The Mt. San Jacinto College has added women’s cross country for the 2025-26 calendar year and recently hired its first running coach.
Former two-time NAIA All-American Jorge Jabaz, announced on June 2, has been tasked with building and leading the program’s inaugural group.
“My goal is to implement a hard-working environment where athletes not only achieve success on the track but also develop the character, leadership and teamwork skills they’ll need to succeed in life,” Jabaz said.
Previously an assistant track and cross country coach at Concordia University, Jabaz also is the founder of Valor Track Club in Orange County.
“I am very excited to join Mt. San Jacinto College and share my passion for coaching and running (and) to come in and help build a competitive program that will be committed to helping athletes reach their optimal level of performance,” Jabaz said.
An NAIA All-American in both track and cross country at Concordia, Jabaz was part of back-to-back NAIA national championship teams in 2005 and ’06 and was a Golden State Athletic Conference champion in the 1,500 meters and the 5,000.
He also has served as a coach and training partner to several world-class runners, including dozens who have qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, multiple Swedish national championships and four European Championship qualifiers.
Jabaz was a training partner for former UC Riverside middle-distance runner Brenda Martinez, who took bronze in the 800 meters at the 2013 World Track & Field championships and was a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.
At Concordia, Jabaz coached Ashley Bell, the 2015 NAIA Indoor track and field 5,000 national champion. Bell went on to race competitively — including marathons and ultra marathons — and has more than 650,000 followers on Instagram.
Jabaz is a USA Track & Field World Masters (25-and-over) silver and bronze medalist. He holds a Master’s in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia.
The new MSJC women’s cross country team will be based on the Menifee Valley campus. The California Community College Athletic Association cross country season begins in August and culminates in the state finals at Woodward Park in Fresno in November.
San Bernardino Valley College, the defending Inland Empire Conference champion, finished 16th overall at this year’s state finals.
OPER HONORED
Cal Poly Pomona senior midfielder Tara Oper (Arlington High) was selected as the California Collegiate Athletic Association women’s athlete of the year.
Oper, the NCAA Division II soccer tournament’s most outstanding player, scored or had an assist in every tournament game to help lead the Broncos to its first national championship.
Oper finished her collegiate career with either a goal or an assist in her final nine matches, and was the United Soccer Coaches Division II player of the year.
She was the CCAA leader with 30 points. Her 12 assists set a new school single-season record and tied the CCAA record.
SOCA SCORES BIG
California Baptist University’s Valentin Soca is headed back to the NCAA Track and Field championships.
Soca became the first Lancer to earn multiple bids to the NCAA men’s finals, which take place this week in Eugene, Ore., after finishing second in the 5,000 meters in 13 minutes, 26.58 seconds at the West Regional on May 30 in College Station, Tex.
Soca, a two-time WAC champion in the 1,500 and an NCAA qualifier in the 10,000 last year, posted the seventh fastest time in the 5,000 in NCAA history (13:13.10) earlier this year at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
ODDS & ENDS
UC Riverside men’s basketball announced the signings of guards Andrew Henderson and E.J. Spillman. Henderson, a transfer from Cal State San Bernardino, was an all-CCAA first-team pick last season. Spillman, the L.A. Times Orange County player of the year, is a 6-foot-4 incoming freshman from Pacifica Christian. … Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tennis finished with the top-ranked singles players in the NCAA DIvision III this season. Junior Advik Mareedu was the singles national champion in the fall (ITA Cup) and the spring (NCAA) and was the No. 1-ranked men’s player, while Lindsay Eisenman, the D3 national champion, ended her junior year No. 1. … Chaffey College sophomore Ryder Young was selected to the ABCA Rawlings All-American team. Young, committed to Gonzaga, hit .457 with 16 home runs, 66 RBIs and 68 runs this season. … Riverside City College’s Todd Babcock and Kelly Wierema recently received service and appreciation awards from California Community College Athletic Trainers Association.
