June 2008 Archives

Rialto native Damein White admits he had ulterior motives for taking up track. He liked the fact that it could pay for his education if he were good. But there was something he liked even better.

"My friends told me it was a good way to get girls," he said with a chuckle.

While that may have been the impetus to get started, White, a junior at Cal State Los Angeles, has quickly risen through the ranks to earn a place in the 200-meter dash at the United States Olympic Trials, which start today and run through July 6 in Eugene, Ore.

Not bad for a guy that only took up the sport when he started college three years ago.

"It was a chance to better myself," he said. "If they're going to pay me to go school, why not do it?"

White spent his freshman year at Garey High School, but transferred to Rialto the following year when his family moved from Pomona to San Bernardino. He excelled in football, playing tight end on the same team with Ryan Grice-Mullen, who went on to star as a wide receiver at the University of Hawaii.

College was not originally in White's plans. After finishing high school he got a job making decent money and even moved out on his own.

It was close friend and Rialto teammate Francis Nunez that convinced him to come with him to a track practice at Riverside Community College, where Nunez was competing.

Then-coach Aaron Goodman remembers Nunez bringing his friend.

"He (Nunez) said he had this friend that wanted to try out with us," Goodman recalled. "I didn't think anything of it at the time because we have guys come in here all the time and we never turn them away. He didn't have any technique but he had potential."

White spent that year working on the technical aspects of the sport, since he was just a rookie. The Tigers had several sprint specialists so his contribution came on relays.

The following year Goodman went over to Long Beach City as sprint coach, with White and Nunez following him. The move paid off, as White won a state championship in the 200 meters and placed third in the 400. Being a quick study helped.

"A lot of guys come to college and they think they know everything," he said. "I had never competed before so I knew I didn't know anything. I really listened to what my coaches told me, let it sink in and went out and did it."

Some Division I schools were interested, including Arizona State. But White, 22, chose to stay closer to home and go to Cal State Los Angeles along with Nunez.

It helped that Goodman had a strong working relationship with Eagles coach Christopher Asher, who has many of the same philosophies.

"I wasn't taken in by the whole Division I thing," White said. "You can run fast anywhere."

White's showing with the Eagles this season put him on the map. He took first in the 100 and 200 and ran the second leg of a winning 4x100 relay at the CCAA championships.

His time of 20.55 in the 200 was a personal best and met the provisional qualifying standard for the upcoming trials. It also ranked him first nationally among Division II athletes.

At the Division II nationals at Cal Poly Pomona, White finished second in the 200 and sixth in the 100, both won by junior Dennis Boone of St. Augustine. The relay team, which also included Nunez, placed third with a school record time of 40 seconds flat.

He didn't take any time off after that meet, shifting his focus to the trials. Asher isn't worried about having two big meets so close together.

"We have really been working him more toward this one any way," Asher said. "Division I athletes have it tougher because they only have 10 days between the two. He has had five weeks."

White admits he is still new enough in the sport that gets excited about his surroundings. He is a big fan of  Tyson Gay, the top American and world record holder in the 200.

"I'll probably be the only guy out there racing against him, then asking for his autograph," White said.

Coincidentally, White's specialty comes up July 4.

"I plan on providing the fireworks," he laughed.

White's future appears to be bright. He has achieved good results in a short time even though he admits he doesn't like lifting weightsa distaste for weightlifting and he isn't good about watchingis lax about his diet.

Asher would also like to see him start running the 400 meters, something Goodman has always pushed as well.

All know that this likely won't be his first Olympic trials. He could have at least two more after this.

"There is still a lot he doesn't know. But he's getting there," Asher said. "Male runners don't usually reach their peak till at least their mid 20's. And he still is relatively new to the sport. He has great potential. This is just the start for him. He can go as far in this sports as he wants to go."

The Cal State Fullerton volleyball team announced Tuesday that Vinh Nguyen has been hired as an assistant coach replacing Traci Dahl who vacated her spot to become head coach at Indiana State.

Nguyen comes to Fullerton with an extensive coaching resume that dates back more than 20 years. For the past 12 season, Nguyen, has been an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona where he helped Head Coach Rosie Wegrich lift the Broncos to six seasons with at least 18 wins and a program-best 24-3 mark in 2005. That same year, Pomona won its first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship since 1990.

Nguyen was the Broncos summer camp director for the past nine years and taught as a kinesiology professor on campus as well.

In 2007, Nguyen was hired by the USA Men's National Team as an assistant coach to help the team prepare for its run at World League, Pan-Am Cup, Americas Cup and Norceca Cup championships, which resulted in two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

Prior to his work at Cal Poly Pomona, Nguyen coached at five Southern California high schools (Hoover, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Alhambra and La Habra) and worked with the San Gabriel, Magnum and Power Volleyball Clubs.

In 1996, Nguyen co-founded the Top Gun Volleyball Club, one of Southern California's most respected youth volleyball programs which has trained more than 800 athletes since its inception.

In 2005, under the guidance of USA Volleyball, Nguyen was named head coach and led the Southern California Youth National Team to a sixth-place finish in the USA High Performance Championships in Austin, Texas. A year later, his Top Gun 18 Red club team won a gold medal at the USA Junior Olympic Invitational in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nguyen played at Mt. San Antonio College and Long Beach City College before transferring into the Big West Conference with Long Beach State. He finished his schooling and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2000 with a degree in kinesiology.

Track and Field competitors Joaquin Ortiz and Jasmine Winn have been named the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Male and Female Athletes of the Month for May at Cal Poly Pomona.

            The awards are voted upon by the student-based Bronco Athletics Association.

            Ortiz, who competed in the 800 meters, qualified for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships that was hosted by Cal Poly Pomona in May. The Woodland native ran a personal-best 1 minute and 52.27 qualifying time at the Occidental Relays on May 10. He then ran 1:52.31 in a qualifying heat at the NCAAs. He did not race in the finals.

            For the season, Ortiz dropped his personal best time in the 800 by more than two seconds in a little more than a month.

            Winn, a junior from Pomona, became the only Bronco athlete - male or female -  this year to earn all-American honors. She finished third in the long jump at the NCAA meet. She jumped 18 feet, 7 inches. She held the nation's best jump for roughly a month and a half this season when she jumped 19-3 ½ at Cal State Los Angeles on March 1.

Cal State San Bernardino women's water polo player Sabrina Marquez was selected to the ESPN-The Magazine academic all-America third team in the College Division by a vote of the nation's  sports information directors.

 

            Marquez, a senior graphics design major, maintained a 3.73 grade point average while excelling in her sport for the Coyotes over the past two seasons after transferring from Chaffey College. She is a 2004 graduate of San Bernardino High School and one of nine children in her family.

            The 2007-08 CSUSB Athletics Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year was an impact player for the Coyotes. She earned NCAA Div. II all-America honors in 2007 by scoring 81 goals, 13th best in the nation after twice earning JC all-America honors at Chaffey in 2005 and 2006.

            This season Marquez scored 52 goals and set a team single-season record with 69 assists. She also had 43 steals. She now ranks No. 5 on the CSUSB career scoring list with 133 goals and No. 3 on the team's career assist list with 123.

            Marquez has received the CSUSB Athletics "Leader of the Pack" academic awards each quarter since she enrolled in the fall of 2006. Those awards to go student-athletes who earn a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

            She is the daughter of Hermelinda and Silviano Marquez of San Bernardino.

            Marquez is the second CSUSB water polo player to earn academic all-America honors. The first was Taryn Harp, a former Pacific High School/San Bernardino swimming and water polo star, who was voted to the third team in 2002-03.

            Marquez is one of only four West Coast student-athletes selected to the three 15-person academic all-America teams. The others were Gina Auriemma (rowing) of Western Washington, Audrey Coon (rowing) of Western Washington, and Lindsey Cline (swimming) of Cal Baptist in Riverside.

            Honorees in the at-large category included players in the sports of tennis, lacrosse, gymnastics, golf, rowing, field hockey, skiing and water polo.

            The academic all-America program has been directed by the College Sports Information Directors Association since 1952, honoring over 14,000 student-athletes in three NCAA divisions and the NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

            ESPN The Magazine, the title sponsor, is a bi-weekly publication with a circulation of 1.9 million.

           

Major League Baseball completed its draft last Friday and the phone call that Cal State San Bernardino right-handed pitcher Cheyne Hann was expecting never came.

            "I was set on moving on with my life, finishing up my classes for my degree," said Hann by phone Monday.

            The Mariners had told him previously that they projected him as a pick anywhere from rounds 17 to 25, Hann said.

            However, to his surprise, the Seattle Mariners called him up Sunday night, asking him if he'd signed with anybody yet. The answer was "no." Then, the Mariners offered him a contract which he plans to sign on Thursday and then report to the Mariners' spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday.

            "I was pretty shocked to be honest," Hann said regarding the phone call from the Mariners scout who followed him this season and observed him in bullpen sessions after the season ended last month. "It (phone call) came out of the blue"

            Hann will get the standard Class A minor league contract giving him $1,100 a month on top of a $1,000 signing bonus, not big bucks by high draft standards, but he's now in the pros.

            He becomes the 24th Cal State San Bernardino player drafted or signed by Major League Baseball since Don Parnell became the head coach of the Coyotes in 1991-92. His teammate, pitcher Matt Long, was drafted Friday by the Tampa Bay Rays and reports to Vero Beach, Fla., a rookie league club later this week.

            Long has earned his bachelor's degree in  English from CSUSB while Hann has four classes remaining to complete his degree in marketing.

            In two seasons with the Coyotes, Hann posted a 9-9 record in 25 appearances. He started 23 games and had three complete games. In 139 innings, he struck out 111 batters and walked only 39 and posted a 4.54 earned run average. He was 5-2 in 2008 with a 3.59 ERA, walking just 10 batters in 67 innings while striking out 55.

            Hann had two brilliant outings in 2008. He pitched a two-hit shutout in a victory over Cal State Stanislaus on March 29 and followed it up with seven shutout innings in a victory over Cal State Monterey Bay on April 6. He was honored as a CCAA conference pitcher of the week.

            The 6-6, 230-pound hurler was an all-CCAA conference honorable mention in 2008.

            Before coming to CSUSB in 2006-07, Hann played two years of baseball at San Jose City College earning all-conference honors. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 but did not sign.

            He was an all-CIF Central Coast pitcher for two years and an small schools division all-state selection at Valley Christian High School in Santa Clara, his hometown, graduating in 2003. He signed with San Jose State. After one year with the Spartans he transferred to San Jose City College.

Cal State Dominguez Hills' junior shortstop Cody Puckett led a group of nine California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) players that were selected on Day 2 of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that concluded on Friday.

Puckett was an eighth round pick (239th overall) of the Cincinnati Reds. Sonoma State, which captured the CCAA Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships, had a conference-high four players selected. Seawolves who had their names called were Travis Babin (New York Mets - 16th round), Konrad Thieme (Florida Marlins - 23rd round), Kevin Asselin (Chicago White Sox - 30th round) and Matt Means (San Diego - 37th round).

The list of CCAA players drafted also included Cal State Stanislaus' Marquis Fleming (Tampa Bay - 24th round); Cal State L.A.'s Henry Contreras (Seattle - 24th round), Chico State's Kyle Woodruff (San Francisco - 27th round) and Cal State San Bernardino's Matt Long (Tampa Bay - 34th round).

The following are capsules on each player taken Friday:

Cody Puckett, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Jr., SS (Cincinnati Reds; 8th round; 239th overall): Puckett was a first team All-CCAA selection after batting .337 with 17 home runs, 49 RBI and conference-leading totals of 61 runs scored and 26 stolen bases. The Toros' shortstop also ranked second in the CCAA in home runs and walks (42), and tied for second in total bases (130). He was sixth in slugging percentage (.644) and eighth in on-base percentage (.462).

Travis Babin, Sonoma State, Jr., RHP (New York Mets; 16th round; 494th overall): Babin played a utility role for the Seawolves as he saw time on the mound and as an infielder. He batted .329 with six home runs and 20 RBI. Babin was named the CCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after batting .428 (6-for-14) with four runs scored, six RBI and three home runs in three games. All six of his home runs came during the postseason. On the mound, Babin posted a 4-0 record, 4.25 ERA, and a team-high four saves in 29.2 innings. He had 33 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .277 average.

Konrad Thieme, Sonoma State, Sr., C (Florida Marlins; 23rd round; 688th overall): Thieme garnered second team All-American honors and was a first team All-CCAA and All-West Region selection after batting .317 with team-high totals of 19 home runs, 64 RBI and 15 doubles. He led the CCAA in home runs and was second in RBI and slugging percentage (.710). Thieme's 19 home runs in 2008 rank fourth on Sonoma State's single-season list and 27 career round trippers are fourth all-time in Seawolves history.

Marquis Fleming, Cal State Stanislaus, Sr., RHP (Tampa Bay Rays; 24th round; 713th overall): Fleming turned in an outstanding senior campaign as he was named both CCAA and West Region Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-5 record, 2.50 ERA and eight complete games. He logged 115 innings, struck out a single-season school-record 118 and walked just 45 while limiting the opposition to a .187 average. Fleming led the CCAA in innings pitched, opponents' batting average and strikeouts. He was named CCAA Pitcher of the Week five times.

Henry Contreras, Cal State L.A., Sr., C (Seattle Mariners; 24th round; 732nd overall): Contreras batted .310 with three home runs and 28 RBI while playing in 50 games as a senior this past season. He also scored 25 runs for the Golden Eagles.

Kyle Woodruff, Chico State, Sr., RHP (San Francisco Giants; 27th round; 807th overall): Woodruff compiled an 8-4 record, 5.85 ERA and five saves in two seasons at Chico State. He went 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA while appearing in 18 games and starting four. Woodruff worked 47 innings, struck out 42 and walked 11. As a junior, he went 7-1 with a 5.67 ERA while making 16 starts and logging 73 innings.

Kevin Asselin, Sonoma State, Sr., RHP (Chicago White Sox; 30th round; 900th): Asselin earned second team All-CCAA and All-West Region honors after posting a 9-3 record and 3.55 ERA. He ranked third on the Seawolves with 75 strikeouts and led the club with three complete games. In two seasons at Sonoma State, Asselin went 11-5.

Matt Long, Cal State San Bernardino, Sr., RHP (Tampa Bay Rays; 34th round; 1,013th overall): Long posted a 6-7 record and 3.13 ERA as a senior in 2008. He pitched 100 2/3 innings, struck out 117 and walked 40 while starting 15 games and crafting three complete games. Long ranked second in the CCAA in strikeouts, fourth in innings pitched and fifth in opponents' batting average (.233).

Matt Means, Sonoma State, Sr., LHP (San Diego Padres; 37th round; 1,125th overall): Means was named first team All-American, All-West Region and All-CCAA. He registered a 10-2 record and 1.85 ERA while starting 17 games as a senior. Means struck out 93 in 102 innings pitched. He led the CCAA in ERA, was third in opponents' batting average (.223), innings pitched, strikeouts and tied for third in wins. He concluded his four-year Sonoma State career with a 15-9.

Cal State Dominguez Hills shortstop Cody Puckett (Apple Valley, CA/Hesperia HS), arguably one of the most dangerous offensive players in the CCAA this season, this morning received the call that all little leaguers dream of when they first pick up a ball and a bat ... the call that he was drafted with the seventh pick in the eighth round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, making him the 239th pick overall and first amongst all West Region players chosen.

    "When they called me this morning I was actually playing video games," begins the 2008 1st-Team All-CCAA honoree.  "After the call I went straight to my computer to check the internet to make sure it was real, and then I had to buy a bunch of Reds gear.  It really hasn't hit me yet, but I think that later tonight when I am celebrating, I will feel it."

    The Apple Valley, CA native was an offensive force for the Toros this season, leading the CCAA at the end of the regular season in home runs (17), stolen bases (26), total bases (130), runs scored (61), walks (42), and steal attempts (29), while finishing in the top 10 in assists (158), RBIs (49), slugging percentage (.644), at bats (202), on-base percentage (.462), and hits (68).

    Despite being overlooked for all the all-region teams, Puckett, the first player drafted amongst the entire West Region (CCAA, GNAC, PacWest), follows former Toros Mateo Marquez (2007, 47th round - St. Louis Cardinals) and Ryan Owen (2006, 16th round - Tampa Bay Rays) in the current streak of Toros drafted.

    "I am really excited for him because is something that he has really worked hard for," begins CSUDH baseball head coach Murphy Su'a.  "Going inside the top 10 is a big honor and being number 239 out of tens of thousands of hopefuls across the country is amazing, and he deserves it.  I think with his talent he is going to prove that he may have been deserving of a higher draft pick, but regardless of when he was taken I think he is going to play this game for a long time.  He came to us as an outfielder/pitcher, and I believe that he could be one of the premier outfielders at the pro level with all the tools he has."

    Still waiting for all the details and to sign his contract later tonight, it looks like Puckett will report to the Billings Mustangs in Billings, MT, which is the Reds' minor league affiliate.  The Mustang roster already is familiar with the CCAA with first baseman Eli Rimes (Sonoma State, 2007, 25th round) and pitcher Anthony Romero (Cal Poly Pomona, 2007, non-drafted free agent) already there.

    Overall the draft was a bright spot for the CCAA with nine players being selected in Travis Babin (Sonoma State - 16th - Mets), Konrad Thieme (Sonoma State - 23rd - Marlins), Marquis Fleming (Cal State Stanislaus - 24th - Rays), Henry Contreras (Cal State L.A. - 24th - Mariners), Kyle Woodriff (Chico State - 27th - Giants), Kevin Asselin (Sonoma State - 30th - White Sox), Matt Long (San Bernardino - 34th - Rays), Matt Means (Sonoma State - 37th - Padres).

  Senior pitcher Matt Long today joined a long line of Cal State San Bernardino baseball players drafted by Major League clubs when he was selected in the 34th round by the up-and-coming Tampa Bay Rays of the American League.

 

            Long was told by the Rays that he will report to the team's rookie league club in Vero Beach, Fla. on June 16, to begin his pro career. He is the 22nd CSUSB player drafted and/or signed by Major League Baseball clubs since Head Coach Don Parnell started in 1991-92.

            "It's been my goal since high school and my dream since Little League," said Long, who was a Daktronics second-team all-West Region selection this season but was left off the all-CCAA teams selected by the coaches despite being named the CCAA pitcher of the week twice.

            Long was 6-7 for the Coyotes this year with a 3.13 earned run average, lowest on the Coyotes staff. In 100 innings, he walked just 40 batters and struck out 117. He was the regular season strikeout king of the CCAA conference and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation. He was 17th in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.4).

            His 117 strikeouts set a new team single-season record and his career total of 244 is also a new team career record. His 14 victories over three seasons just missed the career record of 15 set by John Major in 1995-96.

            Long struck out 11 or more batters in a game five times this season in 15 starts. His best outing was a three-hit shutout over Cal Poly Pomona on Mar. 13 in which he struck out 12 in a 5-0 CSUSB win. He fanned a career high 14 in seven innings in a win over Cal State Monterey Bay. He had three complete games.

            He was the first pick in the 34th round, the 1,013th player chosen in the Major League draft conducted Thursday and today.

            "My mom cried, then I started to cry," said Long after he called home to report the news. "My family are my biggest fans."

            Long said the key to his being drafted may have been a high-octane performance he produced at a scouting combine at Cal Poly Pomona two weeks ago. He hit 91 miles per hour on the radar gun. Broncos Coach Mike Ashman told Parnell that was the best he'd ever seen Long throw.

            "It was a good workout. The people from the club that were there said they were impressed. That was what got me drafted. I think that the break between the end of the season and the workout helped my arm get stronger," Long said.

            Long, a fifth-year senior, transferred to Cal State San Bernardino in 2005-06 after a year at American River College following a freshman season at UC Davis. The Woodland, Calif. resident is a 2002 graduate of Woodland High School where he played baseball and football.

            The English major, son of Denny Long and Nancy Mandler, is receiving his degree in English this coming week but will forego the graduation ceremonies to head to Florida for his shot at pro baseball.

           

Senior softball player Jamie Lowe and sophomore golfer Gene Webster Jr. were honored by the Coyote Athletic Association board of directors this week as the Cal State San Bernardino student-athletes of the month for their performances in May.

            Each received a plaque from outgoing board president Robert Brendza, director of facility development for Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe in San Bernardino.

            Lowe was an all-CCAA conference first-team selection and was voted by coaches to the NCAA West Regional all-tournament team.

            The Norco resident who played for Norco High School and Cal Baptist University before transferring to Cal State for her junior year in 2006-07 played in all 69 games for CSUSB, batting .335 on the season with three homers and 30 runs batted in. She hit .349 in 30 CCAA contests.

            Lowe was listed among the top 10 players in seven CCAA statistical categories, leading the conference in sacrifice bunts (19) and walks (35).

            Her efforts helped propel the team to 36 wins, second most in the history of the program and a third-place finish in the CCAA during the regular season -- the team's highest finish since it joined the conference in 1991-92.

            The team reached the title game of the CCAA championship tournament and made its first appearance ever in the NCAA tournament, seeded No. 8 in the regional. Lowe drove in the winning runs in a 10-8 win over Seattle University at the regional and hit .454 (five for 11) in the tournament with four RBI.

            Webster Jr., a 2006 graduate of Arroyo Valley HS in San Bernardino,  had a strong finish to his 2007-08 season with the golf team. After finishing 11th at the CCAA conference tournament, Webster shot a four-under-par total of 212, including a second round 67, to wind up second in the NCAA West-Northwest Super Regional, missing medalist honors by one shot. He was the West Region medalist in 2007 as a freshman.

            His team won a playoff for fourth spot in the tournament and advanced to the NCAA National Championship for the third straight year. Webster shot back-to-back rounds of 69 to open the tournament and closed with a 73 and a 74 to finish in 20th spot in the field of 105 golfers.

            He earned all-CCAA first-team and all-West Region first team for the second year in a row and was named a Golf Coaches Association of America/PING all-America honorable mention. He was a third-team all-American in 2007. He averaged 73 shots per round in 2007-08.

            The CAA, an organization of volunteers that raises funds for student-athlete scholarships and helps develop support for the NCAA sponsored sports at CSUSB, has a new president of its board in Chehab (Shab) Elaawar, a San Bernardino businessman. He succeeds Brendza, the president for the past two years. Brendza was presented an engraved gavel and stand by Athletic Director Dr. Kevin Hatcher in recognition of his service to the board.

           

Whoops, not so fast.

Cal State San Bernardino will have to stop celebrating its
third-place finish in the CCAA Commisioner's Cup All-Sports race. The
Coyotes actually finished fourth, which ties its best finish ever.
That was the same spot the school finished in last year.

Cal State was third in the original tabulations released by the CCAA
office last week. But an error in the point totals was discovered and
reported to the office by Cal State Los Angeles which benefits,
swapping places with San Bernardino in the final tally.

But it wasn't the Coyotes finish that tipped off the Eagles,
according to a school spokesman. It was Cal Poly Pomona's
questionable fifth place. The Broncos best was a second in volleyball
and the basketball teams were eight and seventh which totaled 15
without even counting any other sports.

The new standings help Sonoma State which moves up from sixth to
fifth. Cal Poly falls from fifth to seventh.

Other places remain unchanged with UC San Diego and Chico State 1-2.
The eight through 11th spots were also the same.

- Michelle Gardner

 

Cal State San Bernardino posted its best finish ever with a third-place showing in the CCAA Commissioner's Cup All-Sports competition for the 2007-08 school year.

UC San Diego won for the third straight year with 18.5 with Chico State second (20) and the Coyotes third (23.5). Cal Poly Pomona was fifth (29.5), just a half-point behind Cal State Los Angeles (29).

"We're thrilled with third, but there's no reason we can't compete for first," said Coyotes athletic director Kevin Hatcher, who took over Nov. 1.

The finish by Cal State was bolstered by an improved showing in women's sports. The Coyotes were first in volleyball and improved from fourth to second in basketball, sixth to third in softball and 11th to ninth in soccer.

On the men's side Cal State tied for first in basketball and placed third in golf.

Cal Poly's best finishes were second places in volleyball and women's tennis.

Here are the final standings:

 

1. UC San Diego  18.5

2. Chico State 20

3. Cal State San Bernardino 23.5

4. Cal State Los Angeles 29

5. Cal Poly Pomona 29.5

6. Sonoma State 32.5

7. Humboldt State 36.5

8. Cal State Stanislaus 39

9. Cal State Dominguez Hills 44

10. San Francisco State 49.5

Cal State Monterey Bay 51

 

 

Head Coach Tom Finwall faces the task of finding talented replacements for two all-Americans who completed their collegiate eligibility in the 2008 season, leading CSUSB to a 20-17 record and a fifth-place finish in the 12-member Western Water Polo Association.

 

            As he prepares for the 2009 season, Finwall must replace two-time all-American Freyja Berg, who has been nominated for a third all-America award after leading the nation in scoring this season with 110 goals and setting CSUSB career records for scoring, assists and steals.

            CSUSB also loses the services of 2007 all-American Sabrina Marquez who set a new team single-season record for assists in 2008 in addition to scoring more than 130 goals in her two seasons with the Coyotes. Starters Cheryl Salazar, Italia Iossif and Ashley Hays also concluded their collegiate careers in 2008.

            However, six recruits have signed national letters of intent to play for CSUSB in 2008-09:

n      Marilyn Doughty, who helped Chaffey College to a 27-15 record and third place in the South Coast Conference and third place in the Southern California Regional Tournament this season. Doughty had 39 goals, 34 assists and a conference-leading 113 steals for the Panthers earning second-team all-conference honors. She played her high school polo at Centennial in Corona.

n      Emily Hove, an all-Ivy League player and Female Athlete of the Year at John W. North HS in Riverside. She scored 102 goals with 38 steals and 36 assists at her two-meter position for the Huskies..

n      Misty Vu, also an all-Ivy League first-team player for North HS.

n      Taylor Vermillion, who led Arroyo Valley HS in San Bernardino to the San Andreas League title (8-0) and was the team MVP.

n      Sara Kelley, a second-team all-CIF selection from Jurupa Valley HS in Riverside who earned all-league honors and was the team's defensive MVP.

n      Katelyn Jessen of Tracy HS in Northern California, the team's most improved player in 2007.

Signing conference letters of intent were Danica Vera of Cajon HS in San Bernardino, a first-team all-San Andreas League pick, captain and team MVP; Hannah Wohlk of La Sierra HS in Riverside; Erika Estrada of Chaffey HS in Ontario and Shelly Kocher of Jurupa Valley HS.

Kayla Barrow, a third-team all-CIF selection from Santiago HS in Corona, has made a non-binding verbal commitment to attend CSUSB. She helped Santiago win the Mountain View League at 10-0 and go 20-6 overall and finish as the CIF Division 5 runnerup.

Finwall has a handful of players returning for 2008-09 including Bryanna Burns, voted to the WWPA all-freshman team and one of the nation's leaders in saves by a goalkeeper with 325; Kaitlin Hartman (48 goals, 41 assists); and Aimee Salcido (16 goals, 25 steals).

 

 

 Cal State San Bernardino's women's tennis team continued its quest for success in the highly-competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association with the signing of two outstanding high school players for the 2008-09 season.

 

            The Coyotes, coming off a 5-7 season with the help of two key freshmen recruits, has landed two more talented high school seniors who will help fill the shoes left by the team's lone graduating senior, Jennifer Joy.

            Joy, of Palm Desert, earned all-CCAA first-team honors all four years at CSUSB and was the conference's most valuable player as a sophomore. She set team single-season and career records for victories at No. 1 singles.

            Joining the Coyotes in 2008-09 will be:

            -- Lyndsay Haack of Riverside, an outstanding player at Martin Luther King High School as a junior and ranked among the top players in junior age-group rankings in the region and in the nation.

            -- Janay Palicte of Redlands, member of the Redlands High School tennis team and a partner with Paloma Vazquez on the Citrus Belt League champion doubles team that advanced to the CIF Southern Section semifinals in 2007.

            CSUSB Head Coach Heather Langley said Haack attended Summit View Independent Study High School her senior year while she concentrated on national junior tournaments.

            As a junior, Langley said, Haack went 33-0 in regular season competition for Martin Luther King, winning the Ivy League title and voted the Ivy League MVP and her team's MVP.

            She finished her senior year ranked No. 100 in the nation in girls 18 doubles and No. 380 in singles. In 2007 she achieved a section ranking of No. 8 in doubles and No. 30 in singles.

            "After a dozen scholarship offers from schools, I know I made the right choice and can't wait to be a Coyote," Haack was quoted as telling Coach Langley.

            Palicte was the 2005 Sunkist League singles champion at Bloomington High School before transferring to Redlands High School. She was initially paired at No. 1 doubles with Holly DiMichelle but then captured the CBL doubles title in 2007 with Vazquez as RHS won its fourth straight league team championship. She was named to the all-CBL first-team.

            She and Vazquez finished second in their doubles division at the 108th Ojai Invitational in April.

            Haack and Palicte join a team that returns seven players including No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles player Leslie Horn, two impressive freshmen -- Brittany Choate and Sara Jenkins, who were 11-13 combined in singles play this spring -- along with Dottie Elwell, the team's No. 2 doubles player and No. 3 singles player.

            CSUSB finished 1-7 in the CCAA but defeated NCAA tournament qualifier Cal Poly Pomona, 5-4, for the first time in the history of the program.