Four Bobcats make All-OEC Team
The Saddleback women's cross-country team won the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) championship this past weekend in Huntington Beach. Four members of the squad were named all-conference following the race.
Saddleback stunned the competition when it edged both Orange Coast College and Riverside City College at the OEC Finals last Friday. With the great team finish came personal-bests and sensational times.
Saddleback had four harriers in Danna Ibarra Canales, Kiana Zerehgar, Leilani Vivaldo and Midori McConathy make the All-OEC Team as a result of finishing in the top 14 in the race. Ibarra Canales, Zerehgar and Vivaldo were all named to the first team as a result of finishing in the top seven in the race.
Ibarra Canales crossed the finish line of the 5k trek in 18:33.91 to finish nearly 24 seconds faster than her finish on the same course at the Golden West Invitational six weeks earlier. In winning the race she was named the Orange Empire Conference Athlete-of-the-Year for cross country.
Zerehgar finished sixth overall at the OEC Finals in a time of 20:27.21. Her time was a stunning 53.5 seconds quicker than six weeks earlier.
Vivaldo finished right behind Zerehgar in 14th place with a time of 20:57.07 to claim the final spot on the first team. McConathy had arguably the best race of all of them when she shaved 1:21 off her time at the Golden West Invitational to finish 12th overall on Friday and make the second team.
Saddleback will compete again this Friday at the Southern California Regional Finals at Chaffey College.