College postseason roundup: Hartnell's Ishimaru earns All-American honors
WALNUT — Having missed the end of last year with a broken foot, Aidan Ishimaru returned with a purpose this spring for Hartnell, earning All-American honors in the process.
The former Salinas High thrower unleashed the second-longest hammer throw in Hartnell school history Friday to finish second at the 3C2A State track and field championships at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
Ishimaru, who was third two weeks ago at the Northern California finals with a mark of 167-feet-11, put together a three-plus-foot personal best, unleashing it 171-3 during the first day of the two-day meet.
“I felt a little apprehensive coming in,” Ishimaru said. “I knew I had to throw at least a meter further to get to the podium. I could feel after my first throw, it felt good. I knew it was going to be a good day.”
Monterey Peninsula College also brought home an All-American in two-sport standout Gideon Llantero, who tossed the javelin 177-9 to finish third overall.
“Coach knew I had a history in baseball,” said Llantero, who is headed to West Point in the fall. “I was a dual sport athlete at PG in the spring. He asked me to come out and try it after football season.”
Llantero, who played football last fall for the Lobos, was just an inch off his career best, set two weeks ago in winning the Northern California title. His finish earned the freshman All-American status.
“I just fell in love with it,” said Llantero, who hopes to continue throwing next year for Army. “Having the lights on out there tonight, having all eyes on you, it was a mix of anxiety and excitement.”
Lillian Thrasher set personal bests in three of the four events contested Friday in the heptathlon, as the MPC sophomore has the early lead after the first day with 3,022 points, holding a 150-point lead going into Saturday’s final three events.
The Hollister graduate clocked the second fastest time in the 100 hurdles in 14.64 — an event she’ll run as an individual as well on Saturday.
Thrasher was second in the high jump (5-4 1/4), fourth in the shot put (35-5 1/4), and was fifth in the 200 in a career best 25.75. The Lobos MJ Haro just missed earning a point, placing ninth in the javelin with a mark of 111-11.
Hartnell’s Nathaniel Aceves-Aguilar is sixth after the first day of the decathlon with 3,299 points. The freshman won the long jump with a mark of 22-5 3/4, and was fourth in the high jump (5-10 3/4).
Softball
San Marcos 14, CSUMB 4; Dominguez Hills 5, CSUMB 2: The momentum generated in Thursday’s opening win in the NCAA DII West Regionals vanished for the Otters, who dropped a pair of games to see their season end in San Marcos.
The Otters, who put together a seven-game improvement in the win column in head coach Emily Montanez’s second season, were making their first West Regional appearance since 2018.
Opening the regionals with a win on Thursday was CSUMB’s (33-24) first since 2012, snapping an eight-game playoff losing streak.
The Otters ran into California Collegiate Athletic Association champion San Marcos, who came into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in Division II behind West Texas A&M.
While homers from Nani Arreola and Gracie Strycula brought the dugout to life, the Otters dropped their fifth game of the season to their conference rivals, who improved to 52-8 overall and 22-0 at home.
Facing Dominguez Hills for the second time in 24 hours and the seventh time this season, a homer from former Monterey High and MPC product Katarina Manuofetroa wasn’t enough in a season-ending 5-2 loss.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 8:55 PM.