Summer sports recap

Story and Photos by James Kelley

Pima sports ranked No. 16 nationally

The Pima Community College athletic department secured a top 20 finish in the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators Cup.

The Aztecs finished with the country’s 16th best athletic program in the scholarship division in the 2009-10 NATYCAA Cup.

Pima earned 69.5 points, led by the 41 points earned by Aztec women’s teams. The men scored 28.5, up from 9.5 the year before. For the 2008-09 season, Pima ended up in 24th place.

Softball team upset by Yavapai

The softball team’s postseason began on a sour note and ended a day later when arch rival Yavapai College upset them.

Jordan Trujillo

No. 4 ranked and top-seeded Pima (57-11, 26-6 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) lost 5-4 to second-seeded Yavapai on May 8 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Championship game, which ended the Aztecs’ national title quest.

Sophomore pitcher and Arizona Community College Athletic Conference player of the year Jordan Trujillo (31-6) earned a rare loss in consecutive days. When Pima opened Regionals, it lost to No. 4 seed Arizona Western College, 4-3.

Track & field teams both finish in top 17

The Aztecs had 10 top-eight finishes at the Nationals meet, as the women’s track and field team finished 13th and the men’s team took 17th place.

In Hutchinson, Kan., sophomore Sharissa Korn placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 135 feet, 9 inches. Freshman Kat Howard finished fifth in the 10,000-meters, setting a school record, 38:18.8.

The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of sophomore Stephan Bullard, freshman Derick Coker, sophomore Chris Phillips and freshman Mathew Robertson finished fifth in 3:15.5. On his own, Bullard finished sixth in the 800-meter in 1:54.1.

Sophomore Jessica Davis took fifth in the shot put, by putting up a score of 40 feet, 2 inches.

Freshman Christian Tover achieved a personal record, 160 feet, in the hammer throw, good enough for a sixth place finish.

Freshman Chloe’ Nowell leaped her way to a seventh place finish in the triple jump, with a mark of 36 feet, 7 inches.

Freshman Magda Mankel earned seventh place in the 1,500-meter, in a time of 5:04.6.

Sophomore Kyle Bush was 8th in the 1,500-meter in 4:11.6. Freshman Anthony Johnson placed eighth in the high jump, with a best of 6 feet, 8.75 inches.

The Aztecs started the postseason by finishing third at Regionals. Pima qualified 24 athletes in 21 events for Nationals.

Region championship winners were Nowell in triple jump, freshman Mario Portillo in 5,000-meter and Tover in shot put.

The men’s 4×400 team finished in third place, running a 3:13.26. That result broke a school record they set earlier in the season.

Tennis teams finish 19th at Nationals

Both tennis teams finished 19th at Nationals, with the men competing in Plano, Texas, and the women in Tucson.

Freshman Andrew Barnett made it to the quarterfinals of the Flight 1 Singles consolation bracket. The sophomore doubles team of Raphael Sepulveda and David Tellez advanced to the quarterfinals of Flight 2.

On the women’s side, freshman Gabriela Rodriguez reached the semifinals of the singles No. 1 consolation bracket. Sophomore Lori Cinnamond made it to the finals of the singles No. 3 consolation bracket.

Cinnamond and sophomore Ana Gallardo advanced to the semifinals of the doubles No. 2 consolation bracket.

The women’s tournament was held at the Reffkin Tennis Center.

Men’s golf ranks 18th at Nationals

The men’s golf team finished in 18th place at Nationals, while the women’s team was unable to field a team due to illness.

The men shot a three-round total of 933 at the rain-shortened Nationals at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail River Course, in Owens Crossroads, Ala.

Freshman Anthony Grijalva led the way for the Aztecs with a 227 (74, 78, 75), good enough for 50th place overall.

Sophomore Nicole Gentry missed the Nationals with an illness, so the women were unable to compete as a team.

The women’s tournament, held at the LPGA International Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., was also shortened by rain. Sophomore Brianne Anderson finished in 39th place, shooting 257 (80, 90, 85).

Elizabeth Livingston

Freshman Jennifer Candanoza finished 42nd with 260 (83, 88, 89), while sophomore Elizabeth Livingston finished 66th with 276 (97, 86, 93).