Rimm Makes Short Statement, Wins 100

GLENDORA — A little more than two months ago, Anicia Rimm of Ventura College was a bitterly disappointed member of the school’s basketball team that fell one victory short an unprecedented third consecutive state title.

On Saturday, Rimm won the women’s 100-meter dash in a wind-aided 11.83 seconds in the state junior college track and field championships at Citrus College.

Rimm capped a short, but superb sophomore season in which she went from being a solid junior college 100 sprinter who had run 12.58 to the fastest in the state with a best of 11.93.

Marisol Barajas of Valley won the women’s 3,000 in 10:17.08 and Julio Serratos of Glendale took the men’s 3,000 steeplechase in 9:18.50, but Rimm’s victory would have been the least expected before the season.

Rimm won the Southern California title in a career-best 11.93 on May 9, but there was still some question about how she would handle the pressure of being the favorite in the state final because she had little big-meet experience.

It was only her sixth 100 of the season, but it didn’t seem to matter as she ran down fast-starting Shami Vanhook of Long Beach and defending champion Trinity Davis of Merritt in the final 10 meters.

“I felt like I had a slow start,” Rimm said. “I haven’t had a lot of good ones this year. But then I just told myself to run. Run through it because I have a good last 10-15 meters of the race.”

Vanhook, who clocked 11.90, had a slight lead over Davis, who ran 11.91, at 75 meters, but Rimm was closing. She caught them at 85 meters and won going away.

“I just had to keep running,” said Rimm, who finished fourth in the long jump on Friday. “I just had to keep focused on what I had to do and not worry about everyone else in the race because there were some good girls out there.”

Barajas and teammate Patricia Loera turned in a tough double by finishing first and second in the 3,000 and coming back 40 minutes later to place second and third in the 1,500.

“Our coach said, ‘Just run with your heart,’ ” Barajas said as she and Loera slowly walked off the track. “And that’s what we did.”

Barajas and Loera broke away from the pack in the 3,000 to clock 10:17.08 and 10:29.74, and then ran 4:43.88 and 4:45.61 in the 1,500.

Barajas and Loera accounted for all of Valley’s points and the Monarchs finished ninth in the standings with 32 points.

Moorpark placed sixth with 38 points, paced by the third-place finishes of Dolores Tuimoloau at 45 feet 2 1/2 inches in the shotput, Erica Arana at 4,174 points in the heptathlon and Chelsea Christensen at 1:03.86 in the 400 hurdles.

Serratos, who has signed a letter of intent with Adams State (Colo.), and freshman Rey Coronado of Moorpark staged a thrilling finish in the steeplechase.

Serratos had a 15-20-meter lead for much of the race, but Coronado whittled it down to 10 meters with 200 to go and to five with a 100 left.

He pulled to within a foot of Serratos, who spurted away in the final 10 meters to win in 9:18.50 to Coronado’s career-best of 9:18.61.