CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Monday, Feb. 28, 2005

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

Schedule of upcoming events:

MEN’S BASKETBALL:

vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

vs. Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m.

vs. Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m.

BASEBALL:

at Biola University on Tuesday, March 1 at 2 p.m.

vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, March 4 at 2 p.m.

vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (DH) on Saturday, March 5 at 11 a.m.

M/W TENNIS:

M/Ten vs. Alliant University on Monday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.

W/Ten vs. Alliant University on Monday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

W/Ten at UC San Diego on Wednesday, March 2 at 2 p.m.

M/Ten vs. Occidental College on Friday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m.

W/Ten vs. University of Tampa on Saturday, March 5 at 11 a.m.

M/Ten vs. Presbyterian College on Sunday, March 6 at 11 a.m.

TRACK & FIELD:

at Long Beach Relays on Saturday, March 5 at 8 a.m.

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

http://www.csupomona.edu/~athletic

MEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS FALL SHORT IN FIRST-PLACE SHOWDOWN

2004-05 Record: 19-6. 2004-05 CCAA Record: 14-4

2004-05 National Ranking: 22

2004-05 Regional Ranking: 3

BRONCOS BEAT TRITONS, BUT FALL TO COYOTES: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team knocked off UC San Diego on Friday night to set up its big showdown with Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, but the Broncos fell to the Coyotes, 73-66, in Coussoulis Arena. The Broncos, bidding for their first California Collegiate Athletic Association title since 1981, are now in second place, one game behind Cal State San Bernardino with two contests remaining. Cal Poly Pomona opened the weekend with a 70-50 win over UC San Diego Friday night in RIMAC Arena. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Broncos, while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had 16 points and three assists. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) had 14 points and five rebounds, while Kevin Neveu (Fr., San Leandro, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had a season-high 10 points, all in the second half. The Broncos jumped out to a 34-20 halftime lead and led by as many as 25 points in the second half. The Broncos then squared off with Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday and fell, 73-66. Bonds had 25 points – 22 of them in the second half – while Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS) had 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Sybesma had 12 points. The Broncos got into some trouble when the Coyotes closed the first half with a 15-3 run that increased a 21-19 advantage to 36-22 at halftime. Cal Poly Pomona trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, but rallied strongly to trail by only six points, 45-39, with 14:44 to go. The Coyotes, though, bumped the lead back up to 15 points, 65-50, with 4:03 remaining and held off another late Bronco rally.

BRONCOS CLIMB TO THIRD IN REGIONAL POLL: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team moved from fourth to third in the latest NCAA Division II West Region poll following the Broncos’ home wins over Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State on Feb. 18-19. Hawaii Hilo remains first in the region with Western Washington, Cal Poly Pomona, Seattle Pacific, Cal State San Bernardino, Alaska Fairbanks, Chico State, BYU-Hawaii, Northwest Nazarene and Sonoma State rounding out the Top 10. New rankings will be released on Wednesday and will include the Broncos’ road victory over UC San Diego and road loss at Cal State San Bernardino. The playoff pairings will be announced on Sunday evening.

BRONCOS TO FINISH REGULAR SEASON AT HOME: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team will try to continue its drive for its first California Collegiate Athletic Association title since 1981 when the Broncos close out the regular season with home games against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. The Broncos are alone in second place in the CCAA and are one game behind conference-leading Cal State San Bernardino with two games to play. Cal Poly Pomona has not won a conference title since sharing the crown with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Dominguez Hills 24 years ago.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS GET ALLEN BACK AND PICK UP BIG WIN

2004-05 Record: 18-7. 2004-05 CCAA Record: 13-5

2004-05 National Ranking: 21

2004-05 Regional Ranking: 7

BRONCOS LOSE IN LA JOLLA, THEN BEAT CS SAN BERNARDINO: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team split a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association this past weekend against teams bidding NCAA Division II playoff spots. The Broncos opened the week with an 82-69 loss at UC San Diego on Friday. Playing without Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the Broncos dropped their second straight game. Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Broncos, while Unique Anderson (Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS) had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals. The Broncos started quickly, scoring the first eight points of the game, but UC San Diego went on a 20-2 run to grab a 20-10 lead. Cal Poly Pomona cut the lead to six points, 42-36, at halftime following a 3-pointer by Shyrah Thomas (Sr., Inglewood, San Francisco State) in the final minute of the half. The Broncos trimmed the deficit to 54-50, with 11:27 to go after a layup by Ge’Yanni Polk (So., San Leandro, San Lorenzo HS), but UC San Diego used a 15-5 run to break the game open. An unexpected return by Allen, who suffered a severe shoulder injury against Cal State Stanislaus last Friday, helped the Broncos beat Cal State San Bernardino, 55-51, Saturday in Coussoulis Arena. Allen did not start, but came on to score 18 points and grab four rebounds to lead the Broncos. Fletcher added 14 points for Cal Poly Pomona, while Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS) had eight points and three rebounds. The Broncos trailed by as many as nine points in the first half and were down, 28-23 at halftime. The Coyotes then opened up a 10-point lead, 35-25, with 17:24 to go. Cal Poly Pomona battled back and took its first lead of the second half, 43-41, on a 3-pointer by Perkins with 7:58 to go. After the Coyotes took a 48-45 lead with 5:13 left, the Broncos rallied again and took the lead for good on a jumper by Allen with 1:53 remaining. Fletcher followed with a basket to make it 53-49 and a free throw by Allen stretched the lead to 54-49. Cal State San Bernardino scored on a layup with 13 seconds left, but Anderson made one free throw with 12 seconds left to put the game away.

BRONCOS TO FINISH REGULAR SEASON WITH TWO HOME GAMES: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team, ranked 21st in the NCAA Division II, seventh in the NCAA Division II West Region and in second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, will complete the regular season with two home games this week. Cal Poly Pomona begins the week just one game out of first place in the CCAA. The Broncos will face co-leader Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. Two Bronco victories and a loss by Chico State would result in the Broncos earning a share of their 19^th CCAA title. The games have playoff implications as well. Cal Poly Pomona was rated seventh in the region entering last weekend’s games. The top eight teams will advance. Pairings will be announced on Sunday.

BASEBALL: BRONCOS SPLIT FOUR GAMES DURING BUSY WEEK

2005 Record: 7-7. 2005 CCAA Record: 5-4

BRONCOS LOSE TWO OUT OF THREE IN SAN BERNARDINO: Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team dropped two of three games last week against California Collegiate Athletic Association rival Cal State San Bernardino, giving the Broncos a split of their four games last week. The Broncos opened the week with an 8-0 win over Cal Baptist in Riverside. Matt Stevens (Sr., Riverside, Rubidoux HS) had four hits and drove in three runs to pace an 11-hit attack. The Broncos got a combined shutout from seven pitchers. Stephen Payte (Jr., Lancaster, Lancaster HS) and Justin Carty (Jr., Upland, Montclair HS) pitched two scoreless innings each, while Kyle Todd (Fr., Anaheim, Magnolia HS), Kevin Rogers (So., Chino Hills, Ayala HS), Matt Lusk (Jr., Bakersfield, Bakersfield JC), Russell Smith (Sr., Brawley, Brawley HS) and Bryan Jackson (Jr., Placentia, Orange Coast College) hurled one inning each. The Broncos then took the opener of a three-game series against Cal State San Bernardino, 14-6, on Friday. Taylor Wilding (Jr., Alta Loma, Etiwanda HS) allowed only seven hits and two runs in five innings of work. Matt Lopez (Sr., Lancaster, Quartz Hill HS) and Greg Denning (Sr., Atascadero, Cuesta College) had three hits each, while Marc Evans (So., Alta Loma, Etiwanda HS) drove in three runs. The Broncos had a season-high 18 hits in the game. Jarrod Allen (Sr., Poway, San Diego Mesa CC) had two hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. Cal Poly Pomona was swept by the Coyotes on Saturday, 11-2 and 4-3. In the opener, the Broncos fell behind, 7-0 after two innings. Denning singled in one run in the third inning, while Jake Mendrin (Jr., La Habra Heights, Cal State Fullerton) drove in the other Bronco run in the fifth. In the nightcap, the Broncos rallied from a 3-0 deficit and tied the game in the top of the fifth when Allen stole home as part of a double steal. The Coyotes, though, pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth to claim the conference win. Allen scored two runs for Cal Poly Pomona in the game. John Cross (Jr., La Palma, Long Beach CC) pitched well, allowing only three hits and three runs in five strong innings.

LOPEZ NAMED CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cal Poly Pomona’s Matt Lopez (Sr., Lancaster, Quartz Hill HS) was named the Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 14-20. Lopez, the Broncos’ starting shortstop, hit .545 with a run and a run batted in to help the Broncos win two of three games against defending CCAA champion Chico State. He also handled 10 fielding chances without an error.

BRONCOS TO HOST TOROS IN BIG SOUTH DIVISION SERIES: Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team will play an important three-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series this weekend against California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division rival Cal State Dominguez Hills. The series will begin with a single game on Friday at 2 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Broncos will also play a non-conference game at Biola University on Tuesday.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: BRONCOS IMPROVE TO 2-0 IN CCAA

Men’s Overall 2005 Record: 0-2

Women’s Overall 2005 Record: 2-2, 2-0 in CCAA

WOMEN’S TENNIS KNOCKS OFF CS BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s tennis team picked up its second California Collegiate Athletic Association victory in as many starts with a 7-2 victory over Cal State Bakersfield Saturday at the Kellogg Tennis Complex. In the featured match, Dehlia Feliz (Sr., San Gabriel, San Gabriel HS) defeated Cal State Bakersfield’s Katalin Nagy, 6-4, 4-6, (11-9) at No. 1 singles. Feliz was able to snap an 18-match CCAA winning streak at No. 1 singles by Nagy. Katrina Holmberg (Jr., Pukalani, Maui, HI) won at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-1, Renee Paquillo (So., Fullerton, Rosary HS) won at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-2, Ellyn Caprara (Fr., Carlsbad, The Woodlands HS, TX) won at No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-0 and Sara Jex (Sr., Los Olivos, Saddleback JC) won at No. 6 singles, 6-0, 6-3. Feliz and Holmberg won at No. 1 doubles, 8-2 and Jex and Paquillo won at No. 2 doubles, 8-6.

MEN’S FALLS TO HAWAII HILO, 9-0: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s tennis team, which has recorded 11 winning seasons in the past 12 years, ran up against one of the top teams in the NCAA West Region and fell to Hawaii Hilo, 9-0, Thursday afternoon at the Kellogg Tennis Complex. The closest match of the day came at No. 6 singles, where Nick Doan (Jr., Garden Grove, Garden Grove HS) fell, 6-3, 4-6, (10-7).

M/W TRACK AND FIELD: BRONCOS OPEN SEASON IN HOME INVITATIONAL

BRONCOS WILL OPEN 2005 SEASON WITH HIGH HOPES: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s and women’s track and field teams got their 2005 seasons underway Saturday at the Bronco Invitational. Returning All-American Mark Batres (Jr., Hacienda Heights, Don Bosco Tech HS) got a provisional qualifying time in the 10,000 meters while winning the event in 30:35.9. Christina Jimenez (So., Apple Valley, Granite Hills HS) and Monica Valdez (Jr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS) recorded 10,000 meter times of 38:38.9 and 38:57.4. Carmen Franklin (Jr., Sacramento, Loretto HS) had a good season-opening time of 57.99 in the 400, while Carolyn Brown (So., Burbank, John Burroughs HS) won the 1,500 in 5:12.87. Ariana Robinson (Fr., Las Vegas, NV, Bonanza HS) won the shot put with a mark of 33-6.50 and took second in the hammer throw with a mark of 103-11. Jason Johnson (Sr., San Dimas, Citrus College) won his heat of the 100 meters in 10.76, while Darryl Eaton (So., Hacienda Heights, Don Bosco HS) had a good time of 10.94 while finishing second. Eaton was also second in the 200 with a time of 22.21. Daniel Rojas (Sr., Baldwin Park, Mt. San Antonio College) had an impressive double, winning in the 1,500 with a time of 4:05.86 and the 5,000 with a time of 14:58.8. Garrett Holcomb (Jr., Chino, Chino HS) won the pole vault with a leap of 14-0, Paul Nurre (Jr., Upland, UC Riverside) won the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.92 and Cal Poly Pomona’s 4x100 relay team (42.38) and 4x400 relay team (3:21.47) won their events.

MORE NEWS

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD TEAMS STARTING BOOSTER CLUB: The alumni of the men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field teams are organizing a new booster club to support the Bronco teams. A contest is being held to name the club. All alumni are eligible to compete. Email your suggestion, name and phone number to Bryan Ramos (96-99) at bry8134@earthlink.net. The winning suggestion will win a Cal Poly Pomona sweatshirt or jacket. The next organization meeting will be held on March 13. All alumni interested in advancing the track and field and cross country program are welcome. For more information, contact Tony Reyes (79-84) at tony.reyes@verizon.net.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s cross country team has been selected as a member of the NCAA II Cross Country All-Academic Team. The national All-Academic team was presented by the NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches’ Association for the 2004 season. The Broncos completed a successful 2004 season, finishing fourth in the CCAA and sixth in the NCAA Division II West Region.

CARMEN FRANKLIN EARNS LEADERSHIP POST: Track and Field All-American Carmen Franklin (Jr., Sacramento, Loretto HS) has been named as a new student Community Liaison for the Center for Community Service Learning at Cal Poly Pomona. Franklin is currently involved in the JusticeCorps program where she assists litigants at the Pomona Self Help Center with family law, small claims and eviction cases.

TIME RUNNING OUT FOR A CHANCE TO FISH WITH THE COACH: There are still tickets remaining to win a chance to go fishing in Cabo San Lucas with Cal Poly Pomona Head Women’s Basketball Coach Paul Thomas, but time is running out. The all-inclusive trip will include roundtrip airfare from LAX, hotel, food and drinks and lodging at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach and Golf Resort. The $100 raffle ticket gives you a chance to win the trip. A maximum of 100 tickets will be sold. All proceeds will benefit Cal Poly Pomona’s Women’s Basketball Trophy Club. The winner will be announced this Friday, March 4. The winner need not be present to win. “I’m looking forward to relaxing with one of our valued fans and catching a trophy-size marlin,” Thomas said. “This will truly be a five-star trip at a first-class resort.” For more information, contact Julie Hall at (909) 869-2825 or Thomas at (909) 869-2824.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALUMNI NIGHT IS SET: All former Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball players are invited to participate in an evening honoring the student-athletes that have made the program the most successful in the NCAA Division II. All alumni are encouraged to join the team for the regular-season finale against Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, March 4, for a special halftime reception in their honor. The former student-athletes are also invited to join the team for the Senior Night festivities immediately following the game. “We believe the strength of the program today and in the future has a direct correlation to the past. Each person who has worn a Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball jersey should be proud of their contribution to the program,” Cal Poly Pomona Head Coach Paul Thomas said.