Community College Sports

Citrus softball players move on

2008-08-13T22:11:04Z

The 2008 Citrus College softball program, coming off its third straight Southern California Playoff appearance, is continuing to add to its reputation as one of the best community college programs around. Four sophomores from the 2008 team have accepted offers to continue playing at the four-year level.

2008 1st team All-WSC selection Melanie Hansen became the first Lady Owls to sign following the conclusion of the season. Hansen, who hit .349 and drove in a team high 26 RBI's this past season, has accepted a scholarship offer from Concordia University (Irvine, CA) of the NAIA.

"Concordia is getting a solid individual in Melanie, she left a great mark here at Citrus and I know she will be an impact player at Concordia," said Head Citrus College Softball Coach Jackie Boxley. "Melanie's intangibles make her a great fit at a great university, and I know she wants to bring a championship to Concordia."

Following Hansen into the NAIA will be 2nd team All-WSC honoree and 2008 Citrus College Female Athlete of the Year Denise Hernandez. Hernandez also played two solid seasons for Citrus, hitting .297 and including a team high 5 doubles during the 2008 season. Hernandez will be joining the Swedes of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where she will also play soccer as well as softball.

"Bethany is allowing me the opportunity to play both soccer and softball and is that something that appealed to me," Hernandez said. "Coach Boxley has played a big role in helping me to achieve my goal of continuing my athletic career and education. It has been a dream of mine to move on to the four-year level, and Citrus played a huge part in that."

"Bethany is getting a great all around athlete. The softball and soccer programs are going to get one of the most determined individuals that I have ever met," Coach Boxley said. "Denise will rise to whatever challenge is placed in front of her and not stop until she has succeeded. Her work ethic is like no other and she knows what it takes to be a champion."

Also accepting a scholarship offer is Jennifer Anaya. Anaya hit .250 and recorded 16 runs during the 2008 season, and will continue her athletic career at NCAA Division II Cal State Monterrey Bay.

"Cal State Monterrey Bay has a great softball program, and it fit my needs as far as staying in the state of California," Anaya said. "Citrus played a tremendous role in helping me move on. The coaching staff helped me improve, and made me a %100 better then what I was before."

"Jennifer always plays hard. Without a doubt Monterey Bay is getting one of the hardest workers that have been through our program," Boxley said. "She has a fighter's spirit and will work as hard as she has to, to be successful and earn a spot with Cal State Monterrey Bay."

Joining Anaya at the NCAA Division II level will former Lady Owl Alex Arguelles, who has accepted an offer to walk-on at Cal State San Bernardino. Arguelles spent most of last season in the circle, making nine appearances and leading Citrus with a 1.04 ERA.

"I originally wanted to attend Cal State San Bernardino strictly on an academic basis, but half way through the season I can began to realize that I could probably play too," Arguelles said. "I'm excited about this opportunity because they are a team on the rise, and I really like their coach."

"Citrus helped make this a reality in a lot of ways," Arguelles said. "Coming out of a small school and straight into college was a whole new competitive level. Coach Boxley has given me the confidence over the last two years to know that I can do anything that they put in front of me."

"Alex is a quiet player that just flat out gets it done. She is the ultimate team player and will accept whatever role is needed of her," Boxley said. "She showed amazing character and strength this year when she stepped up and into a starting pitchers role without any warning. Every team needs an athlete like Alex."

RCC track stars pick colleges

2008-08-08T22:04:59Z

Riverside men's track coach Jim McCarron announced today that two members of the District's State Championship Track and Field Team have signed Division I scholarships.

Dylan Nielson, who ran the lead-off on the state-champion 4x100 relay team and also competed in the high hurdles, signed a full scholarship with Utah State. Meanwhile, teammate Lance Gonzales, who competed in the decathlon, javelin and long jump, has decided to continue his education and athletic career at Cal State Northridge on a full scholarship.

Both of these young men were clutch performers this year," said McCarron. "They were big factors in the our state championship run, and I know will have an immediate impact at the conference and national level at their universities."

Gonzales, who finished second in the decathlon and third in the javelin and seventh in the long jump at the state meet, is making a run for the 2012 Olympic Team in London. He concluded his career at Riverside as the record-holder in the decathlon, a student of distinction and a holder of a 3.4 GPA.

"I'm going to Northridge to focus specifically on the decathlon and possibly a shot at making the 2012 Olympic Team," said Gonzales, who is majoring in Physical Education and plans to become a teacher and a coach.

Nielson, a graduate of Palm Desert High School, said "Utah is a place where I can get that business degree, continue to develop as a hurdler and possibly, too, make the 2012 Olympic Team."

Chaffey basketball players decide on colleges

2008-07-14T21:42:14Z

Two Chaffey College basketball standouts have decided their future plans. Jeffrey Sawyer is headed to Division II Bloomfield College in New Jersey while Stephon Richardson will attend NAIA Bacone College in Oklahoma.

Sawyer, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Miller High School, averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. He transferred from San Bernardino Valley College where he helped the Wolverines to a Foothill Conference title as a freshman.

Richardson, a 5-10 guard out of Montclair High School, averaged 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Chaffey player heads to Northern Colorado

2008-07-02T00:01:39Z

Chaffey College wide receiver and kick return specialist Alex
Thompson has signed with Division I Northern Colorado University in
Greely, Col.

Thompson, a Damien High School graduate, excelled for the Panthers
for two year despite being undersized at 5-foot-11. he was also a
threat on special teams, earning All-Foothill Conference honors as a
return man.

He is one of three locals who will be playing for the Bears next
season. Among the others who signed there earlier in the spring are
Ayala quarterback Matthew Baca and quarterback Bryan Waggener, a
resident of Chino Hills who played at Citrus and is transferring from
University of Florida where he played behind Tim Tebow.

The Bears ended last season 1-11. They open the 2008 season at Big 10
contender Purdue.

Brewer named hoops coach at SBVC

2008-06-27T19:11:12Z

San Bernardino Valley College stayed close to home in selecting the next coach for its marquee athletic program as Quincy Brewer has been named men's basketball coach.

Brewer, 34, spent last season as an assistant to Gerry Wright. He is the program's fourth coach in as many years. The past three coaches were once assistants in the program.

Brewer is an Inland Empire product. He graduated from Riverside North High School in 1992 and later came back to get his start in coaching at Riverside Ramona High School after finishing college.

He has a bachelor's degree in social work and master's degrees in education and physical education.

"I grew up here and I like this area," Brewer said. "This job doesn't have to be the stepping stone for anything else for me."

Brewer's appointment was finalized at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday although word of his selection has been circulating for several weeks.

Wright, then an assistant, took over the program in December of 2006 when Derrick Pugh was let go only minutes before the team was leaving for an afternoon game. Wright did an admirable job and led the team to a Foothill Conference title, earning conference coach of the year honors in the process.

The team settled for fourth in 2007-08, missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. But that is deceiving. The Wolverines finished 13-15 overall and a respectable 9-5 in conference and were part of a four-way tie for first on the final day of the season.

Wright was not retained because his master's degree is in education and the position is full-time, based out of the physical education department which requires a master's in that area.

The two boast contrasting styles.

"He's the guy that's cool as ice and I'm the guy that's fiery hot," Brewer said. "One isn't better than the other. We're just different."

While his demeanor may be different, Brewer said one thing that has been a trademark of the program will not be altered.

"All the coaches here have done a good job of advancing players and that will not change," Brewer said. "Our goal is always an education. It's nice to win games but it's about getting guys to the next level."

Before arriving on the SBVC campus, Brewer spent three seasons as the coach at Ramona where he directed the Rams to an overall mark of 71-16, with a pair of league titles.

That record is noteworthy because the Rams won just three games the year before Brewer took over. The team made the playoffs all three seasons, reaching the CIF quarterfinals in 2005 and the semifinals in 2007, the best playoff run for the Rams in three decades.

As a player, Brewer helped the Riverside North Huskies to a pair of appearances in the CIF finals.

He went on to Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter. The Sun Devils advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 his junior year. After college, he played professionally in six countries.

Athletic Director Dave Rubio was pleased with the pool of 24 applicants. The school interviewed five before deciding on Brewer.

"He gave a great interview, by far better than anyone else. He was well prepared and had all the right answers," Rubio said. "He also has great work ethic and will run a disciplined program."

In addition to coaching with the Wolverines, Brewer runs the NextLevel basketball training company. He and his wife, Berenice, live in Riverside. They have three children -- Kenneth, Andrea and Brianna.

RCC product pitches minor league no-hitter

2008-06-27T19:07:42Z

Mississippi Braves right-hander Thomas Hanson didn't exactly get off to a good start in his outing Wednesday against the Birmingham Barons.

Hanson, a graduate of Redlands East Valley High School and Riverside Community College, issued two walks, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in the first inning. But he regrouped quite nicely. In fact Hanson ended up throwing the first no-hitter in the history of the Double-A Southern League franchise, striking out a career-high 14 in a 6-0 victory.

"I felt really good in the bullpen warming up," he said. "I was pumped, maybe a little too pumped. I just tried to calm myself down and just attack the strike zone the way I normally do."

Hanson, 21, said it was his first no-hitter since Little League. He came close last year at Low-A Rome where he had a no-hitter broken up in the seventh.

A more casual approach this time helped.

"I tried not to think about it as much," he said. "It is hard not to think about it. last year I kept sitting there thinking `I hope they don't get a hit.' This time I just tried to focus on what I had to do to get guys out."

Hanson said Birmingham, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, had two hard hit balls, one coming on the last out of the game when Ricardo Nanita lined out to centerfielder Jordan Shafer.

"He got good wood on it. Squared up pretty good," he said. "Fortunately it was right at someone."

With the win Hanson improved to 4-3 on the season with a 4.32 earned run average in nine starts. He has 49 strikeouts in 50 innings. Take out one bad outing in which he allowed eight earned runs and his ERA is a nifty 3.02.

Hanson, a 22nd round draft pick, started the season with the Braves affiliate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., of the High-A Carolina League but earned a promotion after going 3-1 with 49 strikeouts in 40 innings and an 0.90 ERA in seven starts there.

Victor Valley duo announces plans

2008-06-19T23:50:48Z

Two baseball standouts from Victor Valley College have decided their next move.

Sophomore shortstop and pitcher Blane Lloyd (Granite Hills HS) is headed to Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills while freshman outfielder Derek Richie (Silverado HS) is headed to La Sierra.

Both were second-team All-Foothill Conference selections the past season.
Rams coach Bob Smith said Richie is also considering playing basketball.

The duo helped the Rams improve over the past season, going from three wins in 2007 to 10 this season.

Citrus basketball players decide future

2008-06-19T23:47:51Z

Three more members of the state championship basketball team from
Citrus College have decided on four-year colleges, bringing the Owls
total of players moving on to eight.

The trio recently deciding includes Ayala graduate Jeremy Smith,
Virgil Buensuceso and Montclair High product Nate Richardson. Smith
will attend Division II West Georgia while Buensuceso is headed to
Division II Brigham Young-Hawaii and Richardson to NAIA Rocky
Mountain College.

Smith played just one year at Citrus after transferring from Sonoma
State. He averaged 5.3 points but started the team's last 15 games
and was noted as its defensive stopper.

Richardson averaged 4.4 points for the Owls, who went 35-1 and
routinely used 14 players.

Those three follow earlier signees Buchi Awaji (Kansas State), A.J.
Gasporra (Texas-San Antonio), Ralph Monday (Northeastern Oklahoma),
Darren Moore (UC Irvine) and Richard Frohlich (Texas-San Antonio).

SBVC soccer player moves on

2008-06-17T23:29:13Z

San Bernardino Valley College soccer standout Gemma Gastro (Yucaipa HS) is headed to La Sierra University on an academic scholarship.

She is two-time All-Foothill Conference selection with three goals and six assists in her career. She spent 2006 as a midfielder but anchored the defense the past season, helping the Wolverines to their first playoff win in school history.

She is the third player from the team to move on to a four-year college following Kalee Lopez (Grambling) and Megan Dias (Cal State Los Angeles).

Chaffey player, seven others head to Oklahoma

2008-06-13T20:06:36Z

Seven volleyball players from Southern California, six of whom competed in the Foothill Conference, will be taking their games to a little-known town in Oklahoma in the fall.

The contingent headed to Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla. is headed by Chaffey College libero Emilie Shewmaker and Citrus College setter Janelle Martinez who are close friends.

Rounding out the group are outside hitter Riley Collins of conference champion College of the Desert and outside hitter Dorinda Cherry, outside hitter Amy Mulcock, rightside hitter Jewel Robinson and middle blocker Kami Speir, all out of Mt. San Jacinto.

The fact that eight athletes from the area are headed to a town of 38,000 located a half hour out of Tulsa didn't happen by accident.

The Bacone program is directed by Indio native Bianca Oakley, who played volleyball and softball at Desert, continued her playing career at Bacone and just completed her first year as head coach.

"She wanted to recruit a lot of California players," said Shewmaker, who has visited the school twice. "It should be fun with all of us going out there together."

Shewmaker said had talked to Collins at some tournaments but didn't know any of the girls from Mt. San Jacinto until meeting one of them on her first visit. Now she is trying to arrange a beach day for the eight to get together before they head off to college.

"It would be nice to get to know each other a little bit before we get there," she said.

Shewmaker (Don Lugo) played in 61 games and recorded 294 digs for the Panthers, who finished 6-12 overall and 5-7 in Foothill Conference play.

Martinez, a native of Rancho Cucamonga who played at South Hills High School, chalked up 478 assists in 52 games for an average of 9.19 per game for the Owls (10-15, 4-6), who were fourth in the Western States Conference South Division.

SBVC football player decides

2008-06-10T22:35:56Z

Freshman defensive lineman Fred Solaita of San Bernardino Valley College has signed with NAIA Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo.

The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder played six games in 2007, recording 10 tackles and two sacks.

Missouri Valley College, located about 90 miles east of Kansas City, MVC plays in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. In the 2007-2008 season the Vikings went 8-2 and were one game away from the NAIA title game.

Victor Valley names new hoops coach

2008-06-05T02:26:16Z

Victor Valley College has named former Hesperia High School coach Michael Stewart its women's basketball coach. He replaces Lana Tomlin, who headed the program for two years.

"I am going to make a commitment of being here at least five years," said Stewart, 41. "My expectations are always going to be high. My priority right now is going out to the schools here because there is talent here."

The Rams were just 5-50 overall and 1-29 in Foothill Conference play under Tomlin, who resigned for job and family reasons.

The program was already struggling when she took over, going 8-20 overall and 2-12 in conference play under previous coach Stacia Rustad in 2005-06.

Stewart also previously coached the boys varsity team at Victor Valley High School and says his roots in the community have already made a difference.

"I've been here since 1972. My dad umpired in the Pac-10 and has done a lot of clinics and I have worked with him. So I think word has gotten out," he said. "They have only carried eight or nine players in the past but we're going to have a full squad and I have been pleased with how I have been received so far."

Stewart has been employed with the Hesperia Unified School District but that will end later this month. He and his family are in the process of opening a sports memorabilia shop in Victorville not far from the college.

But bringing back a competitive team is his main goal.

"We're going to do what it takes to get back on track," he said.

Also, Rams Athletic Director Jaye Tashima said the school is suspending the track program. The coach had resigned and she was going to have to look for another one anyway.

"The budget is really tight," she said. "We have to do it to save some of the other programs."

Chaffey baseball players sign

2008-06-03T20:43:07Z

Two sophomores who helped Chaffey College to a 30-9 record and its third straight Foothill Conference title have decided the next step of their college careers.

First-team all-conference infielder Ryan Delgado is headed to NAIA contender Azusa Pacific University while second-team pitcher Andrew Steinmeyer will play at Biola, also an NAIA institution.

Delgado, who prepped at Damien High School, batted .329 with 11 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 43 RBI. He boasted a slugging percentage of .657 and an on-base percentage of .430. The highlight was a grand slam home run in a playoff game against local rival Riverside Community College.

Steinmeyer, a left-hander out of Corona High School, went 5-1 with a 3.86 ERA and batting average against of .228. He pitched 44 and a third innings, allowing 37 hits, 19 earned runs and 29 strikeouts with 13 walks.

- Michelle Gardner

Fresno wins JC All-Sports cup

2008-05-30T00:55:10Z

Fresno City College topped all other junior college athletic programs and has been named winner of the National Alliance of Two-Year Colleges Athletic Administrator's Cup for the 2007-2008 school year.

Fresno totaled 164 points as the top four schools were within seven points. It was followed by Cerritos (160), Sierra (159) and Mt. SAC (157).

Riverside Community College was sixth (139.5).

Other local schools finished in the middle portion of the 103 school rankings.

Chaffey was 41st with 40 points, getting all its points in the pool. The Panthers got 15.5 points in women's water polo, 14.5 in men's swimming and 10 in women's swimming.

San Bernardino Valley College was 47th (28.5), with 20 coming for its state championship in men's cross country and the other 8.5 coming in women's soccer which finished as the Foothill Conference runner-up.

SBVC athletes place at state

2008-05-30T00:31:32Z

The men's and women's track team finished well at the California Finals at Cerritos Community College ending another remarkable season.

Freshman Carlos Perez (Barstow H.S.) finished 4th in the 1500 meters, with a time of 3:57.95.

Sophomore Matt Prentice (Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World) finished 5th in the 10,000 meters, with a time of 33:25.95.

Sophomore Antoine Gibbs (Great Basin, Utah) finished 7th in the decathlon, with a point total of 5519.

The men's team finished 21st in total points with 11.

And the only woman to qualify for the Southern California Finals and the state finals from San Bernardino, Freshman Michelle Burley (Rialto Eisenhower), finished 9th in the 400 meters, with a time of 1:00.14.