CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Monday, Aug. 23, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

Schedule of upcoming events:

 

CROSS COUNTRY:

at CS Fullerton Titan Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 8 a.m.

                                                           

MEN'S SOCCER:

vs. Bryant College on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.

at Western Washington on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.

 

WOMEN'S SOCCER:

vs. Bryant College on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 5 p.m.

at Western Washington on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.

                                                                                   

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL:

at Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m.

vs. Findlay on Friday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.

vs. Western State on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m.

at Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.

 

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

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

 

 

VOLLEYBALL: BRONCOS OPEN 2004 SEASON IN ALASKA

2004 Overall Record: 0-0. 2003 Overall Record: 19-11

 

BRONCOS READY TO BEGIN 2004 SEASON WITH A LONG ROAD TRIP: Encouraged by another solid recruiting class, the return of several key players and hoping to ride the momentum of back-to-back banner seasons, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s volleyball team begins its 2004 season this week. The Broncos will get their season started with four matches in the Midnight Sun Invitational at Alaska Fairbanks. The Broncos return seven players from last year’s squad that finished the season with a 19-11 record and just missed the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Broncos, for a second straight year, were fourth in the powerful California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 14-8 record. The 39 wins over the past two seasons are the most for the Broncos since the 1993-94 seasons. Leading the list of returning players is Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS), who earned All-America honorable mention last season after leading the Broncos with 442 kills. Anderson also received first-team All-Pacific Region and second-team All-CCAA accolades. Anderson became the first Bronco since Ellen Migasi in 1997 to earn All-America honors. Also returning is setter Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland, Upland HS), who ranked 24th in the NCAA Division II in assists per game. She had 1,395 assists for the season, which is the second-highest single-season total in the program’s history. A third starter, Kellie Francis (Jr., Chino, Don Lugo HS) returns after a breakthrough season in 2003. She was fourth on the team in kills with 180 despite missing five matches late in the season with an ankle injury. Breezie Jordan (Jr., Ventura, Buena HS) returns for her third season with the Broncos after earning team Most Improved Player and Best Defensive Player awards last season. Elizabeth Defoort (Jr., Glendora, Citrus College), one of the team’s most powerful hitters, is back after finishing fifth on the team in kills last season with 167, while Casey Riedel (So., Saugus, Saugus HS) is back for her second season at outside hitter after a promising freshman campaign. Top newcomers for the Broncos include a pair of freshman who could play significant roles in 2004. Antoinette Kathol (Fr., Sierra Madre, La Salle HS) is a 6-foot-2-inch middle blocker, while Kiting Kolar (Fr., La Canada, La Canada HS) is a talented libero.

 

BRONCOS HOST TALENTED SQUADS TO OPEN HOME SCHEDULE: The Cal Poly Pomona women's volleyball team will play its first home matches of the year next week when the Broncos host Seattle Pacific on Wednesday, Sept. 1 and then entertain a six-team tournament, the Holiday Inn Select Diamond Bar/Cal Poly Pomona Invitational beginning on Friday, Sept. 3 and concluding on Saturday, Sept. 4. In the tournament, Cal Poly Pomona will face Indianapolis (1:30 p.m.) and Seattle University (7:30 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 3 and Western New Mexico (1:30 p.m.) and Chaminade (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Sept. 4. All Cal Poly Pomona matches will be played in Darlene May Gym.

 

MEN'S SOCCER: BRONCOS SET FOR HOME OPENER ON THURSDAY

2004 Overall Record: 0-0. 2003 Season Record: 7-9-2

 

BRONCOS WILL RETURN EXPERIENCED TEAM IN 2004: The Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team will begin its 2004 season at home when the Broncos host Bryant College this Thursday, Aug. 26 at Kellogg Field. Cal Poly Pomona lost Jonathan Bornstein, who transferred to UCLA, but the Broncos return eight starters and 17 letterman from their squad last season that was involved in the race for the four-team California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tourney until the final day of the season. The Broncos will be looking to qualify for the CCAA tourney for the first time since 1998 and for only the second time in the program’s history. The Broncos’ list of returning players includes Robert Cardenas (Sr., Chino Hills, Mt. San Antonio College), who earned second-team All-CCAA honors for the second straight season last year. Also coming back are Andrew Pierce (Jr., Oswego, N.Y., Oswego HS), who was second on the team in scoring last season with five goals and two assists for 12 points and goalkeeper Tim Sisk (Jr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS), who had a 7-7 record and a 1.86 goals against average last season. The Broncos are also encouraged by what appears to be another strong recruiting class led by Ben Van Der Fluit (Fr., Calabasas, Calabasas HS), Peter Hazdovac (Fr., San Pedro, San Pedro HS) and Dustin Venegas (Fr., Lakewood, Los Alamitos HS).

 

BRONCOS TO HEAD TO WASHINGTON FOLLOWING HOME OPENER: After opening at home Thursday against Bryant College, the Cal Poly Pomona men’s soccer team will head to Washington, where the Broncos will play at Western Washington on Saturday, Aug. 28, Seattle Pacific on Monday, Aug. 30 and Seattle University on Wednesday, Sept. 1. The Broncos will then return home for their final non-conference game, Friday, Sept. 10, against Concordia University.

 

 

WOMEN'S SOCCER: BRONCOS WILL BE AT HOME FOR OPENER

2004 Overall Record: 0-0. 2003 Season Record: 10-8-1

 

BRONCOS WILL HOST DIVISION II BRYANT COLLEGE: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer team will begin its 2004 season at Kellogg Field when the Broncos host Bryant College of Rhode Island at 5 p.m. The Broncos, who qualified for the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament for the sixth straight season last year, have seven starters returning from a team that finished second in the CCAA South Division. Leading the list of returning players is Lisa Araujo (Sr., Rialto, Eisenhower HS), who earned first-team All-CCAA honors for a second straight season last year. She was the CCAA Freshman of the Year in 2001. Araujo had six goals and 12 points last season and finished second on the squad in scoring. Erica Rodriguez (Jr., San Diego, Bonita Vista HS) returns for her third season with the Broncos. She had three goals and four assists last season. Chelsea Hipley (Jr., Sacramento, Woodcreek HS) is back for her third season after scoring three goals and recording two assists last year, while Vanessa Richardson (Jr., Upland, Upland HS) returns for her third season as the Bronco goalkeeper. Cal Poly Pomona will also welcome back Tia Rudolph (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma HS), who earned second-team All-CCAA honors in 2002 and sat out the 2003 season. The Broncos are encouraged by what they believe is a talented recruiting class. Sara Flowers (Fr., Santee, Santana HS), Stephanie Mrazak (Fr., Brea, Brea-Olinda HS), Kimberly Stillman (Fr., Arcadia, Arcadia HS) and Jacqueline Ragudos (Fr., San Diego, University HS) are among the top newcomers.

 

BRONCOS WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON AFTER HOME OPENER: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer team will play its first game of the season at home, but then travel to Washington where the Broncos will play two key regional contests. The Broncos will be at Western Washington on Saturday for a 6 p.m. game and then meet Seattle Pacific on Monday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. Cal Poly Pomona will play a third road game, at Azusa Pacific on Tuesday, Sept. 7, before returning to Kellogg Field for a Sept. 10 contest against Concordia University.

 

CROSS COUNTRY: BRONCOS OPEN SEASON IN SEPTEMBER

 

OPTIMISM HIGH AS BRONCOS OPEN 2004 SEASON: Head coach Jim Sackett welcomes one of the deepest and most talented rosters he's ever had at Cal Poly Pomona and the Broncos are hoping to finish the season as one of the top programs in the nation. The Bronco men, who were 11th in the nation last year, will return their top four runners and are aiming to post the program’s first top-five national finish since 1996. All-American Mark Batres (Jr., Hacienda Heights, Don Bosco Tech HS) and California Collegiate Athletic Association runner-up Daniel Rojas (Sr., El Monte, Mt. San Antonio College) will lead the list of returning runners. David Cerecerez (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga HS) and James Tawney (Jr., Barstow, Barstow HS), who both earned All-CCAA honors last season, are also back. The women also expect to better in 2004 and have a talented list of returning runners led by All-CCAA standout Christina Jimenez (So., Apple Valley, Granite Hills HS). The Broncos also return Shawna Winfrey (Sr., Santee, West Hills HS) and Natalie Miano-Batres (Jr., La Puente, Nogales HS) and welcome back Jamie Ray (Jr., Barstow, Barstow HS), who ran for the Broncos in 2001 and ’02 and then studied for one year in Spain.