Gauchos off to great start at OEC Finals

The Saddleback men's track & field team is off to a great start at the Orange Empire Conference Finals after finishing second overall on the first weekend of the finals.  The Gauchos dominated two field events.

Saddleback has developed a reputation as one of the top programs in the state for field events and this weekend made a statement.  The Gauchos had six different top-7 finishes in two events, giving them 37 points for the week.

The shot put and hammer throw were their top two events, with three different athletes placing in the top seven in each event.  Constantine Kamarullah was the headliner, winning the shot with a personal-best throw of 15.94 meters.  For Kamarullah (pictured left), it was 0.92 meters further than any throw this season and the fourth best throw in the state this year.  It also gave him the OEC title over Riverside's Kyle Jenkins, who has the top throw in the state this season.

Following Kamarullah in the shot was Kristian Crabb (center) and Christian Ydens (right), who finished third and seventh, respectively.  Krabb had a personal-best toss of 14.67 meters and Ydens a personal-best of 12.53 meters.

As impressive as their performance was in the shot, Saddleback may have been even better in the hammer throw.  The Gauchos finished 2-3-4 with Eric McArthur, Luigi Gonzalez and Ydens.  McArthur winged the hammer a personal-best 51.89 meters, giving him the fourth longest throw in the state this season.  Gonzalez followed with a personal-best throw of 51.46, giving him the sixth longest throw in the state.  Ydens had a personal-best throw of 49.88 meters, which is ninth best in the state.

Saddleback will resume the Orange Empire Conference Finals later this week at Riverside City College on Friday.