College Sports with Michelle Gardner

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.
 
 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.''

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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."

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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).

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

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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.'"

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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">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 12^th 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">"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">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">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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

[

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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.

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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.

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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.
[

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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.

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By Michelle Gardner

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)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 (2^nd 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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal State San Bernardino's convincing wins over 2007 national champion Concordia St. Paul and 15^th-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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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."

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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).

    
    

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

   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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gene 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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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."

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Head Coach Tom Finwall faces the task of finding talented replacements for two all-Americans who completed their collegiate eligibility in the 2008 season, leading CSUSB to a 20-17 record and a fifth-place finish in the 12-member Western Water Polo Association.

Wingdings" size="3">n      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.

Wingdings" size="3">n      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..

Wingdings" size="3">n      Misty Vu, also an all-Ivy League first-team player for North HS.

Wingdings" size="3">n      Taylor Vermillion, who led Arroyo Valley HS in San Bernardino to the San Andreas League title (8-0) and was the team MVP.

Wingdings" size="3">n      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.

Wingdings" size="3">n      Katelyn Jessen of Tracy HS in Northern California, the team's most improved player in 2007.

Signing conference letters of intent were Danica Vera of Cajon HS in San Bernardino, a first-team all-San Andreas League pick, captain and team MVP; Hannah Wohlk of La Sierra HS in Riverside; Erika Estrada of Chaffey HS in Ontario and Shelly Kocher of Jurupa Valley HS.

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).

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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).

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal State San Bernardino baseball coach Don Parnell has begun to fill positions on his pitching staff for the 2008-09 season by signing four talented community college players from the San Diego area.

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:

Wingdings" size="3">n      Terrance Buchanan, a shortstop from Mount Carmel High School in San Diego, who hit .380 this year.

Wingdings" size="3">n      Andrew Harrison, a slugging first-baseman from Norte Vista HS in Riverside.

Wingdings" size="3">n      Matt Winn, an outfielder from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley.

Wingdings" size="3">n      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.

Wingdings" size="3">n      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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

          
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)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PASO ROBLES – Senior Dane Bagnell and junior Micah Burke both shot sub-par rounds Tuesday as Cal State San Bernardino finished third in the 10^th 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 11^th 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.

TEAM: 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);

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.”

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.
    

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal State San Bernardino’s women’s soccer team made solid strides in 2007 under interim head coach Diego Bocanegra, posting an 8-8-4 record after three straight losing seasons, and the coach is hoping to continue that upward trend in the fall of 2008.

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:

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

Wingdings" size="3">n                          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.

The Coyotes will get an early indication of far they’ve come when they face Seattle Pacific University on Aug. 28 in the season-opener. The Falcons were 23-1 in 2007, losing their bid for a perfect season and a national title in the NCAA semifinals. Coach Chuck Sekyra was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year.

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

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)
    

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)