Ogans Runs ‘Til It Hurts; CSLA Women Finish 2nd Nationally

Taunika Ogans’ teammates on the Cal State Los Angeles women’s track team spent the night on the town following their second-place finish in the NCAA Division II championships.

Ogans spent the night in the hospital.

Despite three stress fractures in her lower right leg, the junior sprinter ignored the advice of her physician and anchored the Golden Eagles’ 400-meter relay team to a third-place finish in 46.45 seconds. Ogans also ran a leg on the 1,600-meter relay team, which finished fifth in 3:45.96 in the meet at Emporia State University May 25-27.

The pain from the tiny fractures, which were caused by the repetitive impact from running, prompted Ogans to check into the emergency ward of the hospital hours after returning from Kansas.

After X-rays, doctors decided to place the leg in a cast for six weeks.

“It hurt so much I couldn’t move my toes,” Ogans said. “My doctor told me there was a chance of causing more breaks, but it was my choice to run. Every step I could feel crack, crack, crack. I would block it out during the race. Then I could barely walk when I was finished.”

Ogans was first diagnosed with a stress fracture before the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships last month, but competed anyway, anchoring Cal State L.A.’s 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams to victory, helping the Golden Eagles win their fourth consecutive conference title.

Ogans did not run after the May 14 meet until the Division II championships, where she ran five races.

Ogans was one of 11 athletes for Cal State L.A. to garner All-American honors by virtue of a top-eight finish. Angel Carver won the triple jump with a lifetime-best 42 feet 8 inches for Cal State L.A., which totaled 71 points to finish second to Abilene Christian (106 1/2).

Angelita Graham finished second in the 400 for the second year in a row in 54.51, and the Golden Eagles’ also received second-place finishes from Marisa Avendano in the 3,000 (9:49.96) and 5,000 (17:00.57) and Marisol Cossio in the 10,000 (35:57.23). Sonja Bryant was third in the long jump (19-4 3/4), and teammate Martha Pinto was third in the 10,000 (36:06.28).

Second-place finishes by Mohamad Saat Ara and Ray Banner lifted the Cal State L.A. men’s team to seventh in their competition. Saat Ara broke his Iranian national record by more than four feet in the hammer with a throw of 185-3, and Banner clocked a personal best 14.18 in the 110-meter high hurdles.

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Michael Granville of Bell Gardens and Loyola’s Matt Pentecost were the top qualifiers in the 800 meters in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College May 26.

Granville, the defending state champion, ran 1:49.43 to win by nearly two seconds over Brandon Pacheco of Brethren Christian (1:51.29). Pentecost won the shotput with a heave of 61-10 1/2. The top five advanced to yesterday’s State meet at Cerritos College.

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Charity Amma of Los Angeles Trade/Tech won the javelin with a throw of 135-6 in the State junior college championships at Bakersfield College May 20.

Jose Arriaga of East L.A. was second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:26.14) and 5,000 (15:19.04). Monique Mejia was eighth in the 3,000 (10:47.83) and Lilia Covarrubias finished fourth in the 10,000 (41:02.0) for the East L.A. women.