Men’s Cross Country Wins OEC Championships, Ramos Places First Overall

Another year, another conference title.

The Riverside City College men's cross country team missed out on hoisting the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) in 2019 and they were blocked from a potential title in 2020 due to COVID-19. But this year, nothing was going to stop the Tigers.

The Tigers nearly swept the podium and landed six runners in the top 10. Sophomore runner Abel Ramos was the team's top finisher as he snapped the tape to haul in the OEC Individual Championship.

The last time the Tigers saw an individual championship was in 2018 when Enrique Villa '18 got the job done. Ramos finished with a mark of 21:55.8 marking the strongest time by five second and the only time to land within the 21-minute mark.

"It feels good," said Ramos. "I am happy and glad it worked out the way I wanted to."

It was not an easy victory, but Ramos and the Tigers had a plan entering into the race.

"It was definitely a hilly course. Me and my teammates held back at first and let the other teams take point, but at the second mile and I took point. From there on, we made sure that we surged at the last hill."

Ramos is all about strong times, so the OEC Championship win still isn't satisfying enough.

"This is the second favorite race in comparison to my Fullerton. But taking the win is super exciting. We have to keep pushing hard and don't let yourself get comfortable. Once you start getting comfortable you stop improving."

It was a poetic cap to the conference action for Riverside after being hit hard with COVID-19 restrictions throughout the entire year. The Tigers stayed diligent and are only getting stronger leading into the Southern California Regionals and, eventually, the CCCAA State Championships.

Sophomore Mario Tavares brought home the bronze after clocking in a third-place mark of 22:04.6. Freshman Raen Reyes followed in fourth place with a 22:21.3 showing, while freshman Jorge Castro rounded out the meet's top-five runners with a mark of 22:43.0. Freshman Gavyn Condit returned with a time of 22:45.1. to cap the Tiger's top-five runners. 

 "I am very proud of the way the guys ran," said Head Coach Jim McCarron. "I thought the guys did fantastic and I am pleased how we recovered from COVID-19 issues from weeks ago. We are coming back and are probably only at 80 percent right now."

It is the Tigers' fifth conference title in the last six years, but a state title is on their minds.

"We look at SoCals as a qualifier for state. Moving forward, the focus is state."

The Tigers have won their past two meets and will look to make it three in a row leading into the Southern California Championships on Friday, November 5 at 9 a.m. at Irvine Regional Park.