Tiger Tracksters Finish Second at UC Irvine Spring Break Invitational This Past Weekend

IRVINE -- Posting some big performances and finishing ahead of five NCAA Division I teams, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's track and field team placed second at the UC Irvine Spring Break Invitational last Friday-Saturday, Mar. 18-19.

The RCC Tigers finished second at the meet overall (out of nine colleges and universities) posting a score of 241 points beating some NCAA D1 teams along the way.

Mt. San Antonio won with 266 points, followed by RCC (241), Utah State (169) Army West Point (162), Northern Arizona U. (149), host UC Irvine (135), El Camino (96), Azusa Pacific (25), and Pepperdine (7).

Highlighting some of the big performances from the meet, freshman James Jones (Bremerton, WA / Olympic [WA] HS '11) finished third overall in the shot put (16.45m / 53' 11.75", the No. 2 mark in the state); freshman Chris Brown (Desert Hot Springs HS) -- who is pictured -- was fourth overall in the hammer throw (55.00 m / 180' 5", the No. 3 mark in state) and was ninth overall in the discus throw (46.76m / 153' 5", the No. 5 mark in the state.

In the jumps, sophomore Anthony John Soriano was second overall in the triple jump (14.61m / 47' 11.25", the No. 5 mark in the state) and was second overall in the long jump (7.13m / 23' 4.75").

In the running events, freshman Joshua Silva (Corona / Corona HS '15) was fourth overall in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:54.41 which leads the state by 4 seconds. Additionally, freshman Cristian Malloy (Murrieta / Vista Murrieta HS '15) won his heat of the 1500 meters (and was 13th overall) with a time of 4:01.50.

Sophomore Wyatt Staggers (Lakeside HS) won his heat of the 100 meters with a time of :10.9, which is tied for eighth in the state.

"The Tigers had a great weekend at the UC Irvine Spring Break Invitational," said ninth-year RCC head men's track and field coach Jim McCarron. "We are officially halfway through the season and I am very pleased with how the team is coming together. I was really pleased with how Josh Silva ran in the 1,500 meters to take over the top spot in the state. Also Chris Brown and  Anthony Soriano continue to shine for the Tigers," concluded McCarron.

Results can be found on finishedresults.com and directathletics.com Additionally, more information may be found at https://www.directathletics.com/results/track/44549.html

The Tigers return to action on Friday, Mar. 25, when they host the Orange Coast College (OCC) Pirates in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) dual meet which begins at 10 a.m. before heading to San Diego State University on Saturday, Mar. 26, to participate in the Aztec Invitational beginning at 8 a.m.

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