Torres Chooses to be a Bronco
Hartnell College sophomore Isabelle Torres has committed to NCAA DI Santa Clara University to compete in cross country and track & field. Torres, a Salinas High School product, will major in Psychology while competing for the Broncos who are member of the West Coast Conference.
Torres enjoyed a terrific freshman year earning all-confernece and all-region in cross country. Her teams won repeat Coast Conference Championship and Northern California Regional Championship. The regional team set the existing championship team score record of just 19 points, the first time a winning team has scored less than 20. At the state championship, Torres placed 36th a freshman helping the team to a second place trophy for the second time in program history. On the track, Torres was the conference 5000m champion and recorded a personal best 18:49 during her first season at that distance. She placed second in the 1500 meters and third in the Northern California 10,000 meters to help the women's team earn a second consecutive regional team title. At the CCCAA State Championship, she placed sixth in the 1500 meters in a lifetime best 4:57.77 depsite rainy conditions.
As a sophomore, Isabelle opened her cross country season with an outstanding eighth place performance at the Fresno Invitational. She placed third overall at the Chabot Invitational and Norcal Preview Meet finishing only behind eventual Norcal champion Julia Gonzalez of Diablo Valley College and teammate Daniela Salazar. Torres would place second behind Gonzalez at the MJC Invitational as her best individual showing of the season. She also placed placed fifth at the Brubaker Invitational only behind eventual All-American Dana McGrath of Saddleback College and her three teammates Daniela Salazar, Shantal Martinez, and Valeria Gomez-Lozano. The Panthers won the Chabot Invitational, MJC Invitational, Norcal Preview, and Brubaker Invitational with the help of Torres. During the 2019 season, Isabelle never placed behind any runner other than Gonzalez or McGrath or her teammates after the Fresno Invitational until the State Championship. Unfortunately a late season stress fracture dampened her successful sophomore campaign and she was unable to repeat her all-conference and all-region performances. Torres did return for the CCCAA State Championship and helped the Panthers to a fourth place team finish.
Her final track & field season was cut short by the coronvirus pandemic but Torrres did run a lifetime best 3000m in 10:59.05 at the Wildcat Cup in the final meet of the shortened season. She also ran 18:59.23 for 5000m at the Jim Linthicum Invitational on February 22.
Torres graduates with her degree in Psychology with a perfect GPA of 4.000 and awaits word if she will be named co-valedictorian of her Hartnell College graduating class.