Riverside Track & Field Sets Sites on Continuing a Dynasty

It almost unfair how dominant the Riverside City College track & field program has been over the past decade plus. The Tigers continue to pump out incredible results under Head Coaches Jim McCarron and Damien Smith and they do not plan to slow down during the 2019 campaign. They will begin their quest for another California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) state title this Friday at home.

Riverside is set to host four meets this season beginning with a five-way meet comprised of Cerritos, SD Mesa, Glendale and Mt. San Antonio. They will continue on to host the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Invitational, the RCC Invitational, the RCC Open, and the CCCAA Southern California Prelims & Finals. (2019 Schedule Link)

The most highly anticipated of the meets will be the RCC Invitational that will feature top NCAA Division I competition such as CSU Fullerton, UC Riverside, Cal Baptist University, CSU San Bernardino and Azusa Pacific University. Last season, the Tigers hosted UCR, CSUF and Pepperdine. The men placed first (117 pts.) and the women placed third (46 pts.).

The Tigers look to follow up another strong season after the men's placed second and the women finished in third place at the CCCAA State Championships.

The men return a group of impressive talents highlighted by sophomore sprinter Antonio Mitchell. Last season, Mitchell was crowned the CCCAA 100 M champion by snapping the tape with a time of 10.47. He also placed third in the 200 M with a 1:52.12 time. Recently, he just inked his National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State University next season.

Sophomore sprinters Keanon Dennis and Keylan Dennis will return to action after making significant waves as well. They were members of the 4 x 100 M Relay squad that placed first in the state championships.

Sophomore Enrique Villa will pace the distance runners after being crowned the OEC Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second-straight season. Sophomore Austin Dai will join him in the distance events with a year under his belts and a strong 2018 cross country season.

Sophomores Alec Jones and Marcos Gonzalez will hold down he throwing events as the pair consistently placed atop the standings throughout the 218 campaign.  

There will be plenty of new faces for the women's side, but some familiar competitors that will pave the wave for the Tigers. Sophomore Sujey Esteva will lead the distance runners after an experiencing a strong cross country campaign. Most recently, she finished fifth in the OEC Cross Country championships.

Sophomore Dejiah Joseph will return after qualifying for the CCCAA state championships in the 400 M Hurdles. Sophomore Karen Orozco will take on the pole vaulting duties after a strong campaign in 2018.

For further information on the track & field program, visit www.rccathletics.com.