August 2009 Archives

Former San Bernardino Valley College kicker and punter Mike Langston got off to a good start with a solid showing in the home opener for Division II Dixie State in St. George, Utah.

The Red Storm won its season opener last week against Adams State 37-28 with Langston handling all the kicking duties. He connected on his only field goal attempt from 25 yards out in the second quarter giving his team a 10-6 lead.

Langston, a graduate of Ramona High School in Riverside, also averaged 45.8 yards on six punts, downing two of those inside the 20. Three went for more than 50 yards.

He said it felt good to be part of a win again since at SBVC he was part of 15 straight losses.

Another former SBVC player, offensive lineman Thad Quist, is also playing for Dixie State and is rooming with Langston.

Here is a list of the local college athletic events going on this week.

TUESDAY, Sept. 1
MEN'S SOCCER

Cal Baptist at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Miramar at Chaffey, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2
MEN'S SOCCER
Hawaii-Hilo at Cal State San Bernardino, 4 p.m.
La Verne at Chapman, 5 p.m.
Chaffey at Moopark, 4 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley College at Compton, 4 p.m.
Mira Costa at Victor Valley, 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Grossmont at Chaffey, 5 p.m.

THURSDAY, Sept. 3
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Cal State San Bernardino at Grand Canyon, 7:30 p.m.
Dixie State at Cal Poly Pomona, noon.

MEN'S SOCCER
Azusa Pacific at Redlands, 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Victor Valley at Cuesta, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, Sept. 4
VOLLEYBALL
Triton Invitational (at UC San Diego)
Mesa State vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 10 a.m.
Alaska-Anchorage vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 3 p.m.

Fort Lewis Tournament (at Durango, Col.)
Cal Poly Pomona vs. U-Colorado, Colorado Springs, 11 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona vs. Fort Lewis, 5 p.m.

Claremont Tournament (at CMS)
La Verne vs. Lewis & Clark, 4:15 p.m.
La Verne vs. U-Mass-Boston, 6:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. Lewis & Clark, 2 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer vs. UMass-Boston, 4:15 p.m.
Pitzer vs. Carthage, 6:30 p.m.

Riverside Quad Tournament (includes Chaffey); San Bernardino Valley at Palomar, 6 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER
Montana State-Billings at Cal Poly Pomona, 2 p.m.
Chaffey at College of the Canyons, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Cypress, 4 p.m.

Feather River Tournament (includes Victor Valley)

[WOMEN'S SOCCER
Concordia-Moorehead at Redlands, 7 p.m.
UC Santa Cruz at Pomona-Pitzer, 4 p.m.
Chaffey at College of the Canyons, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, Sept. 5

FOOTBALL
College of the Desert at San Bernardino Valley, 6 p.m.
Chaffey at Mt. San Jacinto, 1 p.m.
Riverside at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Pasadena at Mt. SAC, 1 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Triton Invitational (at UC San Diego)
Saginaw Valley State vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 11 a.m.
Northern Michigan vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 3 p.m.

Fort Lewis Tournament (at Durango Colorado)
Cal Poly Pomona vs. Adams State, 10 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona vs. Dixie State, 3:30 p.m.

Pacific Coast Classic (at CMS)
La Verne vs. Carthage, 10 a.m.
La Verne vs. Texas Lutheran 12:15 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. Carthage, 12:15 p.m.
CMS vs. Fontbonne, 2:30 p.m.
Texas Lutheran vs. Pitzer, 10 a.m.
UC Santa Cruz vs. Pitzer, 2:30 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Cal State San Bernardino vs. Mesa State (at Phoenix)
Concordia-St. Paul at Pomona-Pitzer, 4 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Santiago Canyon, 6:30 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER
Pacific (Ore.) at Redlands, 7 p.m.
Azusa Pacific at Pomona-Pitzer 1 p.m.
Feather River Tournament (includes Victor Valley)

MEN'S WATER POLO
MIT Invitational (includes Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
La Verne at Chapman, 9 a.m.
La Verne vs. Whittier (at Chapman), 12:30 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY
Cal State Fullerton Invitational (includes Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Redlands), 8 a.m.

Former University of Redlands women's soccer standout Becky Willis '09 is one of 10 NCAA Division III semifinalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year, according to an announcement made on Aug. 20.
 
Willis, who was chosen as the representative for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), joins 29 semifinalists from the three divisions of the NCAA.
 
She endured a competitive nomination process, which included 132 conference nominees representing all three divisions.
 
The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will trim down the list of 30 semifinalists to nine finalists--three from each division--next month. All semifinalists are invited to attend the 2009 Woman of the Year awards dinner on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis, IN.
 
The lone Division III recipient of the award was Ashley Jo Rowatt, a swimmer from Kenyon College (OH), in 2003.
 
A three-year starter for the Bulldog women's soccer team, Willis embodied the ideals of a true scholar-athlete throughout her four years at Redlands. She compiled a 3.664 GPA as a Communicative Disorders major while earning three First-Team All-SCIAC honors and two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas® All-America laurels. In April, she was named the Frank Serrao Student-Athlete of the Year for the women and also received her department's Outstanding Senior Award for posting a 3.98 GPA in her major. Currently, she is taking classes at the University of Texas at Dallas toward a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. 
 

The No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team improved to 3-0, easily disposing of Alaska-Fairbanks this afternoon at Cal State Dominguez Hills. It wasn't as close as the 25-17, 27-25, 25-19 would seem to indicate as coach Kim Cherniss used all her players once she established a lead.

Sure it would have been nice to be playing in Hawaii as the Coyotes had planned but budget restrictions prevented them from going to an event there. It was nice of event organizers at Cal Poly Pomona to make room for them in this event close to home so they could get some matches in.

Coaches have to find a balance between experimenting with their lineups and playing to win. While conference games are more important, it is these that establish a pecking order and gives one school an edge over another when regional rankings are compiled.

Western Washington learned the hard way. The Vikings didn't make the regional playoffs last season despite finishing 21-3, placing second in their conference and having a national ranking. That was solely because their poor nonconference schedule.

So they remedied that this year, making the trip to California and playing San Bernardino and Cal State Los Angeles, top tier teams in the CCAA. And they did so even though they're rebuilding. If they don't make the regional, strength of schedule won't be the issue.

Seattle Pacific doesn't get it though. Sure it played a reloading Cal Poly Pomona. But it bucked the chance to play the Coyotes, something it may regret later. First off, what better time to possibly upset the Coyotes than early.

Second, you have nothing to lose. Even if you don't win it helps your strength of schedule. And if you happen to pull it out, that's a real bonus. It's a huge win over a regional foe that will garner you national attention and give you instant credability.

It would also help to play a quality team now that you very well could see down the line in the postseason. And the GNAC isn't the most competitive when it comes to volleyball so it should have seized the chance to play the Coyotes.

The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team got off to an impressive start, turning in 3-0 wins over Ashland (Ohio) and Western Washington at the Southern California Classic on Friday.

The win over Western Washington by scores of 25-14, 25-19, 25-23 was of more interest because the Vikings were 21-3 last season and favored to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference despite graduating four starters.

Ashland is coming off a 14-13 season and a fourth place finish in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Junior Jane Chafeh should emerge as the go-to player, a role filled so well by the now-departed Jessica Granados the last two years. Chafeh had 27 kills, 21 digs and three service aces on the night. Coach Kim Cherniss also got stellar play from senior setter Sara Hoffman (54 assists, five aces, three total blocks) and sophomore middle Samantha Middleborn (19 kills). Sophomore Kelcie Tolan did an admirable job as libero

The Coyotes cruised in the first two games, even though Cherniss made wholesale changes in the second game. She did that in the third as well, which is the only reason it was close. You have to be use these nonconference matches to experiment with your personnel so you know what you have when it really matters.

While the last game was close, I never had the feel that the Coyotes wouldn't win it.

Saturday they will head back to the Toro Dome at Dominguez Hills to face Alaska-Fairbanks, a team that both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Los Angeles easily disposed of so it likely will be another 3-0 triumph.

Sophomore forward Angela Green of San Bernardino Valley College is headed to NAIA Dakota State University in Madison, S.D.

Green played her high school ball at La Sierra in Riverside and followed that up with two productive years with Sue Crebbin's Wolverines.

At SBVC she was a part of back to back Foothill Conference title teams, and was on the SBVC 2007-2008 team that tied the school record for most consecutive wins and most wins in a season.

Crebbin has done an admirable job of moving her players to the next level which should be the primary goal of all junior college coaches.

The Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team took the court for the first time last night. Today Cal State San Bernardino makes its debut.

The Broncos defeated Alaska-Fairbanks 3-0 at a steamy Darlene May Gymnasium. The Broncos have so many newcomers I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But they have a long way to go.

The highlight was the play of sophomore Kristen McNeese, who was on the team, last year but played little. Senior setter Jasmine Davis was her usual athletic self, tracking down every errant pass and turning it into a decent hitting opportunity for those around her.

Fairbanks was not necessarily top-notch competition but provided just enough for the Broncos newcomers to get their feet wet. The match was close but it was one that you never got the feeling Cal Poly was going to lose.

The San Bernardino team was in attendance, scouting Fairbanks which it will play on Saturday.

The Coyotes play Western Washington today at 7 at Cal State Dominguez Hills in what should be an intriguing matchup.

The Vikings will likely come in with quite the chip on their shoulder. Last year six CCAA teams were in the eight-team West Region field while the GNAC had just its automatic qualifier. Western went 21-3, second in theconference to Western Oregon, and was snubbed for an at-large berth because of its very poor strength of schedule.

What better way to prove a point than knock off the national runner-up.

And it will be the first match of the post-Jessica Granados era.

Stay tuned.

Six players scored six goals for the Cal Poly Pomona women's soccer teams as it opened the 2009 season with a 6-0 win over Division II newcomer Dominican in a game played at Notre Dame de Namur University.
                The victory was CPP's largest to open a season since it defeated Concordia 7-0 in the 1997 opener.
                The Broncos totaled 13 shots on goal and fired 26 shots on the day.
                "You can't help but be pleased when your goals come from six different players,'' said Isabelle Harvey, who is now 4-0 in season openers. "We played wide in the second half and got things going. It's a great way to begin a year.''
                The Broncos took a 1-0 lead at halftime from senior Cody McClure (Anaheim Hills), who connected on a pass from junior Britany Garrett (Lakewood) in the game's 43rd minute.
                The game became all Cal Poly Pomona quickly after the second half began. In a span of 31 seconds, junior forward Yvonne Cornejo (Chino Hills) and sophomore Valerie Strawn (Chino) each scored and CPP led 3-0 in the 46th minute.
                Adding goals for CPP down the stretch were junior Lauren Skachenko (Chino Hills), sophomore Justine Barclay (Rancho Cucamonga) and sophomore Carolyn Rubendall (Concord).
                Freshman Ashley Salerno (Chino Hills) earned her first career start after redshirting last season and earned a shutout. She faced just two shots as CPP's defense held up strong.
                "We adjusted to the field in the first half on a pretty warm day up here,'' Harvey said. "Lots of different people stepped up on the first one out.''
                The Broncos resume play in Belmont with a game against the host school on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
 

Meghan Haas of Cal State San Bernardino, the California Collegiate Athletic Association's scholar-athlete of the year, is now a semifinalist for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

            Haas, an honorable mention all-American as a libero in volleyball and holder of the CSUSB career and single season records for digs, was among 30 student-athletes from 130 entries among three NCAA divisions to make the semifinals.

            The 30 semifinalists will be trimmed to nine - three from each division - next month and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the national winner from the pool of finalists.

            The recipient will be announced during an awards dinner in Indianapolis, Ind., on Oct. 18.

            Haas was among 10 NCAA Division II student-athletes advancing in the awards program and the second from the CCAA. Also making it into the semifinals was Jasimen Bailey, a track and field athlete from Cal State Stanislaus.

            The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have excelled in the areas of academic achievement, athletics, service and leadership.

            Haas learned the news first from her mother, who was monitoring the NCAA website on a daily basis. "My initial response to the news was shock. When Morgan Walker (CSUSB's Associate Athletic Director for NCAA Compliance) and I began the application process, I had no idea it would take us this far!"

            The 6-foot  Haas, a Menifee resident and Temecula Chaparral HS graduate who helped lead the Coyotes win three straight CCAA volleyball titles, a West Region title and the NCAA championship match in 2008, said winning such an award would be "surreal."

            "Now, do I think I will actually win? No, I don't. I may have volunteered my time, kept my grades up and was lucky enough to be part of a successful volleyball team, but I don't feel my contributions were anything out of the ordinary.

            "As a college student, I wanted to get involved as much as I could, and if what I did is enough to be recognized at a national level, then that's great. But if not, I am still proud of what I was able to do."

            Haas received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology (pedagogy) in June commencement ceremonies.

            "In the end it goes to show that the opportunities that we are given as collegiate athletes are endless. For those four or five years of our lives we truly have the power to affect change and I applaud the NCAA for recognizing individuals all over the country who jump on such opportunities."

            Haas had a cumulative grade point average of 3.83 at CSUSB. She earned all-CCAA, all-West Region and honorable mention all-America as well as Daktronics third-team all-America in volleyball. She served as team captain or co-captain three times.
Academically, she was the Kinesiology department's outstanding graduate in the Class of 2009, graduating with high honors. She received the CCAA's Hal Charnofsky Award for academic excellence and was awarded an academic scholarship at CSUSB from the Martin Matich Family. She was voted to the ESPN-The Magazine/CoSIDA all-academic District 8 first team.

She served as vice-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for the past two years and voluntarily participated in Relay for Life for three years, Read Across America, the CSUSB Disability Sports Festival, the SAAC Adopt-a-Family program and Make-A-Wish Foundation fund-raisers.

Haas also served as a counselor at Coyote summer youth volleyball camps and was head coach of the Rancho Valley club's 15-under team this past season.
 
 

College sports are officially underway.

The highlight of today's schedule is the debut of the Cal Poly Pomona women's volleyball team which will host Alaska-Fairbanks at 7 p.m. tonight.

Here is the rest of the schedule for the next couple of days if you are looking for something to do.

FRIDAY

VOLLEYBALL: - Southern California Classic
(at Cal Poly Pomona)
Ashland (Ohio) vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 1 p.m.
Ashland vs. Cal Poly Pomona, 7 p.m.

(At Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Cal State San Bernardino vs. Western Washington, 7 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER
Cal State San Bernardino at Notre Dame De Namur, 1:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona vs. Dominican at Notre Dame De Namur, 11:30 a.m.
El Camino at Chaffey, 4 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley College at East Los Angeles, 6 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
El Camino at Chaffey, 2 p.m.
San Diego City at San Bernardino Valley, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY
VOLLEYBALL
Southern California Classic
(at Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Alaska-Fairbanks vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 1 p.m.

(At Cal Poly Pomona)
Seattle Pacific vs. Cal Poly Pomona, 1 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Cal State San Bernardino vs. Montana-Billings, noon
Cal Poly Pomona at Notre Dame de Namur, 1:30 p.m.

MEN'S WATER POLO
Concordia-Irvine at La Verne (at Las Flores Park), 10 a.m.
Citrus at La Verne, 1 p.m.

SUNDAY
MEN'S SOCCER
Cal State San Bernardino vs. Dominican (at Notre Dame De Namur), 11 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Notre Dame De Namur, 1:30 p.m.

MONDAY
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Central Washington at Cal Poly Pomona, 2 p.m.
Pasadena City at San Bernardino Valley, 2 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER
Cypress at Chaffey, 4 p.m.
Pasadena City at San Bernardino Valley College, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY

MEN'S SOCCER
Cal Baptist at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Miramar at Chaffey, 4 p.m.

I made my way out to San Bernardino Valley College today to see how things are going with the football team which is directed by new coach Kevin Emerson.

The Wolverines head into the 2009 season with a 15-game losing streak that dates back to the 2007 season. Not only did they lose all their games last season, they weren't even competitive. It's a daunting task to try and turn that program around.

I have heard it every year for like the last six . . ."We're going to be better." . . . "We're going to surprise some people." . . .OK, whatever!.

Well the Wolverines might actually come through this time. First of all they have a quarterback, two actually. Robert Fuller appears to be the frontrunner for the job. It wasn't that long ago he was throwing for a ton of yards at San Bernardino, then Arroyo Valley High School. He went to Utah State last year but redshirted and opted to return home when the new coaching staff wanted him to play linebacker, something he had no interest in.

The other candidate is Roman Neville, a freshman out of Box Elder High School in Utah.

There aren't a lot of holdovers from last year's team which is probably good. The less that is remembered about last year, the better.

We'll see.

We'll preview the coming seasons for both SBVC and Chaffey next week, The Wolverines open a week from Saturday against College of the Desert. Kickoff at SBVC will be 6 p.m.

I got an e-mail over the weekend from Cal State San Bernardino basketball player Brandon Brown. Well I guess I should now say former player because last week he signed a contract to play for a professional team in Lithuania, which means he won't be returning to Cal State for his senior season.

I didn't get to talk to him when the story first broke because it happened late in the day. The press release from the school quoted Brown as saying the decision came down to finances so I ran with that.

But in the e-mail to me he said that wasn't the entire story. He did say that he didn't think he had anything else to prove after a season in which he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds.He still appeared a bit steamed about not being named MVP of the conference. (That went to Cal Poly Pomona's Larry Gordon).

As an impartial observer - he is proabably right. He had a far better regular season than Gordon did, although Gordon stepped it up in the postseaon big time.

Brown also said the team's schedule wasn't exactly enticing. As a result of budget cuts the Coyotes won't be traveling anywhere until they get to the postseason. In the past they have made multiple trips out of state for nonconference games.

He said the Coyotes will be just fine without him because of the others who ARE coming back. He is probably right there too. Coach Jeff Oliver knows how to make it work and has a histotry of coming up with players very late in the recruiting race.

Of course this is assuming the e-mail did in fact come from Brown. The address was from the email of another person, maybe a friend, an agent, who knows?

Brown seemed like a good kid (Yes, to me they're kids). But he was also one in need of some guidance. I do hope everything works out for him and he isn't just relying on some bottom-feeding agent taking advantage of an unsuspecting kid. We all know they're out there.

The University of La Verne volleyball team is ranked #3 overall in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll, released Aug. 19.

The Leopards, which finished 27-3 last season en route to an appearance in the national championship match, garnered a total of 550 points along with two first-place votes.  Defending national champion Emory University topped the poll with 595 points and 20 out of a possible 24 first-place votes, followed by Juniata College with 555 points and one first-place vote.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh (521) and Washington-St. Louis (495) round out the fourth and fifth spots in the poll, respectively.

First-year head coach Marlon Sano welcomes five returning starters plus the libero to the lineup.  Among that group is senior middle blocker Crista Jones, who earned AVCA First Team All-America honors a year ago.  Also returning are the trio of junior opposite Anna Calmer, senior middle blocker Ashley Morgado and senior setter Yesenia Lopez.  Each earned All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) accolades in 2008.

La Verne will battle seven teams ranked among the Top 15 in the poll, including matches against #2 Juniata and #5 Washington-St. Louis at the annual Teri Clemens Invitational in St. Louis, MO.

The Leopards will hold their annual Alumni match on Sept. 1 at Frantz Athletic Court before opening the regular season at the Pacific Coast Classic Tournament Sept. 4-5 in Claremont.

AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll

The University of Redlands announces the broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2009 football campaign, which marks the 100th season of Bulldog football.  With continued coverage on the radio and through the web, all nine Redlands football games will be available on KCAA 1050 AM radio with a simulcast available on the KCAA web site.

 
For the 22nd year, fans will follow every snap, pass, and touchdown with hosts Mitch McClellan and Brett Malak.

During the Bulldogs' games, fans outside of KCAA's listening range may also tune into the action through the station's simulcast on the web, enabling fans around the world to follow the action.  To access the web-cast, go to the station's homepage at http://www.kcaaradio.com/ and then click listen live.  In addition, this link is available directly from the Bulldog Football Schedule page by going to http://www.goredlands.com, choosing football under Sports, and then clicking on "Schedule".

Redlands kicks off the 100th season of football with a 5 p.m. home game against East Texas Baptist University on Saturday, September 12, in Ted Runner Stadium.  Prior to the game, fans are invited to "Rah Rah Redlands", a family-friendly reception at the football practice field. 

 Please contact the Alumni Office for more information at 909-748-8011.

Cal State San Bernardino's bid for another CCAA title and a chance at a national championship took a major hit when leading scorer Brandon Brown decided to forgo his senior season and turn professional.

The 6-foot-7 center-forward has signed a contract to play for Siauliai, Lithuania, of the Union of European Basketball Leagues. Brown said the decision was a financial one.

"I had to make some money to support my family," he said in a press release from the school.

It was the second major blow for veteran Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver, who had assembled a team that looked like it would contend for conference, region and national honors.
USC point guard Dante Smith, who earlier signed a letter of intent with Cal State, opted to stay with the Trojans. He was the No. 1 junior college point guard in the country when he came out of Mt. SAC.

Oliver said what bothered him most was the lack of communication and timing of Brown's move. Brown, named Newcomer of the Year in the CCAA last season, already had passed a summer class and was taking another.

"He kept telling me he was coming back," Oliver said. "I knew there was some fishing going on and he was exploring some options. Guys do that. But he told me he was coming back."

Brown's departure will free up considerable scholarship money if Oliver can find a quality player still available. His track record of landing players late is good.

The loss of Smith and Brown is huge, but Oliver already had secured the services of 6-foot-7 forward Brian Le Duc, the leading scorer and rebounder at Division I University of Pacific last season.

"We're going to go back to work and see what else we can come up with," Oliver said. "We might have a different type of team, but we'll find a way to survive."

Brown led the CCAA in scoring (21.5 ppg) and was third in rebounding (8.7 rpg). He also led the conference in blocked shots. He was a first-team All-CCAA and All-West Region selection. He also was named Most Valuable Player at the conference tournament, won by the Coyotes.

Brown had 11 double-doubles with a career high of 39 points at Chico State. It was the fifth-best single-game scoring performance in Coyote hoops history. He had a career-high 14 rebounds against UC San Diego. His 200 rebounds for the season ranked him No. 9 on the Coyotes' all-time list.

He was a four-time CCAA player of the week and led the team in scoring in 17 of the 23 games he played. He scored 30 or more points four times.

He will play for a team that went 15-5 last season in the Lithuanian LKL league. He signed a contract Tuesday and will leave for Lithuania today.

Oliver said if Brown had remained in school on an athletic scholarship, he would have been within a couple credits of obtaining his bachelor's degree by next June and still able to fulfill his dream of playing professionally.

Brown was projected as a preseason NCAA Division II All-American and potential CCAA and NCAA player of the year if the Coyotes proved to be as successful this coming season as some observers figured they would be with his presence in the middle.

"Physically he was ready to go pro, but mentally he wasn't," Oliver said.

Cal State San Bernardino's bid for a national title in men's basketball has taken a huge hit as 6-foot-7 forward Brandon Brown decided to ditch his senior season and sign with a professional team in Lithuania.

That's really too bad. It sounded like coach Jeff Oliver had assembled quite a team. The Coyotes will likely still be good but that may not be enough in what is sure to be a competitive conference and fiercely competitive region.

Brown averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds and probably should have been the CCAA MVP. He had a better regular season than Cal Poly Pomona's Larry Gordon.

Earlier this summer Dante Smith, who had signed with the Coyotes, decided to stay at USC rather than transfer as planned. So Brown's leaving was a second hit.

The Coyotes do have a quality D-I transfer in Brian LeDuc who was the leading scorer at University of the Pacific. With Brown, LeDuc and Smith the Coyotes would have been unstoppable.

But now coach Oliver is left scrambling. If Brown wanted to leave that was his prerogative but it would have been nice if he had informed his coach early enough he could have come up with another game plan.

Oliver has a good track record of getting players late in the game and now he does have some scholarship money available.There are usually some players floating around. Now its up to him to find one.

Brown was much like former player Ivan Johnson who had visions of pro ball in his head even before he stepped into the gym the first time. While its good to have goals, both those players seemed a little too fixated on that more than the matter at hand which was helping their college team and getting an education.

Let's hope all parties come out winners.

Concordia University, St. Paul debuts the 2009 volleyball season as the nation's top squad according to the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, released Thursday afternoon by the organization. CSP, under head coach Brady Starkey, earned a unanimous 32 first-place votes and 800 total points after turning in a 37-1 record and capturing its second-consecutive national championship in 2008.
 
The Golden Bears enter 2009 hungry for their third-straight title. Reigning AVCA Division II National Player of the Year Maggie McNamara returns to the setter spot for her senior season and will anchor the roster along with junior middle blocker and AVCA First-Team All-American Emily Palkert. Defensive ace Mary Slinger also returns to her libero position which saw her earn AVCA Second-Team All-America accolades a year ago, as the Golden Bears welcome back nine total letterwinners to the court this season.
 
Right back in the mix of things is west coast power Cal State San Bernardino, last year's national runner-up, as they take hold of the No. 2 spot in the poll. Veteran mentor Kim Cherniss' squad, fresh off a 30-4 campaign, returns four starters and nine letterwinners for another shot at title glory. The Coyotes will be guided by senior setter Sara Hoffman, an AVCA First-Team American in 2008. Providing CSUSB an offensive spark will be senior outside hitter and Second-Team All-CCAA honoree Ashtin Hall along with junior outside hitter Jane Chafeh, who was named to last year's NCAA championship all-tournament team.
 
Emporia State University rings in 2009 as the No. 3 preseason vote-getter after rolling through last year with a 35-5 record, a MIAA championship and an appearance in the NCAA regional final. Floor general Bing Xu's Hornets will see four starters, the libero and nine letterwinners back on the court with one goal in mind. Look for junior setter, AVCA First-Team All-American Ting Liu, to lead Emporia State's offensive attack, which will be spearheaded by another returning AVCA All-American in senior outside hitter Arica Shepard (Second-Team).
 
Coming in at No. 4 on the AVCA poll is Grand Valley State University, who ended 2008 with a 33-4 record, a GLIAC championship and a trip to the NCAA Championship semifinals. Taskmaster Deanne Scanlon brings 11 letterwinners back to the court this season, including three starters and the libero. Leading the charge for the Lakers will be junior middle blocker Rebeccah Rapin, who was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection a year ago. Joining her will be senior outside hitter Whitney Tremain, the 2008 Midwest Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player and senior outside hitter Katey Crichton, an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honoree.
 
Completing the top-five is West Texas A&M University, who returns five starters and eight total letterwinners from a campaign that saw them rack up a 34-5 record, capture a Lone Star Conference championship and earn a spot in the NCAA regional semifinals. First-year head coach Jason Skoch will turn to Laura Prinsen, a senior rightside/opposite, who earned an AVCA First-Team All-America nod at the conclusion of last season, to get the offense ignited. Also back for a final go-around is a pair of senior AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans in setter Katie Rickwartz and middle blocker Melissa Harper.
 

The University of La Verne women's volleyball team is ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association 2009 Division III preseason poll released today.

Last season the Leopards finished 27-3, marching all the way to the championship match before losing in four sets to Emory (Ga.).

Emory is starting out at No. 1 with 595 points with Juniata, which lost the semfinal to La Verne last season, second with 555. La Verne tallied 550 points.

The Leopards graduated just two players but one of those was All-American Brianna Gonzales, a two-time SCIAC Player of the Year.

There will however be a major overhaul in the coaching staff as Marlon Sano has taken over from the popular Don Flora, who left for a Division I assistant job. Sano, an assistant last year at Cal State Los Angeles, also hired new assistants as both Flora's helpers left for other jobs.

The 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's and Women's Basketball Championships have been awarded to Humboldt State, conference commissioner Robert J. Hiegert announced on Wednesday.

The 16-team event will be contested March 2-6 with the semi-finals and championship games slated for the two-year old Lumberjack Arena (1,950) on the campus of Humboldt State in Arcata. The championship format calls for eight men's and women's teams to compete in first-round games at campus sites on March 2 with the winners advancing to the semifinals on March 5 in Arcata. The championship games will be played on Saturday, March 6.

"Over the years Humboldt State has received great community support and the conference membership is confident that it will be a well-attended event and serve as a revenue-maker for the conference," Hiegert said. "The idea of playing in a new facility in front of large and enthusiastic crowds will create memorable experiences for the student-athletes."

The 2010 CCAA Tournament will mark the third consecutive year that the conference has hosted a postseason tournament. Cal State San Bernardino was the host site the last two seasons.

Cal State San Bernardino is the defending men's champion while Cal State Dominguez Hills captured the women's title in 2009.


2010 CCAA Basketball Championships
Lumberjack Arena, Arcata, Calif.
March 2-6, 2010

Tentative Tournament Schedule

March 2 (Tue) - At Campus Sites


March 5 (Fri) - Arcata
Women's Semifinal No. 1 - 12:30 p.m.
Women's Semifinal No. 2 - 3:00 p.m.

Men's Semifinal No. 1 - 5:30 p.m.
Men's Semifinal No. 2 - 8:00 p.m.


March 8 (Sat) - Arcata
Women's Championship - 5:00 p.m.
Men's Championship - 7:30 p.m.

The University of Redlands men's tennis team landed on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team for boasting a cumulative team grade point average of 3.221. This award is given to any ITA member institution with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
"This is a great honor for Bulldog men's tennis," commented Head Coach Geoff Roche.  "Earning this award has become part of our tradition, dating back as far as I can remember.  I'm proud to work with such exemplary student-athletes at the University of Redlands."
 
In addition, freshman Lander Jewett (Helena, MT), junior Daniel Adachi (Honolulu, HI), junior Mike Reading (Mill Creek, WA), and senior Aron Ouye (San Diego, CA) all earned ITA Scholar-Athlete status, which is given to varsity letter-winners with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above who have completed at least two semesters of college coursework. 
 
Adachi owns a 3.507 GPA as a Liberal Studies major and played a supporting role in Redlands' 19-9 season. 
 
Equipped with a 3.886 GPA, Jewett enjoyed his rookie campaign as a reserve competitor.  He is pursuing a degree in Biology.
 
Reading looks forward to his senior year as a Religious Studies major with a 3.634 GPA.  Last season, he joined forces with sophomore Cameron Spearman (Laguna Niguel, CA) as the Bulldogs' top doubles duo, earning a 19-12 record.  In singles, Reading went 13-18, primarily at the No. 2 spot.
 
Ouye wrapped up a solid four-year career at Redlands by graduating with a 3.519 GPA as an Accounting major.  He compiled a 52-47 singles record, primarily at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.  He also garnered a record of 21-13 in doubles during his career.
 
The Redlands men's tennis team earned a solid 19-9 record during the 2009 season while competing against numerous nationally ranked teams.  The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 18th consecutive year and finished out their campaign as the No. 10 team in the country.

Brandon Raphael, who has spent more than eight years in sales management, business-to-business outside sales, marketing and business development, has been named the Director of Development for the Broncos' athletic department.

Raphael comes to CPP after serving as the Director of Sales for CD Chivas USA, a Major League Soccer franchise located in Carson. During his two seasons with the suburban Los Angeles club, he restructured the sales and service departments and helped oversee the club's increased season ticket holders and game-day revenues.

"We are looking forward to Brandon being a part of our team,'' said CPP Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brian Swanson. "His development, sales and management experience will be instrumental in helping move our program forward."

He served two separate stints with the Mandalay Sports Entertainment company, based in Los Angeles. He served as its National Sales Manager Consultant in 2007 where he worked with its three Minor League Baseball franchises.  He got his start with Mandalay in 2000 where he worked as a Senior Corporate Marketing Manager with the Las Vegas 51s, the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate from 2000-2003 and the Frisco Roughriders, the Texas Rangers' Double-A affiliate from 2003-2005.

After his time with Mandalay, he served nearly two years with the Las Vegas-based Everycontractor Inc. as its Vice President, Business Operations.

Raphael grew up in suburban St. Louis and was graduated from Maryville University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in business management.

He and his wife Kimberly are the parents of son Caden and expectant parents in September. They will reside in Upland.
 
 

Three-time defending conference champion and NCAA Division II National Runner-up Cal State San Bernardino was tabbed the coaches' pick to capture the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association title, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Coyotes, winners of three straight CCAA titles and six overall since 2001, totaled 119 points and nine first-place votes. UC San Diego, which tied for second place a year ago, finished second in the poll after collecting 106 points and three first-place votes. Cal State L.A. and Sonoma State tied for third with 92 points and Chico State rounded out the top five after receiving 81 points. All five teams advanced to postseason play in 2008.

Cal Poly Pomona (72) was picked sixth and followed by San Francisco State (55), Humboldt State (47), Cal State Monterey Bay (38), Cal State East Bay (28), Cal State Stanislaus (23) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (21).

The upcoming season marks the first campaign that Cal State East Bay will compete in the CCAA. The Pioneers will not be eligible for the conference title until 2010.

Cal State San Bernardino is coming off its finest season in program history after recording a 30-4 overall record and advancing to its first-ever national championship final. The Coyotes fell in a hard-fought five-game set to Concordia-St. Paul.

Entering her 19th season at Cal State San Bernardino, head coach Kim Cherniss is faced with the challenge of replacing three All-Americans, including CCAA Player of the Year Jessica Granados.

The 2009 campaign is slated to begin Wednesday, August 26, when UC San Diego hosts Cal Baptist. CCAA play is scheduled to begin Wednesday, September 9, when Cal State East Bay entertains UC San Diego.

 2009 CCAA Volleyball Coaches Poll

No.	School (First Place Votes)	Points	2008 Record
1.	Cal State San Bernardino (9)	119	30-4, 17-3
2.	UC San Diego (3)	106	21-7, 15-5
3.	Cal State L.A.	92	21-8, 13-7
	Sonoma State	92	23-7, 15-5
5.	Chico State	81	21-11, 13-7
6.	Cal Poly Pomona	72	20-8, 15-5
7.	San Francisco State	55	13-16, 6-14
8.	Humboldt State	47	9-18, 7-13
9.	Cal State Monterey Bay	38	8-23, 4-16
10.	Cal State East Bay	28	29-5
11.	Cal State Stanislaus	23	6-24, 3-17
12.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	21	3-25, 2-18

After taking a two-year hiatus from serving as an assistant coach for the University of Redlands baseball program, Jerry Renfro has returned to the coaching staff as the associate head coach, according to an announcement made today by Head Coach Scott Laverty.
 
As the team's associate head coach, Renfro is in charge of working with the hitters and will assist Laverty in his head coaching duties as needed.
 
Renfro coached under Laverty from 2002-07 and was a member of the staff that guided the 2006 team to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title. During his tenure at Redlands, Laverty's teams combined for a 111-88 record.
 
After the 2007 season, Renfro sustained injuries after falling from a ladder. In his two years away from the game, he has been recovering from knee replacement surgery.
 
A seasoned veteran, he has served as a baseball coach at Rio Hondo College (1973-75), Los Angeles Valley College (1975-79) and Esperanza High School (1997-2000). In addition, he dabbled in coaching softball at Rim of the World High School from 2000-01. He starred on the diamond at the University of Southern California, Rio Hondo College and Pepperdine University and garnered All-Conference laurels competing for Rio Hondo and Pepperdine.
 
"We are extremely lucky to have Coach Renfro back to work with our players," Laverty said. "His great knowledge of the game will help us continue to build on the success we have had over the past five years."
 
Renfro currently resides in Crestline with his wife, Paige, and has three grown children.

The Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team is the coaches pick to repeat as CCAA champion. Given that coach Kim Cherniss returns much from a team that was the 2008 national runner-up - it's a no-brainer.

The Coyotes did graduate one of the best offensive players in school history in Jessica Granados, as well as perhaps the best defensive player in Meghan Haas. But Cherniss always has younger players waiting their turm to emerge as the marquee player.

Cherniss is particularly high on incoming freshman Rachel Tayor as well as junior transfer Nicole Moore. Also expect a breakout year from returning junior Jane Chafeh who appears ready ti make the move from supplemental player to lead performer.

UC San Diego, which gives the Coyotes fits, again appears to be the biggest challenger.

Cal Poly Pomona is picked sixth. The Broncos graduated some key players Vanessa Williams and Jenna Young, as well as Allie Newman, one of thr most improved players in the conference a year ago.

Backup setter Cally Young had family issues and opted not to come back. Neither did defensive specialist Rafaela Rosa. So the Broncos have a lot of question marks.

The teams began official practices on Monday. They open the season Aug. 28.

California Baptist University Men's Basketball Head Coach Tim Collins has announced the final four pieces to the Lancers' 2009-10 recruiting class.
 
The final pieces include two NCAA Division I transfers in Andre Gilbert (Kansas State) and Clint Amberry (San Jose State), a junior college transfer in Justus Von Wright (L.A. Pierce College) and the return of a former Lancer (Cesar Menjivar).
 
Gilbert, a 6-7, 205-pound senior and native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., played the 2007-08 season for the Wildcats averaging 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists while being named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. He started 15 of his 27 appearances alongside eventual NBA players Michael Beasley and Bill Walker for the 21-12 Wildcats that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Gilbert's best game came in an 82-69 win over Rider in the finale of the Old Spice Classic when he scored a game-high 22 points, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, to go along with five rebounds in 28 minutes. Four nights later, he played a season-high 32 minutes and had 16 points and four rebounds in a narrow 80-77 overtime loss at home to No. 17 Oregon. He later had seven points in a win at Colorado and then started in back-to-back games against Top 10 teams Texas (No. 5) and Kansas (No. 6) near the end of the season in nationally-televised games on ESPN, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds against Texas.
 
Gilbert was one of Frank Martin's first signings when Martin replaced Bob Huggins prior to the 2007-08 season. He played in just 14 games due to a shoulder injury, averaging 7.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists at Mt. San Jacinto College in 2006-07. He played his 2005-06 freshman season at South Dakota State, averaging 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games.
 
"Andre will be one of the GSAC's premiere athletes this season," said Collins. "He is the athlete that we needed to get to replace the seniors we lost to graduation. He possesses strength, jumping ability and rebounding tenacity to go with his quickness and agility, and he is a quality defender who can also fill the lanes and get to the basket.  His experience will contribute to the growth of our young team this season."
 
A 6-10, 205-pound sophomore, Amberry played his 2007-08 freshman season at San Jose State. He played in 11 games (5.7 minutes), scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds for the 13-17 Spartans. He scored three points in 13 minutes in a win over San Diego.

Amberry prepped at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High where he earned all-state first team honors by CalHi Sports as a junior after averaging 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds. He averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, was named Sunset League Co-Most Valuable Player and was rated among the top-200 high school seniors by several national recruiting services as a 2007 senior.
 
"Clint is going to be a difficult match-up in our conference," said Collins. "He plays well in the post and has a good set of skills, and his trademark is being a good passer and playmaker. His former coaches have been impressed with his basketball IQ, which is something that is extremely important in our system. For a big man, he has good hands and a nice perimeter shot, and he is someone that we can build our program around for the next three years."
 
Von Wright, a 6-3 wing, transfers after just one season at L.A. Pierce Junior College. He played in 25 games and averaged 14.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in earning Western State Conference North Division honorable mention. Von Wright had 20 double-digit scoring games and six 20-point games, including a season-high 28 points against Los Angeles City. He also had 25 points against Santa Barbara. Von Wright prepped at Van Nuys (Calif.) High.
 
"Justus brings quickness at the defensive end of the floor and will likely earn a lot of quality minutes this year," said Collins. "He is very athletic on the offensive end and can really get to the rim. He has shown himself to be a strong leader, and we are excited about his ability and his positive attitude toward life. We feel we've recruited a fine player and a young man committed to excellence."
 
After sitting out last season, Menjivar returns to the court providing the Lancers with quality depth at point guard as he joins junior Kris Corso and junior college transfer Kelly Johnson. In two seasons at CBU, Menjivar played in 63 games, starting four, and has averaged 4.1 points and 2.0 assists in 16.4 minutes while playing in two national tournaments. He has 124 career assists against just 59 career turnovers and has shot 43 percent (40-for-93) from the 3-point line. As a 2008 sophomore, Menjivar appeared in 33 games, averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 assists in 21.3 minutes.
 
"Cesar is a campus favorite and a coach's dream," said Collins. "He is a good leader and a cerebral player, which makes him extremely valuable. Our staff is excited about his return to the court."
 
Gilbert, Amberry, Von Wright and Menjivar joins a class that already includes junior college transfers Johnson (Citrus) and Tom Schumacher (Cuesta) as well as prep standouts Luke Evans (Oceanside-El Camino HS) and Josh Barrett (Vista Murrieta HS).
 
CBU finished 22-9 overall in 2009, advancing to the GSAC Tournament Semifinals for the second straight year. The Lancers were ranked No. 5 in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll and after a 7-0 start were ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history. It was their third straight 20-win season.

Six members of the No. 19 University of Redlands men's water polo squad garnered a spot on the 2008-09 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Academic Team.  This honor is awarded to student-athletes who boast a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA while competing as one of the top 10 players at a member institution.
 
In his first year at Redlands, freshman driver Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) gained a 3.46 GPA in his first year as a Biology major. Competing in his inaugural season with the Bulldogs, Harp tallied four goals, eight assists, six steals and one ejection drawn and also earned a spot on the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Freshman Team.

With a 3.41 GPA as a Business major, junior driver Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA) lands on the All-Academic team following a productive 2008 season, which included 18 goals, 44 assists, 16 steals, 14 ejections drawn and six field blocks.

Junior utility player Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) boasts a 3.55 GPA while majoring in Business. In 2008, R. Floersch scored 14 goals while also supplying 35 assists, 27 steals, nine field blocks and a team-leading 55 ejections drawn.

His brother, junior defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA), also earns a spot on the All-Academic team by putting together a 3.49 GPA as a Business major. J. Floersch enjoyed a solid 2008 season with 10 goals, 18 assists, 14 steals, 30 ejections drawn and 11 field blocks.

Sophomore driver Tim Hendrickson (Los Altos, CA) has stockpiled a 3.46 GPA while majoring in Business. During the 2008 campaign, he scored a goal in addition to offering seven assists, 13 steals, one ejection drawn and six field blocks.

Senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) garnered a place among the academic honorees with a 3.36 GPA. This Computer Science major patrolled the goal for the Bulldogs this past season and saved 207 shots while dishing out 15 assists.
 
Earlier this year, these six student-athletes also garnered spots on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPA) All-Academic Team.

Redlands finished the 2008 season at 29-9 and compiled the most wins in the program's history. The Bulldogs held a national ranking nearly the entire season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and finished the season at No. 19.