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College Update: Locals turn in terrific track seasons

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The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level.

David Renteria (Glendale Community College, 2015) Cal State Los Angeles track and field senior: There were plenty of positives for the one-time Vaqueros standout.

Renteria posted two victories and seven top-10 efforts in the javelin with perhaps his best day taking place April 7 when the senior tossed a distance of 172 feet, 8 inches to win the Cerritos College Invitational.

Renteria also claimed the javelin in 159-4 at the UC Riverside Highlander Challenge in Riverside on April 22. He was one of only two male victors for the Golden Eagles that day.

The senior’s best mark took place when he placed fourth with a throw of 173-4 at the Rossi Relays in Claremont on Feb. 25.

Renteria capped his season by taking ninth place in the javelin with a toss of 161-7 3/4 at Chico State on May 5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Championships.

On May 20, Renteria graduated from Cal State Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.

Jack Van Scoter (Flintridge Prep, 2016) Georgetown University track and field freshman: A season of learning concluded some moments of success for the 2015-16 James H. Jenkins Boys’ Athlete of the Year.

Van Scoter concluded his season May 13 by finishing sixth in the 5,000-meter run in 14 minutes, 37.05 seconds at the Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Villanova, PA.

While that was one of the young man’s best finishes this year, his best time came April 27 when he finished 24th at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia in the 5K in 14.28.71.

Van Scoter also shined during the indoor season as he placed fourth at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 800 (4:07.04).

One-time Mission League cross-country champion Kayla Grahn, formerly of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, also competed for the Hoyas on the women’s track and field squad and earned distinction in her sophomore season.

Grahn ran her first-ever collegiate 5K at the Big East Outdoor Championships and scored a point by taking eighth in 18:20.59.

The former Tolog competed for most of the season in the 1,500 and set her personal-best of 4:46.44 at the Virginia Challenge on April 23 in Washington D.C.

Megan Melnyk (Crescenta Valley, 2015) Cal Poly San Luis Obispo track and field sophomore: The one-time All-Area Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year progressed in her second campaign with the Mustangs.

Melnyk ended her season finishing eighth in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:18.53 at the Big West Conference Championships at Cal State Fullerton on May 13.

The day before, Melnyk turned in a career-best mark of 2:12.40 in the conference prelims, which advanced her to the finals. That time eclipsed Melnyk’s top high school mark of 2:13.57.

Previously, Melnyk turned in two top-two efforts by taking the silver in the 800 (2:15.24) at the Cal Poly SLO Invitational on March 25 and placing runner-up in the 800 (2:14.73) at the Cal Opener in Berkeley on March 4.

Melnyk also earned fourth in the 1,500 (4:48.23) in the Fresno State Bulldog Invitational on April 22 in Clovis.

Aaron Sugimoto (Flintridge Prep, 2013) Occidental College track and field senior: Though is was a short senior season for Sugimoto, the former Flintridge Prep distance star turned in a pair of fine efforts.

Sugimto turned in a personal-best mark of 9:38.25 in taking fourth place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on the first day of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Pomona-Pitzer on April 28.

Previous to that, Sugimoto won the steeplechase in 10:28.29 at the SCIAC Multi-Dual on March 4 at La Verne as Occidental defeated Caltech, 127-25, and La Verne, 85-78.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter @campadresports

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