The Sports Update: Cross Country Sweeps SCIAC Championships

November 6, 2008

The Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams won the SCIAC Championships in Chino this past Saturday. The men won for the first time since 2002, scoring 37 points, while the women won for the 13th time in the last 15 years, tallying 34 points. Florian Scheulen (HMC JR) ran a personal record and finished 2nd overall, and the Stags snagged 6 of the top 12 spots. The Athenas were led by superstar Evelyn Ross (SCR SR) who finished 2nd. The women placed 5 runners in the top 12, and Ross’s efforts won her SCIAC Runner of the Year honors. The teams next compete at the NCAA West Region meet in Salem, Oregon on November 15th, where the top two team finishers automatically move on to NCAAs.

The Men’s Football team took on Chapman University this past Saturday at home on Zinda Field. It was a cloudy and cool day, with occasional sprinkling from the sky. The Stags’ offense never got into a rhythm against the physical Chapman defense. Chapman took the lead in the second quarter off a botched shotgun snap that went over the quarterback’s head and rolled into the endzone.

After adding a fieldgoal in the third to push it to 10-0, Mike Hirokawa (JR CMC) got the Stags on the board with an electrifying 88-yd kickoff return, tiptoeing the sideline while slipping through tackles. The men were unable to get in the endzone again, and Chapman added another touchdown and field goal for a 21-7 finish. The Stags were led on defense by the trio of Ashton Clarke (CMC SR), and juniors Dan Picciotto and Brock Olson, who combined for 36 tackles and a sack.

Men’s Water Polo had a doubleheader on Saturday the first. After taking the SCIAC conference lead with an impressive 3-0 start, the Stags dropped their first conference game, 14-10 at Occidental. The Stags then returned to Axelrood pool, where they dropped a 13-10 decision to Riverside Community College.

On Wednesday, the Stags hosted the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran. The men unfortunately lost their second straight conference matchup, 8-5. They look to get back in the win column Saturday when they host Redlands.

After a tumultuous regular season, the Stags and Athenas soccer squads had some important games leading up to the season-ending SCIAC tournament. The men needed strong showings against Occidental and Redlands to guarantee their tournament berth, while the women were looking to pin down a high seed. The Stags got it done on the road, winning 2-0 at Occidental. They hosted Redlands on Saturday, taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads before losing 3-2. They play Redlands in the first round of the tournament Thursday night.

The women also went 1-1. They defeated Occidental 1-0, then lost to Redlands 1-0. Against Oxy’s Tigers, the women battled to a 0-0 stalemate after a half. The Athenas were pressuring the Tigers all game, and finally got their break 17 minutes into the second stanza. Giselle Galanto (CMC JR) beat the keeper and placed a smooth ball past for an insurmountable 1-0 lead.

The ladies then took on Cal Lu in the first round of the SCIAC tournament. After a 0-0 tie following regulation and overtimes, the Athenas went into a sudden death penalty kick shoot out. They prevailed 3-2 and play in the SCIAC finals Saturday.

The women’s volleyball team has had an up-and-down season. Highlights include defeating national #1 Juniata 3-2, whereas lowlights like back to back losses to Pomona-Pitzer and Cal Lu. The ladies had a good week, tallying a 3-1 win over Redlands on Saturday and then trouncing Occidental 3-0 on Tuesday. On Thursday, the women closed out their season with a 3-1 loss to national power La Verne. They finished 19-12 overall, with a 9-5 record in the SCIAC.

GO STAGS GO ATHENAS!