Archive for March 24th, 2011

Women’s basketball earns second place at Nationals

By HANNAH McLEOD
Photos by JAMES KELLEY and ED ADAMS

The Pima Community College women’s basketball team came up just short at Nationals.

On March 19, the top-seeded Aztecs (28-7) lost 78-74 to No. 11 seed Monroe (New York) College in the national championship game. Pima went 3-1 at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament and finished second.

“We came out hesitant and got behind early, but then we battled back.  At one point with about 45 seconds left, we were down by one,” head coach Todd Holthaus said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump, though, to win it.”

Pima had the chance to tie it with less than 10 seconds to go, but freshman guard Nadi Carey turned the ball over and Monroe hit its free throws.

Sophomore forwards Gaby Ayon and Deanna Daniels were named to the All-Tournament team.

In 2009, Pima finished third at Nationals. They were fifth at Nationals last year. This year they lost two two-time All-Americans, Tia Morrison and Abyee Marcigan, whose eligibility ran out.

“I am extremely proud of the girls and how far we came,” Holthaus said. “We kept focused and made it to Nationals.”

Daniels had 28 points and 19 rebounds in the championship game and was given the CAT Power player award.  Sophomore guard Patricia Ramos scored 14 points against Monroe.

Second place is the best-ever finish for a women’s basketball program that was 5-22 the season before Holthaus was hired.

“With our success, recruiting gets easier.  We already have three commitments for next season: a guard, post and forward,” Holthaus said. “My expectations are always high. I think we will be more athletic.”

Signing day for next year’s women’s basketball season will be April 8.

In the semifinals on March 18, the Aztecs played the fifth-seeded Iowa Central Community College and squeezed out a close win, 69-68.

With a little over five minutes remaining, Pima led by 13 points until ICCC staged a comeback.

As time wound down, sophomore Gaby Ayon sunk one of her two free throws to give Pima a one-point lead. That lead held the Aztecs above ICCC for the remainder of the game.

Daniels finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Sophomore guard Sara Nicholson and Ramos shot the three-pointer well, going 5-12 and 4-9 respectively from behing the arc.

On March 17, Pima beat the Harcum (Penn.) Bears, 74-66. Nicholson finished with 17 points thanks to five three pointers and Daniels had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Deanna Daniels

Pima opened up play at Nationals in East Peoria, Ill., with a 77-65 win No. 16 seed Genesee (New York) Community College on March 15.

Daniels had 26 points, five steals and 14 rebounds.  Adding to the score with 12 and 11 points were Nicholson and Ramos.

National runner-up is the second best finish for a Pima sports team since the softball team won the National Championship in 2006

Gaby Ayon

Patricia Ramos, left and Gaby Ayon

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Donny Toia signs with Major League Soccer club

Story and photo by JAMES KELLEY

Pima Community College sophomore-to-be Donny Toia of the men’s soccer team has left early to play professionally.

Toia signed with the Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.

“Toia is really athletic, left-footed, fast, can jump – likely an attacking player,” said Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey in a press release.

Despite missing much of the 2010 season with a head injury, Toia was named to the All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference second team.

Donny Toia

The forward was 10th in the league in points, with seven goals and five assists.

Toia, 18, played two years in the Real Salt Lake youth program.

Toia was named The Arizona Republic’s “Big Schools Player of the Year” while at Canyon del Oro High School. He turned down offers from NCAA schools and RSL to play for Pima.

Real Salt Lake, which won the MLS championship in 2009, will take its time with Toia, Lagerway said.

“I think it’s critical that we not put big expectations on players that are this young,” he said. “These are players that are multiple years away from contributing to our team.”
Toia is RSL’s first “homegrown” player.

“Homegrown” players must have played in the club’s youth system, cannot have played for a four-year college, are protected from being drafted by other teams and do not count against the salary cap.
The program encourages MLS teams to develop players from academies like in Europe, as opposed to drafting them.

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ONLINE EXTRA: ATHLETIC VOICE: 2011 fantasy baseball preview

By JOEL GANTT

Do you know what the greatest day of the year is?

It’s not Christmas and it’s definitely not your birthday. For a baseball fan, it’s MLB opening day. The sun is always shining and the smell of pine tar and fresh-cut grass seems to seep though the television.

Opening day for professional owners is just like draft day for fantasy owners.

In this compact guide to the 2011 fantasy baseball season, we give you insight on draft strategy, a top-100 list and small hints on fantasy success so you can dominate your league.

Due to a lack of space in our top 100, we left out all relief pitchers except for one. We have Brian Wilson of the Giants as our top reliever and ranked him No. 53 overall, so you can assume other closers will be drafted shortly after.

Draft a reliever in the sixth round and one more during the draft. You only need two closers if they are good, three if they struggle. Here are our top 10 closers, after Wilson:

#2) Joakim Soria, Royals/ 43 saves

#3) Neftali Feliz, Rangers/ 40 saves

#4) Heath Bell, Padres/ 47 saves

#5) Jose Valverde, Tigers/ 26 saves

#6) Carlos Marmol, Cubs/ 38 saves

#7) Francisco Rodriguez, Mets/ 25 saves

#8 ) Francisco Cordero, Reds/ 40 saves

#9) Andrew Bailey, A’s/ 25 saves

#10) Mariano Rivera, Yankees/ 33 saves

#11) Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers/ 22 saves

Rookies can absolutely make an impact for your fantasy team. Jason Heyward and Buster Posey are two recent examples of how rookies can produce.

Here are young players to keep your eye on this year:

A.L. pitcher: Jeremy Hellickson, Rays/SP, 4-0 during short time in bigs last season.

A.L. hitter: Carlos Santana, Indians/C. He can hit. If healthy, he could be an all-star.

N.L. pitcher: Tim Stauffer, Padres/SP, 1.85 ERA, smart pitcher who locates.

N.L. hitter: Mike Stanton, Marlins/OF, hit 22 homeruns at age 21.

When drafting your fantasy teams, know exactly what you need and draft accordingly. Check your league settings and make sure you know which players are injured.

For example, Adam Wainwright would normally be a top 10 starting pitcher and a top 60 draft pick, but he recently had Tommy John surgery and will not pitch this year. Don’t be the one who drafts an injured guy who is out for the year.

Shortstops are limited this year. After Jeter and J. Roll, it gets pretty slim. If you can’t get Hanley or Tulo, you will need many backup plans. Here are a few SS sleepers:

Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Twins

Starlin Castro, Cubs

Good luck to everyone who tries to manage a team this year. The season is extremely long and it is hard to keep up, so the draft tends to be the best part of the year. Don’t blow it.

100-player list:

Pitchers: ERA    K’s     W’s

Player Age Team Pos. AVG HR RBI

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Softball moves up in the rankings, earns another POW

Story and photo by JAMES KELLEY

As the Pima Community College softball team snapped a three-game losing streak and won six of their last seven games, accolades continued to come.

The Aztecs (30-9, 20-6 Arizona Community College Athletic Association) moved up five spots in the rankings to No. 7.

In addition, freshman infielder Jacqueline Deen was named Region I Hitter of the Week, for the week ending March 19. Deen hit .857, scored 11 runs, drove in five RBI, hit four doubles and went 7-7 on stolen base attempts to earn the player of the week honor.

“I like the way we are swinging the bat right now and we are playing good defense. I am happy where we are at right now,” head coach Armando Quiroz said. “We’re ready for the stretch run right here.”

Pima’s doubleheader at Paradise Valley Community College on March 22 was canceled because of rain and a makeup date has not yet been set.

The Aztecs rebounded from a loss by scoring two mercy rule wins over Scottsdale Community College on March 19.

Mari Contreras (18-2) won game one, a 12-1 win, and sophomore Adriana Garcia (7-3) won game two, an 8-0 win.

Sophomore Katie Asher went 5-7 on the day, with two doubles, a homerun, four runs and seven RBIs.

Freshman utility Jessica Schneider went 4-5 in the double dip, hitting two doubles, a triple, a homer, four RBIs and scoring five times.

Deen went 3-3, hit a double, scored three times and stole two bases.

“Jackie Deen has done a great job. She has swung the bat very well, played good defense and she is one of the fastest players on our team,” Quiroz said.

Pima split a pair with No. 9 Mesa Community College on March 15. PCC won the first 10-6, as Contreras struck out nine.

Asher was perfect at the plate, going 4-4, with a run and two RBI. Sophomore first baseman Mercedes Garcia hit a two-run homer and scored another run.

In the second game, a 4-2 loss, Adriana Garcia gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings. She was relieved by freshman Ariel Silva, who shut the door on the Thunderbirds, giving up just one hit.

“Mari, has been pitching very solidly, we are getting good games from Adriana, Ariel and Erika. I like where we are at right now,” Quiroz said.

On March 13, the Aztecs played three games at the Phoenix College Invitational, going 2-1.

Pima opened the day with a 4-2 loss to Illinois Central Community College, which hosted the women’s basketball national tournament.

Silva gave up four runs on five hits before being spelling by Contreras.

Jessica Sipe

Next Pima run-ruled Mott (Mich.) Community College, 10-2. Freshman Erika Tapia pitched the six-inning complete game, striking out eight and giving up four hits.

The Aztecs closed the trip by drowning College of Lake County (Ill.) 17-0. Adriana Garcia threw a no-hitter and allowed just one base runner.

Deen went 6-6, scored six runs, stole four bases and knocked in four RBI in two games.

Asher hit a two-run homer versus Mott and hit a double, a triple and drove in five RBI against Lake County.

Schneider went 4-4 with a homerun and three RBI against Mott and hit a grand slam against Lake County.

Pima’s Spring Break skid began by getting swept in a doubleheader by then-No. 2 Yavapai College, 5-4 and 7-3 at home.

In the first game, Yavapai roughed up the Aztecs’ ace Contreras, getting five runs, three earned on nine hits, but the freshman did strike out 10 Roughrider batters.

Mercedes Garcia hit a homerun.

Adriana Garcia took the loss in the second game. Schneider hit a homer, one of five Aztecs hits in the nightcap.

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Baseball drops four straight and out of rankings

Story by JAMES SARGENT
Photo by JAMES KELLEY

The Pima Community College baseball team has been up and down over the past couple of weeks and recently ended on a sour note with a four-game losing streak.

Sophomore pitcher Eric Fredrick said the losing streak can be “easily” erased.

The Aztecs, (18-14, 9-7 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) lost their No. 14 national ranking.

The Aztecs wrapped up the 2011 Jack Howell Classic on March 18 with a pair of losses.

“We just didn’t get the last four games that we wanted,” Fredrick said of their performance in the Jack Howell Classic. “We saw signs of encouragement throughout those four games and what we needed to work on.”

Pima went 2-4 at the tournament, held over Spring Break at the Kino Sports Complex.

“Our season is looking pretty promising right now,” Fredrick said. “The record is not as good as our team is, but it’ll turn around in the next half of the season.”

On March 18, PCC lost a pair, 4-1 to Western Texas College and then 4-0, to Midland (Texas) College.

Freshman pitcher Keith Zuniga (4-1) took the loss against Western Texas, throwing five innings and allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits.

Freshman pitcher Juan Vega (0-3) lost to Midland while only going three innings but allowing two earned runs.

The Pima offense was basically nonexistent and only accounted for 10 hits throughout the two games.

On St. Patrick’s Day, the Aztecs’ luck ran out as their losing streak started. Pima lost to New Mexico Junior College, 9-3, and Odessa (Texas) College, 9-8.

On March 16, PCC won a pair of games, beating Luna (New Mexico) College 10-2 and Hill (Texas) College 3-2.

Sophomore pitcher Robert Ravago (1-0) earned the win over Luna. Sophomore infielder Jovony Valenzuela was the star even though he only went 1-4, but that one hit was a grand slam.

Jovony Valenzuela

Against Hill College, freshman pitcher Jose Gomez (3-2) picked up the win.

Freshman outfielder Kyle Kilgore did a great job at the leadoff spot as he went 2-3 with a triple and one run scored.

On March 15, the Aztecs won a pair of games at Kino Sports Complex as they defeated Madison Area (Wisc.) Technical College, 4-1 and 8-1.

Fredrick (3-3) earned the game one victory while only allowing one run on two hits.

Sophomore pitcher Torry Mowatt (4-2) earned his fifth save of the season with a no-hit seventh inning.

Freshman outfielder Ryan Cota led the team at the plate, going 2-2 with a walk and one RBI.

Freshman pitcher Garrett Taggart (1-0) got the win in game two while only giving up one run and striking out eight batters.

Freshman infielder Hayden Cota-Robles showed off his bat as he hit for two doubles and also drove in one run. Cota-Robles is tied for first in the ACCAC with 12 doubles.

On March 14, PCC beat Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College 8-2 at Kino Sports Complex.

Zuniga earned the win as he threw 7 1/3 innings and fanned 11 batters.

Valenzuela drove in a pair of RBIs. Cota hit a homerun.

On March 12, Pima split a pair of home conference games with GateWay Community College, winning the first, 10-1, and losing the second, 11-1.

Freshman pitcher Julio Felix (2-2) went the distance in game one and allowed one run on six hits.

Valenzuela led the offense as he scored two runs, hit a triple and knocked in three RBI.

In game two, Mowatt got his first start of the season and got roughed up pretty badly. He gave up seven runs on seven hits in his five innings of work.

Cota-Robles got the only extra base hit as he went 1-3 with a double and the only Aztecs’ run.

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ONLINE EXTRA: Track & field begin conference play with victories

Story and video by JOEL GANTT
Photo by LEFTRICK HERD

The Pima Community College track and field teams started Arizona Community College Athletic Conference outdoor meets and then quickly stepped out of conference play.

The Aztecs competed in the Willie Williams invitational on March 18 and 19 at the University of Arizona.

Freshman Zion Harvey ran the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.64 seconds. His time was best in his heat and third overall.

“It was a good meet,” Harvey said. “The 100 was a highlight for me.”

Harvey also teamed up with sophomores Nathan Manigault, Derrick Coker and Mathew Robertson to win the men’s 4×100-meter relay. No other team was close to the Aztecs’ time of 41.53 seconds.
Lee LeFlohic, a sophomore, placed fourth in the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.34 seconds.

Sophomore Frederick Scarber achieved fourth place in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 13.95 meters.

In the men’s shot put, sophomore Christian Tovar took sixth place with a mark of 15.36 meters.

On the women’s side, sophomore Chloe’ Nowell won fourth place in the triple jump with a leap of 10.92 meters.

Freshmen JaQuaisha Hickman and Ariel Moeser both competed in the woman’s 100-meter dash. Hickman was ninth with a time of 12.48 and Moeser was 11th with a time of 12.71 seconds.

Another bright spot for the women was sophomore Ashley Dorado, who ran a 15.94 in the 100-meter hurdles and took 10th place.

The Willie Williams invitational was not a conference meet and did not affect Pima’s conference standings. However, on Saturday March 12 the Aztecs competed in their first outdoor conference meet of the season.

The men’s and women’s teams traveled to Glendale, Ariz., to compete in a five-way dual meet. The teams competed head-to-head against the other schools in the conference and both teams came out with winning records.

Chloe’ Nowell

The previously mentioned men’s relay team of Harvey, Manigault, Coker and Robertson was best at the meet, winning the men’s 4×100 relay with a time of 40.98 seconds. This time also qualified the team for the outdoor national championships.

Harvey also qualified for Nationals in the men’s 200-meter dash with a third place finishing time of 21.35 seconds.

In the woman’s 400-meter hurdles, Dorado qualified for Nationals and placed fourth at the meet with a time of 1:07.13.

Two Aztecs qualified for the championships in jumps. For the women, Nowell’s triple jump of 37’3” was a first place finish. For the men high-jumper Scarber cleared 6’7” and placed third at the meet.

Tovar, whose hammer throw of 168’7” placed first, led the Aztecs in the throws. He also placed second in the shot put with a final attempt that hit 50’5”. Both throws qualified for Nationals.

Two freshmen throwers made second place marks.

Chris Howard placed in men’s discus with a throw of 138’2”. Jaqi Bell placed in woman’s javelin with a mark of 118’1”.

The women’s team beat Scottsdale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College and Glendale Community College at the meet to give them a season opening record of 4-1 in the first ACCAC meet.

The men’s team beat Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Glendale to open their season at 3-2.

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Women’s tennis enjoys productive Spring Break

Story and photo by HANNAH McLEOD

The Pima Community College women’s tennis team moved into second place in the conference with a four-match winning streak.

The Aztecs’ (8-2, 4-1 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) win against Scottsdale 8-1 on March 22 moved them into second behind Eastern Arizona College.

“Our toughest competition will be Eastern on April 12,” head coach Gretchen Schantz said.

All the doubles teams won, with the No. 1 team of freshman Tatum Rochin and sophomore Victoria Bravo winning 8-3. Sophomores Lucy Gaynor and Gabriela Rodriguez won 9-8, 7-1. Sophomore Lydia Carlson and freshman Olivia Cole-Encinas won by default.

Singles No. 1 Rochin won 6-0, 0-3 and Bravo defeated her opponent 7-5, 6-0. Rodriguez continues her winning streak in singles with her win 6-1, 6-1. Carlson won 7-6, 7-1, 6-3.

Gaynor lost 6-4, 6-1, but Pima ended the afternoon with a win by default by Cole-Encinas.

“The team has started to work together and support each other much more as the season has gone on,” Schantz said. “This will be very important in tight matches at regional and nationals.”

Over Spring Break, PCC took a road trip to California to compete. On March 17, Pima won 7-2 over Cerritos (Calif.) College in their third match in the Golden State.

“California was a great experience for the team. My top three singles players played very well and improved their records,” Schantz said.

Doubles partners Bravo and Rochin won 8-0 and improved their overall record in doubles to 8-1. Gaynor and Rodriguez followed in their footsteps with an 8-2 victory.

Carlson and Cole-Encinas finished off doubles with an 8-6 win.

Bravo won at the No. 1 spot with a 6-1, 6-0 victory in singles. At the No. 2 spot Rodriguez won efficiently with a 6-0, 6-1 win.

“Gabriela Rodriguez is undefeated in singles this season,” Schantz said.

Carlson fell short in a 6-4, 6-1 loss. Gaynor finished her match with a 6-1, 6-0 success. Cole-Encinas won 6-0 and her opponent retiring from the match. Freshman Amy Hohbein couldn’t hold on for the win and lost 6-4, 6-2.

The Aztecs’ second match in California was on March 16 with a solid 9-0 victory as they shut out Long Beach (Calif.) City College.

All the doubles won decisively. No. 1 Bravo and Rochin won 8-2, Gaynor and Rodriguez 8-0, and Carlson and Cole-Encinas finished off doubles with an 8-2 victory.

In singles, Bravo played in the No. 1 position and improved her singles record to 6-1 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Rodriguez won 6-2, 6-2 and Rochin defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-0. Gaynor won 3-0 her opponent retiring from the match.

Lucy Gaynor

Cole-Encinas won 6-1, 6-0. Hohbein carried out the shut out with a successful match 6-4, 6-0 success.

The Aztecs’ first match in California was against Glendale (Calif.) Community College, a 7-2 win.

In doubles, Bravo and Rochin won 8-6 and Gaynor and Rodriguez shut out their opponents 8-0. Carlson and Cole-Encinas fell short in a tight match 9-8, 7-4.

Rochin, No. 1 for singles was defeated 6-2, 3-6, 11-9. Bravo was victorious with the scores of 6-3, 6-3. Rodriguez continues her undefeated singles record, now 6-0, with a win over Concebida of GCC 6-0, 6-0.
Carlson won 6-3, 6-4 and Gaynor did the same with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Cole-Encinas finished the day off with a 6-1, 6-1 win.

On March 12, Pima lost to College of St. Benedict (Minn.) 3-6 at home. The Aztecs were short their No. 3 player in singles,

The solid No. 1 players in doubles, Bravo and Rochin, won 8-3. Carlson and Cole-Encinas lost 8-2 and their teammates Gaynor and Ahumada lost 8-0.

In singles Rochin added another win to her record with a 6-2, 6-4 win. Bravo contributed to the Pima score with a 6-2, 6-3 win. Carlson fell short in a 6-1, 6-1 defeat and Gaynor lost 6-0, 6-1. Rossman of St. Benedict beat Cole-Encinas 6-3, 6-2. Ahumada was also defeated 6-3, 6-0.

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SPORT SHORTS: Men’s soccer holding tryouts

By JAMES KELLEY

Aztecs will have their chance to join one of Pima Community College’s best teams, as the men’s soccer team will be holding open tryouts.

On March 26, the Aztecs will hold tryouts at the West Campus soccer field from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Go to the soccer team’s website for more information.

Women’s soccer to scrimmage UA/NAU

In between the tryout sessions for the men’s team, the women’s soccer team will scrimmage against the club teams of the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.

Also at the West Campus, the Aztecs will play UA and NAU from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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Practice round pays off for men’s golf

Story by MYLO ERICKSON
Photo by LEFTRICK HERD

The Pima Community College men’s golf team changed things up in preparation for their third tournament and it paid dividends.

On March 12-13, the Aztecs competed in a tournament was hosted by Mesa Community College, played at Dobson Ranch Golf Course.

For the first time this year Pima decided to pay to have a practice round on the course a day before the tournament like almost all the other Arizona Community College Athletic Conference teams. It paid off as the team finished in second place in the tournament with sophomore Robert Perrott III finishing in sixth place individually.

“We got it done this tournament,” head coach Grant Waltke said.

Perrott III finished his two-day tournament two under par with a total of 142.

Waltke was proud of what the Aztecs accomplished. Now that they have seen more success because of the work they put in on the course, Waltke is hoping that they can continue it.

“Results are directly connected to the work put into it,” Waltke said.

Pima’s next tournament was March 21-22, at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Phoenix and was hosted by Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

PCC finished fourth with a team total of 589 in the field of 10 teams playing.

Perrott III had a nice performance with a day total of 67, five under par. His other day total was 11 higher at a 76.

Robert Perrott III

His two-day total was 143, which was one under par for that amount of days. It was also good enough to get him third place in the individual awards. Perrott III only missed out on first place by two strokes.

This course was a bit rough for all the golfers as it served up several problems for them. One thing was it had smaller greens and it had tight fairways. They also had to play in two different types of weather over the two days.

Monday it rained all day for them and on Tuesday it was sunny with a little wind.

“Some didn’t handle the weather as well as they would have liked to, but it’s a learning experience,” Waltke said.

The Aztecs’ next tournament will be hosted by Scottsdale Community College and will be at the Hillcrest Golf Course in Sun City, Ariz.

Waltke believes that this next course will cater to his teams strengths, as it has big greens and wide fairways. He will be having his team working on their short game and their putting as it’s what is always a struggle for people.

The tournament at Hillcrest will be played on April 4 and 5.

“I believe we haven’t had our best tournament,” Waltke said.

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Pima digital arts students win advertising awards

By LYNDAJOE ECHERIVEL

aztecpress@pima.edu

Nine Pima Community College digital arts students have won ADDY awards honoring creative excellence in advertising.

More than 700 people attended a gala awards ceremony Feb. 19 at the Fox Theatre downtown sponsored by the American Advertising Federation’s Tucson chapter. The event honors advertising professionals for work from the past year, in addition to student categories.

Top Pima winners included Jacqueline Kimminau, who won a gold ADDY and the People’s Choice Award for her animation, “Byzantyan’s Friend.”

Nick Murray won a gold ADDY for a Doritos commercial. He said he entered after talking with digital arts instructor Dave Wing.

“I didn’t really feel as if I was competing,” Murray said. “Dave Wing asked if I wanted to enter, I said ‘yes,’ and the next thing I know, I won a gold ADDY.”

Gold award winners are automatically forwarded to a regional, multi-state competition. In the past, PCC winners have advanced to the national competition, winning national silver awards.

“It felt pretty cool winning gold on the local level but I’m even more excited to see if it gets any attention at regionals,” Murray said.

Four Pima students won silver awards: Ming Beckwith for a Tommy Bahama bag, Larry Gaurano for “Fire Dancer,” Alex Marquez for “Invisible Children” and Cassandra Van Valkenburg for “Be Happy.”

Bronze winners were Michael Dandal for “Puppy Illustration,” Ryan Green for “Roxane Characters” and Kurt Sommer for “Face Hurts.”

Pima competes against entries from the University of Arizona, the Art Institute and the Art Center of Tucson.

“The competition was stiff,” digital arts instructor Patti Gardiner said. “The fact that we do so well when competing with four-year schools validates the strength of our program.”

Photos courtesy of PCC Digital Arts

Tommy Bahama bag by Ming Beckwith: Silver ADDY

"Byzantyan's Friend" by Jacqueline Kimminau: Gold ADDY, People's Choice

Doritos commercial by Nick Murray: Gold ADDY

"Fire Dancer" by Larry Gaurano: Silver ADDY

"Be Happy" by Cassandra Van Valkenburg: Silver ADDY

"Roxane Characters" by Ryan Green: Bronze ADDY

"Puppy Illustration" by Michael Dandal: Bronze ADDY

"Face Hurts" by Kurt Sommer: Bronze ADDY

Women’s golf plays in back-to-back tournaments

By MYLO ERICKSON

The Pima Community College women’s golf team played in two tournaments, one right after another.

The first tournament played on March 12 and 13 was hosted by Mesa Community College at the Dobson Ranch Golf Course.

Pima placed fifth in this two-day tournament and had one player finish in the top five overall as well. Alyssa Vega finished fifth in the individual awards with a two day total of 161.
Par for two days at Dobson Ranch is 144.

The second tournament that they played in on March 14 and 15 was played at Foothills Golf Course in Phoenix and GateWay Community College hosted it.
The Aztecs improved in this tournament by placing fourth overall. Vega finished in fifth again.

She finished the first day of this tournament with her best single day score of 77 this year. Vega finished the tournament with a two-day total of 163.

Pima has been improving on their team scores steadily tournament to tournament and their head coach Bill Nicol has been happy with that. Alondra Olivas and Kayla Signorio have also been improving their games with practice and experience.

“They are being more consistent, it’s more solid that way,” Nicol said.

Chloe Treece has just been missing finishing in the top six for individuals. Treece and Nicol are hoping to change that in the coming future.

Both Vega and Treece have been working well on the mental part of the game. Nicol defines that as “how you approach the game, keeping cool and staying focused.”

The next tournament that the Aztec women will be competing in, is at the Tatum Ranch Golf Course in Cave Creek, Arizona. Paradise Valley Community College will be hosting this tournament on April 3 and 4.

Nicol is going to have the ladies working on their bunker play. This tournament that they will be heading to has a lot of sand traps and some of them are deep ones as well.
Nicol is hoping for another fourth place finish and to have both Vega and Treece to finish in the top six.

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Lawsuit headed to court

By DEBBIE HADLEY

The Arizona Republic is suing Pima Community College for hundreds of e-mails sent between college officials about former student Jared Loughner, the suspected shooter in Tucson’s Jan. 8 massacre.

Loughner attended PCC from 2005 to October 2010, when he was formally suspended after multiple encounters with PCC police.

PCC has released police reports detailing some of the college’s dealings with Loughner in the classroom, but the Phoenix newspaper is seeking more specifics.

The college said in a news release that it won’t release the e-mails, based on advice from legal counsel.

PCC contends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act applies, and said college officials “are comfortable” dealing with the matter in court.

FERPA in most cases does not allow a school to divulge student records to the public.

“The requested records are student records, do not fit within any of the exceptions to FERPA and, as a result, may not legally be disclosed,” the news release said.

PCC said the college has responded to more than 100 requests for public documents from local and national media representatives since Jan. 8, and has provided documents that may be disclosed under FERPA.

In a recent article, the Republic outlined frustrations with the college, saying requests for documents are still pending two months after the shooting.

The newspaper maintains that the e-mails are within the public’s right to know and releasing the e-mails would not break any federal laws.

“FERPA is designed to address a systematic practice of releasing private student information,” the newspaper said. “The college’s e-mails involve a one-time release concerning an unusual event of national significance and are subject to the state’s public-records law.”

Tuition rising $5 per credit

By ASTRID VERDUGO

aztecpress@pima.edu

Pima Community College tuition will increase by $5 to $58.50 per credit hour, beginning in the Fall 2011 semester.

“I rather not see tuition increases with this magnitude,” said board member Scott A. Stewart. “There are different choices that we can make… I just don’t see another alternative at this point.”

The college will continue charging a $2.50 student services fee and a $2 information technology fee, for a total in-state per-unit cost of $63.

The PCC Board of Governors approved the increase during its regular monthly meeting on March 9.

“Generally I support this tuition increase but I think as a board to be careful not to make a habit of doing this every year,” said board member David A. Longoria. “Especially during times of financial, economic difficulty for so many.”

The tuition increase is designed to help offset an expected 55 percent reduction in state funding.

PCC will be the state’s ninth cheapest community college after its tuition increase, according to figures provided at the meeting. The preliminary average per-unit tuition cost for the 2011-12 academic year at Arizona’s other community colleges is $67.73.

“It just doesn’t seem to matter how much perfume you sprinkle on the skunk that sprayed,” said board member, Sherryn S. Marshall. “I feel like it’s not enough that the legislatures making the sick, the young and the old pay for their budget problems but now they’re making us lay part of the budget problem on the backs of our students.”

Most board members expressed opposition to the increase in tuition at the meeting.

Tuition for non-residents was also increased. The total per-unit cost depends on how many units non-residents students take and when they take them:

• Non-residents taking six units or fewer will pay $102.50 per unit.
• Non-residents taking more than six units will pay $298.50 per unit.
• Non-residents taking summer classes will pay $195.50 per unit.

The board also approved changes to cost-recovery fees associated with specific courses, tests and services. In fiscal year 2012, PCC will increase some fees, decrease others and leave others unchanged.

Photographer gets scoop on shooting

By STEPHEN REAL

aztecpress@pima.edu

All eyes in the class shift between their computer screens and the person speaking. On their screens, students see incredible, emotional pictures. At the front of the classroom stands James Palka, the photographer responsible for capturing them.

Palka, the first photographer on the scene of Tucson’s Jan. 8 mass shooting, recently visited Pima Community College’s photojournalism class.

As a freelance event photographer, Palka originally planned to gather candid shots of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and supporters during her Congress on Your Corner event in northwest Tucson.

He arrived at about 10:30 a.m., 20 minutes after the shootings that killed six people and wounded 13.

“My initial reaction was just horror and shock,” Palka said.

At first he forgot he was carrying camera gear, but eventually began to walk around just outside the police tape, taking “grab shots” of the aftermath.

Busy emergency medical responders and law enforcement officers paid no attention to the wandering photographer.

“I wasn’t even thinking when I was taking those,” Palka said of his early photos.

He later took time to compose story-telling photographs. Images he shared with the class have appeared on newspaper front pages and television broadcasts around the world.

One photo shows a woman standing with blood-covered jeans after she administered aid to wounded Giffords staffer Ron Barber. Others show paramedics transporting Giffords on a gurney, with intern Daniel Hernandez by her side.

When a policewoman finally noticed Palka and told him to stop taking photos, he left the scene. During his departure, he spoke briefly with a reporter just arriving from the Green Valley News.

Back home, faced with a decision on what to do with his photographs, Palka said his first thought was to share them free of charge with a local television station. Later, however, the Green Valley News called to ask if they could publish his images.

An editor at the News suggested that he sell his photographs to the Associated Press.

Once the AP bought exclusive rights to specific images, numerous other news organizations called.

Palka, 63, a modest, low-key photographer who wears an eye patch because of neuromuscular disease, became interested in photography during college while studying abroad in Rome. Since then, he has visited many exotic locales, including East Africa and Russia.

He has worked on and off as a photographer for the past 20 years.

“I actually don’t work full time,” Palka said with a chuckle. “I would say that I’m self-employed.”

Photographer James Palka shows photojournalism students the typical gear he takes on outings. Leftrick Herd, Aztec Press

Review: Nimbus Brewery

By DAVID MENDEZ
aztecpress@pima.edu
Service: When we wandered into Nimbus Brewery on a Saturday afternoon, there was a modest crowd. We situated ourselves at an open table and grabbed menus from the bar, where we later ordered. It’s a sparse but straightforward service experience: If you want anything, get up and ask the bartender.

Ambiance: The tap room is just one section of Nimbus’s huge warehouse. The brewery itself is just off the dining area, with nearly 30-foot-tall fermenting tanks in plain view. Most of the decorations are either beer or monkey related — in most cases, both. I was slightly put-off by the occasional train blowing by (the warehouse is right next to the tracks,) but it didn’t keep me from my drink.

Food: The menu is general pub fare: Burgers, wings, even fish and chips. Our food took a good 15 minutes to arrive. The burgers are huge half-pounders, and come with two toppings of your choice: in my case, pepper jack cheese and bacon. The burger was solidly tasty. I got a side of fries, though coleslaw and chips are also available at no charge. A side of mozzarella sticks was standard, and barely memorable.

Extras: Of course, the biggest reason for going was the beer. I ordered pints of the A-1 Pilsner and the Oatmeal Stout. A-1 is actually a recreation of a long-defunct beer that was once the most popular brew in Arizona. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it as anything special. It’s like Miller High Life, with a honey aftertaste. The Oatmeal Stout is practically black, and is very smooth to drink – think Guinness. A very good choice if you enjoy thick, dark beer. The meal came to about $16 on my end – $9 for the burger, $3.50 for each pint.

Final thoughts: Nimbus provides decent food at a fair price, but if you’re going there without intending to buy a beer, you’re missing the point. The food is simply a pretext, while the beer alone is worth the trip. If you like good craft beer, you’ll love Nimbus.

FYI:

Where: 3380 E. 55^th St.

Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri, Sat: 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sun: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Phone: 745-9175

Website: nimbusbeer.com

David Mendez, Aztec Press