The men hauled in their third-straight title and 21st overall, while the women won their 10th-straight title and 17th overall.
The men hauled in their third-straight title and 21st overall, while the women won their 10th-straight title and 17th overall.

Riverside Track & Field Earns Dual Conference Championship

A statement that reads Riverside City College track & field and conference championships has a steady ring to it. It echoes clearly and it is always brought into the conversation when talking about RCC athletics as a whole. Ask anyone who understands the deep, rich history of the RCC track & field program and they will tell you that the statement is not just popular opinion, but sheer fact with the proof to support it.

Today, the Tigers continued to ink their name in the record books by dominating the 2018 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Track & Field Championships by hauling in their 12th-straight dual title by a landslide. The men earned a total of 522 points to finish 440 points ahead of second-place Orange Coast, while the women earned a total of 385 points to earn the gold medal.

The men won their 12th-straight outright conference title and 21st title in program history. It is their fourth title in the last five years. Furthermore, they snapped the record for total points accumulated with 522. They broke their own record of 441 which was set in 2013. The women won their 10th-straight conference title and 17th in conference history.

The men won 19 out of the 21 events to highlight the championships. Alec Hall continued to cruise to victories as he reigned supreme in the 1500M with a time of 4:10.38 and the 800M with a time of 1:55.68. Michael Robinson earned the victory in the 5000M with a mark of 15:19.56.

The Tigers displayed the burners in all sprinting events with Jamal Palmer earning a victory in the 100M with a clip of 10.52. He followed with a 200M time of 21.14. Christopher Shiley won a close race in the 400M with a time of 47.61. He defeated teammates Keanon Dennis (47.62) and Keylan Dennis (47.65).

Dillon Lay reeled in a victory in the 110M Hurdles with a clip of 14.99, while Anthony Butts captured first place in the 400M Hurdles with a mark of 55.05.

A 1600 M Relay team consisting of Shiley, Kea. Dennis, Xavier Montgomery, and Key. Dennis earned a victory with a time of 3:13.50 to haul in the gold.

Jordan Davis earned the best toss in Discus with a hurl of 142' 8" while earning a first place mark in the Shot Put with 47' 3.75".  Marcos Gonzalez earned first place in the Javelin with a mark of 174' 9". Justin Reed pocketed a gold medal in the Long Jump with a leap of 21' 10", while Dorian Dawson earned first place in the Triple Jump with a distance of 43' 9.75"

Sarah Hollis highlighted the women and is arguable one of the most decorated track athletes to grace the Wheelock Stadium track and participate for the Tigers. She earned a total of three gold medals coming in the 5,000M (18:51.81), the 10,000M (39:26.69) and the 3000M Steeplechase (11:31.21). She neared snapping the record for the Steeplechase.

Maryjane Smith was dominant in her performances. She earned the gold medal in the 400M with a time of 57.59 and a the 200M with a clip of 25.33. Argnae Meyers was gas pedal to the track and snapped the tape in the 100M with a mark of 12.45, while Sha'quan Matthews reigned supreme in the 100M Hurdles with a mark of 15.27.

Dejiah Joseph earned a first-place finish in the 400M Hurdles with a time of 1:07.1:07.87.

Riverside dominated the 1600 Relay with Makenzie Matteson, Jayea McMillan, Smith, and Meyers teaming together for a time of 3:54.81.

The field events boded well while they took numerous gold medals. Karen Orozco earned a first-place finish in the Pole Vault with a height of 9' 11.75". Valentia Sanabria worked towards a mark of 16' 11.25 in the Long Jump, while Gabriella Sanabria took first in the Javelin with a mark of 109' 2".

Angelique Hudson led the entire way in the shot put with a heave reading 45' 2.5", while Ca'may Stocker backer her with a first-place finish in the Discus reading 126' 11". Kaytleyn Baker rounded out the victories with a 37' 6.5" mark in the Triple Jump.

The Tigers will continue on to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regionals beginning on Friday, May 4th at San Diego Mesa College. The SoCal prelime will be the qualifier for the SoCal finals. The top-three teams at the SOCal finals will move on to compete at the CCCAA State Championships.