Recently in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Category

The University of La Verne volleyball team has a big weekend coming up. The No. 3 Leopards (12-0) will host a four-team tournament Friday and Saturday that will feature local foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (12-7), as well as No. 1 Juniata, Penn. (17-1) and No. 2 Emory, Ga. (19-3).

"I can't wait," Leopards coach Don Flora said. "It's not often you get to play the top two teams in the country on the same weekend."

On Friday the Athenas will play Emory at 4 p.m. while La Verne playes Juniata at 7 p.m.

Then on Saturday La Verne and CMS will play at 11 a.m. The rest of the schedule will pit Juniata against Emory at 1:30 p.m., CMS against Juniata at 4 p.m. and La Verne against Emory at 6 p.m.

There is no admission charge for spectatots.

Starting quarterback or no starting quarterback, the University of Redlands is still a formidable foe. That seems to be the prevailing thought among coaches in the SCIAC.

Conference play begins today and the Bulldogs (2-0) will trek to Ortmayer Stadium for a 1 p.m. showdown against the University of La Verne (0-2).

The Bulldogs will be without junior quarterback Dan Selway who earned SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2007 but sustained a broken foot in a win over Whitworth (Wash.) two weeks ago.

He threw for 489 yards and five touchdowns in the first two games. His spot now goes to junior Steve Smith with freshman Dylan Barrera elevated to backup status. Smith did see some mop-up duty in the first two games. He also played the entire second half of Redlands' playoff game last year at St. Johns (Minn.).

"They're a good program and they're deep at every position," second-year Leopards coach Andy Ankeny said of the Bulldogs. "We don't shy away from tough competition. We want to play them at their best because there's no better way to find out where your progam is. We wish he (Selway) was in there but don't expect less of a game because he isn't."

The Bulldogs were idle last week, giving Smith an extra week to prepare. Redlands coach Mike Maynard said his team won't alter its game plan even though it has the luxury of a three-pronged rushing attack ignited by seniors - Tom Romaine, Zack Schafer and Jeff Stewart.

"We do what we do. We're not going to change anything, he said. "He has been here so he knows the offense. He has had a good week of practice and we have all the confidence in the world in him."

Selway was also the Bulldogs' punter. Maynard said freshman Wes Norris and senior Kraig Kraning are battling for that job.

The biggest factor in the game will likely be how the La Verne running game fares against a Redlands defense that ranks first nationally against the run.

The Leopards have managed just 101 yards total in two games on 75 tries with their leading rusher being freshman Curtis Puli with 61 yards.

The Bulldogs, led by senior defensive end Brock Arndt and freshman linebacker Ian Skuss, have held their first two opponents to minus-24 yards.

"We can't let our quarterback sit back there and get tattoed," Ankeny said. "Our young pups are going to have to hold up. That's obviously a big factor. If we can do that we have a chance."

Redlands is averaging 452 yards offense. The La Verne defense, led by senior linebacker Jason Carpenter, is giving up and average 453.

While the game looks one-sided on paper, Maynard is leary of the Leopards.

"They're a hungry team and it's the conference opener so they're going to be ready," said Maynard, who was at La Verne's game last week against Willamette (Ore.). "They have made a lot of progress even though it may not show in th win column. We're expecting a battle."

The other SCIAC teams will also be in action. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1) will be at Occidental (2-0) to play a team it nearly upset a year ago. Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) will be at Chapman (1-1) for its final nonconference tuneup. Both the Stags and Sagehens are coming off byes.

Area community colleges will also be in action. Chaffey (3-1) will host Cerritos (3-1) in its National Division Central Conference opener at 6 p.m.

In American Division Mountain Conference play San Bernardino Valley (0-4) will be at San Diego Mesa (1-3) at 6 p.m. and Victor Valley (1-3) will host Golden West (2-2) at 1 p.m.

The University of Redlands men's water polo team received its second ranking in a week's time with a sixth-place ranking in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) preseason coaches' poll with a point total of 109, according to a release yesterday by the WWPA. No Division III institution received a better 2008 preseason ranking in the WWPA.

Loyola Marymount University earned the top spot with 168 points, including 11 first-place votes. UC San Diego trailed closely behind with the second-highest point total of 150.

Other Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools in the WWPA, all of which were represented on the preseason poll, include Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (seventh), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (eighth), Cal Lutheran University (ninth), Occidental College (11^th), Whittier College (12^th) and the University of La Verne (14^th).

Last week, Redlands received the No. 1 national ranking among Division III men's water polo programs, according to the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).

Compiling a 2007 overall record of 22-14 and a 9-1 SCIAC tally, the Bulldogs finished No. 1 in the nation among Division III institutions. Redlands finished sixth in the WWPA tournament, defeating Pomona-Pitzer Colleges but falling at the hands of eventual champion Loyola Marymount University and UC San Diego.

The Bulldogs travel to San Diego in September to start the 2008 season where they will compete in the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. Redlands squares off against Long Beach State at 10:30 a.m. and UC San Diego at 1:30 p.m. to open the invitational on Sept. 6.

The University of Redlands finished 30th out of 430 Division III colleges in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup.

This honor is presented annually by NACDA and USA Today to the nation's best
overall collegiate athletics programs in each division as well as the NAIA.

Williams College (Mass.) was the winner in Division III. Redlands chalked up 438.5 points to finish 30th in the standings. It was the highest finish of any Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) school.

The University of La Verne came in 73rd, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges took 81st and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges 98th. In addition, the Bulldogs surpassed various schools from the West Coast, including Whitworth University (41st), the University of Puget Sound (59th),
Linfield College (68th), and UC Santa Cruz (75th).


"We earn points and remain competitive because of the quality of our programs across the board," Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez said. "This is a great tribute to our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff, who work diligently to help make us the best we can be
every day."

This is the fifth straight season Redlands has been in the top 30. The Bulldogs' best finish came in 2004-05, when they earned 458.5 points for 16th place.

2008 All-SCIAC Baseball Selections Announced
May 14, 2008

The 2008 All-SCIAC Baseball Selections have been announced.  University of La Verne Leopards claimed the SCIAC Conference title.  Scott Marcus, a senior from La Verne has been named Player of the Year.  The First and Second All-SCIAC Teams are listed below. 

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS

HEAD COACH: LAURIE NEVAREZ

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  NICKY NEUMANN, UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:  MOLLY YRIARTE, WHITTIER COLLEGE

By winning the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship, the Bulldog softball team earned the right to host the first-ever conference postseason tournament. The inaugural double-elimination event takes place on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, at the Softball Field of Dreams at the University of Redlands. 

As the top seed, Redlands faces #4-seed Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.  The complete tournament schedule is listed below.

The winner of the postseason tournament earns the SCIAC's automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday, May 8, at the University of Texas, Tyler.

Friday, May 2:

Game 1 9 a.m.                    #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. #3 La Verne

Game 2 11:30 a.m.            #1 Redlands vs. #4 Pomona-Pitzer

Game 3 2 p.m.                    Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 4 4:30 p.m.              Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Saturday, May 3:

Game 5 9 a.m.                    Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3               

Game 6 11:30 a.m.            Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Game 7 2 p.m.                    Only if necessary (first loss)