Women’s Cross Country Preview: Tigers Looks for Second-Consecutive Podium Finish at State
The Riverside City College women's cross country team nearly snagged the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship last year, but fell just short by placing third overall. They won their first Orange Empire Conference (OEC) title since 2017 and look to continue the push for a second-consecutive title with a state championship zeroed in on the sight.
"Last season was ended up being better than I anticipated and we definitely exceeded expectations," said Head Coach Damien Smith. It was the first time being on podium at state and the girls worked really hard. They had a strong mindset."
The Tigers begin their season at the University of Redlands Invitational this Saturday at 8 am. They will continue on to face more four-year competition at the Coyote Invitational hosted by CSU San Bernardino. They will round out September action with a pair of two-year meets featuring the Golden West Invitational and the Southern California Preview in Bakersfield, CA.
October is a true test highlighted by the OEC Finals at the end of the month. They will prepare with the Manny Bautista Mesa invitational followed by Division I challengers at the John Elders Titan Invitational hosted by CSU Fullerton. After that, it is a race to the hardware in regional and state competition.
"The schedule is set up intentionally. It helps the freshman get rid of their college race jitters while facing good competition. It helps us prepare and not be surprised."
The Tigers have a roster tattered with new faces and a handful of returners, but none better than sophomore Elani Huntley.
Huntley, the Moreno Valley native, was a consistent threat for the Tigers last season. She was a consisted 19-20 minute finisher highlighted by a season-best 19:14.1 at the Redlands Invitational. She was a top-25 finisher in all but one meet and finished top-10 in three of the seven meets. She placed second at the OEC finals by hundredths of a second, as it was a literal photo finish. She earned a time of 20:53.6 behind RCC's OEC Runner of the Year Brianna Rodriguez '21.
Sophomore Dakota Hirst is another returner and she will look to make an impact leading into the season. Her best finish was an 18th place mark at the OEC Finals with a time of 23:57.7.
"It will take us some time to see who we really are, but I am excited about Huntley returning," said Smith. "Having her is huge with her experience running against elite competition. That experience of just missing the individual title and already is pushing the girls. She has the killer instinct and I am expecting her to do more this year."
The standard is set for women's cross country team after experiencing the program's best season under Smith's direction.
"Once we hit a standard, that's where we always need to be; on the conference championship and state podium. The girls know the standard and what it takes to be a Tiger. They want to win and we will see if we have the talent to do it."