Riverside Track & Field Governs Competition at Season Opening Meet

The Riverside City College track and field program hosted a five-way meet featuring Mt. San Antonio, San Diego Mesa, Cerritos and Glendale on home turf to begin their 2019 campaign. The Tigers picked up just where they left off last season by performing at an extraordinary level. The men reigned supreme by scoring 129.33 points, while the women followed suit with a victory after earning 108 total points.

 "We looked really strong for the first meet of the season," said Head Coach Jim McCarron. "We have a lot of work to do but this team has great potential."

Sophomore sprinter and reigning state champion Antonio Mitchell picked up just where he left off in the spirting events. HE paced his team with a pair of first-place finishes. He clocked in a 6.60 in the 60 M backed by a 34.30 in the 300 M. Sophomore Dillon Lay placed first in the 400 M Hurdles by snapping the tape at a time of 56.38, while freshman Mohamed Mohammed earned the gold in the 600 M with a mark of 1:23.33.

The distance squad got off to a strong start highlighted by a victory in the 4 x 800 M Relay. Freshman Matthew Lieberman, sophomore Angel Campos, sophomore Enrique Villa, and Mohammed earned a time of 8:19.62 which was approximately four seconds stronger than the second-place finisher. Villa continued on in a solo venture to haul in the silver medal in the one mile run with a time of 4:27.67.

The throws unit chipped in a major portion of the Tiger's points. Sophomore Alec Jones placed first in the Discus and Hammer. He recorded a personal best 171' 7" in the Hammer and a 147' 4" in the Discus. Sophomore Marcos Gonzalez earned the gold medal in the Javelin by chucking a meet-best 182' 11".

Freshman Patrick Maria placed first in the High Jump by leaping over a mark of 6'. Freshman Christian Gbla earned a win in the Triple Jump with a mark reading 42' 6.75"

The women put together an all-around performance that saw contributors from many areas of their team. The distance runners produced strong results with freshman Maribel Madera and sophomore Sujey Esteva taking the reins. Esteva finished first in the one mile run with a time of 5:50.50 with Madera right on her heels, literally, at 5:50.51. It was much of the same story for the pair in the two mile run, but reversed. Madera edged out Esteva with a mark of 12:16.01, while Esteva earned a 12:16.03 clip.

The speedsters performed at a high level with freshman Annayah Pelt earning first place in the 300 M with a mark of 41.16. Freshman Madeline Corner followed in the 400 M Hurdles with a first-place finish at 1:07.06. Pelt contributed to a 4 x 100 M Relay team that snapped the tape. She was joined by freshman Alana Wilson, sophomore Alondra Gonzalez and freshman Mariah Allain to earn a time of 48.67.

The field events were a strong component to the victory highlighted by two first place finishes from freshman Tayler Salley. She reigned supreme in the Discus with a toss of 119' 10" and the Hammer with a chuck of 141' 11". Sophomore Angelique Hudson followed suit with a victory in the Shot Put at a mark of 42' 10.75". Freshman Kaaliyah Latsonleaped her way to a victory in the High Jump with a mark reading 4' 9".

Riverside will continue action at home on Friday, February 22 as they host the first Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Invitational of the year. The meet is set to start at 12 p.m.