COURIER Sports Beat

Weekly Sports Beat (1-27-12)

2012-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Another week, another Weekly Sports Beat. This week we will take a look at how the C-M-S men's basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the regular season, the women's version of the Sixth Street Showdown in C-M-S and Pomona Pitzer women's basketball and the improvement of the Claremont High School varsity wrestling team. Let's get to it:

-Last Saturday, the C-M-S men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Whittier, 88-85, to record its first loss of the 2011-12 season. The Stags then bounced back on Wednesday with a 75-64 victory over Occidental to capture its 16th win. C-M-S currently stands at 16-1 overall and will host Cal Lutheran at home tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Landus' Note: An undefeated record is always a great accomplishments but sometimes it can be a heavy burden to carry. With the undefeated record no longer a factor, C-M-S can now focus on reaching the postseason and seeing what they can when they reach there. Coach Ken Scalmanini will have his team ready the rest of the way and I am sure the players will very much be looking forward to the Feb.4 rematch with Whittier. In sports, every team will eventually lose but it's always about how you bounce back after a loss.

-The Claremont High School varsity wrestling team suffered a 52-27 defeat at the hands of Ayala on Thursday. Parker Blakeslee (heavyweight class), Daniel Soto (170 lbs), Vicente Lopez (113 lbs), Malik Webster (132 lbs) and Alexander Merritt (160 lbs) were all victorious for the Wolfpack. Coach Gerald Escalante said that he has been pleased with the team's improvement from last year and looks forward to the years ahead. The full story on Thursday's wrestling meet will be in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Landus' Note: This year's team looked significantly more competitive than the CHS wrestling teams of the recent past. Lopez and Webster are 2 freshmen that people should keep an eye on going forward. Their victories against Ayala are big confidence boosters and the it will be interesting to watch the development of them and other returning grapplers by next season.

-The C-M-S men and women's swim teams continue to remain undefeated in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) meets this seasons as the 2 squads improved to 5-0 in conference meets last Saturday with the men's team defeating Occidental, 235-53, and the women's team taming the Tigers, 203-93. Vincent Pai led the way for the Stags with victories in the 100 (58.81) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:10.33) while teammates James Stevick, Brad Perfect, Jeff McNerney, Cameron Whiting and Austin Hallett were also multi-event winners. Michele Kee (50-yard free, 400-yard IM) and LillyBelle Deer (500 & 1650-yard free) led the way for the Athenas in last Saturday's meet as the 2 C-M-S teams will be in action tomorrow at Cal Lutheran.

Landus' Note: The swim program at C-M-S continues to be amazing. The Stags and Athenas only have 2 more meets to go to reach the SCIAC Championships with an undefeated conference record. To put it in perspective just how good C-M-S has been in the pool, the women's team has won the last 9 SCIAC championships while the men's team has won the last 4. We can call it a SCIAC dynasty.

-The Webb School's varsity boys basketball team is currently in 2nd place in the Prep League with a 10-5, 3-1 record. The Gauls' last few games have been against nonleague opponents but Webb will return to league play tonight at Flintridge Prep, who currently sits at the Prep League's top team with a 4-0 league record.

Landus' Note: This is a big game for Coach Rick Duque and company tonight in La Canada. If the Gauls can win tonight's game, Webb will move into a tie with Flintridge Prep for first place in the Prep League.

El Roble Cheer team wins state championship

2012-01-25T10:22:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the El Roble Intermediate School cheer team for winning the first place trophy in the junior high school division at the Cheer Pros State Cheer and Dance Championships held in Long Beach last weekend. The team will be moving on to the Best of the West Invitational to be held at the Long Beach Pyramid on March 11.

On Tuesday afternoon, I had a chance to spend about an hour with the El Roble group as they practiced on the routine they will showcase at the Best of the West event. Co-coaches Yolanda Gonzalez and Nicole Phillips have done a great job with the 25-member team and they are all looking forward to competing once again.

Look for a full story on the El Roble cheer team's most recent achievement in the upcoming Saturday edition of the COURIER.

Weekly Sports Beat (1-19-12)

2012-01-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

(photo courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics)

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the Weekly Sports Beat, a new feature on the COURIER Sports Beat blog that will serve to cover some of the bigger highlights of the week in Claremont sports. This week involves a basketball rivalry, an update on the Claremont High School boys and girls soccer teams and more. Let's get to it:

-The battle of the undefeated men's basketball teams in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference resulted in a closely contested 57-55 win for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps over Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday night. The undefeated Stags (15-0, 4-0) won the game when Remy Pinson went the whole length of the court to score a layup with 0.5 seconds remaining. Chris Blees (11 points), Tyler Gaffaney (11 points) and Pinson (10 points) all scored in double figures for C-M-S. Jack Klukas (13 points) and Michael Cohen (12 points) led Pomona-Pitzer (8-6, 3-1).

Landus' Note: Anytime the C-M-S and Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball teams get together, it is guaranteed that you will see an intense and close contested game. Wednesday's game proved to be no different for the 2 rivals in a game that was up for grabs down to the final seconds. Yet the Sagehens should had focused more on defense after Klukas tied the game at 55-55 with a 3-pointer because allowing a layup with under 10 seconds to play is inexcusable, especially when that player goes the entire length of the floor. These 2 teams will meet again very soon, giving the Sagehens a chance at revenge.

-The CHS varsity boys and girls soccer teams both posted shutouts against Charter Oak on Wednesday with the boys team blanking the Chargers, 8-0, and the girls team winning its first match since its defeat to St. Lucy's last week, 4-0. Stephen Barba scored 2 goals and Jason Umansky contributed a goal and 2 assists as the CHS boys team (13-2-2, 3-0) scored 5 of its 8 goals in the 2nd half. Madison Stark, Briana Holmes, Leandra Escobar and Megan Renken all scored for the CHS girls team, who improves to 16-1-3 overall and 2-1 in Sierra League play.

Landus' Note: There is no doubt that both the boys and girls soccer teams are very strong and are CIF contenders this year. Though Charter Oak was not a tough opponent for either team, it is still important to get the "W," which is what CHS did. This was a big win for the girls team as it should boost the confidence of the squad that recently suffered its first defeat and then played to a tie with Chino Hills. No matter what the level of competition is, every win in sports is significant.

-The C-M-S men and women's swim teams both improved to 4-0 in SCIAC by dominating the University of La Verne last weekend. The Stags coasted to a 258-81 victory while the Athenas triumphed over the Leopards, 267-66. Click HERE for full results of the meet. (Photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics)

Landus' Note: Claremont is a destination for swimming as C-M-S, CHS and the Claremont Club all field highly competitive and successful teams each year. Pomona-Pitzer's defeats to C-M-S and Redlands shows that the Sagehens still have a ways to go to be among the SCIAC elite. Both the Stags and Athenas may go undefeated in SCIAC this season but the February 4 meet against Redlands will prove to be their toughest challenge of the season.

-This afternoon, the COURIER will attend the Sierra League girls water polo match between Claremont and Ayala in Chino Hills. Look for coverage of today's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. The match begins at 4:15 p.m.

As always, your comments are welcome. What are some of your highlights of the week?

Undefeated No More: Claremont suffers first loss of season to St. Lucy's

2012-01-12T16:22:00.001-08:00

The Claremont High School varsity girls soccer team is no longer undefeated. After posting 15 wins and 2 ties in its first 17 games, the Wolfpack fell victim to a couple of defensive lapses on Wednesday that lead to a 2-1 loss to St. Lucy's in a Sierra League match.

I had the opportunity to attend Wednesday's game and it was a tough defeat for the Wolfpack. St. Lucy's was ready for Claremont as they seemed to have players in the right place at the right time throughout the contest. Meanwhile, CHS didn't seem to match St. Lucy's energy until the 2nd half but by that point the Wolfpack trailed, 2-0. Overall, I believe this loss can be an effective building block for a team loaded with talent. Even though the Pack surrendered 2 goals yesterday, Claremont has only given up 8 goals in 18 total games.

Perhaps Coach Tim Tracey is relieved that the No.1 national ranking hype and undefeated streak are over so that the Wolfpack can put its full focus on the remainder of the season ahead. Sometimes rankings and not losing can give teams a false sense of security when there are areas that could use improvement. So the most important thing for Claremont is how the team bounces back.

The full story on Wednesday's game will be featured in Saturday's COURIER. And I'm sure we'll be seeing the girls soccer team again this year.

Weekly Sports Beat debuts

2012-01-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

Beginning with this post, the COURIER Sports Beat blog will now feature a weekly update that will cover multiple sports teams throughout Claremont with a little bit of commentary included. The blog will still also feature individual updates but this will be a way to provide more highlights of what is going on with the sports teams in Claremont. Let's dive right into what will now be called the "Weekly Sports Beat."

Photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics

-Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball coach Jodi Burton reached the 500-win milestone last Saturday as the Athenas defeated Caltech in Pasadena, 51-36. Coach Burton has been with C-M-S for 32 years and has a career record with the Athenas of 500 wins to 293 losses for a winning percentage of .631. The C-M-S coach becomes the 5th coach in Division III history to win 500 games and she is the all-time wins leader in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play.

Landus' Note: I first met Coach Burton as a public address announcer for C-M-S men and women's basketball during the mid 2000's and have always respected the class in which she carries herself. She is very deserving of the award and when I spoke to her this morning, she humbly tried to downplay her accomplishment but we all know better. Coach Burton is truly an exceptional coach and C-M-S has been fortunate to have her for the past 3 decades.

Photo by Michael Balchunas

-The Claremont High School girls soccer team returns to the field today against St. Lucy's at Damien High School at 5:30 p.m. The Wolfpack enters tonight's match with an undefeated 15-0-2 record and is currently ranked No.1 according to MaxPrep's national rankings. CHS is led by Madison Stark (11 goals, assist), Rebekah Evans (5 goals, 7 assists) and Merin Arft (6 goals, 2 assists) and other members of a experienced and talented roster.

Landus' Note: I am really looking forward to today's match as this will be my first chance to see the 2011-12 version of the Wolfpack in action. And being that Claremont is facing St. Lucy's, the Pack's sworn rival and Sierra League foe, I am anticipating a very competitive match. The teams split their 2 matches last year and I'm expecting for the Regents to give the No.1 rated Wolfpack its biggest challenge to date.

-Just in case you missed it, the C-M-S men's basketball team went through its entire preseason with an undefeated record of 11-0 and then opened SCIAC play with an easy 77-42 win over Caltech for its 12th win of the season. The Stags are led by Chris Blees, who averages 14.9 points and 8 rebounds per contest and is shooting an impressive .558 clip from the field.

Landus' Note: I've followed the Stags for a number of years and what I've always been impressed by with the program is how head coach Ken Scalmanini knows how to get the most out of his roster of players and not just one player. While Blees is the top scorer for C-M-S, players such as Mani Maceira (11.4 ppg) and Cody Mivshek (9.3 ppg) are also contributing to the Stags' success. What's more, C-M-S typically fares even better in SCIAC play. Watch out for this team.

-Congratulations to the CHS varsity basketball team for a big resurgence that has resulted in 7 wins in their last 8 games and a current 3-game winning streak. Claremont's most recent win was a 65-52 win over Ontario on January 6. The Wolfpack (10-7) will host Damien tonight in search for its 11th win of the season.

Landus' Note: Sometimes all that is needed for a team to gel is time. And it seems that with the more time that passes, the better Claremont has become. Entering into Sierra League play will be a different beast altogether and will be the true test to let us know where the Pack stands.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts and look for the next installment of the "Weekly Sports Beat" next week.

Wolfpack girls soccer... you are not forgotten

2012-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of www.chsgirlssoccer.org

The story of this year's Claremont High School varsity girls soccer team has been a special one so far with the Pack being ranked No.1 in the nation according to MaxPreps and the the squad remaining undefeated with a record of 15-0-1 after 16 matches. The COURIER is watching and next week, I will get a firsthand view of just how good this team is when Claremont plays St. Lucy's on January 11.

Our normal way of coverage at the COURIER allows each CHS varsity team to receive a full spread of coverage at least once during each season. While larger papers focus on which teams in the area are more successful, we take a different approach because we are the "Claremont" COURIER and each of the varsity teams we cover at CHS represent our home teams. It doesn't matter whether they have a winning record, a .500 record or a losing record, if they represent CHS at the varsity level, they are included in our coverage.

Which brings me back to the varsity girls soccer team. I am hoping that the Wolfpack will pick up its 16th win today against Alta Loma because it will add even more intrigue to the rivalry match against St. Lucy's next week. And being that it will take place at Damien High School, it will be a short drive for CHS supporters to check out what should be a fantastic contest. Rivalry games will do that automatically but the chance for the Regents to knock the Pack from the No.1 spot will no doubt have them ready to play. And the chance for Claremont to stay No.1 will no doubt have the Pack motivated.

To the CHS varsity girls soccer team, you've done a terrific job kicking off the 2011-12 season and should celebrate all of the success that you've had to date. In 16 matches, you've only allowed 5 goals, showing impressive effort on defense. The old adage "defense wins games" is definitely true with your team. I look forward to next Wednesday and being able to see your talents on display for myself.

Congratulations and know that we haven't forgotten about you.

Photo coverage of the Vista de Valle/Oakmont football game

2011-12-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

In today's COURIER, I provided a bit of coverage from the Vista del Valle Elementary vs Oakmont Outdoor School flag football game last week. Though Vista pulled out a 28-7 win, the contest was just the first of 3 sporting events of friendly competition the 2 schools will take part in this year.

Vista del Valle Principal David Stewart and his wife, Oakmont Principal Stacey Stewart are to be commended for coming up with an idea to help unify the 2 Claremont Unified School District schools and also emphasize the importance of academic responsibility and behavioral accountability. Attendance has been up at the 2 schools with Vista and Oakmont also competing in attendance challenges on a monthly basis.

Thanks to Oakmont for providing the photo above and the photos below that captured some of the best moments of last Wednesday's game:

CHS Girls Soccer wins San Dimas Tournament

2011-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

While the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team is currently striving for a back-to-back CIF Southern Section championship, the CHS varsity girls soccer team has been making some noise of their own to begin the 2011-12 season.

Scoring 9 goals in 4 games within the San Dimas Tournament last weekend, Claremont shut out Maranatha, 3-0, Glendora, 3-0 and Alta Loma, 1-0, before blanking Diamond Bar in the championship match, 2-0. The 4 wins improved the undefeated Wolfpack to 5-0-1 on the season.

Claremont will return to action tomorrow afternoon at Alta Loma at 3:15 p.m. Click HERE to input your address and get directions to Alta Loma High School.

New coach on the block

2011-12-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Former Upland Christian head baseball coach Geoff Ranney is now the head coach of the CHS baseball program. On Wednesday, I had a chance to spend some time with the new coach and CHS Class of 1991 alum. From what I've heard, it looks like there could be some good times ahead for the Wolfpack baseball team.

CHS has gone through 5-year postseason drought as the last time the Pack made the playoffs was in 2006. The last 20-win season for Claremont was in 2005. Over the past 9 years, Claremont has had 6 different coaches at the helm, counting Coach Ranney. The new coach is hoping to bring some stability to the program.

Coach Ranney guided Upland Christian to a CIF Southern Section championship in 2007 and to a runner-up finish in CIF in 2008. Check out tomorrow's COURIER for the full story.

CHS boys soccer doesn't miss a step

2011-12-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

With a 3-2 victory over Rancho Cucamonga yesterday in the first round of the Rancho Cucamonga Tournament, the Claremont High School Wolfpack boys soccer team is picking up right where the team left off when it captured the CIF Southern Section Division II championship last year.

The boys team has a senior heavy roster this year with Stephen Barba, Denes Kantor, Sam Newton, Ismael Rodriguez, Michael Lozano and several others representing players who are returners this season. Barba currently leads CHS in goals with 2 this season.

CHS looks as if the team has plenty of potential but will do well to use the regular season as a platform for the postseason. Being the defending CIF-SS champ, many teams will bring a greater effort against the Pack. Claremont must be ready to play at 100 percent every time the squad takes the field.

For the full story on Wednesday's match, check out this Saturday's COURIER. Also check below for YouTube highlights courtesy of www.claremontsoccer.com.

Claremonters doing big things away from town

2011-11-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to former Claremont High School basketball standouts Brandi Brown and Dave Rice as the 2 made history this past Friday and Saturday.

Brown scored her 1000th point in her collegiate career in a win against Loyola Marymount on Friday. The junior on the Youngstown State University women's basketball team has narrowly missed scoring the point on Nov. 21 but reached the milestone by converting a free throw early in Friday's contest in Los Angeles.

In his first year as the head coach of UNLV, Coach Rice picked up the biggest win his career last Saturday as the Runnin' Rebels upset No.1 ranked North Carolina in the championship game of a tournament held in Las Vegas. The win knocked the Tarheels off the mountaintop and improved UNLV to 7-0 on the season.

Be sure to check out tomorrow's COURIER for the full stories on both Brown and Rice's recent accomplishments. Until then, below are YouTube clips featuring both of Claremont's own:

It's crunch time for Claremont High sports

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

This week was the final week of the regular season for several Claremont High School sports (cross country, girls tennis, girls volleyball, boys water polo). With the exception of football, CHS now has the CIF playoffs to look forward to with Monday being the stay that CIF will release playoff brackets.

This week featured many great highlights with Drew Spinosa and Megan Huang becoming the Sierra League doubles tennis champions and the Frosh/Soph and junior varsity boys cross country teams placing first at the Sierra League Finals. But the varsity girls cross country team stands out due to finishing 2nd at the Sierra League Finals to complete a solid season.

For the past 2 years, a lot of the attention has been on the CHS varsity boys cross country team (and rightfully so) due to finishing in the top 5 in 2009 and 2010. But this year, the girls team has emerged as a highly competitive group and after finishing in 3rd place at the first Sierra League meet, they improved each time the league teams competed against each other. And Megan Renken became the Sierra League champion, beating out all the runners on a very strong Ayala team. The girls have much to be proud of this year and I look forward to seeing what they can do in CIF.

The COURIER will keep an eye on all of the upcoming playoff action. For more thoughts on this year's CHS teams, click HERE.

They're only just getting started

2011-10-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

The Claremont High School varsity girls tennis team is on a roll. With a 10-0 record overall and an 8-0 Sierra League record going into today's match against Charter Oak, we could very well be seeing the female rendition of the championship success enjoyed by the CHS varsity boys tennis team in 2009 and 2010.

Interestingly enough, the CHS girls squad has the exact same head coach that the boys team had during its back-to-back years in Tom Spinosa. From there, just as the boys team was led by a Spinosa (Clarke Spinosa) and a Liu (Frank Liu), the varsity girls team is led by their sisters, Drew Spinosa and Cindy Liu. And like their brothers, they are quite good.

Just as the boys team had an incredibly deep team that featured the likes of Trevor James, Carter Hafif, Scott Donaldson and Alan Leahy, the girls team contains Ryley Settles, Chelsea Edirsuriya and Hailey Kayatta. Yet another similarity.

Are we perhaps looking at a girls tennis mini-dynasty in the making at CHS? It's certainly possible.

CHS boys water polo is a contender

2011-10-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year can make.

The Claremont High School varsity boys water polo team avenged a pair of defeats suffered at the hands of Ayala last year with a 14-11 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday.

"It felt so good to beat Ayala," said Stephen Zetterberg. "Last year, I remember that they beat us twice by one goal. But we really won this one and it shows the great heart that we have as a team this year."

Claremont rode the backs of Luke Miller (6 goals), Jonah Dowd (5 goals) and freshman goalie Steven Cable, who recorded several saves and deflections for the Pack in the victory. Remy Ertaud (2 goals) and Zetterberg scored Claremont's other 3 goals.

Personally observing the team, Claremont has made huge strides from 2010. Although the team is younger with just a few seniors, the Wolfpack's underclassmen (led by Cagle) have been playing solid at the varsity level. Along with defeating Ayala for the first time in 3 tries, CHS also played competitive against Damien last week in a match that was decided by just 5 points. Last year's Claremont team lost to the Spartans by 15.

Coach Melissa McKown has gotten her team in prime position to make some noise this year. Like the CHS varsity girls volleyball team, only mistakes will be able to prevent the Wolfpack from advancing a few rounds into CIF this year.

In case you missed it...

2011-10-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Claremont High School head football coach Mike Collins was featured in a segment on the ABC 7 Sports Zone show last Saturday due to being selected as a 2011 ABC 7 - NFL Coach of the Week. Check out the video below to see what was televised on Saturday:

Congratulations to Coach Collins and the entire CHS football program. The 4-1 Wolfpack will host Damien tomorrow tonight to open Sierra League Play at 7 p.m.

Sierra League Cluster Meet allows Claremont to see big picture

2011-09-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

The first of 3 Sierra League cross country meets is in the bag. And while the Claremont High School cross country team is currently dissecting the positives and negatives of Tuesday's meet, the occasion afforded the Wolfpack the opportunity to see just what it will take to obtain the league crown.

Without Paul Ross, Henry Falotico, Colin Domonoske and AK Metoyer on this year's team, the varsity boys team will have a tough road to travel to repeat its 3rd place standing in the state from last year. The group finished in 5th place overall.

The CHS girls teams are showing constant improvement with the junior varsity girls taking 2nd place and the varsity girls unit placing 3rd. Ayala took first in both races, making the Bulldogs the team to beat going forward.

Chatting with Claremont coach Rob Lander after the meet, the 2 words he used were "competitive" and "fun." While the coach applauds his team's effort and sees room for improvement, he also believes the challenges his runners will face will ultimately make them better runners.

"The Sierra League is really competitive from top to bottom and it's going to be exciting this year," Coach Lander said. "Our boys finished 3rd last year in CIF and Ayala and Damien are ranked teams. The Ayala and South Hills girls teams are both ranked and our girls are hoping they can get a ranking too. It's fun."

The CHS frosh-soph boys team had the best performance on the day for Claremont, taking first place overall and having 5 of its 7 runners finish in the Top 10 individually. Freshman Adam Johnson led the way by finishing in 2nd with a time of 17:36.3.

The CHS JV boys team earned 2nd place in their respective race with Anthony Modyman crossing the finish line at 17:55.7 for 5th place. Look out for the full article in Saturday's issue of the COURIER and check out the web update HERE.

Coach Collins is the backbone to CHS football program

2011-09-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

CHS head football coach Mike Collins

Players come and go. But it is the coaches who were there before and will remain there after the players move on.

After losing several seniors from last year's playoff contending team, CHS head football coach Mike Collins has suddenly guided the Wolfpack to a 3-0 record in 2011. Should we be surprised? Not at all.

When we discuss what is referred to as Claremont's "glory days" in football, it was Coach Collins who was at the helm of those teams that dominated the Baseline League. The fact of the matter is that Coach Collins is a great coach and he has a great staff that supports his vision.

Any great coach at any level will identify years that his or her team struggled and have gone through the experience of having to rebuild their program. Coach Collins experienced this during the latter part of the previous decade. But with 3 wins already under Claremont's belt in 2011, all the Pack has to do to reach the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year is remain consistent.

Some of us may be shocked that Claremont can rack up 46 points without Daniel Kessler at quarterback, Tyler Kuramata at receiver and Brandon Tuliaupupu on the defensive line. But while some of the players are different, the coach is the same and it looks like the CHS program is continuing on an upward swing.

Football season is now in session

2011-09-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

While the Claremont High School and Webb School football teams both began their 2011 seasons like week, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer teams will get into the act this Saturday.

CHS came back to defeat Kennedy, 24-20, to enter tomorrow's rivalry clash against Bonita with a 1-0 record. The 2 teams have split their last 2 games and Friday's game will definitely give either team bragging rights for another year. Sometimes, a game with simply pride on the line can turn out to be one of the better games of the year. The contest begins at CHS at 7 p.m.

The "Era of Fenton" got off to a good start last Saturday as Webb defeated Lucerne Valley in its home opener, 41-20. Word on the street has it that Coach Ray Fenton is the man to turn the Gaul football program into a winner. Webb will have a chance to go 2-0 on Friday at Laguna Beach.

After posting a 7-2 record last year under interim coach Steve Retzlaff, the Stags will now have new coach Kyle Sweeney at the helm as C-M-S begins its season at Lewis & Clark College on Saturday. Sweeney has 2 years of head coaching experience and has been a defensive specialist throughout the rest of his coaching career. With many returning from last year, if C-M-S sticks to its smashmouth style, its opponents will be feeling the bruises throughout the season.

Unlike C-M-S, Pomona-Pitzer coach Roger Caron has been at the helm of the Sagehens since 1994. The Hens lost key playmakers Jacob Caron and Robert Maki, who were seniors last year. The 2011 season will allow other players to step up and shine. Pomona-Pitzer's offensive line will be a determining factor of the Hens' success or lack of success this year. The Hens play at Whitworth on Saturday.

Which of the 4 Claremont football teams do you think will advance to the postseason this year?

Claremont finds biggest advantage in running sports

2011-08-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

As the 2011 cross-country season is ready to begin for the Claremont High School, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, one thing is for certain. Claremont athletes know how to run.

Last season, the CHS boys cross-country team placed 3rd in the state, the Webb boys competed in the state championships and both C-M-S and Pomona-Pitzer sent runners to the NCAA championships. Running isn't just what many Claremont athletes do, it is also what they excel at.

It's interesting because each community has its niche. Claremont excels in sports that require endurance such as cross-country, soccer, swimming and track. The city is not where you would find a collection of bulk and mass among athletes. Perhaps that could be attributed to the health consciousness of the Claremont and the city environment.

Heading east to Upland and Rancho Cucamonga, you'll find football programs that are broadcasted on television. Heading further east to Etiwanda, Fontana and Corona, you'll find a region of highly competitive basketball teams. It is interesting how each area has a sport that they excel at above others.

Claremont certainly can excel in football, basketball, baseball and the other sports. Last year's CHS football team made the CIF playoffs, Pomona-Pitzer continued adding wins to its strong baseball program, and C-M-S has fielded a strong lacrosse program over the past few seasons. But running has been consistent during my 5 years at the COURIER.

It'll be September in just 2 days. And that means that we'll be seeing a lot of running Claremont and perhaps some more accolades to talk about by December. What do you think?

CMS partners with Campus Team Store for team apparel

2011-08-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletic department has joined forces with Campus Team Store to create an online store featuring a wide range of athletic apparel and accessories.

The department made the announcement earlier this month as shoppers will have access to more than 1200 customizable products with hundreds of design options. Proceeds from each sale will go to the department.

Both CMS and Campus Team Store worked together to create the available designs at the team stores. CMS currently has a separate Stags and Athenas site based on the preference of Stags or Athenas. Pomona College also has a store to support the Sagehens.

"We have a winning tradition and wanted to partner with someone that could give our fans the best apparel options for every sport we offer," said Mike Sutton, director of CMS Athletics.

My personal favorite from what I've seen so far:

Pitching perfection

2011-07-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Former Claremont High School graduate and current Cleveland Indians minor league pitcher Justin Germano became the first Columbus Clipper player in team history to throw a perfect game last night against the Syracuse Chiefs.

The hurler threw 95 pitches (69 strikes) en route to leading his team to a 3-0 shutout on Wednesday and is now just the 5th player to record a perfect game in International League history. Germano racked up 7 strikeouts in the contest with the last one ending the game when the Chiefs' Corey Brown watched the final pitch zoom by.

Germano made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2004 and started 23 games for the team in 2007. Earlier this season, the 28-year-old made 9 appearances for the Indians before being sent to the Triple-A level Columbus Clippers in mid-May. He has since lowered his earned run average (ERA) from 5.68 when he played for the Indians to an impressive 2.42 ERA to date with the Clippers.

Congratulations to Germano for his historic performance and check below for a pair of videos showing the final out of last night's game and also the team celebration.

Claremont 14U Faspitch takes on fundraising challenge

2011-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

After qualifying for the America Softball Association Fastpitch Western National Tournament nearly 2 weeks ago, the Claremont 14-and-Under All-Star team is faced with another challenge before the August event.

The team is holding a series of fundraisers to cover the cost of attending the tournament in Spokane, Washington from August 1-7. The next fundraiser is a yard sale that will take place this Saturday at 1532 Lafayette Road in Claremont from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It was the support of the Claremont community that allowed the 10U, 12U and 14U teams to participate in last year's Western Nationals. The 14U is inviting the community to participate in Saturday's yard sale and also will accept donated items to sale.

For more information on the upcoming event, contact team representative Wendy McCord at (909) 938-0536.

Wolfpack wins consolation prize in passing tourney

2011-07-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

(Photo courtesy of Claremont HS Football)

The Claremont Wolfpack football team defeated Summit High School (Fontana) on Saturday to win the consolation award of the 17th Annual Claremont Varsity Passing Tournament.

Hosted by Claremont, the passing tournament is a 7-on-7 competition during the summer that allows more than 20 teams to test their pass offense and defense against other schools from the Inland Empire, Los Angeles area and Orange County. Etiwanda won the tournament this year by defeating Villa Park in the championship game.

After winning the tournament in 2009, Claremont improved from a 2-8 record in 2008 to a 5-5 record that fall. The Pack went 7-3 in 2010 and reached the playoffs for the first time in several years.

Claremont will open the 2011 season at home against Ontario on September 5th at 7:30 p.m.

Claremont pitchers drafted by Mariners

2011-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer athletic departments had reason to celebrate as Stags pitcher Alex Sunderland (pictured top) and Sagehens hurler David Colvin (pictured bottom) were both drafted by Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners during the 2011 MLB First Year Player draft earlier this month.

Colvin was selected in the 27th round and became the 5th Pomona-Pitzer player to be drafted by an MLB team since 2003. His record as a Sagehen was 35-7 and he was named First Team All-SCIAC, Pomona-Pitzer's Most Valuable Athlete and Second Team All-West Region during his collegiate stint. He will report to the Pulaski Martines of the Appalachian League.

Sunderland was the 1143rd player selected in the draft's 38th round. His career record with the stags with 20-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 233 innings. Sunderland's 1.000 fielding percentage during the 2011 season led to his selection to the ABCA/Rawlings West Region Gold Glove Team while his 9-1 record in 2010 led to First Team All-SCIAC and Third Team ABCA/Rawlings All-West honors.

Congratulations to both players as their hard work has paid off.

Lim smashes way to Division III title

2011-05-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis sophomore Kristin Lim has made history for the Athenas tennis program.

The sophomore from Honolulu captured the NCAA Division III women's singles title by defeating University of Chicago's Kendra Higgins in the finals, 6-1, 6-3 at Pomona-Pitzer's Pauley Tennis Complex last weekend. Lim's road to the finals included defeating Carleton College's Kathryn Schmidt (6-4, 6-2), Emory University's Jordan Wylie (6-2, 6-3), Middlebury College's Victoria Aiello (6-3, 6-1) and Tufts University's Julia Browne (6-1, 6-3). The C-M-S player did not lose a set in her 5 postseason matches.

Lim completes an impressive season that saw her earn 34 victories and lose only 3 times. She was also successful in doubles with partner Crystal Lim this season as the duo tallied 31 victories before losing to Division III champions Jordan Brewer-Gabby Devlin in the semifinals.

Congratulations to Lim on her memorable season.

Claremont, Webb compete in CIF-SS Track & Field Finals

2011-05-25T14:41:00.001-07:00

The athletes of Claremont High School and the Webb Schools took to the track again last Saturday in order to try and qualify for the upcoming CIF State Meet in Clovis this June. While the qualifiers for the state meet have not been officially posted, check out the local results from the CIF Southern Section Finals at Cerritos College.

CIF-SS Division 2 Finals - Claremont Results

BOYS
3200m: Paul Ross, 9:03.85 (2nd)
4x400m Relay: Claremont (Jones-Wilborn/Kuramata/Cleghorne/Aiken), 3:23.28 (8th)
Triple Jump: Klyvens Delaunay, 49-0.75 (2nd)

GIRLS
100m: Brittany Brown, 11.98 (3rd)
200m: Mariella McCormack, 25.27 (7th)
400m: McCormack, 58.72 (6th)
1600m: Merin Arft, 5:06.10 (6th)
4x400m Relay: Claremont (Chen/Brown/Sanin/McCormack), 3:52.85 (2nd)
Long Jump: Briana Holmes, 16-10.25 (5th)
Discus Throw: Raegan Henderson, 112-1 (9th)

CIF-SS Division 4 Finals - Webb Results

BOYS
Pole Vault: Bailey Stockdale, 12-9 (5th)
Triple Jump: Andy Lee, 41-11.50 (7th)

GIRLS
100m: Amary Berry, 12.11 (4th)
4x100m Relay: Webb (Zheng/Wensley/Gronna/Berry), 49.87 (5th)
High Jump: Lindsey Weissman, 5-2 (5th)
Long Jump: Miya Wensley, 16-3.25 (7th)
Triple Jump: Wensley, 35-2 (7th)

No. 1 Palm Desert advances past Wolfpack

2011-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Claremont High School varsity boys tennis team will not win a 3rd consecutive CIF Southern Section title in 2011.

Running into CIF-SS Division II seed Palm Desert on Friday, the Wolfpack struggled in the 2nd round against the Aztecs and eventually fell in defeat in a CIF-SS second round match, 15-3. Palm Desert scored an automatic 9 points by sweeping all doubles sets.

After winning back-to-back CIF-SS Division III championships in 2009 and 2010, CHS switched from the Baseline League to the Sierra League this season. Claremont won the Sierra League championship and advanced as a high seed in the Division II playoffs this postseason. Unlike its last two championship seasons, CHS did not have Clarke Spinosa, Torsten Keil-Long, Frank Liu, Scott Donaldson or David Standerfer on the roster this year due to the players graduating in 2009 and 2010.

Congratulations to the CHS boys tennis team for its efforts throughout the season.

Webb athletes competing at Carpinteria HS tomorrow

2011-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sixteen athletes from the Webb Schools will take part in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 Track & Field Preliminaries tomorrow at Carpinteria High School. Below is a list of the competitors and the events they will be competing in:

BOYS
100m Hurdles: TJ Fenton (40th seed), Zack Zanft (41st seed)
300m Hurdles: Lance Morton (40th seed)
High Jump: Nick Pankratz (11th seed)
Pole Vault: Bailey Stockdale (4th seed), Louis Otter (15th seed)
Long Jump: Andy Lee (13th seed)
Triple Jump: Andy Lee (6th seed)

GIRLS
100m: Amary Berry (3rd seed)
200m: Amary Berry (6th seed)
100m Hurdles: Amary Berry (2nd seed)
300m Hurdles: Ivie Tokunboh (12th seed)
4x100m Relay: Alicia Zheng-Miya Wensley-Laura Groma-Amara Berry (7th seed)
4x400m Relay: Alicia Zheng-Nancy Cheng-Lauren Shue-Ivie Tokunboh (17th seed)
High Jump: Lindsey Weissman (5th seed)
Pole Vault: Megan Fu (19th seed)
Long Jump: Miya Wensley (3rd seed), Lindsey Weissman (17th seed)
Triple Jump: Miya Wensley (5th seed)
Shot Put: Lindsey Weissman (37th seed)
Discus Throw: Lindsey Weissman (11th seed), Barbara Smith (20th seed)

CHS CIF Update

2011-05-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

Claremont High School's varsity boys tennis team is still alive, the varsity boys volleyball team endured a 2nd round elimination and the swimming and track & field teams will be competing this weekend.

With a 12-6 win over Flintridge Prep in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 play on Wednesday, the Pack will play No.1 seeded Palm Desert today in a 2nd round match at home at 3 p.m. More about Wednesday's match can be found in Saturday's COURIER.

The Wolfpack boys volleyball team had a strong start this week by sweeping Village Christian in the opening round of CIF-SS Division 2, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21. But Temple City ended Claremont's season in 4 games on Thursday night in the 2nd round by scores of 15-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-20.

Members of the CHS swim teams will compete today at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach in the CIF-SS Division 2 Swimming and Diving Championships. The prelims take place today and the finals will conclude tomorrow. For full results click HERE.

More than 15 of Claremont's track & field athletes will participate in the CIF-SS Division 2 Prelims at Moorpark High School on Saturday. The qualifiers from the prelims will compete in the CIF-SS finals on May 21st. Click HERE for a full performance list for tomorrow's prelims.

Keep looking for CIF updates throughout the weekend on the blog.

Pack sweeps Village Christian in 3 games

2011-05-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Round one of the CIF Southern Section Division III Boys Volleyball playoffs is in the books for Claremont.

The Wolfpack made short work of Village Christian on Tuesday night in Sun Valley by sweeping the Crusaders, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21. With the victory, Claremont advances to a 2nd round match at home against Temple City on Thursday at 7 p.m.

CHS could be headed for yet another showdown with Burbank Burroughs if both teams are victorious in the next 2 rounds of play. Burroughs won this year's Pacific League championship, ending a 5-year run by Claremont.

Look for another update following tomorrow night's match.

Metoyer done for season

2011-05-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Claremont High School runner AK Metoyer will not be able to return to the track for the CIF Southern Section meet after suffering a hip fracture at last Thursday's Sierra League Finals.

According to Metoyer, the fracture occurred when he was in the homestretch of the 800-meters race. Check out Wednesday's COURIER for the update.

Claremont qualifies many in Sierra League prelims

2011-05-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Claremont High School track & field team had many runners and fielders qualify for Thursday's Sierra League Finals at the Sierra League Prelims on Monday. Scroll down below for all the varsity boys and girls qualifiers and their respective events:

CHS Varsity Boys Qualifiers
100m:
Michael Aiken, 11.05 (1st—Heat 2)

200m:
Aiken, 21.91 (1st—Heat 1)

400m:
Khayree Jones-Wilborn, 50.32 (1st—Heat 2)
Tanner Kuramata, 50.82 (1st—Heat 3)
Jacob Rancharan, 52.37 (2nd—Heat 1)
Cameron Blunt, 52.67 (2nd—Heat 2)

800m:
AK Metoyer, 1:59.09, (1st)Jacob Eagleton, 2:05.21 (5th)

1600m:
Paul Ross, 4:27.68 (1st)
Henry Falotico, 4:32.92 (3rd)
Colin Domonoske, 4:33.21 (4th)
Aric Crowell, 4:36.76 (7th)

100m Hurdles:
William Wu, 16.26 (1st—Heat 2)
Salim Cleghorne, 16.65 (2nd—Heat 2)

300m Hurdles:
Cleghorne, 40.97 (1st—Heat 1)

Long Jump:
Klyvens Delauany, 19-7.50 (1st)

Triple Jump:
Delaunay, 45-7,50 (1st)
Jones-Wilborn, 41-3.50 (5th)

Shot Put:
Noah Winnick, 40-9.50 (8th)
Austin Rose, 40-8 (9th)

Discus Throw:
Winnick, 119-7 (9th)

CHS Varsity Girls Qualifiers
100m:
Brittany Brown, 12:47 (2nd—Heat 2);

200m:
Mariella McCormack, 25.90 (1st—Heat 1)
Brown, 26.60 (2nd—Heat 2)
Kimberly Chen, 26.16 (2nd—Heat 1)

400m:
Chen, 58.48 (1st—Heat 2)
McCormack (1st—Heat 1)
Briana Holmes, 1:03.90 (5th—Heat 1)

800m:
Bailey Sanin, 2:27.19 (2nd)
Allison Spivack, 2:30.82 (5th)
Megan Renken, 2:34.56 (8th)
Kaylee Jorgensen, 2:35.25 (9th)
Danha Hernandez, 2:36.60 (12th)

100m Hurdles:
Bailey Sanin, 16.52 (2nd—Heat 2)
Maddy Keyser, 16.85 (2nd—Heat 1)

300m Hurdles:
Leandra Escobar, 51.45 (2nd—Heat 1)
Maureen Murphy, 53.13, (4th—Heat 2)

Long Jump:
Holmes, 15-7.50 (1st)

Shot Put:
Aubrey Fry, 34-4.50 (1st)
Kashawnia Thomas, 31-1 (3rd)
Raegan Henderson, 30-7 (4th)
Victoria Jeffries, 27-4.75 (9th)

Discus Throw:
Thomas, 93-0 (2nd)
Henderson, 86-9 (5th)
Jeffries, 84-10 (6th)
Fry, 82-7 (7th)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer update

2011-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis and softball teams claimed the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships in both sports while the Pomona-Pitzer women's tennis team also obtained SCIAC glory.

Both the men and women's SCIAC tennis championships took place over the weekend. The Stags bested the Sagehens in the men's final, 8-1. Pomona-Pitzer gained a measure of revenge in the women's final by defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 6-3.

The C-M-S softball team won its 2nd consecutive SCIAC title by defeating Whittier twice over the weekend by scores of 15-3 and 8-6. The win also allows the Athenas to host Whittier in the first round of the SCIAC Championships on Friday.

Congratulations to the 3 teams for their efforts this year.

Claremonters fare well in Boston Marathon

2011-04-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Claremont High School teachers Brian Cooper and Jose Ancona both competed in Monday's 2011 Boston Marathon that featured 26,907 total runners.

Mr. Cooper crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 41 minutes for 256th place and Mr. Ancona became the 6607th runner to finish at 3 hours and 26 minutes at the world's longest running annual marathon. The course is approximately 26.22 miles.

Congratulations to the Claremont High teachers for a well run race.

'Claremont Cuties' an inspiration

2011-04-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

It was last summer that a woman named Julia Previch had a vision that would revolutionize the lives of 5 girls who attend Danbury Elementary School. Her vision came to life in front of hundreds of people at Claremont High School on April 9th.

The Claremont Cuties debuted on April 9th in a cheer competition at Claremont High School to a standing ovation by the audience and applause from the other cheerleaders in attendance. Dressed in black "Girls Rock" shirts with pink shirts and white pom poms, the girls performed their routine to Katy Perry's hit song "Fireworks."

Coach Previch—a Claremont High School graduate and former member of the CHS drill team—informed me that this program has led to practical improvements in the 5 students. The group will perform again in the Claremont 4th of July parade.

Check out Wednesday's COURIER for the full story on this fascinating group.

A little Pee-Wee focus

2011-04-14T12:19:00.001-07:00

With the Claremont Unified School District on spring break this week, our sports feature will focus on 3-6 year olds getting their first experience with the sport of tennis. The Pee-Wee Tennis Clinic is offered through the City of Claremont and takes place on Tuesday and Thursdays at Cahuilla Park. Click HERE for more information.

Look for the story in Saturday's edition of the COURIER and a return to CHS sports coverage next week.

Defending NCAA Division Rugby champs searching for first win in Division I

2011-04-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Claremont Colleges Rugby team has been experiencing growing pains in College Premier competition this season.

After capturing the Division II championship last spring, the Dragons received a promotion to Division I but have yet to defeat a D1 opponent after 8 games this season. Claremont's 24-10 defeat to UCLA last Saturday drops the Dragons to 0-4 in the Pacific League.

Claremont will next travel south to lay at San Diego State at noon this Saturday.

CHS graduate David Rice now at helm for UNLV men's basketball

2011-04-12T12:19:00.001-07:00

Claremont High School graduate and member of the 1990 University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) men's basketball national championship team Dave Rice was announced as the new head coach for the Runnin' Rebels yesterday at a special press conference.

The appointment is Coach Rice's first head coach position after serving as assistant coach at the high school, junior college and NCAA Division I level for the past 19 years. The last 2 decades have included stints at Claremont High School, Chaffey College, UNLV, Utah State and Brigham Young University (Utah).

Congratulations to Coach Rice and look for the full story in Wednesday's issue of the COURIER. Until then, click HERE to view the entire press conference.

CHS Dance Team to perform on KTLA

2011-04-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks off of an impressive showing at the USA Spirit Dance-Drill Nationals, the 2011 Kick champion Claremont High School Dance Team will be performing on KTLA (Channel 5) this Tuesday.

The dance team was invited to be a guest on KTLA's morning news show and will start taping teasers at 8:15 a.m. The group is tentatively scheduled to perform at 9:45 a.m. and some of the team members will also be interviewed by the KTLA news team.

Congratulations once again to the CHS Dance Team for its accomplishments this season.

CHS Dance Team & Wolfgang make headlines at Nationals

2011-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

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)

CHS Soccer team receives several honors

2011-03-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2011-03-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Chino Hills drops CHS to first loss

2011-03-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

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.

CHS baseball, softball off to raging start

2011-03-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Wolfpack's dream season ends

2011-03-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2011-03-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

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

The good times keep rolling for CHS soccer

2011-03-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Wolfpack capture CIF-SS championship, host regionals today

2011-03-07T11:45:00.001-08:00

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.

Claremont needs just one more win

2011-03-03T13:18:00.001-08:00

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!

C-M-S news update

2011-03-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

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.

CHS boys soccer prepares for semifinals

2011-02-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

The Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team is now another step closer to the CIF Southern Section championship as the Wolfpack shut out Foothill in a Division 2 quarterfinal match on Friday, 2-0. Russell Donaldson scored Claremont's first goal at the 39th minute and Troy Ford recorded a goal at the 79th minute.

The Pack will host Martin Luther King in a CIF semifinal match at CHS Stadium on Tuesday at 3 p.m. If Claremont wins, the team will qualify for the championship round.

The COURIER has been closely tracking the Wolfpack's progress through the playoffs and will be in attendance for tomorrow's match. Look for full coverage of tomorrow's game in an upcoming edition of the COURIER.

Meanwhile, enjoy watching Donaldson's goal courtesy of YouTube and also found on the CHS Boys Soccer website at ClaremontSoccer.com.

SCIAC Tournament Semifinals begin today

2011-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

The men and women's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament begins tonight with the prize being a berth to the Division III playoffs.

Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, La Verne and Cal Lutheran will compete in the SCIAC Tournament semifinals while Occidental, Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and La Verne make up the women's pool. The winners of tonight's games will advanced to the SCIAC Tournament championship tomorrow.

Both the Pomona-Pitzer men and women's basketball teams did not qualify for the tournament. The men's team finished 9-16 (4-10 in SCIAC) while the women's team posted a 4-21 overall record (2-12 in SCIAC).

Check below for tonight's tournament schedule:

Men's SCIAC Tournament Semifinals
(4) Cal Lutheran (14-11, 8-6) @ (1) Redlands (14-11, 11-3), 7:30 p.m.
(3) La Verne (14-11, 8-6) @ (2) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (15-9, 11-3), 7:30 p.m.

Women's SCIAC Tournament Semifinals
(4) La Verne (12-13, 9-5) @ (1) Occidental (17-8, 12-2), 5 p.m.
(3) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (19-6, 9-5) @ (2) Redlands (16-9, 10-4), 5 p.m.

Directions to CHS Boys Soccer match

2011-02-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

If you plan on attending the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer match today in Santa Ana, click HERE for directions that will take you from Claremont to Hillview High School, the site of today's CIF Division 2 quarterfinal match.

Claremont defeated Indio, 1-0, in last Friday's first round match and then advanced to the quarterfinals by triumphing over Valley View, 2-1, on Wednesday in a 2nd round encounter. CHS is in the quarterfinals for the first time in over a decade.

ClaremontSoccer.com is reporting that the stadium will not have seating so be sure to bring your own seats if you are attending today's game. Look for results either later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Wolfpack survives Eagles, head to quarterfinals

2011-02-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

In what was a gruesome contest that featured Claremont's Hugo Lepe bleeding from the left side of his head after receiving an elbow from a Valley View player, the Wolfpack pulled out a tough 2-1 victory over the Eagles on Wednesday in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 second round match in order to advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Cory Hodge scored Claremont's first goal in the 35th minute to put the Pack ahead at the half, 1-0. CHS increased its narrow lead at the 65th minute when Brennen Carter recorded the Wolfpack's 2nd goal.

Valley View's Alex Turkson sliced the lead to one in the 76th minute when he booted the ball past Claremont goalie Sam Newton. But the Wolfpack held strong for the last 4 minutes in order to clinch the victory.

Claremont will play Foothill High School in Santa Ana on Friday at 3 p.m. The game will be held at Hillview Continuation High School (19061 Foothill Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92705).

Look for full coverage of Wednesday's game in this Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

CHS Soccer kicks off CIF 2nd round today

2011-02-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team returns to action today in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 second round home match against Valley View at CHS Stadium with a 3 p.m. start time. The Pack advanced to the 2nd round after triumphing over Indio in overtime, 1-0, last Friday.

Expect an update later on today and full coverage of today's game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. The CHS boys soccer is the only remaining team in CIF competition and will play the winner of Foothill/Sunny Hills in the quarterfinals if the team is victorious today.

CHS, Webb wrestlers give valiant effort in CIF Individual Championships

2011-02-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Claremont High School's Jonathan Ivey, along with Webb School's Lucas Pajac, Peter Liskanich and Steven Agajanian all competed in the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships last weekend. Ivey competed at the northern championship in San Luis Obispo while the 3 Webb grapples were in action at Colony High School.

Though none of the local wrestlers emerged past the 2nd round, their playoff appearances were the result of their hard work during the regular season. Congratulations to the CHS and Webb grapplers for their efforts. Check out the official results below:

CIF-SS Northern Individual Championship
Jonathan Ivey (Claremont) Results – 160 lbs
1st Rd: Def. Louie DeGuzman by fall, 2:00
2nd Rd: Lost to Joshua Newman (LB Wilson) by fall, 3:54
Consolation Rd. 1: Def. Wes Will (Morro Bay) by fall, 4:36
Consolation Rd: 2: Lost to Jacob Rodas (S. Maria) by decision, 7-1

CIF-SS Central Individual Championships
Lucas Pajac (Webb) Results – 119 lbs
1st Rd: Lost to Nelson Mitchell (Peninsula) by fall, 2:04

Peter Liskanich (Webb) Results – 152 lbs
1st Rd: Def. Christian Salas (Beaumont) by fall, 1:24
2nd Rd: Lost to Kyle Reese (San Clemente) by fall, 3:35

Steven Agajanian (Webb) Results – 160 lbs
1st Rd: Bye
2nd Rd: Lost to Antonio Rivera (Etiwanda) by fall, 5:08
Consolation Rd 1: Lost to Jordan Murphy (Laguna Hills) by fall, 1:46

CIF boys soccer advances to 2nd round

2011-02-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

It took over 82 minutes but the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team become the only Claremont team to advance to the 2nd round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs when the Wolfpack defeated Indio in a Division 2 first round match at CHS Stadium on Friday, 1-0. The winning goal came just over 2 minutes in the first overtime period when Hugo Lepe's corner kick was fielded by Russell Donaldson and then passed off to Frankie Lozano for the score.

CHS won despite tough conditions as the teams had to endure the afternoon rain. Expect full coverage from Friday's game in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER. The Pack will now host Valley View on Wednesday at CHS Stadium. A start time has yet to be announced.

Claremont Alumni Classic

2011-02-18T11:11:00.001-08:00

Spring time is not yet here but the Claremont High School baseball team will be kicking off its 2011 season tomorrow (Saturday) with opening ceremonies, home run derby and an alumni game at Claremont High School. According to the CHS Baseball website, all of the festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and will include a barbecue and introductions for all of this year's players on the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams.

Last season, CHS finished 9-17 overall and 4-12 in the Baseline League. This season will be the Pack's first in the Sierra League. Claremont first game will be on March 10th at El Rancho.

Claremont teams eliminated, CHS boys soccer plays today

2011-02-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

Both the Claremont High School varsity girls basketball teams and girls soccer teams were eliminated from postseason play yesterday. The Wolfpack girls basketball suffered a 76-27 thrashing at the hands of Serra while the CHS girls soccer team dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Quartz Hill. Congratulations to both teams for making the playoffs.

The CHS varsity boys soccer team has had to wait over a week to rebound from its first loss of the season to Damien on Wednesday, February 9th, 2-1. Claremont hosts Indio today at CHS Stadium at 3:15 p.m. The COURIER will be there to continue its CIF playoff coverage and expect a full story for Wednesday's paper.

Don't forget that wrestlers from CHS (Jonathan Ivey) and Webb (Peter Liskanich, Steve Agajanian, Lucas Pajac) will be competing in the CIF Individual Wrestling Finals on today and possibly tomorrow if they advance. Check below for all local CIF action happening today.

Friday, Feb. 18
Division 2 Boys Soccer: Indio @ Claremont, 3:15 p.m.
Individual Wrestling Championships: Peter Liskanich, Steve Agajanian, Lucas Pajac @ Colony HS, 11 a.m.
Individual Wrestling Championships: Jonathan Ivey (CHS) @ San Luis Obispo, TBA

Trojans defeat Wolfpack, plus other CIF news

2011-02-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Things were looking up for the Claremont High School varsity boys basketball team against La Verne Lutheran in last night's CIF Southern Section Division 3AA when the Pack jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the game's opening minutes.

But the Trojans implemented a press that led to a 19-0 run for La Verne Lutheran from the 2nd quarter into the early part of the 2nd half, eventually resulting in a La Verne Lutheran 66-48 win. Jackson Reeder led CHS with 10 points and Kyle Maloof contributed 9 points and 6 rebounds.

In other CIF action on Wednesday, St. Bernard defeated Webb in a Division 5A Boys Basketball first round matchup, 83-52. The Webb varsity boys soccer team was also eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 5-0 loss to Tahquitz in a Division 6 wild card match.

Look for full coverage of the Claremont/La Verne Lutheran game along with scores from other CIF playoff contests in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. Below is the schedule of games for today and visit www.cifss.org for playoff brackets.

Thursday, Feb. 17
Division 3AA Girls Basketball First Round: Claremont @ Serra, 7 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round: Claremont @ Quartz Hill, TBA

Wolfpack to try and stop offensive powerhouse Trojans

2011-02-16T14:59:00.000-08:00

The Claremont High School varsity boys basketball team will have its hands full when it plays La Verne Lutheran tonight in a CIF Southern Section first round game. The Trojans are coming off an incredible regular season that featured an 18-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 finish in league play.

La Verne Lutheran averaged 79.4 points per contest and held its opponents to 41.3 points per game. The Trojans also scored 80 or more points on 10 occasions and scored 100 or more points 4 times.

Tonight's game begins at 7 p.m. at La Verne Lutheran. Expect an update on the blog tomorrow morning and full coverage of the game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Carter moves from CHS to Stanford record books

2011-02-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

Stanford University freshman and 2010 Claremont High School graduate Kori Carter is already starting to make her mark in Cardinal track & field history.

Carter set a new school record in the 60-meter hurdles at last weekend's New Mexico Invitational that saw her cross the finish line at 8.33 in a prelim heat—9 seconds faster than the previous record time. The Stanford hurdler did not improve on her time in the finals for the event.

Stanford has nearly a month left in its indoor track season before moving to the outdoor season at University of California, Berkeley on March 5th. Carter is currently competing in hurdle races, her specialty during her high school years that led to state championships in the 100-meter hurdles (2009 & 2010) and the 300-meter hurdles (2008-2010).

Congratulations to Carter on the great start to her college track & field career.

Both CHS and Vivian Webb water polo teams eliminated

2011-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

The Claremont High School and Vivian Webb School varsity girls water polo teams both ended their seasons yesterday.

CHS dropped a heartbreaker to Whittier in a CIF Southern Section Division 3 wild card match, 9-7, while the Gauls came up short at Torrance in a Division 6 first round contest, 9-4. Both Claremont and Vivian Webb qualified for the playoffs through At-Large bids.

Check out the CIF games scheduled for today below:

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Division 3AA Boys Basketball First Round: Claremont @ La Verne Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Division 5A Boys Basketball First Round: Webb @ St. Bernard, 7 p.m.
Division 6A Boys Soccer First Round: Webb @ Tahquitz, TBA

For more information, visit www.cifss.org.

Thomas inks contract with Galaxy

2011-02-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Galaxy left back Ryan Thomas agreed to terms with the Galaxy and signed his first contract with the team on Monday at the team's preseason camp in Arizona. Thomas played 4 years for Claremont High School and spent the last 4 years at Stanford University.

Talking to Thomas last weekend, I was impressed with his humility and his ability to be down to earth even though he is at an exciting time in his life at the pro level. He is definitely looking forward to having his hometown Claremonters came to the Home Depot Center to cheer him on this season.

Look out for a full feature story on Thomas in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER. Congratulations to the entire Thomas family.

CIF pairings released

2011-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

The CIF Southern Section playoff pairings have been released and listed below are the games/matches that are scheduled for Claremont High School and the Webb Schools this week:

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Division 6 Girls Water Polo First Rd: Vivian Webb @ Torrance (@ Mira Costa HS), 4:15 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Water Polo Wild Card: Claremont @ Whittier, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Division 3AA Boys Basketball First Round: Claremont @ La Verne Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Division 5A Boys Basketball First Round: Webb @ St. Bernard, 7 p.m.
Division 6A Boys Soccer First Round: Webb @ Tahquitz, TBA

Thursday, Feb. 17
Division 3AA Girls Basketball First Round: Claremont @ Serra, 7 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round: Claremont @ Quartz Hill, TBA

Friday, Feb. 18
Division 2 Boys Soccer: Indio @ Claremont, TBA
Individual Wrestling Championships: Jonathan Ivey (CHS) @ San Luis Obispo, TBA

For more information, visit the CIF-SS website HERE.

Thomas drafted to L.A. Galaxy

2011-02-11T14:42:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to former Claremont High School boys soccer standout Ryan Thomas, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Supplemental Draft on January 18th. Thomas was selected 16th in the supplemental portion of the draft and 70th overall.

A senior at Stanford University, Thomas had been a 2nd Team All Pac-10 selection for the 2010 season. According to the GoStanford.com website, he will forgo the rest of his senior year in order to play with the Galaxy this season. Yet the ClaremontSoccer.com website is reporting that Thomas has completed all his requirements and will graduate with the Stanford Class of 2011.

The COURIER is currently in contact with Thomas so expect an article soon about the CHS graduate's awesome achievement.

Damien tops Claremont in season finale, 2-1

2011-02-09T20:11:00.001-08:00

After going 21 games without suffering a defeat, the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2010-11 season with a 2-1 setback at Damien on Wednesday.

The Wolfpack (16-1-5, 8-1-1) fell behind early when Damien's Keyran Kellty scored at the 25th minute. CHS responded 11 minutes later when Denes Kantor fielded a pass from Brennen Carter and put the ball into the goal. The Spartans added another goal early in the 2nd half.

Claremont and Damien will share the Sierra League title as a result of Wednesday's outcome but the Spartans will have a higher seed in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Look for full coverage of Wednesday's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Sierra League Showdown

2011-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

The Claremont and Damien High School boys soccer teams will have one more go tomorrow evening in La Verne to decide the winner of the Sierra League.

The Wolfpack (16-0-5, 8-0-1) defeated South Hills, 5-2, in order to remain undefeated on the season. Meanwhile, the Spartans are 10-3-6, 7-1-1 after suffering a 1-0 loss to Chino Hills on February 2nd. When Claremont and Damien last played on January 26th, the 2 teams were undefeated in league play and played to a 0-0 tie after 2 overtime periods.

If Claremont defeats and ties Damien, the Pack will be the 2011 Sierra League champions. If the Wolfpack loses, then Damien would be tied with Claremont in the league standings and also hold the tiebreaker over the Pack.

Expect full coverage of tomorrow's game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER and an update here on the blog following the match.

CHS girls water polo rebounds to topple top CIF team

2011-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Claremont High School girls water polo team did not let Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Charter Oak deter them from their playoff hopes. Instead, the Wolfpack came back last night and defeated a top ranked CIF Southern Section team.

CHS decided to shake up the CIF Division III Top 10 poll by handing No. 5 Ayala an 11-8 defeat in Chino Hills on Thursday. The win avenged a one point defeat to the Bulldogs earlier in the season and may help the Pack return to the Top 10 list themselves.

Lauren Mitchell, Piper Moore and Jordan Carmody each scored 3 goals to lead the Wolfpack. Jackie Monroe contributed 3 steals and 3 assists while goalie Emilie Lacy finished with 5 steals and 7 blocks.

Claremont will next host St. Lucy's at home this coming Thursday at 4:15 p.m.

Kessler, Tuliaupupu make signings official

2011-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

Daniel Kessler (left) and Brandon Tuliaupupu (right)

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler and defensive lineman Brandon Tuliaupupu will be taking their talents to the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) Conference starting this fall.

The 2 CHS seniors signed their letters of intent as part of National Signing Day with Kessler headed to the University of Utah and Tuliaupupu staying local at UCLA. Kessler signed with the Utes as a priority walk-on to assure him a spot on the 2011 roster while Tuliaupupu will become a Bruin on a full athletic scholarship.

"These are kids that we will miss big time and not just necessarily because of their athletic skill," said CHS ASB Advisor Jack Harper.

Look for more coverage of National Signing Day in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

It's that time of year again

2011-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Baseball fever is almost ready to sweep Claremont once again in 2011.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags baseball team opened the 2011 season yesterday in a home game against Azusa Pacific University. The Cougars shut out the Stags, 5-0.

C-M-S will host its Alumni Game this Saturday (11 a.m.) before returning to regular action at Master's College next Tuesday (2:30 p.m.). Pomona-Pitzer will kick off the new season on Friday and Saturday in a 3-game series against Pacific University (Oregon). Friday's game is at 2 p.m. while Saturday's games will begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Claremont High School will get in on the action with its alumni game taking place on February 19th. For more information on the game and opening ceremonies, visit the CHS baseball website at www.claremonthighbaseball.com.

Keep on the lookout for scores and other baseball coverage in the COURIER over the next several months.

Knights get the better of CHS faculty for 2nd straight year

2011-02-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Though this year's game between the Hollywood Knights and Claremont High School faculty was much closer than the 2010 version, the result was still the same. The Knights defeated the CHS faculty, 74-67.

The real winners of the celebrity game was the CHS boys basketball team, who received all proceeds from the event. No official tally has been given as to how much the team raised.

Claremont High School Principal Brett O'Connor, who played as a member of the CHS Faculty team on Saturday, said that attendance was down from last year but was grateful that the Knights made the trek to Claremont for the 2nd consecutive year.

CHS returns to action at Charter Oak on Wednesday with the tip-off at 6:30 p.m.

CHS Cheer halfway towards fundraising goal

2011-02-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

While tomorrow's COURIER will feature coverage of Sunday's Claremont Toyota/Claremont Educational Foundation Prius Raffle, another story coming out of the event is Claremont High School's cheer program raising $1200 towards its $3900 price tag to compete in next month's nationals. Both the junior varsity and varsity levels will be vying for the national crown.

The cheer program sold the most tickets (144) of any booster or school group during the 4-month raffle and as a result received $720. Being the top seller earned the group another $500 surprise at the event.

"We have to raise $3900 so we're excited to receive this," CHS Cheer advisor Roni Franco said. "I didn't know that we sold that many but I know that my girls are glad."

Congratulations to the cheer program for their accomplishment and best of hopes that they raise the amount needed for next month's event.

Wolfpack, Spartans duel to stalemate

2011-01-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

It looks as if we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out who the best boys soccer team in the Sierra League is.

In what was one of the best high school soccer matches I've seen, Claremont and Damien played for 100 total minutes, which included two 40-minute halves and two 10-minute overtime periods. And while both teams had their opportunities to score, the game ended with the score still deadlocked at 0-0.

Kudos to both teams on what was an intense and highly competitive match that was exciting the whole way through. Even though neither team could pull out the win, Claremont coach Fred Bruce-Oliver was pleased with his team's effort.

"I'm very happy because for a while, I was thinking that we were playing not to lose," Coach Bruce-Oliver said. "Then I showed them video of a previous game and they told me that they saw some bad things. Tonight, we got back to playing and I felt like we were not playing safe."

Both the Wolfpack and Spartans are now 4-0-1 in Sierra League play. Look for further coverage in Saturday's issue of the COURIER.

Hollywood Knights coming back to Claremont

2011-01-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

The celebrity-studded Hollywood Knights basketball team is returning to Claremont High School for another showdown with the best of the Claremont Unified School District this Saturday.

Last year, the Knights defeated Claremont, 99-88, in the first ever meeting between the 2 teams with the CHS boys basketball program raising $15,000 as a result of the game. The program hopes to top that amount in 3 days.

All of Saturday's action will begin at 6 p.m. inside the main CHS gym. Tickets are $10 at the door while children under 5 years of age are free.

Here's a listing of the CUSD participants:

Rick Dutton - head coach
Brett O'Connor
Steven Patterson
Jamie Oberbeck
Jon Snapp
William Robinson
Brian Evans
Colin Nesbit
Chris Willoughby
Craig Crampton
Kevin Grier
Kevin Gross
Scooby

Here's the celebrity listing:

Aaron Hill
Alan Ritchson
Allen Evangelista
Arlen Escarpeta
Casey Deidrick
DJ D-Wrek
Greg Finley
Manny Guevara
Stoney Jackson
Blake Lewis
102.7 KISS FM

For more information, visit the Hollywood Knights website HERE.

Webb athletic director receives MacKenzie Award

2011-01-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Webb Schools Athletic Director Stephen Wishek, who recently was named the Norm MacKenzie Award winner by the California State Athletic Directors Association.

The award is given to an athletic director who is recognized as the CIF Southern Section's most outstanding athletic director in his or her first one to 4 years of service. More than 570 public and private schools make up the southern section.

Wishek came to Webb in 2003 and worked as an instructor before becoming athletic director in 2008. Before Webb, he taught at Sage Hill School.

Wishek also maintains a blog on the Webb Schools website that provides updates on the schools' sports teams. Visit the site by click HERE.

Congrats once again to Wishek.

(photo courtesy of the Webb Schools website)

The Battle of the Undefeateds

2011-01-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Perhaps there has been no greater rivalry in Claremont High School's history than Damien High School. The two teams will continue their long-standing rivalry on the boys soccer front tomorrow in a Sierra League clash that may be one of the most important in recent history.

The Wolfpack and the Spartans, both with undefeated 4-0 league records, will collide at Damien High School in a nighttime match scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start. Claremont has yet to lose a match this season with an impressive 12-0-4 record. Damien is 7-2-5 to date.

Look for coverage for tomorrow's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER, along with a few notes about the match on this blog on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

C-M-S strikes first

2011-01-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

There wasn't a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship on the line this time but the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team got the upper hand in the regular season series against Pomona-Pitzer last night with a 68-61 win at Ducey Gym. The win improved the Stags to 4-0 in conference play while the Sagehens fall to 2-2.

Both teams were tied at 33-33 going into the 2nd half. But while C-M-S dropped in field goal efficiency (42 percent to 33 percent) in the last 20 minutes, the Stags were able to constantly get to the charity stripe. C-M-S made 19 of 23 free throws in the 2nd half alone compared to 7 of 10 for Pomona-Pitzer.

The women's version of the Sixth Street Showdown (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs Pomona-Pitzer) will take place tonight at Ducey Gym at 7:30 p.m.

Tuliaupupu maybe headed north to Washington

2011-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Claremont High School defensive lineman Brandon Tuliaupupu recently received an offer to attend Washington State University on a full-ride athletic scholarship this fall. Tuliaupupu is coming off a solid senior season at CHS as he helped the Wolfpack (7-4) to its first playoff berth in several years while contributing 63 total tackles and 4 sacks.

Congratulations to Brandon and the Tuliaupupu family on the news.

Claremont sports seeing a resurgence?

2011-01-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the fact that Claremont is in a new league. Or it could just be the Claremont High School sports teams are getting better.

The years of records .500 and below may be coming to an end as CHS is making the 2010-2011 season of sports a year to remember. And with many of Claremont's wins coming outside of Sierra League play, the switch from the Baseline League is not the biggest difference for the Wolfpack.

One of the big differences is that we are seeing many juniors and seniors that have had time to gel within the same system for a few years. If we were to take a look at football for example, this was the senior year of quarterback Daniel Kessler, defensive lineman Brandon Tuliaupupu and receivers Aaron Dockery and Tanner Kuramata. Translation? Claremont finishes the season with a 7-4 record and makes the playoffs for the first time in several years.

Let's continue with CHS boys cross country. The team had its best finish in school history this year behind the efforts of seniors Paul Ross, Colin Domonoske and Henry Falotico. Once again, senior leadership pays off.

How about applying the same idea to the CHS basketball teams? With teams led by strong season classes, the boys team has jumped out to a 9-9 start and the girls are currently above .500 at 9-7. And the girls water polo team, also filled with lots of seniors, is also off to a great 10-3 start. We can also put the varsity boys soccer team (9-0-4) in this category as well of CHS teams with seniors dominating the roster.

But CHS freshmen and sophomores are showing they can get the job done as well. The strong efforts by the CHS girls cross country and girls tennis teams this year the result of many younger standouts such as Cindy Liu and Drew Espinosa. The varsity girls soccer team has used a blend of both underclass and upperclass talent to kick their way to a 10-4-1 record this season.

It's the players who are making the difference this season and the coaches have done a great job in growing talent in the players over a 4-year period. With a new start in the Sierra League, Claremont is beginning its ascent at just the right time. Other sports programs will come along as well but just need a bit more seasoning before they're ready.

All I know is that I'm seeing a difference in Claremont teams this year, a good difference. And I'm hoping that this is the start of something good for years to come.

Bonus coverage for Joy Krupa

2010-12-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Claremont Wolfpack Jr. All American standout Joy Krupa was featured in this past Wednesday's issue of the COURIER. The 11-year-old girl led her team in tackles, interceptions and receptions during the 2010 and was one of the main reasons why the Jr. Pee Wee Division team was the only one to represent Claremont this postseason.

In order to read the story, pick up Wednesday's edition of the COURIER or log-in to the COURIER website. But for a bit of bonus coverage, click on the YouTube video below for a sample of what Joy is capable of on the field.

Congratulations to Joy and her success in her very first season in the San Gabriel Valley Jr. All American Football League and many thanks to her family for their hospitality.

Lydens named 'best in the west' by NCAA

2010-12-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics

For Pomona-Pitzer sophomore Anne Lydens, finishing in 9th place at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships has its perks.

As a result of her strong performance last month and throughout the season, Lydens was recently selected by the NCAA as the top runner in the Division III's West Region. Along with the distinction, she became just the 3rd Pomona-Pitzer female athlete to earn All-American honors.

Lydens finished in first place during the NCAA Division III Cross Country West Regional in order to be the west region's top representative at the national championships. She also won the SCIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year Award for placing first in the SCIAC Multi-Dual meets and recording 2nd at the SCIAC Championships.

Congratulations to Lydens for all of her accomplishments this season.

C-M-S sweeps SCIAC 'Athlete of the Week' Awards

2010-12-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics

According to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, there were no 2 athletes better than Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Tain Lee and Frannie Hemmelgarn during the week of November 22nd through 28th.

Lee continued his success on the golf greens that week as he finished in a tie for second place at the All-American Golf Classic in El Paso, Texas. His opponents included the other 31 top collegiate golf players in the country. The only NCAA Division III representative recorded a score of 204 (-9).

By averaging 17 points and 11.5 rebounds, Hemmelgarn led the Athenas to victory over UC Santa Cruz and Carleton College during the David Wells Classic held one day after Thanksgiving. The numbers were up from her season averages of 15.5 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per contest.

Congratulations to both C-M-S athletes.

Lowell impresses in first season at Seattle Pacific

2010-12-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Seattle Pacific University

Claremont High School 2009 graduate Nikki Lowell made a huge splash on the volleyball court at Seattle Pacific University this season as the middle blocker became an All-American and helped lead the team to one of its best seasons in school history.

“I’m shocked. It’s an honor and I didn’t expect it,” Lowell said in a released statement. “I just went with the flow and just played volleyball.”

Along with her “All-American” distinction, the red-shirt freshman was also named the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s (GNAC) Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All GNAC Conference's First Team. Her .382 hitting percentage was the highest in school history and ranked her first among all players in the Northwest Athletic Conference and 13th in Division II of the NCAA.

Congratulations to Lowell for her success on the court. Check Saturday's COURIER for a fuller story on her and check below for YouTube clips on the freshman sensation.

'Claremont' football makes a successful comeback

2010-11-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

Though there are several football teams that have "Claremont" affixed to their team title within the city, the Claremont High School varsity football team and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football squads both had memorable seasons.

After 6 seasons of non-winning records, the CHS Wolfpack made the most it could in its first season in the Sierra League. Before dropping a close 28-21 defeat to Roosevelt last Friday, the Pack had recorded a 7-3 record throughout the season. With a strong aerial arsenal captained by senior quarterback Daniel Kessler (3490 passing yards, 37 TDs), this year's Claremont team was one of the most exciting in years.

The Stags of C-M-S had an equally impressive season by going 7-2 overall this fall. C-M-S defeated rival Pomona-Pitzer in a 31-30 overtime thriller on November 13th to clinch one of its successful seasons in memory with longtime coach Steve Retzlaff at the helm. Retzlaff became the team's interim head coach after former longtime head coach Rick Candaele retired this past summer.

The Stags played a smashmouth style of football that featured quarterback Peter Kimmey as the team's leading rusher (645 rushing yards, 14 TDs) and 2119 team rushing yards overall. C-M-S owned the first quarter throughout the season, outscoring its opponents, 73-27.

I had the privilege of seeing both teams in action this season and neither team disappointed. CHS blew out Ayala during its Homecoming game last month and C-M-S was solid in its tough overtime win over the Sagehens. Both teams show promise for the future but while the Stags will have Kimmey returning next year, Kessler will be graduating this coming June.

Congratulations to both the Wolfpack and the Stags on an incredible 2010 season. We're looking forward to next year.

Stags, Sagehens never disappoint

2010-11-15T11:24:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the latest game in the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps/Pomona-Pitzer football rivalry at Merritt Field and it was well worth attending.

After a slow start of what seemed to be destined a low-scoring game, things picked up over the course of the game to the point where 4 quarters was just not enough for the 2 teams. At the end of regulation, both teams were tied at 24-24.

After C-M-S scored courtesy of Peter Kimmey's 11-yard touchdown run in overtime, Chet Corcos kicked his 4th extra point of the afternoon. Who would've known that the extra point would make the difference as after Pomona-Pitzer quarterback Jacob Caron hooked up with Robert Maki for a 6-yard touchdown reception, a failed 2-point conversion gave the Stags the win, 31-30.

Congratulations to both teams on an awesome game. Look for full coverage of Saturday's game in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER.

So much sports to see, so little time

2010-11-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's slated to be a busy weekend for Claremont sports with plenty of events coming up in the next 48 hours.

Tonight, Claremont will look to clinch the Sierra League division in a tough road game against Damien at 7 p.m. Can the Wolfpack make one of the biggest splashes ever in the league by winning the title in just its first year? Dick Larson Stadium is your destination to check it out.

Also for tonight, the SCIAC Men's Water Polo Tournament begins today at Haldeman Pool at Pomona College. There will be matches taking place through 7 p.m. today, 7 p.m. tomorrow and the championship will be played at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Saturday kicks off with Claremont High School's participation in the CIF-SS Cross Country Prelims at Mt. SAC. The meet will kick off at 7:45 a.m. with both Claremont varsity boys and varsity girls competing in Division 2 action.

In local AYSO Soccer action, Padua Park, La Puerta Park, Griffith Park, Jaeger Park and Padua Park will all host youth soccer matches beginning at 8 p.m. The season will conclude next weekend.

As for me, I will be attending the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs Pomona-Pitzer football game that will kick off at 1 p.m. at Pomona-Pitzer's home field. Bragging rights will be on the line in one of the most unique rivalry games that literally split up the 5 undergraduate Claremont Colleges. If the atmosphere is anything like the basketball games I've attended in years past, this should prove exciting. Expect full coverage of the game for Wednesday's paper.

Have a safe weekend.

A look at the numbers...again

2010-10-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest stories this fall for Claremont High School sports is the huge improvement of its football program. After 6 years of records at .500 or lower, the Wolfpack guaranteed a winning season in 2010 with its 6th win over Charter Oak, 35-32, last Friday.

With a 6-1 record, Claremont isn't just better. They are currently the class of the Sierra League with a 2-0 league record. This Friday's Homecoming game against Ayala will be a good test to see if the Pack can continue to be the league's top team.

While I wrote a short story in today's paper regarding Claremont's latest win, here's a look at some of the season stats to date for the Pack:

Daniel Kessler (QB) - 2214 yards passing (1st in Sierra), 23 touchdowns, 7 interceptions

Aaron Dockery (WR) - 47 catches, 857 yards (1st in Sierra), 18.23 yards per catch, 10 touchdowns (3rd in Sierra)

As a team - 235 points, 2248 yards passing (both 1st in Sierra)

There's no doubt that Claremont packs (no pun intended) a high powered offense that will be hard for any opponent to stop. I will be at the game on Friday in what will be my first up close look at the Wolfpack this season. Expect full coverage in next Wednesday's issue.

PItzer College alumni set for Sagehen Hall of Fame

2010-10-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Pitzer College graduates Creed Pettit (1999) and Eric Dugan (2000) will become the newest members of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehen Hall of Fame on November 6th.

Pettit was a 4-year starter on the Pomona-Pitzer football team as a defensive lineman. He earned 2nd Team All-SCIAC honors during his freshman year before the Sagehens exited the conference in football. He became team captain during his senior year.

Dugan was the Most Valuable Player all 4 years he participated on the Sagehens men's soccer team. He won the SCIAC Player of the Year award twice and was named to the All-SCIAC First Team all 4 seasons. The 2000 graduate was also named to the NSCAA All-Far West First Team 4 consecutive years and was selected to the NSCAA All-American Team on 2 occasions.

The 2 Sagehens will be honored in the Edmonds Ballroom during an induction ceremony at 6 p.m. Seven Sagehen Hall of Fame members and 5 faculty/staff select the inductees.

A look at the numbers...

2010-10-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler is set on making his senior season his best season. And the numbers do not lie.

Leading the Wolfpack to a 4-1 record, Kessler has completed 99 of 143 passes (69 percent) for 1513 yards (302 passing yards per game) to go along with 16 touchdown throws (3 TDs per game) and just 5 interceptions (one INT per game). The senior currently has a quarterback rating of 127.

Yet Kessler has had plenty of help in the receiver area this season. Leading CHS receiver Tanner Kuramata has 39 catches for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns at the midway point of the season. Aaron Dockery has been another big play receiver for the Pack with 27 catches for 503 yards and 5 TDs.

Claremont is just one win away from tying last season's total. The rest of the team's games will be against Sierra League opponents, starting with Chino Hills at home on Oct. 15th.

Check below for a comparison of Kessler's numbers this year compared to last year.

2009: 166-237 (70 %), 2419 yards, 24 TDs, 7 INTs, 124.0 QB rating

2010 (5 games): 99-143 (69.2%), 1513 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs, 127.0 QB rating

If Kessler were to repeat the same success he's had through the first 5 games of the season, his final statistics for the 2010 season could look like this:

Projected 2010: 198-286, 3026 yards, 32 TDs, 10 INT, 127.0 QB rating

Pomona-Pitzer's Freese up for national award

2010-10-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of the SCIAC website

Pomona-Pitzer cross country standout Alicia Freese has been chosen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association as one of 30 top honorees for the NCAA's Women of the Year award according to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) website.

The senior is one of 10 Division III nominees and in now in the running for the 3 finalists positions from each NCAA division that will comprise a 9-member panel for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The award honors female student-athletes who display excellence in athletics, academics, community service and leadership. The winner will be announced on October 17th at an awards dinner in Indianapolis.

Freese has earned 2 All-American honors in cross-country and placed 2nd and 5th in the 10k and 5k respectively at last spring's NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships. She is the record holder at Pomona-Pitzer for cross country and track and field distance events. The International Relations major added another notch to her responsibilities this season by filling in as women's cross country coach in the absence of head coach Kirk Reynolds.

Congratulations to Freese for her outstanding accomplishment.

40 Year SCIAC Anniversary

2010-10-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

1970 team photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics

It's been 40 years since C-M-S Stags football team won its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship in 1970. Claremont McKenna College (then Claremont Men's College) 1971 graduate Harry Wright wrote a memoir on the Claremont McKenna College website that is worth a read HERE.

Although the Stags finished 8-1 in conference play, it was Cal Lutheran who was selected as the SCIAC's playoff representative that year. C-M-S' (then Claremont-Mudd) lone loss was to Pomona-Pitzer.

This season, the Stags have jumped out to a 3-0 record with wins over Lewis & Clark College, Pacific University (Ore.) and La Verne. C-M-S has outscored its opponents by a 122-44 margin. The team's showdown with Pomona-Pitzer will take place on November 13th.

The Stags are the only undefeated SCIAC team for the 2010 season and share a similar 1-0 conference record with Cal Lutheran and Occidental. Could this season be the Stags' return to glory on its 40th anniversary?

Young CHS volleyball squad takes loss as learning experience

2010-09-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Coming off a CIF season in 2009, the Claremont High School varsity girls volleyball team has an even tougher road in 2010.

Losing 7 seniors, the young squad was swept by Bonita on Tuesday in a nonleague battle, 25-13, 25-16, 25-20. The loss drops the Wolfpack to 4-3 on the season.

Several hitting errors and inconsistent ball handling factored into Claremont's home loss yesterday. Junior Taylor Scott hopes the defeat will ignite the Pack's competitive spirit over the remainder of the season.

"I think games like this give us motivation," Scott said. "Now we're going to work really hard over the next 2 weeks to be prepared for our next match."

This Saturday's COURIER will feature a more in-depth look at Tuesday's match as well as provide results and scores of other Claremont sporting events.

Kessler big in CHS football's first win

2010-09-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler was on the mark in Friday's 31-14 win over Cajon.

The senior threw for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Wolfpack (1-0) put on an impressive showing before its home crowd. Receiver Tanner Kuramata was Kessler's favorite target with 9 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.

The Pack will play at Bonita next Friday in a nonleague showdown at 7 p.m. Bonita (1-0) defeated San Dimas last night, 41-20, to reclaim the Smudgepot trophy.

Biszantz Family Tennis Center honored for excellence

2010-09-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of CMS Athletics)

Claremont McKenna College's Biszantz Family Tennis Center will be honored by the United States Tennis Association with a USTA Facility Award on Monday at a special ceremony in New York City.

The Biszantz Family Tennis Center was one of 7 centers recognized by USTA for excellence in the construction or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.

"The Biszantz Family Tennis Cente rhas gone above and beyond to create a superior tennis experience for their patrons and community at large," said Kurt Kamperman, USTA chief executive of community tennis. "We are proud to honor each of their achievements and applaud their devotion to the sport."

A state-of-the-art training and competitions center, the Biszantz Family Tennis Center was renovated in 2009 and opened for match play late that year. The center features 12 fully-lit courts to be used for competition, permanent seating for each court, an observation deck, players' lounge, locker room, medical services and intramural grass playing field. The Claremont Architectural Commission awarded the center with an Excellence in Design Award in the New Construction and Sustainable Landscaping category.

Along with the award, the Biszantz Family Tennis Center will also be getting an all-weather sign that can be mounted at the facility. The center also receives a one-year free membership to USTA.

Pomona-Pitzer men's soccer kicks off sports season for Claremont Colleges

2010-09-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Pomona-Pitzer men's soccer team opened its 2010-11 season at home on Wednesday against Division II opponent Cal State San Marcos. Due to 2 circus-like goals by the Cougars in the 2nd half, Claremont fell prey to Cal State San Marcos in the end, 2-0.

The match was the first sporting event to take place at the Claremont Colleges for the 2010-11 year. Pomona-Pitzer is the defending Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champion and also has the 2009 SCIAC Player of the Year as a returnee in Eben Perkins.

Check out Saturday's COURIER for coverage of Wednesday's game and keep looking for the Sagehens' progress in the COURIER's scoreboard feature all season long.

Sports is back in season

2010-08-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

If seeing Claremont High School football players out on the football field for "Hell Week" is any indication, high school sports, college sports and other organizational sports will be coming back into season this September.

This fall season, CHS will begin its new journey in the Sierra League after many years in the Baseline League. Instead of playing the likes of Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Etiwanda and Los Osos every year, Claremont will now encounter opponents such as Ayala, Chino Hills, South Hills and Damien in their league contests.

With the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer sports teams also slated to kick off in September, along with Claremont AYSO and the Claremont Jr. All American Football league, next month's sports coverage will kick back into full swing.

Expect a preview on the CHS football team in the COURIER this Saturday and a look at Claremont High's move into the Sierra League next Wednesday.

Senior ladies find fountain of youth on the tennis court

2010-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

For the past 10 years, a senior group of women have been keeping an active lifestyle and enriching their friendships by getting together to play tennis twice a week. With their ages ranging from 73 to 99, they are a source of inspiration to those who know them and to each other.

Doris Drucker, Shirley Harris, Jean Jackman, Noreen Kistner, Shirley Moses, Eleanor Pierson and Tina Van Zandt represent the group that meets every Monday and Friday at the Claremont Club. Ms. Drucker, the wife of the late Peter Drucker, is the oldest participant at 99 years old.

Pick up tomorrow's issue of the COURIER to read the full story on this amazing group of women who have used tennis as their fountain of youth.