan Maskiewicz (25.59), and Carlos Santizo (25.76).
Freshman Anthony Dianda delivered a strong performance in the 800 meters, finishing third overall with a time of 2:05.86. Freshman Jayden Franco also competed in the event, placing ninth in 2:12.08.
In the 1500 meters, freshman Keaton Wong finished sixth in 4:30.02. Teammates Lenny Cortes (4:53.65) and Sebastian Hernandez (5:04.44) also competed in the event.
The men's distance squad had a strong showing in the 3000 meters, led by Alexander Herrera, who finished fifth in 9:43.69. He was followed closely by Jerry Dang (9:49.23), Roee Biluar (9:55.56), and Jonathan Kammerer (9:57.28), giving De Anza four athletes under 10 minutes. Brandon Phan (10:30.12) and Toby Huynh (10:52.36) also competed for the Lions.
In the field events, freshman Omar Shaaban placed fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 2.75 meters, while sophomore Noah Tijerina cleared 2.45 meters.