Pirates send 40 to SoCal Regionals

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The Orange Coast College men's and women's track and field teams will be needing a full-sized bus for the Southern California Regional Meet after 40 different Pirates qualified following their performances at the Orange Empire Conference Track and Field Championships, hosted by Golden West College, on Friday.

The OCC men finished second overall with 186.50 points, while the OCC women took third overall with 204 points.

Pirate runner Ryan Rivituso picked up a pair of OEC individual titles on Friday, winning both the 200-meter run (21.98) and 400-meter run (49.13). In fact, Coast placed five runners in the top-six spots in those two events. Nicolas Felix finished second in both events, earning the silver medal in the 200 (22.08) and 400 (49.34), while Felix Contreras took third in the 400 (49.87).

On the women's side, McKay Arvidson pulled away for a five-second win in the 5,000 with a conference championship-winning time of 18:58.96.

Hurdler Mallory Jackson took on the OEC's best in the 400 hurdles and came home with the gold, placing first with a time of 1:08.46.

High jumper Nicolette Gruber earned the top spot in her event by clearing the bar at 5-feet, 3-inches.

Others who qualified for the upcoming Southern California Regional Meet at Moorpark College on May 6 and 13 include ...