MJC’s Wallace runs record 10.27 in 100 at Big 8 meet

Donovan Wallace runs with the power of a wide receiver/kick returner, his duties in 2009 for Modesto Junior College.

Today, he’s 24, and – incredibly – impressed fans one more time Thursday at MJC Stadium.

Wallace, pounding away from the field while wearing a hard-to-miss orange headband, made school history at the Big 8 Conference Track and Field Championships. All he did was win the 100 meters, the 200 and contributed a leg to the Pirates’ victorious 4x100 relay team.

It was his electric 10.27 seconds in the 100, however, which rearranged three record books.

“I have been blessed to run with a lot of fast guys. They keep pushing me,” Wallace said as he received congratulations from friends. “I call myself Father Time. I’m not too old until they beat me.”

No one came close to beating him on a sunny and breezy afternoon on MJC’s blue synthetic surface. Assisted by a 1.4-meters-per-second reading – below the 2.0 legal limit – Wallace accomplished the following:

▪ Lowered the 10.30 school record he set last month.

▪ Set the Big 8 record.

▪ Recorded the fastest legal community college time in the state this season.

MJC coach Demitrius Snaer, a good sprinter in his time, marveled at what he saw.

“That was ridiculously impressive,” he said. “The kid keeps surprising us every week.”

In fact, Wallace would have dusted a few world-class fields at the Modesto Relays over the years. He’s also in range of the 10.16 standard to reach the Olympic Trials.

Wallace, the Northern California champion and third-place state finisher for MJC in 2010, didn’t stay long at Virginia University at Lynchburg after he left the Pirates. Since then, he’s been taking classes, earning some money and – without question – getting faster with age.

“He kept himself in shape and his work ethic has really paid off,” Snaer praised. “That was a world-class time.”

Clearly, Wallace took advantage of his remaining year of JC eligibility. His headband, a gift from his father who lives in Arizona, defined the target for everyone who lined up in the 100. The closest pursuer to his vapor trail was teammate Justin Burton (10.63).

“I was really nervous, especially when you’re ranked No. 1 coming in. You’ve got a large weight on your shoulders,” Wallace said. “It feels good to defend the crown and make my teammates and coaches proud.”

His teammates were front-and-center during the Pirates’ victory in the 4x100 relay. Russell Maxwell, Wallace running second, Burton and anchor Dante Berggren took the baton home in 41.5.

About an hour after his performance in the 100, Wallace lowered his season best to 21.05 – best in Northern California – in the 200.

Both the MJC men and women placed second behind American River in the team standings.

Wallace and others have programmed their training toward the next few weeks – the Northern California Finals on May 13 at Chabot College in Hayward and the State Championships on May 19-22 at San Diego Mesa.

One of those elite athletes is MJC sophomore Daniel Roberts, the 2015 state champion in the hammer throw, discus and shot put. The South Dakota native tripled in those events at the Big 8. Roberts led an MJC 1-2-3-4 finish in the hammer and the shot.

Roberts’ winning marks were 199 feet in the hammer Monday, and 166-1 in the discus and 48-8  3/4 in the shot Thursday.

“The hammer and discus were OK. The shot is floating a little,” Roberts said. “People have expectations. All I can do is the best on that day.”

Another MJC star was Dana Pollard, who won the 10,000 meters Monday with a time of 41:19.30. She added another win Thursday in the steeplechase (12:19.70) and tacked on a third-place effort in the 5,000.

Other winners for Modesto were Ulisses Vasquez in the 400 hurdles (1:01.95) and Amber Flores in the pole vault (10-3  1/2 ).

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 7:49 PM with the headline "MJC’s Wallace runs record 10.27 in 100 at Big 8 meet."