The Riverside City College men’s cross country team swept to first place in the Orange Empire Conference Championships on Oct. 31 at Saddleback College.
The men’s team dominated the race, placing first in the four-mile race, winning their 10th-straight OEC Championship. With a runner’s average of 20:48.
Riverside earned a perfect score of 15 points for the first time in head coach Jim McCarron’s tenure as head coach of the men’s cross country team.
Although Fullerton College sophomore Zidane Ras was the third to cross the finish line, the team did not have a full roster, allowing Riverside to achieve the perfect score of 15.
“The motivation was to be at our best, and almost everybody was at their best today,” McCarron said.
Riverside dominated the top 14 spots, with eight Tigers placing in the group. Twenty-two runners also achieved a personal best time in this race, marking another strong achievement for the Tigers.
“My coaching staff and I give them great training, and we show them how good they can be,” McCarron said.
McCarron also emphasized the importance of a strong bond with the team. To build trust, confidence, and a formidable team that can win games.
Freshman Alex Wesolowski, who placed first, completed the race in 20:33 and right behind him was sophomore Joshua West, who finished the race in 20:34.
“I still have a lot to learn on tactics and stuff, so yeah, but you know it’s really cool,” Wesolowski said.
On the other side of the track, the women’s cross country team placed third as a team in their 5k race, scoring 66 points and a runner’s average of 20:53, which is the second-best average from the five teams that competed.
Sophomore Celeste Mendoza led the tigers for the second straight meet, as she was the 10th runner to cross the finish line at 19:50.
“Celeste is always one of our top girls,” women’s head coach Damien Smith said. “These last couple of weeks, you can see her step up and be a team leader.”
Before this meet, Smith said they had faced some injuries and had one of the smallest rosters the team has had all season.
“Today was just to try to qualify and stay healthy so we can get into next week,” Smith said.
While the women’s team finished third, both teams will advance to the SoCal Championship on Nov. 7 at Naval Training Center Park in San Diego’s Liberty Station.
“We’re going to train right through the SoCal Championship,” McCarron said. “Our main goal is three weeks from now at the State Championship in Woodward Park in Fresno.”
