Tigers Race to First-place Finish at Palomar Invite Friday

OCEANSIDE -- Having six of the top eight finishers, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's cross country team literally and figuratively ran away from the competiton of 12 other teams to claim first place at the Palomar Invitational last Friday (Sept. 9) at Guajome Park in Oceanside.

Riverside City had racers finish first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth to tally 23 points, easily outdistancing second-place Santa Ana (56 points), Pasadena City (114), El Camino (121), Saddleback (137) and sixth-place West Los Angeles (140).

The Tigers placed six in the top ten and 11 in the top 20 with a field of 138 runners.

RCC sophomore Joshua Silva (Corona / Corona HS '15) led the Tigers with a first-place finish (20:43.7) over the four-mile (4.0) course.

The next six RCC finishers were as follows: sophomore Michael Simpson (Moreno Valley / Canyon Springs HS '15), who was fourth overall (20:53.7), Malloy ( ), who was fifth overall (21:14.0), freshman Darvale Terry Jackson (Riverside / John W. North HS '16), who was sixth overall (21:19.3), freshman Michael Robinson (Riverside / M.L. King HS '16), who was seventh overall (21:22.8), and freshman Ricardo Cardenas (Riverside / John W. North HS '16), who was eighth overall (21:26.8).

The attached picture is of the Tiger pack coming in at mile 2.

"The Tigers packed well today (Friday) and earned the victory at the Palomar Invitational at Guajone Park," said 11-year RCC head cross country coach Jim McCarron. "Joshua Silva led the way for the Tigers, winning the Invitational with a strong kick in the last 300 meters to take the individual title.

"I was really pleased with how the guys packed today and they moved up throughout the race and were very patient and came on strong in miles 3 & 4," added McCarron