Riverside & Cypress Advance To State Tournament

The Orange Empire Conference will be well represented at the CCCAA Men's Golf State Championship on Monday, May 15, when 60 of the top players throughout the state will visit the Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande.

Riverside City College captured the Orange Empire Conference title two weeks ago and added the CCCAA South Regional title this week with a 36-hole team score of 750.  Cypress College, which finished second in the OEC, finished second to Riverside at the South Regional with a team score of 758 and will also advance to the State Championship.  College of the Canyons (765) and Ventura College (774) were able to edge past Orange Coast College (776) as only four teams out of the South Regional will advance to the State Championship.

Josh McCollum of Orange Coast shot rounds of 75 and 73 for a 4-over-par 148 to qualify for the State Championship as an individual.  Dylan Stone of Mt. San Antonio College posted rounds of 78 and 74 for a 152, also earning an individual spot.  Six players tied at 152 and needed a card-off to determine the three who would join McCollum, Mitch Cannon of Palomar (149), and Kieran Blundell of Mt. San Jacinto (149) in the individual competition.

At the South Regional, OEC Player of the Year Everett Najera of Riverside was the individual medalist with identical even-par rounds of 72 for a 144 total.  That was four shots better than a trio of runners-up at 148 which included McCollum, Dylan Hall of Cypress, and Joey Herrera of Ventura.

Riverside captured its only state title in men's golf in 2014 when the tournament was held on the Tiger's home course, Victoria Country Club.  The Tigers are one of the favorites heading into this year's tournament.  Cypress has never won a state golf title and the Chargers have proven during the season that they can keep pace with Riverside.

Last year's state champion, Reedley College, returns to represent the North Region along with Chabot, Folsom Lake, and Modesto Junior College. 


South Regional Team Scores:  1.  Riverside, 750; 2. Cypress, 758; 3. Canyons, 765; 4. Ventura, 774; 5. Orange Coast, 776; 6. Desert, 785; 7. Mt. San Jacinto, 788; 8. Santa Barbara, 789; 9. Citrus, 799.