Everett Najera
Everett Najera

Tigers Win Both Rounds of OEC Championships; Najera Earns OEC Player of the Year Honors

CHINO HILLS -- Winning both the morning and afternoon rounds of the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Championships last Monday (May 1) at Los Serranos Country Club, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's golf team won the OEC Championship.

The double win improved RCC's won-lost record in the OEC standings to 43-7. It was the Tigers' second OEC Championship in the last three seasons (also in 2015).

Riverside shot collective team scores of 362 (morning, North Course, par 72) and 371 (afternoon, South Course, par 74) to win the OEC Championship at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills.

RCC sophomore Everett Najera (Corona - Corona HS '15) -- who is pictured -- fired a four-under-par 68 in the morning (North) round and a two-under-par 72 in the afternoon (South) to earn medalist honors. His adjusted total of 639 strokes (nine rounds) accounted for a conference-leading average of 71.0 to earn OEC Player of the Year honors.

Rounding out the rest of the RCC individual scores were sophomore Robby Melton (Riverside - Citrus Hill HS '15), who shot 72+73 for a total of 145, tying for second-place with Saddleback's Austin Briggs (70+75). RCC sophomore Nick Bridge (Riverside - Norte Vista HS '15) shot 150 (74+76), followed by freshman Michael Herrera (Moreno Valley - Valley View HS '16), who shot 152 (77+75), sophomore Jordan Sams (Lake Arrowhead / Rim of the World HS '10), who shot 153 (71+82) and freshman Brian Nielsen (Riverside - Poly HS), who shot 159 (84+75).

In addition to Najera, Melton and Bridge also earned All-OEC honors.

Elsewhere in the morning round, Cypress shot a 364, followed by Mt. San Antonio (382), Saddleback (383), Orange Coast (388) and Irvine Valley (398).

In the afternoon round, Orange Coast shot a 381, followed by Cypress (387), Saddleback (395), Mt. San Antonio (395), and Irvine Valley (407).

Rounding out the final OEC standings after RCC (43-7), were Cypress (39-11), Orange Coast (34-16), Saddleback (20-30), Mt. San Antonio (11-39) and Irvine Valley (3-47).

Next, the Tigers, as well as Orange Coast and Cypress will participate in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) South Regionals Championships, May 7-8, at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside. Riverside, as well as other OEC teams, played the OEC Neutral Match at El Camino CC April 24. The match essentially served as a tune-up for next week's CCCAA South Regional Championships. RCC shot a 377.

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Najera photo courtesy of Jerry Hannula, Saddleback SID.