Since becoming Southern California's decathlon champion April 13, Ventura College's Teddy Elsenbaumer hasn't felt like his fellow competitors have paid him any more attention.

"I haven't noticed anything," said Elsenbaumer. "Decathlon is so close. It's quite an experience. All the athletes who are there are on the same boat."

As the Ventura College men's track and field team enters the Western State Conference finals today at Bakersfield College, Elsenbaumer's teammates can feel confident knowing their newest champion is a team player.

The Ventura High product, who will also compete in the 110-meter hurdles, the 4x400- meter relay and the javelin, picked up the 400-meter hurdles in the middle of a meet earlier this year.

"I told coach," said Elsenbaumer, "if you need me to run that one for some points, I'll try it."
Elsenbaumer is the No. 6 seed in his new event.

"I actually kind of like it," said Elsenbaumer. "It goes by really fast. There's a rhythm to it."

Ventura's Tirrel Brooks and Derrell Brooks are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the long jump.

"If we can all take care of our own thing and score the most points as possible, who knows," said Elsenbaumer. "We just have to put ourselves in the best position."

The Moorpark College men's track and field team has already started strong in the field events. Brett Olsen and Andrew Scott finished 1-2 in the discus last week and five of the Top 8 seeds in the hammer throw are Raiders: Scott, Tyler Regan, Olsen, Austin Field, Austin Landis and Austin Benson.

"When that hammer opens up, we might be looking at second through sixth on paper," said Moorpark coach Linda Boyan. "We still hope to score very well there and you never know, anybody's capable of stepping up and hitting the big one."

Moorpark has also seen a revival in the pole vault this season

Roger Mantor, a Royal High product, and Nikolas Alhaus, a Thousand Oaks High product, have been helped by former Thousand Oaks coach Bob Yudovin.

Charlie Petrie continues to lead Moorpark College men's track and field team in the distance events.

Last weekend, the Oaks Christian product finished second (32:17.20) in the 10,000 meters. Today, he's the top seed in the 5,000 meters (14:45.15) and the second seed in the 1,500 meters (4:07.94).

"He's already scored for us big," said Moorpark coach Linda Boyan. "He's been consistently good... We know he has a lot of talent, but I think he's taken it upon himself to be a more all-around leader on the track."

The reigning WSC cross-country champion, Petrie finished fourth in the 1,500 at the Mount SAC relays April 9.

"He's a more mature competitor this season," said Boyan. "He's accepted that challenge and done extremely well for us in every meet."

Sophomore Brianna Panapa has already produced for the Ventura College women's track and field team, finishing second in the shot put and third in the discus last week

The sophomore could pile up more points for the Pirates today, when he brings the conference's leading marks into the hammer throw (129 feet, 2 inches) and javelin (109-11) competitions.

"She's very diligent, a very hard worker," said Ventura throws coach Tom Lawrence.
Panapa

Panapa memorably swept all four throwing events during the six-way meet at Ventura on April 1.

"She's really been our big gun on the women's side, in terms of the field events," said Lawrence.

Oxnard College second baseman Jake Mahan is challenging for state statistical superiority at the plate.

But the sophomore from Camarillo High would gladly trade in his personal success if it meant the Condors were in position to defend their Western State Conference title.

"It's kind of bittersweet," said Mahan. "I'm playing pretty well, but I would much rather be in the playoffs."

Mahan entered this week leading the state with 57 hits, along with Andrew Mistone of Rio Hondo and Christopher Manning of Barstow.

Although, according to Mahan, that's news to him.

"I don't look at stats," said Mahan. "I just play baseball because I think it's fun."

His .413 batting average, 76 total bases and four triples also place him in the state's Top 10 and his 27 RBIs and .551 slugging percentage sit in the Top 40 as Oxnard (16-16) prepares to wrap up its season next week with a two-game series with Santa Barbara City.

Behind Chris Joyce and Kylin Turnbull, who have combined to whiff 149 batters in 122 innings, Santa Barbara features one of the top starting rotations in Southern California.

"That should be fun," said Mahan.

Mahan, who has hit .385 in his two years at Oxnard with 12 doubles, nine triples, four home runs and 53 RBIs and 62 runs scored, attributes his success to the Condors' coaching staff.

He has received recruiting interest from Azusa Pacific, Westmont and the University of Arkansas. It will also be interesting to see if his play has convinced any of the scouts tracking teammate Jesus Valdez to draft him in June.

One year after a disqualification in the 400 meters kept him from the state meet, Ventura College sophomore

Teddy Elsenbaumer responded with personal bests in the long jump, shot put and discus to with the Southern California decathlon last week at Antelope Valley College.

"It was a little bit of redemption for him," said Ventura coach Tony Veney.

Ventura's first entrant in the event in 15 years, the Ventura High product scored 6,326 points, the third-highest total in school history, to win the competition and advance to the California Community College championships next month in Sacramento.

Teammate Tomek Czerwinski was Elsenbaumer's runner-up with 6,269 points.

The competition was not without drama. A timing malfunction during Elsenbaumer's 400-meter heat forced the same event in which Elsenbaumer was disqualified last year for running on the lane line to be rerun.

"It was just a testament to his toughness and his resolve," said Veney of Elsenbaumer. "The kid is very solid mentally... There was no quit in him."

By winning 13 of its last 14 games in conference play, the Ventura College softball team (21-14, 13-4) has seemingly done the impossible, put pressure on first-place Santa Barbara City (28-5, 13-2) during its historic run.

Its only loss in WSC Gold play since March 15 came in a doubleheader split with Santa Barbara April 7.

Spurred by sophomore pitcher Kailey Snyder (24-4), Santa Barbara can wrap up its first WSC title by winning two of its last three games against sixth-place Hancock and seventh-place Los Angeles Pierce.

But Ventura has positioned itself for the postseason with the pitching tandem of freshman Teresa Lemos (13-7), who actually leads the WSC Gold in ERA at 0.79, and teammate Janessa Pulido (8-6), who is third at 1.60.

With just libero Eric Varney and middle blocker Erik Jansen returning from last year's state title-winning team, the Moorpark College men's volleyball team had been more focused on making a late run for a playoff berth than raising another state championship banner.

Both those drives probably ended Wednesday night, when the Raiders, despite 26 kills from Jansen and 19 blocks from Varney, dropped a five-game match at El Camino after taking the first two games.

"It was a heartbreaker," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "They came back and beat us."

There were still plenty of highs for the young team this spring.

In a rematch of last year's state title game, Moorpark (7-10, 3-7) knocked off 15-2 Orange Coast, again, in four games Feb. 25. The Raiders also knocked off rival Los Angeles Pierce in a five-game thriller April 8.

"We beat some good squads," said Burkhart. "The team improved as the year went on. If we had a little more time, who knows what could have happened."

The freshmen corps, including setters Chris Bossoletti (Oxnard) and Evan Litchfield (Thousand Oaks), middles Michael Lubin (Hillchrest Christian) and Josh Duarte, can potentially make Moorpark a dangerous team in 2012.

"We've essentially got five freshman out there," said Burkhart. "That hopefully bodes well for next year."

Another local team in the process of defending a state championship is the Ventura College men's tennis team.

Sophomores Thomas Millett, Pedro Ayala and Gabriel Vlahos have been supplemented by freshmen like Oxnard High product Sasha Hedberg, Ventura native Sean Levesque and Brazilian Paolo Fernandez.

The Pirates (13-2) have already wrapped up their sixth straight Western State Conference title, but a 5-4 loss Saturday to Orange Empire Conference champion Cypress will have an impact on the postseason.

"Now we're going to have to go on the road," said Ventura coach Nelson Emery. "It's not football where you have thousands screaming at you, but it's always a little easier to play at home."

While both the Pirates' state titles have come on undefeated seasons, they still considering themselves unbeaten, in a sense. The losses were suffered when they were missing Hedberg, the No. 1 singles player, or Fernandez.

"At the end of the day, it's been one of those things where we've lost a couple of matches," said Emery. "But we haven't lost to anyone with our Top 6."

Ventura bounced back Tuesday with an 8-1 win over South Coast Conference champion Cerritos.

The Western State Conference singles and doubles championships come to Ventura today and Saturday, before the state doubles tournament begins later in the month.

With Cypress and College of the Desert in the South and Fresno City and Foothill in the North, there are plenty of obstacles for a VC repeat.

"Now the fun starts," said Emery. "We're good enough to win. We're in the conversation."

Oxnard College women's volleyball assistant coach Brooke Hanson is having a successful offseason.

Alongside her teammate, Lauren Fendrick, the former UC Santa Barbara star won the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament last month without dropping a set.

The top U.S. team topped Martha Revuelta and Xitlali Herrera of Mexico 21-13, 21-14 in the final of the North Central American and Caribbean Confederation tour.

As he requested volunteers for the relays, Tony Veney knew he was asking his athletes to compete in their fifth or sixth events of a hot, sunny Friday afternoon.

When the fatigued responded in droves, the first-year Ventura College track and field head coach knew the Pirates could complete a memorable double win last week at the Ventura College Sportsplex.

"Pride," said Veney. "That had a lot to do with how the meet went. Not giving an inch."

Jordan Paea won the discus (145 feet) and finished second in the shot put (47.1 feet), Derrell Brooks won the high jump (6.3 feet) and finished second in the long jump (22.3 feet) and Tirrell Brooks won the long jump (23.1 feet) and finished second in the 200 meters (22.47 seconds) as the Ventura College men's track and field team won the six-school Western State Conference meet with 198.5 points, edging Canyons (184), Cuesta (135) and traditional power Moorpark (107.5).

"We were going up against programs that have traditionally beaten us," said Veney. "They not only showed up, but they showed up strong."

Brianna Panapa swept all four throwing events -- the shot put (34.6 feet), discus (105.2 feet), javelin (119.4 feet) and hammer (103.6 feet) -- and Raquel Ormsby finished first or second in five different events as the Ventura College women's track and field team won the six-school meet with 156 points, edging Canyons (146), Moorpark (139.5) and Cuesta (103).

"For us to win that meet on the women's side with 10 scoring is a testament to how much those women have bought into what I want from them," said Veney.

Ormsby, a Ventura High product, won the 100-meter hurdles (15.41 seconds) and 400-meter hurdles (1:07.93), finished second in the 200 meters (26.99) and 400 meters (59.31) and was part of the team that finished second in the 4-x-100 meter relay.

Panapa, a St. Bonaventure High product, lifted her team with a dominant individual performance.

"It was a great job by her," said Ventura throws coach Tom Lawrence. "Since we're kind of short of numbers as a women's team, placing first in all four events was exactly what we needed."

Other notable performers included Michaela Colvin, who finished second in the long jump (16.6 feet), Shara Longbotham, who finished second in the high jump (4.9 feet) and Mayra Sahagun, who ran for her second personal record in five races in finishing third in the 800 meters (2:27.35).

For the men, Andy Petree won the triple jump (41.3 feet) and decathlete Teddy Elsenbaumer added a second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles (55.91), an event he has yet to practice, to his second-place finish in the high jump (6.3 feet).

"He just jumps in the race," said Veney, who also singled out distance runners Justin Booth-Ortega, Luis Guevara and Marc Martinez for grinding out 15 points in their events.

"Those guys really stepped forward."

Lawrence called the meet the "biggest combined team win" in his 13 years with the Pirates, who are certainly developing under Veney, the former Portland State head coach and UCLA and Oregon assistant.

"He's tried to change a culture here," said Lawrence. "When people take over programs it usually doesn't happen overnight, but it's been pretty quick for Tony. A lot of the credit goes to him. He's the type of guys that always has his results."

Ventura will send 14 men and five women to the Mount San Antonio College relays this weekend.

Veney, who has studied the program's history, made a phone call to former Ventura coach Tuck Mason after the meet.

"That's part of the legacy here," said Veney. He was excited that I called and I was excited to be able to call."

It has been a rollercoaster of a season on the links for the Ventura College men's golf team.

The Pirates won the Glendale Invitational March 16 and finished second in the Southern California Invitational March 14. But they've also slumped to fifth- and sixth-place finishes in WSC play at Citrus March 28 and Santa Barbara City Feb. 21, respectively.

The top three of Andy Bennett, Brett Silvernail and Kevin Dann, who have combined to average a 76 in WSC play, have been strong.

But the Pirates have struggled for consistency at the bottom half of the lineup.

"It hasn't materialized," said Ventura coach Bob E. Smith. "I don't know what it is. They start second guessing themselves, they get a little negative and that puts more pressure on their entire golf game."

Coming off a third-place finish Monday at Elkins Ranch, Ventura (18-18), which sits in fourth place, remains hopeful of a postseason berth.

"That's progress," said Smith of Monday's performance, which included a 1-under 70 from medalist Andrew Garcia and a 78 from Vince Rodriguez. "I think they're going to peak at the right time."

With a 8-1 win over Los Angeles Pierce Tuesday, the defending state champion Ventura College men's tennis team clinched its sixth straight WSC title and 10th in 11 seasons.

The Pirates host Orange Empire Conference champion Cypress Saturday at 12 noon.