Women’s Cross Country Places Third at CCCAA State Championships
For the first time under Head Coach Damien Smith, the Riverside City College women's cross country team landed on the podium at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships.
The Tigers cap their season with an incredible run that lands them third overall at the state meet with a total score of 130. Mt. San Antonio placed first overall (63), while Hartnell placed second (79) to round out the field.
Leading the charge was sophomore Briana Rodriguez. The 2021 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Female Runner of the Year and Individual Champion was the lone Tiger to finish in the top-15 with an overall mark of 19:11.3 to earn her 14th place. She utilized a 6:11 mile pace to reach this mark.
Trailing close behind was sophomore duo Helena Valdez and Elani Huntley who finished 24th and 25th, respectively, to round out the top three for Riverside. Valdez crossed the line at 19:28.8 while Huntley followed with a 19:32.1. time.
Freshman Soleil Russo earned one of her best finishes in the Tiger pack with a time of 20:21.3 to earn her 53rd place, while sophomore Laila Wright rounded out the top-five with a mark of 20:27.2. to finish 56th overall.
The Tigers finished the season by landing on the podium in all three of the championships events highlighted by a first-place showing at the conference championships. Additionally, they had six podium finishes with one victory, one second-place finish and four third-place showings.