Preview: Track & Field Looks to Earn Second-Consecutive State Title

The famous Michael Jordan championship ring picture has nothing on the Riverside City College track & field program. For those unfamiliar with the photo, it is a tempered Jordan with rings decorating his hand with his index and ring finger donning two rings at a time. The track program is willingly forced to use both hands in an attempt to mimic the photo. 

Specifically, the men's program as they are coming off their seventh California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship under the direction of Head Coaches Jim McCarron and Damien Smith. The women continue to knock on the door after earning the 2019 CCCAA State Runner Up by a slim margin.

In 2019, both sides earned a combined 11 individual state champions and 29 Orange Empire Conference individual championships in addition to the men's state title. The men will look to repeat for the first time since 2013-14, while the women will look to better their runner up status from just a year ago and win their first crown since 1993.

On the men's side, it is a young group of competitors after six events landed in RCC's top-10 marks in history. The 100M was snapped by now Arizona State University commit Antonio Mitchell ('18, '19) at a blazing speed of 10.12. The men's 400 M Relay, 1,600M relay, Javelin and Hammer standings were also adjusted follow a strong season.

Sophomore Jabriel Smith will look to take the reins in the sprinting arena after earning All-American honors last season. Smith placed seventh in the 100 M at the 2019 state championships with a time of 10.81, making him poised to fill the Tiger's top sprinting role. He placed second overall in the 100 M at the Southern California Regional finals with a time of 10.34, just two one-hundredths of a second behind the top finishing Mitchell.

Sophomore Will Dower was a valuable asset for the Tigers by participating in the Long Jump and the 4 x 100 M Relay. He was responsible for the third leg in the state championship 4 x 100 M Relay team that snapped the tape with a time of 40.71. Furthermore, he placed seventh in the Long Jump with a mark reading 6.70m.

Sophomore Mohamed Mohammed was nearly a state champion in the 800 M by placing second overall with a mark of 1:53.78. Sophomore Patrick Maria will hold down the throwing squad after performing well last season highlighted by a bronze finish in the Javelin. He earned a mark of 175' 6".

On the women's side, a trio of sprinters will hold down the fort and are poised for a strong second campaign.

Leading the way is sophomore sprinter Annayah Pelt. Pelt, who was a multi-faceted runner for the Tigers last season, placed in the top five in three events at the state championships.

She shined in the 4 x 400 M Relay as she teamed up with fellow sophomores Alana Wilson, LaDaijah Wright and CSU Fullerton signee Madeline Corner ('18, '19) to win the event at a time of 3:53.83. Pelt also placed second in the 400 M (56.89) and fifth in the 200 M (25.42).

In addition to her gold medal in the 4 x 400 M Relay, Wilson placed fifth in the 100 M (12.23) and the 200 M (25.49) at the state meet.