Broncos strong at Cal-Nevada meet

FRESNO Senior Claudia Garcia (Whittier) and sophomore Tokunbo Adeniji (Pomona) each met NCAA Division II provisional qualifying standards at the Cal-Nevada Invitational, held Friday and Saturday at Fresno State University.
            Garcia finished fifth in the 5,000 meters on Friday in 17 minutes, 39.16 seconds to meet the standard. It marked a personal best for the senior and gave the Broncos five points in the team competition.

            The feat meant that much more to Garcia, who a few weeks ago did not finish a 5,000 race due to a shoe problem.

            Claudia ran extremely well and for her to run that well after having a disappointment last time out means that much more, Bronco coach Troy Johnson said. She ran a solid race. Im very happy for her. Shes put in the effort, no question.

            Adeniji ran a 56.68 time in the 400 during Fridays qualifying round. She missed reaching the finals by two-hundredths of a second.

            Tokunbo easily ran the best race as a Bronco and I couldnt be more proud of her, Johnson said. Its a shame that she missed by that close of a margin of reaching the finals, but she has put herself in solid position to improving. I like what she has shown.

            Junior Jasmine Winn (Pomona) finished sixth in the long jump with at 18 feet, 7 inches.

            For the men, sophomore Jonathan Williams (Temecula) finished third in the 200 in 21.42 seconds. Freshman Carter Griffin (Anaheim) finished third in the 400 in a  personal-best 48.81. Senior Joaquin Ortiz (Woodland) ran a personal best 1:55.92 in Fridays preliminaries, then eclipsed that time with a 1:54.24 in the finals. He finished seventh. Senior Sofiane Meniri was ninth in the finals in 1:58.75.

            Carter has really shown that he has unlimited potential, Johnson said. He keeps improving and that pleases me, big time. Joaquin cut his times substantially, and to do it on back-to-back nights shows what he is capable of doing. Im proud of both those young men.

            Were making not just improvement, but quality improvement for both of our teams. Those are the things that make you a difference maker.

            Junior Brian Roser (Chino) finished fourth in the 400 hurdles in 53.89 seconds.

            The Broncos return to the track Saturday at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational.

 

Share this

Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Student-athlete profile, Brittany martinez, Chaffey softball

BRITTANY MARTINEZ

Chaffey College

Softball

The lowdown: The freshman leads the state in homeruns with 10 and is batting over .500 for the Panthers (20-14, 7-1) who are currently second in the Foothill Conference. Starts in left field but has also been used in right and in center. Was at Chaffey in 2006-07 but did not play. Carries a 3.1 GPA.

Age: 19

Hometown: Ontario

High school: Don Lugo High School, 2006

Major: Psychology

Favorite athlete: Leah OBrien-Amico (outfielder on three Gold-medal winning USA Olympic teams).

Favorite team: New York Yankees

Role model: My parents

Most memorable sports moment: Receiving Mt. Baldy League MVP my freshman year on the varsity team.

Most embarrassing sports moment: 1. Being intiated because I was dressed up crazy and everyone was laughing and 2. Losing my front tooth at a softball practice on Valentines Day.

Person most influential in your athletic success: My dad, physically and my mom, mentally.

Best advice anyone has given you: Follow your heart and everything else will fall into place.

Celebrity you most want to meet: Julia Roberts

Favorite food: Mexican food – dads home-cooked carne asada, rice and beans.

Cant miss TV show: The Hills

Favorite movie: A League of Their Own

Last good book you read: Harry Potter

Whats in your CD player/iPod: Carrie Underwood

Favorite vacation spot: Rosarito, Mexico, anywhere by the beach

Pre-game ritual or superstition: Getting pumped from music and having assistant coach Justin sing international harvester with the team.

Other hobbies: Hanging out with loved ones, going to the beach.

What would you like to be doing in five years? Hopefully done with college and be a peace officer, have a home and possibly be married.

Share this

Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Student-athlete profile, Drew Hedman, Pomona-Pitzer baseball

DREW HEDMAN

Pomona-Pitzer

Baseball

The lowdown: The junior first baseman is coming off a week in which he earned Division III national player of the week honors. In 25 games he is hitting .452 (42-for-93) with 47 RBI, 32 runs, nine doubles and 13 home runs with a slugging percentage of .968. He also has a fielding percentage of .991. Was a first-team All-SCIAC, All-West Region and All-American selection as a junior when he hit .389 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 43 games. Also carries a 3.61 GPA.

Age: 21

Hometown: Redding

High school: Shasta High School, 2005

Major: Politics, Philosophy, Economics (with concentration on economics).

Favorite athlete: Travis Hafner, J.T. Snow

Favorite team: San Francisco Giants

Role model: My parents because they are honest, hard-working and generous people.

Most memorable sports moment: Last year on the last day of the regular season when our baseball team qualified for the regional tournament.

Most embarrassing sports moment: I was so excited for my first game as a freshman that I didnt pay attention to the lineup and I went to the wrong position, only to have the person who was playing that position tell me I was in the wrong spot.

Person most influential in your athletic success: My dad. He taught me to play hard, to work hard at practice and to push myself in the weight room. He taught me to play hard but play smart. Many days when I was younger were spent throwing the ball in the backyard or hitting at my school.

Best advice anyone has ever given you: Dont ne satisfied. There is always room for improvment.

Pre-game ritual or superstition: I always give my batting gloves to my first base coach right when the game starts. Even after checking the lineup and knowing the answer, I ask our statistician where I am hitting in the order.

Cant miss TV show: The Office

Celebrity you most want to meet: Michael Jordan

Last good book you read: White Fang (while I was studying abroad in Spain it was the only book in English in my room).

Favorite food: Steak

Favorite movie: Gladiator

Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere sunny, warm, with a beach nearby.

Other hobbies: Working out, listening to music, playing the piano.

Whats in your CD player/iPOD: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Citizen Cope, Jay-Z, Tom Petty.

What do you want to be doing in five years?: I want to play baseball as long as I can. After that I could see myself getting my MBA and working as a sports agent or in a front office of a baseball team.

– Compiled by Michelle Gardner

Share this

Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email