Barajas and Marroquin Shine in OEC Invitational

Barajas and Marroquin Shine in OEC Invitational

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Santa Ana Track & Field got its first look at the rest of the conference as the Dons competed in the Orange Empire Conference Invitational on Friday at Riverside City College.

As a team, the Dons placed fifth in men's and sixth in women's but saw some individual success on both sides in the meet.

Giovanni Barajas took first in both of the races he ran in. First, he clocked in at 2:00.31 in the 800m, just beating a pair of Riverside runners for the win. He followed that with his first ever steeplechase race, where he blew away the competition with a time of 9:53.07., which was 17 seconds faster than the next runner.

Maria Marroquin also ran her first steeplechase, giving the Dons another win with a time of 12:50.63. The sophomore out of Santa Ana Valley ran in just one event but will be in long distance down the stretch of the season.

UP NEXT: Santa Ana will be at Long Beach State for the 2020 Beach Opener on Saturday, March 7th. The first event is set for 8:00 a.m.