CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Monday, Feb. 9, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

Schedule of upcoming events:


MEN’S BASKETBALL:

at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

at Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

                                                                                                                                   

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:

at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

at Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m.

 

BASEBALL:

at Biola University on Monday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m.

at CS San Bernardino on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m.

at CS San Bernardino on Friday, Feb. 13 at 2:30 p.m.

vs. CS San Bernardino (DH) on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 11 a.m.

 

M/W TENNIS:

M/Ten at UC San Diego on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.

M/Ten in CPP Men’s Invitational on Fri-Sun, Feb. 13-15, All Day

                                                           

M/W TRACK & FIELD:

vs. UCSD/La Verne on Saturday, Feb. 21 at noon

                                                                       

 

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

HTTP://WWW.CSUPOMONA.EDU/~ATHLETIC

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS COME UP BIG WITH TWO KEY WINS

2003-04 Record: 14-5. 2003-04 CCAA Record: 10-4

2003-04 West Region Ranking: 6

 

DEFENDING WEST REGION CHAMPS WIN A PAIR OF THRILLERS: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team had its best weekend of the season, recording a pair of home victories in thrilling fashion. The most significant win was a 64-61 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday that should enable the Broncos to climb a spot or two in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings. The Roadrunners were fourth in the region entering the weekend, while the Broncos were sixth. Cal Poly Pomona has moved into a four-way tie for second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The weekend started on an exciting note as the Broncos outlasted Cal State Stanislaus in overtime, 75-66, in front of a record crowd of 1,504 on Pack the Gym Night in Kellogg Gym. David Sybesma (Jr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) was the hero, hitting a clutch 3-pointer with four seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. The Broncos then dominated the overtime period, 13-4. Sybesma finished with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds and recorded his fourth double-double in the past six games. Jeff Bonds (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Jonathan Williams (Sr., Pasadena, John Muir HS) had 10 points. The Broncos trailed for most of the game and were down at halftime, 32-31. The Warriors built their biggest lead of the game, 60-52, with 3:04 remaining. The Broncos, though, hit seven free throws – five by Bonds and two by Sybesma – to cut the deficit to one point, 60-59, with 19 seconds to go. Cal State Stanislaus responded with a layup to make it 62-59, setting the stage for Sybesma’s heroics. Cal Poly Pomona opened the overtime period with 10 consecutive points. The Broncos then completed the weekend sweep with a hard-fought 64-61 win over Cal State Bakersfield. The Broncos beat the Roadrunners for the sixth time in the last seven meetings. The game was tied at 56-56 with 2:54 remaining, but Sybesma scored on a driving layup with 1:44 remaining to give the Broncos the lead for good. The Broncos were able to extend their lead on on back-to-back goaltending calls on layups by Hervey Malone II (So., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS) and Michael Ridgway (Sr., Houston, TX, Lamar University). Both shots were blocked after they had hit the backboard. A 3-pointer by the Roadrunners cut the Bronco lead to one, but free throws by Williams and Sybesma provided the final margin of victory. Sybesma again led the Broncos with 19 points and six rebounds, while Bonds had 16 points and six rebounds. Williams had 14 points, two rebounds and three assists.

 

BRONCOS REMAIN IN SIXTH IN LATEST REGIONAL POLL: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, the 2003 West Region champ, is ranked sixth in the most recent NCAA Division II West Region poll. The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs. Cal State San Bernardino is the top-ranked team in the region, while BYU-Hawaii is second and Humboldt State is third. Cal State Bakersfield entered the week in fourth, but dropped two games last week, including one to the Broncos. Weekly polls will be released on Wednesdays for the remainder of the season.

 

BRONCOS TO FACE KEY ROAD GAMES THIS WEEKEND: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s team will face a pair of key road games this weekend as the Broncos strive to qualify for the NCAA Division II West Region playoffs for a second straight season for the first time in the program’s history. The Broncos will be at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and Cal State L.A. on Saturday. Cal Poly Pomona’s next home game is Friday, Feb. 20 against San Francisco State.

 

BRONCOS THANK FANS FOR PACKING THE GYM: Cal Poly Pomona’s annual Pack the Gym Night was a huge success with a crowd of 1,504 rooting the Broncos on to victories in the women’s and men’s games against Cal State Stanislaus. The large crowd was the result of a dedicated effort by Cal Poly Pomona’s Associated Students, Inc., the Bronco Athletic Association, the Bronco Athletic Department, University Housing Services and the Division of Student Affairs. The Broncos thank those spirited fans who showed up and encourage them to return to the Broncos’ four remaining home games. Those contests will take place on Feb. 20-21 and March 5-6.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS FALL IN FIRST-PLACE SHOWDOWN

2003-04 Record: 13-6. 2003-04 CCAA Record: 9-5.

NCAA Division II West Region Ranking: 4

 

BRONCOS UPENDED BY ROADRUNNERS IN SATURDAY BATTLE: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team had a shot at moving into a first-place tie in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, but the Broncos fell to conference-leading Cal State Bakersfield, 87-80, Saturday night in Kellogg Gym. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the leading scorer in the NCAA Division II, poured in a game-high 34 points, including 25 in the second half. Keila Beachem (Sr., Chicago, Ill., University of Kansas) had eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Marisa Lattin (Sr., Oceanside, El Camino HS) and Shanika Perkins (So., Oakland, Oakland HS) had 11 points each for Cal Poly Pomona. The game was tied at 61-61 with 9:17 left, but Cal State Bakersfield scored the next five points and led the rest of the way. A 3-pointer by Allen made it 75-73 with 3:38 remaining, but the Roadrunners went on an 11-3 run to take over the contest. Cal Poly Pomona committed 26 turnovers and Cal State Bakersfield shot a sizzling 58.9 percent from the floor. The loss dropped the Broncos into third place in the CCAA, two games out of first and one game behind second-place Grand Canyon. Cal Poly Pomona opened the weekend with a resounding 85-43 win over Cal State Stanislaus on Friday night. The Broncos broke the game open early and held a commanding 42-17 lead at halftime. Cal Poly Pomona led by more than 40 points for most of the second half. Beachem had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced Cal Poly Pomona attack. Brandi Fletcher (So., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had 16 points, while Allen and Lattin had 14 points each. The Broncos held a 50-30 advantage on the boards and forced 32 turnovers while completing a season sweep over the Warriors.

 

BRONCOS TAKE TO THE ROAD FOR PAIR OF GAMES THIS WEEKEND: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team will play a pair of key road games in California Collegiate Athletic Association action this weekend. The Broncos will be at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and at Cal State L.A. on Saturday. The Broncos’ next home game is Friday, Feb. 20 against San Francisco State.

 

BRONCOS CLIMB TO FOURTH IN LATEST REGIONAL POLL: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team, which has won two NCAA Division II championships in the past three years, is ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II West Region poll. The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs. Seattle Pacific is ranked first in the poll, while Cal State Bakersfield is second and Grand Canyon is third. The polls are released weekly on Wednesdays.

 

BASEBALL: BRONCOS SPLIT FIRST TWO GAMES OF 2004

2004 Record: 3-2-1. 2004 CCAA Record: 0-0

 

BRONCOS PLAY WELL IN BUSY WEEK OF COMPETITION: Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team, which has won 30 or more games in three of the past four seasons, had two wins, a loss and a tie in a busy week of play. The Broncos started the week with a 5-5 tie against Biola University in a game called after nine innings because of darkness. Cal Poly Pomona had lost to Biola three times last season. The Broncos built a 4-0 lead, but the Eagles were able to eventually tie the game with a four-run rally in the eighth inning. A three-run home run by Kenny McCarthy (Sr., Moreno Valley, Riverside CC) sparked a four-run uprising in the fourth inning for the Broncos. After Biola managed a run against Bronco starter Luis Carreras (So., San Dimas, Walnut HS) in the fifth inning, the Broncos took a 5-1 lead in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Jason Stuck (Sr., Chino, Citrus College). Carreras pitched a strong game for the Broncos, limiting a high-scoring Biola team to just one run and six hits in five innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven. McCarthy, Stuck, Chase Stroupe (So., San Clemente, San Clemente HS) and Matt Stevens (Jr., Riverside, Rubidoux HS) had two hits each to pace a 10-hit attack. The Broncos then won a game in thrilling fashion on Friday when Jarrod Allen (Jr., Poway, San Diego Mesa College) hit a solo home run leading off the ninth inning to lead the Broncos past UC Davis, 4-3, at Scolinos Field. The Broncos also got a home run from McCarthy earlier in the game. Stuck and Anthony Esquer (So., Chino Hills, Whittier Christian HS) also drove in runs for the Broncos, who got some solid pitching from Efren Lira (Sr., Walnut, Mt. San Antonio College) and Jose Munoz (Sr., Baldwin Park, Rio Hondo JC). Lira gave up five hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, while Munoz gave up three hits and one run in 3 1/3 innings. Munoz got the victory to improve to 2-0. Cal Poly Pomona then won another game in dramatic fashion when Matt Lopez (Jr., Lancaster, Quartz Hills HS) hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Broncos past Azusa Pacific, 5-3, in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Broncos trailed, 3-2, at the time, but Lopez, with Allen and Evan Barnhart (Sr., Alta Loma, Etiwanda HS) aboard, fouled off several pitches before sending a shot well over the left-field fence. Jeremey White (Sr., Palmdale, Riverside CC) allowed only three hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings of relief to record the win, while Chris Sotro (Sr., Upland, Upland HS) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save. Stevens and Kenneth Galindo (Sr., Walnut, Mt. San Antonio College) also drove in runs for the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona then dropped a tough 1-0 decision in the nightcap despite allowing the Cougars only one hit. That hit, though, was a home run to the Azusa Pacific leadoff batter. Sotro allowed only that one hit in his three innings of work, while John Lee (West Covina, Damien HS) hurled three hitless innings in relief. The Broncos managed only four hits, including two by Galindo.

 

BRONCOS WILL OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY ON THURSDAY: Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team will begin California Collegiate Athletic Association play on Thursday with the opener of a four-game series against Cal State Bernardino. The Broncos will play in San Bernardino on Thursday and Friday and then will host the Coyotes on Saturday in a doubleheader at Scolinos Field starting at 11 a.m. Before meeting the Coyotes, though, the Broncos have a non-conference game at Biola University on Monday at 2 p.m.

 

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: BRONCO MEN PLAY WELL IN LOS ANGELES

Men’s Overall 2004 Record: 0-1

Men’s Ranking: No. 26 in the nation; 6th in the West Region (ITA)

Women’s Overall 2004 Record: 0-1. 2004 CCAA Record: 0-0

Women’s Ranking: 18 in the nation; 3rd in the West Region (ITA)

 

BRONCO MEN DOMINATE CAL STATE L.A. TOURNAMENT: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s tennis team, which has recorded 11 straight winning seasons, played well at the Cal State L.A. Invitational and captured all three titles. David Nguyen (Sr., Los Angeles, Beverly Hills HS) defeated Nikolay Nesterov of Alliant International, 6-3, 6-3, to capture the championship in the Singles Flight 1-4. Alan Chang (Jr., Torrance, Cal State L.A.) beat teammate Sebastian Torres (So., Cali, Columbia), 6-0, 6-7, 6-0 to win the championship in the Singles Flight 5-8 and the team of Nguyen and Guido Weidenfeld (Sr., Cologne, Germany) defeated a team from Alliant to win the Doubles Final, 8-5. Brandon Clingan (Jr., Sacramento, Independence HS) won the consolation championship by defeating teammate Edwin Mendoza (Fr., Baldwin Park, Troy HS), 8-3. The Broncos will host the 2004 California Invitational team competition beginning on Friday and continuing throughout the weekend at the Kellogg Tennis Complex.

 

BRONCO WOMEN FALL IN RIVERSIDE, COMPETE IN L.A. TOURNEY: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s tennis team, the defending California Collegiate Athletic Association champion, dropped its 2004 season opener to Division I UC Riverside, 7-0, last Tuesday in Riverside. The Broncos got an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles by Dehlia Feliz (Jr., San Gabriel, San Gabriel HS) and Katrina Holmberg (So., Pukalani, Maui, HI, King Kekaulike HS), but the Highlanders won the other two doubles matches to earn the one doubles point and then swept the six singles contests. The Broncos then competed in the Cal State L.A. Tennis Invitational over the weekend and performed well. Feliz and Holmberg advanced to the doubles final, where they lost to a team from Loyola Marymount. Holmberg, Jennie Burggraf (Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) and Nanor Dekermenjian (Jr., Aleppo, Syria, Glendale CC) won first-round matches before falling in later rounds.

 

MORE NEWS

 

GOURMET BRONCO CHOCOLATE STILL ON SALE: With a special day fast approaching, the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Department is still selling chocolate-covered almonds, toffee-covered peanuts, chocolate-covered raisins and Neapolitan malt balls for $3 per container. Gourmet Bronco Chocolate is high-end chocolate made with the freshest ingredients and certainly makes a nice Valentine’s Day gift. Every dollar spent on the products will go toward supporting Cal Poly Pomona sports programs and its student-athletes. For purchase information, contact (909) 869-5342 or email mtolano@csupomona.edu.

 

ANNUAL FUND-RAISING DRIVE CONTINUES: Cal Poly Pomona Athletics is encouraging its supporters to contribute to its annual fundraising drive, which raises money specifically for scholarships. As students face challenging economic times ahead, the Athletic Department wants to respond by making more scholarships available to them. For more information about participating in the fund-raising efforts, please contact Julie Hall, Director of Development for Athletics/Student Affairs, at (909) 869-2825.