Pioneer Points
- March 4, 2013
It’s hard to believe that March is already upon us, marking the end of the winter seasons and leaving just two full months of competition for our spring sports. Despite that, there’s still plenty of action on the horizon, both in the winter postseason and the spring campaigns.
This week our Pioneer swimmers are making their first appearance at NCAA Division II National Championships since 1992. Jenel Lopez, Caitlin DeNise, Erica Crain and Brittany Rojo got underway in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday and are set to compete in 10 individual events, as well as relays this week. The four qualifiers and Head Coach Ben Loorz are also coming off an outstanding performance at conference championships last month, where they placed a program-best second and grabbed eight medals and 16 top-five finishes. In addition, Coach Loorz was named Coach of the Meet, guiding the team to wins over two nationally ranked teams along the way.
The swim team isn’t the only Pioneer squad competing in the postseason this winter. The women’s basketball team finished the regular season on a tear, putting together a nine-game win streak and winning 10 of their last 11 games to go 10-1 in the second half of the CCAA season. For the second straight year, the team qualified for the CCAA Tournament, this time improving their seeding by two spots to get the No. 5 seed.
The Pioneer spring sports have also started off on the right foot, with the baseball team sweeping Cal State Stanislaus and splitting with No. 13 Sonoma State over the last two weeks. Following the sweep of the Warriors, Sean Becker and Kyle Zozaya were named CCAA Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively. The pair also garnered weekly honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) for their efforts. Thanks to the split with the Seawolves, the team debuted at No. 9 in the NCBWA West Region poll this week.
On the softball diamond, the Pioneers earned a split with Cal State Monterey Bay and took a game from No. 18 Sonoma State, beating 2012 West Region Pitcher of the Year and NCAA Division II strikeout record holder Samantha Lipperd in the victory. In the pool, the Pioneer water polo team has won five straight games and boast both Sara Hudyn and Claire Pierce among the top five leading goal scorers in the conference and Kate McAfee leading the league in assists. The track team has just gotten its season underway too, performing well at its first two meets of the season.
The women’s golf team made history this past weekend, taking home the team title at our own Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout held at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo. The team, led by third-place finisher Andrea Castellanos, claimed their first victory at the event and best finish of the season on Sunday.
In addition to all of our exciting spring sports action, we’re also just over two months away from our 17th annual ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Golf Classic and Dinner. Be sure to reserve Monday, May 13 for a day of fun and golf at TPC Stonebrae to support the Richard and Susan Sherratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment. The entry fee includes greens fees, golf cart, polo shirt, team and individual awards, tournament gift bag, lunch and dinner. Non-golfers are also invited to enjoy only the benefit dinner, which will feature both a silent auction and raffle.
Sponsorship opportunities across a wide range of levels are also available for both individuals and businesses. All proceeds from the tournament, dinner, raffle and auction help provide Pioneer student-athletes with scholarships and we’d love to have your support and see you at the event.
Start training now and kick off the golf classic weekend with the Hayward 5K at East Bay! On Saturday, May 11, the Pioneers will play host to a 5K fun run and kids’ races on our beautiful campus with post-race expo, food and entertainment, so be sure to join us to help support the track and cross country teams.
Go Pioneers!