Recently in Cal State San Bernardino 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.
Cal State San Bernardino guard Angela Streets has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) women's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 30 - Feb. 5.
Streets, a senior from Chandler, Ariz., had a solid weekend while helping the Coyotes to wins over Cal State Dominguez and Cal State L.A., and their first CCAA sweep of the season. She averaged 24.5 points on 14-for-29 shooting (46.2 percent), four rebounds and two assists while playing all but three minutes in her team's two games.
During a 64-49 win over the Toros on Friday, Streets scored 24 points, collected four rebounds, three assists, a steal and block. She followed that effort with 25 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 63-57 victory over Cal State L.A.
Riverside native Brandon Ward of Cal State Monterey Bay was named Men's Player of the Week.
Cal State San Bernardino is next in action on Friday when it hosts Cal State Stanislaus at 5:30 p.m.
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)
Dec. 26 - Jan. 1: Megan Ford (Cal Poly Pomona)
Jan. 2-8: Syncro Bull (Chico State)
Jan. 9-15: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
Jan. 16-22: Daisy Feder (UC San Diego)
Jan. 23-29: Jazzi Johnson (Cal State L.A.)
Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Angela Streets (Cal State San Bernardino).
What basketball fan doesn't like a good dunk? How about one that brings downs the house? Literally?
Well they don't get much better than the dunk by Cal State San Bernardino behemoth Kwame Alexander against CCAA foe Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday at Coussoulis Arena.
Alexander took a perfectly time Alley-Oop from Tre Brewer, soared through the air and dunked it home with such conviction it pulled the entire backboard down, bringing a roar from the small crowd. It was restored to its proper position even before the buzzing stopped.
Well the dunk is a hit on You Tube. Isn't everything these days? Punch in Kwame Alexanders's name and go to the entry "CSUSB Alexander Dunk PullsDown the Backboard." It wasn't posted until late Saturday and has already drawn 3,000 hits in less than 24 hours.
Stick with it because there are a couple of great slo-mo replays and note the backboard just misses coming down on the shoulder of a Dominguez player.
School officials are planning to put a highlight reel of his dunks this season. Those of us who get to watch him are spoiled by the ordinary dunk because there are so many spectacular ones. He's easily the most exciting player to watch in the conference and worth the price of admission.
Why there aren't more fans there to watch him alone is more puzzling. That's also a subject for another day!
Well, I had Thursday night off and it wasn't exactly a good "TV" night so I spent much of it watching the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies game. Why that game? Well former Cal State San Bernardino player Ivan Johnson is a rookie with the Hawks so I had a vested interest.
It's always nice when someone you saw through the growing stages makes it up to the professional ranks. There are two other prominent ones for me - Keyon Dooling of the Boston Celtics is one I know from his high school days back in Florida. The other is Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli, whom I also covered in the prep ranks as well as in the minor leagues.
Well Johnson is one we all knew had a chance of making it in the NBA IF his demons didn't get to him first. He's toiled in the D-League and overseas. This was a chance a lot of guys don't get, especially at 27.
Ivan seems to be making the most of it. He just missed a double-double with 10 points (the first two coming on a thuindering dunk), nine rebounds and two blocked shots. He logged 28 minutes, the most he has logged in a game this season.
The numbers were a bit skewed. The game was a blow out (96-77), not indicative of how well the Hawks have been playing as of late, so the subs did see a lot of action. But Ivan did play 10 uninterrupted minutes in the first half when it was still competitive.
Then the second half. Ivan did draw a technical foul late in the fourth quarter after a phantom foul call on him . . some things never change. Replays showed Ivan never touched the guy he supposedly fouled. The TV analyst also admitted the technical foul was really weak one. But when you're a rookie, you really can't say boo. Referees have the last word and they're going to send a message,.
He is averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.
With Al Horford out for the near future Ivan is going to continue to see steady playing time. He has played as little as 2 minutes but is typically between 15 and 25 minutes. He has been through a lot in his life and it is great to see him fulfilling his dream. It's a chance he needs to take full advantage of.
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.
Cal State San Bernardino senior basketball player Jessica De La Cruz remains hospitalized at Loma Linda following a nasty fall in the second half of Saturday's game against Cal State east bay.
De La Cruz, who had been averaging 5 points and 2.6 assists, took a tumble as teams broke for the other end of the court after an errant East Bay shot. She got bumped by an East Bay player and fell backward, only to hit her head on the knee of another player before htting the court.
She had a seizure which lasted several minutes and was eventually taken out on a stretcher.
Cal State coach Kevin Becker went to see her this afternoon and said she is doing better but more tests will be taken in the next few days. He didn't want to go into further detail because of student-privacy laws,
De La Cruz is from Northern California but Becker said she did have family in attendance at the game.
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.
In Johnson's only season with the Coyotes (2006-07), the San Antonio native was the team's top scorer (15.5 ppg.) and rebounder (4.7 rpg.) and helped CSUSB to a 26-6 overall record and a school-best NCAA semifinalist finish at the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass. He earned first-team All-CCAA honors and was an NCAA West Regional All-Tournament member and an NABC All-West Region selection.
Since Johnson finished his collegiate career, he has played professionally in China, Puerto Rico and South Korea and has had several stints in the NBA Development league, more commonly known as the D-League.
Johnson was a D-League All-League performer for the Erie BayHawks last season. Appearing in 49 games with 42 starts, he averaged 22.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and finished third in the league in scoring.
The Hawks play at Charlotte tonight and play host to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team suffered a big blow when senior point guard Nate Roth went down with a knee injury three minutes into the Coyotes overtime loss to Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday.
Roth was on crutches a night later when the Coyotes took on San Francisco State. There was no definite word on the injury but the prevailing thought seemed to be it is probably an MCL, not the dreaded ACL which would be season ending.
Roth said he is going to try and rehab with hopes of coming back later in the season. Of course that could change if he gets a different diagnosis.
It is too bad because he was coming off a 20-point, eight assist effort against UC San Diego that earned him CCAA Player of the Week honors.
Now the Cal State offense is chaotic at times. Walk-ons Vaughn Adams and Juan Martinez did an admirable job on Friday, combining for 24 points. Johnny Bell had nine. So right now its point guard by committee.
The good news for the Coyotes is they are 5-1 with road wins at Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Los Angeles, both of which are serious contenders.
The Coyotes are on the road this week at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus, both of whom are off to good starts although they have not played particularly strong schedules. Neither is an easy place to play and the Stany game will pit Cal State coach Jeff Oliver against the man he replaced in Larry Reynolds, who now heads the Warriors.
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).
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team is two wins away from that elusive national championship.
The Coyotes (31-0) turned in a solid performance in a 3-0 win over Flagler College (Fla.) in Thursday's quarterfinal. The day lacked any real drama with all the matches pretty much going as expected.
The Coyotes won without a dominant performance from two-time national player of the year Samantha Middleborn. She had eight kills but it took her 18 swings which amounted to an attack percentage of .278, well under her average of .495. But when you have tons of other weapons you can still come away with a relatively easy win.
Priscilla Collings had 11 kills (.357%) while Megan Johnson managed 10 (.474).
A crowd of more than 1,000 was on hand. There were even fans in the upper tier. I haven't seen that for any sport in my eight or so years covering the school's teams. That crowd might have been even bigger had the weather been better. Hopefully tonight being a weekend match , the team draws even more.
The semifinals will pit the Coyotes Elite Eight nemesis Concordia-St. Paul against Tampa, Fla. at 5 p.m. with the Coyotes next facing Hillsdale, Mich. at 7:30 or so. Most of the talk on Thursday was about the anticipated matcghup between No. 2 Tampa and No. 3 Concordia, which is trying for an unprecedented fifth straight national title.
The championship will be decided at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Cal State San Bernardino has been chosen to host the NCAA Division II Volleyball Elite Eight.
It was pretty much a no-brainer, although the NCAA hasn't seemed real thrilled to put the event out West in the past, preferring to defer to states more centrally located. This is the first time a West team has hosted since Cal State did so eight years ago.
Why was it such an easy decision?
Well the Coyotes are ranked No. 1 and they're the only undefeated team in the country.
If you're the NCAA you probably want the host team to at least make it to the championship match and the Coyotes should do so, barring something totally unexpected.
The draw is set up in advance on a rotating basis. This year the Coyotes face the Southeast Region winner in the quarterfinal. That's Flagler College from St. Augustine, Fla. That is traditionally one of the weakest regions in the country - the others being the Atlantic and East.
And all thosre region reps are on the Coyotes' side of the draw.
Tampa, Fla. and Concordia St. Paul, the team that has betaen the Coyotes at the national tournament the last three years, are both in the other half. So Cal State will have to play one of those - not both. And it wouldn't be until the championship match.
The area is easily accessible and there are plenty of choice in airports. It's going to be a heck of a lot easier getting in and out of California in December, than say, Minnesota!
The event will be held Dec. 1-3. It will be a great weekend of action. The community should come out and support the event. It's not often you have an a national championship being decided in you're own backyard.
Here's the schedule so mark your calendars . .
Coussoulis Arena - hosted by Cal State San Bernardino
First Round - Dec. 1
12:00 p.m. - Tampa (32-1) vs. Bridgeport (21-7)
2:30 p.m. - Concordia-St. Paul (31-2) vs. Central Missouri (30-4)
5:00 p.m. - Wheeling Jesuit (36-3) vs. Hillsdale (30-2)
7:30 p.m. - Cal State San Bernardino (30-0) vs. Flagler (31-6)
Semifinals - Dec. 2
5:00 p.m. - Semifinal One
7:30 p.m. - Semifinal Two
Finals - Dec. 3
7:00 p.m.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team will host the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament, beginning on Thursday. There will be eight teams competing and one berth in the Elite Eight up for grabs.
Let's hope the community shows up to support the event. First off, it's great entertainment. The West Region boasts top notch teams and THE best is the local team. High school players and coaches shouldn't waste the opportunity to see that level of play.
The school has a first-class venue and it's easy to get to.
Next Sunday the NCAA will announce where the Elite Eight will be held. Cal State is among the schools who have put in bids to host the event. The Coyotes have trekked all over the country the last three years and they have put in bid to host, only to be denied.
The NCAA looks at a lot of things when it comes to picking a site - one is attendance. Poor attendance figures at this week's event won't help the Coyotes cause. The NCAA hasn't given the event to a West Coast team since 2003 and they're looking for any reason to short-change the area yet again.
Here is the rundown for quarterfinal play on Thursday . . .
Noon - No. 3 Sonoma State (21-6) vs. No. 6 Hawaii Hilo (15-6)
2:30 p.m. - No. 2 UC San Diego (21-5) vs. No. 7 Grand Canyon (22-6)
5 p.m. - No. 4 Brigham Young-Hawaii (18-3) vs. No. 5 Seattle Pacific (21-6)
7:30 p.m. - No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (27-0) vs. No. 8. Alaska-Anchorage (18-8).
The folks at the CCAA office should just hand over the Player of the Year award for women's volleyball to Cal State San Bernardino's Samantha Middleborn. Right now! No need to vote. She is the best player in the conference - by far.
On Monday she was named Molten/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for the week for the fifth time.
Her numbers were sop impressive it would hard to make a case for anyone else. In helping the Coyotes close out CCAA play with three wins and conclude the first undefeated regular season in program history, Middleborn totaled 51 kills in 75 attempts, registered a .600 hitting percentage and tallied 28 total blocks. During a three-set win against UC San Diego, the 2010 National Player of the Year collected 15 kills, six digs and recorded a .462 hitting percentage.
On Friday against Cal State Monterey Bay, Middleborn had 24 kills and 14 digs while posting a .600 hitting percentage in four sets. She closed out the weekend with 12 kills, eight blocks and an .857 attack percentage in a three-set win over Cal State East Bay.
Middleborn improved her NCAA Division II-leading hitting percentage to .504 and tops the country with a 1.62 blocks per set.
The top-ranked Coyotes are next in action on Thursday when they host Alaska Anchorage in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Cal State San Bernardino Samantha Middleborn has been named Molten/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 31 - Nov. 6. It marks the fourth time this season she has been honored.
Middleborn, a senior from Rialto, had another dominating performance in helping the Coyotes to a weekend sweep, their sixth straight CCAA title and ninth in the last 11 years.
In six sets against Humboldt State and No. 23 Sonoma State, Middleborn totaled 19 kills (3.17 per set), 15 total blocks and recorded a .333 attack percentage while registering 26.5 points.
Middleborn recorded a .526 attack percentage against Humboldt State, and tied a career-high with 10 block assists in a straight set win over Sonoma State.
Cal State San Bernardino will attempt to close out an undefeated regular season when it hosts UC San Diego, Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay beginning on Wednesday.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sept. 5-11: Keala Peterson (Sonoma State)
Sept. 12-18: Taylor Krenwinkel (Sonoma State)
Sept. 19-25: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sept. 26 - Oct. 2: Jessica Leek (Chico State)
Oct. 3-9: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Oct. 10-16: Marquis Mora (Cal State L.A.)
Oct. 17-23: Halimah Oswald (San Francisco State)
Oct. 24-30: Katie Condon (UC San Diego)
Oct. 31 - Nov. 6: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team garnered 28 of 31 first-place votes and moved up to No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released on Monday.
The Coyotes (24-0, 19-0) spent much of the season at No. 3 and were No. 2 last week. The top spot became up for grabs when No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth lost to reigning national champion Concordia-St. Paul.
The Coyotes posted 3-0 wins last week over Humboldt State and Sonoma State, with the win over the Seawolves securing them a sixth straight CCAA title and ninth in 11 years.
The Coyotes have three matches left, all at Coussoulis Arena. They host nemesis UC San Diego at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Cal State Monterey Bay at 5 p.m. on Friday and close out the regular season on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Cal State Monterey Bay.
Here's the top 25 rundown:
1. Cal State San Bernardino 24-0
2. Minnesota-Duluth 27-1
3. Concordia-St. Paul (26-2)
4. Washburn (28-1)
5. Tampa, Fla. (28-1)
6. Nebraska_kearney (26-1)
7. Central Missouri (24-4)
8. Hillsdale (26-2)
9. Southwest Minnesota State (21-6)
10. Wayne State (Neb) (22-7)
11.Metro State (22-5)
12. Ferris State (25-2)
13.West Texas A&M (31-2)
14. Wingate, N.C. (27-0)
15. UC San Diego (19-4)
16. Northern Kentucky (24-4)
17. Lewis (23-5)
18. Angelo State (28-4)
19. Armstrong Atlantic (33-1)
20. Minnesota State (18-8)
21. Indianapolis (19-7)
22. Eckerd (22-4)
23. Sonoma State (19-6)
24. Flagler (25-6)
25. Regis (21-8)
Seattle Pacific (20-6)
Wheeling Jesuit (30-3)
The Cal State San Bernardino basketball team gave the UCLA Bruins all they wanted before falling 80-72 Sunday at Citizens Bank Arena. The Coyote even led 70-68 with 7:23 left but then came three straight turnovers and they were never in front again.
Coach Jeff Oliver should be pleased. His team hustled and played hard. It had too. The Coyotes are big by Division II standards but the Bruins are just plain big. At 6-10, 305 pounds, sophomore Joshua Smith is a small house.
He scored 26 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. Reeves Nelson had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.
Of course the little Division II team wasn't going to get any calls. The Bruins went to the free-throw line 41 times (making 33) while the Coyotes had 21 tries (making 15). So the Coyotes outshot UCLA from the field.
Two calls were highly suspect. With UCLA up 67-61with 4:47 left Cal State's Tre Brewer connected on a runner in the lane.
Then down 76-70 with 1:20 left Hakeem Washington got called for a charge.
Oh well, it was a good try.
Oliver's big men loomed large. Theron Laudermill tallied 16 points and six boards while D.J. Shumpert added 14 points , seven rebounds and five blocks. His game has really progressed from last year which ended with him sidelined with academic issues.
Brewer and Kwame Alexander each had nine before fouling out. Alexander's fifth foul came while defending Smith with 5:11 left while Brewer departed after that charging call.
So it looks like the Coyotes should be right in the mix for a CCAA title.
The regular season tips off on Friday with Cal State squaring off Westmont at 7 p.m. It will be a night of quality competition with the Cal State volleyball team starting things off with a 5 p.m. match against Cal State Monterey Bay.
The No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team (24-0, 19-0) wrapped up its sixth straight CCAA championship and the ninth in 11 years by beating Sonoma State 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 28-26) at Coussoulis Arena.
Their dominance in recent years has been impressive. Last year the Coyotes won the conference by a whopping six matches which is pretty much unheard of. It looks like they're going to win it by nearly that many again this season.
Part of that is the Coyotes talent and the fact that they have a veteran team with nine seniors, many of whom have played their whole careers together. But the conference as a whole has also been a bit down the last two years.
The Coyotes should be No. 1 in the next national poll due to come out on Monday. Minnesota-Duluth, who was No. 1 last week, lost a match earlier this week to reigning national champion Concordia St. Paul.
The Coyotes moving up to No. 1 and being undefeated can't do anything but help their chances at securing hosting rights to this year's Ellite Eight. The biggest factor not in Cal State's favor is that the NCAA seems to go out of its way to not give the tournament to the West. The last time a West team hosted was in 2003 when the Coyotes did so.
Another factor in Cal State's favor is the draw. One would think the NCAA wants to give it to a school that has a decent shot at reaching the final and this year the draw is set up for the Coyotes to do so. The Coyotes wouldn't play the Central Region winner - be it Duluth or Concordia - until the championship match.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team (22-0) is one of just two unbeatens left in NCAA Division II and moved from third to second in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday.
No. 1 and previously unbeaten Tampa (Fla.), now 25-1, was upset by unranked Eckerd and fell to fifth. Minnesota-Duluth (25-0) is the new No. 1 as seven places in the top 10 changed.
The Coyotes could work their way up to No. 1 before it's all over because Minnesota-Duluth still has a match left against Concordia-St. Paul which is trying for its fifth straight national title and is currently No. 6. If you're the Coyotes you probably want Concordia to win that one. Being the only unbeaten and No. 1 would probably further their cause when it comes to hosting the event.
The only problem is the NCAA seems to not want a West Region to host since one hasn't done so since 2003 when the Coyotes did so.
The Coyotes look like they have a good chance at running the table with their last five matches all at Coussoulis Arena where they have won 56 straight matches dating back to the end of the 2008 season.
The Coyotes also are ranked first in the West Region which actually carries more weight because the No. 1 team typically hosts the eight-team regional which determines the Elite Eight representative.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team remained No. 3 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll but there was a change at the top.
Reigning champion Concordia-St. Paul lost a conference match to formerly No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth 3-2. It dropped to No. 4 with Duluth moving to No. 2 and Tampa, Fla., moving to 1 from 2.
Cal State Athletic Director Kevin Hatcher said his school is putting the finishing touches on the bid it will submit to host both the NCAA Division II West Region and national tournaments. Paperwork is due on Sunday.
The hosting rights for regionals typically go to the No. 1 team in each region but there are four guidelines that go into the national selection. A West Region representative has not hosted the Elite Eight since Cal State did so in 2003.
Here is the top 25 rundown:
1. Tampa, Fla. 23-0
2. Minnesota-Duluth 23-0
3. Cal State San Bernardino 20-0
4. Concordia-St. Paul 22-1
5. Washburn, Kan. 22-1
6. Nebraska-Kearney 23-1
7. Hillsdale, Mich. 21-2
8. Central Missouri 19-4
9. Southwest Minnesota State 17-6
10. Metro State, Col. 19-4
11. Ferris State, Mich. 19-2
12. West Texas A&M 25-2
13. Wayne State, Neb. 17-6
14. Northern Kentucky 20-3
15. Wingate, N.C. 23-0
16. Armstrong Atlantic, Ga. 28-0
17. Angelo State, Tex. 25-2
18. UC San Diego 15-4
19. Minnesota State 15-7
20. Lewis, Ill. 18-5
21. Colorado School of Mines 17-6
22. Sonoma State 18-3
23. Indianapolis 15-6
24. Seattle Pacific 16-5
25. Regis, Col. 19-6.
Cal State San Bernardino goalkeeper Chelsey Jones has been named the Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 10-16.
Jones, a sophomore from Hesperia, was solid in goal while helping the Coyotes to a pair of wins over southern California rivals Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A.
In 180 minutes in front of the net, Jones posted a pair of shutouts while totaling seven saves. The weekend performance marked her third straight blanking of an opponent and brought her season shutout total 4.5.
Cal State San Bernardino, which has won a school-record six consecutive matches, returns to the pitch on Friday when it hosts CCAA North Division leader Sonoma State beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Wilson/CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Week:
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4: Lisa Ohberg (Cal State L.A.)
Sept. 5-11: Tiffany Hollis (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Sept. 12-18: Cassie Callahan (UC San Diego)
Sept. 19-25: Nicole Vanni (San Francisco State);
Sept. 26 - Sept. 2: Kasey Wall (Chico State)
Oct. 3-9: Casey Hirsch (Cal State San Bernardino);
Oct. 10-16: Chelsey Jones (Cal State San Bernardino).
Cal State San Bernardino senior middle blocker Samantha Middleborn has been named Molten/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 3-9. It marks the third time this season she has been honored.
Middleborn, of Rialto, led the No. 3 Coyotes to a road sweep at Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay over the weekend. The two victories helped Cal State San Bernardino conclude the first half of CCAA play with an 11-0 conference mark and 16-0 overall record.
In seven sets, Middleborn tallied 32 kills in 52 attempts, with just five errors, collected four service aces, eight digs and eight block assists while recording a .519 hitting percentage. The 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Year, totaled 19 kills and posted a .720 attack mark during a four-set win over Cal State East Bay and concluded the week with 13 kills, three service aces, five digs and a .333 hitting percentage at Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.
Cal State San Bernardino returns to action on Friday when it travels to Cal Poly Pomona for a 7 p.m. contest.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sept. 5-11: Keala Peterson (Sonoma State)
Sept. 12-18: Taylor Krenwinkel (Sonoma State)
Sept. 19-25: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sept. 26 - Oct. 2: Jessica Leek (Chico State)
Oct. 3-9: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino).
Cal State San Bernardino remained third in the NCAA Division II poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association released on Monday.
Reigning champion Concordia-St. Paul (15-0) remains first with Tampa, Fla. (14-0) in second. The top six places are the same as last week. The Bears received all 32 first-place votes.
The Coyotes (13-0) are one of three CCAA teams mentioned. UC San Diego (10-2), whom the Coyotes will play on Wednesday, dropped from 12th to 16th after a loss to Sonoma State on Saturday. Chico State (12-3) moved into the poll at No. 24.
Sonoma State was in the receiving votes category.
The 8-0 Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes' volleyball team remains in the third position in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top 25 poll.
The Coyotes are in the poll for the 156th straight time and inside the top 10 for their 71st straight appearance.
Coach Kim Cherniss will lead her team Wednesday night as it steps outside of CCAA play with a match at NCAA newcomer, but longtime foe Cal Baptist. The match is at 7 p.m. at CBU.
CSUSB completes the week with matches Friday (Chico State) and Saturday (Cal State Stanislaus) at home. Matches for both nights are also at 7 p.m.
Concordia St. Paul remains at the top this week and Tampa is second.
Cal State's biggest CCAA rival, UC San Diego (8-0), is ranked 10th.
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.
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
Former Cal State San Bernardino pitcher Aaron Brooks is spending his first professional season with Idaho Falls Chukars (Gotta love some of those minor league team names!) of the Rookie Pioneer League.
Brooks, a product of Cajon High School, was drafted in the ninth round by the Kansas City Royals last June, following completion of his junior year.
He is 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 50 innings. It's an admirable start. Brooks has appeared in 10 games, eight of those as a starter. He has given up 54 hits with 46 strikeouts. He still has that trademark control - just five walks.
Brooks was named this week's Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week after hurling five and two-third scoreless innings against Capser in which he gave up six hits and struck out a career-high 10.
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.
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.
The Cal State San Bernardino softball team is back in the NCAA playoffs for the only the second time and the first since 2008.
The seventh-seeded Coyotes (32-22) are headed to Kaneohe, Hawaii and will open play Friday against second-seeded and defending national champion Hawaii Pacific (37-10).
There will be two four-team double-elimination West Regionals, one hosted by Hawaii Pacific and the other by Chico State. The teams that emerge from each of those competitions will square off in a best-of-three series.
"We're excited," Coyotes coach Tacy Duncan <NO1>name is right <NO>said. "Our conference is very tough, so we feel like that has really prepared us for the postseason."
The Coyotes played the Sea Warriors, winners of the Pacific West Conference, on April 2 in a tournament on a neutral field and Hawaii Pacific emerged with an 8-6 win. Having seen the opponent is reason for Duncan to be optimistic.
"We played them in a close game and we didn't even use our best pitcher," Duncan said while referring to senior Cassidy Lee. "She has been pitching great and we're confident with her out there."
Cal State, led by All-CCAA selections Priscilla Curiel, Jacquelyn Holtzclaw, Jamie Leffingwell and Brittney Butler, is one of four teams from the CCAA to advance.
Sonoma State (36-20) is in the same bracket with the Coyotes and will face Dixie State (33-12) while Chico State (29-17) and UC San Diego (36-13) will compete at Chico. Western Washington (36-14) and Central Washington (33-14) round out the field at Chico.
The only other time the Coyotes competed in the regional they went 2-2 in the tournament held at Humboldt State.
Burns, an Oceanside native, has been a stalwart for the Coyotes during her four seasons. She became the Coyotes' all-time leader in saves in the final game of the 2010 season and earned All-American honors in the process.
This season Burns has 420 saves with 30 assists and 60 steals for the Coyotes, who open the WWPA Tournament at 9 a.m. Friday against Cal State Monterey Bay at Chabot College in Hayward. The tourney is hosted by Cal State East Bay.
In her career, Burns has 1,566 saves and owns three of the top five single-season saves in school history.
Sophomore Misty Vu was named to the honorable mention squad. The Riverside native leads the Coyotes with 81 goals.
Cal State San Bernardino junior outfielder David Silvas, who has blistered the baseball during the month of April, was named this week's California Collegiate Athletic Association Batter of the Week for the week of April 18-23.
The Moreno Valley native continues to be one of the hottest hitters in the CCAA over the last three weeks. He currently owns a club-best, 9-game hitting streak and is hitting .485 over those nine games (16 of 33 with eight extra-base hits - 6 doubles, 2 HRs).
During the 4-game series against CSUMB that puts the Coyotes into 4th place by percentage points over CPP and CSULA, he hit .538 and capped the series with a 3-for-4 effort in the series finale that included back-to-back-to-back doubles.
He is 24-for-53 (.453) with 11 extra-base hits in his last 14 games.
Junior right-hander Aaron Brooks, who dominated in his opening-game series start against Cal State Monterey Bay on April 21, was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week.
The San Bernardino native set the tone in the weekend series against CSUMB on Thursday, with his third complete game and first shutout of the year in a 2-0 win. Brooks faced just 31 batters - four over the minimum -- and did not allow an Otter to reach past second base after the first inning.
He retired 14 in a row -- from the last out of the 3rd inning through the first out in the 8th -- and struck out six, did not issue a walk and scattered five hits.
For the season, is 4-6 with a 2.78 ERA. He owns 70 strikeouts and just eight base on balls. He has allowed 64 hits and opponents are hitting just .229 against him in 77.2 innings.
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.
The Cal State San Bernardino women's cross country team will hold a 5K-10K fun run beginning at 8 a.m. on Sunday. It is the primary fund-raiser for the program which competes in the fall.
The event typically draws about 300 participants according to Coyotes coach Tom Burleson, who added the biggest challenge is finalizing a date when the event doesn't conflict with other local events.
The starting line is is off by the school's soccer fields and the course winds around the campus.
The entry fee of $25 includes a T-shirt. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. on site on race day. Applications are also available on-line through the school's athletic department web site.
"This is big for us," Burleson said. "The budget is tough and we're like everyone, just trying to make it work. This provides most of the money for our operating budget."
Cal State San Bernardino claimed both CCAA weekly honors in softball as junior Brianna Godfredson has been named pitcher of the week and junior shortstop Courtney Wilhelms has been named player of the week for their showing in games March 14-21.
Godfredson posted a 4-0 record, 1.56 earned-run average and two complete-games in seven appearances last week to help the Coyotes to a 7-1 record against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Stanislaus. In 27 innings, she allowed 24 hits, nine runs (six earned), walked 12 and struck out 13.
Wilhelms batted .536 (15-for-28) with 11 runs scored, a double, five home runs and 17 RBIs while posting a 1.107 slugging percentage and .581 on-base percentage. She posted six multiple-hit and five multiple-RBI games. During a four-game series against Cal State Stanislaus, she batted .600 (9-for-15) with five runs scored and 10 RBIs.
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
Herbst was a two-time, first-team all-league selection and was named her team's MVP this past year.
"Angie is a very calm and smooth center midfielder,'' Herbst said. "She uses both feet well and does an great job changing the point of attack. She is a strong defender and works hard from start to finish. We feel that Angie will be a very good player in the CCAA.''
Herbst scored five goals with 56 assists in her three seasons. At the club level, she played for Arsenal FC.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its Division II All-American nods today and four players from Cal State San Bernardino are among those honored.
Junior Samantha Middleborn and senior Jane Chafeh made the first team while senior Nicole Moore made the second and sophomore Camille Smith the third team. It is the first time the school has had four All-Americans. It has three on four occasions.
It is a quite an accomplishment given that just 42 players are selected nationwide - 14 to each of the three teams. The only school that had more named was No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul which had five players honored. That is the team the Coyotes will play in the NCAA quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Coyotes are a very balanced team which makes it hard to rack up the lofty numbers needed for individual honors most of the time. Coach Kim Cherniss was disappointed junior Megan Johnson didn't figure into those All-American selections as well.
But she'll be just as happy if the Coyotes bring home the big proze this week!
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.
It's official! Cal State San Bernardino will host the NCAA Division II West Region tournament which begins on Thursday.
The Coyotes (25-2) will be making their 11th straight regional appearance and will get No. 8 seed Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-7) in Thursday's quarterfinal. That's a favorable matchup for Cal State with BYU out of a Pac West Conference that isn'tparticularly strong in volleyball.
Of course the top-seeded Coyotes are playing so well it probably won't matter who they will be facing, They have won 12 straight matches and have an even more impressive streak of 43 wins on their home court.
If the Coyotes take care of business in their opener, they would face the winner of the quarterfinal featuring two CCAA teams - No. 5 Sonoma State and No. 4 UC San Diego. Cal State beat both those teams twice with scores of 3-0 each time.
The other bracket pits No. 3 Western Washington (19-3) against No. 6 Alaska-Anchorage (18-8) and No. 2 Seattle Pacific (24-2) against No. 7 Cal State Los Angeles (16-10).
It was good news and bad news for the Cal State San Bernardino men's soccer team.
The Coyotes (13-5-1) made the postseason for just the third time in history. The bad news, though, is losses in the last two matches cost the Coyotes the right to host a game, so they'll be hitting the road.
Chico State will host the Super Region 4. The Coyotes will be facing Pacific West champion Grand Canyon (14-2-2) at 4 p.m. Friday in the first round while the host Wildcats (13-6) will play CCAA North foe Sonoma State (14-5-1) at 7 p.m.
"Our guys are excited about the opportunity," said Cal State San Bernardino coach Noah Kooiman, this year's CCAA Coach of the Year. "It's a little disappointing we're not hosting, but it's the playoffs. "We got a taste of it last year, so we're better prepared this time around."
The Coyotes have been ranked as high as No. 3 in the country and were No. 1 in the West Region the last three weeks, but Cal State lost its regular-season finale to Cal State Dominguez Hills 1-0 and its CCAA tournament semifinal to Sonoma State 1-0.
Sonoma State won the event by beating Dominguez in the final. Kooiman thinks Sonoma State winning tipped the hosting right to Chico. Had Dominguez gotten in, the South would have had two teams and the Coyotes likely would have been the host team.
"We'll never know, but that's how we think it would have worked out," Kooiman said.
It will be the third playoff berth for the Coyotes, who were beaten last year by Cal State Los Angeles 5-3. The previous berth was in 1991, when the school was competing at the Division III level.
The Coyotes haven't played Grand Canyon this season. They defeated Chico State 2-1 and lost to Sonoma State twice, 3-1 and 1-0.
Division III women's soccer
Surprise SCIAC tournament winner University of Redlands has drawn a first- round playoff matchup against Chapman on Thursday.
The Bulldogs (10-9) were seeded fourth for the SCIAC tourney but earned the conference playoff berth by upsetting top- seeded Cal Lutheran and No. 2 Occidental in the conference tournament.
Redlands hasn't given up a goal in more than 285 minutes dating back to its 5-0 victory over Whittier on Oct. 30. It has seven shutouts.
Chapman (12-6), which competes as an independent, gained one of 21 Pool B/C bids to the NCAA tournament. It defeated Redlands 3-2 in nonconference play earlier this season.
Division III men's soccer
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (14-3-2) will be the SCIAC's lone postseason representative and compete in a four- team sectional. The Stags will play host team Texas-Tyler University (12-3-1) on Saturday.
The winner of that game will face the winner of the game between Trinity-Texas and Pacific.
Claremont-Mudd finished second to the University of Redlands in the regular season but upended the Bulldogs 1-0 in the SCIAC tournament to earn the automatic bid.
Division III volleyball
For the first time since 1999, the University of La Verne will not be participating in the postseason.
Regular-season champion Cal Lutheran won the SCIAC's automatic bid by also winning the conference tournament.
The Leopards (19-11) were 11-9 in mid- October but went 8-2 over their last 10 matches to make a push for an at-large bid, then lost the tournament finale to Cal Lutheran.
West Region representatives Cal Lutheran, Colorado College and Whitworth each received automatic bids into the 63-team field by virtue of winning their respective conferences. Puget Sound (18-6) earned the West's lone at-large berth.
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.
The Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team fell from fourth to eighth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division II poll released on Monday.
That drop is the result of a 3-2 loss to Cal State East Bay on Saturday. It was the first time this season the Coyotes (13-2) had been pushed to five games.
The fact that the traditional CCAA powers such as UC San Diego and Cal State Los Angeles seem a bit down doesn't help the Coyotes cause. A few weeks back they dropped from second to fifth without losing. The perception is that the conference is down so any loss is going to prove costly.
There are three teams ranked ahead of Cal State that have more losses.
The first West Region poll will come out in a couple of weeks. That's the one that really matters.
But here is the national poll.
1. Minnesota-Duluth (16-1)
2. Southwest Minnesota State (15-2
3. Tampa (Fla.) 15-3
4. Washburn (Kan.) 19-1
Wayne State (Neb.) 16-2
6. Concordia-St. Paul 18-3
7. Central Missouri 18-3
8. Cal State San Bernardino 13-2
9. Nebraska-Kearney 18-3
10. Truman 17-3
11. Lewis 15-2
12. Hillsdale (Mich) 15-1
13. Northern Michigan 15-0
14. Minnesota State 12-4
15. Emporia State 15-3
16. Western Washington 11-2
17. Seattle Pacific 16-1
18. Metro State 13-5
19. Missouri-St. Louis 14-3
20. Indianapolis 14-6
21. Abilene Christian 16-3
22. Dowling (NY) 14-0
23. Cal State East Bay 13-4
24. Cal State Monterey Bay 12-2
25. Grand Valley State (Mich.) 11-5
Dropped out: West Florida
Receiving votes: Florida Southern, West Florida, Rockhurst, West Texas A&M, Cal State Los Angeles, Wheeling Jesuit, Alaska-Anchorage, Barry (Fla.), Wingate (NC), Lynn (Fla.), Regis (Col.)
Cal State San Bernardino forward Obi Agwu has been named Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Soccer Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 27 - Oct. 3. It marks the second time this season that he has been honored.
Agwu, a senior out of Alta Loma High school, turned in a pair of solid performances in helping the Coyotes post a 1-0-1 mark against UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay that enabled Cal State San Bernardino remain tied atop the CCAA's South Division.
Agwu scored his team's only goal in a 1-1 tie at UC San Diego on Friday. He came back on Sunday and recorded a hat trick, scoring three goals in the Coyotes' 3-1 victory at Cal State East Bay. That performance gave him 30 goals for his career and moved him into fourth place on Cal State San Bernardino's all-time goals scored list.
Cal State San Bernardino resumes CCAA play on Friday when it hosts San Francisco State.
Sarah McTigue of UC San Diego was named the Women's Player of the Week.
Wilson/CCAA Men's Soccer Player of the Week:
Aug. 30 - Sept. 5: Obi Agwu (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sept. 6-12: Taylor Varnadore (Sonoma State)
Sept. 13-19: Taylor Rivas (Cal State L.A.)
Sept. 20-26: Jesse Brennan (UC San Diego)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3: Obi Agwu (Cal State San Bernardino)
Wilson/CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Week:
Aug. 30 - Sept. 5: Annette Ilg (UC San Diego)
Sept. 6-12: Gabbi Segall (Cal State L.A.)
Sept. 13-19: Karenee Demery (Cal State Stanislaus)
Sept. 20-16: Annicia Jones (San Francisco State)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3: Sarah McTigue (UC San Diego).
Cal State San Bernardino's Samantha Borman has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) Female Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of Sept. 27 - Oct. 23.
Borman, a sophomore from Redlands, captured the Cal State San Bernardino Invitational on Saturday. She completed the six-kilometer course in a time of 22:54.4 to pace the field. Her performance also helped the Wildcats claim the four-team event that included CCAA members Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Cal State San Bernardino is next in action on Saturday when it competes in the UC San Diego Triton Classic.
CCAA Runners of the Week
Aug. 30 -Sept. 5: Hayley Tharp (Cal State Monterey Bay)
Sept. 6-12: Rubye Elhard (Cal State Stanislaus)
Sept. 13-19: Maritza Hernandez (Cal State L.A.)
Sept. 20-26: Kara Lubieniecki (Chico State)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3: Samantha Borman (Cal State San Bernardino).
Cal State San Bernardino outside hitter Jane Chafeh has been named Molten/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 27 - Oct. 3.
Chafeh, a senior from Fontana, led the Warriors to a 3-0 record following victories over Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. The three wins kept the Coyotes atop the CCAA standings and extended their overall home winning streak to 36. The streak also includes 27 wins against CCAA opponents.
In 10 sets, Chafeh, who earned All-American honors as a junior a year ago, totaled 38 kills, 28 digs, four assists, two service aces and two block assists while posting a .304 hitting percentage. She also had two doubles (kills-digs).
In a three-set win over Cal Poly Pomona, Chafeh recorded 11 kills, three assists and 10 digs while registering a .346 hitting percentage. She then had nine kills and two digs in a sweep of Chico State and concluded the week with 18 kills, 16 digs and a .302 hitting percentage versus Cal State Stanislaus.
Cal State San Bernardino returns to action on Friday when it visits UC San Diego in La Jolla.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 30 - Sept. 5: Roxanne Brunsting (UC San Diego)
Sept. 6-12: Roxanne Neely (Cal State East Bay)
Sept. 13-19: Rheann Fall (Cal State Monterey Bay)
Sept. 20-26: Lianne Vicchio (Cal State Stanislaus)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3: Jane Chafeh (Cal State San Bernardino).
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.
Senior Unity Beddingfield's first half goal was Cal State San Bernardino's only goal Saturday in a 3-1 loss to Cal Baptist in an exhibition women's soccer match at the Lancers field.
The Coyotes were outshot 11-6 by the Lancers but had an edge in corner kicks, 6-5.
Beddingfield's goal came 13:57 into the back, just 43 seconds after Fabiola DaSilva, a junior from Curitibia, Brazil, put the Lancers up 1-0 at the 13:14 mark off an assist by Bernadette Witz.
The tie lasted until the 34th minute when junior Kylee Nicassio, a junior out of Los Osos High School, put the Lancers on top 2-1 with an assist by DaSilva. DaSilva gave CBU an insurance score in the 57th minute on a penalty kick to finish the game with two goals and an assist.
Sophomore Tiffany Jo Mallick yielded all three CBU goals in 66 minutes of play while redshirt freshman Chelsey Jones came on to record a save and hold the Lancers scoreless over the final 23 plus minutes of the match.
CSUSB will play Dixie State in a scrimmage next Saturday before opening up the regular season on Sept. 3 at home against Biola University.
Four California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's volleyball teams will begin the 2010 campaign with national Top 25 rankings beside their names after the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its preseason poll on Wednesday.
Cal State San Bernardino, which advanced to the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championship semifinals, is ranked No. 2, while UC San Diego is No. 8, Cal State L.A. No. 14 and Sonoma State No. 21.
All four teams competed in the 2009 NCAA Pacific Regional a year ago, which was won for the second year in a row by Cal State San Bernardino. The Coyotes defeated Cal State L.A. in three sets to claim the regional title.
Cal State San Bernardino is coming off one of its finest seasons in program history after recording a 33-2 overall record. For the second year in a row, the Coyotes' season ended with a loss to eventual national champion Concordia-St. Paul.
The Golden Bears, two-time defending national champions, top the 2010 AVCA preseason poll after totaling 788 points and collecting all 32 first-place votes. Concordia-St. Paul is coming off an undefeated season after posting a 37-0 record a year ago.
Following second-ranked Cal State San Bernardino, which tallied 760 points, is Tampa (729), Indianapolis (692) and Central Missouri (676), which rounds out the Top 5.
Entering her 20th season at Cal State San Bernardino, head coach Kim Cherniss welcomes back first-team All-American senior outside hitter Jane Chafeh.
First-year UC San Diego head coach Ricci Luyties takes over the reigns for Tom Black, who took the head job at Loyola Marymount, and inherits a talented team that includes honorable mention All-American junior libero Roxanne Brunsting.
Cal State L.A. finished 2009 with a 23-9 overall record and is led by All-CCAA first-team middle blocker Mary Laupepa. Junior outside hitter Keala Peterson leads a Sonoma State squad that went 23-8 and finished fourth in the CCAA with a 15-7 record.
The 2010 campaign is slated to begin Thursday, September 2 when Cal State East Bay plays at Alaska Anchorage, and Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. open play in the CPP/CSULA Labor Day Tournament. CCAA play is slated to commence on Friday, September 10 with a full schedule of contests.
2010 AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll
RankSchool (Votes) 2009 Record
1.Concorida-St. Paul (32)37-0
2.Cal State San Bernardino33-2
3.Tampa31-3
4.Indianapolis38-2
5.Central Missouri34-5
6.Washburn33-5
7.West Texas A&M38-4
8.UC San Diego27-3
9.Minnesota Duluth23-9
10.Metro State26-8
11.Saint Leo30-4
12.Emporia State29-6
13.Nebraska-Kearney33-3
14.Cal State L.A.23-9
15.Southwest Minnesota State25-8
16.Lewis32-5
17.Wayne State (Neb.)29-8
18.Minnesota State26-7
19.Pittsburg State25-11
20.Hillsdale24-8
21.Sonoma State23-8
22.Flagler36-9
23.Hawaii-Hilo25-2
24.Alaska-Anchorage23-8
25.Truman24-13
Cal State San Bernardino senior pitcher Brandon Cunniff was among a half dozen players from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) players heard their name called during the second day of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday.
Sonoma State led the charge as three Seawolves were taken in the first 30 rounds, while Cal State East Bay, Cal State L.A. and Cal State San Bernardino each had one player drafted.
The CCAA had a total of 10 players selected in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
The following is a capsule on each CCAA player taken on Wednesday:
Scott Alexander, Sonoma State, LHP (6th round, 179th overall, Kansas City)
In his first season on the mound for the Seawolves, Alexander posted a 3-6 record and 4.50 ERA while making 13 starts. In 68 innings, he allowed 50 hits, 43 runs (34 earned), walked 42 and struck out 70 while holding opponents to a .209 batting average. Prior to his junior campaign at Sonoma State, Alexander spent two seasons at Pepperdine and compiled an 11-9 record, 4.46 ERA and one complete game in 32 appearances. Alexander is the highest drafted Sonoma State player since Brandon Burgess was the 176th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004.
Tillman Pugh, Sonoma State, CF (15th round, 452nd overall, New York Mets)
Pugh was drafted despite not playing for the Seawolves in 2010. He came to Sonoma State after batting .333 for GateWay Community College in Phoenix and becoming a 16th-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners. Pugh began his collegiate career at Arizona State where he went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a home run for the Sun Devils in 2008.
Devin Grigg, Cal State East Bay, RHP (17th round, 525th overall, Minnesota)
Grigg recorded a 5-1 record, 2.89 ERA and four saves in 14 relief appearances for the Pioneers as a senior. In 18 2/3 innings, he allowed 22 hits, nine runs (six earned), walked 12 and struck out 19.
Tyler Hess, Sonoma State, RHP (19th round, 584th overall, Atlanta)
Hess, a junior transfer from Pepperdine, registered a 2-3 record in 12 appearances. He logged 39 innings, allowed 40 hits, 34 runs (31 earned), walked 25 and struck out 33. In two seasons for the Waves, Hess went 5-3 with a 5.74 ERA.
Jesus Campos, Cal State L.A., SS (24th round, 744th overall, Los Angeles Angels)
A 2010 All-CCAA honorable mention selection, Campos appeared in 48 games, starting 47, and batted .272 with 13 doubles, two home runs and 24 RBI.
Brandon Cunniff, Cal State San Bernardino, RHP (27th round, 827th overall, Florida Marlins)
Cunniff, a second-team All-CCAA selection as a senior, concluded his final collegiate season with an 8-3 record, 3.98 ERA and one complete game in 13 appearances - all but one as a starter. In 83 2/3 innings, the Coyotes' right-hander surrendered 83 hits, 43 runs (37 earned), walked 28 and struck out 69.
The draft concludes on Wednesday with rounds 31-50 and can be followed live on the Internet at www.mlb.com.
Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball coach Jeff Oliver is losing his lead assistant to a rival as Paul Trevor has been named the head coach at San Francisco State.
It is a good move for Trevor. Very few aspire to be an assistant their entire career and the older you get the harder it is to make the move. And the fewer offers you get. Trevor and his wife are both from that area so it made even more sense.
It isn't a bad gig. The program used to be awful but has been built back up to respectability by Bill Treseler who resigned after five years. It has several starters back including Marquel Hoskins, who the Coyotes never did figure out how to guard. A lot of times the coach taking over a new gig has a rebuilding chore on his hands. But that isn't the case here.Trevor won't be starting from scratch.
Oliver and Trevor were extremely close. In fact it is hard picturing one without the other. Oliver brought Trevor on board the minute he got the job at Cal State eight years ago. But good programs have good assistants and they move on. It is a compliment to the progam.
It will be interesting when the two match wits from opposite sidelines.
The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team finished its CCAA schedule with a 13-8 win over Cal State East Bay today at Fiscalini Field. That makes the Coyotes 28-14 overall and 27-13 in CCAA play.
The Coyotes took three of four in the series to move into second place ahead of Cal State Dominguez Hills (34-15, 24-12) which has a four-game set left against Cal State Stanislaus next weekend. If the teams finished tied for second Dominguez Hills has the head-to-head tiebreaker and would be the No. 2 seed for the CCAA Tournament coming up.
The Coyotes are ranked No. 3 in the West Region so they look like a lock for the regional tournament regardless of how they do in the conference tournament.
It's a fine showing for Coach Don Parnell's squad. In fact, Parnell would be a good choice for CCAA Coach of the Year. Unfortunately those type of honors seem to go to the winning team more often than not.
UC San Diego won the regular season title and has spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the country. The Coyotes did split four games with the Tritons which should also be a factor in Parnell's favor.
Also consider that the Coyotes were sixth a year ago and were picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll this season. I would say that's a pretty good coaching job.
The Coyotes seem to be on a magical run, getting huge hits when they need them. a week ago they got a walkoff home run by Erik Ornelas to beat San Francisco State. On Thursday Leland Cisco came off the bench and did the same thing to win the first game against East Bay.
The Coyotes wrap up the regular season with a nonconference series next weekend against Grand Canyon and have a chance for 30 wins for the first time since 2004.
One other note, if the Coyotes make the regional, which they should, that would mean all four Cal State San Bernardino men's sports made the postseason.
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 State San Bernardino athletes Jamie Leffingwell and Daniel Stenavich have earned weekly honors from the CCAA.
Leffingwell, a freshman outfielder has been named the Worth/CCAA Player of the Week for the week of March 29 - April 4.
The Cajon High School product had a hot week at the plate in five games against Notre Dame de Namur and Chico State, batting .706 (12-for-17) with four runs scored, five doubles, a home run and five RBI. She recorded a 1.176 slugging percentage, .706 on-base percentage and had two more hits in each contest.
During a three-game series at Chico State, Leffingwell batted .600 (6-for-10) with two runs scored and four RBI.
Leffingwell's showing helped propel the Coyotes into fourth place which would be good enough to qualify for the CCAA Tournament next month.
In baseball Coyotes' right-hander Daniel Stenavich has been named Wilson/CCAA Pitcher of the Week.
Stenavich, a senior from San Diego, Calif., went 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his lone start against top-ranked conference-leader UC San Diego. He went 6 1/3 innings, allowed three hits, two runs, walked two and struck out two while limiting the CCAA's top-hitting team to a .150 average.
Stenavich's outing enabled Cal State San Bernardino to split the four-game series with the Coyotes and remain in the hunt for a CCAA Tournament berth.
The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team won't win the CCAA title but it is fighting for a berth in the four-team tournament and that goal is realistic
The Coyotes turned in an impressive 4-3 win over No. 1 UC San Diego on Thursday at Fiscalini Field. The Tritons are pretty cocky when it comes to every sport so that's a nice win.
The Coyotes got a gutsy effort on the mound from Cajon graduate Aaron Brooks.They strung together some hits and rallied against San Diego's Tim Shibuya, possibly the best pitcher in the conference this season.
They got back-to-back-to back doubles in getting three runs in the third, only to have San Diego tie it in the fourth. The difference was a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Cody Madison with one out in the seventh.
Ethan Chapman and Erik Orlenas each had two doubles and had two RBI.
Neither team made an error. That's rare in a college baseball game. The Coyotes were particularly strong up the middle with James Kono at short and Ornelas at second having solid games.
Game two of the series will be at 3 p.m. at Fiscalini on Friday.
Cal State San Bernardino's Bryan Le Duc will play in the NABC All-Star Game today at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. The event is being held in conjunction with the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
Le Duc, a 6-foot-8 graduate student from Corona, averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds which earned him first-team All-CCAA and All-West region accolades.
It is a nice honor for Le Duc. He was one of just 10 players named to the West squad. The only other player from the CCAA participating is Humboldt State point guard Zac Tiedeman.
The West will be coached by Kim Anderson of Central Missouri.
It's over for the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team. The Coyotes fell to BYU-Hawaii 77-58, The Seasiders were stronger and more physical and it showed in every aspect of the game.
The Coyotes didn't do anything well. They shot just 37 percent and had 23 turnovers. That isn't going to win many games, especially aqgainst quality foes. The way the game was called didn't help. Both Lawrence Tyson and Corey Caston fouled out.
BYU-Hawaii came in the sixth seed but it is better than that and everyone knew it. The talk among coaches, players and fans was that no one wanted to see BYU. The team was a No. 1 preseason selection by one publication. Star player Lucas Alves missed eight games with a knee injury which led to some early losses.
The Coyotes were gracious in defeat. Oliver came into the interview room with Tyson and Caston. Sometimes these sessions with the losing teams are tough. You get very little out of the players. But the Cal State players were articulate. That didn't go unnoticed by other media members.
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 State San Bernardino men's basketball team is on to the West Region semifinals.
The Coyotes earned a spot opposite Brigham Young- HawaII in Saturday's semifinal with a 75-66 win over CCAA rival Humboldt State. The game looked every bit like the first three between the teams this season.
It was close most of the way, then Cal State went on a mini-run to go up up six, then held on.
The Coyotes shot 42.3 percent (22-for-52) and were led vby Aaron Hill with 17 points. Devon Davis added 16 with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Corey Caston and Bryan Le Duc added 12 and 10 respectively.
Humboldt shot 36.8 percent (21-for-57) and was led by big man Brian Morris with 17 points and six rebounds.
It's halftime in Bellingham Washington and the Cal State San Bernardino men lead rival Humboldt State 34-31 in a Division II West Region quarterfinal.
It's been an OK half for the Coyotes. They shot 41.4 percent from the field. Devon Davis and Aaron HIll have nine points each. Corey Caston has seven.
The Coyotes like to shoot the three but they have not been as fast and loose with the three as they are at times. They attempted eight in the first half, making three. Bryan Le Duc hasn't had that many touches. He has just three attempts, with the first not coming until he hit a 3 with 3:36 left in the half.
Humboldt is shooting 38.5 percent and has an 18-16 edge in rebounding. Both teams had seven assists. Humboldt has eight turnovers, San Bernardino six.
The Humboldt pep pand is here. They still sound more like a polka band!
The winner of the game will play Brigham Young-Hawaii. The Seasiders beat Seattle Pacific 76-72 in what most thought would be the best game of the day.
Stay tuned!
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 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
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Cal State San Bernardino's Gene Webster, Jr. has been named California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Golfer of the Week for the week of March 1-7.
Webster, a senior from San Bernardino, turned in a career-best performance in claiming individual medalist honors at the 17-team Coyote Classic that was contested in earlier this week at the par-70 Arrowhead Country Club.
After opening with a 1-under par 69 in Monday's first round, Webster came back on Tuesday to shot 63-64 for a 54-hole score of 14-under par 196 and seven shot victory.
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CCAA Golfers of the Week
The Coyotes are 11-2 overall and 11-1 in CCAA play. Since losing the season opener, CSUSB has gone 11-1, losing its only conference game to Sonoma State. It swept its two other CCAA series.
Six teams in the first poll were not ranked and did not receive any votes in the preseason and six teams had just received votes in the preseason poll. Only 13 teams that were ranked in the preseason top 25 are still in the first poll.
Florida Southern tops the first regular season poll with Mount Olive (N.C.) at No. 2. Preseason No. 1 Emporia State (Kan.) is No. 3 while Southern Arkansas is No. 4.
Other CCAA teams in the poll are No. 10 UC San Diego and No. 16 Chico State.
The Coyotes are also ranked No. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 Poll.
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.
The Cal State San Bernardino women's softball team is picked to finish fifth out of 10 teams in a CCAA Preseason Coaches poll. The Coyotes tallied 41 votes, just one fewer than No. 4 UC San Diego and three less than No. 3 pick San Francisco State.
Humboldt State is the favorite, garnering five first-place votes and 76 total points.
The Coyotes, coached by Tacy Duncan, are coming off a 21-31 showing with injuries plaguing their effort at returning to the CCAA Tournament and Division II West Regional as they did in 2008.
The Coyotes lost 14 one-run games and four tw-run games in 2009.
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.
Cal State San Bernardino basketball standout Bryan LeDuc has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's (CCAA) men's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 21-27.
LeDuc, a graduate student from Corona, tossed in a season-high 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Coyotes 81-61 nonconference win against Vanguard University last week at Coussoulis Arena.
LeDuc went 10-for-13 from the field and 12 of hius 16 boards came on the defensive end.
He ranks second in the CCAA in scoring (16.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (8 rpg). LeDuc is also second in both field-goal percentage (.655) and free-throw shooting (.909) and third in 3-point percentage (.500).
The University of Redlands football team has always spent considerable time helping the less fortunate. So it is fitting at the holiday time that group is being recognized for its efforts.
The Benevolent Bulldog program earned a Jostens/National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators (NADIIIAA) Community Service Award for the 2008-09 academic year.
Redlands gained one of two ongoing project/activity "Award of Merit" distinctions.
The idea for Benevolent Bulldog program was hatched in 2008 by Communicative Disorders professor and Faculty Athletic Committee Chair, Chris Walker. Walker and a handful of other sponsors annually give $100 to football student-athletes following their non-traditional season in May and charge them with the task of growing the seed money before they arrive back on campus in the fall.
Through this program, Bulldog football players have purchased food for the homeless, organized a bowling tournament that raised $2,800 for St. Jude's Research Hospital, hired a translator for a Spanish-speaking mother whose daughter was having a brain tumor operation in Phoenix, donated scholarships to students at a school in Sierra Leone and purchased a water buffalo for a village in the Philippines.
The Redlands football team also gained a Jostens/NADIIIAA Community Service Award at the 2007 NCAA Convention under the one-time project/activity category. More than 50 student-athletes and coaches spent up to two weeks mucking out houses in New Orleans, LA, for Hilltop Rescue & Relief in May of 2006.
This program recognizes institutions in three separate community service categories: a one-time project/activity, an array of projects/activities and an ongoing project/activity. In addition to the recognition associated with winning the award, the NADIIIAA and Jostens will make a $1,000 contribution to the general scholarship fund of the institutions.
This year's Jostens/NADIIIAA Community Service Awards will be presented at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta, GA, on Jan. 16.
The Cal State San Bernardino basketball teams each have one more test before they swing back into CCAA play and those will come Tuesday night as the men host Vanguard at 7:30 p.m. The women's game against St. Martin's (Wash.) will kick things off at 5:30 p.m.
The Coyotes now have their entire team eligible and they need a good, steady effort to take some momentum into the break.
This team plays hard. It hustles from start to finish. Players dive for loose balls, crash the boards for rebounds. Play isn't always pretty or perfectly executed but these young men seem to work well as a team instead of as individual players with their own agendas. That will go a long way.
That has made the first couple of months all the more enjoyable for coach Jeff Oliver and associate head coach Paul Trevor. Last year was the polar opposite.
Point guard Corey Gaston is every bit as exciting as teammate Bryan LeDuc made him out to be even before the first game started. He was a little erratic in his first game but he had to be a little nervous. He will be better this time around.
LeDuc has been stellar, ranking in the top 10 in the CCAA in scoring rebounding and free-throw shooting.
The Coyotes have all the parts to make a run similar to the one made by local rival Cal Poly Pomona last spring. Only time will tell though.
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.
A reception to honor the 2009 accomplishments of the Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team is slated for 2:30 p.m. Monday in the Santos Manuel Student Union.
It is open to the public although there is a charge for parking on campus.
The coaches and players will be recognized for their success in winning a fourth straight California Collegiate Athletic Association championship and seventh in the last nine years; a fourth West Region championship in the last seven years and the fact they advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship tournament for the fourth time in that same period.
The team set new records for a single season with 33 overall wins and 21 conference wins. In addition, three players earned American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA Div. II All-America honors.
The team, ranked No. 2 in the nation, defeated No. 6 Tampa University, 3-1, in the quarterfinals in St. Paul, Minn., then lost 3-1 to defending champion Concordia-St. Paul in the semifinals at Concordia.
It was the third time that Concordia-St. Paul has prevented the Coyotes from advancing to the championship match or defeated them in a championship match.
For the first time in who knows when, the Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team was the underdog. Its opponent in the NCAA Division II semifinal - a Concordia-St. Paul team that had won 72 straight matches and was looking for a three-peat.
Not that it needed it, but the Bears also had the advantage of playing for a national title on its home court for the second year in a row.
So it shouldn't be surprising that the Coyotes were defeated 3-1.
It's too bad the match was a semifinal and not a championship match. But the NCAA isn't smart enough to seed the teams in the Elite Eight to get the best possible matchups.
This was a rematch of last year's national title match won by the Bears 3-2.
The difference came at the net as the Bears more experienced blockers dominated the younger ones on th Coyotes side.
But coach Kim Cherniss should still be proud. The Coyotes didn't go down without a fight. They just ran into a team that is building a dynasty a bit too good for everyone else right now.
The No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team inched closer to its first national title in any sport, beating No. 6 University of Tampa (Fla.) 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 in quarterfinal play Thursday at Concordia-St. Paul University.
The Coyotes (33-1) gave up some easy points in losing the opening game. They were down by seven in the second but went ahead on a service run by Morgan Carty and never looked back.
The Coyotes had a balanced attack with Jane Chafeh clobbering 16 kills. She also had threee solo blocks and two block assists. Samanatha Middleborn added 15 kills and Ashtin Hall 14 kills with 13 digs.
Setter Sara Hoffman tallied 54 assists and libero Camille Smith anchored the defense with 21 digs.
Now comes the herculian task as the Coyotes will face host Concordia-St. Paul (35-0) in the semifnal. The Bears are ranked No. 1 and going for their third straight national title. They also have won 72 straight matches with the last loss coming to the Coyotes in the season opener last season.
Its a shame the two would be meeting in a semifinal. 1 vs. 2 should be a championship match.
The other semifinal will be No. 5 West Texas A&M vs. unranked Flagler College (Fla.)
Three volleyball players from Cal State San Bernardino have earned AVCA All-American honors.
Junior outside hitter Jane Chafeh and senior setter Sara Hoffman earned first-team accolades while sophomore Samantha Middleborn was chosen to the second team.
The national player of the year will be announced on Wednesday at the banquet honoring the eight teams participating the NCAA quarterfinals at Concordia-St. Paul. Cal State's first-team selections are in the hunt for that but expect the honor to go to senior setter Maggie McNamara of Concordia. She won it last year and her team is unbeaten this season.
The Coyotes would prefer the bigger victory on the court anyway!
Cal State San Bernardino volleyball coach Kim Cherniss chose her words carefully.
Athletic Director Kevin Hatcher didn't bother doing the same.
The school was one of just two that submitted bids to host the Division II Elite Eight and the Coyotes didn't get it. Instead they will have to go to Concordia-St. Paul . . . again.
The NCAA supposedly likes to move the tournament around to give different schools a chance to host. Apparently that isn't really the case, The West region rep hasn't hosted since 2003 and Concordia did so just last year.
Coussoulis Arena is a far better venue. And teams coming in won't have to worry about weather delays that come with trying to get in and out of cold weather cities. There doesn't seem to be a good reason for San Bernardino to be snubbed.
So Concordia gets to go for a third straight national title on its home floor. It also has a 71-match win streak.
But the Coyotes are playing well enough to win anywhere and Cherniss is a veteran coach that knows how to keep a team focused. So don't bet against them.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball took care of business on the court, turning in an impressive 3-0 win over Cal State Los Angeles in the West Region final. The Coyotes certainly appear to be peaking at the right time. They were in control from start to finish.
Now they wait to see who will get to host the national Elite Eight. If life is good, they'll get to play for the school's first national title in any sport on their home court.
The NCAA likes to rotate hosting duties among the different regions and it has not been held in the West since 2003 when they hosted it at Coussoulis Arena. That would be a factor in the Coyotes favor,
It was at Concordia-St. Paul a year ago, so even though that team is currently ranked No. 1 and is unbeaten, it isn't likely going to be back there.
The Coyotes are ranked No. 2 so they might merit the right just based on that.
Other factors favor the Coyotes too. They have a quality venue in which to host the event. There are several aiports teams can get into and they aren't going to encounter travel delays that often happen in cold weather cities.
Athletic director Kevin Hatcher hopes to know by Monday.
The Coyotes half of the draw is going to be very tough. They get Tampa, Fla. (31-2) in the quarterfinal, and likely Concordia (34-0) in the semifinal.
Other teams already in are Indianapolis (Midwest Region), Dowling (East), West Texas A&M (South Central) and California, Penn., (Atlantic), a team the Coyotes beat in last year's quarters.
The Southeast Region final is today.
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.
Three local college soccer teams are in the hunt for national titles.
Pairings for the NCAA Division II and II men's and women's field were announced today. Cal State San Bernardino made the men's field for just the second time in school history and the first since 1991.
The Coyotes (15-5-1) will play tournament host and top seed Cal State Los Angeles (17-3-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday. They lost to the Eagles twice - 3-1 and 3-2. But the second of those was in overtime after LA tied it at 2-all with a penalty kick in the closing seconds of regulation.
The Coyotes have nothing to lose and sometimes those are the most dangerous teams to play.
In Division III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will host UC Santa Cruz in an 11 a.m. match on Saturday. The Athenas were by far the best team in the SCIAC. They were the regular season champion and they won the SCIAC Tournament.
The CMS will hit the road to play UC Santa Cruz on Saturday. The Stags are the reason many like the idea of a conference tournament. They were fourth but finished with a flurry, upsetting regular season champion Pomona-Pitzer and perennial title contender Redlands to earn the berth.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's soccer team has advanced to the CCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. The Coyotes will be facing Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, at 4:30 p.m. with the other semifinal pitting Cal State Los Angeles against Sonoma State.
It will be an interesting matchup. The Coyotes (15-4-1) are the most improved team in the conference and Noah Kooiman should be the Coach of the Year.
The matchup should be an interesting one as Dominguez Hills is the reigning Division II national champion. The Coyotes beat the Toros in both meetings this season 1-0. And they say it is hard to beat a good team three times. It is also hard to dethrone a defending champion.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, the Coyotes have done themselves proud!
It has been a long time since either San Bernardino Valley College or Cal State San Bernardino went into the end of a men's soccer season with much on the line. But the Wolverines and Coyotes are both having outstanding seasons.
With the quality of the area's youth soccer leagues there is really no reason the programs at both can't be successful. Their rosters are full of local products, with a few others complimenting that mix.
The Cal State men, coached by Noah Kooiman, have already clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament. They are 14-3-1 overall and 10-3-1 in conference play. It's the third-best record in the history of the program dating back to 1984-85 and surpasses the 1993 mark of 13 wins. The all-time mark is 16 set in 1987.
The Coyotes have two regular season matches left, both against local rival Cal Poly Pomona.
At SBVC, Coach Josh Brown's hard work is starting to pay off. The men are 10-5-3, 2-2-1 in the Foothill Conference with three matches to go. The Wolverines will be hard-pressed to finish ahead of Rio Hondo, which has won 100 titles in a row. So It's only nine. But you get the picture.
But the Wolverines could still make the playoffs and that would be huge, especially considering they won just three games last year. Winning at the junior college level is also hard because there is so much turnover. But Brown's team is made up of mostly freshmen, which bodes well for next year too!
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team is still No. 3 in the AVCA poll released today.
The Coyotes (22-1) had three wins last week and will be on the road this weekend for matches at No. 19 Sonoma State and Humboldt State.
The CCAA had five teams ranked with UC San Diego, which is tied with the Coyotes for first in the conference, checking in at No. 2. The other ranked teams are Sonoma State, No. 21 Cal State Los Angeles and No. 25 Chico State.
Two-time and reigning national champion Concordia-St. Paul (25-0), the only undefeated team in the country, is still No. 1.
Meghan Haas of Cal State San Bernardino, the California Collegiate Athletic Association's scholar-athlete of the year, is now a semifinalist for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Haas, an honorable mention all-American as a libero in volleyball and holder of the CSUSB career and single season records for digs, was among 30 student-athletes from 130 entries among three NCAA divisions to make the semifinals.
The 30 semifinalists will be trimmed to nine - three from each division - next month and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the national winner from the pool of finalists.
The recipient will be announced during an awards dinner in Indianapolis, Ind., on Oct. 18.
Haas was among 10 NCAA Division II student-athletes advancing in the awards program and the second from the CCAA. Also making it into the semifinals was Jasimen Bailey, a track and field athlete from Cal State Stanislaus.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have excelled in the areas of academic achievement, athletics, service and leadership.
Haas learned the news first from her mother, who was monitoring the NCAA website on a daily basis. "My initial response to the news was shock. When Morgan Walker (CSUSB's Associate Athletic Director for NCAA Compliance) and I began the application process, I had no idea it would take us this far!"
The 6-foot Haas, a Menifee resident and Temecula Chaparral HS graduate who helped lead the Coyotes win three straight CCAA volleyball titles, a West Region title and the NCAA championship match in 2008, said winning such an award would be "surreal."
"Now, do I think I will actually win? No, I don't. I may have volunteered my time, kept my grades up and was lucky enough to be part of a successful volleyball team, but I don't feel my contributions were anything out of the ordinary.
"As a college student, I wanted to get involved as much as I could, and if what I did is enough to be recognized at a national level, then that's great. But if not, I am still proud of what I was able to do."
Haas received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology (pedagogy) in June commencement ceremonies.
"In the end it goes to show that the opportunities that we are given as collegiate athletes are endless. For those four or five years of our lives we truly have the power to affect change and I applaud the NCAA for recognizing individuals all over the country who jump on such opportunities."
Haas had a cumulative grade point average of 3.83 at CSUSB. She earned all-CCAA, all-West Region and honorable mention all-America as well as Daktronics third-team all-America in volleyball. She served as team captain or co-captain three times.
Academically, she was the Kinesiology department's outstanding graduate in the Class of 2009, graduating with high honors. She received the CCAA's Hal Charnofsky Award for academic excellence and was awarded an academic scholarship at CSUSB from the Martin Matich Family. She was voted to the ESPN-The Magazine/CoSIDA all-academic District 8 first team.
She served as vice-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for the past two years and voluntarily participated in Relay for Life for three years, Read Across America, the CSUSB Disability Sports Festival, the SAAC Adopt-a-Family program and Make-A-Wish Foundation fund-raisers.
Haas also served as a counselor at Coyote summer youth volleyball camps and was head coach of the Rancho Valley club's 15-under team this past season.
Carrillo, a Bloomington resident and graduate of Kaiser High School in Fontana, is expected to sign with the Marlins, forgoing his senior season with the Coyotes.
"We hate to lose him out of our program," said CSUSB Head Coach Don Parnell, "but we are excited for him and we wish him well."
The 6-1, 190-pound Carrillo posted a 4-5 record with CSUSB in 2009 with a 5.60 earned run average in 11 appearances, all starts. In 62 innings pitched, he struck out 51 batters and opponents batted .276 against him.
The most impressive of his four wins was a 7-0 shutout of Cal State Monterey Bay in which he allowed just three hits in six innings while striking out seven. He was the winning pitcher in a 7-3 win over San Francisco State, going eight innings, allowing just six hits and fanning six batters.
He went 5.2 innings in a 9-3 season-opening win over Grand Canyon in February and went 7.1 innings, allowing just five hits, in an 8-6 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Parnell said Carrillo's strong suit is his 90-plus mile an hour fastball and a sharp slider and the fact he is "a competitive kid."
Scouts who have discussed Carrillo's potential with Parnell indicated his initial spot on a pitching staff at the pro level may be as a middle reliever, although that could change as he develops, Parnell said.
Carillo is the 25th Cal State San Bernardino player to be drafted or signed by Major League Baseball clubs since Parnell came to the university in 1991-92. He follows pitchers Cheyne Hann (Seattle Mariners) and Matt Long (Tampa Bay Rays) who were drafted or signed in 2008; outfielder Justin Roberson (signed by St. Louis Cardinals in 2007) and four pitchers who were drafted in 2006 - Doug Brandt (L.A. Angels); Mike Rocco (Chicago White Sox); Rylan Hanks (Marlins), and Kevan Kelley (Marlins).
Carillo pitched two seasons at Riverside Community College before transferring to CSUSB and was a member of the 2007 state JC champion Tigers team. He played four years of baseball at Kaiser for Coach Mike Spinuzzi, earning all-league honors three times and all-San Bernardino County honors in 2005.
He is a business management major. His parents are Mauricio and Aracely Carrillo of Bloomington.
At least two other California Collegiate Athletic Association players were taken in the early rounds on day two of the draft. Matthew Hopps, a 6-5 right-handed pitcher from Cal State Dominguez Hills, was taken in the ninth round by the Chicago White Sox. Dakota Watts, a pitcher from Cal State Stanislaus went to the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round.
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).
So near and yet so far.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's golf team had hoped to capture the school's first state championship in any sport. But the Coyotes squandered an eight-hole lead and lost a sudden-death playoff to CCAA rival Sonoma State at the Division II national championship at Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.
The Coyotes, who came into the event ranked No. 5, started the day eight ahead of Barry (Fla.) and nine ahead of Sonoma State. The No. 6 Seawolves chipped away at that lead and finally drew even on the 18th hole of the day and 72nd of the tournament with the last group of the day on the course.
The Coyotes' team total of 300 was their worst of the four days while the 291 by Sonoma State was the low round from any team any day.
Sonoma State's Patrick Bauer and Cal State's Gene Webster were in that last group. Bauer finished with a bogey at the 416-yard par-4 hole but Webster double-bogeyed.
Not only did that cost the Coyotes a team title, it cost the Arroyo Valley High School product medalist honors. He went all three rounds either in first or tied for first and was even par through three rounds but ended up tied for third with a 77 on the day and a 6-over 290 for the tournament.
Webster was trying to become the school's first medalist at the event since Scott Householder in 1997 when the event was held in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Micah Burke, the lone senior in the Coyotes quartet, placed ninth at 9-over 293 after a 2-over 73 final round. Junior Joe Alldis tied for 14th with an 11-over 295 that included a final-round 75.
Junior Thomas Chu rounded out play with a 77 for a 304 while Kenny Pigman, normally the team's No. 2 player, tallied a 75 for a four-day total of 306.
The Coyotes' second-place finish was the team's best effort in 13 trips to the national championship tournament going back to 1986 when the program was in Division III. The Coyotes finished third in 1988, 1997 and 1998, fourth in 1987 and 1990 and fifth in 1991 giving the program seven top five finishes.
It was a great day for the CCAA, which had its two top golf teams finish 1-2 in the national tournament. It was the first D-2 national title for a CCAA golf team in 35 years dating back to 1974 when Cal State Northridge won the tournament. It was the first win by a California school since UC Davis won it in 1979.
Medalist honors were also decided on an extra hole as Kelbi Lee of Ferris State defeated Gavin Smith of Indiana-Pennsylvania on the first hole. Both finished at 5-over 289 for the tournament.
The golf team is the second team this school year to narrowly miss bringing home the school's first national title. In the fall the women's volleyball team lost in the championship match to Concordia-St. Paul.
The 72-hole tournament format calls for 18 holes to be played over four days with the final round scheduled for Friday. All four rounds can be followed live on the Internet at www.golfstat.com.
Representing the CCAA is conference champion Sonoma State, along with Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Stanislaus.
Eight individuals from non-qualifying teams will also take part in the tournament.
West Florida is the reigning NCAA Champion after winning the title in a three-way playoff, the first in the history of the event, North Alabama and St. Edwards also tied for first at the end of regulation. None of those teams are back, but 2007 champion Barry returns.
The top individual back is Sonoma State's Jarin Todd (Sr., Redmond/Woodinville), the NCAA II Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008. Todd tied for third at nationals last spring and placed 20th in 2007.
Colorado-Colorado Springs' Tyler Bishop took medalist honors at the NCAA II National Preview Tournament on Sept. 29-30 at Loomis Trail, shooting a 54-hole total of 5-under 208. Washburn's Matt Ewald was second at 3-under 210.
Cal State San Bernardino's softball program picked up two outstanding local talents this week when Erica Prentice of Rim of the World High School and Jamie Leffingwell of Cajon High School signed national letters of intent to play for the Coyotes in 2009-10.
Prentice, a pitcher with eye-popping stats who can play shortstop and hit for average, brings versatility and a strong right arm to the Coyotes while Leffingwell can play the outfield and drive in runs. Rim of the World has been a strong factor in the Desert Sky League with Prentice leading the way the past two seasons. She earned second-team all-CIF Southern Section honors in 2008, winning 18 games with a 0.45 earned run average and striking out 171 batters. She batted .476 with seven homers and 30 RBI. In 2007, Prentice recorded 16 wins with a 0.89 ERA and 273 strikeouts while batting .494. Thus far in 2009, she has five shutouts as the Scots have gotten off to a 7-2 start. She has 66 strikeouts in 37 innings with a 0.95 ERA. Teams are batting just .142 against her offerings. She is hitting .429. Her last outing was a one-hit, 2-0 shutout of Serrano High School. Leffingwell, a right-fielder, will be joining a team that has two of her former teammates at Cajon HS on the squad - sophomore centerfielder Priscilla Curiel and freshman third baseman Alex Mitchell. The Cowgirls are 12-4 this season with Leffingwell leading the team in runs batted in with 20. She has two home runs and is batting .302. The team is 4-0 in the San Andreas League thus far. In 2008, Leffingwell hit .381 on a team that went 23-7 and won the SAL with a 14-1 record. She had one home run, six doubles and 17 RBI and a .587 slugging percentage to go with a .453 on-base percentage.
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.
Humboldt State, which has won 10 straight games, will play for the title at 5:30 p.m. tonight against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Coyotes (11-17) , seeded eighth in the field, stunned No. 1 UC San Diego in Tuesday's quarterfinal and played a near flawless first half but couldn't stick with the more well-rounded Lumberjacks (23-6) in the late going.
``We played well but the longer it went the more our weaknesses were exposed,'' Coyotes coach Kevin Becker said. ``They came up with some big shots late and were getting the rebounds. Rebounding and post play have been our problems for us all season.''
The Coyotes led by as many as 14 points in the first half, that
edge coming when Jaclyn Rainville hit a 15-foot jumper to put Cal State up 32-18 with 5:45 left. The Lumberjacks finished the half with a 11-0 run and only trailed 32-27 at the half.
Cal State also hung in early in the second. Humboldt State pulled even at 38-all on a bucket off the inbounds pass by Andrea Bobic. It was later even at 42.
But the visitors then put together a 12-1 that put them ahead for
good. Five of those points came from Katie Franci. The run also
included a 3-pointer by Jennifer Enos. The Lumberjacks built a
double-digit lead for the first time at 54-43 on a bucket underneath by Taylor.
The Coyotes last ditch effort came when Shannon Gholar scored on a layup after a steal at the Humboldt end that made it 56-50 with 2:03 to play. But the Lumberjacks pulled away at the free-throw line, making seven of eight tries the rest of the way with reserve Luiza Osborne hitting all six of hers.
Cal State shot 32.4 percent (23-for-71) for the game but had only one player in double figures, that being Morgan Pryor who tallied 20 points. Krystal Urza and Rainville chipped in with nine each. Rainville also snagged a team-high eight rebounds while Ashlee Ford had six assists.
Humboldt, ranked fourth in the West Region, shot 41.5 percent
(22-for-53) from the field and 69.2 percent (18-for-26) from the
line. It also benefited from a 49-40 edge on the boards.
It had four players finish in double figures led by Brittany Taylor
with 15. Franci contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds.
``They can score from all five positions. That's different than any
other team in the conference,'' Becker added. ``And they have
multiple threats in most places.''
Becker was pleased with how his team finished after losing nine
straight games midway through conference play.
``The coaching staff was very positive with us,'' Pryor said. ``They didn't give up on us and didn't let us give up on ourselves. We had our ups and downs. It would have been a better season if the ups had lasted a little longer.''
C S DOMINGUEZ HILLS 74
CHICO STATE 61
Sophomore Neka Mixon scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Toros (20-9) past the Wildcats (16-13) in the other semifinal. Third-seeded Dominguez also got 10 points and five assists from Etiwanda graduate Aujanee Baldwin.
Chico State's Melissa Richardson led all scorers with 18 points.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team escaped - again.
The Coyotes slipped past longtime nemesis UC San Diego 76-72 in a CCAA Tournament semifinal Friday night to earn a spot in tonight's 7:30 p.m. title game against unheralded Cal State Monterey Bay (16-13).
The Coyotes (19-9) nipped Sonoma State 79-77 in Tuesday's
quarterfinal and coach Jeff Oliver is pleased to see his team start knocking down some shots at crunch time, something it had trouble with earlier in the season.
``We're making the most of our opportunities and taking advantage of some mismatches," Oliver said. ``I think it's a matter of our guys better understanding their roles and feeling more comfortable in the offense. It's good to see.''
The Coyotes led by as many as 11 in the second half, that lead coming at 62-51 with 8:45 left. But the Tritons (17-11) came back as they always do. San Diego evened the game at 67 on a baseline drive by Shane Poppen, who surged past defender Brandon Brown, playing it safe after being called for his fourth foul.
The game was tied again at 70 with 1:40 to play. The Coyotes got a fadeaway jumper from Tim Denson to go up 72-70 with 1:13 left. The Tritons failed to answer as Kelvin Kim missed an open look from the top of the key, his favorite shot.
Cal State's Devin Montgomery scrambled for the rebound with 45 seconds left and sank a pair of free throw to up the lead to four, 74-70.
Montgomery was at the line twice more and delivered two with 18.2 seconds left and one of two later to seal the outcome.
``I was just trying to relax and make them,'' Montgomery said. ``I
was in that position before and didn't come through. I wasn't really thinking about it, but I was thinking about it. I didn't want to fail in that position again.''
The Coyotes, ranked seventh in the West Region, shot 57.4 percent (27-for-47) from the field with Brown's 22 leading the way. Montgomery and Denson contributed 15 and 13 respectively. DuBois Williams had a steady game with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
San Diego came in needing to win the tournament to advance to the West Region Tournament, something it did last year. The Tritons got 24 from Jordan Lawley and 16 each from Alan Husted Poppen.
The Coyotes entered the tournament seeded third despite claiming a share of the regular season title for the eighth time in 10 years. Monterey Bay was the seventh seed but it upended No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday, then followed with an ugly-but-effective win over the top-seeded Broncos.
Cal State swept both regular season meetings against the Otters.
``That's going to be another tough one,'' Oliver said. ``They play
hard and don't quit and they have the momentum right now.''
For the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team the task is simple -- win the CCAA tournament or the season is over.
The Coyotes (17-9, 15-5) painted themselves into a corner with losses to Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego. Now, there is no margin for error.
The Coyotes open play in the CCAA tournament at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Coussoulis Arena against Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12), with whom they split during the regular season.
The good news for coach Jeff Oliver's team is that Friday's semifinals and Saturday's finals will also be at Coussoulis, where the team is 10-1 this season.
Cal State is ranked 10th in the region and needs to be eighth to secure a spot in the West Region tournament. There are a half a dozen teams in the hunt for the last few spots, a couple of whom are playing in the CCAA event.
The winner of the CCAA tournament gets the conference's automatic playoff bid.
"We need to win at least two and even that leaves room for doubt," Oliver said. "We're going in with the mindset that we have to win three."
The Coyotes were part of a three-way tie for first with Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5), giving them at least a share of the conference title for the eighth time in 10 years. But the seeding for the tournament came down to a third tiebreaker.
The Broncos, who will host San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) in an opening-round game, were 2-0 against Cal State Los Angeles (the ninth-place team and the best of the teams that didn't make the tournament) compared to Cal State Dominguez Hills' 1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.
The Coyotes were made the third seed based on their 9-5 record against tournament teams. Both Pomona and Dominguez Hills had 10-4 marks.
That logic mystifies Oliver.
"You're rewarding Dominguez and Pomona for losing to teams that are the bottom of the barrel, that didn't make the tournament. That doesn't make sense," he said.
While Sonoma State has played the Coyotes tough, it has not had an answer for big man Brandon Brown (20.6 points per game, 8.9 rebounds), who has scored 45 points in the two games against the Seawolves and is coming off a 32-point showing against San Francisco State on Friday.
"He has been dominant," Oliver said. "He has had head on straight and doing a better job of not letting adversity get to him."
Cal State women headed south
The Cal State women will need to repeat their upset of two weeks ago to get another home game as they will play their CCAA tournament opener at RIMAC Arena against top-seeded UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1), which also comes in ranked ninth nationally.
Coach Kevin Becker's team, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth, was last in the pecking order when it came to the tiebreaker, so it was left with the eighth seed.
The Coyotes (10-16, 8-12) were the only conference team to beat the Tritons, doing so 64-59 on Feb. 14, behind the scoring punch of unheralded players Lisa Takata and Ana Onaindia.
"Obviously, they're going to be ready for us," Becker said. "We're going to have to play even better than we did the last time we played them."
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.
Clutch free-throw shooting and some key shots from long distance made
the difference as the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team
turned back Cal State Monterey Bay 85-77 Thursday at the Kelp Bed.
The win keeps the Coyotes (16-9, 14-5) tied with Cal Poly Pomona one
game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills with one game left in the
regular season.
Michael Frazier came off the bench with a carer-high 27 points,
including an impressive 7-for-9 showing from long distance. Brandon
Brown added 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Devin
Montgomery also came up big with 14 points and eight assists.
Frazier's seventh 3-pointer of the night came with 3:21 left and gave
the Coyotes a 76-75 lead. They were up 79-77 when Brown hit a jumper
to give the visitors an 81-77 lead wth 1:47 to play.
Both teams missed shots their next possession. The Coyotes put the
game away at the free-throw line where they have had trouble in the
last four games.
The Otters' Steve Monreal shot an air ball on a
3-pointer and the Coyotes grabbed the rebound. Lawrence Tyson made a
pair of free throws and Tim Denson sealed the victory with a pair
seconds later.
The Coyotes ended up going 21-for-22 from the line. They shot 50
percent from the field (27-for-54).
Cal State San Bernardino guard Devin Montgomery has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of February 16-22.
Montgomery, a 6-foot senior from Los Angeles, Calif., played a key role in helping the Coyotes to a pair of victories that enabled them to stay within one game of the CCAA lead heading into the final week of the season. The CSUSB senior averaged 27.0 points and 4.5 assists as Cal State San Bernardino posted wins over Humboldt State and Sonoma State.
In Friday's 86-84 overtime victory over Humboldt State, Montgomery scored 25 points, collected three assists and a steal in 43 minutes. He scored the Coyotes last six points of the game, making four free throws and scoring on lay-up following a steal.
Montgomery came back on Saturday to tally a career-high 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and totaled five assists in a 92-83 come-from-behind victory over Sonoma State.
Cal State San Bernardino concludes the regular season this week with road contests at Humboldt State and Sonoma State on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Wilson CCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 17-23: Matt Ibewiro (Cal State Stanislaus);
Nov. 24-30: Andy Bocian (Chico State);
Dec. 1-7: Alex Thomas (San Francisco State);
Dec. 8-14: Robert Hayes (San Francisco State);
Dec. 15-21: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona);
Dec. 29 - Jan. 3: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Jan. 4-11: Joe Mitchell (Cal State Monterey Bay);
Jan. 12-18: Austin Swift (Cal Poly Pomona);
Jan. 19-25: Jerrell Smith (Cal State Dominguez Hills);
Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Feb. 2-8: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Feb. 9-15: Michael Hernandez (Cal State Dominguez Hills);
Feb. 16-22: Devin Montgomery (Cal State San Bernardino).
SONOMA STATE 83
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team finished off its home slate in fine fashion, turning back Sonoma State 92-83 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena.
The win keeps the Coyotes (15-9, 13-5) in second place, tied with Cal Poly Pomona, one game behind Dominguez Hills with two left to play.
Again it was the 1-2 punch of Devin Montgomery and Brandon Brown doing the damage. Montgomery tied a season-high with 29 points while Brown contributed 25. Montgomery also had five rebounds and five assists.
Three other players finished with nine points.
The Coyotes shot 56.9 percent from the field while Sonoma managed a respectable 52.9. Cal State totaled 18 assists and made just 11 turnovers.
The Coyotes finish the season on the road Thursday and Friday against Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.
Humboldt State took a big early lead, let it slip away and then put on the jets midway through the second half Friday night to pull away from Cal State San Bernardino for a 69-51 CCAA conference women's basketball victory in Coussoulis Arena.
The Lumberjacks improved to 18-6 on the season and 13-4 in the CCAA to remain in second place. The West Region No. 5-ranked 'Jacks were led by Brittney Taylor with 16 points and six rebounds. Andrea Bobic contributed 10 points and five rebounds. It was the fifth straight win for HSU and their ninth in their last 10 games. Katie Franci had another all around game with nine points, six assists and a team-high seven rebounds for Humboldt State. Trisha Alaba had five assists to go with six points. The Coyotes, coming off back-to-back wins over regionally-ranked UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona, dipped to 9-14 on the season and 7-10 in the CCAA. CSUSB was led by junior Krystal Urzua with 16 points and four steals. Jaclyn Rainville and Artaisha Waters each had eight points. Rainville led the team in rebounding with eight. HSU shot 45 percent from the field (27 of 60) and outrebounded the Coyotes 41-37, forcing 16 turnovers. CSUSB had a miserable night from the field, shooting just 24 percent (12 of 50) but the CCAA's worst free throw shooting team (60%) came through at the foul line, sinking 22 of 29 (76 percent), factor that kept them in the game until the final minutes. The 'Jacks bolted to a 22-9 lead with 11:30 left in the first half and led 31-15 with 7:44 to go before intermission, but the Coyotes went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to six (31-25) on a three-pointer by Urzua and a free throw by Emily Vore. The Coyotes actually caught HSU and took the lead 35-34 at the 18:07 mark of the second half on a layup by Vore and Urzua sank a free throw at 15:26 for a 36-34 lead. Paige Peterson hit a jumper to tie it at 36-all with 14:51 to go and then HSU went on to score the next 11 points for a 47-36 edge a Taylor's layup with 10:25 left. Alaba's three-pointer with 7:31 left booted the lead to 55-39 and the Coyotes never got closer than 13 points after that. CSUSB will host Sonoma State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday while HSU is at Cal Poly Pomona for a battle of regionally-ranked teams.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - This season nothing has come easy for the Cal
State San Bernardino men's basketball team. So it probably isn't
surprising that the Coyotes lost a nine-point lead late and needed
overtime before prevailing 86-84 over visiting Humboldt State Friday
at Coussoulis Arena.
The Coyotes (14-9, 12-5) came in desperate for a win after losing
its last two games and falling out of the West Region poll. The win
move puts the Coyotes in second place in the CCAA with three games to
go but they still have to get back into the regional rankings.
``We were desperate and we're still desperate,'' Coyotes coach Jeff
Oliver said. ``It's still the little things. If we make a free throw
it doesn't come down to that.''
The Coyotes led 86-81 with just 20 seconds left but that lead was
not safe. The Jacks (19-8, 12-5) got a 3-pointer from Zac Tiedman
with seven second left to draw closer 86-84. Brown was then fouled
immediately and he missed both free throws, giving the Jacks life
because they got the loose ball.
The visitors rushed up court and got the ball into the hands of
Kyle Baxter who drove the lane and laid it in as time expired. But
the game-tying basket was waved off as Baxter was called for charging.
The Coyotes went 24-for-43 at the line, their third straight
sub-par showing from there. They missed several other tries late that
prevented them from putting the game away.
Brown, who scored 29 points but went only 5 for 13 from the
stripe, also missed two with the Coyotes up 83-77 in overtime as
well as two in regulation with the game even at 69 and a minute left.
The Coyotes went ahead 72-69 as Lawrence Tyson drained a
3-pointer from the corner with 30 seconds left. But that lead too was
shortlived as the Lumberjacks came back with Ernie Spada countering
with a trey over the outstretched arms of Tim Denson to even the
score again, this time at 72 with 12 seconds remaining.
``We didn't make it a point of telling them to no three's,''
Oliver said of the play. ``We were assuming they knew it but it was
bad to give that up.''
The Coyotes had the last shot but couldn't capitalize as Denson
turned the ball over without the home team getting a shot off,
returning possession to the Jacks with five seconds to play. Spada
again went for the last shot but his shot was short and off the front
of the rim, sending the game into overtime.
Brown also had 12 rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two
assists. Devin Montgomery added 25, four off his season-high. Denson
collected six assists as the Coyotes shot 45.2 percent from the field.
Kevin Atkins had a team-high 23 for Humboldt, ranked sixth in the
West Region. Tiedman added 18 and Spada 13. The Jacks shpot 44.8
percent from the field buit were a sparkling 23 of 27 from the line.
``They did a great job in the first half and we didn't match their energy or intensity," Oliver said.
The Coyotes will play their last home game of the regular season at
7:30 tonight against Sonoma State (11-13, 7-10). They finish with
road games at San Francisco State and Monterey Bay.
Staff Writer
LA JOLLA - The Cal State San Bernardino women are fighting just to
get into the conference tournament while UC San Diego has a
four-game lead and is looking to host a regional or sub-regional.
But it was the Coyotes pulling the most stunning upset in the CCAA
this season beating the Tritons, who entered ranked 10th nationally,
64-59 Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.
The win snapped a 15-game win streak and prevented the Tritons
(22-3, 15-1) from equally their school record for consecutive wins.
``It goes to show if you keep working hard good things will
happen,'' coach Kevin Becker said. ``We have been trying to stay
positive even when the games weren't going our way.''
The Coyotes (9-13, 7-9) got big things from two of their smallest
players as 5-foot-1 guard Lisa Takata scored 16 points on 8-for-10
shooting from the field.
Junior Ana Onaindia, a 5-5 guard who has played just two minutes
all season due to an ankle injury, contributed 12 points in 19
minutes with all of those points coming on four 3-pointers.
The Coyotes led at the half 29-27 and never trailed in the second.
They led by nine three times, the first coming on Onaindia's third
3-pointer, making it 53-44 with 6:36 to play.
The Tritons whittled away at the lead in the last two minutes as
the Coyotes' Jaclyn Rainville twice missed the front end of a
one-and-one, the second time with the visitors up 58-54 and 37
seconds to play. But Shannon Gholar grabbed the rebound and made two
after being fouled to give Cal State a 60-56 lead.
The Coyotes shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53). They got 15 points from
Rainville who also led all rebounders with 16 and had two blocks.
Emily Vore chipped in with 13 points.
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.
Cal State San Bernardino center Brandon Brown has been named Wilson
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball
Player of the Week for the week of February 2-8 1.
It marks the second straight week and third time this season that Brown has been
honored.
The 6-foot-7 junior from New Orleans, La., was the pivotal player in
the Coyotes surge to first place in the CCAA. He averaged 30 points,
9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal in road victories
at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. He also connected on 62.5
percent of his field goal attempts, including 66.7 (4-of-6) percent
from behind the three-point arc.
In an 84-67 victory at Chico State, Brown scored a career-high 39
points, grabbed six rebounds, collected two steals, had an assist and
blocked shot. He followed that effort with 21 points, 12 rebounds, a
team-high four assists and three blocked shots against Cal State
Stanislaus.
On the season Brown is averaging 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Women's player of the week honors went to Katie Busi of Cal State Stanislaus.
The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Cal Poly
Pomona for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
The Coyotes (2-1) split a doubleheader with Grand Canyon University, losing the first game 7-6 and winning the second 9-3 in Phoenix.
Second baseman Omar Manzanarez went 3-for-5 in the opener. The Coyotes trailed from a 7-3 deficit with three runs in the top of the ninth, the big blow being a three-run homerun by Darren Dworak. There were two runners on base before the Lopers got the final out.
Starter Joe Martinez took the loss. He gave up seven runs but only four of those were earned as one big error contributed to Grand Canyon's five-run fourth inning.
Center fielder Johnnie Haas led the effort in the second game with three hits, two of them doubles. He scored twice and knocked home three runs.
Cody Madison also had three hits and Chris Olsen contributed two.
David McCarthy, the second of three hurlers, picked up the win. He pitched hitless fifth and sixth innings and struck out three.
The Coyotes will host Cal Baptist at 2 p.m. Thursday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in their first home game of the season.
But the Coyotes surged past Cal State Los Angeles 74-65 in front of 1,301 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win allows the Coyotes (11-7, 9-3) to remain tied for first place in the CCAA.
``I think the guys did a good job of handling that,'' Oliver said.
``I didn't see a change in their style of play or their demeanor. They didn't play to the cameras. So maybe we're past the selfish thing. It was good to see.''
While Oliver admitted it was nice to have the commotion of the television came behind them, the players admitted they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.
``TV is always good,'' beamed big man Brandon Brown, who delivered 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for family and friends watching at home in New Orleans.
Television didn't exactly bring out the best in the Coyotes. Oliver chalked that up to the physically and emotionally draining game the previous night against Dominguez Hills.
The Coyotes led 36-26 at the half but never put away the pesky Eagles (10-9, 5-7), who were playing without leading scorer Chris Field, who pulled a hamstring at Cal Poly Pomona on Friday.
Cal State's biggest lead was in the second half was 13 for the last time at 46-33 on a driving layup by Brown.
The Eagles made their move with six minutes left and both Brown and DuBois Williams on the bench with four fouls. A 3-pointer by Dwayne Jones made it 60-54. They soon got within two at 61-59 on another Jones three with 3:35 to go.
But Brown hit two free throws to up the lead to four. Christopher Hart misfired at the Eagles end and Devin Montgomery grabbed the rebound. It paid off as the Coyotes converted with Brown scoring inside to make it 65-59.
A 3-pointer by Montgomery with 1:02 left sealed it at 68-61.
``When it's that close its all about a couple of big stops at the end,'' Williams said. ``A tip here, a rebound there. Just some little things.''
The Coyotes shot 50 percent (25-for-50) while the Eagles shot 43.1 (22-for-51). Cal State was beaten on the boards 36-27 but made up for that by forcing 15 turnovers.
Brown was followed by Williams (13), Michael Frazier (11) and Montgomery (10). Williams also collected five assists. Tim Deson managed nine points and four steals.
``I thought we were just a step slow all night but we found a way,'' Oliver said. ``We just couldn't shake them. We weren't as good defensively and not as good on the glass which has pretty much been our MO when we lost. But we found a way.''
The Coyotes will finish with six of their last eight conference games on the road. Next weekend they will play at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Maybe Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver
should bench players more often.
One game after sitting out three athletes, two of them starters,
the Coyotes responded with one of their best outings of the season
and they needed it, turning back CCAA frontrunner Cal State Dominguez
Hills 66-51 Friday at Coussoulis Arena.
The win boosted the Coyotes (10-7, 8-3) into a tie for first place
with the Toros (14-4, 8-3) as well as UC San Diego and Humboldt
State.
What a difference a couple of months make. The last time the teams
played Dominguez won by 20.
Junior big man Brandon Brown, one of those benched, delivered his
best game in awhile with 16 points but he was an even bigger factor
on the boards with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
``We wanted to make a statement,'' Brown said. ``There was that
last game I didn't play and I felt like I had to make up for it. ''
Oliver publicly criticized Brown last week but was more than
complimentary after the most recent outing.
``He was tremendous,'' Oliver said. ``We knew that's the way he
could play and we were waiting to see it. He did it against a great
team, one that came in leading the conference in scoring.''
The Coyotes have been a slow starting team but bucked that trend
this time. The first half was tied at 14 with 8:55 left but the
Coyotes ended it with a 13-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back
3-pointers by Devin Montgomery and Lawrence Tyson.
The Toros started the second half with a 12-2 run, getting within
two points at 30-28 on a driving layup by Tim McGrath.
But the Coyotes tallied the next 10, working the ball in the paint
for all those points. A bucket by Brown made it 40-31 with 12:33 to
go and the Coyotes never looked back. A driving layup by DuBois
Williams seconds later made it 42-31 and the visitors were never
within single digits again.
Cal State led by as many as 18 at 62-3 with 4:53 left on another
bucket by Brown.
The Coyotes shot 47.2 percent from the field and outrebounded the
Toros 35-28. Joining Brown in double figures were Montgomery with 16
and Tyson with 12. Williams had nine points, four rebouds, four
assists, two steals and two blocks.
Ontario High School product Jerrell Smith has 13 points and five
rebounds to lead Dominguez.
``This was do or die for us,'' said Montgomery, another of the
players that came back afer a benching. ``Our backs were to the wall.
We have to keep playing like this.''
The Coyotes will host Cal State Los Angeles at 5:30 tonight. Th
game is being played before the women's game tonight only, to
accommodate national television (CBS College Sports Channel).
DuBois Williams sat at the end of the bench at Wells Fargo Arena on the campus of Arizona State. A sprained ankle sidelined him, and all he could do was watch as the Sun Devils battled Cal State San Bernardino, a Division II school with a solid basketball tradition.
Four years later, the most significant playing time of his career is coming at that school. There were two other stops in-between but Williams has found a home and has emerged as the jack-of-all-trades for the Coyotes (9-7, 7-3), who will host CCAA leader Cal State Dominguez Hills (14-3, 8-2) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Coussoulis Arena.
It will be the start of a big weekend for the Coyotes, who host Cal State Los Angeles (10-7, 5-5) in a nationally televised game Saturday.
"I don't know where we would be without him. He has been our most consistent player. We know what he's going to give us every night," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "He is big enough he can be a forward and skilled enough to play point, if that's where we need him. He does a little bit of everything."
Williams' line in the Coyotes' most recent game confirms his all-around contribution. He scored only four points in a 63-57 win over Monterey Bay last Friday, but he also had nine rebounds, five assists and three steals -- all team highs.
On the season, he is averaging 8.5 points but he also is second on the team in rebounding (6.0) and first in assists (3.1) and steals (2.4). He said he doesn't mind the role of an unsung hero.
He ranks second in the conference in steals and seventh in rebounding and field goal percentage (.521).
"Sure, I would I like to score 20 points a game. Every player wants to be the points guy," he said before practice on Wednesday. "But it's a team and everyone has to make sacrifices. I don't mind being the guy that does the cleanup as long as we win."
Williams, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard, took the long road to San Bernardino. He drew considerable attention from Division I schools during his prep days at Marcos DeNiza High School in Tempe, Ariz., but it faded considerably after he broke his foot for the second time his senior year.
He settled on Arizona State because it was the local school and hoped to earn a scholarship after walking on a freshman. That never happened and he ended up using his medical redshirt.
He transferred to Fresno City College and helped the Rams reach the state semifinal, where it lost to an unbeaten Fullerton team led by current teammate Tim Denson as well as former Coyotes Michael Earl and Phil Jones.
Then it was on to Division I St. Mary's, which also recruited him out of high school. After playing sparingly for two years he decided to seek a bigger role elsewhere.
"I didn't see my role changing," he said. "They had a lot of really good players. I liked the school and the players and I didn't want to be one of those guys complaining. I just wanted to go and play my senior year where I could have an impact and make a team better."
He planned on going to Division II Grand Canyon University, also in his home state, but that school was undergoing another coaching change. The former coach there suggested Cal State because of its tradition, playing facility and coaching staff.
Williams' father Dave, a former player at Oklahoma State and current coach of the ABA's Phoenix entry, got in touch with Oliver.
"We wanted him to be in a good program close enough we would get a chance to see him play," Dave Williams said. "We also wanted a total experience, not just a good place to play basketball but a good academic environment. It was the best of both worlds."
Williams made a trip to watch the Coyotes play in a summer league game at Cal Poly Pomona, then visited the school and worked out with some of the players. Oliver was sold.
"He was great," Oliver said. "Sometimes guys don't always look that good because you're throwing them into a mix with guys they don't know. But he was super."
It wasn't quite that easy. Williams had to complete an on-line Spanish class to finish off his degree from St. Mary's before he could enroll at Cal State. That grade didn't get posted until late August.
"We got him late, real late," Oliver said. "Late enough we weren't getting anyone else if he didn't get in."
The Coyotes haven't quite lived up to expectations, but Williams has been satisfied with the move. He already has a degree in communications and is seeking another, possibly in architecture so he has something to fall back on if the right professional opportunity doesn't come up.
He doesn't regret not coming to Cal State sooner, even though it might have meant more playing time.
"You can't have regrets," he said. "You have to make a decision and live with it. I have learned something
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
|
By Michelle Gardner ``To me we have more talent than nay team in the league,'' Reggie |
Fans that can't make it to Coussoulis Arena can still see the Cal
State San Bernardino men's and women's home basketball games which
are being aired this season on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
Games are aired live with replays also aired the following week.
Right now that means games are going out to about 50,000 homes. But
Cal State athletic director Kevin Hatcher is hoping to expand that in
the future. His future goal is to have neighboring communities such
as Rialto, Redlands and Fontana pick up the games on their local
community access channels too.
"Our goal is to eventually have the games seen in all of the Inland
Empire," he said. "We can reach as many as 200,000 homes."
The project started in the fall with select volleyball matches being
aired.
The commentary is handled by Dan Hubbard and Ross French.
Hatcher said he isn't concerned that enabling residents to see the
games in their homes will prevent them from coming out in person.
"You have to expose people to your product first," he said. "We want
people to see it and then say , `Hey that looks like a fun thing to
go out and see.'"
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver hopes his team learned a
lesson about complacency last week when it slipped up against sub-par
Sonoma State before taking on Humboldt State.
The Coyotes (8-6, 6-2) survived the road trip and are tied for first
place in the CCAA with Humboldt State (13-5, 6-2) and Dominguez Hills
(12-3, 6-2).
That possibility looms again this week when Cal State opens with
struggling San Francisco State, then faces a Monterey Bay squad that
is just one game behind the three frontrunners. Game time both nights
at Coussoulis Arena is 7:30 p.m. with the women's teams from the same
school squaring off at 5:30 p.m.
"I would hope our guys have learned that you can't take a night off
against the quality of competition we face in this conference,'' he
said. "These two teams are both dangerous teams and we're going to
have to be ready to play.''
The two games will mark the end of the first round of conference play.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but Oliver
is leery of the Gators, coached by last year's coach of the year Bill
Tressler. 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.
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).
Oliver criticized his team's lack of intensity and energy early in
the season but the Coyotes have made progress there. He credits
DuBois Williams, Lawrence Tyson and Tim Denson for leading the surge.
Denson (10.6 ppg) is coming off a season-high 25-point showing at
Humboldt State. He was also a key factor in the Coyotes defensive
effort.
``He isn't a real vocal guy. He's more the leader by example,''
Oliver said. ``They see the way he is playing and they have followed
his example.''
While Brandon Brown (17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Devin Montgomery (13.8
ppg) are also in double figures Oliver isn't overlooking the
contribution of Williams (8.5 ppg, 5.8 rgp), whom he calls a glue
guy. He leads the team in intangible categories such as assists and
steals.
``He was tremendous in the game against Humboldt. He really set the
tone with all the things he did,'' Oliver said. ``He can score, but
it is really the other things he does well.''
The men's game can be heard live on KCAA (1050-AM). Both the men's
and women's games can also be seen on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
Nina" size="3">Cal State San Bernardino Nina" size="3">is sponsoring the NCAA Basketball "Take a Kid to the Game" day on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, when the men will host Cal State L.A. at 5:30 pm in a nationally-televised game and the women will host Cal State L.A. at 8 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena.
Nina" size="3">Area youth are invited to attend this special event and receive a free ticket. Up to two adults Nina" size="3">accompanying the youth will receive half-priced tickets. Youth will have the opportunity to be a part of a national TV audience, see NCAA mascot JJ Jumper and watch the Coyote men and women compete for wins over the Golden Eagles.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">Cal State San Bernardino Nina" size="3">is promoting one of more than 700 games that will be played across the nation as part of the Take a Kid to the Game (TAKG) program in its 12th season. The project is a grass roots initiative that attracts the nation's youth and encourages adults to take kids to area college basketball games.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">"We are thrilled to invite area youth to our campus and have them cheer on the Coyotes to victory. It is our hope that adults in the community will bring their children out to experience a college athletic event at Cal State San Bernardino," said Dr. Kevin Hatcher, Athletic Director.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">Tickets for this special game can be purchased in advance or distributed on game day at the Coussoulis Arena Ticket office adjacent to the arena lobby. Reserved tickets are normally $8.00 and general admission is $5.00. Parking is free in Lots G, H and the East Parking Structure.
Nina" size="3">
Nina" size="3">For ticket sales and information, contact Liza Wilson at 909-537-5048 or lwilson@csusb.edu. For more information on CSUSB basketball, go to www.csusbathletics.com
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">NCAA Basketball is a national sponsor of the Take a Kid to the Game program. To learn about other NCAA Men's or Women's Basketball initiatives, please visit http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=34504 for more information.
Nina" size="3"> Nina" size="3">| 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."
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.
By T.J. Berka
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The first game for the Cal State San Bernardino
men's basketball team at Coussoulis Arena since Nov. 16 wasn't just
significant because it was the first home game in a long time. It
also might have been the game that brought the Coyotes back in range
of their preseason predictions.
The Coyotes have struggled for much of the 2008-09 season but
certainly looked good against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday,
breaking out to a 92-68 win over the Warriors.
"This is a big win and we need to have another big effort (tonight)
against Chico State," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "We are still
looking up in the standings, so we got to keep winning games in a row
until we are back on top."
The Coyotes (4-5 overall, 2-1 CCAA) looked more like the previous
versions of Cal State teams that have won CCAA titles, been
nationally ranked and have advanced deep into the Division II
playoffs than it has all year, especially after the midway point of
the first half.
Stanislaus (4-4, 0-3) started off hot, taking a 21-17 with just under
12 minutes left in the first half. Cal State locked the Warriors down
from that point on, finishing the half with a 20-7 run to take the
37-28 lead.
"The two things we have had problems with all year are turnovers and
not playing consistent defense," Oliver said. "In those first 10
minutes, we were going through that same thing. We had five turnovers
in the first five minutes and they got some quick baskets on us. We
did a better job after that."
Brandon Brown ended the half with a bang, going coast-to-coast for an
emphatic right-handed slam dunk as the buzzer sounded. The dunk,
started by a blocked shot by senior point guard Devin Montgomery,
arguably was flushed in the net right after the clock hit zero.
But while his dunk may have been disputed, Brown's impact on Cal
State since his debut in late December. The junior from New Orleans
averaged 20 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game
coming into Friday and was close to maintaining those numbers,
compiling 16 points, 10 rebounds and a blocked shot.
"Brandon brings lots of energy," Cal State junior guard Lawrence
Tyson said. "He's a big presence in the post and really makes an
impact down there offensively and defensively."
Brown was far from the only Coyote that was feeling it though. The
Coyotes scorched the nets in the second half, shooting 55.0 percent
from the floor while outscoring Stanislaus 55-40.
Tyson was one of the Coyotes who felt it in the second half. After
missing the only shot he took in the first 20 minutes, Tyson was 6 of
8 from the field in the second half, including 3 of 5 from 3-point
range. He ended up with 15 points.
Montgomery and DuBois Williams also finished in double figures for
the Coyotes, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Williams was one
of three Coyotes to have double-figure rebounds, joining Brown and
Tavaris Gilbert, who led Cal State with 12 boards. Benny Koochoie led
Stanislaus with 15 points.
The Coyotes (5-4, 3-0) stayed undefeated in CCAA play in unusual and
rather ugly fashion, outlasting the Warriors (6-4, 1-2) 46-43 despite
shooting only 22.1 percent (15 of 68) from the field.
Neither team got much of anything going from the field in either half
or the overtime, in which both teams were scoreless for the first
2:57 after being tied 41-41 at the end of regulation. There were a
combined seven points in the overtime, with the Coyotes taking the
lead for good at 44-43 on a free throw by Morgan Pryor with 28.6
seconds left.
Lisa Takata came up with a steal for Cal State on Stanislaus' next
possession and hit two free throws with 18.3 seconds left to put the
Coyotes up 3. Katie Busi had a chance to tie the game for the
Warriors with a 3-point attempt from the right corner as time
expired, but the shot caromed off the rim.
Pryor and Krystal Uruza led the Coyotes with eight points each, with
Uruza pulling down 10 rebounds. Artaisha Waters and Jacyln Rainville
added seven points each, with Rainville grabbing 11 rebounds. Busi
led Stanislaus, which shot 20.8 percent (11 of 53) from the field,
with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Cal State hosts Chico State tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena.
Junior center Brandon Brown scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds and three blocks to lead Cal State San Bernardino to a 96-54 win over San Francisco Academy of the Art Sunday in the CCAA-Pac West Challenge at Valley High School in Las Vegas.
The New Orleans native was solid in his debut weekend. In Saturday's loss to Grand Canyon he tallied 21 points, 13 boards and four blocks.
"He definitely gives us a presence down low that we didn't have before," coach Jeff Oliver said. "He was the bright spot for us. No doubt."
The Coyotes (3-5) shot 54 percent (34-of-62) from the field, including a 14-for-29 from 3-point range.
Reggie Brown added 18 points, making six of his nine long distance shots. Tim Denson added 18 points while Devin Montgomery and Lawrence Tyson chipped in with 13 points each.
Tyson also collected seven rebounds and four assists while DuBois Williams contributed six rebounds and 10 of the Coyotes 26 assists.
It was a season-high in the scoring column and also marked the fewest points allowed.
The Coyotes finished with a 42-33 edge on the boards and cut their turnovers down to 15. They also hit 14 of 20 free throws, an improvement of 14-for-28 the previous night.
"It was a little better. We shared the ball better and looked for each other and it's the first time we outrebounded anyone," Oliver said. "But we still didn't execute all that well at times. But it's some progress.
The Urban Knights (0-11) shot just 32 percent (21-for-61) from the field. Sophomore point guard Weleh Dennis led them with 18 points.
The Coyotes are off until Jan 2 when they resume CCAA play with a 7:30 p.m. game against Cal State Stanislaus at Coussoulis Arena.
[
The Cal State State San Bernardino men's basketball team dropped its fifth game in seven tries, this time falling to Grand Canyon 76-71 Saturday at Valley High School in Las Vegas.
Cal State shot 52 percent from the field while Grand Canyon shot just 37 percent and rebounds were even at 37-all. But the Coyotes had 20 turnovers and hit just 14 of 28 free throws while the Antelopes (4-4) hit 21 of 27 tries from the stripe.
"We continue to find new ways to lose," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "We did show a little more fight and I was pleased with that. We still just haven't put it all together."
The bright spot was the play of junior forward Brandon Brown who tallied 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in his Cal State debut.
"He played well. We just have to have some other guys jump on board," Oliver added.
The only other player in double figures was Lawrence Tyson who had 18 with five assists. DuBois Williams had six points and 11 rebounds.
Leading scorer Devin Montgomery was held to seven and second-leading scorer Tim Denson managed just two.
The Coyotes will play San Francisco Academy of the Arts (0-10) Sunday in Las Vegas.
Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball coach Jeff Oliver isn't quite sure what to do. On paper he thinks he has a talented team. But that hasn't translated to the court. The Coyotes most recent loss came 63-62 to Westmont, an NAIA team that local rival Cal Poly Pomona beat by 15.
"We lack fight and physicality and that's a huge problem," he said. "Until we get some we're not going to beat anyone. We're not fighting for loose balls, fighting for a rebound. We're just not competing."
Oliver addressed the issue before practice on Monday. He tried simplifying the offense last week after the first two California Collegiate Athletic Association games. It worked to a point. The Coyotes (2-4) held their last foe to 63.
"We were in the right position so we did better in that respect," he said. "But I never thought we'd be held to 62 points."
Oliver hasn't given up hope. All his players came from successful programs so they know what it takes to win. And the problem isn't that they're bad individuals.
"It's a great group of kids. I enjoy being around them. They're nice, maybe too nice. It isn't like a few years ago when I had knuckleheads."
The Coyotes will travel to Las Vegas for a pair of nonconference games Saturday and Sunday against Grand Canyon and Academy of Arts.
Help is on the way in the form of 6-foot-7 forward Brandon Brown, who should be eligible later this week.
Chris Jackson hit a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give host Westmont a 63-61 win over Cal State San Bernardino in nonconference play Saturday.
The Coyotes (2-4) trailed by as many as nine but got in striking distance late with Devin Montgomery hitting a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 61-59 with 45 seconds left.
Cal State drew even following a Warrior turnover when DuBois Williams hit a pair of free throws with 36 seconds to go. Westmont (5-4) took a timeout 10 seconds later to set up a final play.
Williams had 11 and Reggie Brown nine. Montgomery, averaging 21.5 coming in, was held to eight and hit just two of 11 tries from the field as the Coyotes shot just 39.2 percent.
Westmont, which shot 46.7 percent from the field, was led by Dan Rasp with 24 point.
[
Cal State San Bernardino coach Kim Cherniss has been selected Division II National Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
In her 18 years at Cal State, Cherniss has led the program to national prominence, directing the Coyotes (30-4) to their first championship match earlier this month. Cal State beat California-Pennsylvania and Truman in the Elite Eight before losing to reigning champion and tournament host Concordia-St. Paul 3-2.
The Coyotes spent four weeks atop the Coaches Poll and ended the year with a final ranking of No. 2, capturing a California Collegiate Athletic Association championship and the NCAA West Region title.
"It's a nice honor," Cherniss said. "It's not why we do what we do. The on-court success is the motivation. But it's a nice acknowledgement, especially from coaches who are going through the same thing."
During her time at Cal State San Bernardino, Cherniss has won 382 contests, and since 1996 she has been victorious in 83 percent of her matches with a 313-62 mark. The Coyotes have won six CCAA championships, including three straight, and have captured three regional titles, advancing to the NCAA Tournament round of 16 for nine consecutive years.
It is the first national honor for Cherniss. She has also been named top coach in the conference three times and best in the region on three occasions.
Cherniss will be honored at the 2008 Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Omaha, Neb., Thursday in conjunction with the 2008 AVCA Annual Convention.
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)
For the first time since Coussoulis Arena opened in 1995, Cal State San Bernardino's men's basketball team will be playing a home game away from campus.
The Coyotes, in an effort to reach out to faculty, staff and students at CSUSB's Palm Desert campus, are hosting Azusa Pacific University in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey St., Palm Desert.
CSUSB, ranked No. 20 in one national NCAA Division II poll and picked to win an eighth CCAA conference title by the conference coaches, will open the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena against University of Alaska-Fairbanks of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Although it is an exhibition game for CSUSB which does not count toward its season record, it is a regular season game for the Cougars.
The Coyotes are coming off an 83-62 win over Vanguard University in their exhibition opener last Friday night in Coussoulis Arena, led by senior guard Tim Denson with 19 points and senior forward Michael Frazier with 18 points.
APU is 1-1 after defeating Montana Western 77-69 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 7 before losing to Westminster (Utah) 83-69, also at Salt Lake City on Nov. 8. The Cougars played an exhibition game at USC on Nov. 3 and lost 85-64.
COYOTES VS. COUGARS - APU leads the all-time series 6-1, including last season's 78-75 win over overtime over the Coyotes in Coussoulis Arena. APU returning guard Mike Danielian scored 17 points and returning center Dave Burgess took down 14 rebounds in that game.
COYOTES VS. NANOOKS - Alaska-Fairbanks leads the series 2-1 and two big wins they were, too. Behind all-American Brad Oleson's 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists, the Nanooks downed the Coyotes 82-78 in overtime in the 2004 NCAA West Regional semifinals in Coussoulis Arena. Then, Oleson was present with 12 points and five assists as Fairbanks beat the Coyotes 66-59 in the 2005 West Regional quarterfinals at Western Washington.
YOTES NOTES - Coyotes shot 53 percent from the field in the win over Vanguard....Tim Denson was six-for-nine en route to 19 points and four assists and three steals....Michael Frazier hit six of 10 shots and was four-of-seven from three-point land for 18 points....DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard, had 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals....freshman center Jordan Richard had 10 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots....junior guard Larry DeHughes had a game-high six assists.....senior Reggie Brown, who missed the Vanguard game due to a sore knee, is expected to play against APU....senior Devon Davis remains on the shelf with back problems....Devin Montgomery is still awaiting clearance by the NCAA....
PROBABLE STARTERS: For CSUSB - Lawrence Tyson, Tim Denson, Jordan Richard, Ryan Kinney and DuBois Williams. For APU - Mike Danielian, Dave Burgess, Dominique Johnson, Kimarley Williams, Mike Caffese or Mike Meza.
COUGAR CLIPS - Azusa Pacific is coming off a 24-11 season (14-6 in the GSAC conference (2nd place)....team was ranked as high as No. 8 in NAIA and finished No. 15....program has won 13 GSAC titles, made 15 NAIA tournament appearances, including the last 12 in a row....The program's all-time record for men's hoops is 945-505.....Mike Danielian is the leading returning scorer at 10.7 ppg in 2007-08...Dave Burgess averaged 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds a game with 21 blocked shots....in the team's first two games this season, Dominique Johnson scored 18 against Montana Western and 17 against Westminster Utah....Burgess had 15 points and seven boards against Western Montana.....
NANOOKS NIBBLES - Alaska-Fairbanks has a new coach in interim head man Clemon Johnson. He has two volunteer assistants - Ted DeLeon and John Mancuso.....last year's leading scorer, 6-8 forward Colin Matteson (13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg with 40 assists, 10 blocked shots and 21 steals) is back along with forward Mladen Begojevic (11.4 ppg, 34 assists).....Matteson had a season-high 31 points in a loss to Saint Martin's last March...Matteson's young brother, freshman Evan Matteson, 6-9, joined the team this season...UAF opens the regular season Saturday night at Cal State Dominguez Hills in a 7 p.m. match..
BROADCAST - Thursday night's game with Azusa Pacific will be broadcast live on KCAA-AM in San Bernardino and webcast at www.csusb.athletics.com (click on Listen Live on home page). Mitch McClellan and Brett Malak will be courtside with the call. Sunday's game with Alaska-Fairbanks will be webcast only.
Senior libero Meghan Haas and junior setter Sara Hoffman of Cal State San Bernardino's women's volleyball team have been voted to the CoSIDA-ESPN The Magazine all-District 8 academic teams announced Thursday.
Haas was named to the first team and will be eligible for consideration for Academic All-America honors. Hoffman was voted to the third team.
A kinesiology major, Haas has a 3.83 cumulative grade point average. Hoffman, a business major with an emphasis in marketing, carries a 3.57 GPA.
They were among four CCAA conference student-athletes named to the three teams selected by sports information directors in District 8 (West Region) under the direction of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Haas is in her third season as the Coyotes' libero, averaging 4.61 digs per set with 22 service aces. She ranks third in the CCAA in digs per set and is among the top 50 in the nation in NCAA Division II.
Hoffman, a third-team all-American in 2007, leads the CCAA in assists at 11.73 per set and ranks No. 6 in the nation in that category. She also has 20 service aces.
Other CCAA players who received academic all District 8 honors were Rikki Buckshnis and Kristy Sather of Sonoma State University. Buckshnis was a first-team pick and Sather made the second team. Six players were named to each of the three teams.
The college division of CoSIDA includes NCAA Div. II and Div. III schools along with NAIA schools.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team (18-3, 10-2) moved up a spot to No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday. The Coyotes moved ahead of Tampa, Fla., which lost over the weekend.
Reigning national champion Concordia-St. Paul, whom the Coyotes defeated in their season opener, are No. 1
The Coyotes are one of four teams from the CCAA who are ranked. Cal State Los Angeles (16-3, 9-3) went from 19 to 14 after beating UC San Diego, an outcome that also put the Coyotes along in first in the CCAA.
San Diego (15-4, 9-3) dropped from 13 to 16 and Cal Poly Pomona (12-5, 9-3) improved from 23 to 21.
Sonoma State (17-4, 9-3) and Chico State (15-7, 8-4) were in the receiving votes category.
The Coyotes hit the road this weekend for matches at Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State, both of whom they beat 3-0 in the first round of CCAA play.
Holmes College in Mississippi, won't be available until after the fall quarter in mid-December, Oliver said.
University followed by an exhibition game at College of the Desert in Palm Desert against Azusa Pacific on Nov. 13.
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.
Cal State San Bernardino graduate David Reichel, who set a men's basketball season record for three-point field goal percentage in 2006-07, has signed a contract to play for the Oita Head Devils in the Basketball Japan League.
Reichel, a 6-8 forward, caught the attention of league officials during a three-day tryout staged by the league in Las Vegas in July.
"I did pretty well, averaging 18 points in three games," Reichel told the Ventura County Star newspaper.
The Camarillo resident will head for Japan soon in order to get ready for a 52-game season that begins Oct. 11.
Reichel played for the Los Angeles Lightning in a pro development league during the spring and early summer.
"It's pretty much a dream come true," Reichel told the Ventura County Star. "I've always wanted to get paid to play basketball. I'm grateful to have the opportunity."
He told the newspaper that the credit for him being noticed goes to his agent, Greg Foster, a former NBA player, for bringing Reichel to the attention of international leagues.
"I'll get a car. They will pay for my housing, which will allow me to sock away everything I earn," he told the Ventura newspaper.
Reichel was a key player in the Coyotes' run to a NCAA Division II West Region title in 2006-07, advancing to the NCAA national semifinals. He averaged 5.6 points per game, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and a team record 50 percent (39 of 78) from three-point range on a team that went 26-6.
A hand injury limited Reichel to an average of 10 minutes per game in 15 games for the Coyotes in 2007-08 as they won a CCAA conference co-championship.
He received his bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis in management and a minor in real estate finance.
"I didn't want a normal job, at least not yet," Reichel told the Ventura newspaper.
The 6-foot-1 center signed last week to play with the Leiderdorp Basketball Club which is based out of the city by the same name. She will leave today.
"I have a lot of emotions," said Wilt, a graduate of Sultana High School. "One day I'm scared death and I'm wondering what in the world I'm doing. Then the next day I'm excited and I can't wait."
Wilt spent two years at NAIA Cal Baptist, but transferred to Cal State for her junior season. As a senior she led the CCAA conference in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding (13.4 rpg), field goal percentage (54.7) and blocked shots (71). Those numbers also put her among the national leaders. Wilt finished second in the nation in rebounding, eighth in blocked shots, 23rd in field goal percentage and 26th in scoring.
Wilt accumulated 25 double-doubles (points and rebounds) in 29 games this season and 36 for her two-year career, in which she led the Coyotes to a 38-19 record and the first back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances since the university moved to Division II in 1991-92.
She smashed the team's single-season record for blocked shots (old mark was 59), giving her 112 for two seasons, one shy of the all-time career mark of 113. Her 388 rebounds was a single-season record as was her rebounds per game average. She tied the team's single-game scoring record with 39 in a game at home against Cal State Los Angeles.
Wilt said another team in the same league contacted Coyotes coach Kevin Becker two months ago. She talked with that team several times but that team signed a couple of other American players, leaving her out in the cold since clubs can have no more than two foreign players on their roster.
She thought the opportunity was dead and registered for classes at Cal State to work toward finishing her degree. Then the other team contacted her last week. She is thrilled with the opportunity.
"I never thought I was going to be good enough to play in college, let alone professional basketball,'' she said. "So I'm thrilled. It will be a challenge."
The team made arrangements for her flight and housing. She will be sharing a house with the other American player who competed at the University of South Dakota. Pay will be $1,000 a month with her living expenses (with the exception of food) paid for by the club.
"I am very happy for her," Becker said. "Not a lot of players get this chance. If she had turned it down, who knows if it would have come up again because there are more and more great college players coming out every year."
Cal State San Bernardino Head Coach Jeff Oliver concluded a late spring and summer season of recruiting by signing one community college player and two NCAA Division I players to compete for the Coyotes in 2008-09.
All three have the potential to be key contributors as the Coyotes prepare to compete for another California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a shot at regional and national championships.
New to the fold are:
Tavaris Gilbert, a 6-8 post player from Ventura College who started 18 games, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and shot 49 percent from the field, 58 percent from three-point range. As a freshman at Ventura he averaged 10.6 rebounds per game and shot 78 percent from the field.
Devin Montgomery, a 6-foot point guard who was a starter at Pepperdine University in 2001-02 but has not played since breaking his hand at the start of the 2002-03 season. Montgomery averaged 11.7 points and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 51 percent from the three and led the Waves in scoring in nine games that year. He scored 27 points against sixth-ranked Gonzaga in one game, 26 against Santa Clara and 21 against West Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard who is transferring in from St. Mary's College in Moraga where he saw limited playing time in 2007-08. Williams was a key member of the Fresno City College team in 2005-06 that lost in the semifinals of the state JC playoffs. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds a game for Fresno.
"Tavaris brings added depth to our front court," said Oliver. "He's a guy who can score underneath and step out to the three. He will present a difficult matchup for our opponents."
Montgomery, Oliver said, "has the ability to be one of the premier guards in the country. He's been out of the game for awhile but we will have time to work him into shape and get to know our system. He should be an immediate impact player for us."
Montgomery was a teammate of former CSUSB point guard T.K. Reed at Moorpark College, prior to attending Pepperdine.
Williams, Oliver said, "is a point guard in a 6-6 body. He has more offensive tools than he has had a chance to display at his other schools. And, he's a tremendous rebounder for a guard."
Oliver previously announced the signings of Larry DeHughes, a 6-4 guard from Fullerton Community College; Lawrence Tyson, a 6-2 point guard from Northeastern (Colo). Junior College; Michael Frazier, a 6-4 forward-guard from Northern Colorado; and Brandon Brown, a high-scoring 6-7 forward from Holmes College in Mississippi.
Cal State San Bernardino's convincing wins over 2007 national champion Concordia St. Paul and 15th-ranked Lewis University this past weekend vaulted the Coyotes women's volleyball team to No. 1 in the first official CBS College Sports/American Volleyball Coaches Assn. Division II top 25 poll.
The Coyotes, 3-0 on the season, will face another top 25 team - No. 24 BYU-Hawaii - in the third match of the UC San Diego Tritons Tournament this Saturday at RIMAC Arena on UCSD's La Jolla campus. CSUSB was also No. 1 in the national poll on Sept. 4, 2007 and stayed there for two weeks before losing to Cal Baptist on the road and dropping to No. 2. The Coyotes were also No.1 in the poll late in the 2004 and 2003 seasons and topped the poll for five weeks in 2002. The Coyotes' 3-0 sweep of Concordia-St. Paul, ranked No. 1 in the pre-season poll, dropped the Golden Bears into a tie for No. 3 in the poll with Truman State (4-0). Washburn (Kan.) stayed in the No. 2 slot with a 4-0 record. UC San Diego, which posted a 2-1 record in the Coyotes Volleyball Classic last weekend, moved up five spots from No. 22 to No. 17. Cal Poly Pomona, unranked in the pre-season poll, is No. 22 after winning three of four matches at a tournament in Hawaii. Chico State (4-0) is No. 21. CBS COLLEGE SPORTS/AVCA DIV. II TOP 25 No. Team Record Pts. 1 CSU SAN BERNARDINO 3-0 887 2. Washburn 4-0 850 3 (tie) Concordia St. Paul 3-1 810 Truman State 4-0 810 5. Tampa 3-0 761 6. West Texas A&M 5-0 727 7. Grand Valley State 3-1 682 8. Minnesota Duluth 4-0 643 9. Western Washington 0-0 598 10. Florida Southern 2-1 518 11. Hillsdale (3-1); 12. Pittsburg State (3-1); 13. Nebraska-Kearney (3-1); 14. Emporia State (3-1); 15. Augustana SD (4-0); 16. Southwest Minnesota State (3-1); 17. UC San Diego (2-1); 18. Indianapolis (3-1); 19. West Florida (4-0); 20. Central Missouri (2-1); 21. Chico State (4-0); 22. Cal Poly Pomona (3-1); 23. Ashland (2-2); 24. BYU-Hawaii (2-2); 25. Lewis (1-3).
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
When opportunity knocked, both Sara Rice and Ashtin Hall answered the door. Now the two former Yucaipa High School standouts are starters for a Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team expected to contend for the Division II national championship.
The Coyotes, 27-3 a year ago, open the 2008 campaign this week, hosting a six-team tournament that starts tonight at Coussoulis Arena. The No. 4 Coyotes open against reigning national champion and current No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) at 7:30 p.m.
"We're very excited about our potential," Coach Kim Cherniss says. "We have high expectations. We have a great core of returning players and we have some talented freshmen. Maybe the best class we have had since I've been here."
The veteran cast is bolstered by the two former Citrus Belt League standouts.
Rice, a 6-foot senior middle blocker, arrived in 2005. She had planned to attend Golden West Community College but when Portala George went down with a knee injury, Cherniss needed another backup.
Rice was going to redshirt but when a second middle blocker also sustained a knee injury, that plan changed. She ended up playing a handful of matches which set the stage for a stellar sophomore campaign and second-team All-Conference honors.
Then came an even better junior season in which she earned first-team All-Conference and Pacific West Region honorable mention honors. She was fourth on the team in kills (190) but boasted an impressive attack percentage of .384 as well as a team-high 75 blocks.
"My confidence has just grown each season," said Rice, a 21-year-old business major. "When I played some as a freshman it made me realize I could compete at that level."
A key injury also paved the way for Hall, whose opportunity could not have come in a more pressure-packed situation.
The 5-11 junior outside hitter committed to the Coyotes in November of her senior year of high school. She also considered Division I UC Riverside and NAIA Point Loma but opted for Cal State after touring all three schools and considering the facilities and level of play at each.
She didn't choose Cal State because her former high school teammate was there, but called it an "added bonus."
Hall played little during her true freshman season in 2006. The time she did see came against lesser foes.
Then Lisa Dogonyaro, the lone senior on the squad, sustained a knee injury in the regular season finale at Cal State Los Angeles. Hall went from being a seldom-used sub to a starter on a team with national championship aspirations.
"I remember that match when she got hurt. My whole frame of mind changed," said Hall, 20. "It was definitely very stressful but I tried to take it as a chance to prove myself."
Other teams went right at the untested rookie but Hall was up for the challenge.
"You never know what is going to happen," Cherniss said. "You have to be prepared for that situation and that comes with working hard in practice. It's my job as a coach to see that my players are ready when they're called on."
Hall started 29 of 30 matches as a sophomore and recorded 235 kills, including a career-high 17 in the Pacific Region final against Western Washington. She was rewarded with a spot on the all-conference second team.
The Coyotes will be looking for their sixth conference title in eight years and have advanced to the regional championship match nine straight years. Last year's loss was one of the most disappointing because it came in three straight games on their home floor to a team it had already beaten during the season.
Both players say the Coyotes didn't go into that matchup with the same intensity they would have had the opponent been long-time nemsis UC San Diego, which lost to Western Washington in the semifinal.
"It was a humbling experience," Rice said. "They took advantage of our weaknesses in a way no other team did."
Added Hall: "We have to try and put it aside but at the same time learn from it so we don't make the same mistake again if we're in that position."
California Baptist University made two first-half goals stand up for a 2-0 women's soccer exhibition victory over Cal State San Bernardino Thursday at the Lancers' field.
Fabiola DaSilva assisted on both goals for the Lancers as Jacquelyn Witz put CBU up 1-0 in the 16th minute with a shot inside the near post. Lizzy Bendrick converted DaSilva's corner kick into a goal in the 37th minute.
The Coyotes had just two shots on goal, both in the second half. Scoring attempts by freshman Casey Hirsch and junior Ashley Salas were stopped by CBU keeper Brittany Buchanan. Overall, CBU outshot the Coyotes 14-8.
Redshirt freshman Tiffany Mallick and senior Shawna-Rei Kam split time in goal for the Coyotes, each making one save. Only four of CBU's 14 shots were on goal.
CSUSB Head Coach Diego Bocanegra was not disappointed by the score. "The match gave us an opportunity to look at everybody on the team," he said. Twenty Coyotes saw playing time in the match.
The Coyotes complete their pre-season exhibition play on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Coyote Premier Field against Biola University, a 1-0 winner in its season opener earlier this week.
CAL BAPTIST 2, CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO 0
CSUSB goalie saves: Tiffany Mallick (1); Shawna-Rei Kam (1).
CBU goals: Jacquelyn Witz, Llizzy Bendrick. Assists: Fabiola DaSilva (2). Goalie saves: Brittany Buchanan (2).
Cal State San Bernardino, with six of its top eight players returning to the fold, finds itself ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II women's volleyball in a pre-season poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The top 25 poll, released today by AVCA, contains four West Coast teams with defending NCAA Pacific Region champion Western Washington listed at No. 10, UC San Diego at No. 22 and Chico State at No. 25. Concordia University of St. Paul, Minn., the 2007 NCAA Division II champion, is No. 1 in the pre-season poll and will face off against the Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 in Coussoulis Arena on the CSUSB campus in the 2008 season opening Coyote Classic tournament. The Coyotes volleyball program has been placed in the top 25 pre-season poll virtually every season since the year 2000 and they usually wind up in or near the top 10 at the end of the season. CSUSB (27-3) wound up No. 9 in the final 2007 season poll. "It's great to know that we've reached a point where people expect us to be good," said Head Coach Kim Cherniss, starting her 18th season at the helm of the five-time California Collegiate Athletic Association champions. "However, it's not something that will change what we do to prepare for the season or reset our goals," she added. Those goals are to win the conference first, then win the regional and then the national championship. One of the Coyotes' other opponents in its Coyote Classic that runs Aug. 28-30 is Lewis University, ranked No. 15 in the pre-season AVCA poll. The first official poll is due out Sept. 1. CBS College Sports/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll Rank School (1st place votes) Points 2007 record 07 Final Rank 1. Concordia-St. Paul (35) 897 36-4 1 2. Washburn 830 38-4 3 3. Truman 780 36-6 8 4. COYOTES 762 27-3 9 5. West Texas A&M 736 36-8 6 6. Grand Valley State 716 33-4 7 7. Tampa 693 31-3 4 8. Minnesota Duluth 630 29-2 5 9. Florida Southern 581 26-9 13 10. Western Washington (1) 555 26-5 2 11 .Emporia State 498 27-9 15 12 S'West Minnesota State 474 26-8 12 13 Central Missouri 443 31-7 10 14. Nebraska-Kearney 416 33-5 19 15. Lewis 372 32-4 11 16. Indianapolis 339 33-4 17 17. Pittsburg State 320 28-9 18 18. Hillsdale 298 26-8 16 19 Minnesota State 248 19-9 21 20 Augustana (SD) 194 19-11 24 21. Ashland 178 25-6 20 22 .UC San Diego 158 20-8 22 23. West Florida 99 26-4 NR 24. Nova Southeastern 81 28-10 NR 25. Chico State 63 16-13 NR Others receiving votes included: Hawaii Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State L.A., Hawaii-Hilo, Northwest Nazarene.
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 - 18Gene Webster Jr., a junior this fall at Cal State San Bernardino, was simultaneously happy and disappointed about playing one of his best rounds of the year in Monday's 36-hole sectional qualifer for the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at Glendora Country Club.
Webster, an NCAA all-West Region and all-CCAA conference player this past season for CSUSB, shot a 68 over his final 18 holes after a morning round of 74 to finish at 142 and wound up as the No. 2 alternate out of the sectional.
In order for him to advance to the tournament at Pinehurst, N.C. on Aug. 18-24, both of the two sectional qualifiers who finished four shots ahead of Webster and the No. 1 alternate (Andrew Roque of Fontana) would have to decline the trip.
Chances of that happening, Webster said, were "very unlikely."
"I didn't play well in the morning. I didn't putt very good, but I had it going in the second round," Webster said by phone Wednesday. The San Bernardino resident and Arroyo Valley High School graduate was three under par with three holes remaining. "I felt I had to shoot 66 to have a shot at it. At No. 16 I missed a 12-foot putt for birdie. I birdied No. 17. And, at 18, I had a 10-foot putt that looked like it was good but it did a slow lip-out. That kind of summed up my day."
Summer play has not been kind to Webster. He lost in the first round at the City of Long Beach Match Play tournament and missed the cut in the Long Beach City Amateur.
Next on his agenda is the California State Fair Amateur Tournament in Sacramento over Labor Day weekend. He hopes to qualify for the California State Open at the end of September.
Webster averaged a team-low 73.5 strokes for 34 rounds of golf for CSUSB this past season, helping them finish second in the CCAA conference, fourth in the NCAA West Regional and advance to the NCAA national championship for the third straight year. The Coyotes wound up a disappointing 18th at nationals.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Tacy Duncan's job just got a lot easier.
Trying to compete in one of the premier conferences in the country was tough enough. And when Duncan took over three years ago the program was the conference doormat.
She did that while holding down a full-time job in the Alvord Unified School District in Riverside. Then a year ago motherhood factored into the mix as she gave berth to twins.
But the load has been lightened considerably as Duncan's position has been elevated to full time. She becomes the first full-time coach in the 11-year history of the program.
The school had planned on making the full-time appointment last year but the timing wasn't right so it was put on hold until this year.
Duncan had to go through the interview process all over again with job having to be advertised, even though she had done a stellar job in her three years as a part-time coach, highlighted by her selection as CCAA coach of the year by her peers.
She was still the best person for the job.
"We got a good pool of applicants," Cal State athletic director Kevin Hatcher said. "But I think much of the reason for that was the success she had last year and the recognition she brought to our program. We couldn't not look at what she has been able to do in a short time."
The Coyotes are coming off their best season in school history. Cal State went 36-32 overall (17-13 in CCAA play), advancing to the postseason for the first time ever. They also advanced to the Division II West Region, before being eliminated by Humboldt State which went on to win the national championship.
That was a significant improvement over the 2007 season in which the Coyotes were sixth in the conference and 27-27 overall.
The team went 21-32 in Duncan's first year and that represented a 10-win improvement over the previous year.
To put the progress in perspective, the Coyotes were a combined 38-129 overall and 24-70 in conference play the three seasons before Duncan took over.
Hatcher said he expects the program to continue to grow, thanks in part to the Western Interchange Program adopted by the school for the coming calendar year. The program gives all students from the western part of the country in-state tuition. That should make it easier for coaches to lure in top talent from out of the area.
"I see how well she has done evaluating talent," he said. "I can't imagine how much better she will do with more time to do it."
But Hatcher said the school will still stick to its core area for the majority of its players.
"We have great talent in this area," he said. "There is no reason we shouldn't get the bulk of our players from around here."
Duncan earned her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Mary in North Dakota where she also earned All-American honors as a player. She got a master's in counseling from the University of Redlands while serving as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2005.
Seven of the Coyotes 11 head coaches are full time. The exceptions are women's tennis coach Heather Lehman, women's water polo coach Tom Finwall, women's cross country coach Tom Burleson and men's golf coach Tom Mainez.
Hatcher said he would eventually like to have the other four coaches at full-time status as well.
"I'm asking them to go out there and win conference titles and it's hard for me to look them in the face and ask them to do it when this is their second job."
The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team signed three players,
all of them Inland Empire products and familiar names to local
enthusiasts.
Leading the trio is right-handed pitcher Andrew Schile out of A.B.
Miller High School and Chaffey College. Joining him are Riverside
Community College infielder Cody Madison and Upland Christian's Ethan
Chapman.
Schile posted a 9-3 record for the Foothill Conference champion
Panthers in 2008. He posted a 2.94 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 64
innings and limited opposing hitters to an overall batting average of
.212. He was chosen conference pitcher of the year.
Madison, out of Moreno Valley, batted .329 for the Tigers. He had
two home runs, 32 RBI and a .419 on-base percentage on a team that
went 34-20 and made it to the state championship tournament. He had a
.976 fielding percentage.
Chapman had an impressive high school career. He earned
all-league four times and was an all-CIF Southern Section selection
twice, as well as prep all-America.
He was the 2007 CIF player of the year in his division as Upland
Christian won the section championship and was the Arrowhead League
offensive player of the year in 2007 and 2008. He batted .685 as a
senior with eight home runs, 74 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 33
attempts.
Chapman led his team to a 19-11 season (12-0 in league) and a
second straight appearance in the CIF championship game. In his 92 at
bats over 30 games, he had 63 hits, 16 doubles, 10 triples and a
slugging percentage 1.337. His on-base percentage was .723. He plays
for the Southern California Bombers in travel ball.
The Coyotes graduated 16 seniors, including the bulk of their
pitching staff. Earlier this spring head coach Don Parnell signed
pitchers Dan Stenavich (all-Southern California first-team selection)
and Jorge Dryjanski from Pacific Coast Conference champion
Southwestern College along with lefthanders Kevin McLaughry and
Garret Nelson from Grossmont College.
Other recruits to date are Aaron Brooks, an all-CIF and all-area
pitcher-infielder from Cajon; Andrew Harrison, a slugging first
baseman from Riverside's Norte Vista; Matt Winn, an outfielder from
Canyon Springs HS; Darren Dworak, an infielder from Damien and Ken
Othman, a catcher from Riverside's Martin Luther King.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team graduated seven players, five of whom played considerable minutes. Head coach Jeff Oliver has started rebuilding with the addition of four players to the program.
All are transfers, which has pretty much been his pattern since stepping in as head coach six years ago.
Oliver said the team's biggest needs have been addressed. The Coyotes (22-8, 15-5) led the CCAA in scoring defense but were just fifth in offense and seventh in field-goal percentage.
The Coyotes have finished with at least a share of the conference title seven of the last nine years but were bounced from the Division II West Region tournament in the quarterfinal.
"Our achillies heel was our offense and the fact that we weren't consistent from long distance," he said. "We took care of those issues. I expect us to be one of the better 3-point shooting teams."
The newcomers are 6-foot-7 junior forward Brandon Brown (Holmes CC in Goodman, Miss.), 6-4 junior guard Larry DeHughes (Fullerton JC), 6-4 senior forward-guard Michael Frazier (Mt. San Jacinto/Northern Colorado) and 6-2 junior point guard Lawrence Tyson (Northeastern JC in Colorado/Cal State Northridge).
Brown, a New Orleans native, averaged 27 points and 13 points for a team that went 16-8. He had a season high of 38 points twice.
Oliver expects him to be an impact player.
"He could be the best inside scorer we have ever had," he said. "He is an absolute presence in the paint and has 101 post moves and he's a great athlete."
Frazier last played at Northern Colorado in 2003-04 after transferring from Mt. San Jacinto. Oliver said he has unlimited range and won't affected by the move of the 3-point line back a foot.
DeHughes played at Compton as a freshman and at Fullerton last year, helping the Hornets to the state title game and earning All-Orange Empire Conference honors.
Tyson played at Cal State Northridge as a freshman and is a graduate of Quartz Hill High School.
The Coyotes have just one returning starter - defensive stopper Phil Jones. Reserves Devon Davis, Reggie Brown and Steve Gaston saw considerable time while freshman Ryan Kinney saw some playing time.
Those who redshirted last year expected to have an impact next season are guard Tim Denson, a transfer from Colorado State, and center Jordan Richard, out of Los Osos High School.
Guard Omar Krayem, who redshirted last season afer coming in from Eastern Washington, is not returning.
Oliver is still looking for a wing, a point guard and another big man.
The only other question mark is an intangible as Oliver will be looking for a floor leader to replace departed guard Marlon Pierce who filled that role.
"We really don't know yet who is going to be the take charge guy," he said.
LEADER OF THE PACK ACADEMIC AWARDS (3.5-4.0) FOR SPRING QUARTER
Men's Soccer -- Lorenzo Loson, Helio Navarro.
Women's Soccer -- Sophie Bruins, Alejandra Flores, Ashley Haagsma, Jacqueline Reyes, Cleary Taylor.
Women's Cross Country -- Shawna Alavarez, Marlene Malagon, Kristen Torrez.
Women' s Volleyball -- Alyssa Auck, Meghan Haas.
Men's Golf -- Dane Bagnell, Bill Clayton, Joshua Segal.
Men's Basketball -- James Estrada, Joseph Tillman.
Women's Basketball -- Mindy Baker, Shanae Blake, Jaclyn Rainville.
Baseball -- Robert Badilla, Tyler Cross, David Martin, Michael Minjares, James O'Neill, Brent Planck, Corey Sandoval, Justin Watson.
Softball -- Tawni Baker, Tori Beaudette.
Women's Tennis -- Brittany Choate, Priscilla Cooper, Dottie Elwell, Leslie Horn.
Women's Water Polo -- Jennifer Goetz, Kaitlin Hartman, Italia Iossif, Sabrina Marquez, Cheryl Salazar, Aimee Salcido.
COYOTE PUP ACADEMIC AWARDS (3.0-3.49) FOR SPRING QUARTER
Men's Soccer -- Nick Boyce, Zach Ellis, Ryan Larson, Ryan Myers, James Pusey, Brock Steele, Brent Vander Eyk.
Women's Soccer -- Lynn Castillo, Jenna Faughnder, Krista Feer, Karissa Kelly, Katie Liby, Megan Monahan, Cathleen Rodriguez.
Women's Cross Country -- Kari Brandt, Holly DiGerolamo, Kim Miller
Women's Volleyball -- Michelle Alvarez, Sara Hoffman, Alicia Karver, Ligaya Malones.
Men's Basketball -- Grants Huff, Ryan Kinney
Baseball -- Theron Cueva, Billy Haynes, Ronald Leon
Softball -- Anjelice Foreman, Jocelyn Perry, Maddie Pulido, Rhiannon Treat.
Women's Tennis -- Xinia Chaves, Kara Jenkins, Ashley Hulett, Christine Macias
Women's Water Polo -- Freyja Berg, Sara Hastings, Ashley Hays.
Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday.
, Fla., a rookie league club later this week.
State Monterey Bay on April 6. He was honored as a CCAA conference pitcher of the week.
City College earning all-conference honors. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 but did not sign.
Christian High School in Santa Clara, his hometown, graduating in 2003. He signed with San Jose State. After one year with the Spartans he transferred to San Jose City College.
Cal State Monterey Bay. He had three complete games.
River College following a freshman season at UC Davis. The Woodland, Calif. resident is a 2002 graduate of Woodland High School where he played baseball and football.
for his shot at pro baseball.
San Bernardino.
resident who played for Norco High School and Cal Baptist University before transferring to Cal State for her junior year in 2006-07 played in all 69 games for CSUSB, batting .335 on the season with three homers and 30 runs batted in. She hit .349 in 30 CCAA contests.
University at the regional and hit .454 (five for 11) in the tournament with four RBI.
, had a strong finish to his 2007-08 season with the golf team. After finishing 11th at the CCAA conference tournament, Webster shot a four-under-par total of 212, including a second round 67, to wind up second in the NCAA West-Northwest Super Regional, missing medalist honors by one shot. He was the West Region medalist in 2007 as a freshman.
businessman. He succeeds Brendza, the president for the past two years. Brendza was presented an engraved gavel and stand by Athletic Director Dr. Kevin Hatcher in recognition of his service to the board.
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
As he prepares for the 2009 season, Finwall must replace two-time all-American Freyja Berg, who has been nominated for a third all-America award after leading the nation in scoring this season with 110 goals and setting CSUSB career records for scoring, assists and steals.
CSUSB also loses the services of 2007 all-American Sabrina Marquez who set a new team single-season record for assists in 2008 in addition to scoring more than 130 goals in her two seasons with the Coyotes. Starters Cheryl Salazar, Italia Iossif and Ashley Hays also concluded their collegiate careers in 2008.
However, six recruits have signed national letters of intent to play for CSUSB in 2008-09:
- Marilyn Doughty, who helped Chaffey College to a 27-15 record and third place in the South Coast Conference and third place in the Southern California Regional Tournament this season. Doughty had 39 goals, 34 assists and a conference-leading 113 steals for the Panthers earning second-team all-conference honors. She played her high school polo at Centennial in Corona.
- Emily Hove, an all-Ivy League player and Female Athlete of the Year at John W. North HS in Riverside. She scored 102 goals with 38 steals and 36 assists at her two-meter position for the Huskies..
- Misty Vu, also an all-Ivy League first-team player for North HS.
- Taylor Vermillion, who led Arroyo Valley HS in San Bernardino to the San Andreas League title (8-0) and was the team MVP.
- Sara Kelley, a second-team all-CIF selection from Jurupa Valley HS in Riverside who earned all-league honors and was the team's defensive MVP.
- Katelyn Jessen of Tracy HS in Northern California, the team's most improved player in 2007.
Kayla Barrow, a third-team all-CIF selection from Santiago HS in Corona, has made a non-binding verbal commitment to attend CSUSB. She helped Santiago win the Mountain View League at 10-0 and go 20-6 overall and finish as the CIF Division 5 runnerup.
Finwall has a handful of players returning for 2008-09 including Bryanna Burns, voted to the WWPA all-freshman team and one of the nation's leaders in saves by a goalkeeper with 325; Kaitlin Hartman (48 goals, 41 assists); and Aimee Salcido (16 goals, 25 steals).
Palm Desert, earned all-CCAA first-team honors all four years at CSUSB and was the conference's most valuable player as a sophomore. She set team single-season and career records for victories at No. 1 singles.
, an outstanding player at Martin Luther King High School as a junior and ranked among the top players in junior age-group rankings in the region and in the nation.
, member of the Redlands High School tennis team and a partner with Paloma Vazquez on the Citrus Belt League champion doubles team that advanced to the CIF Southern Section semifinals in 2007.
View Independent Study High School her senior year while she concentrated on national junior tournaments.
said, Haack went 33-0 in regular season competition for Martin Luther King, winning the Ivy League title and voted the Ivy League MVP and her team's MVP.
High School before transferring to Redlands High School. She was initially paired at No. 1 doubles with Holly DiMichelle but then captured the CBL doubles title in 2007 with Vazquez as RHS won its fourth straight league team championship. She was named to the all-CBL first-team.
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).
Vacaville (Sacramento City College), was picked for the utility position since she divided her playing time between third base and shortstop in 2008 after pitching and playing first base in 2007.
Cal State San Bernardino's men's golf team
shot a collective 17 over par Saturday to wind up 18th
in the 20-team field on the final day of the NCAA
Division II Golf Championship at Colonial Park Golf
Course.
Senior Dane Bagnell, playing the final round of golf
in his collegiate career, produced the team's low
score of the day, a two-over-par 72, to finish in a
tie for 70th spot in the field of 105 golfers with a
72-hole total of 294, 14 over par.
Sophomore Gene Webster, selected earlier this week as
a member of the PING/Golf Coaches Association all-West
Region team, was the highest finisher among the
Coyotes, shooting a four-over-par 74 to finish at 285,
five-over-par and tied for 20th spot.
Junior Micah Burke had a 75 to finish at 290, 10 over par and in a
tie for 45th place. Sophomore Joe Alldis shot 78 for a four-day total of
303 and senior Bill Clayton closed out his collegiate
career with a 76 for a 72-hole total of 313. A double
bogey at the 18th hole cost Clayton a round of 74,
which would made for a more enjoyable finish.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Coyotes can
enjoy the fact they have competed in three straight
national championships and ranked among the top 20
teams in NCAA Division II in each of those years.
CSUSB finished the tournament with a total of 1170, 50
over par for the event.
Three teams tied for first place at the end of 72
holes - West Florida, the nation's No. 1 ranked team,
North Alabama and St. Edwards, all at 1129 - 41 shots
ahead of CSUSB - requiring a playoff to decide the
winner.
Jude Estaquio of Florida Southern and Jeff Goff of
South Carolina Aiken wound up tied for medalist honors
at 278 - two under par, requiring a playoff to decide
the winner. Jarin Todd of Sonoma State and Erick
Justesen of Cal State Stanislaus were among five
players tied for third at 279. Todd shot a 66 Saturday
to make a run at the top.
NCAA DIV. II NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT
@ Colonial Park Golf Course in Houston, Tex.
TEAMS: 1 (tie) West Florida, North Alabama and St.
Edwards - 1129; 4. George College & State Univ. -
1132; 5. Nova Southeastern - 1137; 6. Florida Southern
- 1142; 7. South Carolina-Aiken - 11423; 8. (tie)
Indianapolis and Western Washington - 1144; 10.
Clayton State - 1150; 11. Grand Canyon - 1151; 12.
(tie) Belmont Abbey and Colorado-Colo. Springs - 1152;
14. Grand Valley State - 1156; 15. Washburn - 1161;
16. Sonoma State - 1167; 17. Indiana (Pa.) - 1169; 18.
COYOTES - 1170; 19. Newberry College - 1186; 20.
Bryant - 1189.
INDIVIDUALS: 1. (tie) Jude Estaquio (Fla. Southern) -
63-74-73-68 - 278; Jeff Goff (South Carolina-Aiken) -
67-71-70-70 - 278; 3. (tie) Matt Galloway (West Fla.)
- 73-70-65-71 - 279; Erick Justesen (CS Stanislaus) -
73-68-69-69 - 279; Jarin Todd (Sonoma St.) -
69-72-72-66 - 279; and two others.
COYOTE CARDS - 20. Gene Webster - 69-69-73-74 - 285;
45. Micah Burke - 72-69-74-75 - 290; 70. Dane Bagnell
- 74-73-75-72 - 294; 95. Joe Alldis - 74-77-74-78 -
303; 102. Bill Clayton - 80-80-77-76 - 313.
7793 Central Avenue, just north of Fifth Street, west of Alabama. For information, contact William Chapman at the Y, (909) 425-9622, ext. 200.
Sophomore Gene Webster Jr. matched his
opening round of 69 Thursday to move within one shot
of the lead at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Golf
Championship on a warm, humid day at Memorial Park
Golf Course.
Webster's second straight 69 came while playing in
the same threesome with 36-hole co-leader Jude
Estaquio of Florida Southern who came back to earth
with a 74 Thursday after a sizzling 63 on Wednesday.
Estaquio and West Florida's Kyle Scott are tied at 137
- three under par for the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes improved their Wednesday score
by one shot on Thursday but lost ground in the team
standings, slipping from 14th to 15th spot with a
36-hole total of 577, 18 shots behind the second round
leader - Georgia College and State University.
CSUSB can make up some ground in a hurry on Friday if
the team performs well since they are only eight shots
out of seventh spot and 10 shots out of fourth place.
The 72-hole tournament over the 7,158-yard course
that hosted the PGA Tour's Houston Open for 12 years
from 1951 to 1963 ends on Saturday.
Webster, a graduate of Arroyo Valley High School in
San Bernardino, played the back nine first in the
morning hours on a day that was cloudy with
temperatures in the mid-70s to low-80s and humidity
around 80 percent.
He bogeyed No. 11, a 238-yard par-3, then got back to
even for the day with a birdie at the 473-yard par-4
12th hole and finished the inward nine with pars. On
the front side, he birdied the 388-yard, par-4 sixth
hole and parred the rest to finish at 69.
Not far behind is Coyotes junior Micah Burke who is
just four shots off the lead but tied for 19th spot in
a closely-contested tournament. Burke improved from
his 72 on opening day to a one-under-par 69 Thursday
to finish 36 holes at 141 - one over par.
Burke made all pars on the back nine and was even
through three holes on the front when he suffered a
bogey at the fourth hole. He got back to even with a
birdie two on the 223-yard, par-3 seventh hole and
closed out his round with a birdie at No. 9, a
409-yard, par 4.
Senior Dane Bagnell improved by one shot Thursday
with a 73 but is tied for 69th spot with a two-day
total of 147 - seven over par. Bagnell played steady
golf, parring all the holes on the back nine and the
first three holes on the front, but made a string of
three straight bogeys at the fourth, fifth and sixth
holes.
Sophomore Joe Alldis slipped from 74 to a 77 on
Thursday to place 94th at 151. Senior Bill Clayton
shot his second consecutive 80 for a non-scoring total
of 160. The fifth highest score is dropped in team
scoring in collegiate golf.
The weather in Houston calls for continued cloudiness
with possible thunderstorm activity on Friday and high
humidity.
2008 NCAA DIVISION II GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
@ Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, TX.
Team scores: 1. Georgia College & State
University - 559; 2. Indianapolis - 564; 3. Clayton
State - 566; 4. (tie) West Florida, Colorado-Colo.
Springs and Grand Canyon - 567; 7. St. Edwards - 569;
8. (tie) Grand Valley State, North Alabama, Nova
Southeastern and Western Washington - 571; 12. (tie)
Belmont Abbey and South Carolina-Aikin -- 572; 14.
Florida Southern - 573; 15. CSUSB COYOTES - 577; 16.
Sonoma State - 578; 17. Washburn - 579; 18. Newberry -
586; 19. Indiana (PA) - 586; 20. Bryant - 597.
Individual leaders: 1. (tie) Jude Estaquio (Fla.
Southern) 63-74--137; Kyle Scott (West Florida) 72-65 -
137; 3. (tie) Gene Webster (CSUSB) 69-69--138; Jeff
Goff (South Carolina-Aiken) 67-71 -138; Sean Packer
(West. Washington) 69-69 -138; Billy Shider (Georgia
College) 72-66--138; Will Wilcox (Clayton St.) 66-72 -
138.
CSUSB cards: 3. Gene Webster Jr. - 69-69-138; 19.
Micah Burke - 72-69 - 141; 69 - Dane Bagnell - 74-73 -
147; 94. Joe Alldis - 74-77--151; 104. Bill Clayton -
80-80 - 160.
Parnell has also signed six high school seniors, five of them from Inland Empire schools.
The Coyotes have inked Dan Stenavich, a right-handed pitcher, and Jorge Dryjanski, a left-handed pitcher, both from Southwestern College, a team that produced a 22-3 regular season record and won the Pacific Coast Conference title.
Stenavich is 8-2 with a 1.88 earned run average in 16 appearances, 13 of them starts. He struck out 52 in 86 innings. He pitched a six-hitter in a 5-1 Southwestern win over El Camino in the state JC playoffs.
Dryjanski is 7-1 with a 3.27 ERA with 16 appearances, 11 of them starts. He has 57 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.
Also joining the mound corps for CSUSB will be Kevin McLaughry, a lefty from Grossmont College who had a 2.27 earned run average and a 4-2 record for a team that went 20-20 on the regular season and finished third in the Pacific Coast Conference. Garret Jones, another lefthander from Grossmont, also signed.
Heading the list of prep players who have signed with the Coyotes is Aaron Brooks of Cajon High School in San Bernardino, the San Andreas League champions. At last report, Brooks was hitting .507 with nine homers and 40 runs batted in and posted a 7-1 record on the mound with a 1.07 ERA.
Also coming to CSUSB next year are:
- Terrance Buchanan, a shortstop from Mount Carmel High School in San Diego, who hit .380 this year.
- Andrew Harrison, a slugging first-baseman from Norte Vista HS in Riverside.
- Matt Winn, an outfielder from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley.
- Darren Dworak, an infielder from Damien HS in LaVerne who batted. 494 with four home runs, 32 RBI, an .802 slugging percentage and a .560 on-base percentage with 28 runs scored.
- Ken Othman, a catcher from Martin Luther King HS in Riverside, who is batting .465 with two homers, 23 RBI, a .597 slugging percentage and a .460 on-base percentage.
The golf team from Cal State San Bernardino will compete in the NCAA Division II national golf tournament beginning today in Texas, but just getting there proved to be a challenge.
It's the third straight season the Coyotes have reached the national tournament, a 72-hole event played at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston. The field will include 20 teams and 10 individuals from non-qualifying teams.
The 24th-ranked Coyotes finished 11th in the event last season and seventh in 2006 with many of the same contributors.
Cal State San Bernardino has yet to have all five players put together good rounds in the same tournament like it did a year ago in capturing the school's first regional title. But it is capable.
"We had to knock off one of the top teams in the country just to get here," Cal State coach Tom Mainez said. "So I don't think finishing in the top five is unrealistic."
Sophomore Gene Webster heads the effort. The San Bernardino native has not had quite the season he did in 2007 as a freshman but appears to be getting closer as evidenced by a second-place individual showing last week at the West Regional tourney.
Mainez said it is part mental and part physical.
"He put too much pressure on himself, being the defending everything. We had a talk about that last week," Mainez said. "He was also going through a change in his swing."
Rounding out the quintet representing the Coyotes are seniors Dane Bagnell and Bill Clayton, junior Micah Burke and sophomore Joe Alldis. Bagnell had a 68 and led after the first day of the regional and finished a still respectable 10th.
There was plenty of drama to get to this point.
Last week at the West Region Tournament the Coyotes had to beat Cal State Stanislaus, the No. 6 team in the country, on an extra hole after tying for fourth in the team standings with the Warriors.
The Coyotes had finished their round early and were in fifth but Cal State Monterey Bay, playing behind the Coyotes, faltered late.
"We thought we were going to just miss out and had already loaded stuff in the van," Mainez said. "Then we started watching the scoreboard and they (Monterey Bay) started slipping. So I told the guys get stuff out and start taking some swings just in case."
It's a good thing they did. The Coyotes ended up winning the one-hole playoff to claim the final spot out of the region.
CCAA member Sonoma State is among the leading contenders for a team title. The Seawolves are ranked second nationally led by conference Player of the year Jarin Todd and a local product, senior Kyle Hopkins out of Apple Valley Christian.
University of West Florida is ranked No. 1. Barry University (Miami, Fla.) is the defending champion.
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)
WADSWORTH, Ohio -- The 2007-08 men's basketball season ended in mid-March for his teammates but Cal State San Bernardino senior guard Marlon Pierce has been racking up the frequent flyer miles while playing in two all-star events in the East and Midwest in the past month.
Pierce finished his cross-country journeys with a 13-point, three-steals performance in the third place game of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational Tournament in this Ohio city 40 miles south of Cleveland. His team -- Premier Pontiac -- won the game 102-95, last Friday night.
It was the 6-2 guard's best showing in the tournament. He hit five of nine field goals, lincluding three of five shots from three-point range and collected one assist in 28 minutes as a starter.
The teams in the tournament were made up of graduating seniors from NCAA Div. II, Div. III and NAIA universities and colleges throughout the country.
In late March, Pierce had the privilege of playing in the NCAA Div. II All-Star Basketball Game at the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., during the Div. II national championship tournament, the same place Pierce and the Coyotes visited a year ago when they reached the Final Four.
In his other games with the Premier Pontiac team, Pierce scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and made two steals in 25 minutes in a 102-90 win over Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet on Thursday, April 24. Pierce scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in 22 minutes in his team's 108-81 loss to First Merit. He sank two of four shots from three-point range.
Pierce was the only player from the California Collegiate Athletic Association to participate in the tournament. The championship game was telecast live on ESPNU.
Cal State San Bernardino’s softball team heads to Turlock for a four-game CCAA softball series against Cal State Stanislaus with the goal of taking the fourth and final spot in the 2008 CCAA conference championship tournament.
The Coyotes are one of three teams with a shot at the fourth spot. UC San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills both have a mathematical chance of being the fourth team as well.
The bad news is that CSUSB (15-11) is facing the second-place Warriors (18-10) while the Tritons (14-14) are playing San Francisco State (12-16) and Dominguez Hills (13-15) is at cellar-dweller Sonoma State (3-23).
In 2007, the Coyotes entered the final weekend of play with a shot at the fourth spot in the conference tournament but wound up fifth behind S.F. State.
After taking three of four games from Chico State this past weekend, the Coyotes are now 30-26-1 overall, the team’s first 30-win season since 2002 when CSUSB won 32 games and narrowly missed a berth in the NCAA West Regional. First-place Humboldt State (21-7), a team which split with the Coyotes 2-2 in CCAA play, will host the conference tournament next weekend, the CCAA announced this week, and hosts Chico State (12-16) this weekend in its regular season finale. Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Monterey Bay, which has finished its season at 18-14 after sweeping the Gators last weekend, have also clinched berths in the tourney. The Coyotes, picked for seventh in the CCAA in the coaches’ pre-season poll, is the top team in the CCAA when it comes to offense. CSUSB is batting .312 as a team with 57 home runs and 273 runs batted in 57 games. Senior Jordan Dahl (Vacaville) is the team leader in hitting with a .382 average in 57 games and is batting .440 in 26 CCAA games. She has 11 home runs and a team-leading 44 RBIs. She leads the squad in runs scored (48), hits (68), stolen bases (22), and slugging percentage (.663). Freshman center fielder Priscilla Curiel (San Bernardino) is having a solid season, batting .295 overall with 10 home runs and 33 RBI and hitting .351 in CCAA play with eight of her homers and 19 of her RBI coming against conference foes. Sophomore Ashley Collinwood is hitting .327 with seven home runs, 13 doubles and 43 RBI. Senior catcher Nicole Camarena is batting .306 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI. Senior Jamie Lowe is batting .337 with three homers and 25 RBI overall and .347 in CCAA games. The team is 7-3 over its last 10 games.PASO ROBLES – Senior Dane Bagnell and junior Micah Burke both shot sub-par rounds Tuesday as Cal State San Bernardino finished third in the 10th annual California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Golf Championship at Hunter Ranch Golf Club.
Bagnell shot his lowest round of the season, a four-under-par 68, to wind up in a tie for 11th place among the 35 individuals in the event with a 54-hole total of 219, three over par for the tournament.
Burke came in with a three-under par 69 to finish on the 6,741-yard, par-72 course to tie for fourth place, 11 shots back of tournament medalist Eric Justesen of Cal State Stanislaus who lapped the field with a 14-under-par total of 202, closing with a five-under 67 after shooting 65 and 70 on Monday.
Both Burke and Webster were named to the all-CCAA first team selected by the conference coaches.
As expected Sonoma State led wire-to-wire for its first-ever CCAA championship in men’s golf with an aggregate 54-hole total of 858, finishing four shots ahead of 2007 champion Cal State Stanislaus (862) and 11 shots ahead of the Coyotes (869).
Sonoma State’s Jarin Todd, who won three tournaments this year and had the lowest stroke average in the CCAA at 70.5, was named the CCAA’s player of the year.
His coach, Val Verhunce, was named CCAA coach of the year. The Seawolves will host the NCAA West-Northwest Super Regional on May 5-7 at Adobe Creek Golf Course in Petaluma. With its third-place finish, Cal State San Bernardino, ranked No. 8 in the region entering the tournament, most likely reserved a tee time for the regional where they are the defending West champions. The top eight teams and five individuals from non-qualifying teams advance to the regional. It takes a team to post an aggregate score and senior Bill Clayton stepped up when it counted, shooting a two-over-par 74 that enabled the Coyotes to post their low team round of the tournament – 284. Sophomore Gene Webster, tied for second place in the event after 36 holes with a four-under-par total of 140 on rounds of 69 and 71 on Monday, skied to a 79 on Tuesday and finished in a tie with Bagnell in 11th spot at 219. Sophomore Joe Alldis improved his position each round, starting with a 76 on Monday morning, shooting 74 in the afternoon and posting a one-over 73 to help the Coyotes distance themselves from the fourth-place finisher, Cal State Monterey Bay. The Otters were 12 shots in back of CSUSB in fourth spot at 881. Four Coyotes finished in the top 20 while all five members of Sonoma State were in the top 16 and ties. The Seawolves are ranked No. 1 in the West. Hunter Ranch as been Justesen’s personal playground in three of the last four CCAA tournaments. He won CCAA championship medalist honors for the third time in four years. He finished first in 2005 at 11 under over the same course while playing for Cal State Monterey Bay, then a provisional CCAA member, and won it in 2007 competing for Stanislaus, also at 11 under. He has played nine rounds at Hunter Ranch at 36 under par. CSUSB has finished second or third in three of the last four CCAA tournaments. --------------------- 2008 CCAA All-CONFERENCE TEAM Micah Burke (CSUSB), Gene Webster (CSUSB), Jarin Todd (Sonoma St.), Kyle Hopkins (Sonoma St.), Eric Justesen (CS Stanislaus), Lucas Delgado (Chico St.), John Jackson (CS Monterey Bay); Jacob O’Keefe (Sonoma St.); Andy Moren (CS Stanislaus); Ryan Trask (Chico St.). MVP – Jarin Todd (Sonoma St). Freshman of Year – Patrick Bauer (Sonoma St.) Newcomer of Year – Lucas Delgado (Chico St.) Coach of Year – Val Verhunce (Sonoma St.) 2008 CCAA MEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP @ Hunter Ranch Golf Club in Paso RoblesTEAM: 1. Sonoma State – 858; 2. CS Stanislaus – 862; 3. COYOTES – 869; 4. CS Monterey Bay – 881; 5. Chico State – 884; 6. UC San Diego – 891; 7. CS Dominguez Hills – 930.
INDIVIDUALS: 1. Eric Justesen (Stanislaus) 70-65-67 – 202; 2. Jarin Todd (Sonoma St.) – 70-72-68 – 210; 3. John Jackson (CS Monterey Bay) 71-69-72 – 212; 4. (tie) Micah Burke (CSUSB) 71-73-69 – 213; Jason McHargue (CS Stanislaus) 75-72-66 – 213.
COYOTE CARDS: 4. Micah Burke (71-73-69 – 213); 11. (tie) Gene Webster (69-71-79 – 219) and Dane Bagnell (76-75-68 – 219); 16. Joe Alldis (76-74-73 – 223);
30. Bill Clayton (81-79-74 – 234).Cal State San Bernardino senior David Reichel has signed with the Los Angeles Lightning of the International Basketball League which plays through June.
The IBL is made up of teams from the Midwest and West Coast along with teams from China, Canada and The Netherlands. The league is a showcase for professional leagues overseas as well the NBA, ABA and other domestic pro circuits.
The Lightning plays its home games at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, just a few miles from Reichel’s home in Camarillo where he played his high school ball and one year at nearby The Master’s College before coming to CSUSB.
The 6-8 Reichel scored six points in eight minutes of action in Saturday’s game against Battle Creek, Mich.
Two veteran NBA players are the marquee players for the Lightning – 11-year NBA veteran Lamond Murray and Fred Vinson, most recently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. Murray was a first-round draft pick of the Clippers and also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
“This is an opportunity for me to show what I can do and hope I can sign a contract with an international team in Europe, Australia or Asia,” said Reichel, who will get his bachelor’s degree in business from CSUSB in June.
He said the IBL has a 50 percent success rate of placing players with pro teams at higher levels and overseas.
Asked about the quality of play in the IBL compared to NCAA Division II, Reichel said, “Everyone is not that much quicker, but they are much stronger and the veterans know all the tricks of the trade.”
Reichel had an outstanding year for the Coyotes in 2006-07, averaging 5.6 points a game in 32 games, helping CSUSB post a 26-6 record and win the NCAA Div. II West Regional. The team made the Elite Eight for the third time in the history of the program and became the first to advance to the Final Four, beating Wingate 100-73 in the quarterfinals.
He averaged 14 minutes per game, shot 54 percent from the field and set a new all-time single-season record by hitting 50 percent of his three-pointers (39 of 78) in 2006-07.
His senior season was marred by a thumb injury that forced him to miss six games and affected his shooting and playing time. He averaged 5.1 points per game but shot only 36 percent from the field. Still, he averaged 15 minutes per game for a team that won a CCAA conference co-championship.
Reichel’s best performance of 2007-08 was a career-high, 17-point outing against Kentucky Wesleyan in early November in the Disney West Coast Classic. He averaged 7.4 points a game before being hurt during the Christmas break. He scored 11 points against Humboldt State in CSUSB’s 82-73 win on Jan. 26 and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds against UC San Diego in the CCAA tournament quarterfinals on March 4.
The Lightning is owned and managed by Mark Harwell, a television and film executive. The head coach is Ron Quarterman, former coach at L.A. Pierce College and an assistant with the L.A. Aftershock of the ABA.
The IBL teams include Bellingham, WA., Snohomish County, WA., Vancouver, WA.,, Portland, Ore., Tacoma, WA., Central Oregon, Las Vegas, NV., Elgin, Ill., Elkhart, Ind., Chicago, Grand Rapids, Mich, and three international teams – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Shanxi, China; and Holland.
The Lightning play most of their games at home at CLU, but will be traveling to Las Vegas, Chicago, Indiana and Michigan for games. The team is in the Southwest Division of the IBL along with Central Oregon, Portland, China and Las Vegas. The IBL is adding seven more teams in 2009, according to its website.
The Ninth Annual California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Golf Championships is scheduled to open
Monday at the par-72, 7,741-yard Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles.
The 54-hole event opens with 36 holes on Monday and concludes with the final 18 on Tuesday. Monday’s opening round is scheduled to begin at 7:34 a.m. and Tuesday’s final round is set to start at 7:25 a.m.
The seven-team field includes Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, UC San Diego, Sonoma State and Cal State Monterey Bay. Cal State Stanislaus senior All-American Erick Justesen is the defending individual medalist after he helped the Warriors to the 2007 championship.
Sonoma State, which is coming off a win at the Buzzini/Stanislaus Invitational on Tuesday, enters the CCAA Championships ranked No. 2 in the latest Golfstat rankings, while Cal State Stanislaus is No. 6
and Chico State is No. 14.
The Seawolves enter the CCAA Championships with three team victories, while Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State have each won two tournaments.
Junior All-American and 2007 Jack Nicklaus Award winner Jarin Todd leads Sonoma State, which captured two tournaments during the fall portion of its schedule. The Redmond, Wash., native has captured three individual medalist honors this season, and tops the CCAA with a 70.5 stroke average.
The Seawolves boast four of the CCAA’s top five stroke average leaders as Apple Valley native Kyle Hopkins (73.2), Patrick Bauer (73.4) and Jacob O’Keefe (73.5) rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Justesen is second in the CCAA with a 71.9 stroke average and has victories at the Sonoma State Invitational and CSUMB Otter Invitational.
Cal State Stanislaus captured last year’s championships with a 4- under par total of 860. The victory snapped a string of five straight wins by Cal State Bakersfield, which left the CCAA following the 2007 season to move to Division I. The Warriors captured the first-ever event when it won in 1999 at the Turlock Golf & Country Club.
CCAA Men’s Golf Champions
Team
1999 Cal State Stanislaus
2000 Grand Canyon
2001 Cal State Stanislaus
2002 Cal State Bakersfield
2003 Cal State Bakersfield
2004 Cal State Bakersfield
2005 Cal State Bakersfield
2006 Cal State Bakersfield
2007 Cal State Stanislaus
Individuall
1999 Yascha Feld (CSUS)
2000 John Davis (GCU)
2001 Marc Lawless (CSUS)
2002 Jason Boyd (UCD)
2003 Bill Noon (CSUB)
2004 D.J. Fernando (CSUB)
2005 Mark Baker (CSUB)
2006 Brady Baguio (CSUB)
2007 Erick Justesen (CSUS)
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
At 5 a.m. when most college students are sleeping soundly, Freyja Berg is starting her day. The Cal State San Bernardino senior reports to school an hour later for a two-hour water polo practice.
After a full day of classes, there is yet another practice, except on days the Coyotes have a match.
But the dedication has paid off. Berg recently became the school’s all-time leading scorer and currently ranks third nationally in scoring.
“I’m not going to lie, sometimes it’s really tough getting up,” she said. “But it’s what you have to do if you want to be good at something.”
Berg, a native of Whittier, is rounding out a storied career this month. The Coyotes (16-14) have three matches this week, starting with Division I foes UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge on Saturday and rounding out the regular season against Pomona-Pitzer at home Sunday.
They will compete in the Western Water Polo Association tournament the following week in Los Angeles.
Every goal she scores adds to her legacy. She has 334 goals which breaks the career record of Sarah Reneker Schweiger who had 324 before graduating in 2006.
Berg didn’t know she was even close until sports information director Mike Murphy brought it up during a meeting of the Coyote Athletic Association at which she was being honored as the school’s athlete of the month for March.
Coyotes coach Tom Finwall didn’t know either.
Berg appreciates the honor, especially because the record she broke was that of a former teammate she respects. Schweiger also helped coach the team early this season.
But much like Schweiger did, Berg focuses on the bigger picture.
“It’s cool. But it will probably mean more to me later,” said Berg, the fourth All-American in the history of the program. “Right now I just want to help us win. It doesn’t matter how many goals I score.”
Berg’s big junior year set her up for the record run this season. She tallied 66 goals as a freshman and 68 as a sophomore.
She emerged as the dominant player last year with Schweiger having departed and managed 112 goals, 55 assists and 84 steals which earned her All-American honors for the second time.
Her 88 so far this season are enough to put her second nationally in a list of players in all divisions. Junior Amanda Ortiz of Cal State Bakersfield (102) is first.
She also has a team-high 64 steals and 37 assists.
Finwall says it is hard to compare his top two players of all-time since the styles of play are different. Berg is also five inches taller which comes into play both offensively and defensively, even in a pool.
“Freyja is a little taller and has a longer reach which really helps her,” he said. “She is able to get some shots off over an opponent where maybe Sarah had to pass it off. She (Berg) is also a little better defender. Not to say Sarah wasn’t good. Freyja is just a littler better.”
Berg admits she has progressed faster in the sport than even she believed was possible. She took it up in the eighth grade because older sisters Bridget and Kelby played. The three competed together for one year at La Serna High School and Bridget played with Freyja for two years at Cal State.
Freyja redshirted her first year at Cal State while she was working her way back from arm injuries suffered in a snowboarding accident.
Finwall also helped her with a few adjustments to her shot which apparently have helped.
“There were just some minor things on her motion,” Finwall said. “And old habits are hard to break.”
Schweiger currently lives in Seattle with husband Brian, a bullpen catcher with the Mariners. She also plays on a master’s team and has had some coaching offers.
If her record had to fall so soon, she is happy for her former teammate.
“She’s a great player because she has worked hard at getting better every year,” Schweiger said. “She has never been afraid to ask a question or do what it takes to get to the next level. She deserves it.”
When Tacy Duncan took over the reigns of the Cal State San Bernardino softball program three years ago, she was starting from scratch. The Coyotes had never made the playoffs and were a woeful 38-129 overall (24-70 in California Collegiate Athletic Association) the three years before she arrived.
But the Coyotes (27-25, 12-10) are heading down the homestretch with a chance to make the four-team postseason conference tournament. They are third behind Humboldt State (40-14, 17-7) and Cal State Stanislaus (25-19, 18-10) with Monterey Bay (27-22, 14-14), UC San Diego (28-18, 13-13) and San Francisco State (26-18, 12-12) in pursuit.
Cal State has two four-game series left — a winnable one against Chico State (23-22, 11-13), then the tougher one against nationally ranked Stanislaus.
“Six of eight will get us in,” Duncan said. “Anything less than that and we just have to see how it plays out. It would be great to get in and have that opportunity.”
In Duncan’s first season the Coyotes improved by 10 wins, it progressed by six more the following year and has equaled its win total of 2007 with eight games to go. The Coyotes are slightly ahead of the timetable she laid out.
“It really takes five years. You have to get all your own players in and have the chance to work with them,” she said. “I’m hard to please so I think it can always be better, but I am satisfied.”
Pitching depth has helped. Last year seniors Tawni Baker and Jordan Dahl carried the load with Dahl doing so out of necessity. She prefers to play the infield.
This season Baker (9-6, 2.78) has been joined by freshman Cassidy Lee (4-7, 4.73), senior Jackie Jacob (9-6, 3.83) and junior Debbie Shisler (4-5, 2.33).
Senior Nicole Camarena (.294, 31 RBI, 12 HR), a Victorville native, is behind the plate.
Duncan’s infield usually consists of sophomore first baseman Ashley Collinwood (.331, 41 RBI), senior second baseman Jamie Lowe (.361, 31 runs) and senior third baseman Tayler Wilson (.298), with Dahl (.378, 36 RBI, 43 runs, eight HR) at short.
Cajon graduate Priscilla Curiel (.294, 31 RBI, eight HR), whom Duncan touts as a conference Freshman of the Year candidate, patrols the outfield, along with junior Tori Beaudette and Shisler with freshman Jaclyn Holtzclaw in when Shisler (.328) is pitching.
The Coyotes lead the conference in hitting (.308), slugging (.475) and on-base (.388). They also have a conference-high 48 home runs.
It has also been a challenging season for Duncan, who is balancing coaching and a full-time teaching job in Riverside with motherhood. She and husband Shannon are the parents of 8-month-old twin girls.
The school is elevating her position to full-time next year, which should ease some of the burden.
He is expected to start Thursday at Cal State L.A. The Coyotes take a six-game win streak into the four-game series with the Golden Eagles and are now 22-19 overall, 13-15 in the CCAA.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Cal State San Bernardino extended its win streak to five Saturday with a CCAA conference doubleheader sweep of host San Francisco State, helped by the pitching of seniors Ward Minich and Kevin Wilson and the hitting of Brent Planck, Johnnie Haas and Jason Klug.
In defeating the Gators 5-4 in the opener and 7-4 in the seven-inning nightcap, the Coyotes improved to 21-19 on the season, 12-15 in the CCAA. The last-place Gators are now 7-32-1 overall and 1-22 in the conference. The two teams wind up the four-game series with a single game at noon on Sunday.
CSUSB has now won eight of its last 10 games.
Planck went four-for-eight in the twinbill with three runs batted in and two runs scored while Haas was three-for-seven with two RBI and two runs scored. Klug hit a two-run homer, his eighth of the season, in the first inning of game two. His three RBIs in the game give him a team-leading 53 on the season.
Wilson went 8.1 innings in the opener, yielding three runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking none to improve his record to 3-4. He needed relief help in the ninth from Michael Leal after giving up a two-run homer to Jeff McCall. Leal gave up another run but got Matt Kavanaugh to hit into a game-ending double play in the 5-4 Coyotes win, earning a save in the process.
Trailing 1-0 after two innings, the Coyotes took a 2-1 lead in the third on two hits and an error, the big blow being a two-run single by Billy Haynes.
The score remained 2-1 until the eighth when the Coyotes erupted for three runs aided by three hits and another Gators error. Planck singled in one run. Haas doubled in another and Chris LeFay singled in the third run to give Wilson a 5-1 cushion heading to the ninth.
In game two, the Coyotes banged out 11 hits and stranded 11 runners but still scored seven runs to back the six-hit pitching of Minich, a senior right-hander who improved his record to 3-0 with six innings of work. Chad Borowski came on in the seventh and gave up a run in the 7-4 victory.
CSUSB jumped on Gators starter Matt Edgecombe (0-4) for three runs in the first, two coming on Klug's homer, and made it 5-0 in the second with a pair of runs on an RBI single by Planck and a bases-loaded walk to Klug, forcing in the other run.
The Coyotes made it 6-0 in the third as Mike Minjares was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on Planck's single. CSUSB made it 7-1 in the top of the fifth as Minjares singled, stole second and scored on Haas' RBI single.
The Coyotes return home to face Cal State L.A. in a four-game CCAA series starting Thursday at the Golden Eagles field. Game two will be played Friday afternoon, also at L.A. CSUSB will host the final two games on Saturday, April 19, at Riverside Community College, starting at noon.
Marlon Pierce, the senior guard from Cal State San Bernardino who has earned all-conference, all-region and honorable mention all-America honors this season, is heading to his second post-season all-star event later this month.
Pierce, the 6-2 guard from San Diego who competed in the NCAA Division II All-Star game at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on March 28, will this time compete in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational on April 24-26.
The three-day event features eight teams of eight players representing NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools. Each team will play three games in the tournament, considered a showcase for pro scouts from various pro leagues including the NBA.
An all-star game, featuring 20 players chosen from the 65 that will be playing in
the tournament, will be played on Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m. central daylight time and be televised live on cable channel ESPNU. CBI will take place at Wadsworth High School in the town of Wadsworth, Ohio, located 16 miles from Akron and 40 miles from Cleveland. Wadsworth’s roots date back to its founding in 1814 and is named for a Revolutionary War hero named Elijah Wadsworth. “I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels,” said CBI founder John McCarthy. “With approximately 1,000 colleges and universities within these divisions, the selection of players has truly been a challenging task. Narrowing this field to 65 players has been very difficult.” The three-day event exposes the players to professional team representatives, agents and national media while competing against many of the best non-Division I players in the nation. Each of the eight teams is sponsored by a Wadsworth business or organization and Pierce is on the Premier Pontiac-GMC team coached by Jim Tribbett of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C. His teammates include 7-foot center Eder Araujo of Walsh College (NAIA), 6-8 forward Jeremy Black of Tampa, 6-3 guard Ryan Williams of Pace and 6-5 wing Sam Belt of Central Oklahoma. Other West Region Division II players playing in the tournament are: Rob Will, a 6-10 center from Seattle Pacific; 7-foot center Marko Lkoaric of Chaminade; guard Luke Cooper of West Region champion Alaska Anchorage; Also in the tournament are 6-5 guard Jonte Flowers and 6-8 forward John Smith from NCAA Div. II national champion Winona State. “This event is simply good for the game of basketball on several levels,” McCarthy said. Pierce’s team opens the tournament at 10 a.m. on April 24 against Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet led by Kolaric of Chaminade. Each team has a host family from the city of Wadsworth. Pierce averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and nearly four assists per game for the Coyotes in 2007-08, helping them win a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The team finished 22-8 on the season and ranked 14th in the nation. He scored a team-high 13 points with three assists in the the Coyotes’ 67-63 loss to BYU-Hawaii in the West Region quarterfinals. He earned all-CCAA first-team, all-West Region first team and Division II Bulletin all-America honorable mention. He scored a career high 29 points against UC San Diego. At the Div. II all-star game in Springfield, Mass., Pierce acquitted himself quite well, dishing out six assists and making four steals for the West All-Stars while scoring four points, making two of four shots from the field. Pierce played at Cuyamaca Community College in San Diego for two seasons before coming to CSUSB at the start of the 2006-07 season, helping the Coyotes win the West Region title and advance to the Division II Final Four for the first time in the history of the men’s basketball program. He is a graduate of Helix High School in San Diego, the same school that produced NBA and former UCLA great Bill Walton.The silver lining in the 0-4 tournament performance was senior all-American Freyja Berg breaking the career scoring record held by Sarah Reneker Schweiger of 324 goals. Berg tallied seven goals in the four matches to improve her career total to 328 and her 2008 season total to 82.
Berg netted three goals, one of them on a penalty shot in the loss to the Otters in the final match of the tournament. The teams were tied 3-3 at the half and CSUSB took a 5-3 lead in the third period but the Otters rallied with four straight goals to lead 7-5 heading into the final quarter.
Kaitlin Hartman had two goals for CSUSB in the Monterey Bay match while Sabrina Marquez and Ashley Hays each scored one.
In the loss to UC Davis, which recorded its 20th win of the season, Cheryl Salazar had two goals while Aimee Salcido, Berg, Hartman and Hays each scored one.
On Saturday, the Coyotes lost to Loyola Marymount 14-9 and Santa Clara 10-5. CSUSB is now 15-14 on the season.
To do that, Bocanegra, who has since shed the interim tag and is now THE head coach, has recruited seven players that he thinks will bolster the team's ability to play better than .500 ball but also compete for post-season play in the highly-competitive CCAA conference.
The team's last post-season appearance was in 2003.
Eighteen members of last year's team plus redshirts turned out for non-traditional spring season drills, including leading scorer and all-CCAA second team pick Katie Liby, second-team all-CCAA goalkeeper Leslie Rhodes, and defender Ashley Salas, a CCAA honorable mention.
The seven recruits that have signed to play at CSUSB in 2008 are:
- Kristina Gomez, a forward or outside midfielder from Arrowhead Christian Academy in Redlands where she was first team all-CIF Southern Section three times and a member of the 2005 CIF champion team. She was first-team all-league all four years and the league MVP in 2006-07. Her focus of study will be business administration.
- Casey Hirsch, a central midfielder from Esperanza High School in Yorba Linda where she was second-team all-CIF Southern Section this past season and first-team all Sunset League on a team that was ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 2 in the Southern Section. She served as team captain. She was the team's offensive player of the year in 2006-07, the year the team reached the CIF semifinals. Her team won Sunset League titles in 2005-06 and 2007-08. She plans to major in business.
- Mackenzie Dill, an outside midfielder/forward from Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, member of the 2007-08 Baseline League champion team. She was first-team all-league in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and an honorable mention in 2005-06. She plans to major in nursing. Her team went 17-5-5 in 2007-08.
- Jaclyn Clark, a central midfielder-defender from Los Osos High School and teammate of Dill, who also wants to major in nursing. She earned second-team all-Baseline League in 2007-08 scoring two goals and assisting on six others. The team was 9-0-1 in the league under coaches Joe Kulm and Matt Stevenson, both former CSUSB men's soccer players.
- Jalissa Kluz, a defender from Rancho Cucamonga High School who earned first-team all-Baseline League in 2007-08 and second-team honors in 2006-07, was the team's defensive MVP and captain for two years. She will major in education.
- Nina King, a central midfielder from Redlands High School where she was first-team all-Citrus Belt League in 2007-08. She scored nine goals and had three assists during the season. She has not declared a major.
- Ashley Cabrera, a defender from St. Lucy's Priory in Glendora, a soccer travel ball player who did not compete for her high school. She plans to major in kinesiology.
CSUSB will face another Great Northwest Athletic Conference team, Saint Martin's, on Aug. 30 in Seattle.
FUND-RAISER NOTE - The women's soccer team will host a benefit golf tournament on Friday, April 18, at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana. Entry fee is $195 per golfer. A shotgun start is planned for 1 p.m. followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Coach Bocanegra at 909-537-7232 or email him at dbocaneg@csusb.edu
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Senior Dane Bagnell and sophomore Joe Alldis finished in a tie for 20th place among individuals to lead Cal State San Bernardino's men's golf team to a sixth-place finish Tuesday in the 19-team Grand Canyon Thunderbird Invitational at Palm Valley Country Club.
Bagnell rebounded from an opening round 80 to shot 69 and 70, five-under-par for his final 36 holes to finish at 219 for 54 holes, the same as teammate Alldis who suffered through a first-round 78 and then posted rounds of 69 and 72 to finish with the same 219 score.
The Coyotes team shot the second lowest final round of any team in the tournament, a collective 284, to move up from eighth place after Monday's first 36 holes.
Gene Webster and Micah Burke each closed with one-under-par 71s and Bill Clayton was one-over at 73, one of the tightest groupings the team has experience all season. Webster wound up tied for 22nd place at 220, a stroke back of Bagnell and Alldis while Burke and Clayton tied at 222 for 54 holes.
Alldis was six under par on the par-5s while Webster was three-under on the par-4s in the event. Bagnell had 12 birdies, only two fewer than the leader in that category.
Wayland Baptist University won the tournament at 845, four shots ahead of second-round leader Central Oklahoma with host Grand Canyon third. Medalist honors went to Kevin Stinson of Wayland Baptist who shot a sizzling eight-under 64 on Tuesday to finish at 205, 11 under par for the event, played on the par-72, 7,015-yard Palm Valley layout.
GRAND CANYON THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
@ Palm Valley Country Club near Phoenix, Ariz.
TEAM SCORES: 1. Wayland Baptist -- 845; 2. Central Oklahome -- 849; 3. Grand Canyon -- 863; 4. Western Washington -- 864; 5. Point Loma Nazarene -- 870; 6. COYOTES -- 872; 7. Northern Kentucky -- 877; 8. Fort Lewis College -- 881; 9. Colorado-Colo. Springs -- 882; 10. Cal State Monterey Bay -- 883;
11. Notre Dame de Namur -- 891; 12. UC San Diego -- 895; 13. Dixie State -- 897; 14. Saint Martin's -- 902; 15. Nebraska-Kearney -- 913; 16. BYU-Hawaii -- 916; 17. Grand Canyon White -- 921; 18. Saint Cloud State -- 932; 19. Colo. State-Pueblo -- 934.
INDIVIDUALS -- 1. Kevin Stinson (Wayland Baptist) -- 72-69-64-- 205; 2. (tie) Jeff Dagg (Wayland Baptist) -- 70-66-72 --208; Jake Koppenberg (Western Washington) 69-73-66 -- 208. 4. Colby Schum (Central Oklahoma) -- 68-72-69 -- 209; 5. Bently Nakasawa (Grand Canyon) -- 71-67-72 -- 210.
CSUSB COYOTES CARDS -- T-20. Dane Bagnell (80-69-70 -- 219) and Joe Alldis (78-69-72 -- 219);
25. Gene Webster (72-77-71 -- 220); T-38. Micah Burke (75-76-71 -- 222) and Bill Clayton (74-75-73 -- 222.)
Senior right-hander Cheyne Hann of Cal State San Bernardino has been named CCAA Pitcher of the Week.
He turned in a dominating performance against No. 26 Cal State Stanislaus Saturday, throwing a complete-game two-hit shutout in an 11-0 Coyote win.
In nine innings Hann struck out six while facing just 31 batters – four over the minimum. Two of the base runners reached on errors. Hann did not allow a runner past second base and retired the side in order five times.
He is the second Coyote pitcher in two weeks to earn the award as senior Matt Long did so two weeks ago.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
A good start was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball team.
The Coyotes were an impressive 8-0 despite a difficult schedule and they even boasted an exhibition win over Division I Youngstown State. So hopes for a return trip to the national semifinal were not unrealistic.
The Coyotes had their moments but didn’t put 40 minutes together in any game after that. They settled for a still-stellar 22-8 record and a share of the CCAA title for the seventh time in nine years, both noteworthy accomplishments. But with three Elite appearances since 1999, the bar has been raised higher at Cal State.
This year’s run ended with a 67-63 loss to Brigham Young-Hawaii in the West Region quarterfinal at Anchorage.
“I don’t think we were as good as we thought we were,” said Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver, who just wrapped up his sixth season heading the program. “We relied a little too much on our defense and that carried us because we never got it totally together at the other end of the floor.”
The Coyotes came up empty in the close games. They were just 1-3 in overtime and seven of their eight losses were by a total of 24 points. They lost three times when allowing 65 points or less.
“Most of those games we win and it isn’t even close if we have just an average offensive game,” Oliver said.
The Coyotes, who won 20 games for the ninth time in 10 years, came in to the season having lost seven players including their top four scorers.
This year’s team seemed more balanced, with 12 players getting regular playing time, but it never got the same production it got from its top two departed players - Ivan Johnson and Prentice Harris.
“I thought we had balance but it turned out to be a balance of mediocrity,” Oliver added. “We needed more production from our top guys and more production from our middle guys.”
The good news for Oliver is that the Coyotes will start next season with more players who have experience in the system than was the case this year. Seven players are leaving, four of them starters. Among those are all-conference selections Michael Earl, Lance Ortiz and Marlon Pierce.
The core of six who will be counted on heavily next year includes guard Steve Gaston, center Devon Davis, forward Ryan Kinney and guard-forwards Renardo Bass, Phil Jones and Reggie Brown. Gaston, Brown and Kinney are threats form long distance but will need to be more consistent. Jones and Bass were both top-notch defenders but will be asked to contribute more on offense.
Oliver also is high on the three players who redshirted this year. Guards Tim Denson (Colorado State) and Omar Krayem (Eastern Washington) are both Division I transfers. Jordan Richard, a 6-foot-9 center out of Los Osos, has potential to fill the void left by the departure of Earl.
Oliver said he hopes to bring at least five players into the program, at least one at every position. As has been the case Oliver will look for experienced players out of the junior college ranks.
“It never hurts to have some competition so I am hoping we get at least five, maybe as many as seven guys,” he said.
Oliver said his team is not going back to the Disney West Coast Classic in Anaheim since the event is trying to rotate representation out of the CCAA. Humboldt State will be the likely conference participant.
The Coyotes will open the season with games at Seattle Pacific against Great Northwest Athletic Conference contenders Western Washington and Seattle Pacific.
They will go back to Las Vegas but not the same event they had played in the last two years against GNAC schools. Instead they will face Grand Canyon, which once was in the CCAA and now plays out of the Pacific West Conference, and San Francisco School of the Arts, which has been accepted into the Pac West for next season.
Oliver said he will also have exhibition games against two Division I schools which should be confirmed in the next month.
Burke (Los Angeles, Calif.) captured individual medalist honors at the Southern California Intercollegiate that was contested March 10-11 at Marbella Country Club in San Juan Capistrano. Burke carded rounds of 69-65-69 for a seven-under par total of 203 and a six-shot victory over three players, including Chico State's Lucas Delgado.
The Cal State San Bernardino junior helped the Coyotes to a sixth-place finish and tops among CCAA teams in the 14-team field.
By MATT NEVALA
For the San Bernardino Sun
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – In unfamiliar surroundings, the Coyotes found themselves in a familiar situation Friday during the NCAA Division II West Regional. Only this time, the Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball team couldn’t get past Brigham Young University-Hawaii in the opening round.
Making their first appearance on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, the Coyotes hustled their way back from a nine-point, second-half deficit before falling to BYU-Hawaii 67-63 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. Cal State’s usually sound defense from baseline to baseline disappeared too often, especially down the stretch when the Seasiders closed with one needed basket after another.
“We were horrible tonight,” Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. “We didn’t do what we do – pressure the ball, guard the ball and rebound.
“If we don’t do that, we’re probably not going to win.”
Last season, the Coyotes cruised to the Division II Final Four after opening the postseason with a 71-68 win over BYU-Hawaii in Arcata. This season, the Seasiders dashed the team’s title dreams in Anchorage, the ride over after posting a 22-8 record.
“We knew going in that no one was going to let us win,” said Coyotes senior guard Marlon Pierce. “Right now, it’s tough to think about the season as a whole. Looking back, there will probably be some things I’ll be proud of and some things to be disappointed in.”
The Coyotes and BYU-Hawaii played the second of four games on Friday’s opening-round docket. They also played in front of a capacity crowd, despite host and top-seeded Alaska Anchorage not playing until the nightcap. While not booed or hassled, second-seeded Cal State clearly didn’t feel the love from the Anchorage fans the way BYU-Hawaii did as the game moved along. The seventh-seeded Seasiders were met with continued cheers. Maybe it had something to do with Alaska and Hawaii together not being connected to the Lower 48, the term Alaskans use to describe the contiguous portion of the country.The Coyotes, defending region champs and perennial Division II powerhouses, believed it was something else.
“We’re pretty used to that,” senior guard Lance Ortiz said.
Pierce knew what was up.
“We’ve had a pretty big target on our back all year,” he said. “Everywhere we played, even the neutral sites, we were all we had. Our 15 to 18 guys with the coaches included (are) what we had all season. It was nothing we hadn’t seen before.”
BYU-Hawaii committed 11 of its 12 first-half turnovers in the first 12 minutes. After that, it made only one turnover before halftime. The Seasiders (19-7) solved Cal State’s full-court pressure defense and began getting easy looks for their big men – 6-foot-9 sophomore center Lucas Alves and 6-7 junior Jermaine Odjegba. Each player finished with 16 points.
Alves’ emphatic slam from the left side with 4:19 to play in the first half gave BYU-Hawaii a 24-20 lead. The advantage grew to five (34-29) by the break.
“The two people that hurt us were their bigs and bigs aren’t supposed to hurt us,” Oliver said. “It was a major problem.”
And one that got worse for the Coyotes in the second half before it got a little better.
Alves shook loose for three second-half dunks, including a pair of ooh- and aah-inspiring alley oops. The second on a pass from Corey Neilson gave the Seasiders a 49-42 lead with 12:39 to play.
“(The Coyotes) tried to press the ball as much as they could so the weak side was kind of wide open,” Alves said. “The first time, I was open so I just threw my finger up (looking for the pass). Yes, I was pretty surprised it worked again after that.”
BYU-Hawaii extended the lead to 51-42 moments after Alves’ alley-oop dunk. It was then when the Coyotes found their defensive prowess and mounted the comeback.
Cal State made stop after stop and scored the next 10 points. Joseph Tillman’s long-range jumper gave his team a 52-51 lead with 6:16 remaining. The Seasiders scored, but Cal State answered with an Ortiz three-pointer and Michael Earl free throw. The Coyotes led 56-53, but they then went scoreless the next 2:37.
They also relented defensively, allowing eight consecutive BYU-Hawaii points. Pierce and Ortiz each knocked down three-pointers. Ortiz’s triple with 52 seconds left sliced the Seasiders’ lead to 63-62. Odjegba left-side leaner and a pair of Neilson free throws finished off the Coyotes.
Alves grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. BYU-Hawaii will play rival Chaminade in today’s region semifinal.
Pierce led Cal State with 13 points. Ortiz added 11. The Coyotes were beat on the boards 32-25. BYU-Hawaii shot 54.9 percent (28 of 51) from the floor.
In a classy postgame move, Oliver closed his comments by thanking his group of eight seniors, led by Pierce, Ortiz and Earl.
“Overall, this probably wasn’t the most talented team I’ve had,” said the coach in his sixth season. “But it’s probably been the most enjoyable to coach. This core group (of seniors) is the one that put us back on the map after having the one .500 year. My hat is off to those guys that got us pointed back in the right direction.”
Matt Nevala is a former Anchorage Daily News sports reporter. Contact him at nevs@gci.net.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Now that the famed Itidarod dogsled race is over, another sport will be taking center stage in the sprawling wilderness of Anchorage, Alas.
The top eight Division II men’s basketball teams in the West Region will square off at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at University of Alaska-Anchorage starting today with a berth in the Elite Eight on the line. Jeff Oliver’s Cal State San Bernardino squad will be trying to advance to the national tournament for the fourth time.
It is the first time the Seawolves have hosted the event.
The No. 2 seeded Coyotes (22-7) face No. 7 Brigham Young-Hawaii (18-7) in the second of four quarterfinals today at 3:30 p.m.
The Coyotes changed their travel plans and left from Ontario Tuesday night, rather than from LAX Wednesday morning which helped in the preparation.
The team practiced at a local high school Wednesday and Thursday, then attended a banquet held to honor the participating teams Thursday evening.”
“I’m really glad we had that extra day. Humboldt came in Wednesday late and had the first practice Thursday. That couldn’t have felt good,” Oliver said. “We have had good practices. We’re healthier than we have been all season. We’re ready to go.”
Oliver said his team seems to be acclimating to the conditions. It was snowing when the Coyotes arrived but had warmed up to a balmy 33 by Thursday afternoon. There hasn’t been much time for sightseeing but Oliver said athletic director Kevin Hatcher and trainer Laura Watkins took a side trip in search of wildlife.
“We actually saw the sun today and were able to open the sunroof on the rental car,” he quipped. “When we got here it was kind of flat. you couldn’t see much because of the fog but it is quite scenic.”
The Coyotes, who claimed a share of the CCAA title for the ninth time in seven years, may be enjoying their surroundings but the mood has been all business. Last year the Coyotes emerged as the regional champion, beating host Humboldt State in a dramatic title tilt.
This year’s quarterfinal is a rematch of one last year in which the Coyotes beat the Seasiders 81-78.
The Coyotes, ranked No. 14 in the most recent NABC poll, play the same style but have tweaked their defense since the last meeting and Oliver hopes that pays off. Cal State’s senior ackcourt of Marlon Pierce and Lance Ortiz have combined for 133 steals with Ortiz (76) ranking first in the conference in that department and Pierce (57) third. Ortiz was slowed by a sprained ankle recently but is back to full strength according to Oliver.
Senior center Michael Earl, a native of Pomona, has also figured prominently on defense with a conference high 56 blocks which set a school record.
“This is what we have been working for all season,” said Earl, a graduate of Diamond Ranch. “It’s a long season. We had some stumbles along the way but we’re still where we want to be.”
Junior forward-guard Philip Jones and senior forward Jason Gilzene round out the starting lineup. Jones hasn’t factored much into the offense but is one of the team’s best on-ball defenders.
The unsung hero has been junior Renardo Bass who has done what Oliver dubs the “intangible things” that have contributed to the team’s success.
BYU, the runner-up in the weak Pacific West Conference, will pose a formidable threat because of its inside presence in 6-foot-9 sophomore forward-center Lucas Alves (20.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg), a first-team All-Region selection.
Other key players are senior guard Paul Peterson (15 ppg, 3.7 apg) and junior guard Trenson Akana (11.7 ppg).
Despite the overall success, the Coyotes have come up empty in a lot of close games this season. They are 1-3 in overtime and six of their seven losses have been by a total of 20 points.
“It has been little things,” Pierce said. “We’ve been in every game we just haven’t been able to finish them off. Now we have to do it because there are no second chances.”
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)
SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State San Bernardino women's basketball star Vanessa Wilt -- the California Collegiate Athletic Association MVP for 2007-08 -- is one of 40 finalists for the coveted State Farm Coaches All-America Basketball Team.
, Neb. State.
Both Cal State San Bernardino basketball teams will be facing familiar foes this week when West Region play convenes. For the women's team the opponent is a little too familiar.
The men's team, currently ranked 14th nationally, is seeded second behind the host team University of Alaska-Anchorage and will square off against No. 7 seed Brigham Young-Hawaii in its quarterfinal on Friday at 3:30 p.m. It is the Coyotes ninth playoff appearance in 10 years.
It will be a rematch between the same teams in the same round last year. The Coyotes rallied to win that game 71-68 en route to a championship and berth in the Elite Eight.
Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver was not surprised with that draw and is pleased to be playing a nonconference opponent.
'I really didn't want to have to play a team I have seen twice already," he said. "With our defense teams have a lot better chance if they have seen it. We played it last year but we tweaked it a little and we're playing it better."
The Seasiders (18-7), runner-up in the Pacific West Conference to Chaminade, are led by a solid duo that consists of 6-9 sophomore Lucas Alves and senior guard Paul Peterson.
"They have the best big man in the region (Alves)," Oliver said. "They have a lot of the same team they had last year. We're quite a bit different. It will be a test."
The Coyotes (22-7) finshed as co-champion in the CCAA with Humboldt State, which is seeded No. 6 and will face No . 3 Chaminade. The third conference representative is No. 8 UC San Diego, which earned the automatic berth by winning the conference tournament and will play the host team.
Four CCAA teams made the women's regional, which will be hosted by top seed Seattle Pacific 27-0), ranked No. 2 nationally.
The No. 5 Coyotes (21-7) will face CCAA rival and No. 4 seed UC San Diego (4-9) in their first game Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The teams have played twice with the Tritons winning both games - 68-60 and 66-56.
It isn't a good matchup for the Coyotes who have not had an answer for the Tritons 1-2 punch of 6-footers Meaghan Noud and Michelle Osier. The two combined for 34 points in the first game between the teams and 57 in the second. They also boast a 6-2 center in Alexis Gaskin, giving the Tritons a big advantage in size and strength.
If there is any good news it is that the Coyotes have not played a good game against the Tritons.
"I don't think we can play any worse than we did the last time we played them. So it has to get better," coach Kevin Becker said.
"We need to shoot the ball better. Both times we played them we didn't lose because we didn't defend well. We held them in the 60's. We have to shoot better. If we don't it will be a long night."
The Coyotes qualified for the regional last year for the first time since 1998 but lost their quarterfinal to another conference foe - Chico State.
They had been No. 4 last week but dropped a spot this week. That failed to matter because the 4 and 5 teams play.
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
CCAA Tournament and regular-season champion Chico State earned the conference's automatic berth, while Cal State San Bernardino, UC San Diego and Sonoma State were at-large selections. All four teams will compete in the NCAA Division II West Regional scheduled for March 14-17 at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.
The Wildcats (27-5) enter regional play as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 7 seed Northwest Nzarene (19-8) on Friday beginning at 1:30 p.m. No. 6 seed Sonoma State (20-8) and No. 3 Alaska Anchorage (26-4) will open the regional with an 11:30 a.m. contest.
No. 4 UC San Diego (24-9) and No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino (21-7) are scheduled to tip-off at 4:30 p.m. while top-seed and host Seattle Pacific (27-0) will entertain Saint Martin's (17-10) at 6:30 p.m.
The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals scheduled for Saturday with start times of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The regional final will be played on Monday beginning at 6 p.m.
The regional champions will advance to the NCAA Women's Elite Eight March 26, 27 and 29 at the Health and Sports Center in Kearney, Nebraska. University of Nebraska at Kearney will host the Elite Eight.
2008 NCAA Division II West Regional
Women's Basketball Championships
Mar. 14, 15 & 17 - Seattle, Wash. (Royal Brougham Pavilion)
All times ADT
First Round - Friday, Mar. 14
No. 3 Alaska Anchorage (26-4) vs. No. 6 Sonoma State (20-8), 11:30 a.m.
No. 2 Chico State (27-5) vs. No. 7 Northwest Nazarene (19-8), 1:30 p.m.
No. 4 UC San Diego (24-9) vs. No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino (21-7), 4:30 p.m.
No. 1 Seattle Pacific (27-0) vs. No. 8 Saint Martin's (17-10), 6:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, Mar. 15
Chico St./NNU winner vs. UAA/SSU winner, 4 pm
UCSD/CSUSB winner vs SPU/SMU winner, 6 pm
Finals - Monday, Mar. 17
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
Player of the Week - Ashley Collinwood (Cal State San Bernardino)
Sophomore first baseman Ashley Collinwood (Riverside, Calif.) was an offensive force in helping Cal State San Bernardino win three of four games against UC San Diego over the weekend. Collinwood batted .571 (8-for-14) with five runs scored, seven RBI, three home runs and a double.
Pitcher of the Week - Lizzy Prescott (Humboldt State)
Senior right hander Lizzy Prescott (Castro Valley, Calif.) went 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA during a four-game series sweep at Cal State Stanislaus. Prescott allowed four run, 19 hits and struck out 27 batters in 29 innings of work.
Jan. 28-Feb. 3: Jenny Maze (UC San Diego); Feb. 4-10: Homa Shaffi (Cal State Monterey Bay); Feb. 11-17: Danielle Lukk (UC San Diego); Feb. 18-24: Kendra Wood (San Francisco State); Feb. 25-Mar. 2: Ashley Collinwood (Cal State San Bernardino).
Jan. 28-Feb. 3: Melissa Ward (UC San Diego); Feb. 4-10: Lizzy Prescott (Humboldt State); Feb. 11-17: Melissa Ward (UC San Diego); Feb. 18-24: Lizzy Prescott (Humboldt State); Feb. 25-Mar. 2: Lizzy Prescott (Humboldt State).
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.”
| Pos. | Institution (1st Place) |
Previous |
W-L |
Pts |
| 1. | Delta State (24) |
1 |
22-0 |
622 |
| 2. | Seattle Pacific |
2 |
22-0 |
599 |
| 3. | North Dakota |
3 |
23-1 |
565 |
| 4. | South Dakota (1) |
4 |
22-1 |
554 |
| 5. | Concordia (Minn.) |
5 |
24-1 |
520 |
| 6. | Drury |
6 |
20-2 |
488 |
| tie | Holy Family |
7 |
24-0 |
488 |
| 8. | Fort Lewis |
8 |
24-1 |
449 |
| 9. | Indiana (Pa.) |
9 |
22-2 |
421 |
| 10. | West Georgia |
10 |
23-2 |
408 |
| 11. | Alaska-Anchorage |
11 |
22-3 |
374 |
| 12. | Arkansas Tech |
12 |
20-3 |
345 |
| 13. | Stonehill |
15 |
20-4 |
291 |
| 14. | Valdosta State |
14 |
20-4 |
284 |
| 15. | Anderson |
16 |
22-2 |
269 |
| 16. | West Texas A&M |
17 |
19-4 |
243 |
| 17. | Washburn |
18 |
19-4 |
221 |
| 18. | Emporia State |
20 |
18-5 |
156 |
| 19. | Hillsdale |
22 |
21-3 |
154 |
| 20. | Franklin Pierce |
21 |
20-4 |
150 |
| 21. | Chico State |
13 |
20-5 |
127 |
| 22. | Tusculum |
NR |
21-3 |
93 |
| 23. | Francis Marion |
25 |
18-5 |
49 |
| 24. | Cal State-San Bernardino |
NR |
19-4 |
43 |
| 25. | Fairmont State |
19 |
20-5 |
42 |
Dropped Out: Augustana, Michigan Tech
Others Receiving Votes: Augustana 33; Missouri Science & Technology 25; Assumption 18; Augusta State 17; Michigan Tech 14; West Liberty State 13; Clayton State 12; St. Mary's 12; South Carolina-Aiken 10; California (Pa.) 4; Shepherd 3; Indianapolis 3; American International 2; Bowie State 1; Lander 1; Nebraska-Kearney 1; Tampa 1.<
The Coyotes, who have been as high as No. 4, were No. 18 last week but fell two places after last Friday's 63-60 loss to lowly Chico State.
The poll is released every Tuesday.
February 19, 2008
| Rank | Institution (1st Place) | W-L | Pts | Previous |
| 1 | Bentley (6) | 24-0 | 198 | 1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley State (2) | 28-0 | 194 | 2 |
| 3 | Winona State | 27-1 | 184 | 3 |
| 4 | Northern State | 24-2 | 176 | 5 |
| 5 | South Carolna-Aiken | 20-2 | 166 | 6 |
| 6 | Findlay | 22-3 | 159 | 7 |
| 7 | Drury | 20-3 | 147 | 9 |
| 8 | Augusta State | 19-4 | 142 | 12 |
| 9 | Alaska-Anchorage | 20-4 | 135 | 4 |
| 10 | C.W. Post | 21-2 | 128 | 14 |
| 11 | Mount Olive | 20-4 | 118 | 16 |
| 12 | Tarleton State | 20-3 | 113 | 17 |
| 13 | Gannon | 22-3 | 110 | 8 |
| 14 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 20-4 | 94 | 19 |
| 15 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 19-3 | 85 | 20 |
| 16 | South Dakota | 19-4 | 76 | 10 |
| 17 | Fort Lewis | 20-4 | 65 | 25 |
| 18 | Southwest Baptist | 18-5 | 61 | 15 |
| 19 | Minnesota State-Mankato | 20-5 | 39 | NR |
| 20 | Cal State-San Bernardino | 19-5 | 35 | 18 |
| 21 | California (Pa.) | 18-4 | 29 | NR |
| 22 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 22-4 | 23 | 22 |
| 23 | North Alabama | 20-7 | 20 | NR |
| 24 | Benedict | 19-4 | 18 | NR |
| 25 | Florida Southern | 19-7 | 13 | 2 |
Others Receiving Votes: West Liberty State 11, Chaminade 8, Pittsburgh-Johnstown 8, St. Rose 7, Central Oklahoma 6, Rollins 6, Wingate 6, Seattle Pacific 6, Northwest Missouri State 4, Tampa 4, Edinboro 3, Elizabeth City State 2, Nebraska-Omaha 1.
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.”
SHANAE BLAKE
Cal State San Bernardino
Basketball
The lowdown: The 5-foot-5 junior point guard is averaging 10.7 points and helped the Coyotes (19-4, 13-3) to a share of first place in the CCAA. Recorded a season-high of 20 points against Chico State earlier this season on the road. Totaled 17 with fie rebounds in Cal State’s most recent win. Redshirted last season at Cal State after coming over from Chaffey College where she played for two seasons and earned all-conference and all-state honors. Competed in basketball and track in high school, earning all-league honors in both.
Age: 22
Hometown: Pomona
High school: Chino High School, 2003
Major: Psychology
Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan
Favorite team: Cal State San Bernardino
Role model: My parents (Alvin and Tawana Blake)
Can’t miss TV show: Maury
Most embarrassing moment: Airballed two free throws in a row my freshman year in high school.
Most memorable sports moment: Being named MVP at the Orange Coast Tournament (while at Chaffey).
Person most influential in your athletic success: My parents
Celebrity you most want to meet: Michael Jordan/Cynthia Cooper
Favorite food: Shrimp
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball
Other hobbies: sleeping
What’s in your CD player/iPOD: Destiny’s Child
Best advice anyone has given you: Do what makes you happy. Don’t let other people make decisions for you.
What do you want to be doing in five years: Working withg disabled and disadvantaged youths.
- Compiled by Michelle Gardner
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Pity the Cal State Stanislaus men’s basketball team.
It was the Warriors with the misfortune of squaring off against an angry Cal State San Bernardino team that was embarrassed by lowly Chico State 24 hours earlier.
The Coyotes looked more like their normal selves, walloping the visiting Warriors 89-68 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win put the Coyotes (19-5, 12-4) back in first place by a game over UC San Diego and Humboldt State.
Cal State coach Jeff Oliver admitted Friday’s 63-60 loss was the most disappointing in his six-year tenure. The Wildcats were last in the 11-team conference, on an 11-game losing streak, winless on the road and had beaten only two Division II teams this season.
It was a definite blow to the storied program which is less than a year removed from an appearance in the national semifinal.
“My mind still isn’t quite right,” Oliver said. “I still can’t stop playing that one through my mind. It will sit with me for quite some time. But it wasn ice to come back the way we did.”
Players were thinking about it too.
“It was real quite in the shootaround today,” senior point guard Marlon Pierce said. “It was like everyone saw a ghost. We couldn’t believe that happened.”
The host team sent a message from the opening tip, starting the game with an 8-0 run. The Coyotes also led 24-4 nine minutes into the contest after a 3-pointer by David Reichel.
The Warriors (5-18, 4-12) made a run to cut it to 10 at 27-17 but the Coyotes finished the half with a 19-4 and held a commanding 46-21 cushion at the intermission.
“The energy was key,” senior Lance Ortiz added. “We came out quickly and sent a message. Getting off to a good start helped us settle down.”
Several statistics told the story as the No. 18 Coyotes vaunted defense forced 16 turnovers and held the Warriors to 32 percent (8-for-25) shooting from the field. The visitors ended up with 25 turnovers, with the Coyotes ceasing the full-court pressure in the last 15 minutes.
The Coyotes shot 47.2 percent (17-for-36) and had 14 assists with six just turnovers. The ended up 47.1 percent (32-for-68) for the game with Ortiz tallying 17 with eight assists, Pierce 15 and seldom-used reserve Ryan Kinney chipping in with a carfeer high 12.
The Coyotes led by as many as 34 at 65-31 afer a shot by Renardo Bass with 12 minutes left. The game got a little ragged after that with both teams substituting freely. Oliver used 15 players, 11 of whom figured in the scoring.
“Today it didn’t matter who it was,” Pierce added. “It could have been San Diego, Humboldt, whoever. We were on a mission.”
The Coyotes remain at home to face local rival Cal Poly Pomona Thursday. Cal State lost to their nemesis 66-6 in overtime earlier this season.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
The Cal State San Bernardino women’s basketball team will need to reverse a trend if it is to win its first California Collegiate Athletic Association title.
The Coyotes have lost eight straight games to Chico State and only one of those was competitive. But that is the foe that will be marching into Coussoulis Arena for a 5:30 showdown Friday.
The stakes are high with the Coyotes (17-4, 11-3) one game behind frontrunner Chico State (19-4, 12-2) in the CCAA standings. The Wildcats also are ranked 13th nationally and second in the Division II West Region poll, one spot ahead of Cal State.
Even the typically reserved Coach Kevin Becker acknowledges the importance of the game.
“A lot of times a game may not seem important at the time, then you look back on it,” he said. “But if you just look at the standings and what is on the line it probably is the biggest game any of these girls have played here.”
Chico leads the all-time series 16-7, with Cal State’s last win coming Feb. 27, 2004. Five of the eight in that stretch have been decided by 19 points or more.
In the first round of conference play the Wildcats defeated the Coyotes 70-59, a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Chico led 35-12 at the half and scored the first 10 points of the second half with the Coyotes missing their first nine shots from the field.
Becker doesn’t think there will be any lingering effects.
“We have played a lot of games since then,” he said. “You look at what you did wrong and move on. These girls aren’t the kind that are losing sleep over it.”
Becker concedes that it’s a tough matchup for his team, which relies on a finesse game. The Wildcats are bigger, stronger and deeper at every position. They are led by guard Audriana Spencer (14.3 points per game), last week’s conference player of the week.
“Their wings are 5-9, 5-10 and they’re strong. Their guards may be 5-5 or 5-6 but they’re solid,” he said. “It definitely is a matchup problem for us.”
The Coyotes are led by senior center Vanessa Wilt (21.3 ppg, 13.6 rpg) who ranks second in the nation in rebounding and fourth in scoring and has 20 double-doubles in 21 outings. But she is averaging just 11 points and seven rebounds in four previous games against the Wildcats, fouling out of three of them.
The formula for success is simple: Becker will be looking for his perimeter shooters to knock down some shots to take the pressure of Wilt inside. The key trio there consists of juniors Rachel Johnson (7.4 ppg) and Shanae Blake (10.5 ppg) and sophomore Krystal Urzua (8.3 ppg). Blake knocked down 20 in the first meeting, all of those coming in the last 14 minutes of the game.
Meanwhile the goal for men’s coach Jeff Oliver’s team will be to not get complacent. Ranked second in the region and 18th nationally, the Coyotes (18-4, 11-3) will be facing a Wildcat team (5-16, 1-13) that has dropped 11 straight games and has not yet won on the road.
The Coyotes currently have a one-game lead over UC San Diego and a two-game edge over defending champion Humboldt State and surprising San Francisco State.
“The bottom line is if we take care of business on our home floor we can do no worse than a tie for the conference championship. That is the light at the end of the tunnel,” Oliver said.
Senior point guard Marlon Pierce has been the catalyst, averaging 15.5 points and shooting 48 percent from long distance in conference play.
Cal State Stanislaus will come in for a doubleheader on Saturday.
CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO's Jennifer Joy has been named the Penn California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 4-10.
Joy, a senior from Palm Desert, Calif., improved her 2008 season record to 3-0 after registering a pair of victories while playing at No. 1 singles. A three-time All-CCAA selection, Joy defeated The Master's College's Hannah Leake in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Joy followed that performance with a victory over Ina Dan of four-time defending CCAA champion UC San Diego. She won by scores by 3-6, 6-4 and 14-12 in the third set super tiebreaker to account for the Coyotes' only point in an 8-1 loss.
While teaming with Leslie Horn at No. 1 doubles, Joy posted a 2-1 record, defeating tandems from LaVerne and The Master's College before falling to Ina Dan and Taskeen Bains of of UC San Diego.
| Rank | Institution (1st Place) |
Previous |
W-L |
Pts |
| 1. | Delta State (26) |
1 |
20-0 |
673 |
| 2. | Seattle Pacific |
2 |
20-0 |
647 |
| 3. | North Dakota |
3 |
21-1 |
611 |
| 4. | South Dakota (1) |
4 |
20-1 |
600 |
| 5. | Concordia (Minn.) |
5 |
22-1 |
567 |
| 6. | Drury |
6 |
19-2 |
529 |
| 7. | Holy Family |
7 |
22-0 |
522 |
| 8. | Fort Lewis |
9 |
22-1 |
471 |
| 9. | Indiana (Pa.) |
T10 |
20-2 |
440 |
| 10. | West Georgia |
T10 |
21-2 |
433 |
| 11. | Alaska-Anchorage |
8 |
20-3 |
430 |
| 12. | Arkansas Tech |
15 |
18-3 |
329 |
| 13. | Chico State |
14 |
19-4 |
317 |
| 14. | Valdosta State |
13 |
19-4 |
310 |
| 15. | Stonehill |
16 |
18-4 |
288 |
| 16. | Anderson |
17 |
20-2 |
273 |
| 17. | West Texas A&M |
12 |
17-4 |
233 |
| 18. | Washburn |
19 |
17-4 |
206 |
| 19. | Fairmont State |
21 |
19-4 |
144 |
| 20. | Emporia State |
22 |
16-5 |
138 |
| 21. | Franklin Pierce |
23 |
19-4 |
129 |
| 22. | Hillsdale |
NR |
19-3 |
98 |
| 23. | Augustana |
25 |
20-5 |
91 |
| 24. | Michigan Tech |
20 |
18-5 |
81 |
| 25. | Francis Marion |
18 |
17-4 |
67 |
Dropped Out: Minnesota State-Mankato
Others Receiving Votes: Tusculum 42; Assumption 20; Columbus State 18; Missouri Science & Tech 11; Augusta State 9; St. Mary's 9; Clayton State 8; Indianapolis 8; Minnesota State-Mankato 7; Wingate 6; Bowie State 3; Tampa 3; California State-San Bernardino 2; Texas A&M-Commerce 1; South Carolina-Aiken 1.
RACHEL JOHNSON
Cal State San Bernardino
Basketball
The lowdown: The 6-foot junior forward is averaging 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and has started 10 of 17 games for the Coyotes (14-3). Had a career-high 24 points and six assists in a 78-64 win over Cal Poly Pomona two weeks ago. Went 7-of-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from 3-point range in that game. Also had 17 points with five 3-pointers in nonconference play against Notre Dame de Namur. Averaged 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds as a sophomore and 3.4 points and 2 rebounds as a freshman. Played four years of basketball and one year of volleyball in high school.
Age: 20
Hometown: Kennewick, Wash.
High school: Kennewick High School, 2005
Major: Communications/public relations
Favorite athlete: LeBron James
Favorite team: Boston Celtics
Role model: My parents (Brian and Cindy Johnson)
Can’t miss TV shows: King of Queens, Sex and the City
Most memorable sports moment: Playing in the NCAA Tournament (Division II) last year.
Person most influential in your athletic success: My dad
Celebrity you most want to meet: LeBron James
Favorite food: My mom’s homemade pizza
Favorite movie: Training Day
Last good book you read: The Secret
What’s in your CD player/iPod: Cam’ron Killa Season
Other hobbies: Shopping
Favorite vacation spot: Mexico
Best advice anyone has given you: Live life to the fullest.
Pre-game ritual or superstition: I chew a piece of gum on each side of my mouth.
What would you like to be doing in five years?: Have a successful career and be happily married.
- Compiled by Michelle Gardner
| WALNUT CREEK — Cal State San Bernardino center Vanessa Wilt has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 21-27. It marks the fifth time this season she has been honored. Wilt, a 6-foot-1 senior from Hesperia, Calif., averaged 20 points and 13.5 rebounds it two home wins over Sonoma State and Humboldt State that kept the Coyotes in a tie with Chico State for first place in the CCAA. She shot 77 percent (17 of 22) from the field and also averaged 2.0 blocked shots in the two games. In Friday’s win over Sonoma State, Wilt scored 22 points and had seven rebounds despite playing just 26 minutes after getting into early foul trouble. Wilt came back on Saturday to score 18 points, grab 20 rebounds, collect two steals, two blocked shots and an assist in 39 minutes against Humboldt State. Wilt tops the CCAA in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 20.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.47 blocked shots a contest. Cal State San Bernardino opens second-half play on Friday when it travels to San Francisco State. The Coyotes conclude weekend play at Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday. Wilson CCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week: Nov. 12-18: Renee Goldoff (Chico State); Nov.19-25: Shirsty Kumar (Cal State Stanislaus); Nov. 26 – Dec. 2: Vanessa Wilt (Cal State San Bernardino); Dec. 3-9: Vanessa Wilt (Cal State San Bernardino); Dec. 10-16: Veronica Williams (Cal State L.A.); Dec. 17-23: Vanessa Wilt (Cal State San Bernardino); Dec. 24-30: Dane Wellander (Sonoma State); Dec. 31-Jan. 6: Vanessa Wilt (Cal State San Bernardino); Jan 7-13: Melissa Richardson (Chico State); Jan. 14-20: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego); Jan. 21-27: Vanessa Wilt (Cal State San Bernardino). |
The Coyotes are one spot behind defending conference champion Humboldt State, whom they will host Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Coussoulis Arena.
The top three places in the poll remained unchanged.
NABC/Division II Coaches Poll
Men
1. Bentley (16-0) 197
2. Grand Valley State (20-0) 195
3. Winona State (20-1) 184
4. Drury (14-1) 173
5. South Carolina Aiken (13-1)
6. South Dakota (15-1)
7. Northern State (17-1) 139
8. Rollins (14-2) 135
9. Alaska-Anchorage (14-3) 133
10. West Liberty State (13-1)
11. Findlay (15-3) 110
12. SW Oklahoma State (14-3) 97
13. Augusta State (10-3) 96
14. Abilene Christian (14-2) 90
15. Gannon (15-2) 84
16. Nebraska-Omaha (15-2) 81
17. Humboldt State (12-3) 73
18. CS San Bernardino (13-3) 65
19. C.W. Post (13-2) 56
20. Tarleton State (14-2) 54
21. Southwest Baptist (12-3) 49
22. Florida Southern (14-4) 40
23. Virginia Union (12-2) 31
24. Mount Olive (11-3) 17
25. Northern Kentucky (13-2)
Also receiving votes: Chaminade 12; Alderson-Broaddus 11; Lenoir-Rhyne 8; Augustana 6; Fort Lewis 4; Central Oklahoma 3; Lewis 3; Florida Tech 2; California, Pa. 1; Northwest Nazarene 1; Wingate 1
The men's team, 11-1 overall and 4-0 in the CCAA, moved up from No. 10 to No.6 this week in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll released today. The women's team, 10-1 overall and 4-0 in the CCAA, earned 12 votes in the USA TODAY/ESPN national poll, not quite enough to get it into the top 25. It is the first time since 1997-98 that the women's team has been listed in the national poll.
In addition, another poll called the 2007-08 College Basketball Computer Ratings, coordinated by David Wilson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Computer-Aided Engineering Center, ranks the Coyotes men as co-No. 1 in Division II with a power rating of 706, the same as Drury University, Mo. The poll is located at www.talismanred.com/ratings/hoops
The NCAA Division II Championships Committee West Region poll, the one that counts in terms of seeding teams for the NCAA tournament in March, won't be published until Jan. 24 for the women and Jan. 30 for the men. NABC/DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL POLL
1. Bentley (12-0) 198
2. Grand Valley State (16-0) 194
3. South Dakota (14-0 184
4. Winona State (16-1) 173
5. Rollins (11-1) 164
6. CS San Bernardino (11-1) 160
7. Drury (11-1) 149
8. South Carolina-Aiken (10-1) 131
9. Findlay (12-2) 116
10. West Liberty (9-0) 112
11. Florida Tech (11-0) 106
12. Nebraska-Omaha (11-1) 105
13. Southwestern Oklahoma (11-2)104
14. Pittsburg State (10-1) 91
15. Northern State (14-1) 85
16. Northwest Missouri State (9-2) 79
17. Seattle (8-2) 60
18. Gannnon (12-1) 53
19. Alaska-Anchorage (11-3) 46
20. St. Cloud State (11-3) 43
21. Texas A&M Kingsville (11-2) 36
22. Augusta State (7-3) 33
23. Brigham Young-Hawaii (7-3) 28
24. California (9-2) 22
25. St. Augustine's (8-2) 18
Also receiving votes: Tampa 13; Humboldt State 13, Seattle Pacific 13; Washburn 11; C.W. Post 9; Tarleton State 8; Central Oklahoma 7; Mount Olive 7; Augustana 6; Lenoir-Rhyne 5; North Alabama 5; Assumption 3; Benedict 3; Abilene Christian 2; Southern Indiana 2; Wingate 1.
By J.P. Hoornstra
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - They were trying to play team basketball, trying to bounce back from an ugly game and trying to separate themselves from the rest of the California Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team did all that Saturday night in a 65-57 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills, ironically, because they weren't trying to do too much.
"The effort was outstanding," said head coach Jeff Oliver, who has often been hesitant to compliment his team's effort.
The result was a hodgepodge of open shots, backdoor picks and the usual stifling defense that allowed Cal State to hold off a late rally by the Toros in the second half.
The Coyotes (11-1, 4-0 CCAA) moved into sole possession of first place with the victory, thanks to Humboldt State's 80-69 win over UC San Diego earlier in the day.
The 8-point winning margin belied an outstanding defensive performance that produced 13 steals (to the Toros' 1), led by four from Lance Ortiz. Ortiz also had six assists and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, which the point guard said was a career-high.
"For us playing how bad we did yesterday, one of our main goals is to separate ourselves from the rest of the conference," Ortiz said. "Whoever we play now, it's their biggest game of the year."
A night earlier against Cal State Los Angeles, Oliver called his team's post play "atrocious," and also criticized the backcourt, despite a 72-56 margin of victory.
But on Saturday, Michael Earl and Devon Davis had a much easier time in the paint - despite facing a taller Toro defense - scoring 12 and eight points, respectively. Marlon Pierce led the Coyotes with 15 points and Reggie Brown added 11 in a balanced effort.
Jerrell Smith's 15 points led Cal State Dominguez Hills (6-4, 2-2 CCAA), which trailed by as many as 13 in the second half before clawing back to 61-57 with 1:37 remaining.
With the opponent closing in down the stretch, the Coyotes didn't panic and didn't let up on defense, either.
Brown got a shooter's bounce on a 20-foot jumpshot to push the lead to 63-57. On the other end, Pierce collected one of his three steals to set up a free throw that made it a 7-point game. Earl sealed the win with one of his three blocks.
"This was definitely a big win for us," Brown said. "We knew coming in we were going to have to come out more aggressive."
Brown went 3-of-5 from 3-point range, a welcome touch since downtown specialist David Reichel was sidelined with a hand injury earlier in the week. Oliver said after the game that Reichel is targeting next Wednesday for a possible return to practice, which would be earlier than initially expected.
"He brings the ability to stretch the defense, which helps our spacing," Oliver said of Reichel. "We definitely need him (Jan. 19) against (UC) San Diego."
"Defensively I am very pleased but we're relying too much on that," he said. "We have to start knocking down some shots because we're putting too much pressure on the defense. I am completely frustrated with our offense."
The Coyotes (2-0 in conference), ranked No. 10 nationally, return from the holiday respite tonight with a 7:30 p.m. game at Coussoulis Arena against Cal State Los Angeles (7-2, 1-1), one of the up-and-coming teams in the CCAA.
A women's game between the same two schools gets underway at 5:30 p.m.
Oliver's point is driven home by glancing at the conference statistics. The Coyotes rank first in defense, giving up a conference-low average of 60.9 points a game. They are also first in field-goal percentage defense (.384). Foes are also hitting just 23 percent from long distance. Cal State is also first in blocked shots and second in steals.
But flip the page to the offensive categories and it's a different story. The Coyotes are a respectable fifth in scoring (71.9 points per game) but they are last in field-goal percentage (.441), 10th out of 11 teams in 3-point shooting (.320) and last in rebounding margin.
"We're getting the shots we want," Oliver said. "It's time for some of our guys to start knocking some down."
The Coyotes will be without their most consistent 3-point shooter for at least the next two weeks. Senior David Reichel (7.4 ppg) dislocated the thumb on his shooting hand in practice earlier this week. Oliver said he thought Reichel could be out as long as six weeks but further tests showed there was no ligament or tendon damage, which means a quicker return.
In Reichel's absence, Oliver will be looking for more out of juniors Steve Gaston and Reggie Brown.
"Our depth really pays off in a situation like this but they had to respect David's shot and that really spread the defense. We need other guys to step up and make those shots."
The Coyotes are led by senior guards Lance Ortiz (13.4 ppg, 5.4 assists pg, 2.8 steals pg) and Marlon Pierce (10.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 4.9 rebounds pg). Senior center Michael Earl (12.4 ppg, 6 rpg) is leading the conference in field-goal percentage (.703) and blocked shots (30).
Cal State Los Angeles finished 10th in the conference a year ago but had an outstanding recruiting class and was picked to finish fourth in a voting of member coaches.
The Eagles rank first in the conference in scoring offense (79.3 ppg), second in field-goal percentage (.481), second in 3-point percentage (.415), second in offensive rebounding and first in defensive rebounding.
Dejean Prejean (17.8 ppg, 5 rpg), a Compton native who transferred from Florida International University, leads the Eagles but three others are also averaging double figures -- junior forward Louis Hamilton (14 ppg), senior guard Vincent Camper (12.2 ppg) and junior forward Demetrius Hazel (12.1 ppg).
"They have offensive weapons galore. That's for sure," Oliver said. "If the regional rankings were coming out this week, they would probably have a piece of the top eight."
The Coyotes host Cal State Dominguez Hills (5-3, 0-2) on Saturday, then will play eight of their next 10 games on the road.
| 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 |
The No. 10 Coyotes turned in another strong performance Wednesday night, upending Western Washington 71-65 at the Centennial Hills Center behind the play of tournament Most Valuable Player Michael Earl. That came one night after they routed the other host team Central Washington 83-60.
``They said there was some sort of miscommunication. They didn't think we wanted to come back,'' said Oliver, who will be looking to start his own event to be held the same event next year.
Not only have the Coyotes beaten both teams in successive years. They also beat Western Washington in its season opener in another tournament in Seattle in early Novemeber. The Coyotes (9-1) have handed the Vikings (7-2) both losses.
But both teams played better basketball in the most recent meeting. The Vikings came out quicker and were up by 13 at 32-19 with 8:33 to go. It was Fontana native Ira Graham igniting the charge with 16 of his 22 in the opening half.
``We seem to have some lapses and tonight we started with one,'' Earl said. ``They came out pretty amped up and we weren't. We didn't come out with the same energy we had. But we thought if we could stay close we would get them once we settled down and started playing our game.''
The Coyotes battled back and only trailed by three at the half, 37-34.
It was nip and tuck the rest of the way with each team's biggest lead of the half being three points. The game was knotted five times, the last at 65 with 1:51 to go after two free throws by Lance Ortiz.
Cal State went up for good moments later on a driving layup by Marlon Pierce with 1:27 to go. On the ensuing possession Graham took the ball and dribbled baseline but was called for stepping on the end line with 1:01 left.
``I really thought I was pushed out,'' said Graham, who made the six-player all-tournament team. ``But that's not an excuse. That's how basketball goes. We just made some mistakes dwn the stretch that hurt us.''
The Coyotes capitalized with Ortiz working time off the clock, then going baseline for a layup that gave Cal State a 69-65 edge with 24 seconds remaining.
Western Washington's Harold McAllister set up for a 3-pointer on the next Vikings possession but his shot was batted away by Jason Gilzene with 13 seconds left. Ortiz knocked down a couple of free throws to put the game away.
Oliver appreciated coming out on top against a quality team in a tightly-contestd game. He also liked the way his team bounced back after being dealt a loss by NAIA Azusa Pacific on Friday.
``It was the wakeup call we needed,'' he said. ``I felt like we were regressing, not progressing and getting too complacent. Sometimes I think this team thinks it's going to be too easy and that's a mentality a team should never have or comes back to bit you in the butt.''
Earl tallied a team-high 16 points with six blocks. Pierce had 10, with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists to earn an all-tournament spot. Scoring was balanced after that with Reggie Brown and Renardo Bass and Ortiz chipping in with eight apiece. livcer used 11 players and 10 figured in the scoring.
Western shot 49 percent (25-for-51) while Cal State was slightly worse at 45.5 (25-for-55). It made up for that by going 18-for-22 from the free-throw line. The Coyotes were outrebounded 35-27 but forced 19 turnovers while making only nine.
``We really don't have one person that has to be our go-to player. We have a lot of options,'' Earl said. ``That is good for us because no one has to have that pressure. We're confident in each other.''
Oliver said he believed that Cal Poly Pomona was invited back to the CCAA vs. GNAC event with Cal State Stanislaus, traditionally a middle tier team, replacing the Coyotes.
It was indeed a shootout but only one team participated as the Coyotes cruised past the Wildcats 83-60 Tuesday in the Great Western Shootout at the Centennial Hills Center.
The defense was as tenacious as always. But it was one of the more complete efforts for the No. 10 Coyotes this season as they hit 50.8 percent from the field and came within a point of their season high. But the perfectionist in Oliver still came out despite the comfortable win.
``It was a great defensive effort. For us to guard a team like that and to limit them like we did was fantastic,'' he said. ``Offensively, we're doing better but it was far from good. Maybe I'm
just a nitpicker.''
The point total was a season low for the Wildcats (3-3) and matched their season low of a year ago. It was also their least productive outing since 2004 when they were held to 47 once.
The Coyotes forced 22 turnovers and held their foe to 34 percent (16-for-47) from the field. Central had 24 points from the free-throw line so they got just 36 from the field.
``I thought they were going to be better than that, just by the numbers they were putting up,'' senior center Michael Earl said. ``But I guess you can contribute that to us playing well.''
Cal State blew the game open in the second half. It was even at 12 but the Coyotes tallied 10 of the next 12 points, surging out to a 24-14 lead on a driving layup by Marlon Pierce. The first half ended with the same point differential, the Coyotes up 39-29.
The Coyotes started the second half the way they ended the first. Reggie Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Coyotes a 45-30 lead three minutes into the second half and Steve Gaston drained one the next trip down the floor to give Cal State a 48-30 lead that just got
bigger.
Oliver used 15 players and 12 of those scored. Earl led the way with 19, on 8-for-9 shooting from the field despite being slowed this week by the flu.
Pierce and Lance Ortiz also came up big. Pierce totaled 12 with five assists, four rebounds and two steals while Ortiz managed 11 with seven assists and four steals. The Coyotes chalked up 21 assists as a team.
There were also some big contributors off the bench as Philip Jones grabbed seven rebounds. Gaston added seven points, five assists and two steals.
All said the team came off Friday's 78-75 overtime loss to NAIA Azusa Pacific more focused.
``We worked on passing the ball hard. We had gotten lackadaisical and were not getting guys open,'' Ortiz said. ``We came in here focused, ready to bounce back because we knew these were big games.''
The Coyotes play their second game of the tournament at 5 tonight against Western Washington (7-1) which turned back Cal Poly Pomona 73-64 earlier in the day. Western Washington's only loss this season was to Cal State in the season opener played in Seattle.
It was indeed a shootout, but only one team participated as the Coyotes cruised past the Wildcats 83-60 Tuesday in the Great Western Shootout at the Centennial Hills Center.
The Coyotes' defense was as tenacious as always, but it was one of the more complete efforts for the No. 10 Coyotes this season as they hit 50.8 percent from the field and came within a point of their season high.
But the perfectionist in Oliver still came out despite the comfortable win.
"It was a great defensive effort. For us to guard a team like that and to limit them like we did was fantastic," he said.
"Offensively, we're doing better, but it was far from good. Maybe I'm just a nitpicker."
The point total was a season low for the Wildcats (3-3) and matched their season low of a year ago. It was also their least-productive outing since 2004, when they were once held to 47.
The Coyotes forced 22 turnovers and held their foe to 34 percent (16-for-47) from the field. Central had 24 points from the free-throw line, meaning they got just 36 from the field.
"I thought they were going to be better than that, just by the numbers they were putting up," senior center Michael Earl said. "But I guess you can contribute that to us playing well.''
Reggie Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Coyotes a 45-30 lead three minutes into the second half, and Steve Gaston drained one the next trip down the floor to give Cal State a 48-30 lead that just got bigger.
Oliver used 15 players, and 12 of those scored. Earl led the way with 19, on 8-for-9 shooting from the field, despite being slowed this week by the flu.
Pierce and Lance Ortiz also came up big. Pierce totaled 12 with five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Ortiz managed 11 with seven assists and four steals. The Coyotes chalked up 21 assists as a team.
There were also some big contributors off the bench; Philip Jones grabbed seven rebounds, and Gaston added seven points, five assists and two steals.
The Coyotes play their second game of the tournament at 5 tonight against Western Washington (7-1), which turned back Cal Poly Pomona 73-64 earlier in the day. Western Washington's only loss this season was to Cal State in the season opener played in Seattle.
The going gets tougher as SBVC travels to No. 2 Mt. SAC (15-1) for a 5:30 p.m. game Friday against the defending state champion Mounties. Then comes a game with No. 11 Saddleback (5-0).
SBVC had trouble with Pasadena's size up front, an advantage that Mt. SAC will have as well. Crebbin said she will be looking for more production from her guards.
"We have to get more from our guards, better shots, more shots. That's where our strength is," coach Susan Crebbin said. "Then if they start making some of those, it takes pressure off the girls up front. We don't have the size to go toe-to-toe with them in the paint."
The Wolverines are ranked 20th in the state and 10th in Southern California. Shy Walter (13.3) is the team's leading scorer, with Simeone Baker (7.3) the top rebounder. Jasmine Marshall (Arroyo Valley) leads the team in assists and steals. SBVC boasts the top defense in the state, allowing just 47.6 points per game.
Wilt, a 6-1 senior center from Hesperia, was recognized for her double-double - 18 points and 18 rebounds - in a 68-50 Coyotes win over University of Redlands this past Thursday.
Her 18 rebounds were a season high and her three blocked shots raised her 2007-08 total to 21 in six games, an average of 3.5 per game.
She has helped the Coyotes to a 6-0 record to open the season, equaling the best start ever by a CSUSB women's basketball team. The only other team in the history of the program to start 6-0 was the 2000-01 squad.
Thursday's performance by Wilt means that she has achieved a double-double (points and rebounds) in all six games this season. She is the only player in the CCAA thus far averaging a double-double
Wilt ranks No. 2 in the CCAA in scoring at 19.2 points a game but leads the CCAA in rebounding at 13.2 per game. She also ranks No. 1 in blocked shots with 21 (3.5/game). She is shooting 83 percent from the foul line (15 of 18) and 53 percent from the field (50 of 94).
The Coyotes return to action on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 18-19, facing Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene in the Dixie State College Tournament in St. George, Utah.
SPU is 5-0 and coming off a 68-60 win over Chico State, ranked No. 9 in the nation, while NNU is 5-1 on the season.
Cal State San Bernardino stretched its
season-opening win streak to six straight Thursday
night with a 68-50 non-conference victory over
University of Redlands at the Bulldogs' Currier Gym.
The six wins equals the best start to a season in
the history of the program dating back to 1984-85. The
record of six was first set in 2000-01.
Senior center Vanessa Wilt, the CCAA conference
player of the week, dominated the inside with 18
points and a season-high 18 rebounds while blocking
three shots.
Guard Shanae Blake had 15 points, two blocked
shots and a steal while sophomore guard Krystal Ursua
came off the bench to score 16 points and grab eight
rebounds in the victory.
CSUSB darted out to a 14-0 lead before the
Bulldogs got untracked enough to trail only by eight,
28-20 at halftime.
After the break, Redlands made a run and got to
within four at 33-29 before the Coyotes opened up a
10-point advantage at 39-29 and were never threatened
thereafter.
CSUSB's largest lead, 22 points, came with just
1:41 left in the contest. Redlands' record dropped to
4-2.
It was the first meeting of the two schools in
women's basketball since 1989-90 when CSUSB was a NCAA
Division III independent. The Coyotes now lead the
all-time series 9-1.
CSUSB will be idle until playing in the Dixie
State College Tournament on Dec. 18-19 in St. George
Utah against Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene of
the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
The Coyotes even got one first-place vote. The team received 162 votes, just four votes behind No. 4 Rollins University of Florida which is unbeaten at 5-0. Just ahead of them in the No. 5 spot is last year's NCAA runnerup Winona State, 8-1 on the season.
Bentley (Mass)., a quarterfinalist last year, is ranked No. 1 in the NABC poll at 6-0 followed by Grand Valley State (8-0) and South Dakota (7-0). The only other West Coast team in the top 10 is Seattle University (5-0).
BYU Hawaii holds down the 16th spot at 2-0 while Seattle Pacific is 4-1 and ranked No. 23. Its only loss was to the Coyotes on Nov. 17.
The Coyotes are idle this week for fall quarter finals and return to action on Friday, Dec. 14, in Coussoulis Arena against Azusa Pacific University at 7 p.m.
NABC/ESPN DIVISION II TOP 25 COACHES POLL
No. Team (1st pl votes) Record Points
1. Bentley, Mass (4) 6-0 190
2. Grand Valley State (3) 8-0 188
3. South Dakota 7-0 184
4. Rollins 5-0 166
5. Winona State 8-1 163
6. COYOTES (1) 7-0 162
7. Emporia State 4-0 150
8. Drury 5-0 142
9. Findlay 4-1 113
10. Seattle 5-0 111
11. Northwest Missouri State; 12. St. Cloud State; 13. Southwest Okla. State; 14. Augusta State; 15. Virginia Union; 16. BYU Hawaii; 17. Central Oklahoma; 18. Central Missouri; 19. Fairmont State; 20. South Carolina Aiken; 21. West Georgia; 22. Nebraska Omaha; 23. Seattle Pacific; 24. Mount Olive; 25. Merrimack.
Wilt, an all-America honorable mention, all West Region and all-CCAA first team pick in 2006-07, averaged a double-double as the Coyotes edged Cal State Monterey Bay 47-45 and then defeated San Francisco State 57-45 this past weekend in the CCAA openers.
The 6-1 post player averaged 15.5 points and 12 rebounds a game in the Coyotes' sweep of conference opponents. She hit 16 points and 12 rebounds with five blocked shots and two assists and two steals in the win over Monterey Bay.
She came back Saturday against the double-teaming defense that San Francisco State sent her way and came away with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Gators.
Wilt has double-doubles in each of her first five games this season after posting 11 of them in 2006-07 while leading the Coyotes into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998.
She is averaging 19.4 points and 12.2 rebounds a game with 18 blocked shots and nine steals while shooting 54 percent from the floor through the first five games of this season.
In 2006-07, Wilt led the CCAA in four categories including rebounding (9.9 rpg), field goal percentage (59.2), rebounding defense (6.39/game)and blocked shots (41). Her field goal percentage was No. 3 in the nation.
She currently ranks in the top 10 all-time in seven CSUSB statistics categories.
CSUSB travels to Redlands Thursday to play U of R's Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m.
Men's basketball player of the week honors went to Cy Vandermeer of Humboldt State.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - As a standout guard for Los Angeles Southwest College, Steve Gaston wasn't used to being a bench guy, a spark plug - any one of those polite synonyms applied to someone who wasn't in the starting lineup.
In this, his first season at Cal State San Bernardino, Gaston has tried hard to embrace the spark plug role. On Saturday, he relished it.
Gaston came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer that broke a 29-29 tie 5:40 into the second half, the critical shot in a 69-54 victory over San Francisco State at Coussoulis Arena.
Reggie Brown hit a three on the Coyotes' next possession, then Gaston hit another on his next touch to break the game open.
Gaston finished 6-for-9 with 15 points on the evening and Cal State (7-0 overall, 2-0 California Collegiate Athletic Conference) made the game look easy down the stretch.
"It's been a struggle coming off the bench," Gaston said. "I just try to come in, play both ends of the floor, be a spark plug."
He made the most of his 16 minutes Saturday, helping rescue Cal State from an uncharacteristically cold shooting night. The Coyotes shot 34 percent from the floor before halftime and 55.6 percent after.
Lance Ortiz also scored 15 points for Cal State, and center Michael Earl added 12 points and five blocked shots.
Head coach Jeff Oliver, the Coyotes' toughest critic, said his team's positives were outweighed by an "atrocious" offense.
"We've just got to polish things up," Oliver said. "We don't do any of the little things well. We're losing the hustle battle.
Still, his team did nothing over the weekend to disown its No. 9 ranking in the latest Division II poll. After beating Cal State Monterey Bay 79-71 on Friday, the Coyotes' unbeaten league record could go a long way toward a repeat of last year's deep playoff run.
"There's a distinct possibility we'll be in first place by ourselves after the first weekend," he said, referring to the conference's other three 1-0 teams.
San Francisco State (4-3, 1-1) was also unbeaten in league prior to Saturday, and found success early giving the ball to post man Chris Rodriguez (17 points, eight rebounds).
But Cal State's sudden shooting success, and their frustrating full-court trap, seemed to sap the Gators' momentum in the second half.
Former Apple Valley High star Will Logan played a scoreless 22 minutes for San Francisco State.
The Coyotes blew an 18-point lead in the last 10 minutes of the contest. They were up comfortably 40-22 with 12:25 left but only managed seven points the rest of the game.
A bucket by the Otters Dana Andrews cut the deficit to 45-43 with 1:37 to go. The visitors had the ball back with a chance to tie, thanks to a steal by Alma Lopez with 48 seconds remaining. Monterey (0-3, 0-1) got closer on a free throw by Andrews, inching to within one 45-44.
The Coyotes (4-0, 1-0) got some breathing room on two free throws by Stephanie Barnes, making it 47-44. Andrews was fouled on a 3-point try with 11 seconds left but missed two of the three. The Coyotes Ashlee Ford then came up with the loose ball to end the game.
The Coyotes shot just 32.2 percent (19-for-59) from the field with senior Vanessa Wilt leading the way as usual. She had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks before fouling out with 4:51 left. The only other Coyote player in double figures was junior forward Rachel Johnson, who had 12 points, all in the first half. He points came on four 3-pointers.
Ford, a sophomore point guard, also had a solid game with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The Otters got 18 points, 10 rebounds and a steal from Dana Andrews. The game also marked the return of 6-foot-1 junior Ja'Nae Westmoreland, who spent the last two years at San Bernardino Valley College. She tallied seven points,, five rebounds, three steals and a block.
Monterey has two other local players on its roster - Zulema Barajas, out of Alta Loma High and SBVC, and Mikeshaya Edwards, out of Eisnhower and Riverside Community College. Both are struggling with injuries and did not play.
The Coyotes made progress there although their trademark defense wasn't quite as sharp. The end result was still a 79-71 win over a pesky Monterey Bay squad 79-71 Friday at Coussoulis Arena in the CCAA opener for both teams.
``We were better in terms of our spacing and the quality of shots we took,'' coach Jeff Oliver said. ``But we didn't share the ball enough. There was too much one-on-one play going on. Too many guys thinking it was their time.''
All were pleased with the win, no matter what the drawbacks. The Otters (1-5, 0-1) are a team that has given the No. 9 Coyotes (6-0, 1-0) fits in the past and the recent showdown was no exception.
``They don't quit. They just keep playing, whether they're up by 20 or down by 20,'' senior Lance Ortiz said. ``They're always a scarey team to play because you know they aren't going to go away.''
The Coyotes led by as many as 11 points in the opening half, going up 40-29 on a 3-point play by Marlon Pierce with 1:54 left. But the Otters ran off the last seven points of the half and only trailed 40-36 at the intermission.
Cal State didn't put the game away until the last six minutes. They were up by just three at 62-59 with 7:15 left when several player figured in the most spectacular play of the night.
Renardo Bass chased down a loose ball, flinging it the air before falling out of bounds. Ortiz, the smallest player on the court, went high in the air at midcourt to snag it, then unleashed a pass to Pierce for a layup that made it 64-59.
Moments later Michael Earl scored inside off a pass from Pierce to give the Coyotes a 76-65 lead with 2:45 left. The host team never looked back.
Pierce netted a season-high 21, 15 of those coming in the first half. Earl contributed 16 with nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Ortiz added 11 with eight assists while Reggie Brown came off the bench for 10.
``They were giving Lance (Ortiz) a lot of attention so I think that's why I had some open shots in the first half,'' Pierce said.
``It feels great to be able to contribute. I worked hard on my shot in practice and thought it was coming.''
The Coyotes shot 51.7 percent (30-for-58) while the Otters shot 45.3 (29-for-64). Joe Mitchell tallied 25 with 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Cal State will be home again tonight, with San Francisco State making a visit for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. It was early in the first half and the
Division II Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes were battling the Bruins
in front of a national television audience. He leaped high to swat
away a shot from much heralded freshman Kevin Love.
There weren't many highlights for the Coyotes. But the play marked
the arrival of a 6-foot-9 senior newcomer who should have Cal State
in the CCAA and West Region title hunt once again this season. The
Coyotes (5-0), ranked No. 9 in the NABC national poll, will host
Monterey Bay (1-4) at 7:30 tonight in a conference opener at
Coussoulis Arena.
That the Diamond Ranch High School product held his own against the
Bruins should be no surprise. He transferred from Division I Utah
State.
``He is one of those players that changes games, especially on the
defensive end,'' Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver said. ``When he's not
blocking a shot, he's changing it and that can have just as much
impact. He's a perfect fit for what we do.''
Earl, 22, played two years at Fullerton Junior College, averaging
17.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in leading the Hornets to a state title
and perfect 37-0 record in 2005-2006.
He made an oral committment to Utah State after an early
recruiting visit there. Then-coach Dieter Horton said if Earl, one of
five players on that team that went to a Division I school, had
waited he would have had between 25 and 30 other offers to choose
from.
But Earl stuck with his word and headed to Logan, a city of 42,000
people located 90 miles north of Salt Lake City with an
African-American population of .064 percent. It didn't take long for
the culture shock to set in.
``I had white people there asking me how I get my hair like this.
I don't think it was racism. They just didn't know because they
hadn't been around black people before,'' Earl said.
Earl said his easy-going demeanor helped him adjust to the
environment. Getting used to the level of play in the Western
Athletic Conference was tougher. Earl was brought in to play the
forward spot but moved to center midway through the season when a
7-foot prospect failed to progress as the coaching staff had hoped.
Earl didn't hold up against larger, more physical foes in the
paint. He confronted coach Stew Morrill about it after giving the new
position a try but saw his playing time drop off considerably after
that.
``He can play at the Division I level. That just wasn't the right
system for him,'' Horton said. ``They play grind-it-out, smashmouth
basketball. He's athletic and lean and needs to play in an offense
with more of a flow.''
Earl finished off the school year but called his former coach and
asked him to spread the word he was looking to transfer. Earl's
original plan was to go to Cal State Fullerton, along with former
junior college teammate Tim Denson who wanted out of Colorado State.
That plan hit a snag when many of their academic credits wouldn't
transfer. Earl also didn't want to sit out a year which is necessary
when going from one Division I school to another.
Oliver knew one of the assistants at Utah State which gave him an
upper hand in trying to land Earl. It also helped that Phil Jones, a
third member of that junior college powerhouse, had already signed
with the Coyotes in the spring.
Earl and Denson both followed.
``Christmas definitely came early,'' Oliver chuckled.
Earl has been solid, averaging 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds on a
balanced team that has just one player in double figures. He has a
conference-high 17 blocks, nine coming in one game against Seattle
Pacific. He earned CCAA Player of the Week honors for his showing in
that game and the one the previous night against Western Washington.
Oliver and Horton both call Earl a ``late bloomer.'' As a high
school freshman he tried out for the team at Ayala, but was cut. He
transferred to Diamond Ranch the following year and made that team,
marking the first time he had ever played organized basketball.
A growth spurt of seven inches between his freshman and sophomore
years helped. By the time he was a senior, many Division I schools.
were interested but most dropped off when he sustained an ankle
injury the last half of the season.
Tonight's game will be the first at home for the Coyotes. Earl's
parents and two younger brothers are his biggest supporters but they
have to juggle their schedules to accommodate another talented
athlete. Younger sister Nina, a 6-1 forward, is averaging 10.3 points
as a true freshman at UCLA.
``When I was at Fullerton our schedules conflicted a lot,'' Earl
said. ``They hated having to decide which game to go to.''
Earl hopes a strong showing this season will lead to future
basketball opportunities. But if he has other options if that doesn't
happen. He will graduate with a degree in political science in the
spring and is debating going on to law school with a possible
emphasis in real estate law.
Working with his father who is in real estate has piqued his
interest in that field.
``I love basketball but you can't play forever,'' he said. ``You
have to have something to fall back on.''
There was no looking ahead for the Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team.
The Coyotes may be facing their longtime nemesis UC San Diego Saturday but they tuned up for that rivalry match dismantling Cal State Los Angeles 30-16, 30-17, 30-26 Friday at Coussoulis Arena. The Coyotes (21-1, 13-0) played perfect volleyball the first two games, then withstood a minor challenge in the third game.
And to think this team has just two seniors.
The Coyotes, ranked No. 2 nationally, now have a commanding four-game lead in the CCAA and have a two-game cushion in the Region. So it looks like they will get to host the Pacific Region tournaent Nov. 15-17.
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team moved up to the top spot in the AVCA Division II National poll this week after the two teams ranked ahead of it in the preseason poll lost matches their first weekend.
Being No. 1 can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a nice accomplishment for a program that has been among the country's elite the last five years and it is good recognition for a city that isn't often put in a positive light in the media.
But there is also the pressure that comes with living up to those expectations. Opponents will get that much more fired up when playing the Coyotes. And they already will be facing the toughest competition in the country when CCAA play starts this weekend. Cal State will host Monterey Bay Friday and Sonoma State Saturday at Coussoulis. Those two matches should be free passes. But there are formidable foes waiting in the wings in long-time nemesis UC San Diego, Cal State Los Angeles, Chico State and neighborhood foe Cal Poly Pomona, which always gives Cal State a problem.
The higher the Coyotes finish in the rankings, the better their chance at hosting the Pacific Region and possibly the NCAA Nationals. The first regional ranking won't come out until October and hosting rights for that tournament traditionally go to the top team, no questions asked.
There are other things considered when it comes time to select a host for nationals however. That right will go to one of the eight qualifiers. Should the Coyotes win the Pacific Region, they would be attractive as a host site because of the quality of the arena, the accessability in and out of the area from a transportation standpoint as well as the organization the Cal State staff has shown when it has hosted marquee events in the past.
A team from the West is also due to host. The NCAA tries to move the event around so that each region has the opportunity every few years. It was held in Pensacola, Fla. last year with Nebraska-Kearney getting the nod the previous year.
The last time the event was held in the West was when the Coyotes hosted in 2003. The last host from the West before that was Cal State Bakersfield in 1997.
So let's hope the Coyotes live up to that billing and have that
chance further down the road.
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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