The San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) cross country teams dominated the 2024 Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) Championships held on Friday, October 25th at Victor Valley College, securing both the men's and women's titles.
The SBVC men's team captured their fifth IEAC championship with an impressive showing, as Wolverines claimed seven of the top 10 spots. Leading the charge was Kevin Nava, who won the race with a time of 20:50.0. Chaffey College's Joseph Chavarria followed closely behind in second place (20:54.5). The next five finishers were all from San Bernardino Valley College: Vinnie Quiroz (21:07.1), Elijah McBroom (21:12.8), Jacob Mendiola (21:33.3), Zach Calderon (21:36.6), and Armando Nunez (21:48.5). Rounding out the top 10 were Victor Valley's Raye Duarte (21:53.4), SBVC's Nick Juarez (22:15.5), and Chaffey's Hugo Meneses (22:30.3).
Head Coach Jim Rattigan, who was named IEAC Coach of the Year, implemented a strategic race plan that led SBVC to a decisive victory with a team score of 19. Chaffey College placed second (52 points), followed by Victor Valley College (75 points), College of the Desert (110 points), Cerro Coso College (142 points), and Crafton Hills College (163 points).
The SBVC women's team also secured the conference title with a score of 29 points, ahead of Chaffey College (42 points) and Crafton Hills (57 points). Head coach Ricardo Sanchez was named 2024 IEAC Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Sara Jaquez successfully defended her individual title, finishing first with a time of 19:30.9. Chaffey's Cecilia Morales (20:05.02) and Crafton Hills' Elizabeth Garcia (20:48.6) placed second and third, respectively. The Wolverines' Liliana Wilson (21:16.7) and Hazel Torres (22:28.5) also placed in the top ten, along with Chaffey's Jessika Paulson (22:37.4) and Leahna Barajas (22:46.9), Crafton Hills' Madyen Juarez (23:08.1), and SBVC's Zailah Armenta (23:37.1). Ana Lezama from College of the Desert rounded out the top 10 with a time of 23:52.4.
The 2024 cross country campaign will contiue at the SoCal Championships on Friday, November 8th at Chaffey College, a course they are familiar with from the SoCal Preview on October 4th. The season will culminate with the 3C2A State Championships on Saturday, November 23rd at Woodward Park in Fresno, California.