Wednesday, March 30, 2011

CHS Dance Team & Wolfgang make headlines at Nationals

Congratulations to the Claremont High School Dance Team and the Wolfgang Hip-Hop Team for their success at last weekend's USA Spirit Dance/Drill Nationals at the Anaheim Arena.

The CHS Dance Team reclaimed its championship glory by winning the national title in the Championship Kick category for the 3rd time in 4 years with a point total of 93.2. CHS finished 5th in the Officer category last year.

Though the Wolfgang did not capture its 2nd consecutive Small Hip-Hop title, the squad took 2nd place in the Championship Large Hip-Hop category, 3rd place in Open Small Hip-Hop and 4th place in Championship Medium Hip-Hop. With the growth of the program this year, the Wolfgang was able to compete in multiple events.

Check out Saturday's COURIER for the full story about last weekend's nationals and to celebrate the accomplishments of all CHS Dance Team and Wolfgang participants. Until then, check below for some videos highlighting the teams' performances in Anaheim last weekend from Varsity.com.


CHS Dance Team Kick Performance (1st place)


Wolfgang Large Hip-Hop Performance (2nd place)


Wolfgang Medium Hip-Hop Performance (4th place)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

CHS Soccer team receives several honors

Though the 2010-11 season has officially ended for the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team, it did not stop the Wolfpack from being recognized beyond the postseason.

On top of winning this year's CIF Southern Section Division II championship, CHS coach Fred Bruce Oliver was recently named CIF Southern Section Division II Coach of the Year and Cory Hodge was selected as the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year. Hodge and teammate Troy Ford were also named to the CIF Southern Section Division II All-First Team.

Congratulations once again to CHS for an unforgettable season. Check below for a YouTube video from YouTube user "synergem":

Brown, Williams make impact at their respective schools

Youngstown State University's Brandi Brown and Azusa Pacific University's Amber Williams are continuing their success on the basketball court from their Claremont High School days and bringing even more to the collegiate game.

Brown finished completed her sophomore season with the Penguins and led her team in both points (19.9) and rebounds (9.2) per contest. Her totals ranked her 15th in scoring and 49th in rebounding among NCAA Division I women's basketball players. Brown's 939 points in the last 2 seasons are the most ever by a Youngstown State player in school history.

Williams finished her junior season with the Cougars on a high note as Azusa Pacific captured its first ever NAIA women's basketball championship last night with a 65-59 win over 2-time defending champion Union University (Tenn.). The former CHS standout provided a spark off the bench for APU as she pulled down a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game and averaged 6.5 points.

Check out some YouTube coverage of both Brown and Williams below:

Youngstown State highlights (Brandi Brown #42)


Azusa Pacific highlights (Amber Williams #44 and first player in the video)

Bearcats bring Broncos' season to a halt

The fact that the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight this past season is cause enough for celebration among the Bronco community. But Cal Poly Pomona was overcome by a stronger Northwest Missouri State team in the NCAA quarterfinal as the Bearcats bested the Broncos in St. Joseph, Missouri by a 78-65 score.

Sarah Semenero (19 points), Reyana Colson (15 points), Megan Ford (14 points) and Charlene Popoff (10 points) all scored in double figures for Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos suffered from first half shooting woes with its 27 percent shooting percentage landing the team in a 39-22 hole at the half. While Cal Poly Pomona responded in the 2nd half by shooting 44 percent and outscoring Northwest Missouri State, 43-39, it was too little to late for the Broncos.

Congratulations to the Broncos (28-5) on an outstanding season under interim coach Danelle Bishop and hopefully this is only the beginning of much more to come.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cal Poly Pomona women's team 3 victories from NCAA championship

The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team is in a similar predicament that their men's counterparts were in last season with their appearance in this year's NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The Broncos will be in action tonight against Northwest Missouri State with the winner advancing to the semifinals of the Division II tournament. Cal Poly Pomona enters the contest with an impressive 28-4 record.

NCAA Division II All-American Reyana Colson has led the Broncos this season by recording 21.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. Her other accolades include becoming the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player, the NCAA Division II West Region's Most Valuable Player and the West Region Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Look for an update on the blog tomorrow of the Broncos' progress.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Chino Hills drops CHS to first loss

After winning its first 4 games and capturing the Glendora Tournament, the Claremont High School varsity baseball team fell to Chino Hills in the Sierra League opener at Wolfpack Park on Thursday, 5-0.

Claremont mustered 4 hits in the contest but could not put together a rally to get back into the game. The Pack also committed 3 errors.

Yet Claremont's first loss is just one chapter in what will be a 2-month long regular season. CHS coach Steve Jackson still expects the Wolfpack to have a strong season but also pointed out that consistent hitting is to key to his team's success.

“We’re a small ball type of team,” Coach Jackson said. “We’re not going to be hitting a lot of balls out of the park so we need to be able to get on base.”

Check out tomorrow's COURIER for a full recap of Thursday's game. The CHS baseball team will be in action tomorrow at Don Lugo at 11 a.m.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

CHS baseball, softball off to raging start

The Claremont High School baseball and softball teams are showing signs of promise in 2011.

The Wolfpack baseball team recently captured the Glendora Tournament championship last weekend with a 14-1 win over Ayala in the tournament final. In its first 4 games, CHS is averaging nearly 8 runs a game while holding its opponents to just one run per contest. The Pack will host Chino Hills at home tomorrow at 3:15 p.m.

By defeating Arroyo and Schurr yesterday, the CHS softball team has improved to 6-0 in the early season. The Pack was undefeated in the Upland Tournament last week and won both of its games in the Arroyo Tournament this week. Claremont will next battle Chino Hills at Cahuilla Park tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

The COURIER will be in attendance at tomorrow's CHS baseball game. Look for coverage of the game as well as box scores from other CHS sports in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Wolfpack's dream season ends

Congratulations to the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team for an incredible season. The Wolfpack's chances at the Southern California Regionals title were eliminated on Wednesday as Oak Hills edged out CHS in the semifinals, 1-0.

Oak Hills senior Chazz Cameron scored the game's only goal at the 25th minute of play. The Wolfpack came close to tying the game in the 52nd minute but the goal was waived off by officials due to the goalie having possession of the ball before it was kicked out of his hands.

Wednesday's contest was a highly physical match, particularly after the 60th minute. Within the last 20 minutes, Brennen Carter had his jersey grabbed by an Oak Hills player at least 3 times, Troy Ford was thrown to the ground and Cory Hodge was tapped on the top of his head by another Cougars player.

“We needed a break here and there and our guys were tired,” Coach Bruce-Oliver pointed out. “I thought that the CIF finals was physical but this match was pretty physical. But I’m very impressed with Oak Hills and they are a very good team.”

Even though the Pack didn't win the Southern California Regionals, CHS has plenty to be proud of. Claremont captured its first CIF (Division 2) Southern Section championship in 17 years, posted an impressive 22-2-5 record, was selected as the No. 1 seed for the regionals and was at one time ranked No. 7 in the nation by ESPN Rise.

It was a lot of fun following the Pack this season. Look for more coverage in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

C-M-S qualifies highest number of swimmers for NCAA in program history

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swim program will have 16 swimmers competing in the NCAA Championships from March 23-26 at the University of Tennessee. The 8 male swimmers (Stags) and 8 female swimmers (Athenas) accounts for the highest total C-M-S has ever sent to the NCAA Championships.

The Athenas finished in 5th place at last year's NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history. Led by SCIAC Swimmer of the Year Michele Kee, the female swimmers will look to improve on last year's historical effort. The Athenas have won 9 consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships.

Vincent Pai will lead a very strong Stags team at this year's championship. The Stags won its 4th straight SCIAC title this season and will have 3 swimmers competing in at least 3 individual events at the championships later this month.

Here's the list of qualifiers and the events they will compete in:

STAGS (men's team)
Vincent Pai (100 & 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley)
Blake Weber (200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke)
Nick Ostreim (200-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke)
Austin Hallet (200-yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke)
Jordan Lieberman (100 & 200-yard butterfly)
Sean Fitzgerald (50-yard freestyle)
Devin Bowers (400-yard medley relay, 200 & 400-yard freestyle relay)
Jeff McNerney (400-yard medley relay)

ATHENAS (women's team)
Michele Kee (200-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard freestyle)
Katie Bilotti (100-yard butterfly, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke)
Tessa Dover (100 & 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley)
Helen Liu (50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly)
Jenni Rinker (50-yard freestyle, 100 & 200-yard backstroke)
Elsa Cheng (100-yard butterfly, 100 & 200-yard backstroke)
Emma Jones (100-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke)

RELAY TEAMS
Men's 200-yard medley
Men's 400-yard medley
Men's 200-yard freestyle
Men's 400-yard freestyle
Women's 200-yard medley
Women's 400-yard medley
Women's 200-yard freestyle
Women's 400-yard freestyle

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The good times keep rolling for CHS soccer

Claremont High School's Hugo Lepe emerged as the Wolfpack's latest hero on Monday as the CHS midfielder scored game-winning goal to lift the Pack past Coronado in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regionals, 1-0. Added just a few years ago, the Southern California Regionals are the continuation of postseason after the CIF sectionals.

The final play of the game began with Brennen Carter's corner throw being sent back to midfield courtesy of Cory Hodge's header. Troy Ford gained control of the ball at midfield and kicked the ball to within 15 yards of the goal. Hodge then recorded another header that set up Lepe's left-footed goal that sailed over the Cougars goalie.

Adding yet another win to its already unforgettable and most successful season in history, Claremont (22-1-5) advances to the semifinals to play host to Oak Hills tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. The match will take place at CHS Stadium. If CHS is victorious in tomorrow's match, the Wolfpack will play in the regional final at Warren High School in Downey (7:30 p.m.)

Coverage of Monday's game and last Saturday's CIF Southern Section final will be in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER and look for coverage of tomorrow's match in Saturday's edition. Keep tuned in to the COURIER website for up to date information.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Wolfpack capture CIF-SS championship, host regionals today

Congratulations to the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team, who won the Division 2 CIF Southern Section championship on Saturday by outlasting Capistrano Valley, 3-2, in overtime at Mission Viejo High School.

Cory Hodge's heroics came through once again for CHS, as his goal in the 6th minute of overtime was the game-winner. The goal was assisted by Brennen Carter.

Carter and Stephen Barba also had goals for the Wolfpack in Saturday's contest. Claremont's championship is the team's first since 1994.

The season isn't over yet for the Wolfpack as Claremont will host Coronado in the first round of the Southern California Regionals today at CHS Stadium with a 4 p.m. start. Look for coverage of today's match, as well as Saturday's victory, in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Claremont needs just one more win

Cory Hodge's game-winning goal at the 97th minute on Tuesday advanced the Claremont High School boys soccer team to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship match against Capistrano Valley.

The date and time for the championship match was announced earlier this morning as the Wolfpack (20-1-5) will travel to Mission Viejo High School to play the Cougars this Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. start time. Tickets are $9 for general admission and $5 for students with I.D. and children under 13 years of age.

Claremont hasn't enjoyed this much success in the CIF playoffs since the team won the championship in 1994. Coach Fred Bruce-Oliver has said that his team has surpassed his expectations and believes that the level of soccer has changed over the past 17 years.

“My first reaction is that for the longest time, I thought this would never happen again,” said CHS coach Fred Bruce-Oliver. “The level of the game is so high now and there is no team this is dominating anywhere around here. The top team changes from year to year and this was our year."

Look for more coverage of Tuesday's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. Check out the game winning goal courtesy of "synergem" on YouTube. Go Pack!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

C-M-S news update

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men and women's basketball teams were both defeated in the SCIAC Tournament finals last Saturday, bringing to an end solid seasons for both teams.

The Stags (16-10) triumphed over La Verne in Friday's semifinal, 68-62, but fell to Redlands in Saturday's championship game, 63-54. Likewise the Athenas (20-7) won its semifinal contest by a 52-46 margin over Redlands on Friday but suffered a 55-49 defeat at the hands of Occidental in the tournament final.

In other C-M-S news, former University of Chicago defensive coordinator Kyle Sweeney was announced as the Stags new head football coach last week. Coach Sweeney formerly coached at MacMurray College (2007-08), Endicott College (2002-06), Occidental College (2001-02) and Illinois Wesleyan University (2000-01). His official start date is tomorrow.

Look for more comments regarding Sweeney's hire in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER.