Preview: Men’s Cross Country Set for State Championship Appearance

The last time the Riverside City College men's cross country team landed on the podium at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) was in 2017 after placing second overall. The year before, the Tigers hauled in the 2016 State Championship trophy. They are looking to get back on track this Saturday, November 20 at Woodward Park in Fresno, CA.

The Tigers started off slow in the month of September as they eased into the season while dealing with a handful of COVID-19 related issues. While the guys got healthy, the Tigers continued to get better.

After a third-place finish at the Redlands Invitational to begin the season, Riverside did not have a podium finish until the second Friday of October. They followed by rattling off five-consecutive podium appearances highlighted by an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Championship and a third-place finish at the CCCAA Southern Regional Championships. Additionally, they placed first at the Titan Invitational that featured a hefty number of NCAA Competitors.

"I am really proud of the staff and the student-athletes for being off campus," said Head coach Jim McCarron. They have done such a great job. Special props to Mike Wilson and the coaching staff for making this whole thing work."

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and spacing issues on campus, the cross country programs made a choice to practice off campus. Their performance has not suffered because of this move. If anything, they are more than ready to compete.

"I think we are going to do really well. They guys are fit and ready to go. It is one of the best years of competition I have seen in a long time."

It has not been an easy year, but the Tigers dealt with adversity and hit it head on throughout the entire season.

"It was frustrating and fun," said McCarron. "It was frustrating because you have to have the entire team present and work hard. A lot of guys stepped up and it was fun when they started getting better, and we started beating the teams that beat us in the beginning. They all bought in and stepped up."

Leading the way for the Tigers sophomore Abel Ramos. After missing the Biola Invitational and getting off to a relatively slow start to the season, Ramos went on a tear leading to an OEC Individual Championship Title. He paced the field with a 24:55.8 mark and is the third-consecutive Riverside runner to be named the OEC Runner of the Year.

Sophomore Mario Tavares placed third in the OEC Championships while also placing the team-best fourth overall at the CCCAA Regional Championships. He was mere seconds shy of reaching the podium.

Freshman Gavyn Condit has been a consistent top-five runner for Riverside with his strongest performance coming at the UC Riverside Invite where he paced the Tigers against top competition. Freshman Raen Reyes follows with as a consistent member of the Tigers' top-five runners.

"We are going to have to run our best race of the season," said McCarron. "Every guys is going to have to be at their best. Anything can happen when you get on the line. The goal is to get to the state championship every year. We will walk into the meet satisfied with what we've done throughout the season."

The satisfaction of winning is the best feeling as seen in an OEC Championship yet again. It earned McCarron his ninth OEC Coach of the Year honor in the last 12 years.

"It feels good," said McCarron. "Mike [Wilson] and I are a team just like the guys are a team. I love the fact that I am able to work with Mike. We have worked hard over the last 12 years. Together, we give the student-athletes a complete package of training that I believe is one of the best, if not the best, in the state."