Pirates rule the track, capture both conference titles!

MISSION VIEJO -- It's been a long and crazy 2020-2021 for everyone and the Orange Coast College men's and women's track teams were no exception. Battling a pandemic and season uncertainty, the Pirates remained focused and ended the 2021 season as Orange Empire Conference champions on Friday at Saddleback College.

With a combined TWENTY-FIVE individual and relay conference gold medals between the two squads at the OEC Championships, the Pirates put an exclamation point on an already-impressive 2021 campaign. The OCC men rolled to the team title with 337 points, followed by Golden West (97), Saddleback (87) and Fullerton (5), while on the women's side, Coast lapped the field with 241 points, followed by GWC (120), Saddleback (12) and Fullerton (12). 

"This team had to overcome so much this year," OCC head coach Jennifer Williams said. "I am tremendously proud of the hard work and dedication they put into this season. They knew we had a short season, but I have seen so much growth in them as a team. We will be moving five incredible sophomores, which will leave a hole in our team. But, with the great recruits coming in as well as the solid group of returners, I'm looking forward to a successful 2022 season."

For the OCC men, winners of 14 overall events throughout the meet, the depth of the Pirate squad was on display right from the opening competition. Coast dominated the distance races, finishing 1-2-3 in the 10,000 meters and 1-2-3-4 in the 5,000. In the 10K, Cole Ridenour took home the gold with a winning time of 34 minutes, 14 seconds, followed OCC teammates Kade Franco (35:33) and August Garcia (36:09). 

In the 5K, Erik Galindo captured one of his two gold medals of the championships, crossing the finish line first with a time of 16:12.93 and leading a four-pack of Pirates who finished near two full MINUTES ahead of the rest of the field. Close behind Galindo's pace for the Pirates included Ridenour (16:14.27), Franco (16:40.11) and Garcia (16:15.17) ... followed by a fifth-place time of 18:02!

Earlier in the event, Galindo picked up his first gold of the championships with a first-place time of 4:12.2 in the 1,500.

Coast picked up a pair of relay victories as the foursome of A.J. Biggins, James Mazzeo, Dylan Plantinga and Jonah Slack won the 400 relay with a time of 43.18. In the 1,600 relay, Biggins, Mazzeo, Plantinga and Connor West stepped atop the winner's platform with a time of 3:34.39.

West showed off his versatility with a gold-medal performance in the 400 hurdles, winning the event with a time of 1:00.48.

In one of the closer races of the championships, Plantinga fought off Saddleback's Kyler Doverspike (51.46) and won the 400 with a time of 51.21.

Mazzeo also competed for OCC in the long jump and took home the gold with a mark of 21-feet, 8 1/2-inches, leading an All-OCC podium in the event. Devin Greeve took home the silver with a jump of 20-8, while Isaiah Galloway won the bronze with a mark of 20-7 1/4. 

Greene and Galloway added to their medal collection in the triple jump, with Greene winning with a jump of 43-9 1/4, while Galloway finished second with a mark of 40-1 3/4.

Thrower Joshua Mejorado picked up two gold medals, winning the hammer throw (128-2 3/4) and the javelin (168-9). Tyler Young captured the silver in the javelin with a throw of 136-1 1/2.

Coast went 1-2 in the pole vault, led by Tommy Cook's jump of 14-1 3/4, followed by teammate Cody LaClaire (8-4). LaClaire also earned the gold in the decathlon with 3,162 points.

In the discus, OCC's Asah Harris led the way with a winning throw of 125 5 1/4.

On the women's side, the Pirate trio of Emily Olson, Katherine Ngo and Kailey Frye won a combined SIX medals at the OEC Championships. Olson, a standout for Coast in the distance events, won both the 1,500 (5:01.18) and the 5,000 (19:43.95), while Ngo took home the gold in the 400 (1:02.44). 

Olson and Ngo teamed up with Nicolette Gruber and Bailey Pablo to win the 1,600 relay (4:27.6). Ngo and Gruber, Frye joined Tiffany Ginger to win the 400 relay with a gold-medal time of 51.58.

Ginger showed off her sprinting skills in the 100 as she held off GWC's Camryn LaVine (12.79) to win the event with a time of 12.68. 

Frye picked up three more medals in the field events, winning the long jump (17-3 3/4) and triple jump (35-9) and earning a silver in the pole vault (8-1/4) behind OCC teammate Alison Young's winning mark of 11-1/4.

Gruber picked up an individual gold in the high jump (5-2 3/4) and a silver in the long jump (16-1/2).

In the javelin, Coast finished 1-2 with Jacqueline Taylor leading the way with a winning throw of 89-9, followed by Pirate teammate Makenna Collins (86-4 3/4).

Complete results from the OEC Championships can be found HERE.