Tigers take home their 11th straight OEC team title
The Riverside Tigers completed their first test on the road to state this past weekend by winning the Orange Empire Conference Championships at RCC. The men won the event scoring 338pts beating out second place finisher Orange Coast College who scored 177.5pts. This marks the eleventh straight OEC title for the Tigers. The men had a great showing with numerous individual conference champs. In the sprints, Johnathan Essien (Martin Luther King HS) is starting to come alive with a great double running 10.7 in the 100m (10th in state) and a new PR in the 200 meters running 21.6(14th in state). The 4x400m team also collected a conference championship with a team of Christopher Shiley (Citrus Valley HS), Kory Parsons (Martin Luther King HS), Keeon Thomas, and Ricardo Cardenas (J.W. North HS). The middle distance continues to build on their great success this season going 1-6 in the 800 meters and going 1,2,3,5,6 in the 1500 meters. Joshua Silva (Corona HS) won the 800m in a time of 1:58.95 and Alec Hall (Norco HS) won the 1500m with a time of 4:17.48. Michael Simpson (Canyon Springs HS) had a great double winning the 5000m and 3000m Steeplechase. James Wilson (Alta Loma HS) continues to get better and build coming into championship season with a win and season best in the triple jump of 48'6.25"/14.79m, which ranks him 6th in the state of California. In the throwing events Kyle Jenkins (San Gorgonio HS) won the hammer with a PR of 176'7/53.83m which ranks him 2nd in the state. Keegan Wiekamp-Huete (Alta Loma HS) won the Javelin taking only three attempts and hitting a 176'/53.59m to win the event.
"The guys are coming together quite well for the championship phase of the season. They ready for So Cal prelims next week."- Jim McCarron, Head Track and Cross Country Coach
The Tigers are back in action next Saturday, May 6th at Cerritos College for the Southern California Prelims.
Full results can be found at: https://www.directathletics.com/results/track/48664.html