The State Championships will have a total of 30 schools racing to win the title in the SoCal championship.

With 40 qualified athletes participating in the regional championships, Cerritos College’s track and field team has gone through a long road to get to where they are now.

Track coach Christopher Richardson said, “I am really proud of my team. They go through a lot of adversity and work extremely hard to be successful and be in the position they are in now.”

Some of the Southern California schools they will compete against and top competitors include Mount SAC, Riverside College, El Camino College, and West Los Angeles College.

The athletes have been preparing for the anticipated competition by practicing daily for numerous hours, but also by resting their bodies.

Cerritos track runner and one of the top sprinters in the entire state of California, Terell White said, ” I try to stretch at night, eat a healthy dinner, and listen to music to get my mind right for the day of the race.”

Besides the opposing teams, one of the main obstacles that the team will face in the race is the heat wave that has struck Southern California this past week.

Cerritos track runner Destiny Talimoto said, “My goal is to break the shock record for state, and to have fun while doing it.”

The end result of this track meet will determine who is going to advance in the state championships. If Cerritos wins the meet on May 10, they will automatically enter the State Championships on May 17.