Recently in Cal Poly Pomona Category
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team has not missed the NCAA Division II playoffs in back-to-back years since 1998-1999. But that is looming as a pretty strong possibility unless the Coyotes can regroup. Quickly!!!
The Coyotes were lambasted by Chico State on Saturday 73-58. And it wasn't even that close.
It's hard to figure out how the Coyotes could come out that flat. They started the night in a four-way tie for first place. That alone should have been enough motivation. But the Coyotes needed the game badly. They're facing the daunting task of finishing the regular season with four straight road games inlcuding back-to-back games at Humboldt and Sonoma the last weekend that are nearly impossible to sweep.
The Coyotes also don't have any quality wins to hang there hat on either. They were already 0-2 vs. Cal Poly Pomona and 0-1 vs. Humboldt. Now they're 0-2 against Chico as well.
They also had a couple of sub-par performances in nonconference play against Pac West foes Grand Canyon and Dixie State. The Dixie loss looks legit but the longer the season plays out the worse the loss to Grand Canyon seems to be. Its a far inferior conference and going 0-2 against two teams from there will not help.
The Coyotes are 2-0 against both Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. but those are two are both floundering and looking like averaget teams at best,.
So when the West Region rankings come out on Wednesday the Coyotes will be nowhere to be found. Their only chance at advancing to the postseason will be to win the CCAA Tournament. As wildly as inconsistent as this team has been, it doesn't appear capeable of putting together three straight quality wins, especially when their opponents will have the same sense of urgency.
It's disappointing because the pieces appeared to be there.
The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team swept a four-gameseries against St. Martin's to start the season. Two of the key performers in that series have earned weeklu honors.
Senior Geoff Broussard has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) baseball Pitcher of the Week while first baseman Chris Miller, also a senior, has been named Player of the Week.
Broussard, an Alta Loma High School graduate, pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out five in a 20-0 victory.
Miller, of Mission Viejo, batted .643 (9-for-14) with eight runs scored, two doubles, a triple, home run and 10 RBI, while posting a .684 on-base percentage and 1.143 slugging percentage during a four-game series sweep of visiting Saint Martin's.
Miller recorded three multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 effort in the series opener when he scored a career-high four runs, homered and drove in four runs. He also scored at least one run in all four games as the Broncos outscored the Saints 57-10 in the series.
With spring sports in full swing now, there are a lot of sporting events in the area from which to choose. Here's the rundown on what's going on locally . . .
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at College of the Desert, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Redlands, 7:30 p..m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 5 p.m.
Chaffey at Desert, 5 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
Baseball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Women's basketball
Redlands at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Caltech at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Baseball
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field), 2 p.m.
FRIDAY,
Men's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 5:30 p.m.
Baseball
Whitworth (Wash.) at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
St. Martin's (Wash.) at Cal Poly Pomona, 2 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at Azusa Pacific, 2 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley and Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Grossmont, 2 p.m.
Softball
Cal Baptist at Cal State San Bernardino (DH), noon
Redlands at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 7:30 p.m.\
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 3 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Barstow, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Whittier at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 1 p.m.
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.
Cerro Coso at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 5 p.m.
Whittier at Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Baseball
La Verne at Biola, 1 p.m.
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona (DH) 11 a.m.
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field) , 1 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley, Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Southwestern, noon.
Softball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, noon
Pomona-Pitzer at vanguard, noon.
Swimming and diving
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Redlands, 10 a.m.
Caltech at La Verne, 10 a.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 10 a.m.
SUNDAY
Baseball
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona, 11 a.m.
Chaffey at Desert Tournament
Softball
Redlands at Concordia-Irvine, 11 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona guard Mitchel Anderson has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) men's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-29.
It marks the second time this season he has been honored.
Anderson, a junior from Temecula, averaged 21 points on 68.0 percent (17-for-25) shooting and 7.0 rebounds to lead the Broncos to a pair of home wins over UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino that kept Cal Poly Pomona tied atop the CCAA standings.
During a 58-50 victory over the Tritons on Thursday, Anderson scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range and collected eight rebounds. He came back on Saturday to score 17 points, total six rebounds and three assists in a 67-54 win over Cal State San Bernardino.
Cal Poly Pomona is next in action on Friday when it travels to Chico State for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Guard Jazzi Johnson of Cal State Los Angeles is the women's player of the week.
CCAA Men's Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 7-13: Amir Carraway (Chico State)
Nov. 14-20: Reggie Jones (Cal State Stanislaus)
Nov. 21-27: Steven Pratt (Sonoma State)
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4: Roshun Wynne (Cal State East Bay)
Dec. 5-11: Reggie Jones (Cal State Stanislaus)
Dec. 12-18: Wayne Andrews (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Dec. 19-25: Nate Roth (Cal State San Bernardino)
Dec. 26 - Jan. 1: Mitchel Anderson (Cal Poly Pomona)
Jan. 2-8: Griffin Reilly (San Francisco State)
Jan. 9-15: Will Olsem (Sonoma State)
Jan. 16-22: Damario Sims (Chico State)
Jan. 23-29: Mitchel Anderson (Cal Poly Pomona).
Want to check out some of the local college sports action? Well there are a lot of contests to choose from!
MONDAY
Women's basketball
Cerro Coso at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 7 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 5 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Men's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 5:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Baseball
Westmont at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Barstow at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 3 p.m.
College of the Desert at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 7 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 7 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 1 p.m.
Desert at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Cerro Coso, 1 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occcidental, 5 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 5 p.m.
Swimming and diving
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 11 a.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Cal Lutheran, 11 a.m.
Redlands at Whittier, 11 a.m.
Here's what's happening in local college sports this week
MONDAY
Women's basketball -
San Bernardino Valley at Cerro Coso, 6 p.m.
Chapman at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Men's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
THUSRDAY
Women's basketball
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Men's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino,5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at College of the Desert, 3 p.m.;
Barstow at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.;
Victor Valley at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 5 p.m.
CCAA men's basketball teams may be just seven games into a 22-game conference schedule but it is clear that there is no one dominant team.
Cal Poly Pomona was 8-0 and 5-0 in CCAA play before being throttled by Cal State East Bay 57-54 on Thursday. That put the Broncos and local rival Cal State San Bernardino in a tie for first place. Then the Coyotes lost to Chico State in ugly fashion 63-56 on Friday.
No game is a gimme in this conference and there doesn't seem to be a team to beat. Humboldt State was the coaches pick for the top spot but the Lumberjacks are, ugh, well, lumbering. They have already lost four conference games. Not close enough to that team to know what the problem is.
As for the two locals, well the Coyotes offense seems just chaotic since point guard Nate Roth went down with a knee injury a week ago in the opening minutes against the Broncos. It is point guard by committee right now. What the best option is right now depends on the night.
Then D.J. Shumpert injured a knee midway through the second half at Chico on Friday. He tried to shake it off and go back in but had to come right back out. The extent of that injury has yet to be determined. Not what the Coyotes need!
Cal Poly Pomona was ranked No. 6 going into Thursday's game. I think that was a bit much, but likely based on reputation. The Broncos hadn't lost yet but they really hadn't been tested. Yes they beat San Bernardino but neither team played well in that one and both tried to give it away.
Dominguez seems a bit down too. LA. looks like it has talent but we say that every year about the Eagles and they never seem to live up to billing.
But look out for East Bay. The Pioneers have already beaten Humboldt and now Pomona. That's a team on the rise that can play with no pressure since all eyes seem to be focused on the traditional powers.
It's going to be survival of the fittest in this conference this year.
Cal State San Bernardino senior point guard Nate Roth has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) men's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 19-25.
The Riverside native tallied 20 points and established career-highs in assists (8), rebounds (5), free throws (8) and free throw attempts (10), while shooting 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from the field, in the Coyotes' 71-63 victory over UC San Diego on Dec. 19.
Cal State San Bernardino is next in action on Thursday when it hosts Cal Poly Pomona at 7:30 p.m.
Humboldt State junior guard Catie Richards earned weekly honors on the women's side. She scored 25 points in 29 minutes, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, recorded four rebounds, three assists and a steal during a 76-60 win over Cal State Stanislaus on Dec. 19.
CCAA Men's Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 7-13: Amir Carraway (Chico State)
Nov. 14-20: Reggie Jones (Cal State Stanislaus)
Nov. 21-27: Steven Pratt (Sonoma State)
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4: Roshun Wynne (Cal State East Bay)
Dec. 5-11: Reggie Jones (Cal State Stanislaus)
Dec. 12-18: Wayne Andrews (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Dec. 19-25: Nate Roth (Cal State San Bernardino).
CCAA Women's Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 7-13: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
Nov. 14-20: Sarah Semenero (Cal Poly Pomona);
Nov. 21-27: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4: Brandi Stephens (Cal State Monterey Bay)
Dec. 5-11: Theresa Henderson (Cal State Stanislaus)\
Dec. 12-18: Ariel Marsh (Cal Poly Pomona)
Dec. 19-25: Catie Richards (Humboldt State).
Cal Poly Pomona guard Ariel Marsh was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) women's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 12-18.
Marsh, a sophomore from Chino Hills, Calif., scored a season-high 31 points on 12-for-14 shooting, including 7-of-8 from behind the three-point arc, in 27 minutes to help the 11th-ranked Broncos post an 82-69 victory over defending NAIA national champion Azusa Pacific on Thursday,
Cal Poly Pomona will next be in action on Dec. 29 when it returns to CCAA play at Cal State San Bernardino.
Most wondered what would happen to the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team after All-everything guard Reyana Colson graduated. Well the Broncos haven't skpped a beat.
Coach Danelle Bishop's team turned in a 70-52 win over visiting Dixie State (Utah) on Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium. Wins over in-region foes loom large when rankings start coming out later in the season because they're a big factor in advancing to the postseason.
While Colson was the focal point of the Bronco attack for the previous four years, the team now has balance. It may not have one player of that caliber but it has several with potential to hit for double digits consistently.
Newcomer Ariel Marsh was the big contributor on Saturday. Marsh, who previously played at Ayala High School and Citrus College, scored 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting from the line.
Senior Sarah Semenero, whose game took off late last season, added 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Senior forward Megan Ford had an "off" game from the scoring standpoint with just eight. But she contributed in other ways - 10 rebounds and a career-high six assists.
So the Broncos are now 6-0 and looking pretty solid!
On a side note - the renovations made to the gymnasium make a huge difference. The court surface has been redone and the lighting is significantly better. Stadium-style chairback seats have replaced the outdated wooden bleachers. The improvements were long overdue. Kellogg Gymnasium no longer looks like an old high school facility.
Luis Gonzalez of the Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team has been named All-American in each of his four years as a collegiate student-athlete.
With results announced Wednesday after a vote of the region's sports information directors, Gonzalez earned a spot on the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-American Third Team.
While at Cerritos College in 2008 and 2009, Gonzalez was tabbed the Junior College National Player of the Year and reached the All-American level in both seasons. Now with Wednesday's announcement, as a Bronco he has picked up Division II All-American mention for both 2010 and 2011 to complete the four-year achievement.
As a junior at CPP in 2010, the forward from Long Beach, Calif., led the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in points with 33 and set a new conference single-game record for points with 10 in a 7-0 rout of Cal State East Bay. At the end of that season, he became just the second player in program history to receive the All-American status.
Fast forward to the recently concluded 2011 campaign and Gonzalez managed to match the spectacular output of 2010 with the same amount of points - 33. He paced the CCAA in goals with 14, raising his career total to 26. That amount puts him second all-time on the Broncos' leaderboard behind the 35 from Johnny Lima (1985-88).
Now, Gonzalez stands as the only player in program history to be named All-American in two different seasons while at CPP. Reaching All-American status in four-straight seasons, through his time at Cerritos and in Pomona, is even more remarkable.
Cal Poly Pomona senior guard Sarah Semenero was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) women's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 14-20.
Semenero,led the 19th-ranked Broncos to a pair of wins over West Regional opponents at the CCAA/GNAC Classic in Monmouth, Ore. last weekend. Semenero averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.0 rebounds as Cal Poly Pomona defeated Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon.
Semenero finished with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while also tallying nine boards, three steals and an assist in the Broncos' 62-55 win over Northwest Nazarene on Friday. She followed that effort with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals in a 69-53 victory over host Western Oregon on Saturday.
Cal Poly Pomona opens CCAA play on Wednesday when it travels to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco State at 3 p.m.
CCAA Women's Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 14-20: Sarah Semenero (Cal Poly Pomona).
Senior forward Luis Gonzalez of Cal Poly Pomona has been named the Wilson/CCAA Soccer Player of the Week for games ending Sept. 25.
The 2010 All-American scored the lone goal in Cal Poly Pomona's 1-0 win over Sonoma State and concluded the weekend with three goals, including the game-winner, in a 5-1 victory over Humboldt State.
Gonzalez played just 18 minutes Sunday in the rout of the Lumberjacks and scored three times in that short span, raising his season total of goals to a conference-best eight and his career total to 20 for a tie for fourth on the Broncos' all-time leaderboards.
This marks the second time that Gonzalez has earned the CCAA weekly honor. Last year he received selection for the week of Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 after setting a new single-match record for the conference in points with 10 against Cal State East Bay.
Cal Poly Pomona is next in action on Friday when it hosts Cal State L.A. in a battle of the South Division's top two teams.
Wilson/CCAA Men's Soccer Player of the Week
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4: Antti Arvola (Cal State L.A.)
Sept. 5-11: Trevor Hurst (Sonoma State)
Sept. 12-18: Taylor Varnadore (Sonoma State)
Sept. 19-25: Luis Gonzalez (Cal Poly Pomona).
Cal Poly Pomona senior Dwayne Fells received NCAA Division II Preseason Honorable Mention All-American honors from the Sporting News.
The 6-foot-6 forward finished the 2010-11 season with the fourth-best field goal percentage in the conference at .563. Fells started all 28 games for the Broncos, as the team went 17-11 overall and 13-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Fells paced CPP in rebounds with an average of 5.9 per game. That mark ranked 10th on the league leaderboard. The Fullerton native poured in a career-high 24 points on Jan. 8 in a narrow 64-62 road loss at Humboldt State. He grabbed nine rebounds on two different occasions, the first coming Jan. 18 against Cal State San Bernardino and the second coming Jan. 28 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
Joining fellow senior Matt Rosser, Fells is one of the two returning starters for the Broncos in 2011-12. Also expected to make key contributions is Mitchel Anderson, a junior guard who split time last season between the starting and reserve roles.
One other CCAA player received mention: Humboldt State's Randy Hunter, who previously played at Citrus College.
Sporting News NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Preseason Top 10
1. Bellarmine (KY)
2. Lincoln Memorial (TN)
3. West Liberty (WV)
4. Alabama-Huntsville
5. BYU-Hawaii
6. Benedict (SC)
7. Missouri Southern
8. Augustana (SD)
9. Metro State (CO)
10. UMass-Lowell
Sporting News Preseason All-America Team
First Team
Phillip Brown (Georgia Southwestern)
Jet Chang (BYU-Hawaii)
Braydon Hobbs (Bellarmine)
Jeremy Kendle (Bellarmine)
Josh Magette (Alabama-Huntsville)
Second Team
Marcus Goode (Benedict)
Desmond Johnson (Lincoln Memorial)
Trevin Parks (Johnson C. Smith)
Taylor Rohde (Alaska-Anchorage)
Cody Schilling (Augustana, SD)
Honorable Mention
Jason Adams (Missouri Southern)
Daniel Bailey (Queens, NC)
Stefan Bonneau (C.W. Post)
Shammel Brackett (UNC Pembroke)
Alvin Brown (USC Aiken)
Zane Campbell (Alabama-Huntsville)
Kyle Caiola (Findlay)
Xavier Collier (Benedict)
Dan Comas (Chestnut Hill)
Jarrell Douglass (Limestone)
Brent Eaton (Hillsdale)
Brent Evans (Queens, NC)
Reggie Evans (Metro State)
Dwayne Fells (Cal Poly Pomona)
Gerald Fulton (Missouri-St. Louis)
Patrick Grubbs (Pitt Johnstown)
Rob Gutierrez (St. Rose)
Ali Haidar (Michigan Tech)
Alex Hall (Drury)
Trevon Hamlet (Southern Connecticut)
Ahmad Harris (Bloomfield)
Cedric Harris (West Liberty)
Greg Hayes (Mount Olive)
Mike Hollingsworth (Wayne State, MI)
Randy Hunter (Humboldt State)
Travis Hyman (Bowie State)
Thomas Manzano (New Mexico Highlands)
Cameron McCaffrey (Augustana)
Adrian Moss (Indianapolis)
Andy Poling (Seattle Pacific)
Da'Ron Sims (West Georgia)
Ashton Smith (Indiana, PA)
Derek Staton (Mount Olive)
Isaac Thornton (Fairmont State)
Liki Turner (Francis Marion)
Odell Turner (Wingate)
Clayton Vette (Winona State)
Anthony Young (Kentucky Wesleyan)
The assignment is a five-year stint and includes chairing the NCAA West Region championship.
"I am honored for this opportunity and to be a part of Division II's March Madness,'' Hatcher said. "The West has represented itself very well over the last three seasons with each of its teams reaching the championship game and earning Final Four berths in the last four seasons.''
The committee is comprised of eight individuals who represent each of the tournament's regionals.
The 2012 Elite Eight will be played in Highland Heights, Ky., and hosted by the University of Northern Kentucky.
Hatcher replaces Northwest Nazarene Director of Athletics Rich Sanders, who fulfilled his five-year commitment this past March.
Hatcher also is a member of the NCAA Softball West Regional committee.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team moved up from third to second in the American Volleyball coaches Association Top 25 poll.
The Coyotes went 4-0 over the weekend as a tournament they hosted. The most noteable win was over No. 17 Western Washington.
Cal State jumped over Central Missouri which lost twice, one of those to No. 1 and reigning national champion Concordia St. Paul. Central Missouri lost 3-0 so it probably didn't deserve to be No. 2 anyway.
The CCAA is also represented by No. 15 UC San Diego. Cal State Los Angeles was in the receiving votes category.
The Coyotes open CCAA play this weekend with San Francisco State on Friday and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, both at Coussoulis Arena where they have won 50 straight matches.
When Tobias Jahn starts his first professional season this fall, he won't be in an unfamiliar overseas atmosphere. In fact, he'll be right at home.
A native of Germany, Jahn signed a professional contract this week with Erdgas Ehingen of the Basketball Bundesliga's second league "Pro A." The team is based out of Ehingen, a town in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg.
"Tobias has had a fantastic college career and now we want to help him get started in his professional basketball career," Ehingen head coach Ralph Junge said. "He is a guy that is difficult to get out of the gym. With this attitude, he is exactly at the right place in Ehingen."
Jahn completed his four-year career with Cal Poly Pomona in 2011 and helped the Broncos capture the 2010 NCAA Division II title with clutch performances in the March postseason push. In the Elite Eight semifinal win over Bentley, the 6-foot-9 forward scored 11 points off the bench and grabbed six rebounds in 20 minutes. Jahn collected 10 points including his second three-pointer of the season in the title game against Indiana (Pa.).
"I realized after my visit to Ehingen that this was the best place for me to develop," Jahn said. "I am looking forward to working with Ralph Junge and Felix Czerny."
Through his time with the Broncos, Jahn totaled 113 games played and 2,358 minutes. He also collected 478 rebounds to go along with a scoring average of 7.3 points per game.
Five-time defending conference champion and NCAA Division II Pacific Region Champion Cal State San Bernardino received the maximum number of votes possible and was tabbed as the conference coaches' unanimous pick to capture the 2011 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title.
The Coyotes also open the season ranked third in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II national poll.
The Coyotes, winners of five straight CCAA titles and eight overall since 2001, totaled 121 points and 11 first-place votes. UC San Diego, which tied for second a year ago, finished second in the poll after collecting 100 points and one first-place vote. Sonoma State was third with 95 points, Cal State L.A. was fourth after garnering 89 points and Cal State East Bay rounded out the top five with 84 points.
Chico State (68) was picked sixth and followed by Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State, which tied for seventh with 54 points each. Cal Poly Pomona (45) was ninth, Cal State Stanislaus (34) placed 10th, Humboldt State (17) finished 11th and Cal State Dominguez Hills (15) rounded out the poll.
Cal State San Bernardino is coming off a 28-2 overall record, including a 21-1 mark, in CCAA play. The Coyotes defeated Seattle Pacific in the Pacific Region final before seeing their season come to an end at the hands of Concordia-St. Paul in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals. It marked the third straight season that Cal State San Bernardino had its season ended by the Golden Bears.
Entering her 21st season at Cal State San Bernardino, head coach Kim Cherniss welcomes back 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Year Samantha Middleborn and All-American setter Camille Smith.
The 2011 campaign is slated to begin Thursday, September 1 with a trio of tournaments. Cal State San Bernardino will host the Coyote Labor Day Classic, while Sonoma State and UC San Diego compete in the Hawaii Tournament in Honolulu, and Humboldt State hosts the Humboldt State Tournament. CCAA play is slated to commence on Friday, September 9 with a full slate of contests.
2011 CCAA Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank - School (First Place Votes) - Points - 2010 Record
1.Cal State San Bernardino (11) 121 28-2, 21-1
2.UC San Diego (1) 100 19-9, 15-7
3.Sonoma State 95 17-10, 14-8
4.Cal State L.A. 89 16-11, 13-9
5.Cal State East Bay 84 20-7, 15-7
6.Chico State 68 14-14, 9-13
T7.Cal State Monterey Bay 54 15-10, 12-10
T7.San Francisco State 54 14-13, 11-11
9. Cal Poly Pomona 45 10-17, 8-14
10. Cal State Stanislaus 34 13-14, 10-12
11. Humboldt State 17 2-24, 2-20
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills 15 3-25, 2-20
For Reyana Colson, the dream has become a reality.
One of the most decorated players to ever wear the Green and Gold, Colson will begin her professional career in September. She recently signed a contract with KR Reykjavik of the Icelandic League.
"I was waiting all summer for the call," Colson said. "It's something that I've worked hard for and I'm excited to see where it takes me. From what I've heard, this league is a sort of stepping stone to better opportunities."
The team is based out of Reykjavik, the capital and largest city in Iceland. Last year's squad featured Chazny Morris, a former Division I star from Missouri-Kansas City. Colson's contract has her joining the team in mid-September and competing in Iceland for eight months.
"Hopefully I can stay healthy and continue playing professionally as long as possible," she said. "To be able to travel the world and play the game I love has been my ultimate goal."
In talking about her summer search in trying to land a professional contract, Colson thanked Broncos' head coach Danelle Bishop and CPP professor Dr. Renford Reese for their help. While Bishop helped her continue her basketball training and build contacts overseas, Reese assisted Colson in finding an agent and creating a player profile package with video.
"From the time that I started college at Cal Poly Pomona, I've gained a lot of confidence in myself and I've been able to crawl out of my shell," Colson said. "On the court, I learned to be a leader and also to appreciate everything that I've been given."
The 5-foot-6 guard earned NCAA Division II All-American honors in March after leading the Broncos to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2002 and through her career, she totaled 1,931 points. Her academic success was just as remarkable, as she received Academic All-American mention in 2011 as well.
The 2012 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's and Women's Basketball Championships have been awarded to UC San Diego.
The 16-team event will be contested February 28 - March 3 with the semifinals and championship games slated for RIMAC Arena (5,000) on the campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla.
The championship format calls for eight men's and eight women's teams to compete in first-round games at campus sites on February 28 with the winners advancing to the semifinals on March 2 in La Jolla. The championship games will be played on Saturday, March 3.
"Through a vote of the CCAA's Executive Council, UC San Diego was chosen as the championship site over Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino," Hiegert said. "Since the return of the CCAA Basketball Championships in 2008, the event has continued to grow and last year's tournament provided tremendous competition and dramatic finishes.
"By electing UC San Diego as the 2012 host, southern California fans, and in particular those in the San Diego area, will have an opportunity to watch outstanding Division II college basketball," Hiegert added. "UC San Diego has a tremendous athletics staff and the conference is confident that Director of Athletics Earl Edwards and his staff will put on an outstanding event in an excellent facility."\
UC San Diego will be the fourth different institution to host the tournament since 2008.
"UC San Diego is extremely pleased to serve as the host site for the CCAA basketball championships this season," Edwards said. "We are excited to showcase CCAA basketball and all it has to offer in our community and look forward to welcoming the participating student-athletes and coaches to San Diego."
Since its return in 2008, the CCAA Tournament has been held at Cal State San Bernardino (2008 and 2009), Humboldt State (2010) and Cal State East Bay (2011).
Cal State Dominguez Hills is the defending men's champion while Cal Poly Pomona captured the women's title in 2011.
Former Cal Poly Pomona baseball standout Travis Taijeron has earned New York-Penn League Player of the Week honors.
Taijeron, who led the Broncos to the NCAA Division II West Region championship game in May, plays for the New York Mets Short-A affiliate the Brooklyn Cyclones. He was an 18-th round draft selection by the Mets in June.
For the week Taijeron hit 435 (10-for-23) with two doubles, three homeruns and six RBI. After lifting a solo shot against State College last Sunday, he went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and four RBIs in Monday's 9-5 win over the Spikes. He had at least one hit in his remaining six games, including solo blasts against Connecticut on Thursday and Vermont on Sunday. The 22-year-old outfielder is tied for third in the league with seven homers and is sixth with 28 RBIs.
It's that time of year when teams are battling for survival. A whole host of local teams were in action on Friday. Oh where to start . . .
The toughest loss of the day was that by the University of Redlands softball team which lost to host Texas-Tyler in a 15-inning extravanganza. The Bulldogs were on the brink of defeat until Sarah Beeman knocked in two runs with a double in the seventh and Redlands led 5-4.
Not so fast. Tyler then scored one. On they went.
In the ninth Lizett Casillas hit a grand slam home run, 9-5 visitors lead. Home team answeres with four. On they went.
Tyler eventually won it in the 15th on a solo home run. The Bulldogs played the equivalent of two games and must somehow find the energy to play a morning elimination game on Saturday.
It wasn't good news for the other local team playing there. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps lost to Louisiana College 8-3 and are one loss from being done.
On a brighter note, the Cal State San Bernardino softball team picked up a huge win in its regional playoff opener, upending defending national champion Hawaii Pacific 3-2 in eight innings behind the pitching of senior Cassidy Lee.
In baseball, Cal Poly Pomona remained alive, turning back Sonoma State 11-4 behind the hitting machine that is Travis Taijeron. The Broncos are in the loser's bracket playing Chico State in an elimination game.
In golf Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Tain Lee finished second in the national championship tournament in Greensboro, N.C. He was ninth as a freshman and won it last year as a sophomore. That's quite a resume already.
University of Redlands was 10th, making its sixth top 10 finish in right years. University of La Verne was 15th.
Travis Taijeron of the Cal Poly Pomona baseball team was named by the College Baseball Lineup as a semifinalist for the 2011 Division II Tino Martinez Award. The honor will be presented to the most outstanding player in D-II college baseball.
The annual honor is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez.
Taijeron leads the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in homeruns with 14, which puts him 18th nationally. In leading the Broncos to the conference tournament, which will be held in Stockton, Calif., this week, the senior outfielder hit .459 in the final month of the regular season.
The San Diego native is a three-time CCAA Player of the Week and his 30 career homeruns ranks second all-time in the CPP record books.
The 47 semi-finalists for the Tino Martinez Award represent 41 different schools from across the nation. Each of the eight geographic regions are represented, with a minimum of five players selected from each area.
Five players comprise the semifinalists from the Atlantic, East and West Regions, six student-athletes make up the list from the Midwest and Central, and six players have been included from the South, South Central and Southeast.
The finalists are scheduled to be named on Thursday, May 19. The winner will be announced after the conclusion of the DII Baseball Championship held in Cary, N.C., from May 28 to June 4.
Cal Poly Pomona right-hander Erick Ruvalcaba has been named the Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 2 to May 9,
Ruvalcaba, a junior from Whittier, turned in a big-time effort in Friday's series opener against Cal State L.A. With the Broncos seeking a win to enhance their chances of earning a CCAA Tournament berth, Ruvalcaba hurled a complete-game three-hit shutout against the Golden Eagles.
In nine innings of work, Ruvalcaba walked two and struck two as he pitched the Broncos to a 6-0 victory that helped CPP earn a series split and a CCAA Tournament berth.
Cal Poly Pomona, seeded fourth in the CCAA Tournament, will face No. 1 seed UC San Diego Thursday at 3 p.m. The double-elimination tournament runs Thursday through Saturday at the University of the Pacific's Klein Family Field in Stockton.
Wilson/CCAA Pitcher of the Week
Jan. 31 - Feb. 6: Branden Petrangelo (San Francisco State);
Feb. 7-13: Daniel Simmons (UC San Diego);
Feb. 14-20: Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego);
Feb. 21-27: Scott Tully (Cal State Monterey Bay);
Feb. 28 - Mar. 6: Gabriel Asakura (Cal State L.A.);
Mar. 7-13: Nick Rodarte (Cal State L.A.);
Mar. 14-20: Aaron Appino (Cal State Monterey Bay);
Mar. 21-27: Andrew Stueve (Cal State Stanislaus);
Mar. 28 - Apr. 3: Vinny Pacchetti (Cal State Stanislaus);
Apr. 4-10: Gabriel Asakura (Cal State L.A.);
Apr. 11-17: Guido Knudson (UC San Diego);
Apr. 18-24: Aaron Brooks (Cal State San Bernardino);
Apr. 25-May 1: AJ Comaskey (San Francisco State);
May 2-9: Erick Ruvalcaba (Cal Poly Pomona).
Cal State San Bernardino outfielder David Silvas is this week's Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Player of the Week for his showing in games April 4-10.
Silvas, a junior from Moreno Valley, led the Coyotes' offense during a four-game series split at nationally-ranked Chico State. He hit .400 (6-for-15) with three runs scored, three doubles and three RBI, while recording a .600 slugging and .471 on-base percentage.
On the season he his batting .33 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 18 RBI and 19 runs scored.
Cal State San Bernardino will host local rival Cal Poly Pomona in the opener of a four-game series at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Fiscalini Field.
Junior catcher Jenzen Torres of the Cal Poly Pomona baseball team has been named NCAA Division II National Player of the Week.
The award is released through the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA). Slippery Rock sophomore left-hander Joby Lapkowicz earned the National Pitcher of the Week honor after throwing a no-hitter on Sunday.
Torres led the Broncos' offense during a series win over Cal State East Bay. In four games, he batted .462 (6-for-13) with five runs scored, four home runs and 13 runs batted in while registering a 1.365 slugging percentage and getting on base at a .588 clip.
The Valencia, native, who accounted for 18 of CPP's 42 runs scored in the series, hit safely and scored at least one run in three of the four games. In the series opener, a 19-3 win for the Broncos, Torres went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a pair of home runs and career-high six RBIs. That total of 19 scores was the highest amount in program history since 2002.
The CPP squad returns to action this weekend with a four-game road series at San Francisco State. The series opener will start at 3 p.m. Friday.
Cal Poly Pomona will hold a rally to honor the women's basketball team which advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
Festivities are scheduled for noon on Thursday in Center Court of the Bronco Student Center. It is open to the public free of charge. It will be similar to the one held last year to honor the men's team after it brought home a national championship.
Coach Danelle Bishop and the players will be introduced with a chosen few addressing the crowd.
The Broncos advanced to the national tournament last month for the first time since 2002. They were second in the CCAA in the regular season but won the conference tournament and the NCAA Division II West Regional.
Cal Poly Pomona outfielder Travis Taijeron has been named the Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Week for the week of March 6 to March 13,
It marks the second time this season he has been honored.
Taijeron, a senior from San Diego, Calif., had a productive weekend at the plate as he helped the Broncos take three out of four at Cal State Stanislaus. He posted a .417 batting average (5-for-12) with six runs scored, two home runs and three RBIs while recording a .917 slugging percentage and .529 on-base percentage.
Taijeron, who hit safely in all four games and scored a run in three of the four contests, launched a leadoff homerun in the ninth-inning Friday to lift the Broncos to a 4-3 victory on Friday.
Currently in the conference ranks for season statistics, Taijeron is first in total bases (52), first in homeruns (6), second in slugging (.684), second in runs batted in (21), fourth in walks (14) and fifth in on-base percentage (.473).
CPP has a week off before opening a four-game series at defending CCAA champion UC San Diego on March 24.
Wilson/CCAA Player of the Week
Jan. 31- Feb. 6: Travis Taijeron (Cal Poly Pomona)
Feb. 7-13: Thomas Shull (Cal State Stanislaus)
Feb. 14-20: Manny Acosta (Cal State L.A.)
Feb. 21-27: Garrett Tuck (UC San Diego)
Feb. 28-Mar. 6: Blake Tagmyer (UC San Diego)
Mar. 7-13: Travis Taijeron (Cal Poly Pomona).
Cal Poly Pomona senior guard Reyana Colson has added yet another award to her gorwing tally.
The 5-foot-6 dynamo has been named NCAA Division II West Region Player of the Year. That comes on the heels of her selection as CCAA Player of the Year last week.
The native of Compton ranks second nationally in scoring at 21.4 points per game. She is also averaging 6.4 rebounds, 4.7 assist and 2.8 steals. She is the only player at the Division II level to rank within the top 50 nationally in points, assists and steals.
Colson has collected four double-double performances to raise her career total to 20. She ranks fourth all-time in scoring at Cal Poly with 1,849 points.
Four of the five players named to the first and team and eight of 10 overall will be competing in the NCAA Division II West regional tournament at Cal Poly Pomona this week.
Second team selections included Broncos junior Megan Ford as well as Cal State San Bernardino senior point guard Eisha Sheppard.
Ford, named Most Valuable Player at last week's CCAA Tournament, is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds. She ranks seventh in the conference in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
Sheppard, a former standout at San Bernardino Valley College, is averaging 15 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Players selected to the region first team are now eligible for national honors which will be announced March 22.
The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team will host the NCAA Division II West Region tournament beginning Friday. The Broncos were No. 5 in the previous poll and moving up that many spots in the last poll is pretty much unheard of, no matter what sports we're talking about.
Rumor has it the other schools in contention for hosting rights were Grand Canyon and Cal State Monterey Bay.
I am happy the Broncos are getting that opportunity. This is an experienced team with a lot of depth that is led by the best player in the conference, and probably in the West, in Reyana Colson.
I am glad Grand Canyon did not get the nod. I have a friend of 30 years who lives 30 minutes from that school so a trip there might have been nice and I had a place to stay.
But I attended a men's basketball tournament there in December in which the Cal Poly men played. The tournament staff was in such a hurry to clear out the joint I didn't have 10 minutes to write a story. It's the only time in my professional career I have had a press table pulled out from under my laptop and the chair pulled out from under me.
I vowed to never cover and event there again.
Monterey Bay might not have been a bad choice but they lost two of three games against the Broncos, including Saturday's CCAA title game. Giving the Otters the nod ahead of the Broncos would not have been a good choice.
Hosting a regional is a big responsibility but the Cal Poly staff is up for the challenge.
Here is the tournament schedule -
Friday, March 11
12:30 p.m. - #3 Cal State Monterey Bay (26-3) vs. #6 Dixie State (24-3)
2:30 p.m. - #2 Grand Canyon (27-2) vs. #7 Seattle Pacific (20-8)
5:30 p.m. - #4 Western Washington (26-3) vs. #5 Alaska Anchorage (25-6)
7:30 p.m. - #1 Cal Poly Pomona (25-4) vs. #8 Cal State San Bernardino (21-7)
Saturday, March 12
5:00 p.m. - Semifinal No. 1
7:00 p.m. - Semifinal No. 2
Monday, March 14
7:00 p.m. - West Region Championship Game
UC Riverside assistant baseball coach Randy Betten has been named head coach at Cal Poly Pomona, becoming just the fifth in the school's 51-year history. Betten, 39, had worked for the Highlanders the last six years after also serving at both Cal Baptist and Riverside Community College but this will be his first head coaching position.
``It was an attractive position, not just because of the tradition of Cal Poly Pomona and its great academic reputation but because I grew up here,'' he said. ``I am looking forward to getting back to the roots of this community because there is a lot of talent in this area.''
Betten replaces Mike Ashman who directed the Broncos program for 15 years before stepping down in August. Last year the Broncos went 26-27 overall, including an 18-22 mark within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Broncos last made the CCAA Tournament in 2005, with the program's most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament coming in 1993.
The Broncos captured Division II national titles in 1976, 1980 and 1983.
Betten had individual meetings with each of his 31 returning players on Tuesday. The team starts practice on Thursday in preparation for its regular season opener on Feb. 3 at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Jimmy Ramos, who had served as interim head coach since Ashman's departure, will remain on staff as an assistant to Betten which should ease the transition.
``The first order of business is getting organized and familiarizing myself with the personnel we have coming back. They are all excited about getting started,'' he said. ``The first game is going to be here before we know it.''
After joining the UCR staff in September of 2004, Betten helped guide the Highlanders to the Big West Conference title in 2007 as the squad was ranked as high as 13th in the nation during the year. That championship marked the first time in 20 years that a Division I program in the UC system won its conference championship outright.
Before becoming part of the UCR program, Betten served as an assistant for Cal Baptist in 2004, when the Lancers overcame a slow start to post a 30-22 record and finished as runners-up in the Region II Tournament.
Prior to his time with the Lancers, Betten served as an assistant under Dennis Rogers at Riverside Community College (1996-2003). He was the head assistant when the Tigers won three straight California Community College state championships from 2000 to 2002.
Throughout his coaching career, Betten has had 40 position players either drafted or signed to professional contracts.
Betten played professionally for six years after being taken in the 26th round by the California Angels in the 1995 draft. He reached as high as the Triple-A level with the Angels' teams in Vancouver and Edmonton in 1998 and 1999. He began his coaching career in 2000 with the Angels Midwest League affiliate, Cedar Rapids.
Betten graduated from the now-defunct New Life Christian High School in Highland. He began his college career at RCC, earning All-American, All-Southern California and All-Orange Empire Conference honors in 1992 and 1993. He then earned a scholarship to Arizona State and was part of a team that finished third in the 1994 College World Series. In 1995, Betten earned All-Pacific 10 Conference first team honors while serving as a team captain.
Betten earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Thomas Edison State College in 1998. He also earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2002.
Betten and wife Amy and their three children live in Riverside.
Cal Poly Pomona claimed both CCAA Basketball Player of the week honors with senior guard Reyana Colson chosen the top player on the women's side and junior forward Dwayne Fells selected on the men's side.
Colson was named tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Broncos (6-0) to a 2-0 record at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge. She averaged 25.5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in leading Cal Poly Pomona to wins over Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene.
It is the second time this season she has been so honored.
Fells helped the Broncos (3-3) to a split of their games at the Grand Canyon Christmas Classic. He averaged 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2 blocks in a loss to Montana State-Billings and a win over Simon Fraser. He shot 64 percent from the field (16-for-25).
Both teams return to action on Dec. 29, hosting San Francisco State as the teams resume CCAA play.
Three players from Cal State San Bernardino and one from Cal Poly Pomona were among those named to the Division II Daktronics All-West Region Men's Soccer team.
The Coyotes (13-6-1), who won the CCAA South Division and were ranked as high as third nationally this season, were represented on the first team by sophomore goalkeeper Tanner Olinger and senior forward Obu Agwu. They also had junior defnder Brett Faggioni named to the second team.
Olinger recorded a goals-against average of 0.62, highlighted by nine shutouts. Five of those came consecutively near the end of the regular season.
Agwu, a graduate of Alta Loma High School, led the team in scoring with 12 goals and three assists. He was tied for first in the CCAA in goals and second in points.
Faggioni was an anchor in the defense that helped pitch nine shutouts.
The lone representative for the Broncos (10-7-1) is junior Luis Gonzalez who was named to the second team.
The transfer from Cerritos College led the CCAA in points (33) and tied for first in goals 12. He also broke a conference record with a 10-point game against Cal State Monterey Bay that included four goals and two assists.
Focused on turning the page and accomplishing new goals during the 2010-11 year, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team will join the university community in Kellogg Gym Wednesday to reflect on the magical playoff run in March that ended in the program's first NCAA Division II title.
The Broncos begin their new campaign with a 7:30 p.m. home contest Wednesday against Pacifica. CPP traveled to Durham, N.C., and challenged Duke on Nov. 4, as the Broncos held the Blue Devils to a six-point lead at halftime before falling 81-60.
Last year, CPP went 1-1 during non-conference games before the conference schedule started up. This year, the matchup against Pacifica will be the Broncos' final tuneup before California Collegiate Athletic Association play begins with a Dec. 3 road game at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Greg Kamansky begins his 11th year as CPP head coach and heading into the new season, the Broncos return a balanced offense with their typical energetic defense. Against Duke earlier this month, three CPP players scored in double figures: Tobias Jahn, Dwayne Fells and Matt Rosser.
Donnelle Booker, who was named a preseason Honorable Mention All-American by the Sporting News in September, helped the Broncos limit the Blue Devils' offense as the senior finished with seven points, six rebounds and three blocks.
The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team made its home debut on Sunday and had no trouble cruising past Dominican 80-55 at Kellogg Gymnasium.
It was really never a game. The visitors led 14-10 nine minutes in but the Boncos dominated after that. The Penguins has 29 turnovers. You're not going to win many games when you can't handle the ball.
The star was senior forward La'Kenya Simon-West who netted a career-high 22 points with six rebounds, and three steals. Simon-West came off the bench last year and was used primarily as a three-point specialist.
Reyana Colson and Megan Ford added 16 points each. Colson had hre normal solid all-around game with five rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The Dominican team also included a local in Don Lugo graduate Kayla Valentine, a freshman guard, who had six points.
The Cal Poly Pomona cross country teams will host the 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships this weekend at Whittier Narrows Regional Park.
In the 2009 conference championships on the men's side, the Broncos finished second to Chico State. The Wildcats enter this year's meet as the favorite once again, with CSUC holding the top spot in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCA) West Region rankings.
"It's going to take a championship attitude and a championship race from our team," CPP head coach Troy Johnson said. "We've prepared the best we can. The rankings don't matter at this point, it's all about what happens Saturday."
The Broncos will look to carry over their momentum from last month into November, after CPP took first at the UC San Diego Triton Classic while topping CCAA rival UCSD by five points. Leading the Broncos in that race was senior Matthew Prentice, who put together CPP's top time in that event for the second-straight year.
This Saturday's men's race will start at 9 a.m., while the women's event begins at 10 a.m.
Scouting the Field
Aside from Chico State holding the top spot in the latest USTFCCCA regional poll, four other CCAA squads are featured in the rankings. The Broncos are ranked No. 6, the Tritons of UCSD are at No. 7, Humboldt State stands at No. 8 and San Francisco State holds the final No. 10 spot. The Wildcats' top returner is senior Brett Handa, who finished second in last year's championships behind teammate Jimmy Elam. UCSD's top runner is Jesse Morrill and in the Triton Classic about a month ago, he placed just ahead of Prentice.
Past Postseasons
After a second-place finish in the 2009 CCAA Championships, the Broncos went on to compete at the NCAA Division II West Regionals held at San Francisco State. There, CPP took fifth with 129 points, as CSUC finished first with 42 points. This season, the D-II regional event will be held at Lake Padden Park in Bellingham, Wash., with Western Washington hosting. The last NCAA Championships appearance for the CPP men's cross country team came in 2006, when the Broncos finished 17th overall.
About the Course
Whittier Narrows Regional Park is the site of both this weekend's meet and the CCAA Championships. The park holds Legg Lake, which is circled by the runners as part of the 8,000-meter men's course. If using a map service online, the address of 600 Santa Anita Ave., Whittier, CA, is approximately the parking lot that is set up for race visitors.
For the Cal Poly Pomona fans unable to make the cross-country trip to Durham, N.C., for Thursday's exhibition game, there will be a couple of different ways to follow the action between the Division II champion Broncos and the Division I champion Blue Devils.
If you're close enough to campus, the live video feed will be played in the Center Court area of the Bronco Student Center. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. on Thursday.
If you want to watch the game in the comfort of your own home, go online to GoDuke.com and sign up for their Inside Access package, which will give you the live webcast on your computer for a $10 fee.
Thursday's exhibition game at Cameron Indoor Stadium pits, based on the preseason poll, the best of Division I against the best of Division II. Duke amassed a 35-5 record en route to capturing the D-I title with a 61-59 win over Butler in Indianapolis, Ind.
Cal Poly Pomona closed the 2009-10 conference slate on a 13-0 tear and despite suffering a loss in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, rebounded to win its next six games and capped off that run with a 65-53 victory over Indiana (Pa.) to secure the D-II national championship.
The Broncos ended the historic year with an overall record of 28-6, marking the highest win total for the program.
Entering the 2010-11 campaign, Duke earned the No. 1 spot in the USA Today/ESPN preseason coaches poll and CPP is ranked first in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll.
Directions to the Bronco Student Center
The campus has easy access from 10 and 57 Freeways.
The Bronco Student Center (BSC) is a short walk from the Parking Booth located in the main parking lots C & D. Please inquire at the Visitor Information/Parking Booth how to get to the BSC.
From 10 San Bernardino Freeway
1. Exit: Kellogg Drive
2. Coming East, turn right at the end of the exit ramp.
3. Coming West, turn left at the end of the exit ramp.
4. Continue on Kellogg Drive past University Drive and Red Gum Lane until you get to the parking booth and park as directed by the attendant at thebooth.
Campus Parking is $5
From 57 Orange Freeway
1. Exit: Temple Ave.
2. Coming North, turn left at the top of the exit ramp.
3. Coming South, turn right at the end of the exit ramp.
4. Continue on Temple Ave. going over railroad tracks, past Valley Blvd.
5. Turn right at South Campus Drive signal.
6. Turn left at Kellogg Drive signal.
7. Continue until you get to the parking booth and park as directed by the attendant at the booth.
Campus Parking is $5
Fresh off its two CCAA road victories last week, the Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team was selected fourth in this week's AVCA Division II Coaches poll.
The Coyotes, who are 9-1 overall and atop the CCAA at 6-0, are at home this week beginning Wednesday night against Cal Poly Pomona. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena.
The Coyotes moved up one spot from fifth to fourth this week. Minnesota Duluth moves into the top sport, followed by Wayne (Neb.) State and Southwest Minnesota State. All three schools are members of the Northern Sun Conference.
The University of Tampa (Fla.) fell from first to fifth after a loss to unranked Rollins (Fla.).
It has been a wacky season already when it comes to volleyball in the CCAA. And the season has barely started. Cal State San Bernardino (7-1, 4-0) sits on top. That is to be expected. It is what has happened with the other teams that has to be a bit puzzling.
Let's start with UC San Diego. The Tritons are the Coyotes' long-time rival. They are the team the Coyotes have to beat in the conference and in the West Region. Like Cal State, San Diego seems to have a permanent spot among the top handful of teams in the nation. But the Tritons are just 5-4 overall and 2-3 in CCAA play. The losses are to Cal State East Bay, Monterey Bay and San Francisco State - all middle tier teams last year. They haven't even played San Bernardino, Cal State Los Angeles or Chico State yet.
San Diego did have a coaching change. Maybe the athletes have not adjusted to a new system or a new coaching style. It doesn't play the Coyotes till the next to last game of the first round so my guess is they should have their act together by then.
Then there is East Bay(8-2, 3-2) which is only a year into it's move from Division III to Division II. The Pioneers played an easy nonconference schedule so the jury was still out. Then they beat the Tritons, giving that early run some legitimacy. But then they lost their next match to up-and-coming San Francisco.
Then there is Cal Poly Pomona (3-5, 1-3). The Broncos have had some very good years. Even in harder times, they have been competitive. Then Friday they go out and lose to lowly Cal State Dominguez Hills. To put that in perspective, Dominguez is 1-8 this year, the only win coming over Cal Poly. The Toros were 2-27 overall last season. In the last five years they are 19-117 overall and 11-87 in CCAA play.
That gives new meaning to the words "bad loss.''
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's volleyball play begins this weekend with all 12 teams opening conference play on Friday.
The weekend is highlighted by four-time defending CCAA champion Cal State San Bernardino (3-1) hosting Cal State Monterey Bay (3-0) and San Francisco State (3-2) on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Coussoulis Arena. Both contests begin at 7 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona (2-2) will play the same teams at Darlene May Gymnasium in the reverse order with San Francisco State first.
Led by No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino, three CCAA teams are currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Top 25 Poll. UC San Diego is ranked No. 11 and Cal State L.A. is No. 21.
Friday's matches
CSU Monterey Bay at CSU San Bernardino; 7 p.m.
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona; 7 p.m.
Cal State Stanislaus at CSU Dominguez Hills; 7 p.m.
Sonoma State at Cal State East Bay; 7 p.m.
Humboldt State at UC San Diego; 7 p.m.
Chico State at Cal State L.A.; 7 p.m.
Saturday's matches
San Francisco State at CSU San Bernardino; 7 p.m.
Cal State Stanislaus at Cal State L.A.; 7 p.m.
Chico State at Cal State Dominguez Hills; 7 p.m.
Humboldt State at Cal State East Bay; 7 p.m.
Sonoma State at UC San Diego; 7 p.m.
Cal State Monterey Bay at Cal Poly Pomona; 7 p.m.
The Broncos, who won their first national championship crown last season, finished the 2010 season 28-6 overall and established 20 school records in the process. They defeated Indiana, Pa., in the title game played in Springfield, Mass. -- the birthplace of the sport -- and became the first unranked team to win the championship since North Alabama in 1979.
TSN ranks Findlay, the 2009 national champion, as its top 10. The following (in order) are: Bellarmine, Grand Valley State, Arkansas Tech, Broncos, Indiana, Pa., Seattle Pacific, West Liberty, Winona State and Bentley.
Senior forward Donnelle Booker was named a preseason Honorable Mention All-American. The San Bernardino native is on course to become the school's all-time leading shot blocker, needing 26 blocks to break Terrel Davis' record of 134.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team will indeed be the David and get to square off against the Goliath when it comes to the sport.
The defending NCAA Division II champion Broncos have a deal to play an exhibition game on Nov. 4 against the reigning Division I champion Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham
``It is crazy to even think about,'' added Broncos senior Donnelle Booker. ``That's the school everyone thinks of when it comes to basketball. I'm sure no one knows about us outside of this area.''
Cal Poly coach Greg Kamansky, beginning his 11th year heading the program, said a representative from Duke first approached him about the game about a month after the basketball season ended. He was not totally surprised because Duke started its 2009 season against Findlay (Ohio), then the reigning Division II champion.
The Broncos have played some exhibition games against major Division I schools in the past. The most notable one came in 2006 when the Broncos opened against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion and lost 73-43.
``We don't have any misguided notions about this,'' Kamansky said. ``We're not putting in a game plan for them and they aren't worried about us. It's all about us doing what we need to do to prepare for our first regular season game.''
Duke will be footing the bill for the trip, everything from plane fare to lodging accommodations. The team will be leaving on a Tuesday, practicing in the venue on Wednesday and playing the game on a Thursday, then return to Southern California on Friday.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps has been awarded the right to host the 2011 California-Nevada Collegiate Track and Field Championships in the spring.
The prestigious meet for four-year colleges and universities in the two states has a history dating back to 1994. The meet, which will be held March 26-27, has been hosted by UCLA the past two years.
CMS will be the first Division III host for the championship in its 18-year history. The championship is the only meet held in either state which offers scored competition between all three NCAA Divisions as well as NAIA schools.
"It's a great opportunity to showcase our school and our facility," said former coach John Goldhammer, who was instrumental in bringing the meet to Claremont. "There hasn't been a lot of confidence in Division III schools when it comes to hosting this type of event so we're honored to be given the chance."
The bidding process came down to CMS and Division II power UC San Diego with CMS winning a vote of member coaches by a wide margin.
"We have bid for it before," Goldhammer said. "Maybe we just wore them down and they gave in. But we're looking forward to putting on a nice event."
The will not be more representation from the local schools just because it will be held near by though. To make the field athletes must be ranked in the top 27 in the field events or top 36 for track event.
The 2010 team champions were UCLA for the men and Cal State Northridge for the women.
Cal Poly Pomona is looking for a new baseball coach.
After 15 years directing the Bronocs Mike Ashman is calling it quits effective Oct. 1. The school plans to name an interim coach for the 2011 season.
Ashman cited the desire to spend more time with family as well as a new baseball-related business endeavor.
"It's just one of those jobs that never goes away, even when you go home," he said. "You're always worried about who you have to call, who you need to recruit, do you need to get a kid's transcripts, what are you doing to fundraise."
Ashman said he began thinking about resigning midway through last season, one in which they team sustained a myriad of injuries and finised 26-27 overall and sixth in the CCAA at 18-22.
He had planned on stepping down after the 2011 season but got a position of Director of Baseball at EM Speed and Power Training at its new facility in Rancho Cucamonga which needed his attention sooner. EM is a non-profit business that trains athletes in speed, strength, agility and specific sports training.
"It was a great opportunity to stay involved with baseball," he said. "After meeting with the people there we decided it was in both of our interest to start as soon as possible."
Ashman completes his Cal Poly career with a 358-419-4 overall record. His teams posted seven winning seasons and nine seasons of 25 wins or more.
Cal Poly Pomona's Jennnifer Chow has been named the Penn/CCAA Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the week of April 5-11.
Chow, a junior from Diamond Bar,won the deciding match, defeating Valerie Tang at No. 3 singles, 2-6, 6-0, 6-4, as the Broncos snapped UC San Diego's 65-match CCAA winning streak with a 6-3 victory on April 7.
Chow also earned a singles victory at No. 2 in Saturday's 6-3 win over Cal State San Bernardino and teamed with Jackie Trendt to record a win at No. 1 doubles.
She has an overall record of 11-4. She is 12-5 in doubles with Trendt.
The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team polished off local rival Cal Poly Pomona 6-0 on Friday at Scolinos Field. The playoff picture is starting to look quite nice for Coach Don Parnell's Coyotes (20-12, 19-11).
Cal State has 10 CCAA games left and they will ALL be at home. And they're all against teams under .500. So the Coyotes probably won't just make the four-team field for the CCAA Tournament. They have a good shot at third and a decent shot at second place. They need to come out of the four hole so they don't have to play San Diego in the first game.
Friday it was senior pitcher Brandon Cunniff with a masterful complete game shuout of the Broncos. He gave up just five hits, all of them singles. That performance could land him CCAA Pitcher of the week honors, an accolade teammate Daniel Stenavich earned last week.
The Coyotes are nice, fun bunch to watch. I'm particularly impressed with freshman leadoff hitter and centerfielder Ethan Chapman. He is a product of Upland Christian School. It's hard to predict how players from such a small school are going to pan out on a bigger stage. They don't play enough against quality competition.
Chapman has 10 homers, surprising pop from a small guy. He also had 14 doubles and never stops hustling.
The Coyotes will play a doubleheader against Cal Poly at Fiscalini Field on Saturday. The first pitch is set for 11 a.m. It's a team well worth watching!
Cal Poly Pomona held a pep rally to honor its men's basketball team which brought home a national championship a few days ago.
It was a festive 45-minute affair., The pep band played, the cheerleaders were on hand and the Quad was adorned with green and gold balloons. Each player was introduced, as were the coaches. The athletes soaked up the atmosphere. All had a good time but no one enjoyed the moment more than junior Donnelle Booker.
Seniors Dahir Nasser and Austin Swift were the last introduced and they were the players who addressed the crowd.. Swift appeared the most emotional, on the verge of tears a couple if times. Perhaps it was the realization his collegiate career was over and couldn't have ended in a better way.
The mayor was on hand. Do politicians ever miss a chance to schmooze! It's almost annoying. Yes the city is proud of the team but this is a mayor who likely has not been to a game. Now he wants to be there to pat the boys on the back. If he had been to a game or knew anything about the team he wouldn't have referred to coach Greg Kaminksy (as opposed to Kamansky).
And he referred to athletic director Greg Swanson. (It's Brian Swanson).
But it was nice that the players had their day and were able enjoy the adoration of the student body.
Eight out of 10 players should return. So now the have to be up to the challenge of defending the title. I don't think that will be a problem though!
The party hasn't ended yet for the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team which capped off the best season in school history with its first NCAA Division II national championship.
The school will be holding a "Welcome Home" celebration to honor the team at noon on Tuesday in the school's quad near the heart of campus. It is open to the public. National championship T-shirts will be on sale for $15.
The Broncos, coached by Greg Kamansky defeated No. 2 Indiana, (Penn.) 65-53 in the nationally-televised championship game on Saturday and returned on Sunday - a tired but happy bunch.
The 28-6 record is the best in school history. The Broncos also finished as the NCAA's top scoring defense at 56.2 points a game and ranked among the top 10 in field goal percentage at 50.4 percent.
One television station was on campus today and at least one more is expected tomorrow.
For a year the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team had to live with the heartbreak that comes with losing a national championship game in the most dramatic way possible. But the Broncos now have happier memories.
Coach Greg Kamansky's team was in control from start to finish and defeated Indiana (Penn,) 65-53 in the NCAA Divison II national championship game in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday morning. It was the first title in men's basketball but the 14th for the school, the most being five in women's basketball.
Last year the Broncos suffered a 56-53 loss to unbeaten Findlay (Ohio) on a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime. But they took no chances and led wire to wire this time. The Broncos were up by 14 in the first half and 17 in the second. The Crimson Hawks didn't get closer than eight and that was in the last minute of the game, That's total control.
Austin Swift was named tournament MVP. That was a no-brainer with the way he played in the post-season. He had 12 points and six rebounds in the title tilt. But as usual the Broncos got contributions from everyone. Dahir Nasser also played a steady, heady game and was named to the All-Tournament team
Donnelle Booker and Tobias Jahn chipped in with 13 and 10 respectively. Jahn was MIA much of the year with injuries but he showed up big time when the Broncos most needed him.
The team will return home on Sunday with their Southwest flight due in at LAX around noon.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team will play for a national championship for the second straight year.
The Broncos advanced to Saturday's nationally televised title tilt with a 71-63 win over Bentley (Mass.) in an NCAA Division II semifinal on Thursday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
It was just a year ago that the eluisive national championship slipped away when the underdog Broncos lost to undefeated Findlay (Ohio) 56-53 on a 3-pointer in overtime by a guy that didn't score any other points in the game.
The Broncos will play Indiana (Penn.) which defeated St. Cloud State (Minn.) 76-70 in the other semifinal.
The Broncos played with poise down the stretch like they have done all season. It was Bentley that got the yipps, missing free throws and no fewer than five point blank layups in the last few minutes.
Austin Swift led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Dahir Nasser and Tobias Jahn had 11 while Mitchel Anderson chipped in with 10. Donnelle Booker snagged a team-high eight rebounds.
The Broncos finished with a 34-26 advantage on the boards. They outscored the Falcons in the paint 30-14 and had a 23-10 in points off the bench.
It was a workman-like effort.
One more to go and redemption will be theirs.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team will leave for Springfield, Mass. on Saturday morning. The NCAA normally flies teams out on Sunday but it had difficulty getting flights and connections for the Broncos so they'll be leaving a day early.
The Broncos' Elite Eight opponent on Wednesday will be St. Joseph's College of Indiana. The Broncos (25-6) like to play up the underdog role but the Pumas will be the underdog here.
St. Joseph's (20-11) won the Midwest Region as the eighth seed, meaning it had to beat the No. 1 and host team on its home floor in the quarterfinal. They won a semifinal in overtime and the regional final in triple overtime.
It will be the 11th Elite Eight appearance for St. Joseph's and the fourth in eight years for the Broncos. The Pumas wee last at the elite Eight in 2007 while the Broncos made it to the championship game last season, only to lose to Findlay (Ohio) in overtime.
The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos are headed to Springfield once again!
The Broncos earned their fourth Elite Eight appearance in the last eight years wtih a 78-75 win over Brigham Young-Hawaii in the West Region final on Monday at Western Washington University. The Broncos are now 8-0 at WWU over the course of three regional tournaments there. Pretty amazing!
It makes 18 wins in the last 19 games for Coach Greg Kamansky's team.
The Broncos came out hot in the first half and hit a bunch of 3's. Mark Rutledge had three in a 17-3 run that boosted the Broncos to a 26-14 lead. BYU never adjusted and the Broncos kept firing bombs.They hit 10-of-18 tries with Donnelle Booker also hitting three and he had just six all season coming in.
CPP beat BYU in the regional final last year at Hawaii so one would think they might be a little fired up. But the Seasiders looked flat, especially early. Their effort was disjointed and they didn't really seem invested in the game.Hard to believe given the importance of the game.
Cal Poly was the better prepared and better coached team. Spectators and tournament personnel were all impressed with the Broncos poise and the way they executed their games plans against what seemed like more talented teams.
Austin Swift had another 19 points, giving him 59 in the three tournament games. He also had eight rebounds and six assists. He was the easy choice as tournament MVP. Dwyane Fells and Booker also made the all-tournament team. Booker has taken his game to another in the last six weeks.
The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos aren't intimidated by anyone. That is showing as the Broncos are leading Brigham Young-Hawaii 36-25 at the half in the NCAA Division II West Regional title game at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.
The Broncos have never been that great a perimeter shooting team but that has been big early as Cal Poly is 7-for-12 from long distance. It made five 3-point tries in a row in one stretch with Mark Rutledge coming off the bench and making three in a row, the last of which staked the Broncos to a 26-14 lead.
Donnelle Booker leads the Broncos with xx points. He went down hard with 2:20 left in the first half when he charged the bucket and collided with a defender. He has been suffering from back spasms the last few days. That sure didn't help.
Rutledge has nine points and Dwayne Fells has seven as the Broncos are shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
BYU, which has players on its roster from five different countries, has gotten nine from Virgil Buensuceso. The Seasiders supposed all-world performer Lucas Alves has just four.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball had the day off and the Broncos needed it to recharge after a draining 76-75 overtime win against Western Washington University in the NCAA Division II West Region semifinal on Saturday..
The Broncos (24-6) will be playing Brigham Young Hawall (22-5) at 7 p.m. on Monday for the right to move on the Elite Eight..
Neither team used its shoot-around time on Sunday. Broncos coach Greg Kamansky thought his team would be better off getting some rest and BYU doesn't ever practice or play on Sundays for religious reasons.
The day off should help the Broncos, more than the Seasiders. BYU has some depth but Kamansky played just eight players in the overtime game. He used nine in the quarterfinal but one of those played just a minute.
It was a good day to stay inside anyway. It wasn't all that cold, but there was a steady rain much of the day. When doesn't rain in Washington? It might get up to 60 today. That's pretty mild for a March day in Washington.
One more note, ran into Ira Graham after the game on Saturday. He is the former Fontana High School standout who had a stellar career playing at Western Washington. He has used all his eligibility but is finishing up school. He says he is headed to China this week to play professional ball and will be the same league with another local - Sheldon Pace..
The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos found a way again. Nothing surprises me about this team any more. The Broncos beat Western Washington 76-75 in overtime in West Region semifinal play.
The winning bucket came fron Dwayne Fells, off a pass from Dahir Nasser with a second left.
Austin Swift was huge with 22 points. That follows an 18-point performnance the previous night in the quarterfinals. He had two baskets in the closing minute of regulation, including a huge 3-pointer.
Swift has emerged as the leader of thit team, the same way Larry Gordon was the on-court leader in the magical run a year ago.
Now the focus will be on BYU-Hawaii. The Seasiders likely can't wait to get their hands on the Broncos since they are the team that ended their run last year.
Game time Monday is 7 p.m. Judging the way BYU--Hawaii disposed of Cal State San Bernardino, it should be a great game.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team is trailing Brigham Young Hawaii at the half 39-22 in the West Region semifinal at Western Washington.
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky took one look at the officials before the game even started and said the Coyotes were in big trouble. He wasn't wrong.
Cal State has been called for 13 fouls while BYU has eight. Cal State has been called for five charges alone. Forget the fact that the BYU point guard is charging every time he touches the ball.
All Cal State's big men have two fouls. Point guard Corey Caston has two.
The Coyotes have 15 turnovers and they're shooting 30.8 percent.
It looks like it will be up the the Broncos to represent!
Leave it to Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball coach Jeff Oliver to provide the comic moment of the first day of play at the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament at Western Washington University.
Remember Oliver has been an outspoken critic of the conference since Day 1. He never resists a chance to tell anyone - media or otherwise - exactly what he thinks.
So Oliver is in the postgame press conference after his team beat Humboldt State 75-66 in the fourth meeting of the season between the two conference foes. He is sitting at a table in front along with players Corey Caston, Aaron Hill and David Jefferson.
Someone brings up the fact that the Coyotes are playing well and have some momentum.
Oliver then says "I'd like to thank the conference for having a tournament," looking directly at conference commissioner Robert Hiegert who was standing in the back of the room.
Everyone in the room laughed, all apparently knowing the back story.
Oliver looked at Hiegert and said, ``Sorry, I couldn't resist"
Everyone laughed again. Oliver's face was bright red, not sure if it was from laughing or because his team was 10 minutes removed from court. We all know he gets pretty worked up!
There was nothing surprising about the outcomes on the first day. All went pretty much as planned. So the semifinals should both be outstanding.
It's Brigham Young-Hawaii vs. Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona vs. Western Washington.
The first game will pit two outstanding point guards - Caston and BYU's Virgil Buensuceso. Hopefully neither will get in foul trouble defending the other and we can watch them go at it all night.
BYU is the team no one wanted to play. The Seasiders had some losses early but many were because of some injuries or they would have been seeded higher, They are certainly not a sixrth seed. The Seasiders are very good and might have the best player in the tournament in Lucas Alves. But they haven't seen a team that plays defense like the Coyotes.
BYU, no doubt, wants Pomona. It lost to the Broncos in the regional final on its own home floor last year. That has not been forgotten!
Dixie State was no match for the experienced Broncos. Western Washington will give the Broncos a test and they''ll have the home court advantage. The place was jammed pack for the Vikings win over Central Washington. Broncos coach Greg Kamansky likes to play the underdog card. He was doing that after his team's win over Dixie State. Whatever works!
I think it at least one local team will make it to Monday's championship game. At the moment I'm not sure which one. But it wouldn't surprise me if both did - giving us a Coyotes vs. Broncos No. 4.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team did what was expected and turned in a 71-62 win over Dixie State (Urtah) in West Regional quarterfinal play at Western Washington University on Friday.And the game really wasn't that close.
The Broncos (23-6) got 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists from senior Austin Swift. Mitchell Anderson and Dahir Nasser had 11 and 10 respectively. Cal Ploy shot 51 percent (26-for-51) from the field but still were not good from the free-throw line - 13 of 22.
Dixie had never appeared in the playoffs and it showed as it struggled early., Cal Poly didn't play great early but the Broncos stayed poised and pulled away as the game went on.
The Broncos advance to play the winner of the game going on now between Central Washington and host Western Washington.
It's a busy day on the local college basketballl front as four teams continue their quest for titles today.
The majority of the action will be going on in the Great Northwest as the Cal Poly Pomona women are at Seattle Pacific to take on Alaska Anchorage in the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament. That game will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
If I had to pick a team it would have to be Anchorage. The Seawolves went to the Final Four the last two years while the Broncos have a roster full of players that have never been to the playoffs. Its a game between the fourth and fifth seeds which is usually a tossup so I hope I'm wrong.
Meanwhile the Cal Poly men and Cal State San Bernardino men are about a 90 mile drive away at Western Washington University for the men's regional. The Coyotes will play CCAA foe Humboldt State (again) at 2:30 p.m. while the Broincos will follow against Dixie State (Utah).
As far as Cal State-Humboldt . . . have to go with the Coyotes who have beaten them two of three meetings this season and, for the most part, have won all the big games against the Jacks, And it's on a neutral court, another reason to favor the Yotes.
Take the Broncos all the way. Dixie is the team most in the tournamenr wanted. Never been to the playoffs,m out of a weak conference, the list of reasons goes on and on. The Broncos are seasoned and playing well. No reason to think they won't win that one.
Closer to home, the San Bernardino Valley College men play Foothill in the community college state quarterfinal at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks at 5 p.m. The Wolverines have won 20 straight games. Make it 21 after today!
The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team is back in the playoffs after a four-year absence.
The Broncos have drawn the No, 5 seed for the Division II West Region tournament which begins on Friday at Seattle Pacific University. The quarterfinal foe for the Broncos will be No. 4 seed Alaska-Anchorage.
The Broncos were the CCAA runner-up, with UC San Diego finishing first. Cal Poly lost in the semifinals of last week's CCCAA Tournament to Chico State, a team it had beaten twice. That likely had more to do with a brutal travel schedule than anything else.
A game between a 4 and a 5 seed is usually a toss-up The Broncos have the talent to win the event but their key players need to get right. Junior guard Reyana Colson is a marvelously talented player but she took a beating over the course of the year and hasn't been her typical self the last few games.
They also have senior forward Stephisha Walton who can score and rebound with the best of them. Sophomore forward Megan Ford continues to get better. Cal Poly also has some solid role players who get the job done with little fanfare.
This is a huge stepping stone for a storied program about a decade removed from its glory days.If coach Scott Davis has his way, it will be back there with the elite teams soon!
The Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes won the rubber match between neighborhood rivals, beating Cal Poly Pomona 58-52 in the CCAA Tournament final at Humboldt State. Both teams looked like teams playing three games in as many nights. Throw in a brutal travel schedule and it isn't surprising both teams were not at their best.
The game was Cal Poly's for the taking. The Broncos were up 52-46 with3:26 left. Tournament MVP Bryan Le Duc made two free throws, then came a Cal Poly turnover, then a 3-pointer by Aaron Hill. now it's 52-51.
Then another turnover (Kind of sounds like the last minute of the SBVC game) . The Coyotes miss a free throw but Devon Davis gets the putback and its 53-52 Coyotes. LeDuc hit a 3-pointer late to put it away.
Now they will wait to see where theyt are going for the regional and what the pairings will be. Knowing both coaches, I have to think they would rather not play each other for a fourth time. Typically teams in the same conference would rather play someone else first.
Sounds like the folks at Humboldt State did a great job hosting the event, That is not surprising. But the attendance for the men's final was just 290. Really! The fans at Humboldt are the first to pound their chest and talk about what great fans they are. Yes they sell out at home, What else is there to do in Arcata? But it's a little surprising more didn't turn out for the final game - even if it were to boo public enemny No. 1 and public enemy No. 2.
Attendance for the women's game, which preceded the men's and did include the host school, was about 900. So no one stuck around.
Hopefully both teams can overcome the rigorous schedule and put in good showings at the West Regional. Pairings are usually announced on Sunday but are being delayed because some Pac West teams have makeup games on Monday night. That is a result of games being postponned because of the threat of a Tsunami a week ago.
Well the CCAA braintrust may have decided to ship the conference tournament all the way north to thriving metropolis of Arcata but that doesn't mean Southern California teams still aren't the cream of the crop.
The championship game on the men's side will be an All-Inland Empire affair as top seed Cal Poly Pomona square off against local rival Cal State San Bernardino, which was seeded third. Game time is 7:30 p.m. If you want to view the game go to the CCAA website (GoCCAA.org) and follow the links. The quality of the broadcast is pretty good.
The game will also be aired on KCAA-AM (1050) which carries all Coyote games.
The Coyotes advanced with a hard-fought 64-55 win over the host Lumberjacks. It is a tough place to play for sure but the Coyotes seem to have the Lumberjacks number, winning 11 of 15 meetings. Losing the last time they were there sure had to be some incentive. Junior point guard Corey Caston was nothing short of spectacular, knocking down all the big shots.
Meanwhile the Broncos survived Chico State, blowing a 17-point lead but winning 80-77. A desperation jack from three-quarters court by Jay Flores lipped off the rim. It would have been something had THAT gone in.
Cal State and Cal Poly have played twice this season, with each wining on the road. Now it's on neutral court. It will be interesting to see who the Humboldt faithful root for, if they show up. My guess is it will be Pomona because San Bernardino seems to be public enemy No. 1
The Broncos have won 15 games in a row. The one thing the Broncos have going for them is Dwayne Fells and Donnelle Booker are playing far better now than they were in either of the previous meetings between the teams. Fells had a career-high 19 against the Wildcats on Friday.
More food for thought . . . There is a pretty good shot the two could be squaring off again next week in the West Region tournament, likely to be held in Seattle. The Broncos are currently ranked third which means they would draw the No. 6 in the quarterfinal. The Coyotes are currently seventh but could very well move up, even if they lose tonight, based on their win Tuesday over a quality San Fran team as well as Friday's win over No.; 5 Humboldt
.
The new Division II West Region poll is out, As expected Cal State San Bernardino moved up from eighth to seventh. The Coyotes won their last two regular season games while Central Washignton, which was ranked seventh last week, lost two games although they were to the teams ranked first and second in the region.
There was better news for the Coyotes the previous night. Cal State Dominguez Hills lost to Chico State 63-60 in CCAA Tournament quarterfinal play on Tuesday. Dominguez is ranked 10th in the region and had the Toros won the CCAA Tournament they likely would have bumped the Coyotes out of the mix.
Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State are ranked third and fourth in the region and have already punched their tickets. Only one more CCAA team is getting in and with Dominguez out of the mix it clears the way for the Coyotes.
The monkey wrench would be if Chico were to win the CCAA Tournament. But listen to those around the conference and Dominguez was clearly a bigger threat than Chico.
The conference semifinals will be at Humboldt State on Friday. Cal Poly Pomona will square off with Chico State while the Coyotes get to play the host Lumberjacks, a team to whom they lost the last time they played.
On the women's side Cal Poly Pomona moved up a spot to fifth in the region.
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky has been named CCAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. There was no other choice. Humboldt's State's Tom Wood might have been a sentimental choice for some because he is retring after a long and successful career.
But Kamanksy continues to do more with less. The Broncos have less scholarship money available than most schools and far more modest resources and facilities. And yet they are in contention every year.
The Broncos graduated the star player from their magical run a year ago and yet here they are again, winners of 13 straight games and another conference title with who knows what else to come.
The Broncos had senior Austin Swift named to the first-team wieh Dwayne Fells, Donnelle Booker and Dahier Nasser on second team.
Cal State San Bernardino is represented by Bryan LeDuc on first team and guards Corey Caston and Aaron Hill on second team. Those players were deserving as well.
This is the third year the CCAA will be having a conference tournament to determine its automatic playoff qualifier. One would think by now the folks in that office would have the seeding process down. I guess that is asking too much.
The position CCAA officials put some of the teams in because they didn't have their act together is inexcusable. There always seems to be a tie somehwere between multiple teams, usually three or more. Maybe they should be prepared. No one seems to know what the tiebreaker is or how it is applied. That should be ironed out beforehand and all the teams should know the deal.
So the women's games all get finished on Friday and there is a four-way tie for seventh between Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Dominguez HIlls, Cal State Stanislaus and Sonoma State - all at 9-13. Two are getting in and two are not.
The first word comes down at 7:30 p.m, or so. The Coyotes are in., The first tiebreaker being their 4-2 record against the other three they are tied with. Two others are 3-3 and the other at 2-4.
Whoops! Not so fast. Word comes down about an hour later, they're not in. That tiebreaker was used to eliminate one team - Stanislaus. But now there's a three-way tie and after that tiebreaker the Coyotes are out. Supposedly that tiebreaker is record against teams in the tournament. The Coyotes were 1-11 and the other three teams 2-12. That's laughable because all the teams play the same number of games. So they can't even add.
And usually when tiebreakers come into play you work your way down. Decide the No. 7, then apply a tiebreaker for No. 8. Not eliminate one, then eliminate another. In that case the Coyotes win the first tiebreaker but don't get rewarded. How is that fair?
So Cal State athletic director Kevin Hatcher places a call to get lobby for his school. He said calls were then placed to the basketball liasons who happen to be reps from Chico State and Sonoma. They confirm that he is indeed right. One more call goes out to the CCAA President who is from UC San Diego. He agrees too.
So it's 10 p.m. and the Coyotes are back in . . . at least for the moment.
Dominguez and Sonoma State are in the hunt for the final berth and are even on every other criteria . . whatever that may be. That spot is decided on a coin flip. A coin flip! Dominguez is in.
I feel bad for all the schools involved that those who run the conference can't get it right! Even the teams not directly involved were victims. Cal Poly Pomona coach Scott Davis spent two hours after his game, preparing for Dominguez Hills because that is who he was first told he was playing. Then he finds out he'll be playing the Coyotes, only because he got a text from one of his players who got a text from a player she knows from San Bernardino.
Two years ago on the men's side there was a four-way tie for first and a four-way tie for fifth. They didn't get that right either. One would think they learned from that. Apparently not!
For what it's worth here is the rundown on Tuesdays' quarterfinal games . . .
WOMEN
No. 8 Dominguez Hills at No. 1 UC San Diego
No. 7 San Bernardino at No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Chico State
No. 5 Monterey Bay at No. 4 Humboldt State
MEN
No. 8 Cal State L.A. at No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Sonoma State at No. 2 Humboldt State
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 San Bernardino, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Chico State at No. 4 Dominguez Hills
In the last two years the CCAA men's basketball tournament didn't mean much to the local teams. Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino had pretty much already secured a berth in the regional tournament so their finish wasn't going to make much of a difference alhtough Cal State won it last year for good measure!
That won't be the case this year. There are four games left and four teams are in the hunt for a conference title. In fact, they separated by a total of one game. But all four aren't likely to make the West Regional.
The four would include Cal State, Cal Poly, Humboldt State and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Dominguez is probably the best team of the four. It started the season 0-7, then got four player eligible. It has gotten better with each game and seem to have the most balance. The Toros beat the Coyotes 86-84 in overtime Friday, then celebrated as if they had won an NBA championship.
The Toros did not lead at any point in regulation. The Coyotes didn't play poorly. The Toros just knocked down all the big shots, many of which were well defended. The Coyotes just misfired on a couple of crucial plays where they could have put the game away.
The Coyotes are at Cal State los Angeles tonight and face a must-win scenario.
Meanwhile the Broncos easily disposed of Cal State Los Angeles, 68-54. The Broncos play at Dominguez on Saturday and that hasn't been a good matchup for them the last couple of years.
Humboldt State beat Cal State Stanislaus - just barely. Stanislaus had a whopping 31-11 lead at the half. Then the Lumberjacks started knocking down 3's. They won 51-49, blocking three Stanislaus shots on a last possession.
Stanislaus is at Chico State tonight. The Wildcats are tough but the Lumberjacks already got their wakeup call. I don't see them losing this one.
So the local teams have their work cut out for them. And this year's CCAA semifinals and finals are at Humboldt State, like their job isn't tough enough.
Both need wins tonight. Then they play their last two games next weekend at home. We'll see how it all plays out.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team found a way - AGAIN!
The Broncos ventured into Cal State San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena and emerged with a 63-59 win. The Coyotes didn't help themselves by clanking free throws down the stretch. But give the Broncos credit for making the plays they needed to when it mattered.
It was another case of a team, seemingly overmatched, beating what looks like a better team. That is all coach Greg Kamansky who has no peers when it comes to making something out of nothing.
Who would have thought the Broncos would be in the mix after they dropped three straight at home. Now they have done the unthinkable - win five straight on the road in a tough conference.
Now Cal State and Humboldt State are tied for first with the Broncos one game out and eight games left. Both the Broncos and Coyotes will be at home on Friday and Saturday.
The Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball teams renew their rivalry Tuesday night at Cal State's Coussoulis Arena with the Coyotes needing a win to stay in first place and the Broncos needing one to stay in striking distance.
The big question will be whether or not the Broncos can contain the Coyotes post players - Bryan LeDuc, Devon Davis and Greg Williams, When the teams played earlier this season it was a matter of men against boys as LeDuc and Davis manhandled the Broncos. Le Duc was the biggest beast with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
Where the Coyotes are strongest, the Broncos appear vulnerable. And that was before Cal Poly's Tobias Jahn went down with a bulging disk that has kept him out of the last five games.
Sophomore Dwayne Fells has made great strides for the Broncos but he probably isn't ready to handle the load on his own. The Broncos also have a redshirt freshman in Kevin Ryan but he wasn't even in the mix until Jahn got hurt.
Jahn is the biggest mystery. He started progressing in the middle of last season and was a formidable presence by the time the Broncos got to the national championship game. He seemed to regress this season even before he got hurt.
Even if he can play, he probably won't be in the best playing shape.
There is no Larry Gordon this year so the Broncos need to Jahn to at least contribute.
San Bernardino leads the all-time series 21-19 and is 28-2 in its last 30 home games.
We'll see how the drama unfolds!
It was a good day for the local schools as both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino swept men's-women's basketball doubleheaders up North and three of the four games were thrillers.
The lone blowout was on the men's side where the Coyotes turned in a convincing 83-59 victory. The game was tied at 35 at the half but the Coyotes started the second with one of their patented runs and then coasted. Devon Davis had a career-high 20 to lead the blowout.
Meanwhile the Cal Poly men snapped a three-game losing, fending off San Fransisco State 63-60. A loss and the Broncos were in very big trouble. It's one they badly need. Coach Greg Kamansky dressed eight players. One fouled out and four finished with four fouls each. Overtime would not have been good.
On the women's side the Coyotes prevailed 59-50, as did the Broncos 68-66 in overtime.
The teams will swap opponents ofr play on Saturday.
Cal State San Bernardino junior point guard Corey Caston is getting comfortable with his new teammates. That's bad news for the rest of the conference.
Caston has been named Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association player of the week for his performances last week that helped Cal State San Bernardino win three games and vault into first place.
Caston averaged 16.6 points, five assists and 2.6 rebounds a game as the Coyotes (10-3, 8-1) swept past Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
CSUSB is 8-1 since Caston joined the team on Dec. 17. In those nine games, Caston has averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds a game with 17 steals and has made 88 percent of his free throws (30 of 34).
In the Coyotes' first win on the road at Pomona since 2004, Caston had 11 points, three rebounds, eight assists and a steal. In the team's win over the Eagles he had a season-high 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Against the Toros on Saturday night, he was the team's high scorer with 18 points and dished out three assists.
"He's unguardable right now," coach Jeff Oliver said,
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is one of those "glass is half-empty" kind of guys. If you listen to him, the Broncos are always on the verge of collapse.
But the Broncos have some definite issues right now. They lost to Cal State Los Angeles 54-53 on a last-second basket on Saturday. Yes the Broncos are 5-4, not exactly the 5-5 of last year when they ran the table the rest of the way, shared a conference title and made a run to the national championship game.
But this year the Broncos are playing nine of their last 13 on the road with games at some tough places to place such as Humboldt State, San Francisco State and Cal State San Bernardino.
This year the Broncos don't have a Larry Gordon or a Walter Thompson. They're lacking a "go-to" player that wants to take a last shot. They have some good role players in Austin Swift and Donnelle Booker but they haven't emerged as anything more than that just yet. And the Broncos need more than that.
There are some talented younger players such as Mitchel Anderson. But he's a true freshman that isn't quite ready for a starring role yet. They have a JuCo transfer in Mark Rutledge who has potential, but he too is a newcomer in a difficult conference.
Maybe Kamansky work some magic again. But it will take an even more Herculian effort than last season's.
Well it was another one for the books! Coyotes and Broncos - first place on the line.
For the first time since the infamous ``Palm Tree'' game in 2004 the Coyotes emerged victorious at Kellogg Gymnasium - 66-58. The Coyotes wanted it just a little more. The shots didn't fall early but the Coyotes compensated for that by dominating on the glass and taking care of the basketball.
Bryan LeDuc was nothing short of spectacular with 25 points and 17 rebounds. The transfer from University of the Pacific was also considering Cal Poly before choosing Cal State so the game was likely personal.
He had his way in the paint with the Broncos post duo of Dwayne Fells and Tobias Jahn no match.
The Broncos stayed in the game with 3-pointers which has not been a weapon in the arsennal to this point. But depth is an issue, especially with three games in five days and coach Greg Kamansky playing basically seven players.
So the Coyotes steal one away from home.
Cal Poly will be there in the end. It always is, And last year the Broncos were 5-5 after the first round of conference play and ended up in a national championship game. So 5-2 isn't looking that bad.
Cal Poly Pomona senior forward Stephisha Walton has been named the CCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 3-9.
She helped the Broncos (8-2, 5-1) to wins over Sonoma State and Humboldt State, averaging 14.5 points and 12 rebounds.
In Cal Poly's 48-46 victory over Sonoma State, Walton scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds and followed the effort with 18 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in a 65-50 win over Humboldt State.
Walton's scoring and rebounding totals against the Lumberjacks established season highs and marked the seventh double-double of her career.
On the season she is averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds. She ranks third in the conference in rebounding.
She is the second Broncos player to be honored. Junior guard Reyana Colson has earned player of the week accolades twice.
The Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball teams both suffered stunning losses on Sunday. It is hard deciding which it worse.
The Broncos lost to Chico State 72-70 overtime - the bad part is that they blew an 18-point lead and they were still up by 14 with four minutes left. But they lost to what looks like a solid team.
The Coyotes lost to Cal State Stanislaus 70-68. Two chippies in the last seconds didn't go down. They got a third try and it was off the mark too. Coach Jeff Oliver said much of the problem was his team not getting up for Stanislaus. Hopefully the Coyotes have learned about the consequences of overlooking an opponent.
Cal State lost to a perennial conference doormat. That too is hard to stomach.
So teams have hardly broken a sweat. The Coyotes and Broncos have played four games. A couple of others have played six. But there are no unbeaten teams left. The CCAA will be a dogfight all the way.
That might not bode well for the locals because both have tough stretch runs. Cal Poly plays nine of its last 13 on the road. For Cal State it's eight of 13 on the road to end. So they can't afford a lot of losses early.
Both need to get back on the beam this weekend against Humboldt State and Sonoma State on their home floors. Humboldt will be the biggest test. Stay tuned!
The Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona basketball teams swing back into action this weekend and it will be a tough go for both. The Coyotes will be at Chico State first, then make the three-hour trek to Cal State Stanislaus.
The Broncos will play the teams in reverse order.
First, the teams are playing Saturday and Sunday instead of the traditional Friday and Saturday because New Year's Day falls on Friday.
Second, game times are 12:30 p.m. for the women and 2:30 p.m. for the men both days - a drastic change from the 5:30 and 7:30 game times.
The times aren't because of the holiday but because both teams need to get flights out of Northern California Sunday night so the athletes can all be back in class for the start of the new quarter on Monday. If they were playing the second game on Saturday, the time wouldn't be an issue because teams could travel on Sunday.
It is one of the tougher road trips in the conference with those opponents both being pretty good at home. So all things considered, a team that comes away 2-0 should be commended.
Former Cal Poly Pomona assistant volleyball coach Randi Smart has had the interim label lifted from her title as head coach at Cal State Los Angeles.
Smart, who led the Eagles to a berth in the West Region final opposite Cal State San Bernardino, was named the interim coach in February following the resignation of long-time coach Bill Lawler. She led a young squad with only two seniors to a 23-9 overall record and to a third-place finish in the competitive CCAA.
Cal State Los Angeles finished the year ranked No. 15 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
Smart came to Cal State Los Angeles after serving as an assistant to Rosie Wegrich for four years.
Smart also was an assistant coach at the University of La Verne for six seasons, the highlight of her tenure there coming in 2001 when the Leopards won their third national championship.
She becomes the fifth head coach in Cal State L.A. women's volleyball history.
The Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team took care of business and will be making its 10th straight appearance in a West Regional championship. The Coyotes beat Alaska-Anchorage 3-0 in a regional semifinal on Friday.
It wasn't an easy 3-0 though. The Seawolves didn't play like a team of mostly freshmen squaring off against one of the nation's juggernauts. It was probably good that the Coyotes were pushed a little because their quarterfinal against Seattle Pacific was not competitive.
But the Coyotes won't be playing UC San Diego, which came in seeded second and ranked third nationally - one spot behind the Coyotes.
The Coyotes opponent will be Cal State Los Angeles, which is coached by former Cal Poly Pomona assistant Randi Smart. The Eagles played with poise and composure in taking out the Tritons 3-0. I have seen San Diego play on many occasions but have never seen therm play as poorly as they did on Friday.
The Eagles will be soaaring, with confidence that has to be sky high after such a big win.
The Coyotes are going to have to be ready. And they probably will be.
First serve is set for 7 p.m. at The Den.
If Humboldt State's showing on Tuesday against UCLA is an indication of things to come, the Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona men's teams are going to have a tough time defending the CCAA crown they shared last season with Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Lumberjacks lost to the Bruins 74-57 but they only trailed at the half 41-34. So they acquitted themselves quite well.
Their big man Brian Morris had 19 points and 16 rebounds. Enough said.
Humboldt is good but it also has a clear advantage over visiting teams because of the difficulty of the road trip from Arcata to Sonoma State, the Jacks travel partner. Cal Poly and Cal State have no decided advantage when teams come here because those two schools are so close in proximity. It is isn't exactly taxing on the visiting team.
Both Cal Poly and Cal State have question marks. The Broncos have lots of players back from a team that went to the final two. But they don't have Larry Gordon. And Greg Kamansky carries such a small squad that one injury could be costly.
For the Coyotes, it is what could have been . .. had point guard Dante Smith not been lured back to USC after signing with Coyotes . . . had Brandon Brown not decided to skip his senior season to play overseas.
They do have a Division I transfer in 6-9 Bryan LeDuc. And coach Jeff Oliver seems to have team willing to work hard and buy into the team concept. That can go a long way.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team, coming off an appearance in the NCAA national championship game a year ago, is ranked No. 4 in the 2009-10 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 poll that was released this week.
The ranking comes a day after the Broncos received a No. 9 ranking by The Sporting News.
Cal Poly Pomona, which finished last season 25-8 and played for the national title in Springfield, Mass., earned its first preseason ranking since opening the 2005-06 season No. 15 (NABC) and 13th (Division II Bulletin).
Cal Poly Pomona, tied Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills for the regular-season California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title last season.
The Broncos are led by first team All-CCAA senior guard Austin Swift and second team All-CCAA junior forward Tobias Jahn.
BYU-Hawaii, which concluded the 2008-09 season with a 27-2 record and return two All-Americans, is ranked No. 1 in the poll. Findlay is No. 2 and is followed by Soutwest Baptist, Cal Poly Pomona and Bellarmine, which rounds out the Top 5.
San Francisco State will be the first CCAA team to get its 2009-10 season underway when it takes part in the Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic that begins Oct. 30 in Anaheim.
2009-10 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. BYU-Hawaii
2. Findlay
3. Southwest Baptist
4. Cal Poly Pomona
5. Bellarmine
6. Tusculum
7. Merrimack
8. Augusta State
9. Florida Southern
10. Bentley
11. Valdosta State
12. Southwest Minnesota
13. Metro State
14. Central Missouri
15. Winona State
16. Kutztown
17. Central Oklahoma
18. Grand Valley State
19. Philadelphia
20. Northern Kentucky
21. Delta State
22. Rollins
23. J.C. Smith
24. West Virginia State
25. Incarnate Word
Bronco student-athletes Jersain Torres and Elizabeth Diaz have been named the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Male and Female Athletes of the Month for September at Cal Poly Pomona.
The awards are voted upon by the student-based Bronco Athletics Association.
Torres (Anaheim) competes in cross country and has two top-20 honors this season. He finished 5th at the CSU Fullerton race and 20th at UC Riverside. His honors at UCR earned him CCAA Runner of the Week on Sept. 21. He was 29th at the Stanford Invitational.
The Enterprise honor is Torres' second in his career.
Diaz (Escondido) is the leading player on the Broncos volleyball team. She established a career-high 19 kills against No. 15 Sonoma State on Sept. 25. She leads the Broncos (6-8 overall, 3-4 CCAA) in kills (141) and kills per game (3.00).
It is her first Enterprise career honor.
The Broncos reached the national top 20 last week for the first time in three seasons. They finished ninth at last week's prestigious Stanford Invitational and were the second-best Division II team in the Division I-laden event. The host school won with a perfect 15 team score.
To reach the NCAA Championships, held Nov. 21 at Evansville, Ind., the Broncos must finish in the top three at the NCAA West Region event to be held at Nov. 7 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
CPP men and women compete at the Pomona Pitzer Invitational on Saturday.
The 11-institution CCAA, comprised of 10 California State University programs and one from the University of California system, compiled a cumulative record of 1,344-1,146-61 (.539) in eight sports, played in three national championship games and won two national titles.
The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer team captured its second men's soccer national championship while Sonoma State won its first-ever men's golf national title. The Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team and Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball finished as national runner-up in their respective sports.
Additionally, the Cal State San Bernardino men's golf team tied for first at the NCAA Championships before losing in a playoff to Sonoma State.
A total of six teams - Cal State Dominguez Hills (men's soccer), Cal State San Bernardino (women's volleyball), Chico State (men's and women's cross country), Cal Poly Pomona (men's basketball) and UC San Diego (baseball) - captured West Regional Championships.
The two national championships marked the first time CCAA member institutions have captured multiple titles in the same academic year in conference-sponsored sports since 2002-03 when Sonoma State and UC Davis claimed Division II championships in men's soccer and softball, respectively.
This year's national championships brought the CCAA's total to 148, tops among all NCAA Division II conferences. Sonoma State's title in men's golf marked the CCAA's 100th men's national championship.
The CCAA was well represented in postseason play as 61 teams participated in the NCAA Championships, competing in either regional or national championship play. A total of 21 CCAA teams finished the year ranked in the national Top 25 of their respective sports' polls, including 10 that garnered Top 10 rankings.
The 2008-09 athletics season was also a successful one for a number of individuals as CCAA student-athletes won a total of five individual national championships. Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country), Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, women's 400 meter hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, women's high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, women's hammer throw) and Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, men's pole vault) were best in their respective events.
Individually, three student-athletes - Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country), Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills, men's soccer) and Vance Albitz (UC San Diego, baseball) were named national players of the year. Albitz was selected the ABCA/Rawlings National Defensive Player of the Year. Cal State Dominguez Hills' Joe Flanagan (men's soccer), Cal State San Bernardino's Kim Cherniss (women's volleyball) and UC San Diego's Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego were selected National Coach of the Year.
Additionally, 67 players were honored with All-American recognition, while five student-athletes garnered Academic All-American recognition, including Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball player Jon Alia, who was named the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-America of the Year. UC San Diego women's tennis player Ina Dan received the ITA/Arthur Ashe National Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Eleven individuals received West Region Player of the Year honors, while four coaches were tabbed Coach of the Year and two others were selected Assistant Coach of the Year.
2008-09 CCAA Highlights
National Champions (2):
Cal State Dominguez Hills (Men's Soccer)
Sonoma State (Men's Golf) - (100th men's CCAA title)
NCAA Runner-Ups (3):
Cal State San Bernardino (Women's Volleyball)
Cal Poly Pomona (Men's Basketball)
Cal State San Bernardino (Men's Golf)
NCAA Semifinalist (1):
UC San Diego (Baseball)
NCAA Individual Champions (5):
Men: Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country)
Women: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, women's 400 meter hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, women's high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, women's hammer throw) and Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, men's pole vault)
National Top 25 Finishes:
19 Top 25 Finishes
Eight Top 10 Finishes
National Players of the Year (3):
Scott Bauhs (Chico State, cross country)
Kevin Gallaugher (CSU Dominguez Hills, men's soccer)
Vance Albitz (UC San Diego, baseball) - National Defensive Player of the Year
National Coaches of the Year (3):
Joe Flanagan (Cal State Dominguez Hills, men's soccer)
Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino, women's volleyball)
Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego, baseball)
All-Americans (67)
West Region Champions (6):
Cal State Dominguez Hills (men's soccer)
Chico State (men's and women's cross country)
Cal State San Bernardino (women's volleyball)
Cal Poly Pomona (men's basketball)
UC San Diego (baseball)
West Region Individual Champions (2):
Scott Bauhs (men's cross country, Chico State)
Jarin Todd (men's golf, Sonoma State)
Teams in NCAA postseason play (61)
CCAA Athletes of the Year:
Male: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Female: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year:
Male: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Female: Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino)
Commissioner's Cup Winner:
UC San Diego (Fourth year in a row)
The following is a sport-by-sport recap:
Men's Cross Country
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Clint Hostetler (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Jersain Torres (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
NCAA West Region Champion: Chico State
NCAA West Region Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
NCAA Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
NCAA Male Athlete of the Year: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
All-Americans: Scott Bauhs (Chico State), Angel Marquez (Chico State), Beau Rogers (Chico State), Michael Wickman (Chico State)
All-Academic Team: UC San Diego
Academic All-Americans: Angel Marquez (Chico State), Manny Mejia, Jr. (Chico State), Gabriel LaMothe (UC San Diego)
Women's Cross Country
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Individual Champion: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Elena Inouye (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
NCAA West Region Champion: Chico State
All-Americans: Brianna Schofield (UC San Diego), Tori Tyler (Chico State), Vivien Wadeck (CSULA)
All-Academic Teams: Cal State San Bernardino, San Francisco State, UC San Diego
Men's Soccer
CCAA Champion: Sonoma State
CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Andrew Ruiz (Cal State Stanislaus)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Cam Vickers (Sonoma State)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Felipe Restrepo (Chico State)
West Regional Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
National Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
NSCAA National Player of the Year: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NSCAA National Coach of the Year: Joe Flanagan (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NSCAA All-Americans: Doug Carr (Sonoma State), Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State), Kyle Holland (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Daktronics All-Americans: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Kyle Holland (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Doug Carr (Sonoma State), Ruben Hansen (Cal State L.A.)
Academic All-American: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
Women's Soccer
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player: Natasha Belak-Berger (UC San Diego)
CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player: Amanda Esquivel (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Taylor Edmonds (Sonoma State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Melanie DeSalvo (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Jack Hyde (San Francisco State)
Daktronics All-Americans: Lindsay Catton (Sonoma State), Jessica McGovern (UC San Diego), Amanda Esquivel (UC San Diego)
NSCAA College Team Academic Award: Cal State Stanislaus
Women's Volleyball
CCAA Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Bear Grassl (Sonoma State)
West Region Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year: Makenzie Snyder (Chico State)
AVCA West Region Coach of the Year: Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino)
NCAA Division II National Runner-Up: Cal State San Bernardino
Daktronics All-Americans: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino), Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino), Gabriela Bulawcyzk (Cal State L.A.), Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino)
AVCA All-Americans: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino), Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino), Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona), Rebecca Bailey (UC San Diego), Gabriela Bulawcyzk (Cal State L.A.), Eric Brick (Chico State), Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino), Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino), Kristi Sather (Sonoma State), Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A.)
AVCA National Coach of the Year: Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino)
Men's Basketball
CCAA Regular Season Tri-Champions: Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Kyle Baxter (Humboldt State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Greg Kamansky (Cal Poly Pomona)
West Regional Champion: Cal Poly Pomona
NABC West Region Coach of the Year: Greg Kamansky (Cal Poly Pomona)
NCAA Division II National Runner-Up: Cal Poly Pomona
NABC All-American: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Division II Bulletin All-American: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American: Kyle Baxter (Humboldt State)
Women's Basketball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Neka Mixon (Cal State Dominguez HIlls)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Charity Elliott (UC San Diego)
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
WBCA/State Farm All-Americans: Reyana Colson (Cal Poly Pomona), Katie Franci (Humboldt State), Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
Division II Bulletin All-Americans: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego), Reyana Colson (Cal Poly Pomona), Katie Franci (Humboldt State)
Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
Baseball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Tournament Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Adam Arakawa (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Aaron Brooks (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien, UC San Diego
West Regional Champion: UC San Diego
Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
NCBWA West Region Player of the Year: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCBWA West Region Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego)
National Semifinalist: UC San Diego
National Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego)
Daktronics All-Americans: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Gary Moran (Sonoma State), Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Carlos Leyva (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego)
ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
ABCA/Rawlings National Defensive Player of the Year: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego)
ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Gloves: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Josh Tanner (UC San Diego), Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego), Kevin Seaver (Chico State)
CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America of the Year: Jon Alia Cal State Dominguez Hills)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Men's Golf
CCAA Champion: Sonoma State
CCAA Individual Champion: Ricky Stockton (CSU Monterey Bay)
CCAA Player of the Year: Lucas Delgado (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Kyle Souza (Chico State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Brandon Harkins (Chico State)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Travis Brown (Chico State)
NCAA Division II Central/West Regional Individual Medalist: Jarin Todd (Sonoma State)
NCAA Champion: Sonoma State
NCAA National Runner-Up: Cal State San Bernardino
Softball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: Humboldt State
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State Monterey Bay
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
CCAA Pitcher of the Year: Lindsay Emmel (Sonoma State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Emiley McEwen (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Frank Cheek (Humboldt State)
West Sub-Regional Champion: Cal State Stanislaus
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego)
Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year: Lindsay Emmel (Sonoma State)
NFCA All-Americans: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego), Marissa Slattery (Humboldt State), Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
Daktronics All-Americans: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego), Marissa Slattery (Humboldt State), Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
Women's Tennis
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
Most Valuable Player: Verena Preikschas (Cal State Stanislaus)
Freshman of the Year: Katie Eng (Cal State Stanislaus)
Newcomer of the Year: Anita Athavale (UC San Diego)
Coach of the Year: Liz LaPlante (UC San Diego)
ITA/Arthur Ashe West Region Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Ina Dan (UC San Diego)
ITA West Region Coach of the Year: Liz LaPlante (UC San Diego)
ITA/Arthur Ashe National Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Ina Dan (UC San Diego)
Men's Track and Field
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Jonathan Williams (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Nick Howe (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Jersain Torres (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Kirk Freitas (Chico State)
USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year: Michael Wickman (Chico State)
USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic District VIII: David Wellman (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCAA Individual National Champion: Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault)
All-Americans: Jonathan Williams (Cal Poly Pomona, 100), Michael Wickman (Chico State, 800, 1500), Beau Rogers (Chico State, 3000M steeplechase), Ryan Bertucci (Chico State, high jump), Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault), Matt Jarvis (Chico State, shot put), Josh Linker (Cal State L.A., decathlon), Brian Beleue (Humboldt State, decathlon)
Women's Track and Field
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Tuekeha Huntley (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Darcy Ahner (UC San Diego)
USTFCCCA West Region Field Athlete of the Year: Danielle Thu (UC San Diego)
USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year: Kendra Reimer (Cal State L.A.)
USTFCCCA West Region Head Coach of the Year: Darcy Ahner (UC San Diego)
NCAA Individual National Champions: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, 400 hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, hammer throw)
All-Americans: Moriah Jubrey (Cal State L.A., 100, 200), Brianna Schofield (UC San Diego, 1500), Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A., 5000), Tori Tyler (Chico State, 10,000), Alia Gray (Chico State, 10,000), Laiah Blue (UC San Diego, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles), Chanel Parker (Cal State Dominguez Hills, 100 hurdles), Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, 400 hurdles), Shannon McVannel (Chico State, 3000 steeplechase), Karla Alburez (Cal State L.A., 3000 steeplechase), Tiffany Turner (Cal Poly Pomona, 3000 steeplechase), Cal State L.A. 4x100 meter relay team (Sierra Backus, Moriah Jubrey, Tanyshia Ridley, Shianne Smith), UC San Diego 4x100 meter relay team (Christine Merrill, Katie Skorupa, Kelly Fogarty, Laiah Blue), UC San Diego 4x400 meter relay team (Katie Skorupa, Deyna Roberson, Anna Lee McGregor, Christine Merrill), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, high jump, heptathlon), Rosemary Feikert (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault), Sierra Backus (Cal State L.A., triple jump), Sarah Hendy (UC San Diego, discus), Luisa Musika (San Francisco State, discuss), Jasimen Bailey (Cal State Stanislaus, discuss), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, hammer throw), Shianne Smith (Cal State L.A., heptathlon).
"Jonathan's experience at the NCAA was crucial and he got the job done,'' Broncos head coach Troy Johnson said. "And Tiffany may be the most determined athlete that I've been around. Both of them came through today. They're among the elite in their events and deserve it.''
Turner (La Crescenta) finished eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:00.55. She holds the school record in the event and became CPP's first Bronco All-American in that event.
"For me, when I heard my name among the 12 who made it to the finals the other night was big,'' Turner said. "I had the 16th best time coming in and knowing I was among the 12 in the finals was a big goal.
"Today, my coach (assistant Tony Reyes) told me don't count bodies, but to just run and that kept me focused on the moment. It was pretty neat to come off the track and see the smiles on my coaches' faces.''
"She did what she needed to do,'' Johnson said. "I sent her a text message earlier in the day that said fight to be in the top eight and she did. Tony did a great job of preparing her for the race.''
Williams, who was competing in his third NCAA event, earned his first All-American honor by finishing seventh in the 100 meters. The Temecula native earned his honor with a 10.48 effort.
He is the first Bronco to earn an All-American honor in his event since David Gillard in 1972.
"I got out of the blocks well, but I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish higher,'' Williams said. "I didn't lift my knees high enough. But to be in my third NCAA and earn my first All-American honor means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to coming back again and going after the 100 and 200 and the relays.''
"Jonathan had as good of a start out of the blocks as he has had,'' Johnson said. "There's so little room for error when you're going against an elite field. Jonathan improved over a year ago, and he's determined to come back and win it. He's competitive and hungry and that's how you need to be.''
The Golden Eagles stormed back from an early 4-0 deficit and beat Cal Poly Pomona, 10-5, Friday in a CCAA contest at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (29-14, 20-10 CCAA) stretched its winning streak to five games with its second victory in two days over the Broncos (24-19, 14-16 CCAA). The Golden Eagles were 13-3 in their 16 conference games at Reeder Field in 2009.
Cal State L.A. will conclude CCAA play with two games at Cal Poly Pomona and four games at Sonoma State next week.
Nathan Pickett overcame a rocky second inning and went seven strong innings to pick up the win. He allowed all four of his runs in the second inning and also hit five batters in the first three innings before settling down. Pickett (3-2) hit three batters and walked another in the second inning alone, but he was able to leave the bases loaded and then blanked the Broncos on just four hits over the next five innings.
The Golden Eagles were held scoreless by Cal Poly Pomona freshman Geoff Broussard through the first five innings, although Broussard had to work hard and left eight Cal State L.A. runners on base during his five-inning stint. The Golden Eagles then struck for three runs in the sixth inning to make it 4-3 and erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning to take the lead for good.
Brian Dearth worked the final two innings for Cal State L.A. and allowed just one run on three hits.
Cal State L.A. had 15 hits in the game, while Cal Poly Pomona had 10. The two pitching staffs also combined for eight walks and seven hit batters.
Matt Miraldi and Brendan McQuaid had three hits each for the Golden Eagles, while Richard McDowell, Jeff Ringholm and Marcus Makia had two hits each for the Broncos.
The Broncos struck first in the second inning when they threatened to break open the game. Cal Poly Pomona did all its damage with two outs. Ringholm singled and Frank Klopp was hit by a pitch. Makia then hit a sharp grounder up the middle that eluded shortstop Jesus Campos and resulted in a two-run double. Villa and Erik Riedel were both hit by pitches to load the bases and Chris Brehm drew a walk to force in another run. Nick Tanos then picked up an infield single to drive in the fourth run.
The Golden Eagles trailed 4-0 into the sixth inning, but got a big break when Danne Quiroz reached on an infield error to lead off the frame. He took second on a wild pitch and Campos drew a walk. Chris Lloyd doubled in one run and Miraldi followed with a two-run single to make it 4-3.
Quiroz led off the seventh inning with a single and Campos reached when his sacrifice bunt was thrown errantly to first by pitcher Keith Powers, allowing pinch runner Michael Vinyard to score all the way from first to tie the game. Matzner followed with a double to score Campos and give the Golden Eagles their first lead at 5-4. Matzner went to third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lloyd to make it 6-4. Miraldi then tripled and scored on a double by McQuaid to make it 7-4. After Mario Ramirez was intentionally walked, Max Moya walked to load the bases. Travis Tartamella singled in one run and a second run scored when the ball was misplayed in left field, resulting in Cal Poly Pomona's third error of the inning. Vinyard drove in another run with a groundout to make it 10-4.
Cal Poly Pomona scored its final run in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Makia.
Cal State L.A. will conclude the four-game series with a doubleheader at Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.
By Michelle gardner
Staff Writer
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is just now catching his breath.
A whirlwind two weeks included playoff games in three different time zones and ended with a 56-53 overtime loss to Findlay (Ohio) in the Division II national championship game in Springfield, Mass., last Saturday.
The Broncos (25-8) returned on Sunday and celebrated with the student body on Thursday. Now, Kamansky is focused on recruiting. But you won't find him complaining.
"It has been an unbelievable experience," he said. "You think of the number of teams that play college basketball and very few get a chance to play for a national championship. And to think how far we went and the obstacles we overcame to get there. It is even more rewarding."
The Broncos are graduating four seniors, the key ones being All-American Larry Gordon and third-leading scorer Walter Thompson.
Before the team left for the Elite Eight, Kamansky stopped short of calling Gordon the best player to come out of the program. He didn't hesitate when asked again.
Gordon finished as the school's all-time leading rebounder and second-leading scorer behind only Jeff Bonds. He also finishes ranked second in field goals (527), second in free throws (385), third in games played (116), fifth in steals (133), seventh in blocks (52) and 10th in 3-point field goals (94).
What sets him apart from the other four All-Americans the school has produced is his showing in the postseason. He averaged 22 points and 11.3 rebounds and shot 67.6 percent from the field in the run.
"His legacy is complete," Kamansky said. "Big-time players step up in big-time games. He did it on the national stage."
Kamansky admits it will be hard to replace his most recent All-American. But the one thing the Broncos will have is a solid nucleus of veterans returning.
Last year Gordon was the only starter back. The Broncos will be set in the front court, returning Dwayne Fells, who started 18 games this season as a true freshman, as well as sophomore forward Tobias Jahn (9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who came into his own over the second half of the season.
They will also have Kevin Ryan, the team's top recruit last year who had to redshirt because of a knee injury. They also landed an early signee in Justin Herold, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa.
The core of other returning players will include second-leading scorer Austin Swift (10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), heady point guard Dahir Nasser (5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) and much-improved reserve Robert Summers (7.1 ppg).
Cajon graduate Donnelle Booker will also be back in the fold. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in October and will be the most seasoned player in the program. The coach is hoping he can provide the same veteran leadership Gordon did.
Kamansky said the biggest need right now is in the backcourt. The Broncos typically carry fewer players than most teams but are looking for three or four more players.
"I like what we'll have coming back," he said. "Yes, we're losing Larry, but we have guys that have actually played together, which is unlike last year. A couple more guards and we'll be set.
"This is a great experience to build on."
By Jeff Thomas
Correspondent
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Oh, for a few more seconds on the clock.
The remarkable run of the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team came to a sudden and shocking end Saturday afternoon at the MassMutual Center when senior guard Tyler Evans drained a fadeaway 3-pointer at buzzer in overtime to give the University of Findlay the NCAA Division II national championship.
Cal Poly Pomona fought back from a 14-point second-half deficit, only to go down 56-53 to Oilers, who concluded a perfect season at 36-0 and was ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire.
"We put ourselves in position to win the game, but tonight we didn't do it and they did," Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky said. "We feel proud of the fact that we put ourselves in position and could have won it."
The Broncos (25-8), who won 16 of their last 17 to get to this point and had traveled more than 10,000 miles in the NCAA tournament - with another 3,000 or so more to come Sunday - were the feel-good story of the tournament.
That storybook ending almost came to fruition, but a well-guarded Evans picked that point in time to make his only field goal of the afternoon.
"I think it was good defense but he hit a tough shot," Broncos senior guard Walter Thompson said. "You can't ask for any better defense out of Dahir (Nasser). It was good pressure and he had his hand in his face. He made a tough shot."
The game was tied at 53-53 after senior All-American Larry Gordon hit a 15-foot jumper with 12.5 seconds left. There was a held-ball call under Cal Poly's basket with 2.4 seconds left. Findlay's Marcus Parker inbounded the ball from the baseline to Evans, who was already a step behind the 3-point arc.
Evans took a dribble back and to his left before taking the shot that swished through the basket 25 feet away and left Nasser on his knees and holding his head in disbelief.
"We were concerned with the inbounder getting the ball back for a quick three, so they got the ball to (Evans) and he kept backing up and backing up and throws a fadeaway three from God knows how many feet," Kamansky said. "The guy hit a great shot, give him some credit. That's part of the game of basketball. Win some, lose some."
It was the second overtime win of the Elite Eight for Findlay, and just the fourth overtime championship game in Elite Eight history.
"I can't express the feeling that we have winning this game the way it was won with that unbelievable last-second shot, the way we've won the last four of our games," Findlay coach Ron Niekamp said. "It's an incredible feeling and it's also a feeling that someone up there is looking out for you when you win four like that."
The game had the look of a rout for a while, the Oilers taking a 30-20 halftime lead and pushing that lead to as many as 14 with 16:25 left in the game.
"At that time I called timeout and was pretty fired up and said you're not going down like this," Kamansky said. "I just told our guys we've done it all year and this is not the way we were gonna go down, getting beat handily.
"We got a couple of nice plays and hit a couple of nice shots and next thing you know we got our confidence going and we knew we could play with these guys," he added.
Gordon, who scored a game-high 17 points, scored on a reverse layup, followed by a Robert Summers 3-pointer. Tobias Jahn (14 points) scored at the rim and Summers made two foul shots. After Gordon scored on a drive to the basket, Jahn scored from the baseline to complete the 13-0 run and get the Broncos within one, 36-35.
After Bostic scored on a putback, Thompson hit a 3-pointer and the game was tied with 7:05 to play.
Both teams had opportunities to win in the closing minutes but neither could capitalize.
In overtime it was much of the same, the lead changing five times before Evans hit his heroic shot to end an incredible season for the Broncos.
"This will sting for a while but we'll look back in a little bit and say what a great season this was for this team," Kamansky said. "I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. Digging in game after game after game. We've won a lot of these overtime games.
"This season I'll take and there's probably 300 coaches in Division II who would take this," he added. "There's only one coach that wouldn't and that's the coach of Findlay."
Colson, a Compton native, was the leading scorer for the Broncos this past season with 16.8 points per game. She scored in double figures in each of her 25 games played for the Broncos, who finished 16-14 overall.
"This is a great honor for her and shows how far she has come in a short time,'' Broncos coach Scott Davis said. "She's the key to our success. It says a lot for her work ethic and means a great deal to our program. Reyana is the one that everyone has a game-plan for her. Teams plan around her ability.''
Colson finished second in scoring 16.8 points (overall games), sixth in rebounds, second in assists and tied for first in steals and a league-leading 17.1 points in only CCAA games. She had 9 double-doubles including a conference-best 11 assists in a game played at Humboldt State.
Colson was named to the WBCA State Farm Region 8 first team, Daktronics West Region first team and was a first-team All-CCAA selection. As a freshman, she was the conference's Freshman of the Year and also a second-team selection.
Off the court, she was named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 8 first team.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced their all-West Region team in NCAA Division II and Brown was voted to the first team and Montgomery to the second team.
Brown, a 6-7 postman who was all-CCAA conference first-team, the CCAA's newcomer of the year and MVP of the CCAA tournament, is now eligible to be considered for the NABC all-America teams that will be announced at the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass later this month.
Earlier last week, Brown was voted by sports information directors in the West Region to the Daktronics all-West Region first team.
Montgomery, a 6-foot guard, was an all-CCAA first-team selection.
Joining Brown on the NABC all-region first team were Larry Gordon of Cal Poly Pomona, Lucas Alves of BYU-Hawaii, Michael Hernandez of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Ira Graham of Western Washington and Jake Linton of Saint Martin's.
Along with Montgomery, the other second-teamers on the NABC all-star teams were Jerrell Smith of CSU Dominguez Hills, Zac Tiedeman of Humboldt State, Matt Penoncello of Central Washington, Kenny Barker of Alaska Anchorage and Jay DeMaestri of Hawaii Hilo.
Greg Kamansky of Cal Poly Pomona was voted coach of the year by the NABC.
Brown led the CCAA in scoring at 21.5 points per game, was No. 3 in rebounding at 8.7 rebounds per game, No.4 in field goal percentage (56.0), No. 1 in blocked shots (39 - 1.7/game) and No. 1 in offensive rebounds per game (2.8). He was the team leader in all those categories.
Montgomery was No. 6 in the CCAA in scoring (14.3 ppg), No. 12 in field goal percentage (49.8), No. 9 in assists (3.1/game), No. 7 in 3-point FG percentage (40.7). He led the team in assists (94) and averaged 2.4 rebounds a game and shot 75 percent from the foul line.
It looks like Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky will be the one getting the last laugh.
He is the first to admit his team hardly looks imposing when it takes the court for pregame warmups. He has been down to eight players for much of the year and those eight don't look like the most athletic bunch.
But the Broncos (19-6, 15-5) finished tied for first in the CCAA with more physically imposing teams from Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5).
Cal Poly got the tiebreaker and will enter this week's CCAA Tournament as the top seed. It will host No. 8 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kellogg Gymnasium. Friday's semifinals and Saturday's championship game will be at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino.
"It's actually pretty funny," Kamansky said. "We're out there with our seven, eight guys and we're clanking shots all over the place. Other coaches are laughing at us. Fans are laughing at us. I know. I've seen it."
Six weeks ago the Broncos were in desperation mode. They were 9-6 overall and 5-5 in conference play. Kamansky was just hoping to get in the conference tournament. He never imagined being the top seed. But the Broncos swept the back half of their schedule, a significant feat in such a depp conference.
They will head into Tuesday's game riding a 10-game win streak.
"It just goes to show what can happen when you have good team chemistry and guys believe in the system and their teammates," Kamansky said.
The Broncos are led by senior Larry Gordon (14 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a mainstay in the lineup for his four years. Austin Swift (10.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Walter Thompson (11.6 ppg) have emerged as good complimentary players.
But Kamansky credits the team's hot streak up to the improved play of his young post players - true freshman Dwyane Fells (5.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore Tobias Jahn (8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg).
"They have given us a presence in the paint we didn't have early on" he said. "It adds another dimension to this team."
While the Broncos have pretty much clinched a spot in the West Region tournament no matter how they fare this week, they still have something to play for.
They are currently ranked third in the region and could move up to second since No. 2 Dominguez Hills lost last week.
If they can finish second they would likely host a four-team sub-regional if the NCAA decides to use that format rather than the traditional eight-team regional at one site.
"Who would have thought?" Kamansky sighed.
CAL POLY WOMEN GET CHICO STATE
The men's game will follow the 5:30 p.m. women's game as coach Scott Davis' team also earned a home game.
The No. 4 seeded Broncos (16-13, 12-8) will host No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9). The teams split during the regular season with each winning on its home floor.
On the season the Broncos are 9-3 at Kellogg Gymnasium.
Unlike the Cal Poly men, the women need a big effort in the tournament. They currently sit eighth in the West Region, despite having two wins over No. 6 Dominguez Hills and one over No. 7 Northwest Nazarene.
"I think we need to win it to get in even though we have those wins over teams ahead of us," Davis said.
UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1) is the top seed but Davis is most leery of No. 2 Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4) which has won eight straight games.
"They are playing the best right now and they have a lot of weapons," he said.
The CCAA Championship Tournament will open on Tuesday, March 3, at the site of the top four seeds. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, March 6, at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino. The championship game will take place on Saturday, March 7 at 5 p.m.
UC San Diego earned the top seed in next week's postseason tournament and will host eighth-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (10-16, 8-12). The Tritons concluded the regular season with a 26-3 record, including a 19-1 mark in CCAA play.
Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4), winners of eight straight, is the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Cal State San Stanislaus (13-14, 8-12). Third-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills (18-9, 13-7) will entertain San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12). The final first-round match-up will pit No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona (16-13, 12-8) against No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9).
San Francisco State, which was a 50-43 winner over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, tied the Coyotes and Cal State Stanislaus for sixth place. The Gators won the tiebreaker based on their better head-to-head record among thre three tied teams.
San Francisco State was 3-1 against the tied teams, while Cal State Stanislaus was 2-2 and Cal State San Bernardino 1-3.
CCAA Tournament Schedule
Tuesday - March 2
First Round (At Campus Sites)
No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino (10-16, 8-12 at No. 1 UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1)
No. 7 Cal State Stanislaus (13-14, 8-12)) at No. 2 Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4)
No. 6 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills (18-9, 13-7)
No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9) at No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona (16-13, 12-8)
2009 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices
First Round (at campus sites)
Reserved (if available) -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
Semifinals and Finals
Reserved -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
*Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Cal State Bernardino ticket office at (909) 537-5048 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Bernardino all tied for the regular-season CCAA title after concluding their 20-game conference schedule Friday night.
Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5) earned the top seed in the tournament after factoring in the third tiebreaker criteria, which was best record against the highest-standing team not in the tournament. The Broncos, who will host San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) in an opening-round game, were 2-0 against Cal State L.A., compared to Cal State Dominguez Hills' 1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.
Cal State San Bernardino was slotted as the third-seed based on its 9-5 record against tournament teams. Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills had identical 10-4 marks.
As the No. 2 seed, Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5) will host No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay (14-13, 8-12). Third-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5), will entertain No. 6 seed Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12).
Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) and UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7) tied for fourth and the Tritons gained the No. 4 seed and a home game after a coin flip.
Sonoma State, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco tied for sixth, and the Seawolves won the tiebreaker based on their better head-to-head record against the three tied teams.
Sonoma State was 3-1, while Cal State Monterey Bay was 2-2 and San Francisco State 1-1.
Following Tuesday's first-round games, the tournament will shift to Cal State San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena for the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
2009 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday - March 3 (At Campus Sites)
No. 8 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5)
No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay 14-13, 8-12) at No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5)
No. 6 Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12) at No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5)
No. 5 Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) at No. 4 UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7)
2009 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices
First Round (at campus sites)
Reserved (if available) -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
Semifinals and Finals
Reserved -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
*Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Cal State Bernardino ticket office at (909) 537-5048 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team to its ninth straight game. Jahn was one of four player indouble figures. Austin Swift contributed 13, Robert Summers 12 and
Larry Gordon 11. Gordon also turned in a game-high 11 rebounds.
The win keeps the Broncos (18-6, 14-5) tied for second with Cal
State San Bernardino, one game behind Dominguez Hills, a 70-60 winner
over Sonoma State. The win also avenges a 66-62 loss to the Gators at
Kellogg Gymnasium as the Gators were the last team to beat the
Bronvos.
Cal Poly shot 48.9 percent from the field (22-for-49) and finished
with a huge 44-23 advantage on the boards.
Robert Hayes of San Francisco State (14-12, 8-11) led all scorers
with 22.
Staff Writer
POMONA - The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos were hoping to send their
four seniors off in grand fashion. They did just that upending
visiting Humboldt State 68-59 Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium.
It was the Broncos eighth straight win and gave coach Greg
Kamansky his 100th on his home floor in 118 tries. It also kept Cal
Poly tied for second in the CCAA with Cal State San Bernardino, one
game behind Dominguez Hills.
``It was ugly but effective,'' Kamansky said. ``We'll take it. It
was pretty physical and we got a lot of guys banged up but we might
as well learn how to play like that because when you get to the
playoffs they tend to let things go.''
The contest pitted two top-notch CCAA foes battling for position
in the West Region poll which determines the eight postseason
qualifiers. The Broncos (17-6, 13-5) started the week fourth while
the Lumberjacks (19-9, 12-6) were sixth so the win is big for Cal
Poly's postseason hopes.
``It was our last game against a ranked foe and that mean a lot,''
Kamansky added. ``We still have to go on the road for the last two
but winning this puts us in good shape if we can take care of
business the last weekend.''
Junior wing Austin Swift scored a team-high 16 points and snagged
eight rebounds. Walter Thompson, one of four seniors playing their
last home game, added 15 points, including a big 3-pointer late in
the game. Larry Gordon was held to nine but grabbed his usual 11
rebounds and had three steals.
The pivotal run came with the Broncos nursing a 43-41 lead and 7:49
to go. Cal Poly tallied the next six points, aided by two Humboldt
turnovers. A putback by Gordon off a miss by Swift made it 49-41.
Again the Lumberjacks came back via the long ball with a trey by
Zac Teidman getting the visitors closer at 49-44 with 4:26 to play.
But the Broncos answered with another, this one giving them
breathing room for good. Dwayne Fells scored on a putback and the
Broncos got a chance to add to their lead when the Lumberjacks Kyle
Baxter missed two free throws.
Seconds later Thompson drained a 3-pointer with 2:43 left to put
the Broncos up 54-44. The home team was never really threatened again.
The Broncos shot 45.2 percent and finished the game off at the
free-throw line. They made 27 of 34 tries for the game, many of those
coming late with Humboldt trying to stop the clock.
The Broncos got off to a quick start and led 12-2 five minutes
into the game. But the Lumberjacks struck back via the long ball
getting three 3-pointers in the span of 70 seconds, two of them by
Kevin Atkins, getting with one at 12-11.
The first half was later tied at 26 with 4:25 to go but the
Lumberjacks reeled off the last five points of the half and led 31-26
at the break.
The Lumberjacks tallied 19 turnovers, one night after totaling 23
in an overtime loss at Cal State San Bernardino.
The Broncos finish the season on the road, traveling to San
Francisco State on Thursday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday.
Division II West Regional basketball teams might not be headed to Hawaii or Alaska for regional play after all. At least not all of them.
Monday the NCAA announced a change in its format for all Division II postseason tournaments, effective immediately.
If all seven non-host schools would be required to fly to the host site, the eight-team regionals would be broken up into two four-team tournaments at separate sites.
That is likely to happen in basketball because Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-1) is ranked first in the West Region on the men's side while Alaska-Anchorage (22-1) is seeded first among the womens' teams.
Both would probably have to lose multiple times to not be awarded top seeds. The Seasiders are 8-0 in region with Cal State Dominguez Hills a distant second at 13-4.
The gap is a little smaller on the women's side with the Seawolves 11-0 in region and No. 2 UC San Diego 16-1.
The season isn't quite over, but if it were to end today, those teams would be the only ones from their respective states to qualify, meaning the new rule would go into play immediately.
The change didn't go over well with some coaches, most noteably Cal State San Bernardino men's coach Jeff Oliver.
The Coyotes (13-7, 11-3) are No. 10 but should move up to eighth when the next poll is released on Wednesday.
"It's a complete travesty," he said. "It's not good for any team that is a third through an eighth seed because now it is forcing you to beat two teams on their home floor. Six teams are at a huge disadvantage."
Cal Poly Pomona is ranked in both polls with the women No. 5 and the men at No. 7.
All realize the move is a cost-cutting measure.
"Do I like it? No. Do I understand it? Yes," Broncos women's coach Scott David said. "I hope at the end of the season we are still in the mix and it is something I have to think about more."
Men's coach Greg Kamansky took the news in stride. He was more worried about having enough healthy players for Wednesday's game against the Coyotes than what might happen later.
"I'll go where ever they send me," said Kamansky, who has just seven healthy players. "I will probably care more later if we're still in the picture. It's hard to think about that now."
All three coaches agree that the worst part of that scenario is that it takes away from the postseason atmosphere.
"I know if I go and I lose I still want to watch the other games. I'm getting ready for next year and I want my players to see what level they need to play at," Davis said.
"They're always talking about the student-athlete experience. This will take away from that," Oliver said. "So now you don't have the eight-team banquet where all the schools are honored. You have two dinky four-team banquets. It just won't be the same."
Kamansky was the lone coach to find the bright spot.
"At least no one will have to worry about a noon game," he said.
The regional tournament quarterfinals and semifinals would be held on March 13-14, with the winners advancing championship game on Tuesday, March 17 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is used to getting the most out of a small roster. But this is crunch time and he doesn't even have enough players to have a scrimmage.
It won't get any easier this week as the Broncos (13-6, 9-5) will host CCAA leader and area rival Cal State San Bernardino (13-7, 11-3) on Wednesday, then travel to La Jolla to face UC San Diego (12-8, 9-5) on Friday.
"Somehow, someway we keep plugging away. The guys we do have are playing hard," Kamansky said. "But this is getting ridiculous. It's not good when you can't have a scrimmage without using coaches."
The Broncos are coming off back-to-back road wins at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus but the victories didn't come without a price as freshman guard Matthew Rosser became the latest casualty, injuring his foot in the Friday game. He did not play Saturday.
That injury forced Kamansky to bring back Walter Thompson who had missed the last four games with a concussion.
Kamanksy said he was hoping to give Thompson just a few minutes to see how he felt but the senior guard ended up playing 15 minutes and ended up with more personal fouls (3) than points (0).
"He (Thompson) is still having headaches," Kamansky said. "That was really more minutes than I wanted to play him. I don't know what his status will be this week."
Both Thompson and Rosser will see doctors this week. If they can't go, Kamanksy would be down to seven players with two of his most formidable foes upcoming.
Three players were lost for the season, two of those before the Broncos played their first game. In addition, sophomore forward Tobias Jahn is playing with a broken finger and a sore knee.
Sophomore Reyana Colson of Cal Poly Pomona was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 8 women's basketball first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
She holds a grade point average of 3.80 in accounting and is a two-year starter for the Broncos (14-9, 10-4).
This season Colson has scored in double figures in each of her 16 games after missing the first five games due to injury. She owns eight career double-doubles including six this season and has scored in double figures in 38 of her 44 career games.
Colson leads the CCAA in scoring (16.8) and steals (2.6) and is second in assists (4.1), seventh in defensive rebounds (5.1), eighth in field goal percentage (45.6) and 10th in total rebounds (6.6).
Colson moves on to the national ballot. The All-America team will be announced on Feb. 24.
Former Cal Poly Pomona assistant coach Randi Smart has been named interim head volleyball coach at Cal State Los Angeles. She replaces Bill Lawler, who resigned last month after 13 years heading the program.
Smart, who served as Rosie Wegrich's top assistant for four years, spent the 2008 season as Lawler's top aide. Last year the Eagles went 21-8, advancing to the Division II West Region semifinal.
"Randi has an excellent coaching and playing background and we believe she has the ability to continue our program's regional and national competitiveness," Cal State L.A. Director of Athletics Dan Bridges said in a written release.
Smart worked as an assistant at the University of La Verne for six seasons. The highlight of her tenure there came in 2001 when the Leopards won their third national championship. As an added bonus, she got to coach her younger sister, Ryan Wynn, an All-American setter for the Leopards and the 2001 National Player of the Year.
Smart came to La Verne after playing volleyball overseas in Austria for one year. She was a successful player at the NCAA Division I level as well, competing for two years at Utah State, where she was named "Rookie of the Year" as a freshman and for two years at Louisiana State, where she earned All-SEC honors. She graduated from LSU in 1998.
Chico State, which has won three conference crowns
since 2000, has been selected to capture the 2009 California
Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season title in a vote
of conference baseball coaches, it was announced on Tuesday.
The Wildcats totaled 73 points and garnered three first-place votes
to finish ahead of UC San Diego in the balloting.
The Tritons collected 70 points and four first-place votes. Defending CCAA
Champion Sonoma State (69), which received two first-place votes, was
third and followed by Cal State Stanislaus (56), Cal State L.A. (43),
Cal State San Bernardino (39), Cal Poly Pomona (37), Cal State
Dominguez Hills (31), Cal State Monterey Bay (17) and San Francisco
State (9).
Chico State, UC San Diego and Sonoma State each received three votes
to capture the CCAA Championship Tournament that is scheduled for May
7-9 at a neutral site to be announced at a later date. Cal State
Stanislaus also garnered a vote to win the postseason tournament.
Chico State begins the 2009 season ranked No. 7, while UC San Diego
is No. 4, Cal State Stanislaus No. 24 and Cal State L.A. is tied for
No. 40 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
The Wildcats are coming off a 41-17 record and an NCAA West Regional
Championship appearance in 2008. UC San Diego compiled a 43-18
overall record, finished second in the CCAA with a 25-11 mark and
advanced to the NCAA West Regionals.
Defending West Region Champion Sonoma State is un-ranked heading into
the 2009 season. The Seawolves enjoyed their finest season in program
history as they compiled a school-record 52-15 mark and finished
third at the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships Finals.
Cal State Stanislaus posted a 37-23 record and finished fourth in the
CCAA with a 24-12 mark. Cal State L.A. is coming off a 29-22 season
in 2008.
UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino will be the first two CCAA
teams to open the 2009 season when they get underway on Sunday, Feb.
1. The Tritons will host San Diego Christian College, while the
Coyotes begin a three-game series against Grand Canyon in Arizona.
California Collegiate Athletic Association
2009 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Team (First place votes) Points
1. Chico State (3) 73
2. UC San Diego (4) 70
3. Sonoma State (2) 69
4. Cal State Stanislaus (1) 56
5. Cal State L.A. 43
6. Cal State San Bernardino 39
7. Cal Poly Pomona 37
8. Cal State Dominguez Hills 31
9. Cal State Monterey Bay 17
10. San Francisco State 9
to lead the Cal Poly Pomona women to a 69-57 win over visiting Cal
State Monterey Bay Friday at Kellogg Gymnasium.
It was the seventh double-double of Colson's two-year career and
the fifth this season. She also dished out seven assists and had two
steals in helping the Broncos (10-8, 6-3) hold on to a share of
second place in the CCAA.
``At times we really executed,'' Broncos coach Scott Davis said.
``In the second half they made a run and we started speeding up the
game and we got a little chaotic.''
The Broncos led by as many as 15 points in the first half, that
advantage coming on a jumper from the baseline by Colson that made it
33-18 with 3:37 left.
The closest the Otters got in the second half was six points after
LaShawn Johnson nailed a 3-pointer to cut the defcit to 40-34.
The Broncos responded with a 9-0 run with four different players
factoring in. A 3-pointer by Emily Nichols gave Cal Poly a 49-35 edge
and the Broncos never looked back despite getting sloppy in the
closing minutes.
Danah Smith was the only other player in double figures with 11.
The Broncos shot 45 percent (27-for-60) from the field but only
went 10-for-20 from the line and committed 21 turnovers.
Junior guard Helen Suarez had 24 points to lead the Otters (8-7,
3-6) who shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the field, 47.4 percent
(9-for-19) from the line and had 22 turnovers.
is to have others to pick up the slack. The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
did that and ran away with an impressive 79-60 win over visiting Cal
State Monterey Bay Friday at Kellog Gymnasium.
Senior preseason All-American Larry Gordon managed just nine
points. It was his fifth straight game in single digits after 40
straight in double digits dating back to his sophomore season.
But the Broncos had four players finish in double figures.
Walter Thompson led the way with 19 points, followed by Austin
Swift (17), Tobias Jahn (14) and Robert Summers (10).
``We got a balanced team effort, the most balanced we've had in
awhile,'' coach Greg Kamansky said. ``If we can have that balance
and run that efficient an offense, we'll do alright.''
The Broncos started strong, surging out to a 21-6 lead with
11:21 left in the half. Cal Poly maintained that double digit lead
and was up 39-29 at the half.
Gordon managed just two in the first half, that bucket coming on
a jumper with 3:35 left in the half giving his team a 37-25 lead.
That came only seconds after he missed his first field goal try of
the game, a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Gordon hit 4 of 7 tries from the field. All but three of Gordon's
field goal attempts came from the perimeter. He traditionally scores
most of his points off rebounds, drives to the basket or from the
free-throw line.
The others took advantage of their openings. It helped that so
many of the newcomers have setttled in and seem to have gotten past
the adjustment phase.
``Coach wants us to take the open shots,'' said Swift, last week's
CCAA Player of the Week. ``They were sagging off a bit since we
hadn't been hitting from outside so I had some open shots. I'm
feeling more confident taking them.''
Kamansky has been pleased with his standout's demeanor through
his uncharacteristic slump. With 7:30 left in the game Gordon broke
free and unleashed a slam dunk, only to be called for traveling. He
just smiled.
The offensive drought hasn't affected his play in other areas.
Gordon, the leading rebounder in the conference, snagged 14 boards,
all on the defensive end. He also had three steals.
Kamansky thinks it's only a matter of time before the Gordon of
old is back.
``He looked a lot better tonight,'' Kamanksy said. ``He played a
lot more in control and he made better decisions.''
Cal Poly finished with a huge 46-30 advantage on the boards.
Gordon was followed by Summers with 11 and Jahn with seven.
Staff Writer
POMONA - Not even Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky is sure what is
ailing his star player Larry Gordon. But he'll have another chance to
find out as the Broncos (8-5, 4-4) complete the first round of CCAA
player with a showdown against Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) tonight at
Kellogg Gymnasium.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) then comes in on Saturday.
The women's teams from the same schools will square off at 5:30 p.m.
on both nights.
Gordon (13.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg) is a two-time first team All-CCAA
selection and he was a preseason All-American. He scored in double
figures for 40 straight games but has managed just a total of 28 in
the last four games.
The good news is that Gordon's rebounding has not suffered. He leads
the conference in that department and has collected 46 boards in the
same four games in which he has slumped offensively.
``We can win without him but we won't win the big one,'' Kamansky
said. ``He just has to start making some shots. We don't want him to
be afraid to shoot. Hopefully it will come.''
While Gordon has struggled, a couple of others with Division I
experience have picked up the slack. Austin Swift (10.7 ppg, 5.4
rpg), who came to the Broncos from University of Montana, almost two
years ago, scored 41 points in the last two games, earning him
conference player of the week honors.
Walter Thompson (13.3 ppg), in his first year after coming over from
University of Portland, is averaging double figures and is leading
the CCAA in free-throw shooting (.931).
Kamansky's squad is also a bit depleted. He carries a small squad to
begin with but it is getting smaller as reserve forward Kyle Krause
is out with a torn tendon in his thumb.
Sophomore forward Tobias Jahn (7.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who has been
playing well of late, broke a finger in Saturday's overtime win at
Sonoma State. He will try and play but if he can't the Broncos would
be left with just one true post player - true freshman Dwayne Fells
(5.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) is having its best season since joining the
CCAA five years ago. The Otters are just a win away from equaling
their win total of last season and boast one of the leading scorers
in the conference in Steve Monreal (16.5 ppg) and the second-leading
rebounder in Joe Mitchell (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but of the
team's six losses, five came on the road and five of the six came by
a combined margin of 15 points. One was in overtime.
It returns most of the players from last year's team, one of them
being Apple Valley native Will Logan (8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), now a senior.
The Cal Poly Pomona women (9-8, 5-3) are part of a four-way tie for
second place, two games behind UC San Diego. The Broncos have also
struggled with injuries with freshman Megan Ford out for the season
after tearing an ACL.
| By Michelle Gardner Staff Writer SAN BERNARDINO - The most recent showdown between Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino followed the same pattern as so many others. Hard-fought from the opening tip. Low scoring. Too many dramatic shots to count. But it was the Coyotes emerging with a 67-63 win over their neighborhood rival Thursday at Coussoulis Arena. The win puts the Coyotes (6-5, 4-1) in first place for the moment. They started the night tied for first place with four other teams. ``It doesn't matter who's up or who's down and in the last seasons we've both been up,'' Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. ``It's always going to be a battle and they hit shots and made it tough down the stretch.'' The second half was a battle the entire way. The Broncos led 29-27 at the half but the lead changed hands 10 times in the last 20 minutes. The Broncos (6-4, 2-3) had a 56-50 lead with 5:35 to go only to have the Coyotes storm back via the long ball. Reggie Brown hit the second of his three 3-pointers on the night and was fouled on the shot. He made the free throw to cut the deficit to 56-54. ``We made some mental mistakes as far as our defensive rotation,'' Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky said. ``And that four-point play was huge and put them back in the game. There were just too many times where we didn't finish.'' A turnover at the Bronco end gave the host team a chance to seize the lead and capitalize it did. Again it was Brown coming up with the shot, with another bomb putting the Coyotes back up 57-56 with 5:11 to go. It was even at 61 after Cal State's Devin Montgomery drained a 3 with 2:56 to play. Each team missed its next two shots with the opposing team coming up with the rebound. The Coyotes took the lead for good when Brandon Brown muscled his way inside for a bucket that made it 63-61. The Broncos turned the ball over seconds later with Austin Swift taking a tumble in the lane and Brandon Brown coming up with the loose ball. Lawrence Tyson followed with a fadeway jumper a few feet out, making it 65-61 with 17 seconds left that sealed the Broncos fate. ``We were fortunate enough that we finally stuck to the game plan in the last couple of minutes,'' Oliver said. ``The game plan was to get the ball in the paint. And we finally did that after 35 minutes.'' The Broncos shot 49 percent (25-for-51) in the game while the Coyotes managed 44 percent (22-for-50). One of the biggest differences came from long distance as the Coyotes made 12 of 27 tried from long distance. Cal Poly did better than it has in the past but made just five of 17. Walter Thompson led the Broncos with 16. Tobias Jahn added 15 with seven rebounds. Larry Gordon had just eight, snapping a streak of 40 straight games in double figures. Gordon also collected seven rebounds. The Coyotes were led by Montgomery's 15 points, including a 3-for-4 effort from long distance. Both Browns had 13, with Brandon snagging a team-high 10 rebounds. ``It was a great game tonight. Unfortunately we camne out on the losing end,'' Kamansky said. ``But we've come out on the winning side of those too. We played hard tonight and I'm proud of our guys.'' Both teams next get UC San Diego. The Coyotes will host the Tritons Friday at Coussoulis Arena while the Broncos will do so on Saturday. |
By Lindsay Czarnecki
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Cal State's Krystal Urzua was the top scorer in the
CCAA, averaging 17 points a game going into Thursday's contest
against rival Cal Poly.
For the first 33 minutes the Broncos had solved Urzua, holding her
scoreless from the field.
And then overtime came.
Urzua scored eight of her team's 13 overtime points to lead the
Coyotes to a 61-59 victory at Coussoulis Arena.
"I felt like I was just trying to get my shot off and it just wasn't
working," Urzua said. "I was head-faking and my shot was off, I would
drive it and I was still off. It was completely frustrating.
"My coach told me get up and usually when he says that it means I'm
playing like crap and so that just got me going."
With the score locked at 48 apiece, the Coyotes entered the extra
frame and jumped to a 53-50 lead with Urzua scoring all five points.
The game-changer came with 1:10 to go when Urzua hit a 3-pointer,
which extended the Coyote lead to 59-54.
"She took over and that's what good players do. She's been real
consistent for us," Cal State head coach Kevin Becker said.
Both teams entered the game tied for first place in the conference
with UC San Diego. The loss broke Cal Poly's 6-game winning streak
while Cal State (7-4, 5-0) remained undefeated in CCAA play.
Cal State's Morgan Pryor's offensive rebound off a missed free throw
with 17 seconds left put the Broncos in a fouling situation again.
She made one of two free throws, putting the score at 61-59.
The Broncos (8-6, 4-1) had a chance to tie the game and got the shot
they wanted, but Megan Ford's turnaround hook attempt at the buzzer
bounced off the rim and out.
"What ended the game was not the missed shot it was boxing out on the
rebounds, " Cal Poly coach Scott Davis said.
"That would have given us a golden opportunity to win the game with a
lot of time left and we don't box out and it's a two point game.
"They out-toughed us in every aspect of the game."
Urzua, despite shooting just 7 for 23 from the field, finished with
21 points to go with eight rebounds.
The game was fit to be sent to overtime as it was tied at the half at
26 and neither team led by more than six points throughout.
Cal Poly's Reyana Colson posted a game-high 24 and 10 rebounds.
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky thinks he is getting Cal State San Bernardino at a bad time - right when it is starting to play well.
"If the first three guys don't beat you, the next four will. If it's not those four, it could be the next three. They have lots of weapons," he said.
The two local teams renew their rivalry Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena. The women's game between the same two schools will tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
The Coyotes (5-5, 3-1) are close to full strength for the first time, led by 6-foot-7 junior Brandon Brown (18.8 ppg, 11 rpg). Brown was named CCAA Player of the week for his showing in the Coyotes two victories last week.
Cal State's guard trio of Devin Montgomery (14.6 ppg), Tim Denson (10 ppg) and Lawrence Tyson (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures individually.
Freshman Jordan Richard will be back after not being playing in the last four games, giving Oliver a full complement of players for the first time.
"We've had a good few days of practice. It's been pretty scarey," coach Jeff Oliver said.
The Coyotes are tied with four other team for first in the balanced CCAA. The competion has been so even that just four games into the 20-game conference schedule all 11 teams have at least one loss.
Oliver also expects the Broncos (6-3, 2-2) to be part of the big picture even if they're slightly off the pace now.
"We thought there was parity last year. There is even more this year," Oliver said. "We're going to beat each other up all season. It will be who can be the most consistent."
The Coyotes biggest trouble spots had been ball-handling and rebounding, although the arrival of Brown has helped with the latter. Cal State was outrebounded in the first six games it played, some bu a significant margin. Since Brown stepped in four games ago the Coyotes have not lost a battle on the boards.
Cal Poly has arguably the best individual player in the conference in senior Larry Gordon (15.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg) but it's weak spot has been outside shooting. The Broncos have made just 32 of 123 tries (.260) from 3-point range.
Opponents have been packing the paint against the Broncos and giving up the perimeter shots. Kamansky doesn't expect that to change.
"That's pretty much the book on us. I expect that from everyone that plays us," Kamansky said. "The only way it will change is if we start making some shots.
Cal Poly has a 19-17 overall edge in the series with wins in three of the last four meetings.
Despite being rivals, the coaches have a mutual respect for each other.
While the Coyotes look to have the edge, Oliver is prepared for a challenge.
"They'll play us tough. They always do," Oliver said. "They're not the deepest team but they always do a great job with what they have."
Cal Poly Pomona women 65, Cal State Stanislaus 56
Freshman center Megan Ford came up big late to lead the Broncos (8-5
overall, 4-0 CCAA) to their sixth straight game, scoring 11 straight
points in a five-minute span to spark a 22-7 game-ending run.
Ford, who ended up with 22 points and 10 rebounds, personally
outscored the Warriors (6-5, 1-3) 11-2 during a five-minute stretch
starting with 7:35 left in the game, hitting five shots from the
floor and converting a free throw to turn a 49-43 Stanislaus lead
into a 54-51 Bronco advantage. Cal Poly put it away from there.
"Megan came up big tonight, especially for a freshman," Cal Poly
coach Scott Davis said. "She got some shots blocked early in the game
and didn't back down. She was creative with her attack and made some
big shots."
Ford's output, coupled with an aggressive Broncos defense that forced
Stanislaus into 20 turnovers, kept the Broncos tied with Cal State
San Bernardino atop the CCAA standings. The two teams will face off
Thursday at Cal State.
"We did a good job of getting our hands in the passing lanes and
diving on the floor for loose balls," Davis said. "A year ago at this
time a loose ball in the paint would be picked up and put in for a
layup, but now we have four players on the floor. Shows me that their
will to win has increased."
Junior Stephisha Walton added 13 points and six rebounds for Cal Poly
while Reyana Colson filled the box score with 12 points, five
rebounds, five assists and four steals. Katie Busi had 16 points and
10 rebounds to lead Stanislaus, while Lysandra Williams added 15
points.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball coach
Jeff Oliver admits he's a hard man to please. But his Coyotes are doing
better. The Coyotes won their third straight game, upending Chico
State 75-57 in CCAA play Saturday at Coussoulis Arena.
The win moved the Coyotes into a tie for first place as both UC San
Diego and Monterey Bay, who were atop the standings at the start of
the night, lost their respective games.
Oliver had been openly critical of his team's lack of hustle and
intensity in the first eight or so games. But the Coyotes (5-5, 3-1)
have made progress in both those areas.
``We're playing in spurts,'' he said. ``Our bad stretches are
getting shorter but we still have to many of them. But our intensity is
getting better. When we execute and have a high energy level we can
be a pretty good team.''
Early in the season the Coyotes struggled getting out of the gate.
This time that wasn't a problem as the host team led by as many as 16
in the opening half, with a layup off a steal by Tim Denson giving
Cal State a 31-15 lead with 3:16 left.
But the Wildcats (4-7, 1-3) finished the half with a 6-1 run and
started the second with an 8-0 spurt, getting in striking distance on
a bucket by Andy Bocian that made it 32-29.
``It wasn't really what they were doing,'' said Lawrence Tyson,
who scored 18 points. ``We lost our intensity and focus and let them back
in the game.''
That stretch was the most worrisome for Oliver.
``We had a chance to bury them and really take the wind out of
their sails,'' he said. ``We could have really separated ourselves and we
didn't do it.''
Cal State regrouped in the middle of the second half and finally
got some breathing room. Up 47-43, the Coyotes reeled off eight straight
points, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Tyson that made it 56-43 with
6:46 left.
The lead ballooned back to 15 at 60-45 on a pair of Tyson free
throws. The closest the Wildcats would get after that was seven at
62-55.
The Coyotes put the game away at the line with Tim Denson hitting
four in a row that gave Cal State a 72-57 cushion in the closing
minute.
Brandon Brown finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, one short
of his fourth straight double-double. Tyson was next followed by Denson
with 13. He also collected six assists.
Cal State shot 49.1 percent (26-for-53) from the field and held
Chico to 36.5 (23-for-63). Cal State won the boards 39-32.
`` We just had to get back in rhythm,'' Brown said.``We just let
them back in. But then we came back and stepped on them again.''
The Coyotes will square off against local rival Cal Poly Pomona
(6-3, 2-2) Thursday at Coussoulis Arena. The Broncos turned back Cal
State Stanislaus Saturday.
Staff Writer
POMONA - For one game at least the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos reverted
back to their ways of last year. And that isn't a good thing.
Chico State jumped out to a big lead early and the Broncos never recovered, falling to a more physical Wildcat team 55-47 Friday in CCAA play at Kellogg Gymnasium.
The Broncos (5-3, 1-2) didn't do much of anything well. They shot just 36.5 percent (19-for-52) from the field and 50 percent from the line (5-for-10). They were also outrebounded 55-47 and had as many assists (11) as turnovers (11).
``They were hungry and they brought it,'' coach Greg Kamansky said. ``I thought we bottled them up on offense. You hold a team to 55 points you should win. But we were pretty much dysfunctional on offense.''
The Wildcats (4-6, 1-2) led 25-16 at the half and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half. They were up by 14 at 34-20 but the Broncos got within single digits again at 36-25 on a bucket by Robert Summers with 13:20 to go.
Chico then got a jumper from Andy Bocian that made it 38-27. After a pair of misses on the Bronco end, the Wildcats got a 3-pointer from Josh Jackson to go up 41-27.
The Broncos didn't cut the deficit to single digits again until it was too late. Down 47-37 Summers drained a 3-pointer with 1:40 left to make it 47-40.
Chico tried to help out by clanking free throws in the last
minute. Up 51-42 the Wildcats missed four straight attempts from the stripe
and the Broncos were able to close it to 51-45 on a putback by Larry
Gordon with 20 seconds left but that was as close the Broncos would get.
Summers, who just started seeing playing time recently because of academic issues early, was the bright spot, tallying a team-high 14 points an six rebounds.
Leading scorer Larry Gordon was held to 11 points and nine rebounds. He extended his streak of double-digit games to 39 but didn't get his last points to do so until a putback with a tenth of a second left in the game.
Cal Poly's three post men delivered a total of just two points and four rebounds.
``We just didn't make shots,'' Kamansky said. ``We had open looks too. And we missed easy ones inside ''
Bocian, the leading scorer in the conference, led the Wildcats with 17 but went just 7-for-22 from the field, including a 1-for-9 from long distance.
The Broncos host Cal State Stanislaus (4-4, 0-3) at 7:30 tonight. The Warriors lost to Cal State San Bernardino 92-67 on Friday.
CHICO STATE (55)
Andy Bocian 17, Nick Lonnegren 13, Junior Russell 9, Roderick Hawkins
6, Zach Graves 4, Josh Jackson 3, Justin Arengal 3.
CAL POLY POMONA (47)
Robert Summers 14, Larry Gordon 11, Walter Thompson 8, Jimmy
Miyasaka
6, Austin Swift 4, Dahir Nasser 2, Tobias Jahn 2.
Chico State 25 30 - 55
Cal Poly Pomona 16 31 - 47
Three-pointers: Lonnegren (Ch) 1, Russell (Ch) 1, Argenal (Ch) 1,
Jackson (Ch) 1, Miyasaka (CP) 2, Summers (CP) 2.
Preseason All-America forward Larry Gordon scored a game-high 26 points for the Broncos (4-2). He shot 8-of-11 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line. He also had eight rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Joining him in double figures were Walter Thompson (12), Austin Swift (11) and Dahir Nasser (10).
The Vikings (6-2) led 47-46 four minutes into the second half but the Broncos went on a 17-3 run over the next nine minutes and led 64-49 with 7:03 to go.
The Vikings, who shot 23.3 percent (7-of-30) from the field in the second period, never got closer than nine. Western hit just 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the floor, making only 6 of 22 3-point attempts, and was just 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) at the line.
Western was led by Fontana High School product Ira Graham who tallied
17 points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Broncos shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field and
converted 17 of 20 (85.0 percent) free throws.
A rare winter storm hit Southern Nevada on Wednesday, dumping as much as seven inches of snow, the most in nearly 30 years. That grounded flights at the Las Vegas airport, and forced closure of many major highways.
Cal State Stanislaus withdrew from the tournament, which was scheduled to begin Thursday, and the Broncos were not able to get to Las Vegas until Thursday night. That meant no games for the other tourney participant, Central Washington, which had been in town since Monday.
Basketball player Larry Gordon and volleyball standout Vanessa Williams have been named Enterprise Athletes of the Month at Cal Poly Pomona.
Gordon (Montclair HS) scored in double digits for the 32nd and 33rd straight games in wins over Vanguard and Westmont. He tallied 13 points and nine rebounds in one win and 12 points and 12 rebounds in the other.
Williams, a Riverside native, wrapped up a stellar career, leading the Broncos to second place in the CCAA and a runner-up finish at the West Region Tournament. She was named first-team all-conference and all-region and was a second-team All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The top team in the Great Northwest Athletic
Conference was no match for Cal Poly Pomona.
The third-seeded Broncos advanced to the semifinals of the Division
II West Regional with a convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-20) win over
fifth-seeded Western Oregon Thursday afternoon at Coussoulis Arena.
It is the 15th playoff appearance for the Broncos but the first win
in the postseason since 1997.
Next up for Cal Poly (19-7) is tonight's 5 p.m. semifinal against Cal
State Los Angeles which upset second-seeded UC San Diego 3-2 (24-26,
25-19, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13).
``You go back to CCAA play and we have had a lot of battles where we
had to come through and show a fighting spirit,'' Broncos coach Rosie
Wegrich said. ``That is something this team has shown this year and
it showed again today. The conference really helped prepare us for
this.''
The Broncos posted a .237 hitting percentage while limiting the
Wolves to a .052, including a minus-0.28 in the second game. They
tallied 10 team blocks - one solo and 18 assisted.
Counterpart Brad Saindon of Western Oregon (22-3) was impressed.
``We didn't play well and they played very well. That isn't a good
combination for us.'' he said. ``I was impressed with their
blocking. They're physical and very imposing. We had 23 hitting
errors and that was uncharacteristic for us. But that was due to what
they did at the net.''
Cal Poly, ranked 18th nationally, led from the first serve. It led by
as many as seven in the opening game at 19-12. It got a set point on
a kill by Vanessa Williams and wrapped it up seconds later when
6-foot-3 Wolves standout tipped a ball in the net.
But it was a 10-point run in the second game that gave the Broncos a
lead that was never challenged. The Wolves, ranked 20th nationally,
were still in striking distance at 11-8 when Rafaela Rosa went to the
service line for nine straight points, three coming on winners by
Willams.
The Broncos converted their first set point of the game on a tip by
Jenna Young.
Despite the big lead, the Broncos never felt they were in the clear.
``In volleyball the momentum can change so quickly,'' Young said.
``You never know when something crazy is going to happen. But we felt
good about the way we were playing.''
The third game stayed tighter longer. It was even 10 times, the last
at 14-all. Young unleashed a service ace that gave the Broncos a
23-18 lead. They wrapped it up a few minutes later on another Western
Oregon hitting error.
The offensive attack was balanced with Young and Anne-Marie Hofmans
each putting down 11 kills, with five of Young's coming in the third
game. Williams contributed eight but managed a team-high five block
assists. Setter Jasmine Davis tallied 34 assists and Rosa led in digs
with 15.
The Wolves were led by Bennett with 12 kills but she needed 34
attacks and only managed a percentage of .088.
This will be the third meeting between Pomona and Cal State Los
Angeles. The two split during the regular season wit each team wining
at home.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - For a second straight year Cal State San Bernardino
rightside hitter Jessica Granados has been named CCAA Player of the
Year.
The awards were announced Thursday in conjunction with the Division
II West Regional tournament being held at Coussoulis Arena.
Granados, a 6-foot-1 senior out of Beaumont, led the conference in
kills per game (4.19) and fourth in hitting percentage (315). In
addition to her 352 kills Granados tallied 27 service aces, 153 digs
and 50 total blocks in leading the Coyotes to a 25-3 regular season
record and No. 2 national ranking.
She was one of five Coyotes honored. Joining her on first team were
senior middle blocker Sara Rice, junior setter Sara Hoffman and
senior libero Meghan Haas. Junior outside hitter Ashtin Hall was
named to the second-team.
Cal Poly Pomona (19-7) had four players recognized. Seniors Jenna
Young and Vanessa Williams were selected to the first team while
junior setter Jasmine Davis and senior outside hitter Anne-Marie
Hofmans made second team. It was the fourth first-team selection for
Young and third for Williams.
Sonoma State coach Bear Grassl earned Coach of the Year honors for
leading the Seawolves to a 23-6 record, highlighted by the school's
first playoff appearance and national ranking since 1993.
Junior Gabriela Builawczyk of Cal State Los Angeles, a transfer from
Southern Idaho, was named Newcomer of the Year and UC San Diego's
Hillary Williamson earned Freshman of the Year accolades.
FIRST TEAM
]
Rebecca Bailey (UC San Diego, OH, Sr.)
Erica Brick (Chico State, S, Sr.)
Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A., OH, Jr.)
Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Sr.)
Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino, LIB, Sr.)
Gillian Heydorff (Chico State, OH, Jr.)
Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino, S, Jr.)
Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino, MB)
Kristy Sather (Sonoma State, OH, Sr.)
Sylvia Schmidt (UC San Diego, MB, Jr.)
Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A., RS, Sr.)
Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona, MB, Sr.)
Jenna Young (Cal Poly Pomona, OH, Sr.)
Second Team
Lynsey Adams (Humboldt State, OH, Sr.)
Lindsay Brown (Sonoma State, S, Jr.)
Elaine Chen (UC San Diego, S, Jr.)
Jasmine Davis (Cal Poly Pomona, S, Jr.)
Ashtin Hall (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Jr.)
Annie Hoffmans (Cal Poly Pomona, OH, Sr.)
Taylor Krenwinkle (Sonoma State, S, Fr.)
Lindsay Macias (Chico State, OH, Sr.)
Amy McMahon (Cal State L.A., MB, Sr.)
Beth Perkins (San Francisco State, OH, Jr.)
Crystal Trifeletti (Chico State, MB, So.)
Ali Walker (Sonoma State, OH, Jr.)
Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego, OH, Fr.)
Most Valuable Player: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
Freshman of the Year: Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego)
Newcomer of the Year: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.)
Coach of the Year: Bear Grassl (Sonoma State)
Williams, a senior from Riverside, Calif., led the Broncos to a pair of wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. In two games, Williams totaled 24 kills, 10 blocks, four digs and posted a .477 hitting percentage.
In a three-set win over Cal State Dominguez Hills, Williams recorded a .545 hitting percentage (6-0-11) in helping the Broncos to a CCAA-record .488 team hitting percentage.
In a five-set win over Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Williams totaled 18 kills, nine blocks and three digs while registering a .455 hitting percentage.
Cal Poly Pomona, which tied for second in the final CCAA standings, earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional and will take on No. 6 Western Oregon in a first-round match on Thursday.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 25-31: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 1-7: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 8-14: Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A.); Sept. 15-21: Joliann Arzadon (Humboldt State); Sept. 22-28: Sylvia Schmidt (UC San Diego); Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino); Oct. 6-12: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 13-19: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 20-26: Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona); Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Megan Loghry (Cal State Stanislaus); Nov. 3-9: Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino).; Nov. 10-16: Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona).
The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team gets a jump on the competition starting the season tonight in the Disney West Coast Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center. That has its positives and negatives but presents a challenge for a team comprised mostly of newcomers.
``It is a little tough now but hopefully will help us come conference time,'' second-year coach Scott Davis said. ``We start out with a couple of tough games so we need to know exactly what we've got. This will help us do that.''
The Broncos (12-16, 8-12) will face Indianapolis (22-8) at 7:30 tonight. They will take on Concordia-St. Paul (28-3) at noon Saturday and round out the tournament with a 6:30 p.m. game Sunday against Central Washington (I13-13).
Davis has just three players back, only two of whom saw considerable playing time. That trio consists of sophomore guard Reyana Colson 13.1 ppg, 5 rpg), senior Unique Anderson (3.2 ppg, 2 rpg) and senior forward Neha Joshi.
Unfortunately Colson, the CCAA Freshman of the Year in 2007, is sidelined with a knee injury. Davis said the injury isn't season-ending but Colson isn't expected back any time soon.
``She is the focal point of our team so obviously we're a different team without her," Davis said. ``We're not pushing it. When we get her back, she needs to be healthy.''
Two other players decided not to play but are still enrolled at the school. A pair of others transferred to schools in the conference - Anna Pineda to Monterey Bay and Andrea Ohlssen to San Francisco State.
Davis is high on a number of his newcomers, most notably junior forward Stephisha Walton, a transfer from Division I Portland State, 6-foot-1 freshman center Megan Ford (Hart HS), freshman guard Rosslyn Beard (San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral) and 6-2 freshman center Nicolette Brown (Long Beach Poly). Brown is sidelined with a broken foot but expected back soon.
The Broncos will also be bolstered by the return of senior Ally Smith, who started for two years before having to red-shirt last season with a shoulder injury.
Despite the early injuries, Davis is pleased with the talent he sees.
``We have a lot of girls that are versatile and can play different positions,'' he said. ``We're not going to be locked into playing someone in one spot.''
Cal Poly Pomona senior forward Larry Gordon was named to the Division II Bulletin 2008-09 Preseason All-American team that was announced on Thursday.
Gordon was one of 16 players selected to the team that consists of two players from each of the eight regions throughout the country.
As a junior, Gordon led Cal Poly Pomona to the championship game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason tournament. The 6-foot-5 forward led the Broncos in scoring and was second in the CCAA after averaging 17.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a contest.
Cal Poly Pomona, which concluded the 2007-08 campaign with a 13-15 overall record, including a 10-10 mark in conference play, was selected to finish third in the 2008-09 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Broncos make their season debut on November 8 when they play an exhibition game at UC Irvine. Cal Poly Pomona opens its regular season on November 18 when it hosts Vanguard.
Division II Bulletin 2008-09 Preseason All-Americans
Super 16
East Kendrick Easley, Mount Olive
Ted Scott, West Virginia State
Great Lakes Jeff Bostic, Findlay (preseason player of the year)
Brandon Dagans, Lewis
Northeast Jason Westrol, Bentley
Jonathan Schmidt, C.W. Post
North Central Kevin Ratzsch, Northern State
Drake Beranek, Nebraska-Kearney
South Rob Eldridge, Florida Southern
Nick Kohs, Christian Brothers
South Atlantic Anthony Hilliard, Elizabeth City State
Chris Commons, South Carolin-Aiken
South Central Matthew Rogers, Southwest Baptist
Dejan Sencanski, Abilene Christian
West Larry Gordon, Cal Poly-Pomona
Lucas Alves, BYU-Hawaii
Honorable Mention
Malcolm Ingram, Philadelphia
Thomas Fraise, North Alabama
Antonio Houston, Catawba
Jake Morrow, Minnesota State
Hunter Henry, Northwest Missouri State
Stan Hall, Alderson-Broaddus
Ben Madgen, Augusta State
Billy Arre, Lock Haven
Lew Finnegan, Bentley
Kenny Boyd, Morehouse
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown
Garrett Siler, Augusta State
Tony Gugino, Hillsdale
Kenny Barker, Alaska Anchorage
Jesse Wagstaff, Metro State
Pierce Caldwell, Incarnate Word
Jason Genova, Lewis
Jake Linton, St. Martin's
Darren Duncan, Merrimack
Jake Beitinger, Central Washington
Williams, a senior from Riverside, Calif., led the Broncos to a pair of wins over Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. In eight sets, Williams totaled 28 kills, two set assists, nine digs and 10 total blocks. She made just one error in 56 kill attempts for a .482 hitting percentage.
During a five-set match against Chico State, Williams collected 18 kills (no errors) in 35 attempts, eight digs and six blocks, while posting a .514 hitting percentage.
Williams came back on Saturday to register 10 kills and four blocks while registering a .429 hitting percentage during a three-set victory over Cal State Stanislaus.
Cal Poly Pomona returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts CCAA-leader Cal State San Bernardino beginning at 7 p.m.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 25-31: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 1-7: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 8-14: Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A.); Sept. 15-21: Joliann Arzadon (Humboldt State); Sept. 22-28: Sylvia Schmidt (UC San Diego); Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino); Oct. 6-12: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 13-19: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 20-26: Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona).
Cal State San Bernardino senior libero Meghan Haas is chasing the school's career record for digs.
The Menifee resident currently has 1,294, ranking her fourth behind Kim Ford (1,543 from 2000-2003), Jamie Lieveld (1,466 from 1997-2000) and Bridget Harris Crosby (1,458 from 2000-2003).
The No. 2 Coyotes (15-1, 7-1) have 12 matches left in the regular season. Whether Haas gets the record or not, she has left her mark on the program and coach Kim Cherniss. Her 554 in 2006 is the best mark for a single season and her 493 in 2007 is the second best. She also has the second, third, fourth and fifth best totals for a single match.
"She is the best defensive player we have ever had here," Cherniss said. "It may not seem like a glamorous position to those casual observers but those in volleyball know how important it is."
Making the run at the record even more impressive is that Haas has played just three years, having transferred from Louisiana Tech. The players ahead of her all played four years. The large numer of matches the Coyotes win 3-0 also works against her.
What has helped her is the chance to play six full rotations in the back. Two of the three ahead of her played both front and back.
After a successful debut in 2007, the NCAA, Division II Disney's West Coast Tip-Off Classic will return in 2008 with an eight-team field, including four men's and four women's teams. The Classic will be held November 7-9 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
"The CCAA is extremely excited and happy to help sponsor this expanded Disney Classic event," CCAA Commissioner Robert J. Hiegert said. "This is a premier event and it has already proven to add to the prestige of Division II basketball. I am pleased to continue our relationship with Disney."
The tournament format calls for four games - two men's and two women's - to be played each day over three days.
The men's field will be comprised of Alaska-Anchorage, Fort Lewis, Humboldt State and Southwest Minnesota State. The women's field will include Cal Poly-Pomona, Central Washington, Concordia (Minn.) and Indianapolis.
Three of the four teams on the men's side advanced to NCAA post-season play during the 2007-08 campaign. Alaska-Anchorage captured the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) title and reached the NCAA, Division II semifinals. Senior forward Cameron Burney (5.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 1.3 apg.) is the lone returning starter from last year's Seawolves team that concluded the season with a program-best 29-6 overall record.
Fort Lewis also enjoyed a program-high in wins after posting a 24-6 overall record, capturing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) before suffering a first-round loss in the NCAA Championships.
Humboldt State grabbed a share of the 2008 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title after posting a 22-8 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in conference play. After being upset in the first round of the CCAA Tournament, the Lumberjacks suffered a first-round loss in the NCAA West Regional Championships.
Sophomore guard Ernie Spada is the top returning player for Humboldt State after averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.4 rebounds a contest.
Southwest Minnesota State registered a 17-12 overall mark a year ago and finished third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) with an 11-7 conference mark. Junior forward Ross DeMasi returns as the Mustangs' leading scorer after averaging 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.
On the women's side, Cal Poly-Pomona recorded a 12-16 overall record, including an 8-12 mark in CCAA play. After finishing third in the regular-season standings, the Broncos advanced to the second round of the CCAA Tournament.
Central Washington concluded the 2007-08 campaign with a 13-13 overall mark and placed eighth in the GNAC with a 5-13 record.
Concordia (Minn.) captured the NSIC Tournament title before suffering a first-round loss in the first round of the North Central Regional Tournament. The Golden Bears concluded last season with a 28-3 overall mark, including a 16-2 record in conference play.
Indianapolis tied for first place in the East Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) with a 13-6 conference mark before falling in the opening round of the Great Lakes Regional Tournament and concluding the season with a 22-8 overall record.
2008 Division II Disney's West Coast Tip-Off Classic Schedule
Friday, November 7
MEN
Noon - Southwest Minnesota State vs. Alaska-Anchorage
2:30 p.m. - Fort Lewis vs. Humboldt State
WOMEN
5 p.m. - Concordia (Minn.) vs. Central Washington
7:30 p.m. - Game 2 - Indianapolis vs. Cal Poly-Pomona
Saturday, November 8
WOMEN
Noon - Concordia (Minn.) vs. Cal Poly-Pomona
2:30 p.m. - Central Washington vs. Indianapolis
MEN
5 p.m. - Humboldt State vs. Southwest Minnesota State
7:30 p.m. - Alaska-Anchorage vs. Fort Lewis
Sunday, November 9
MEN
11 a.m. - Fort Lewis vs. Southwest Minnesota State
1:30 p.m. - Humboldt State vs. Alaska-Anchorage
WOMEN
4 p.m. - Indianapolis vs. Concordia (Minn.)
6:30 p.m. - Cal Poly-Pomona vs, Central Washington
* Designated home team is listed second. The home team will wear light uniforms, and the visiting team will wear dark uniforms.
(Source CCAA)
Cal State San Bernardino's volleyball team, ranked tops in the country, faces a gauntlet of tough foes this week, all within Southern California.
First up is No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona, which will invade Coussoulis Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown tonight. On Friday, the Coyotes travel to RIMAC Arena to battle long-time nemesis UC San Diego, ranked 16th. To finish the week, Cal State returns home Saturday to face Cal Baptist, the No. 2 team in NAIA.
"It makes for a tough week because it's every single day, a practice or a tough match. There is no break," coach Kim Cherniss said. "That's where I am happy I have so much depth in case the fatigue sets in. "Those are all teams we get pretty pumped up for."
Both the Coyotes (11-0, 4-0) and Broncos (7-2, 4-0) are coming off strong showings last weekend. The two notched wins over the same foes, the only difference being that Cal State swept Chico State 3-0 while Cal Poly needed five games.
The two are part of a three-way tie for first in the CCAA, with the other party being surprising Sonoma State (11-1, 4-0).
Cal State leads the CCAA in most offensive categories, including hitting percentage. The Coyotes are hitting an impressive .302 as a team, with three players in the top six individually. The trio is led by senior Sara Rice, who is at .398 overall with a whopping .588 in conference matches alone.
Senior Jessica Granados, the reigning conference and region player of the year, is second at .344 with junior Ashtin Hall sixth at .272.
Cal State also has the conference leader in assists in junior Sara Hoffman and the top performer in digs in senior Meghan Haas.
Cal Poly is sixth, hitting .191 as a unit. Senior Anne-Marie Hofmans is ninth in the conference in kills at 2.95 per game.
Veteran Cal Poly Pomona coach Rosie Wegrich, who notched her 300th career win at the school on Saturday, knows the firepower of the Cal State offense, but insists her biggest concern is on her own side of the net.
"It's probably 80-20, with 80 percent of your focus on your own offense and what you're doing," she said. "You have to worry about your own side of the net first."
The Broncos strength has always been blocking. That is again the case with Cal Poly third in that department, one spot ahead of Cal State. Standouts in the middle are seniors Vanessa Williams and Allie Newman. Junior Jasmine Davis, one of the Broncos two setters, has also been a top blocker.
The Broncos will also play San Diego this week, heading down there Saturday, the day after the Coyotes play there.
It was probably fitting that Cal Poly Pomona took five games in getting by CCAA rival Chico State Saturday at Darlene May Gymnasium. Veteran coach Rosie Wegrich says those are the ones she remembers most vividly.
She has been coaching for 34 years and is in her 17th year directing the Broncos. The 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-7) win over the Wildcats was the 300th in her tenure at Cal Poly. She owns a career record of 629-446-10.
She didn't know about the milestone until after the match when she was congratulated by school president Michael Ortiz and athletic director Brian Swanson.
"I didn't even think about it," said Wegrich, whose team improved to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. "I was so focused on the match. I really had no idea."
Wegrich, who grew up and still lives in Manhattan Beach, is the dean of coaches in the CCAA. She joined the Broncos in 1992 after 17 years at the Division I level - two at Minnesota (71-30-1) and 15 (258-229-9) at Arizona.
While there may be more notariety at the Division I level, Wegrich enjoys some of the other intracacies that come with working at a Division II institution.
"I love dealing with really smart girls who want to be here," she said. "We don't give fully funded scholarships so these girls are working in addition to playing so they are seeing what live after sports is going to be like."
She also enjoys the camaraderie of her players. The team started the season with a trip to Hawaii where they played four matches. A similar venture at the Division I level would probably have been paid for by the athletic department.
In this case the athletes spent much of the offseason raising the money themselves with fundraisers including summer camps, a garage sale and working the concessions stands at Angels Stadium.
"When you spend so much time together you really build memories," she said.
Asked what her most memorable match is and she doesn't single out her 200th at Cal Poly which came in 2002 against Cal State Los Angeles or the 500th of her career which came against Grand Canyon in 2000.
She goes back to one in the regional playoffs against Cal State Bakersfield in which her team came from down 15-12 in the decisive game to win 16-14.
Wegrich isn't saying how long she will coach. She said she has been blessed with good assistant coaches in the past and will do so as long as she has that kind of help and passes along credit to her current assistant Kenji Mukai.
"I don't know if I could do it if I didn't have such good help," she said. "We really are on the same page and he really brings a fighting spirit and an energy that make it fun."
Seniors Vanessa Williams (Riverside) and Anne-Marie Hofmans (Glendora) were the catalysts Thursday night for Cal Poly Pomona, which defeated Chaminade 3-0 in the 2008 season opener for the Broncos.
Williams led the Broncos with 11 kills (11-3-18) and had a .444 attack percentage in the 25-19, 28-26, 25-16 victory, while Hofmans added eight kills (8-1-15) with a .467 attack percentage and a team-high 11 digs.
"Annie played the type of match that we've been waiting for in her career,'' Bronco coach Rosie Wegrich said. "She had a sound all-round match and really played a big role in helping us earn a season-opening victory. It was a solid performance all the way around.''
The Broncos fired on all cylinders in the match as they earned a .281 attack percentage (41 kills, 14 errors and 96 total attacks). Seniors Allie Newman (Redlands) and Jenna Young (Arcadia) each had six kills and Young led the Broncos in service aces with three. Senior Rocio Vargas (Baldwin Park) led the Broncos on the block with two solos and four assists. She also had four kills.
The Broncos return to the court this afternoon with a 4:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) match against No. 14 Nebraska-Kearney, and then face host Brigham Young-Hawaii at 10:30 p.m. On Saturday, they play against Hawaii Pacific to round out the trip to nation's 50th state.
Courtney Lorusso led the Silverswords with 10 kills.
Cal Poly Pomona volleyball standout Allie Newman admits being happy that she wasn't given much of a warning when called on in a critical match late last season. She had just finished warmups and thought she would be taking a seat at the end of the bench like she had for the duration of the season. But then-assistant coach Vinh Nyugen informed her she would be starting.
"I'm glad they didn't tell me before or I would have had way too much time to get nervous," Newman said. "It was better I didn't have time to think about it."
The 5-foot-11 middle blocker delivered 13 kills and 11 block assists, helping the Broncos to a school-record 40 block assists in a five-game upset of nationally ranked UC San Diego.
She also tallied eight kills and 10 block assists in a Pacific Regional semifinal loss to Cal State Los Angeles.
Her showing at the end of the season has set her up for more significant playing time this year, especially with the departure of two other middle blockers -- most notably All-American Antoinette Kathol.
The Broncos open the new season with four matches in Hawaii, the first coming Thursday against Chaminade.
The court time has been a long time coming for the former Redlands East Valley High School and San Bernardino Valley College standout.
"We always knew she could play," veteran Broncos coach Rosie Wegrich said. "It was just a matter of when she would get that chance. She had worked very hard in practice and deserved that opportunity. We're looking forward to bigger things from her this season."
Newman, now 22, has been a later bloomer. She didn't play until her sophomore season in high school after her family moved to Southern California from Pullman, Wash.
"It was my mom and dad that encouraged me to play," she recalled. "We had just moved and they thought it would be a good way to make friends because all the girls on the team seemed nice."
She spent her sophomore year on the junior varsity just learning the basics. She followed that up with two years on the varsity. The idea of playing for a four-year school was appealing but she wasn't quite ready. So she opted for SBVC, then coached by current athletic director Dave Rubio.
Newman was a quick study, earning All-Foothill Conference honors both years there, highlighted by a Most Valuable Player selection in 2004.
"She has a great work ethic and she has athletic ability," Rubio said. "She just needs time to develop. It was the experience and technique, especially her footwork, that were lacking."
The decision on a four-year school was even more of a challenge. The most obvious choice would have been Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly's conference rival. Not only does it boast great tradition in the sport but her father, Eric, is a marketing instructor there.
But that's exactly why she chose not to go there.
"I wanted to make my own name somewhere else," she said.
Newman actually recruited the Broncos more than they recruited her. She sent Wegrich a letter and the veteran coach invited her to a tryout which several of Newman's SBVC teammates also attended.
But it hasn't been easy. Newman redshirted her first season because of an elbow injury that later healed without surgery. It turned out being a blessing in disguise.
"I learned a lot by watching," she said. "I don't think I would be playing today if I didn't have that year to watch and learn. And I appreciate playing a lot more now."
She played in 16 matches (39 games total), including the two pivotal ones at the end of the season, totaling 48 kills and 30 total blocks.
She has lofty goals for her final go-round including winning a conference title and dethroning the juggernaut that is Cal State.
"This is it. I want to make it a great year," said Newman, who would like to go into sports marketing. "We have some great new players that have fit right in so I think we can do it."
The Coyotes posted a 17-1 CCAA record and advanced to the NCAA Pacific Regional final before finishing the 2007 campaign with a 27-3 overall mark. Cal State San Bernardino received eight of the 11 first-place votes and totaled 96 points.
UC San Diego, which tied for second in the CCAA a year ago with a 13-5 conference mark, was picked to finish second after totaling 83 points and one first-place vote. Cal State L.A. garnered 77 points to finish third, while Chico State, which received two-first place votes, was fourth with 76 points. Cal Poly Pomona rounded out the top five after totaling 74 points.
Sonoma State (57) was sixth in the voting and was followed by Cal State Monterey Bay (42), Humboldt State (40), Cal State Stanislaus (23), Cal State Dominguez Hills (19) and San Francisco State (18).
The 2008 season will mark the first for San Francisco State, which is beginning its inaugural year sponsoring women's volleyball.
The 2008 campaign is slated to begin the weekend of August 28 with teams competing in tournaments. CCAA play is scheduled to begin Sept. 12-13.
2008 CCAA Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll Rank -- Team (First place votes) -- Points 1. Cal State San Bernardino (8) - 96 2. UC San Diego (1) - 83 3. Cal State L.A. - 77 4. Chico State (2) - 76 5. Cal Poly Pomona - 74 6. Sonoma State - 57 7. Cal State Monterey Bay - 42 8. Humboldt State - 40 9. Cal State Stanislaus - 23 10. Cal State Dominguez Hills - 19 11. San Francisco State - 18"I'm thrilled to be a part of Cal Poly Pomona's women's soccer program,'' Reinke said. "My playing career has reached its end and this is the next challenge. I look forward to doing all I can to help Isabelle build this program to be at its best with quality student-athletes.''
Reinke brings a wealth of playing experiences - both as an amateur and as a professional goalkeeper - into her first season.
She spent 2005 through 2007 playing as an amateur and professional in the Elite Division for women in Denmark. In that three-year span, she played for four teams including one full season with Fortuna Hjorring - one of the top women's teams in the world. She completed her playing career this past summer with the Ottawa Fury, a member of the USL W-League, who reached the league finals against FC Indiana.
She and Harvey played against each other in college and were teammates on the semipro team Ajax in Southern California, which won national championships from 2001-2004.
Reinke's coaching experience includes a one-year stint as a volunteer coach at Long Beach State. She also coached club soccer in Palos Verdes for three years.
Reinke was the first-ever in-state recruit for Arizona State University and went on to start four seasons for the Sun Devils. In her senior year, Reinke was a member of the 2000 Sun Devils' NCAA postseason team, which lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist Portland. She remains the career leader in saves and shutouts for ASU.
Reinke, a Mesa, Ariz., native, was a member of ASU's Maroon and Gold Scholars twice in her career. She earned her bachelor's of science degree in Sociology from ASU in 2000.
It's ready, set, hike time for Ashley Moody. But her chance to play football didn't come until she finished up her collegiate basketball career.
Moody, 22, finished her eligibility with the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team in March. As soon as her season ended she was on the gridiron with the Los Angeles Amazons of the National Women's Football Association.
"I always wanted to play football," said Moody, who averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Broncos. "When I was little my uncle had a team and he wanted to play but of course my mother said no. I love all sports but this is new so it's exciting."
Moody was introduced to the sport and the franchise by Tamara McDonald, a first-year assistant coach for the Broncos who was playing for the Amazons, but has since stopped because of injury.
McDonald talked up the football team with the Broncos and invited the seniors to come to a practice, an offer Moody gladly accepted.
Moody, a 5-foot-7 guard on the hardwood, said even she was surprised at what she found when it came to the team.
"I thought there would be all these massive 6-foot-4 women. And it wasn't that at all," she said. "There are players all different sizes, different ages. And the competition is tough. We play hard."
Moody, a native of Carson, didn't get much playing time at first but has become a valuable addition, particularly on special teams. The highlight for her this season was a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 41-14 win over the Phoenix Prowlers.
She has also seen some time at cornerback and has 13 carries for 133 yards on offense.
The Amazons are one of 38 teams in the league which is set to expand by nine teams in 2009. They are 9-0 and the only unbeaten team in the 19-team Southern Conference. They will host a playoff game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bassett Stadium in La Puente.
Moody can forsees the sport gaining in popularity.
"It is that way for every woman's sport," she said. "It always takes awhile to catch on. Look at the WNBA. It has become very popular but it wasn't always that way."
Although Moody is done with basketball, she still has a year left before getting her degree in graphic design. She plans to follow through with that.
"Definitely, school comes first," she said.
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.
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 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
Tsai leads five Cal Poly Pomona on all-CCAA teams
POMONA - Senior Jenny Tsai capped her four-year career with Cal Poly Pomona in fine fashion by earning first-team all-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors, the conference announced Wednesday.
Tsai, an Artesia native, played No. 1 singles for the second consecutive season. She finished her four-year career with three all-CCAA honors. She completed her career with 44-39 record in singles play and 45-33 in doubles.
"Jenny has played standout tennis during her entire career at Cal Poly Pomona,'' coach Sandy Kriezel said. "She's been a leader for us and she has shown a quiet resolve in everything she does. We're going to miss her next season.''
The Broncos placed four players on the all-CCAA second team - junior Jessica Winkler (Fullerton), sophomore Mallory Brady (Torrance) and freshmen Jennifer Chow (Diamond Bar) and Kaitlin Wooldridge (Fort Collins, Colo.).
Winkler played No. 2 singles this past season and played No. 1 doubles (with Tsai) and finished the season at No. 3 doubles with Wooldridge. Winkler and Tsai were 3-4 overall and 4-5 overall with Wooldridge.
Brady went 11-7 while playing at No. 3 singles. She was the winningest player for the Broncos this season.
Chow came on strong late in the season. She went 5-4 overall (5-2 at No. 4 singles) and teamed with Tsai at No. 1 doubles (6-6).
Wooldridge played No. 5 singles and went 6-8 at that spot and 10-10 overall. In addition to her doubles play with Winkler, she and Brady went 4-4 at No. 3 doubles.
The Broncos finished the season 7-10 overall and earned their 21st trip to the NCAA Division II postseason. That number is the most of any Bronco athletic program in school history.
Palm Desert High School graduate, was an at-large selection on the nine-member first team picked by the CCAA coaches. She also earned first-team honors in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and was the conference MVP in 2006 and its freshman of the year in 2005.
ALL-CCAA FIRST TEAM -- Iona Comsa, Fr., (CSULA); Krishana DeSilva, Sr., (CSULA); Kimmi Dao, Fr., (UCSD); Justine Fonte, Sr., (UCSD); Molly Sullens, Sr. (UCSD); Jennifer Avila, Sr., (CSULA); Jennifer Joy, Sr., (CSUSB); Jenny Tsai, Sr., (Cal Poly Pomona); Natalie Varnay, Fr., (UCSD).
SECOND TEAM -- Dalya Perelman, Fr., (UCSD); Mallory Brady, So., (Cal Poly Pomona); Jennifer Chow, Fr., (Cal Poly Pomona); Kaitlin Wooldridge, Fr., (Cal Poly Pomona); Casey O'Connor, So., (Sonoma St.); Jessica Winkler, Jr., (Cal Poly Pomona).
Seven Broncos have qualified for the meet that Cal Poly Pomona will play host to next week. The men's team will send three student-athletes - seniors Sofiane Meniri (800 meters, Villeurbanne, France) and Joaquin Ortiz (800 meters, Woodland), and sophomore Jonathan Williams (100 meters, Temecula).
The women's team will send four student-athletes - seniors Claudia Garcia (10,000 meters, Whittier) and Adrienne Schumm (10,000 meters, Chino Hills), junior Jasmine Winn (long jump, Pomona) and sophomore Tokunbo Adeniji (400 meters, Pomona).
"Reaching the NCAA Championships is a testament to their hard work,'' said first-year Bronco coach Troy Johnson. "Their belief in themselves and their hard work has gotten them to this point.
"To have seven represent our school is an honor for themselves and to our coaching staff. It's a great first year to start off the program.''
Meniri won the 800 meters in 1:52.22 at the California Collegiate Athletic Association meet held at Cal State Los Angeles on May 2-4. Ortiz arguably is the most improved runner on the men's team this season as he dropped his time more than six seconds from year ago at 1:52.27. Williams (10.53) competed in last year's event in Charlotte, N.C., and looks to earn his first all-America honor.
For the women, Schumm and Garcia both will race in the 10,000 meters. At last week's Occidental Relays, Schumm established a personal best 36 minutes and 23.54 seconds. She also won the CCAA 10,000. Garcia owns a qualifying time of 36:53.27 - also a personal best.
Winn, who competed in the long jump at last year's NCAA meet, owned the nation's top mark in the long jump for the early part of the season at 19 feet, 3 ½ inches.
Tokunbo improved nearly four seconds this season in her event and owns a personal-best 55.49.
About Occidental Relays: Junior Tiffany Turner (La Crescenta) established a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and senior Joaquin Ortiz (Woodland) earned an NCAA Division II provisional mark in the 800 meters as Cal Poly Pomona finished its regular season track and field schedule at the Occidental Relays onMay 10.
Senior Adrienne Schumm (Chino Hills) also had a standout performance as she improved her time in the 10,000 meters in 36 minutes and 23.54 seconds.
Turner ran the steeplechase in 11:08.87 seconds, surpassing the mark of 11:18.88 set by Emma Hartel in 2007. Turner's time met NCAA Division II provisional status, but did not meet the standard set Monday.
That Turner established the record at Occidental is noteworthy. She competed in last season's event as an unattached runner in the 5000 while studying at Glendale College and it was her first-ever race in a track and field event.
Ortiz continued his assault on his event and established a personal-best mark of 1:52.27.
Schumm's time ranks as the 14th fastest in the country. Teammate Claudia Garcia (senior, Whittier) ran 36:35.27 at Mt. SAC in April and ranks 17th in the country.
Sophomore David Rhodes (Auburn) established a collegiate best 15-0 3/4 in the pole vault to round out the top Bronco competitors.
2008 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships Advisory:
May 22-24, 2008 • Walnut, Calif.
Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Cal Poly Pomona University • Host institution
When: May 22-24, 2008. First-day events run from 10:30 a.m. to 9:05 p.m. Second-day events run from 10:00 a.m. to 9:25 p.m. Third-day events run from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Walnut, Calif., on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College
Participants: More than 800 participants (including student-athletes, coaches and administrators) from around the country are expected to visit the San Gabriel Valley for the event.
Meet History: The NCAA has been holding a men's championship since 1963 and a women's championship since 1982. This will mark the third time in the event's history that Cal Poly Pomona has played host to the event and the second time in the last five years (1980 and 2004). Both previous events were held at Mt. SAC.
Additionally, John Goelz, in his 23rd season at Sonoma State, was named the conference's Coach of the Year after guiding the Seawolves to a 42-12 overall record and the CCAA regular-season title. Cal State Stanislaus senior Marquis Fleming was a unanimous choice as Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year and UC San Diego's Tim Shibuya earned Freshman of the Year accolades.
Bridges batted a conference-leading .412 with five home runs and 39 RBI. The Seawolves' junior first baseman also hit a CCAA-leading .410 in conference play with 27 runs scored, three home runs and 31 RBI.
Haycock, a junior shortstop who transferred to Sonoma State from Fresno City College, batted .346 with four home runs, 25 RBI and stole 16 bases in 17 attempts during CCAA play. He has an overall batting average of .339 with a team-high 44 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, four home runs and 28 RBI.
Fleming went 11-3 with a 2.21 ERA and seven complete games while striking out 106 batters in 102.0 innings during the regular season. During CCAA play, he posted an 8-1 record, 3.00 ERA, struck out 62 batters in 63.0 innings and tossed four complete games in nine starts while limiting the opposition to a .202 average.
Shibuya turned in an impressive rookie campaign for UC San Diego as he went 7-0 with a 1.99 ERA while making 25 relief appearances. He logged 63.1 innings, struck out 50 and held opponents to a .228 average. In CCAA action, the freshman right-hander posted a 5-0 mark and 2.03 ERA in 19 appearances.
Goelz garnered Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season and seventh time in his career. During the 2008 campaign, Sonoma State was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country and produced a school-record 23-game winning streak.
| FIRST TEAM |
||||
| Name | School |
POS | YR | Hometown |
| Konrad Thieme | SSU | C | Sr. | Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| Ian Bridges | SSU | 1B | Jr. | Valencia, Calif. |
| Garrett Imeson | UCSD | 2B | Jr. | Stockton, Calif. |
| Bret Ringer | CSUC | 3B | Jr. | Stockton, Calif. |
| Cody Puckett | CSUDH | SS | Jr. | Apple Valley, Calif. |
| Kyle Loretelli | CSUS | OF | Jr. | Modesto, Calif. |
| Dave Herman | SSU | INF | Sr. | San Francisco, Calif. |
| John Haas | CSUSB | OF | Jr. | Hesperia, Calif. |
| Evan Kehoe | UCSD | OF | Fr. | San Diego, Calif. |
| Tyler Warmerdam | CSULA | OF | Sr. | Lodi, Calif. |
| Josh Meagher | CSUC | DH | Jr. | Santa Maria, Calif. |
| Marquis Fleming | CSUS | SP | Sr. | Oakland, Calif. |
| Matt Means | SSU | SP | Sr. | Mountain View, Calif. |
| Bret Montgomery | CSUDH | SP | So. | Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| Isaac Morales | CSULA | SP | Jr. | South Gate, Calif. |
| Keith Noe | UCSD | RP | Sr. | Vista, Calif. |
| SECOND TEAM |
||||
| Name | School | POS | YR | Hometown |
| Cody Dee | CSUC | C | So. | Moorpark, Calif. |
| Jason Klug | CSUSB | 1B | Sr. | Moreno Valley, Calif. |
| David Adler | SSU | 2B | Sr. | Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| Drew Valenzuela |
CSUSB | 3B | Sr. | Riverside, Calif. |
| Kris Haycock | SSU | SS | Jr. | Tehachapi, Calif. |
| Vance Albitz | UCSD | INF | So. | Torrance, Calif. |
| A.J. Cavaletto | CPP | OF | Sr. | Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Nick Nosti | SSU | OF | Sr. | Marin, Calif. |
| Mark Pestorich | SSU | OF | Jr. | Easton, Calif. |
| Kevin Pillar | CSUDH | OF | Fr. | West Hills, Calif. |
| Matt Cantele | UCSD | DH | Jr. | Los Altos Hills, Calif. |
| Kevin Asselin | SSU | SP | Sr. | Redwood City, Calif. |
| Eric Federico | CSUS | SP | Jr. | Stockton, Calif. |
| Mike Robbins | CSUC | SP | Jr. | Sylmar, Calif. |
| Kirby St. John | UCSD | SP | So. | Santa Cruz, Calif. |
| Andrew DeMott | CSUS | RP | Sr. | Atwater, Calif. |
HONORABLE MENTION: C: Matt Kavanaugh (Sr., SFSU); 1B: Jon Alia (Jr., CSUDH); 2B: Bobby Carini (Jr., SFSU); 3B: Jake Oketani (Jr., CSUC); SS: Darrick Hale (Sr., CSULA); INF: Brent Planck (So, CSUSB); OF: Jimmy Dodos (Jr., CSUC), Shane Farmer (Sr., CSUC), Kenny Shanahan (Fr., CSULA), Dennis Wolfe (Sr., CSUS); SP: Cheyene Hann (Sr., CSUSB), Pete Mickartz (Fr., CSUC), Gary Moran (Jr., SSU), Andrew Pluta (Jr., CSUC); RP: Tim Shibuya (Fr., UCSD).
Most Valuable Player: Ian Bridges (Sonoma State)
Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year: Marquis Fleming (Cal State Stanislaus)
Freshman of the Year: Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego)
Newcomer of the Year: Kris Haycock (Sonoma State)
Coach of the Year: John Goelz (Sonoma State)
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal Poly Pomona got off to a good start with its recruiting class signing a pair of players coach Greg Kamansky thinks can make an impact right away.
Kevin Ryan, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward out of El Segundo High School, and Dwayne Fells, a 235-pound forward out of Fullerton High School, are the first to sign letters of intent.
“I am very pleased. This gets us off to a great start,” Kamansky said. “They’re guys that can be program changers. You never know how guys are going to progress but they have that kind of potential.”
Ryan averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds, earning Pioneer League Most Outstanding Player honors this past season.
Fells averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds, earning first-team all-Freeway League honors. He was the league’s Most Valuable Player as a junior in 2007 and was a two-time, all-CIF selection.
Those additions address one of the Broncos biggest needs with the departure of center Kaelen Daniels and his backup Kein Neveu.
Kamansky said he is still looking to add three or four more players, with the biggest emphasis now going to the guard position. While the Broncos recruiting focus has typically been on high school graduates, he might look to fill that void with a more experienced transfer.
Cal Poly graduates shooting guard Angelo Tsagarakis but does already have a quality player in the fold in Austin Swift, a Division I transfer who redshirted last year because of an ankle injury.
“We never seem to have a problem with the big men but we never get enough guards,” he said.
The Broncos finished 13-15 this past season and just missed their fifth NCAA Division II postseason berth in six seasons by finishing second in the CCAA Tournament.
“We’re hoping these guys can get us back to where we’re challenging for a conference title and back up there with the elite teams,” he said.
Cal Poly Pomona designated hitter/catcher Chris Brehm was named the Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association player of the week Monday for the week of April 7-13. He is the first Bronco player to earn the honor this season.
Brehm, a Murrieta native, played a key role in helping Cal Poly Pomona win a four-game series from Cal State Monterey Bay last weekend. The junior batted .647 (11-for-17) with seven runs scored and seven RBI, while totaling seven extra-base hits. He had multiple hits in all four contests and concluded the series with a 4-for-5 effort that included three doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. He opened the series with three hits, including a grand slam, on Friday.
He leads the team in batting average at .415 that is second in the CCAA. He has played in 31 games and owns 30 starts for the Broncos, who are 10-25 overall and 7-15 in the CCAA. Incidentally, the 11-4 victory Sunday marked coach Mike Ashman’s 300th victory while at Cal Poly Pomona.
The Broncos return to play this weekend with a four-game series against visiting San Francisco State. The series starts Friday with a 2:30 p.m. start at Scolinos Field.
Jan. 28-Feb. 3: Darrick Hale (Cal State L.A); Feb. 4-10: Cody Puckett (Cal State Dominguez Hills); Feb. 11-17: Evan Kehoe (UC San Diego); Feb. 18-24: Cameron Cook (Sonoma State); Feb. 25-Mar. 2: Cody Dee (Chico State); Mar. 3-9: Kyle Loretelli (Cal State Stanislaus); Mar. 10-16: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills); Mar. 17-23: Shane Farmer (Chico State); Mar. 24-30: Kenny Shanahan (Cal State L.A.); Mar. 31-Apr. 6: Ian Bridges (Sonoma State); Apr. 7-13: Chris Brehm (Cal Poly Pomona).By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky spent most of Friday watching the junior college state tournament in Stockton. He would have rather been in Alaska, where eight teams were competing in the Division II West Regional.
For just the second time in the last six years the Broncos did not make the playoffs. And for the first time in Kamansky’s eight-year tenure Cal Poly finished under .500 at 13-15. So it is back to the drawing board.
“We need to upgrade at every position,” Kamansky said, by phone from Stockton. “We need posts but we also need guards. We really need everything.”
Kamansky wasn’t surprised at the sub-par season, acknowledging that the signs were there early. Division I transfer Austin Swift injured an ankle this summer and never got well. He tried to play through it, but shut it down after just two games.
With the Broncos carrying only 10 players, about five fewer than most teams, the injury loomed large.
“Because of our depth, or lack of it, we’re always just one injury away. That is always the case. And it showed this year,” Kamansky said.
He added that the rest of the team came in out of shape, making matters worse.
It was indeed a rollercoaster ride for the Kamansky’s crew. The Broncos got off to a 2-6 start but seemingly recovered when it put together midseason wins over perennial powers Humboldt State and Cal State San Bernardino, both nationally ranked at the time. But Cal Poly hit the skids again and barely made it into the eight-team conference tournament.
It finished off the regular season with an impressive win at Humboldt, then reeled off two wins in the conference tournament before losing the final to UC San Diego.
“We were able to end on a somewhat positive note so that is something we can hold on to,” Kamansky said.
The Broncos are losing just three seniors, two of them posts in Kaelen Daniels (8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds per game) and reserve Kevin Neveau (5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg). The other departing player is shooting guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15.1 ppg, 2.5 assists per game) who was deadly from 3-point range when he was on but also sometimes erratic.
The good news is that the Broncos have a centerpiece to build around in junior Larry Gordon (17.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg). The Montclair product was a first-team all-conference and all-region selection and likely would have been in the hunt for player of the year honors had the Broncos finished higher.
Among the other returning veterans will be junior wing Donnelle Booker (7.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg), junior guard Rich Collins (5.1 ppg), sophomore guard Isaac Waters and freshman forward Tobias Jahn, all of whom saw considerable playing time.
Kamansky said he is looking for five to six newcomers that will bring an intensity that was sometimes missing this season. He typically tries to build via the high school ranks but will be looking for some seasoned junior college players as well.
“We looked good at times but we were very average most of the time,” he said. “The team chemistry was never quite right and we didn’t always get in there and compete hard. Those are the things we have to address.”
In helping the Lumberjacks to a share of the CCAA regular-season title, Peal topped the conference in scoring with 18.6 points a game and was seventh in rebounding with 6.3 boards a contest.
Joining Peal on the first team was Cal Poly Pomona junior forward Larry Gordon, who ranks second in the CCAA in scoring and rebounding with 17.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a game.
Four CCAA players were named to the six-man all-region second team. Cal State San Bernardino senior center Michael Earl (12.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 2.0 bpg.) and senior guard Lance Ortiz (11.7 ppg., 4.7 apg., 2.6 spg.) along with Cal State L.A. senior guard Vincent Camper (16.5 ppg.) and Cal State Monterey Bay junior forward Joe Mitchell, who averaged 12.9 points and a conference-best 9.9 rebounds a game, were honored.
Peal, along with Earl and Ortiz, helped their teams advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional that begins Friday in Anchorage, Alaska.
Daktronics Division II Men's Basketball West Region Team
First Team
Devin Peal (Humboldt State) - Player of the Year
Carl Arts (Alaska Anchorage)
Lucas Alves (BYU-Hawaii)
Marko Kolaric (Chaminade)
T- Luke Cooper (Alaska Anchorage)
T-Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Second Team
Jake Beitinger (Central Washington)
Rob Will (Seattle Pacific University)
Michael Earl (Cal State San Bernardino)
T-Vincent Camper (Cal State Los Angeles)
T-Joe Mitchell (CSU Monterey Bay)
T-Lance Ortiz (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Tournament winner UC San Diego earned the conference's automatic berth, while regular-season co-champions Cal State San Bernardino and Humboldt State were at-large selections. All three teams will compete in the 2008 NCAA Division II West Regional scheduled for March 14-17 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Tritons (18-11) enter regional play as the No. 8 seed and will face host and No. 1 seed Anchorage Alaska (25-5) on Friday beginning at 8 p.m. Second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) will meet No. 7 seed BYU-Hawaii (18-7) at 2:30 p.m.
Sixth-seed Humboldt State (20-8) will play No. 3 seed Chaminade (20-7) at Noon. Central Washington (21-6), the fourth seed, will square off against No. 5 Seattle Pacific (20-7) at 5:30 p.m.
The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals scheduled for Saturday with start times of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The regional final will be played on Monday beginning at 7 p.m.
The champion of the West Regional will move on to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and will meet the East Regional Champion on March 26.
Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 15, 16 and 18 at regional sites. The West regional will be conducted March 14, 15 and 17. The eight quarterfinalists will advance to the finals at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, March 26, 27 and 29.
2008 NCAA Division II West Regional Men's Basketball Championships Mar. 14, 15 & 17 - Anchorage, Alaska (Wells Fargo Sports Complex) All times Alaska Daylight Time
First Round - Friday, Mar. 14 No. 3 Chaminade (20-7) vs. No. 6 Humboldt State (20-8), Noon No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) vs. No. 7 BYU-Hawaii (18-7), 2:30 p.m. No. 4 Central Washington (21-6) vs. No. 5 Seattle Pacific (20-7), 5:30 p.m. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage (25-5) vs. No. 8 UC San Diego (18-11), 8 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, Mar. 15 CU/HSU winner vs. CSUSB/BYUH winner, 5 p.m. CWU/SPU winner vs. UAA/UCSD winner, 7:30 p.m.
Finals - Monday, Mar. 17 Semifinal winners, 7 pm
It has been a topsy-turvy season in the CCAA.
So it's appropriate that the team seeded eighth is on the brink of a tournament championship and an automatic berth in the West Regional despite a record under .500.
On Friday, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team continued its run with a 66-61 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA semifinals at Coussoulis Arena. The Broncos will square off with UC San Diego (17-11) in tonight's 7:30 title tilt.
"One more to go," Cal Poly coach Greg Kamansky said. "A miracle might still happen. We played very well early and I think we got a little tired but we dug in and sucked it up just enough to get the job done."
The Tritons are in the same position as the Broncos, needing a win to advance since their current regional ranking isn't good enough.
UC San Diego beat Cal Poly Pomona (13-14) both times the teams played this season -- 55-52 and 78-76.
"They have the best shooting team in the conference," Kamansky said of the Tritons. "They're tough. They're smart. It will be another tough one but at least we have a shot. We have nothing to lose."
Cal Poly had lost both games to the Toros, too, although each was by three points. But the Broncos were the better team this time from the opening tip.
They led the entire first half, the biggest advantage being 11 at 32-21 on a free throw by Kaelen Daniels with 4:07 left. The Toros cut into that a bit but still trailed 33-26 at the half.
Dominguez (17-11) went ahead 61-59 on a pullup jumper by Nonso Nibo with 1:40 left. It was the Toros' first lead since 2-0.
But the Broncos answered with Kaelen Daniels scoring and sinking a free throw to make it 62-61 with 1:35 to play. The Toros came up empty on their last possession as an alley-oop pass went awry and was corraled by the Broncos' Larry Gordon who was fouled. He made both with 23 seconds to go for a 64-61 lead.
The Toros weren't done yet. Jonathan Toliver hoisted a 3-pointer from four feet beyond the line at the top of the key. It was off the mark but Jerrell Smith grabbed the rebound. The Ontario native then threw the ball away with three seconds left, sealing the Toros fate.
Gordon led the Broncos with 23 points, highlighted by the 1,000th point of his career, which came on a bucket that gave the Broncos a 56-54 lead.
Daniels and Angelo Tsagarakis added 15 each, with Daniels having the best game of the season.
The Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team already pulled off one upset in the CCAA Tournament. On Friday, they had a chance at an even bigger one.
But the tenacious Broncos came up short, falling to regular-season champion Chico State 78-74 in a CCAA semifinal at Coussoulis Arena.
The Wildcats, ranked 13th nationally, advance to face defending conference and regional champion UC San Diego in tonight’s title tilt at 5:30 p.m.
At times it looked more like the teams were playing football than basketball. There were a total of 53 personal fouls called, with Chico shooting 47 free throws. Both coaches were unhappy with the officiating and got technical fouls in the second half.
First-year Broncos coach Scott Davis said the physical nature of the contest favored the Wildcats, who drained 36 of 47 free throws.
“It probably didn’t favor either team but they were able to take advantage because they made their free throws and we didn’t. They were more aggressive in getting to the basket and we were just a step late so charging fouls turned into blocking fouls.”
The Wildcats (26-5) used a 14-4 run at the end of the first half to take a 34-24 lead at the intermission.
Every time Chico threatened to blow the game open, the Broncos (12-16), who upended second seed Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday, rallied back. They got within two points 7:40 into the second half on a jumper from the free-throw line by Unique Anderson that cut the deficit to 43-41.
The Wildcats surged ahead again and were up by 13 at 62-49 with 6:07 to play. They were still up by double digits at 68-57 with 2:47 to go, but the Broncos got four straight points from the line. After a Wildcats turnover, Vanessa
Dominguez converted inside to make it 68-63 with 1:41 remaining.
With the Broncos down 69-65 and 1:03 to go Anderson swiped the Chico inbounds and dished off to Natasha Reed whose layup made it 69-67.
The Broncos, seeded seventh in the eight-team field, were within one for the first time since late in the first half after Dominguez hit two free throws to cut it 70-69 with 50 seconds left.
Chico’s Christine Vest scored an easy layup off a baseball pass, then made a free throw to complete the 3-point play for a 73-69 lead that sealed the win.
Dominguez tallied 27 in the contest, 23 of those coming in the second half. She also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Andrea Ohlssen pitched in with 11 and Ashley Moody had six assists. She also threw in a shot from half-court at the buzzer.
“I didn’t want to go losing,” said Dominguez, one of the team’s five seniors. “We gave it everything we had.”
For Chico the win was overshadowed by the loss of leading scorer Audriana Spencer, who went down with a torn ACL with 3:56 left in the first half. She raced down court for a fast-break layup and came down awkwardly on her left knee.
It was a huge blow to a team that is ranked second in the region and had already won the regular season conference title.
So its finish in the tournament meant little.
The Wildcats had five players in double figures with sophomore Jade Smith-Williams leading the way with 17 points. Natasha Smith followed with 13 and Amanda Monteith 12. Chico led 38-30 on the boards with Monteith and Vest snagging seven each.
Coach Molly Goodenbour, a former player at Stanford, was visibly upset after the game. She wasn’t a big fan of the tournament even before the injury.
“You play 20 games during the regular season to determine a conference champion. That should be enough,” she said. “So, no, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
The California Collegiate Athletic Association announced its All-Conference basketball teams on Wednesday and Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona were represented on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Cal State San Bernardino senior center Vanessa Wilt was named the CCAA’s Most Valuable Player while Cal Poly’s Reyana Colson took home Freshman of the Year honors.
Wilt, a graduate of Sultana High School, averaged a CCAA-leading 19.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.46 blocks, leading the conference in those categories as well as field-goal percentage (.553).
She is the first Cal State player to earn the MVP award, at least in the 12-year tenure of coach Kevin Becker. Wilt helped the Coyotes (21-7) to a second-place regular-season finish and No. 4 West Region ranking. They were also ranked nationally earlier this season.
“She is certainly very deserving,” Becker said. “You look at the numbers she put up and it would be hard to see her not getting it. On top of everything she is also a great student and an even better person.”
Wilt’s 69 blocks set a single-season record, besting the 59 of Celeste Gude in 1994-95 and equaled by Jill Bekar in 1997-98. Her 110 blocks are four shy of the school’s career record but the Coyotes have at least one more game to play in next week’s regional tournament.
Wilt, who transferred from Cal Baptist for her junior year, has also set new school marks for rebounds with 380 this season, and her 13.6 rpg average ranks second in the country.
She earned conference player of the week honors five times and chalked up 24 double-doubles in 27 games.
“Other teams focused completely on her,” Becker said. “By the end of the season she had two and three defenders on her every night. They knew she was the one they had to stop.”
Colson, of Compton, averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds and was one of two Broncos named to the second team. She was the only freshman to make the first or second team.
“I’m very happy for her,” first-year Broncos coach Scott Davis said. “She deserved it. I didn’t get a chance to recruit players when I got here but she was the one player I was able to bring with me. I knew what kind of impact she could have on a program.”
Among the others named to the second team were: Cal State junior point guard Shanae Blake, (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg), a product of Chino High and Chaffey College, and Cal Poly senior forward Vanessa Dominguez (12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). It was the second second-team selection for Dominguez.
On the men’s side, the Coyotes (22-7) had three first-team selections in center Michael Earl (12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and guards Marlon Pierce (12.1 ppg) and Lance Ortiz (11.7 ppg), all seniors.
The Broncos (12-14) are represented by junior forward Larry Gordon (17.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg) on the first team and senior point guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15.1 ppg) on the second team.
Player of the Year honors went to Humboldt State’s Devin Peal, who edged out Pierce and Gordon.
Rodney Yearby (10.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Jerrell Smith (11.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) of Cal State Dominguez Hills shared the Newcomer of the Year award. The two played together at Riverside Community College. Smith is also a product of Ontario High School.
Bill Tressler of San Francisco State took home Coach of the Year honors. His team went from 6-21 to 17-11 this season. The Gators were again picked to finish last and wound up tied for third.
CCAA AWARDS
MEN
Most Valuable Player - Devin Peal, Sr., Humboldt State
Co-Newcomers of the Year - Jerrell Smith and Rodney Yearby,
Dominmguez Hills
Freshman of the Year - Robert Hayes, San Francisco State
Coach of the Year - Bill Tressler, San Francisco State
First team
Vincent Camper, Sr., G, CS Los Angeles
D'Shon Cannon, Sr., G, Monterey Bay
Michael Earl, Sr., C, CS San Bernardino
Larry Gordon, Jr., F, Cal Poly Pomona
Grayson Moyer, Sr., G, Humboldt State
Lance Ortiz, Sr., G, CS San Bernardino
Henry Patterson, Jr., F, UC San Diego
Devin Peal, Sr., F, Humboldt State
Marlon Pierce, Sr., PG, CS San Bernardino
Cy Vandermeer, Sr., C, Humboldt State
Second team
Clint Allard, Sr., PG, UC San Diego
Robert Hayes, Fr., G, San Francisco State
Augie Johnston, Jr., G, Monterey Bay
Andrew Kochevar, Sr., PG, Sonoma State
Joe Mitchell, Jr., F, Monterey Bay
Darroll Phillips, J., G, Chico State
Will Sheufelt, Sr., G, Humboldt State
Alex Thomas, Jr., G, San Francisco State
Angelo Tsagarakis, Sr., PG, Cal Poly Pomona
Rodney Yearby, Jr., F, Dominguez Hills
WOMEN
Most Valuable Player - Vanessa Wilt, Sr., Cal State San Bernardino
Newcomer of the Year - Katie Franci, Jr., Humboldt State
Freshman of the Year - Reyana Colson, Cal Poly Pomona
Coach of the Year -Molly Goodenbour, Chico State
First team
Dana Andrews, Jr., G-F, Monterey Bay
Katie Franci, Jr., G-F, Humboldt State
Jessica Liang, Sr., PG, Dominguez Hills
Krystle Mays, Jr., F, San Francisco State
Meaghan Noud, Sr., F, UC San Diego
Michelle Osier, Jr., F, UC San Diego
Jade Smith-Williams, G, So., Chico State
Audriana Spencer, Sr., G, Chico State
Danae Wellender, Sr., G, Sonoma State
Vanessa Wilt, Sr., C, CS San Bernardino
Second team
Genny Anderson, Sr., F, Sonoma State
Chelsey Armacost, Sr., G, Sonoma State
Shanae Blake, Jr., PG, CS San Bernardino
Reyana Colson, Fr., G Cal Poly Pomona
Vanessa Dominguez, Sr., F, Cal Poly Pomona
Shristy Kumar, Sr., G-F, CS Stanislaus
Alma Lopez, Sr., PG, Monterey Bay
Brio Rode, Sr., F, San Francisco State
Lysandra Williams, Jr., F, CS Stanislaus
Veronica Williams, Jr., F, CS Los Angeles
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
One can excuse Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball coach Jeff Oliver for looking for a positive omen as his team heads into the most important game of the season.
The Coyotes (21-5, 14-4) will play at Humboldt State (18-7, 13-5) Thursday with a win over the defending champions giving the Coyotes their seventh CCAA title in nine years.
Because of the importance of the game and the 700-mile distance, the Coyotes left Tuesday - a day earlier than is typical. But a series of delays resulted in the team not arriving until noon Wednesday, not much earlier than the women’s team which left Wednesday and bussed to Oakland.
Oliver tried to take the delay in stride.
“We’re staying in the same hotel and I have the same room that I did last year when we won the West Region here,” Oliver said. “That has to be a good sign.”
The men’s team had a 7:30 p.m. flight out of LAX Tuesday. It was delayed a half hour. Then, after it did leave, had to return to Los Angeles after an emergency light went on.
The problem couldn’t be fixed and another flight was not available so the team ended up checking into a hotel after midnight.
Wednesday morning all went well until it came time to land in Arcata, located on the coast about 50 miles from the Oregon border. Heavy fog made it necessary to circle for more than an hour before finally landing.
Such are the problems when playing a school so remotely located.
The week won’t get any easier. After the tonight’s game the Coyotes will charter a bus and make a 230-mile trip to Rohnert Park to play Sonoma State Friday. That trip can take five hours, even if the weather is good. Oliver is hoping the team can arrive at the second destination by 2 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona will play the teams in the opposite order. The Broncos (11-12, 10-8) flew into Oakland Wednesday. Coach Greg Kamansky said after tonight’s game with the Seawolves, his team will drive halfway, then make the other half of the trek Thursday morning.
“It is by far the worst trip,” Kamansky said. “It really isn’t safe to be doing it that late at night. And you really don’t want to have to do it the day you play. There is no easy way to do it.”
Last year the conference gave schools a day in between those games because of the hazards, not present in any of the other road trips between conference schools.
The situation was addressed at a meeting of athletic directors and the vote favored returning to the back-to-back nights. Cal Poly, Cal State and UC San Diego were the schools voting against that, citing safety concerns.
Cal State Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills were the lone South schools who voted for the back to backs.
“It’s tough no matter what you do,” said Cal State L.A. athletic director Dan Bridges. “We felt it was an unfair advantage for those teams to have a day between games.”
But those against the move acknowledge that those schools also have an advantage if their opponent has to drive five hours after a game.
So the schools are doing the best they can to deal with the scenario. The Coyotes usually transport their teams in vans but athletic director Kevin Hatcher got a charter bus at a cost of about $4,000 - four times the cost of rental vans.
Bridges said his school did the same, even putting both the men’s and women’s team on one bus.
“Cost is not an issue,” Hatcher said. “We felt this was the safest thing to do. We don’t want our coaches having to drive their teams that late after a game, especially with the possibility of adverse weather conditions. At least with a charter you have a paid, professional driver trained to deal with all situations.”
The stakes are a bit higher for the Coyotes, but the Broncos also need wins.
Cal Poly has qualified for the conference tournament but needs to finish in the top four to host a tournament quarterfinal at Kellogg Gymnasium Tuesday. They’re currently tied with three teams for fourth.
Several north schools loom as a possible opponent for the Broncos. If they don’t get to host they could be faced with having to head north again on Monday, two days after returning home from Humboldt.
If that happens the Broncos might decide to stay up north.
Despite the tough journey, Oliver expects a memorable game between teams establishing one of the top rivalries in Division II basketball.
“I expect it to be every bit like the game we played in the regional final last year,” Oliver said. “It is a great atmosphere for college basketball, one our kids will never forget. They are very passionate and knowledegable about their basketball.”
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino senior guards Marlon Pierce and Lance Ortiz stood outside the Coyotes lockerroom Saturday after their team dismantled Cal State Stanislaus. The conversation quickly turned to their next opponent - Cal Poly Pomona.
“We can’t leave here without beating them,” Pierce said, looking over at his backcourt mate. “And this is our last chance.”
The duo has one more shot. That will come tonight when the Coyotes (19-5, 12-4) entertain the Broncos (10-11, 9-7) in a 7:30 p.m. CCAA showdown at Coussoulis Arena.
Cal Poly has won four straight meetings with the Coyotes, including a 65-62 overtime game at Kellogg Gymnasium earlier this season. The Broncos swept both in 2006-07 and won the final meeting the previous season.
Even in a down year Cal Poly has had the upper hand.
“Weird things happen in rivalries,” Pierce said. “It goes in cycles. Right now they’re getting the best of us. We need to change that.”
The Coyotes are ranked No. 20 nationally and remained No. 2 in the West Region poll released Wednesday despite their inexplicable loss to last-place Chico State Friday.
The Broncos are looking to advance to the postseason for the fifth time in six years but will need to win the conference tournament to have a chance. First they have to qualify. Coach Greg Kamansky doesn’t think that is a given even though they need just one win in their last four games to do so.
“Obviously this will be a tough one,” he said. “Then we get San Diego who we have already lost to. Then we’re on the road at Humboldt State and Sonoma. So no it isn’t a given.”
But first the Broncos must deal with their neighborhood rival. The Coyotes rank first in the conference in scoring defense (62.2) while the Broncos are last in scoring offense (64.2).
The Coyotes are fifth in scoring offense (71.8) while the Broncos are second in defense (63.3).
Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver thinks they key will be pressure, both offensively and defensively. His team needs to create offense by forcing turnovers. When the teams first played his team forced 21 but they had 17 themselves.
“We have to do pressure the ball and force turnovers but we also have to do a better job handling their press which is underrated. It is very good,” he said.
The Broncos rely on one player - junior Larry Gordon (17.8 ppg, 10 rpg) with senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis (14.9 ppg) a formidable threat from long distance.
Cal State is more balanced although Pierce (13 ppg, 4 apg, 2 spg) has been carrying the Coyotes lately. Senior center Michael Earl (13 ppg) and Ortiz (12.3 ppg, 4.5 apg) are the otyhers averaging double figures.
The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. The Coyotes (19-4, 13-3) are tied with Chico State atop the CCAA standings after a stunning win over the then-No. 13 Wildcats. That win propeled the Coyotes into the national rankings at No. 24.
The Broncos (10-12, 7-9) are also playing for a CCAA tournament berth and are seventh, just one game ahead of eighth-place Dominguez Hills. Eight of the 11 will qualify.
The Coyotes are led by senior Vanessa Wilt who leads the conference in scoring (20.9), rebounding (13.7), blocks (2.35) and field goal percentage (.584).
But the team’s success depends on its perimeter shooting. The Broncos kept Wilt in check in a 78-64 loss earlier this season but junior Rachel Johnson lit them up for a career-high 24 that included five 3-pointers.
Senior reserve guard Leslie Pickron has emerged as a threat in the last week, draining a total of 10 3-pointers in the Coyotes two games last weekend. That showing earned her conference player of the week honors.
“When they’re shooting well from the outside they’re capable of beating anybody,” Broncos coach Scott Davis said of the Coyotes. “And they have a lot of players who can shoot it from out there.Iit definitely presents a problem for us.”
KEVIN NEVEU
Cal Poly Pomona
Basketball
The lowdown: The 6-foot-7 senior forward is averaging 5.1 points and 3 rebounds and has started 10 of 19 games. Has appeared in 105 games in his career, ranking him ninth in school history. Had 10 points in Cal Poly’s win this season over defending conference champion Humdbolt State. Recorded a career-high of 20 points against Northwest Nazarene his sophomore season. Was a 2003 McDonald’s All-American nominee in high school. Earned all-league honors twice in basketball and once in volleyball.
Age: 23
Hometown: San Leandro
High school: St. Joseph’s Notre Dame
Major: Business management and human resources
Favorite athlete: Shaquille O’Neal
Favorite team: Oakland Raiders
Role model: My parents (Kevin and Pam Neveu) and both sets of grandparents.
Can’t miss TV show: Entourage
Most embarrassing moment: It has to be when I airballed a free throw last year at Cal State Los Angeles. I still get reminded about it.
Most memorable sports moment: Making the Elite Eight in 2005.
Person most influential in your athletic success: My dad. He coached me in all sports while I was growing up.
Celebrity you most want to meet: Jessica Beal
Favorite food: My grandparents seafood gumbo
Favorite movie: Anything with action and comedy.
Last good book you read: DaVinci Code
Other hobbies: Video games (X-box 360’s Call of Duty).
What’s in your CD player/iPOD: E-40
Best advice anyone has given you: Don’t sweat the small stuff!
Pre-game ritual or superstition: If Jello is on the menu or available, I have to have it.
What do you want to be doing in five years: Earning my MBA and working in the entertainment industry or sports franchise.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
At this point of the season, Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball coach Greg Kamansky is realistic. His Broncos aren’t going to win a conference title and they aren’t likely to finish ranked in the West Region.
But they will still have some something to play for when they square off with Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State this weekend at Kellogg Gymnasium.
The Broncos (9-10, 8-6) head into play tonight against Stanislaus (4-17, 3-11) fifth in the 11-team California Collegiate Athletic Association with six games left, including three at home.
The top eight teams will make the conference tournament but the top four get to host a first-round game. That is important for the Broncos because the tournament openers will be held Tuesday and they end the regular season on the road the previous weekend far north at Humboldt State.
Winning the conference tournament is the Broncos’ only chance at a berth in the regional now.
“We’re not looking ahead,” Kamansy said. “I know the cliche and it sounds corny, but we are only thinking about one game at a time. We’re not good enough to be thinking that far ahead. We need to win this one, then worry about the next one.”
The Broncos rely on their defense, which ranks second in the conference (64 points per game). The offense has struggled, ranking last (63.9 ppg) despite having one of the conference’s premier scorers.
Junior forward Larry Gordon is still among the contenders for conference player of the year honors, although his candidacy will be hurt if the Broncos keep sinking in the standings.
The Montclair High School alum is second in the conference in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.8) and fourth in free-throw shooting (.838).
The only other player in double figures is senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15 ppg). Others have had some solid moments but have not been consistent.
The Broncos have lost three of their last four games, splitting last weekend’s road trip. The Broncos beat Cal State Los Angeles for the second time but lost to Dominguez Hills, also for the second time.
The biggest problem has been ballhandling.
“We had 16 turnovers in the first half of our last game. That isn’t acceptable,” Kamansky said. “If we solve that problem we can play with anyone but I don’t know if it’s solvable.”
The seventh-place Cal Poly women are playing for much the same thing under first-year coach Scott Davis. The Broncos (9-11, 6-8) have been stellar in wins over quality foes such as defending West Region champion UC San Diego and Sonoma State, both of whom were nationally ranked earlier this season.
They also played an outstanding half against undefeated Seattle Pacific, which is currently ranked first in the region.
But the Broncos also have an unexplainable loss one to Cal State Monterey Bay (2-19, 1-13).
Senior Vanessa Dominguez (13.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 spg) has been the Broncos’ most consistent player. Freshman Reyana Colson (11.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 spg) and Andrea Ohlssen (10.1 ppg) are also in double figures.
The Broncos are 10th in shooting percentage (.364) and ninth in field-goal percentage defense (.417).
Tonight’s men’s game will be simulcast on the Broncos’ athletic department Web site. The game Saturday night will not be but can be heard through the Chico State Web site.
WALNUT CREEK — Cal Poly Pomona forward Larry Gordon has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 21-27. It marks the second time this week he has been honored.
Gordon, a 6-foot-5 junior from Pomona, Calif., averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds while helping the Broncos to a pair of home wins over No. 17 Humboldt State and Sonoma State over the weekend. He connected on 57.1 percent (12 of 21) of his field goal attempts and was 15 of 16 from the foul line.
In Cal Poly Pomona’s win over nationally-ranked Humboldt State, Gordon registered a double-double with a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. He followed that performance with 16 points and nine rebounds in a win over Sonoma State.
Gordon is currently the CCAA’s leading scorer, averaging 18.1 points a contest, and is second in rebounding with 10.6 boards a game.
The weekend sweep by Cal Poly Pomona moved it into a tie with Humboldt State for second place in the conference standings with a 7-3 league mark as the CCAA reaches its midway point. The Broncos and Lumberjacks trail conference leader Cal State San Bernardino (8-2) by one game.
Cal Poly Pomona starts second-half play on Friday when it visits Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside. The Broncos conclude weekend action on Saturday when they play at San Francisco State.
Wilson CCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 12-18: Michael Earl (Cal State Bernardino); Nov. 19-25: Darroll Phillips (Chico State); Nov. 26 – Dec. 2: Cy Vandermeer (Humboldt State), Dec. 3-9: Andrew Kochevar (Sonoma State); Dec. 10-16: Demetrius Hazel (Cal State L.A.); Dec. 17-23: Grayson Moyer (Humboldt State); Dec. 24-30: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona); Dec. 31-Jan. 6: Chris Rodriguez (San Francisco State); Jan. 7-13: Vincent Camper (Cal State L.A.); Jan. 14-20: Vincent Camper (Cal State L.A.); Jan. 21-27: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona).
The coach went to see Gordon's Montclair High School team square off against Colony but it was more because of his interest in some of the Colony players. But Gordon stole the show with 50 points, changing Kamansky's plans.
"It was an under-control 50. That was the amazing thing," the Broncos coach recalled. "It wasn't like he was the only guy taking shots or he was forcing stuff up. That's when I knew how much I wanted him."
The 6-foot-5 forward then became one of Kamansky's priorites and the Broncos were able to lure him away from others including local rival Cal State San Bernardino.
That has paid off as Gordon has led the Broncos (6-7, 5-3) back into contention in the CCAA. They face a formidable foe today as defending champion Humboldt State (12-3, 6-1) comes to Kellogg Gymnasium for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
Gordon ranks second in the conference in scoring (17.8 ppg), rebounding (9.2 rpg) and free-throw percentage (.887), is sixth in field goal percentage (.529) and eighth in blocked shots. He should draw consideration for conference player of the year to be handed out later this season.
The Broncos struggled early but have moved into contention by winning four of their last five games. Gordon has been consistent from the start but the Broncos are finally getting contributions from others, most notably senior sharpshooter Angelo Tsagarakis and sophomore forward Donnelle Boooker.
It has been Gordon's play more than his words that have been the catalyst for the recent showing.
"He doesn't say a whole lot but he doesn't have to," Kamansky said. "The guys see how hard he plays. The only bad thing is sometimes they enjoy watching him a little too much. I have to remind them `Guys you can play too.'"
Gordon was a two-sport standout for the Cavaliers, also excelling in football. He played wide receiver which draws a chuckle from Kamansky, who often teases his star player about his "bad hands."
Several lower level Division I schools were interested but Gordon never thought of football as anything more than a hobby. Basketball has always been his first love.
A handful of CCAA schools wanted him. The pivotal factor was the opportunity to play as a freshman. He liked Cal State San Bernardino's track record and its impressive venue but the Coyotes have always leaned heavily on junior college transfers and Division I bouncebacks while the Broncos field a smaller squad and aren't afraid to throw their freshmen into the mix.
"I really wanted to play right away," Gordon said. "I hope it doesn't sound too cocky but I thought I was good enough to play with those guys instead of sitting out a year."
Gordon rewarded the Broncos for their faith in him. He averaged 6.7 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds as a rookie, earning CCAA Freshman of the Year honors.
He thinks one reason he was able to contribute right away was that he has always played with older athletes, whether it was in his neighborhood or at his high school as a freshman. He grew up competing with cousin Brandon Hogan who was six years older and played at Garey.
"I always trying to prove I could play with him and his friends," Gordon laughed. "They would always pick on me because I was younger so I was always had to prove myself."
Gordon had an even better sophomore season, earning first-team All-Conference honors and averaging 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
That set the stage for the season he is now having. Gordon has scored in double figures 13 straight games with a career-high of 24 coming on the road at Cal State Stanislaus two weeks ago. He has recorded eight double-doubles, with a high of 14 rebounds coming against Cal State San Bernardino. He comes into tonight's contest against the Lumberjacks having made 14 straight free throws over three games.
Not surprisingly he has earned the respect of his adversaries.
"He is one of the premier player in this conference," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "He has expanded his range to where he is now hitting 3-pointers which makes him even more dangerous. And he has always been a terror on the glass."
This weekend's games are crucial in the conference race. Sonoma State follows Humboldt in and will be the opponent on Saturday.
Gordon is happy his team is finally living up to its preseason hype. The Broncos were picked to finish second behind Humbdolt in the conference in a poll of member coaches.
"We got off to a shaky start but we're finally playing hard and playing together," he said. "We almost waited until it was too late but now we're going in the right direction."
The Broncos (6-6, 5-2) will play their fourth game in eight days Friday when they trek to RIMAC Arena on the campus of UC San Diego for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Tritons (7-4, 4-2).
Three of the four games in this stretch are road games. Coach Greg Kamansky's team was in Northern California for games last weekend and didn't return home until Sunday. It had one day of practice before facing the always-tough Coyotes. One more day of practice, then a two-hour trip to San Diego.
"It's a very tough stretch," Kamansky said. "I'm sure they can't wait to get their hands on us. There are a lot of factors working against us. We'll see what kind of legs we have under us."
Cal Poly got off to a 1-5 start, but has won four straight games and five of its last six. Things didn't look good after a 50-47 loss to Dominguez Hills two weeks ago. But it chalked up a win over Cal State Los Angeles and has gained confidence with every win.
Players think the mometum will help them battle through the fatigue.
"When you're losing it's tough to play a game and then have sit and think about it for four or five days," leading scorer Larry Gordon said. "When you're playing well you want to go back out there as soon as you can."
The team struggled early with chemistry and leadership issues early but players have settled into the roles and are playing better each time out.
Gordon (17.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) has been the workhorse. He ranks in the top 10 in the conference in four categories and is omcing off a 21-point, 14-rebound showing against the Coyotes.
"Larry isn't a vocal leader but the guys really feed off of him," Kamansky said. "He is out there working hard and getting his 20 or so points and 10 rebounds and the other guys just follow him."
Senior shooting guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15.9 ppg) has also been a key in the Broncos resurgence. The transfer from Oregon State plays with emotion, sometimes too much. He has turned in a steadier effort in recent outings and is coming off an 18-point effort against the Coyotes that included a 9-for-10 showing at the free-throw line.
San Bernardino native Donnelle Booker (7.5 ppg, 5 rpg) is coming off perhaps his best game of the season, although he is still problematic at the line.
In the Tritons, the Broncos will be facing a patient, execution oriented offense that is content wooing the opponent into low-scoring games.
The Broncos own a 12-6 all-time mark against the Tritons. They won both meetings last season but the games were close - 68-65 and 60-54.
San Diego, directed by first-year coach Chris Carlson, has two of the most consistent 3-point shooters in sophomore guard Jordan Lawley (13.1 ppg, 27 3's) and junior guard Kelvin Kim (10.4 ppg, 22 3's). Junior forward Henry Patterson (12.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is also averaging double figures. Senior point guard Clint Allard (9.5 ppg, 5.7 apg) leads the conference in assists.
The squad also includes Ayala graduate Andrew Hatch (7.5 ppg, 2 rpg) who is a key reserve.
"They're tough, they're disciplined. They play well together. This is going to be a very tough game, especially on the road," Kamansky said.
A women's game between the same two schools is set for 5:30 p.m. UC San Diego, the defending conference and West Region champion, is ranked No. 20 nationally despite graduating the conference player of the year and losing its coach to a Division I job.
The Broncos (6-7, 3-4), who suffered a 78-64 loss to Cal State San Bernardino Wednesday, are currently sixth in the conference. Its top players are senior forward Vanessa Dominguez (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and freshman guard Reyana Colson (13.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg).
The Broncos prevailed thanks to some timely shooting by senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis.
The Broncos (3-6, 2-2) were picked to finish second in the conference but are off to their worst start since 1981.
The intangibles have hurt with team chemistry and leadership coming into question. Coach Greg Kamansky also has questioned his team's competitive spirit. While the Broncos were far from flawless, he did see some improvement in those areas.
"We did much better, especially in the second half," he said.
"We eliminated a lot of our turnovers in the second half and were able to get some possessions and put the game away."
The Eagles (7-4, 1-3), coming off a loss Friday at San Bernardino, struggled without two of their three leading scorers. For the second time in as many nights they played without Louis Hamilton and Demetrius Hazelton who are averaging 26 points between them but are sidelined for what coach Stephen Thompson called "personal issues."
The Broncos led the majority of the first half, thanks to a better performance from the field. Cal Poly shot 52.9 percent (9-for-17) while the visitors were a woeful 30.8 percent (8-for-26). They also did poorly at the free-throw line , making only four of nine attempts.
The Broncos have been subject to long scoring droughts in most games this season but didn't falter for a long period of time against the Eagles, whose only lead of the contest came at 3-2. Cal Poly's biggest lead was eight points on two different occasions, the last at 21-13 on a pair of free throws by Larry Gordon with 4:57 left but was up by just four at the half, 26-22.
They maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half and took a commanding 55-36 lead on eight straight points by Tsagarakis, six of those coming on two 3-pointers.
Tsagarakis had 25 to lead the Broncos. Gordon added 15 with 10 rebounds and Kaelen Daniels delivered 12.
"There were a lot of positive tonight. I was very pleased with our defense. Now we need to build on this," Kamansky said.
The Broncos will be on the road next weekend for back-to-back games at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. They return home Jan. 16 to host local rival Cal State San Bernardino.
When you’re struggling, nothing is easy. So the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team was happy with a win no matter what it looked like.
Larry Gordon and Angelo Tsagarakis combined for 41 points to lead the Broncos to a 68-64 nonconference win over LeMoyne (NY) on Sunday at Kellogg Gymnasium. The victory helped erase the memory of a poor performance in Las Vegas two weeks ago that resulted in two losses by a combined 27 points.
It also proved something to build on as the Broncos (2-5, 1-1) get back to conference play next weekend.
“We had a better fighting spirit tonight,” said Broncos coach Greg Kamansky, who has been critical of his team’s lack of heart this season. “We made some free throws down the stretch when it was close and we could have folded the tents. So that was encouraging. We just need to be more consistent.”
Gordon, a Montclair High School product, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double. Tsagarakis had 20 points, six assists and four steals.
Kevin Neveau and Kyle Krause shared playing time in place of Kaelen Daniels, who was serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from the Broncos’ second game in Las Vegas. Krause scored 10 points and Neveau had six, although both fouled out.
Players said they were only concerned with what they could contol - their own effort level.
“We haven’t been doing what we needed to do,” Gordon said. “It wasn’t about what the other team was doing. It was about us playing harder and being more aggressive. You may not always be playing your best but if you play hard, things still might go your way.”
LeMoyne (6-6), a Division II school out of Syracuse, N.Y., led only once at 2-0.
The Broncos were ahead by 14 points after an 11-0 run made it 30-16 with 2:31 left in the first half. The Dolphins answered that with a 7-0 run and trailed at the half, 30-23.
Cal Poly’s biggest lead in the second half was 10 at 41-31 but the Broncos couldn’t put the game away.
Gordon scored on a putback with 4:47 left that gave the host team a 49-43 lead. The Broncos then tallied 17 of their last 19 points from the free-throw line, missing just four tries in that stretch with Tsagarakis going 6-for-6. It was a significant accomplishment since the Broncos entered the game hitting just 58 percent from the line.
The Broncos were up 64-60 when LeMoyne’s Laurence Ekperigin, who led the Dolphins witrh 23 points, hit two free throws to close the gap to two with 22 seconds left. But Pomona’s Rich Collins hit two at the other end to put the game away.
“I wasn’t surprised it was a close game because I know where we are right now,” Kamansky said. “Hopefully we can get something positive out of this and go from here.”
The Broncos shot 51.3 percent (20-for-39) while the Dolphins hit just 47.1 (24-for-51) including a woeful 39.1 (9-for-23) in the first half. The Broncos finished with a 30-25 edge in rebounds despite Daniels’ absence. Each team had 16 turnovers.
The Broncos play host to Dominguez Hills on Friday and Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday. The Dolphins played Cal State L.A. last Friday and were beaten by the Eagles by 20.
“We know that anything can happen once conference play starts again,” Gordon said. “We’re looking at it as a chance to start over because we’re still only 1-1 in conference.”
The Broncos are just 1-5, their worst start since going 1-6 to start the 1981-82 campaign. They have a chance to get back on track tonight as LeMoyne (6-5), a Division II school out of Syracuse, N.Y. stops in for a 4 p.m. game at Kellogg Gymnasium. It will be the final non-conference tune-up for the Broncos, who resume CCAA play the following weekend.
The record isn't what bothers the veteran coach the most. It is the way his team has looked in those losses. He sees a lack of competitiveness, heart and organization, especially on the offensive end of the court.
"We don't have the most talent so we can't afford to play stupid," he said. "We have to go out there and want to compete. The way things have been going lately, if one thing goes bad, it completely breaks our spirit and we're not able to bounce back."
Kamansky would like to think his team has a shot at turning things around but nothing he has seen leads him to believe that will happen.
"There's blood in the water and the sharks are circling and we're looking like good bait," he said. "I'm sure our opponents can't wait to get their hands on us, especially the teams we have had our way with the last few years."
The Broncos lack of depth will be further tested tonight as they will be without 6-foot-7 senior center Kaelen Daniels (6.8 ppg, 3 rpg) who was ejected from Cal Poly's last game against Central Washington in Las Vegas for throwing a punch.
Senior Kevin Neveu (6.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg) will inherit the majority of the playing time in Daniels' absence.
The Broncos have gotten solid play out of junior forward Larry Gordon (17.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg), who earned all-tournament honors in Las Vegas despite the 0-2 showing. He ranks fifth in the conference in socring and second in rebounding.
But the Broncos will need a steadier effort from erratic senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis (13.8 ppg), as well as sophomore Donnelle Booker (6.6 ppg), who thus far has looked little like the player who earned CCAA Freshman of the Year honors last season.
Kamansky said the next three games will prove crucial. After today the Broncos, who were picked to finish second in the conference, get back to CCAA play with home games Friday and Saturday against Dominguez Hills and Cal State Los Angeles. Despite the poor start Cal Poly is still just 1-1 in conference.
"If we can win two out of three then we'll at last have something to hang our hat on," he said. "But the the way we have been playing we're just as capable of losing all three. I don't know what to expect."
LeMoyne, which plays in the Northeast-10 conference, arrived earlier in the week and squared off Thursday against Cal State Los Angeles, losing 76-57.
Sophomore forward Laurence Ekperigin (17.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg) is the Dolphins top player. Two others - senior guard Jason Holmes (13.4 ppg) and senior forward Jonathan Joshua (10.8 ppg) - are also averaging double figures.
Ekperigin had 12 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's game against the Golden Eagles.
| 1. | UC San Diego | 2-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | .900 | W1 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 6-1 |
| Cal State San Bernardino | 2-0 | 1.000 | 7-1 | .875 | W1 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 2-1 | |
| Sonoma State | 2-0 | 1.000 | 6-1 | .857 | W2 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 3-0 | |
| 4. | Chico State | 1-1 | .500 | 7-2 | .778 | W1 | 2-0 | 3-2 | 2-0 |
| Cal State Dominguez Hills | 1-1 | .500 | 6-2 | .750 | W2 | 1-1 | 3-0 | 2-1 | |
| San Francisco State | 1-1 | .500 | 4-4 | .500 | W1 | 0-0 | 4-3 | 0-1 | |
| Cal State L.A. | 1-1 | .500 | 3-4 | .429 | W2 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | |
| CSU Monterey Bay | 1-1 | .500 | 2-6 | .250 | L2 | 1-0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | |
| 9. | Humboldt State | 0-2 | .000 | 4-5 | .444 | L1 | 2-1 | 1-3 | 1-1 |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 0-2 | .000 | 2-4 | .333 | W1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 1-0 | |
| Cal State Stanislaus | 0-2 | .000 | 2-6 | .250 | L1 | 1-3 | 0-3 | 1-0 |
| School | CCAA | Pct. | Overall | Pct | Streak | Home | Away | Neutral | |
| 1. | Cal State San Bernardino | 2-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | .900 | W2 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 6-0 |
| Humboldt State | 2-0 | 1.000 | 7-2 | .778 | W2 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | |
| UC San Diego | 2-0 | 1.000 | 5-2 | .714 | W5 | 5-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | |
| 4. | Sonoma State | 1-1 | .500 | 5-1 | .833 | W2 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Cal State L.A. | 1-1 | .500 | 6-2 | .750 | W3 | 5-2 | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| San Francisco State | 1-1 | .500 | 6-3 | .667 | W2 | 3-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | |
| Cal State Stanislaus | 1-1 | .500 | 2-6 | .250 | L3 | 2-1 | 0-4 | 0-1 | |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 1-1 | .500 | 1-5 | .167 | L2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | |
| 9. | Cal State Dominguez Hills | 0-2 | .000 | 5-3 | .625 | W1 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Chico State | 0-2 | .000 | 4-5 | .444 | W1 | 3-1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | |
| CSU Monterey Bay | 0-2 | .000 | 1-7 | .125 | L3 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 1-1 |
LAS VEGAS - Cal Poly basketball coach Greg Kamansky buried his head in his hands and stared at the floor in disbelief. Two of his players had just bobbled a loose ball and a Central Washington player scooped it up for an easy put back giving the Wildcats a 14-point lead.
There were still 12 minutes left but Kamansky knew his team wasn't coming back. That premonition proved true as the reeling Broncos suffered a 84-66 loss in their second game of the Great Western Shootout at the Centennial Hills Center in Las Vegas Wednesday.
The loss dropped the Broncos to 1-5 on the season, although the good new is that an 0-4 part of that is non-conference play. It is the worst start for the school since going 1-6 to start the 1981-82 season.
After the game Kamansky kept his team in the lockerroom for 90 minutes. There was considerable shouting audible from the adjacent hallway.
``In all of these games we have had leads,'' Kamansky said. ``But in every one we have a good 10 minutes and then self destruct. We don't have that mentality that allows us to respond when things get tough. Instead we just fall apart. That has to change soon.''
Even though it is early the frustration is showing on the court as well. Senior center Kaelen Daniels was ejected with 7:15 left in the first half and the Broncos up 21-20. Donnelle Booker had just been at the free-throw line and Daniels got tangled up with a Wildcat player underneath and was said to have thrown a punch.
Kamansky argued vehemently and was assessed a technical foul. Matt Penoncello only made two of four technicals tosses but Giovonne Woods drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving Central a 25-21 lead.
Kamansky said he didn't see what was called. He thought Daniels had been being held all game by Central's Bryce Daub, something a Bronco assistant had asked the referees to watch. The coach thought Daniels was only trying to clear some room but will watch the video to see exactly what happened.
``I don't want to say that cost us the game, but it was a momentum changer,'' Kamansky added. ``And we don't have the kind of team that answers adversity in a positive manner.''
The Broncos were within two at 25-23 seconds later but it was all Wildcats (4-3) after that. Central outscored Cal Poly 14-7 the rest of the half and led 39-30 at the intermission.
Things didn't get any better after that. The Wildcats started the second half with an 11-4 run and never looked back.
Junior forward Larry Gordon made up for a poor showing in the first half of Tuesday's loss to Western Washington with 23 points, 10 rebounds,four blocks and two assists.
But he didn't have a lot of help. Senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis netted 10 but six of those were from the free-throw line. He went just 2-of-8 from the field including an 0-for-5 from long distance.
The numbers actually made the contest look closer than it was with Central Washington shooting 48.3 percent (25-for-58) and Cal Poly Pomona managing 44 (22-for-50). Central went 17-for-26 for the line while the Broncos went 19-for-28 but the Wildcats were aided by an 11-for-23 effort from 3-point range compared to a 3-of-15 for the Broncos.
Central Washington had four players finish in double figures led by Penoncello with 18 and Nate Jackson with 17.
Next up for the Broncos is non-conference game against Division II LeMoyne on Dec. 30. Kamansky said he is not sure whether the ejection means Daniels will have to sit out that game.
The Broncos were soundly beaten by Western Washington 73-64 Tuesday at the Centennial Hills Center in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates. They will be looking for a better outcome in today's 2 p.m. game against Central Washington.
``We just got thrashed from top to bottom,'' Kamansky said. ``They were the better team, no doubt about it. We went completely blank on offense. We did that against San Francisco State. We did it against Vanguard and we did it again tonight.''
The Broncos (1-4) led early at 14-8 but that lead lasted only seven minutes. The Vikings pulled even when junior center Zach Bruce scored inside to tie the game at 19. The Vikings (7-1) took the lead for good moments later on a put back by junior forward Calin Schell.
Western Washington, which has won seven straight games since losing its season opener to Cal State San Bernardino, led 23-19 when Kevin Neveau scored inside with 6:12 left in the half to cut the deficit to two, 23-21.
But the Vikings reeled off the last 10 points of the half and the first eight of the second half, going up 41-21 on a jumper from the baseline by Derrick Webb. The scoring drought of 9:35 finally ended on two free throws by Larry Gordon but the Broncos were never in striking distance again.
Western Washington, out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, maintained a double-digit lead most of the second half. The Broncos didn't get within single digits until Gordon hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left.
Cal Poly Pomona shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) but managed just 36 percent (9-for-25) in the first half. Angelo Tsagarakis had a team-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers. He also snagged eight rebounds and had four assists. Gordon added 15 with 10 rebounds but all of his points and seven boards came in the second half.
Kamansky cited the layoff for the sluggish performance.
``I hate to use that as an excuse but we definitely looked like we haven't played in two weeks,'' he said. ``Our schedule has been erratic and we just haven't been able to get in a rhythm.''
Western Washington, which shot 474 percent (27-for-57) was sparked by a local product as former Fontana High standout Ira Graham who tallied 14 points, 12 of those in the first half. He also collected five assists and a steal.
Graham, who leads the GNAC in scoring, admits he likes playing against the local teams.
``I definitely get more focused, more excited when I play the local teams,'' the junior guard said. ``I had a lot of family here so it made it even better.''
Kamansky added that the pressure is on to win the second game in the tournament. Teams from the CCAA and the GNAC battle for playoff berths in the Division II West Regional in March so this weekend's games will have an impact.
``We aren't leaving ourselves a lot of room for error,'' he said. ``Right now we don't look like a good team.''
The awards are voted upon by the student-based Bronco Athletics Association.
Diaz, a freshman from San Bernardino, was the top freshman to finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Association race, held Oct. 20 at Cal State Stanislaus. By virtue of his 26th-place finish on the 8,000-meter course, he was named the CCAA's top newcomer of the year.
Williams, a junior from Riverside, was a standout all season long for the Broncos. Williams was named all-CCAA first team and was honored as an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-American and Pacific Region first-team selection. She finished seventh in hitting percentage in the CCAA with a .272 percentage (285-97-690). She also finished third in blocks (1.31/game) for the league-leading block team and was 19th in kills (2.74/game).
The Broncos finished the season 21-7 overall and tied for second in the CCAA with a 13-5 mark. They earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Pacific Regional, where they lost to Cal State Los Angeles 3-2 in the opening round Nov. 15.
The Broncos lost their second heart-breaker in as many nights, this time falling to visiting Cal State Monterey Bay 77-71 Saturday in CCAA play at Kellogg Gymnasium.
Just 24 hours earlier, coach Scott Davis' team fell to San Francisco State in overtime, 59-57.
Both teams came in winless. The Otters were also coming off a tough game, losing to Cal State San Bernardino 47-45.
"I don't think we stepped on the floor with the energy and desire to compete that we did last night," Davis said. "It shouldn't have had anything to do with playing back-to-back nights. These are well conditioned college athletes and they played back-to-back night too."
The Otters (1-3, 1-1) secured the game at the free-throw line.
They sank 30 of 43 attempts in the game but hit 19 of 29 attempts in the second half, including 10 in a row starting at the 3:22 mark, when they were up 65-60.
The visitors trailed 67-64 when Dana Andrews stepped to the stripe. She banked in the first try and got nothing but net on the second, extending the Monterey lead to five points.
Cal Poly (0-3, 0-2) misfired on its end with a runner by Ashley Moody lipping off the rim. Otters junior Ja'Nae Westmoreland, a graduate of Rialto and San Bernardino Valley College, grabbed the rebound. The host team didn't threaten again.
``This is disappointing because it was a winnable game,"Davis said. "I don't think there is panic but there is getting to be a sense of urgency."
The game was tight from the start, with neither team ever able to build a double-digit lead. The first half featured six lead changes.
Cal Poly's biggest edge was three points, 17-14, after a bucket by Anna Pineda with 7:07 left.
The Broncos also led 21-17 but gave up the next 12 points, eight of those by Andrews, who drained back-to-back 3-pointers for a 27-21 lead with 3:43 to go. Cal Poly ran off the last five points of the half to stay within striking distance at 29-26.
The Otters shot 53.8 percent (21-for-39) with Andrews tallying 29 points. Teammates Britnea Moore and Alma Lopez chipped in with 17 and 16 respectively. Westmoreland snagged 11 rebounds, 10 of them on the defensive end.
The Broncos, who shot just 33.3 percent (22-for-66), had four players in double figures, led by Reyana Colson with 16 and Andrea Ohlssen with 13.
"We're going to learn from our mistakes," said Ohlssen, whose four 3-pointers in the second half fueled a Broncos comeback.
"We're still getting to know each other. We know it isn't going to get any worse."
The Broncos will have 10 days off before returning to game action on Dec. 11 with a non-conference contest at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. It will be the first of five straight on the road.
"I'm looking forward to going on the road. There are less distractions," Davis said. "We have a lot of new players and the time together should help us too."
It proved to be the right approach as the Broncos turned back a tenacious Monterey Bay 77-66 in CCAA play Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium.
``I've done enough screaming and yelling,'' he said. ``Teams aren't always going to respond to that. I just tried to emphasize the little things you have to do to play winning basketball. We actually did those things tonight.''
The Broncos recent fortunes were helped by the clutch performance of senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis. The transfer from Oregon State hit 10 of 13 shots from the field, including a 7-for-10 showing from long distance.
The Broncos (1-3, 1-1) had their biggest lead of the contest at 54-39 with 11:36 to go. But the pesky Otters came back and cut the deficit to 58-54 with 6:04 to play on a free throw by D'Shon Cannon.
Then Tsagarakis took over, hitting the first of five buckets in the next five minutes, four of which were 3-pointers. His first in that span boosted the lead to 61-54.
``Tonight I felt like I was in a good rhythm and the good shots were coming,'' he said. ``Sometimes I get a little too eager to make things happen.''
Monterey Bay (1-5, 0-2) was equal to the task much of the night. Of the nine times the Broncos connected for 3-pointers, the Otters answered with a bucket on their end on the next possession seven times. Four times they answered with a 3-pointer of their own.
The visitors finally ran out of answers. Tsagarakis hit his last bucket of the night, this one a two-pointer with 47 seconds to play, giving his team a 73-66 advantage.
The Otters missed their next attempt and Larry Gordon came up with the loose ball to secure the first win of the season.
The Broncos shot 57.4 percent (31-for-54). Tsagarakis ended up with 27 points with Gordon contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds. Donnelle Booker chipped in with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks despite playing on a sprained ankle.
``We came out very determined tonight,'' Tsagarakis added. ``We knew we had to come back and play with energy and play with confidence and we did that tonight. Even when they made a shot, we knew we were going to come back and make one on our end.''
Monterey shot 49 percent (25-for-51) with Augie Johnston netting 18 and Joe Mitchell 16. Fontana native Zach Von Pertz had seven off the bench.
``This was a step in the right direction,'' Kamansky said. ``Before it was bad shot selection, no fluidity, no purpose on offense. Guys were just running around out there like they didn't
know what to do. We have to build on this.''
The Broncos will have more than two weeks to get healthy and work on their flaws, with the next game not coming until Dec. 18 when they head to Las Vegas to face Western Washington and Central Washington in consecutive nights.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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