By Sports staff
By Sports staff
RCC sports atheltics wins an award
The Riverside City College athletic program received a remarkable award which highlighted the success each RCC athletic team has accomplished in the past year.
The athletic program won the 2011 T. Mark Johnson Orange Empire Conference athletic supremacy award.
The award is named after the former RCC sports director and current Orange Empire Conference commissioner.
The award is handed out annually to the college who racks up the most points based on its team’s performance in the conference.
RCC’s football, women’s water polo, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men and women’s track and field team won their conference which boosted RCC’s points to receive the award.
Each college receives 10 points for first-place finishes in each sport division in the conference.
RCC’s Athletic Director Barry Meier said he is extremely proud of the athletic program.
“Of course, it signifies that we are the best overall athletic program in the Conference and it’s always great to be No. 1 and the best,” he said. “As athletic director, I’m very proud of the coaches, support staff and student athletes that all worked so hard to make this possible.”
RCC fastitch falls short
A game away from advancing to the state finals tournament the Riverside City College fastpitch team lost May 15 to Cypress College 5-1.
Riverside began the Cypress regional finals tournament with a 2-1 victory against Antelope Valley.
The win sent the Tigers to a match against the defending state champions, Cypress College, the next day where RCC and Cypress drew even as the score stood 0-0 through seven and a half innings.
Riverside suffered a late game loss to Cypress in the bottom of the seventh inning as Cypress beat Riverside 1-0, and sending Riverside to a second game against Santa Ana 30 minutes later.
Once Riverside lost to Cypress, RCC had to recharge and prepare for a game two match-up against Santa Ana as the winner would advance to day three of the tournament to face Cypress College.
Riverside went lights off scoring at will against Santa Ana as the Tigers went on to win the match 16-4 and got another chance to beat Cypress.
Day three looked great for Riverside as the Tigers found a way to defeat Cypress 5-1 but the Tigers needed two wins against the defending champs on May 15 to advance to the state finals tournament.
Unfortunately Riverside was unable to beat Cypress twice in one day as Cypress defeated Riverside 5-1.
Riverside ended its season as co-champions of the Orange Empire Conference along with Cypress College.
RCC athlete wins at state
Amber Sanford was named state champion in the long jump after jumping a distance of 19 feet 5.25 inches during the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship Tournament at American River College.
The distance was Sanford’s second best performance of the season, second only to her jump of 19 feet 7 inches during a February 11 meet at Santa Ana College.
The title was a fitting end for a great season at RCC for Sanford, a freshman from Martin Luther King High School in Riverside.
Sanford was also the Orange Empire Conference Champion in the long jump, high jump, triple jump and was also part of the women’s 4 x 100 meter relay team that won the conference crown.
Sanford also had a respectable conference showing in the 100 meter dash, finishing second to RCC teammate Camille Bowen.
