TEMECULA, CA- The Orange Empire Conference traveled to Temecula Valley GC for the second time this season for the ten-team OEC Championships. The Cypress Chargers went into the tournament in first place in both the Coastal Division and the entire Orange Empire Conference, but the Saddleback Bobcats came into the tournament strong and were able to knock off the Chargers and claim the OEC crown.
The 36-hole championship would decide the OEC champion, two division champions, the OEC MVP and the 2022 All-Conference team. With a lot on the line, Cypress came out strong in round one taking second place as they shot a team score of 363, an impressive 3-over par. The Chargers trailed the Saddleback Bobcats who shot 8-under in round one for a total score of 352. Saddleback's Zac Stout shot the lowest score of the round (67) followed by Cypress' Devin Schaffer (69) and Adam Naaman (70). Saddleback's Declan Lane and Clayton Smith shot under-par finishing with a 70 and 71 respectively. Ethan Thomas (Mt. San Antonio) also fired a 69 in round one while John Kim and Ryuki Torii (College of the Desert) also shot under-par. Kevin Aung of RCC carded the final under-par score of round one with a 71.
In round two, Saddleback continued their dominance shooting under-par once again finishing with a 359. Cypress carded a 367 in the second round as they grabbed third place just behind College of the Desert. The story of the second round was the amazing performance by John Kim who finished 10-under par with a tournament low, 62. Kim single handily shook up the tournament as his impressive final round gave him the lowest average score of the season, which secured him the Orange Empire Conference MVP. Twelve athletes were awarded All-Conference honors, the six lowest average scores were selected from each division.
OEC Champion
Saddleback Bobcats (34-2)
Coastal Division Champion
Cypress Chargers (50-6)
Inland Division Champion
College of the Desert Road Runners (44-12)
OEC MVP
John Kim (College of the Desert)
All OEC Selections - Coastal Division
Adam Naaman Cypress 71.3
Devin Schaffer Cypress 71.4
Zac Stout Saddleback 72.8
Declan Lane Saddleback 73.0
Willis Panzarello Cypress 73.4
Michael Lin Orange Coast 73.5
All OEC Selections - Inland Division
John Kim Desert 70.3
Ethan Thomas Mt. SAC 72.5
Kevin Aung Riverside 73.3
Jordan Medlock Riverside 73.4
Brian Bashaw Riverside 75.0
Release by Brett Franchino, Cypress SID