April 23, 2008, Monterey--After five events the Hartnell men's track and field has a commanding lead over second place West Valley College.

The Panthers have tallied 77 points to West Valley's 37 after five scored events. Events contested as a final on Wednesday were the men's hammer, long jump, pole vault, javelin, and 10,000 meter run. In the men's hammer, frosh Cesar Puga won his first conference title with a new best throw of 153'06". He was followed by teammate Abram Silva in 3rd also with a new best of 150'07". Also scoring were Mariano Puga in 6th and Robert Soratos in 8th.

Frosh Chase Knisley was second in the javelin with classmate Matt Willis earning important fifth place points.

The men's 10,000 was a clean sweep as the first five finishers were from Hartnell. Working together as a team, Hector Aleman, Jesus Cabrera, Rigo Vasquez, Enrique Lopez, and Danny Tapia all finished within two seconds of each other with the title going to Aleman in 33:53.34.

Johnny Nguyen took 3rd in the pole vault and Oliver Shabram took 5th.

Qualifying to Saturday's finals were Antonio Leal (1:59.68) and Enrique Lopez (2:00.52) in the 800 meters, Cameron McFadden (15.15) in the 110 High Hurdles, and Oliver Shabram in both the 400 meters (51.34) and 400 Hurdles (57.17). The triple jump, high jump, shot put, and discus will all be contested on Saturday as a final.

For the women, Yvette De la Rosa took 3rd in the 10,000 meter run (47:15.88). Frosh Dominga Arzate also scored points with her 5th place finish in the same race.

Giovanna Rojas placed in two events: the hammer and javelin. Rojas took 6th in the hammer (82'10") and 8th in the javelin (75'2"). Ellie Whitton was 8th in the hammer.

Qualifying to finals were Taide Marquez (61.39), Patty Avila (61.71), and Melissa Perez (63.78) in the 400 meter run. Avila also qualified in the 400 hurdles (69.65).

The Hartnell women are currently in 4th after four events with 15 points. De Anza College leads at 29 points. Saturday's finals will begin at noon at Monterey Peninsula College.

April 10, 2008--Hartnell's SIFE team went to Hollywood and brought back something even better than an Academy Award: a regional championship! Congratulations to all the hard-working students who have been reaching out to the entire community year after year to make economic literacy a reality.

Because of SIFE, elementary school children, small business leaders, teenagers, unemployed and underemployed people, and ordinary folks with a dream of a better life have learned about market economics, entrepreneurship, personal financial success skills, and business ethics.

To read about SIFE's second regional championship, please see the story posted here.

“Going to the SIFE competition showed me that hard work really pays off in the end!” - Erika Soler

“The SIFE Regional Competition was a great experience; I learned a lot and look forward to competing next year.” -Joel Medrano

“We were able to achieve champion-status due to our strong teamwork, drive, and the support of our friends, family, and community.” -Mark Cardona

“Two years ago, I had virtually no idea of the intricacies involved with professional business deportment and procedures. If it wasn’t for SIFE, I never would have learned them to the level I did.” - Timothy Fuller

“Competing in Hollywood was an experience of a lifetime. To me, it wasn’t just about winning; it was about making sacrifices, being able to overcome obstacles and challenges, and seeing all the effort and hard work you’ve done as a team unfold. Showing people who we are and what we’re capable of was a reward in itself.” - Jessa Elgar

Here they are: THE FABULOUS SIFE TEAM!