College Sports Blog

Moorpark College freshman Nick Rogowski was voted Player of the Year in the Western State Conference's North Division.

The freshman from Woodbridge, Va. led the WSC with a 1.65 ERA in 11 starts and also led the Raiders by hitting .336 with 11 doubles and 20 runs scored.

After guiding the Raiders to a share of the WSC North title, Moorpark coach Mario Porto was voted Coach of the Year for the second time.

The All-WSC North first team also included sophomore outfielder Taylor Kahanowitch and sophomore pitcher Michael Coates of Moorpark; sophomore first baseman Dewey Gratton and freshman second baseman Jared Patterson of Ventura; and sophomore
outfielder Wesley Wright.

The second team included freshman catcher Alex Bishop, sophomore designated hitter Matt Toczynski and sophomore pitcher Kevin Brown of Moorpark; freshman outfielder Tim Ginther, sophomore shortstop Scott Zeman and pitcher Dustin Babola of Ventura; and freshman pitcher Casey Rodriguez and sophomore pitcher Sheldon Ekstrand of Oxnard.

Honorable mentions included freshman first baseman Brady Conlan, freshman infielder Jeff Bezjian, freshman pitcher Zach Mercer of Moorpark; freshman catcher Matt Burke of Ventura, freshman pitcher Joey Contreras, freshman pitcher Jacob Murray of Ventura; and freshman first baseman Jose Hernandez, sophomore shortstop Kevin Minjares, sophomore pitcher David Barroso of Oxnard.

WSC North Gold Glove winners included Bishop, Conlan and Coates of Moorpark; Minjares and Wright of Oxnard; and Ginther of Ventura.

Division champion Ventura College swept the WSC Gold honors.

Sophomore Clarissa Samaniego was named the Player of the Year. The Camarillo native hit .449 with 35 runs scored, eight doubles, five triples and four home runs.

Sophomore Teresa Lemos was named Pitcher of the Year. The sophomore from Rio Mesa high went 26-6 with a 1.30 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 199 innings.

Ventura's Susan Johnson was named Coach of the Year.

The All-WSC Gold first team also included sophomore first baseman Jennifer Moreno, sophomore outfielder Jackie Dickson, sophomore shortstop Raelene Moreno and freshman third baseman Candice Garcia of Ventura, as well as freshman catcher Heaven Silveria of Moorpark.

The second team included freshman pitcher Marti Lewis and freshman outfielder Amanda Chatman of Moorpark, as well as sophomore infielder Janai Shaw of Oxnard.

Ventura College coaches Nelson Emery and Brad McClain were named Western State Conference Coaches of the Year, having guided the VC men's tennis team to a 16-5 record, including 8-0 in WSC play.

Sophomore Jonathan Lin was named to the All-WSC first team. Sophomores Dylan Cleary and Paulo Fernandez were named to the second team.

Moises Cardinal of Los Angeles Pierce was named Player of the Year.

Ventura College freshman Julianna Bacelar was named Western State Conference Player of the Year. A native of Goiania, Brazil, Bacelar, who won The Ojai tournament, is 30-0 in singles play entering today's state championship match against Sierra.

Ventura College coaches Nelson Emery and Brad McClain were named Western State Conference Coaches of the Year, having guided the VC women's tennis team to a 18-0 record, including 8-0 in WSC play.

Ventura freshmen Jessica Worring and Sonia Landeros were also named to the All-WSC first team. Sophomore Layne Gallimore was named to the second team.

Ventura College honored its student-athletes, coaches and staff with its end-of-year awards at its Hall of Fame banquet Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach.

Sophomore Destinee LaFountain was voted Female Athlete of the Year. The first Pirate to average a double-double for her career since 1993, the 6-foot-1 forward from Royal High was the foundation of the 32-2 state semifinalist women's basketball team, earning Western State Conference and state Player of the Year awards, as well as honorable mention All-American honors.

Sophomore Eric Donahoo was voted Male Athlete of the Year. The multi-port star was an All-SoCal selection in water polo as a freshman and, over two seasons with the men's swimming team, was a two-event state champion and a 10-event All-American.

Thomas Maires was voted Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Ventura High product, who earned a 3.73 GPA, won the WSC championship in the mile freestyle and was a three-time All-American.

Carlotta Kloppenburg was voted Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. The All-WSC women's basketball guard, who earned a 3.73 GPA, made 77 3-pointers as a sophomore for the state semifinalist Pirates.

Nelson Emery, who coached the men's and women's tennis teams to WSC titles, was voted Head Coach of the Year. The undefeated women won The Ojai tournament and are competing for team, singles and doubles state championship.

Tom Lawrence, who coaches special teams for the football team and throws for the track and field team, was voted Assistant Coach of the Year. His athletes won five of the eight throwing events at the WSC Championships last month.

Duane Yeto and Steve Monka, longtime assistant coaches for women's volleyball and women's soccer, respectively, were honored with Meritorious Service Awards. Eligibility specialist Lori Kramer was voted Classified State Member of the Year.

Introductions to new players and new combinations are always part of the excitement of any season.

For the Ventura County Fusion, who open its sixth Premier Development League campaign tonight at Ventura College against the Los Angeles Misioneros, excitement is always heightened by the team-building process.

The PDL season annually overlaps with spring practice for NCAA Division I programs, which leaves the Fusion without a chunk of its college-based players for a week or two.

"As you know, the team hasn't fully assembled yet," Fusion coach Ole Mikkelsen. "It's the same challenge at the beginning of the year, you're not quit fully rostered yet

The Fusion will return a core of goalkeeper Sam Hayden, defenders Mickey Daly and Matt Wiet, who played all 24 matches for nationals semifinalist UCLA last fall, and forward Gyasi Zardes, the All-American striker who scored 18 goals in 20 matches for Cal State Bakersfield last fall.

"Those guys have already made their mark on our team in previous seasons," said Mikkelsen.

Zardes, perhaps the most exciting player the Fusion have had in its history, is expected to join the Fusion next week along with Cal State Bakersfield teammate and former Ventura High star Kory Kindle.

"He probably has the most raw talent of any individual I've been involved with in the PDL," said Mikkelsen of Zardes.

Fringe players a year ago, former Oxnard College midfielder Ivan Mirkovic and Bradley University striker Jochen Graf return with more responsibility.

"He started to step it up as we hit our exhibitions last year," said Mikkelsen of Mirkovic, "and I expect him to be a main cog of the team this year."

Other familiar faces who have a chance to make an impact tonight include former Oxnard College stars Gabriel Gonzalez and Emigdio Ramirez, as well as veterans Armando Guerrero and Brent Whitfield.

The backline will be boosted by newcomers like UC Santa Barbara defenders Tim Pontius, the younger brother of DC United star Chris Pontius, and Peter McGlynn and UCLA goalie Earl Edwards.

Midfielder Frankie Lopez, expected to be the next creative midfielder from the Rodrigo Lopez/Danny Barrera mold, is awaiting clearance from the Mexico federation after a spell with Jaguares de Chiapas.

The Fusion are also expecting to add Rio Mesa High graduate Michael Roman, who starred in the NCAA tournament for Louisville, later this month.

"We're looking forward to his return," said Mikkelsen of Roman. "He's so confident on the ball, he looks almost effortless. He's a very smooth player."

After scoring twice in the final 20 minutes to pull
out a 2-2 draw with the Santa Clarita Storm in its home opener last
weekend, F.C. Hasental (1-2-1), the local entrant in the National

Premier Soccer League, is unbeaten in its last two matches ahead of
tonight's home match against the Phoenix Monsoon at Cal Lutheran's
Rolland Stadium.

"There's a good energy within the squad," said coach Eric Warner.
"They all know what they need to do. Now it's a matter of doing it."

Los Conejos solidified their defense last month by moving captain
Taylor Canel to centerback. The veteran, who missed last week's match,
is expected to make his 150th appearance for the club tonight.

"Having him back there has changed everything," said Warner. "He's
organized us. There's a lot more pride in defending as a team."

Former Michigan defender Jeff Quijano, a Simi Valley native who scored
the equalizer last week, as well as former Agoura High midfielder
Jordan Palmar, former Oxnard College winger Alberto Anguiano and
Moorpark College products Armando Gutierrez, Jose Luis Garcia and
Agustin Casarez are among the Los Conejos locals.

Having qualified for the U.S. Open Cup for the third straight
season, the Fusion will face NPSL club Fullerton Rangers May 15 at the
Santa Ana Bowl in the first round.

Rangers earned the berth by topping Hasental 2-1 in a qualifier March
27, so the two local sides in U.S. Soccer's fourth tier could have
been matched up against each other.

After 23 years at Ventura College, Susan Johnson will finally coach her softball team in a home playoff game this weekend.

Which means there's only one word to describe No. 7 Ventura (32-7) and its best-of-three first-round series with No. 10 Glendale (27-13).

"Special," Johnson said.

Game 1 is Saturday at 2 p.m. Game 2 is Sunday at 10 a.m. with a decisive Game 3 to follow if necessary.

For decades the Pirates, which won their 10th Western State Conference title this season, have had to go on the road south or east to four-team regionals hosted by state powers.

"We've been a No. 5, we've been a No. 7," Johnson said. "We always had good teams."

Cost containment necessitated a new format in 2007, which introduced a first-round series to halve the field before regional play.

After being paired with top seed Riverside and defending state champion Mount San Antonio in recent years, VC has taken advantage of the new format this year with its winningest team since 2002.

Sophomore ace Teresa Lemos is 26-6 with a 1.30 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 199 innings. The Rio Mesa High product is also hitting .403 with a state-leading 11 triples. She's surrounded in the order with other weapons, like slugger Clarissa Samaniego, who's hitting .449 with eight doubles, four triples and four home runs in her past four games; shortstop Raelene Moreno, who's hitting .430 with 11 doubles and six home runs; and third baseman Candice Garcia, who's hitting .411 with seven doubles, nine triples and four home runs.

Ventura, which has won seven of its last eight games and built a 14-game winning streak in March, is hitting .339 as a team and averages 7.0 runs per game.

The hope is the sluggers will feel at home this weekend.

"This is huge for us," Johnson said. "We have good gap power. It's very significant playing here."

"We know how to play on our field," said Samaniego. "Our singles become doubles. Our doubles become triples. ... This is where we work hard every day."

It was pitching that lifted the Pirates over Glendale, 2-0, on Jan. 28, as Lemos threw a five-hit shutout.

"It was only our second game," said Johnson. "We were a different team. I'm sure they have improved as well."

Ventura has an opportunity for its first postseason wins since 2005, when it upset regional host Cerritos and played Fullerton for a berth in the state tournament.

"I just hope we have two good games," Johnson said. "We're proud of what we've done this year."

Behind the dominant singles play of Julianna Bacelar, Jessica Worring and Sonia Landeros, the Ventura College women's tennis team has won the WSC and Southern California championships and will play Sierra for the state title Thursday in San Diego.

Along the way, the singles trio have been undefeated, before they were paired against each other in the final two singles rounds of The Ojai last week, when Bacelar knocked off Landeros and Worring in the semifinals and finals, respectively.

Landeros, a Rio Mesa High product, was not looking forward to the experience.

"I think it would be awful to play against one of my teammates," said Landeros last month. "Of course, Julianna always wins (during practice)."

The teammates may also turn the state singles championships into a VC practice next weekend, when they may again be matched up against each other.

Andy Stanfield shot a 4-over-par 148 and Andrew Garcia shot a 7-over 151 as the Ventura College men's golf team clinched a berth in Monday's Southern California regionals with a second-place finish at the WSC Championships last Monday at Marshallia Ranch.

The Pirates will tee off Monday at Glendora Country Club. The top two teams and next six individuals advance to the state championships May 15 in Santa Maria.

Michael Coates' entire sophomore season played out over nine innings Tuesday afternoon.

Down early, toughing it out through the middle innings and ultimately prevailing for his teammates, the Cal State Northridge-bound pitcher from Thousand Oaks High put the Moorpark College baseball team into first place with two games to play with a 5-3 complete game victory at Ventura College.

"He bulldogged it," Moorpark coach Mario Porto said. "He just got better as the game went on. That's the type of guy you want out there right now."

Coates (4-5) shut out the Pirates for the final five innings to pick up his fourth straight win after starting the season 0-5.

"This is amazing," said Coates. "We have everything against us. It's just exciting to be in the race."

The win, combined with Cuesta's 9-8 loss at Santa Barbara City in 10 innings, put No. 20-ranked Moorpark (17-17, 11-7) even with No. 5 Cuesta (22-12, 11-7) in the Western State Conference's North Division with two games to play.

Third-place Santa Barbara (17-17, 10-8) is just one game behind, which will make the final two days of the regular season even more enthralling, considering only the top two teams will earn automatic postseason berths and the tiebreakers will be a mess since all three teams split their four-game season series against each other.

Moorpark has won 10 of its last 14 games to put itself in this position.

"It's surreal," said sophomore outfielder Taylor Khanowitch. "We've been the underdogs all season. We don't just have something to prove to the other teams, we have something to prove to ourselves."

Moorpark hosts fourth-place Hancock today at 2:30 p.m. in the program's final scheduled home game. School administrators have decided to shutter the program after the season due to budget cuts.

Former coaches Gil Mendoza and Jerry White are scheduled to throw out the first pitch. The school has invited all former Moorpark College baseball players to attend.

The suspension of the Moorpark College baseball team means that Tuesday's 5-3 Raiders win will be the final game between cross-county rivals Moorpark and Ventura for some time.

The two schools split the season series, 2-2, meaning Ventura will hold a slight 61-59 series edge going forward.

Porto and Ventura coach Don Adams go back decades, to when Porto was a VC player on the 1974 WSC title-winning team.

Before the game, Adams presented Porto with his 38-year-old No. 9 Ventura College jersey. After, he seemed optimistic that the Raiders could prolong their final run.

"With the pitching that he has," Adams said, "his team could get into the tournament and do some damage."

The Ventura College men's swimming team has finished in the Top 3 at the California Community College championships for seven straight years.

That streak is in jeopardy this weekend at East Los Angeles College after the Pirates qualified only eight swimmers last week while winning the Western State Conference title.

"We're a little hobbled," Ventura coach Larry Baratte said.

The big blow was sophomore Eric Donahoo, who, slowed for much of the season by what was discovered to be a torn meniscus, failed to qualify in his freestyle events.

"He's been hobbling around and he's been avoiding the doctor," Baratte said. "He's really turned everything over to the team."

Despite soreness, Donahoo, whose healthy times last year would have made him the top seed in the 200-yard freestyle this weekend, still plans to compete in relay events.

"I'm really proud of him," Baratte said. "He could have very easily have shrugged his shoulders and chucked it in."

With just eight men and seven women qualified, both the Ventura men's and women's teams are focused on Top 5 finishes.

Henry Chung is in position to complete a stellar freshman season. The sprinter is the top seed in all three of his individual events -- today's 50-yard freestyle (20.23 seconds), Friday's 100-yard backstroke (49.42) and Saturday's 100-yard freestyle (45.24)

"And I wish I could swim him in even more (events)," Baratte said.

On the women's side, sophomore Shyla Motley is the No. 3 seed in the 50-yard breast stroke (30.92 seconds), while freshmen Christina Robledo and Abby Puczkowski are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the 100-yard backstroke.

"They've just been solid all season long," Baratte said. "They're hard-working, good group with six freshmen and one sophomore.

"We're going to be right in the hunt. It'll be a great experience for the girls."

Sophomore forward Corey Hall, who had back-to-back 20-rebound performances in the postseason for the Ventura College men's basketball team, has signed with NCAA Division I Cal State Bakersfield.

The 6-foot-6 Chicago native averaged 12.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

"The addition of Corey will allow the Roadrunners to continue their ascent at the Division I level," said Ventura coach Joey Ramirez in a release, "especially with his contributions on both ends of the floor and his tireless work on the glass."

In a meeting of the past two state champions, the Moorpark College men's volleyball team was eliminated in four games Tuesday night by host Irvine Valley in the CCCAA state quarterfinals.

"We took it on the chin out there," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "I thought we played well. Irvine just played a little better. That's all."

Sophomore outside hitter Tyler Peterson had 16 kills, freshman middle blocker Dustin Neary had 10 kills, setter Evan Litchfield had 34 assists and libero Dylan Shigekawa added 23 digs as Moorpark dropped its first postseason game since winning the 2010 state title.

Defending champ Irvine Valley (12-7) advances to face top-ranked Long Beach City in the state Final Four Thursday.

Moorpark (11-7) brought a three-match winning streak into the postseason, clinching the Western State Conference's third and final berth by sweeping its final three opponents, including No. 1 Long Beach.

But that streak ended when the Raiders dropped a sloppy first game, 25-18.

"They got out to a good start," said Burkhart. "We just didn't pass well. We just didn't do a lot of things real well (in the opening game)."

Moorpark dropping a tight second game 25-22, but responded by snatching the third game 25-18 and leading the fourth game, 14-13, before succumbing 25-19.

"We were in it to the end and just made a couple big errors," said Burkhart. "They just played a little bit better than we did."

The Moorpark College men's volleyball team will travel to Orange County Tuesday for the state quarterfinals.

Moorpark (11-6) will face Irvine Valley (11-7) at 6 p.m. in a matchup of the last two state champions. It is also a rematch of last year's state quarterfinal at Raider Pavilion, which Irvine Valley won on its way to the title.

Moorpark finished the regular season with three straight three-game sweeps, including a second win over No. 1 Long Beach City, to clinch a postseason berth. Moorpark also swept Irvine Valley in February.

Ventura College freshman Henry Chung, attempting to qualify for this summer's London Olympics in his native country, broke the Hong Kong national record in the 100-meter backstroke Saturday at the 55th annual Hong Kong Olympic Time Trials.

Fighting the flu and fatigue from a delayed 16-hour flight from LAX, Chung swam the 100 backstroke in 57.49 seconds during the preliminaries, finishing less than a second short of the 56.59 mark needed to qualify for this summer's Games.

Chung missed the event finals with a fever, which prompted a trip to the hospital. But the 19-year-old return to swim a personal best 23.37 in the 50-meter freestyle, which is less than a half second short of both the national record and Olympic qualifying standard.

"What he did in the 100 back was remarkable," said Ventura coach Larry Baratte, who coached Chung via text message from Ventura. "He'll have a few more opportunities (to qualify) in May and June and the conditions should be much more favorable."

Chung returned to Ventura Sunday to train for this weekend's Western State Conference championships and the California Community College championships later this month.

A swimmer's primary opponent is always the clock and his own body.

Ventura College freshman Henry Chung will be uniquely reminded of those confines this weekend, as he attempts to qualify for the Olympic team in his native Hong Kong.

For the opportunity, Chung will spend roughly the same amount of time aboard planes as he will on the ground in Hong Kong -- 32 hours.

"I'll do a little bit of stretching and walk around the plane to keep my body ready for the race," said Chung, who left LAX late Thursday, will arrive in Asia Saturday morning and will return Sunday. "I might have a little jet lag, but I still think I have an opportunity to quality."

To qualify for London, Chung, 19, needs to top 22.8 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle or 56.59 in the 100-meter backstroke. His bests this season at VC are inside a second of those benchmarks.

"He's rested up and ready to go," said Ventura coach Larry Baratte. "The challenge is the flights."

Chung joins Jeff Barrett, who participated in the U.S. Olympic trials in 2008, as VC swimmers to participate in Olympic trials. Although Barrett, who will be inducted into the VC Athletic Hall of Fame next month, did so he had completed his collegiate career.

If he qualifies, Chung would become VC's first international since Sally Tuttle competed in the 1975 Pan-Am Games.

Chung has already experienced the process last quadrennial, when he was just 15. If he comes up short this weekend, he'll have more opportunities to reach the qualifying standards in May and June.

"It'll be great if he's able to quality," said Baratte, "but we have other meets that we're pointing to, as well."

Whatever the result, Chung will return Sunday to prepare for the Western State Conference championships and the California Community College championships later this month.

Fitting his behind-the-scenes role at Moorpark College athletic events, Vance Manakas had hoped to keep the news of his induction this weekend into the California Community College Athletic Trainers Association's Hall of Fame quiet.

"I like to stay in the background," said Manakas, who in his 31st year at Moorpark College. "It's not about me."

But Moorpark athletic director Howard Davis finally received word of Friday's ceremony this week, allowing Manakas's peers to pay deserved tribute.

"Vance's 30-year contribution to MC athletes is immeasurable," said Davis. "His medical expertise and diagnostic ability is unmatched."

It isn't just limited to the student athletes. Davis was complaining of leg pain a few years ago when Manakas correctly diagnosed him on the spot.

"You know it's your back, not your leg, right?" asked Manakas. "You have a herniated disc."

Manakas's diagnosis was later confirmed by MRI.

"This is after I had been to three doctors by the way," said Davis. "Vance is unbelievable."