The Cerritos College track and field team qualified for the State Championships in Mt. San Antonio with its performances in the Southern California Decathlon Championships on April 8 and 9.

Alexus Dalton, heptathlon participant, was one of many track and field athletes that qualified for the state championships in Mt. San Antonio college.

Dalton believed that she performed well in Southern California Decathlon Championships, getting a personal best and season best.

According to Dalton, it has been a long process in thinking of the state championship.

Dalton looks at her qualification for the state championship as another accomplishment for her.

She managed to get 5201 points, good enough to get second place overall and beating her old school record of 5129 last year.

Dalton was edged out for the overall championship by Jasmine Hall of College of the Canyons, who finished with 5243 points.

Dalton racked up wins in the high jump, 100 meter high hurdles, a first place in long jump.

She came into the Southern California Decathlon Championships, with a mentality that she had already made it to the championship.

“I wanted to think the most positive that I can think of my performance,” said Dalton.

Dalton feels that the track and field team will perform well when it comes to the state championship.

Dalton thinks that the team will pull it together when it counts.

“We work really good as a team, one of the good things is that we feed off each other,” said Dalton.

Thomas Cheval, decathlon participant, feels like that the Southern California Decathlon Championships helped with performing better for future contests.

According to the Cerritos Falcons website, Cheval recorded 6742 points putting him in second place at the Southern California Decathlon Championship.

During the two-day event he managed to get first place in another one event, second place in one event, and third in two other events.

Cheval credits his good showings and high confidence to Christopher Richardson, director of Cerritos College Track and Field.

“I’m more prepared now than I was before, I feel more confident than the competition because I’m getting the best training I ever gotten in my life by Coach Richardson,” Cheval said.

Cheval feels like, even though he qualified for the state championships, his training process has not changed.

“My mental stability is just the same, I am more worried about myself because I want to see where I’m at, I’m not trying to see where everyone is at,” said Cheval.

Cheval has a high confidence that he will win coming into the state championships because of his mentality and physicality.

The track and field team’s next competition will be the Long Beach State Invitational, April 18 and 19.