Vaqueros finish 12th in Southern Cal to make State for sixth straight year

SBCC took 12th in the Southern Cal Men's Cross Country Championships on Friday to earn its sixth straight trip to the State Finals.

Alex Ramirez led the Vaqueros in 23rd place, clocking 21:13 on the 4-mile course at Irvine Regional Park. Jose Tarula was 56th in 21:51, Patrick Lownes-Santos took 70th in 22:07 and Jacob Ogawa was 90th in 22:28. Charles Perry was the fifth-scoring Vaquero, taking 110th in the 197-runner field in 24:49.

Luis Ortega of San Bernardino Valley won the individual title in 20:27, edging Sean McDermott of Cuesta (20:33). San Bernardino claimed the team title, beating Glendale 62-85 in a field of 28 teams. The Vaqueros were 12th with 347 points.

"Our top-5 spread was 92 seconds and we were shooting for 75," said coach Scott Fickerson. "We got the job done but we have a better race in us. We are saving the best for last, two weeks down the road in Fresno!"

Marcus Dunkel was 143rd for the Vaqueros in 23:36 and Jordan Shinn was 175th in 24:49.

The State Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Woodward Park in Fresno with the men's race starting at 11 a.m.