All Entries Tagged With: "Track and Field"
Online Extra: Aztecs earn Academic All-American accolades
Story and photo by James Kelley
Five Pima Community College student athletes were recognized as National Junior College Athletic Association Academic All-Americans.
Freshman Megan Carney of women’s cross country and track and field, sophomore Andrea Benjamin from women’s basketball, sophomore Gabrielle Siltanen and sophomore Lucas Volk from track and field and softball sophomore Kaity Ingram were named Academic All-Americans.
Andrea Benjamin
The prerequisites for Academic All-American are: attending at least three full-time semesters, completion of at least 45 class hours, competed for at least one season and a grade point average of at least 3.60.
Ingram and Benjamin were on the Distinguished All-American list, with a GPA of at least 3.80.
Online Extra: Summer Updates
Photo by James Kelley
Former Pima coach Roderick Gary named men’s head basketball coach
Former Pima, USA Baseball and Foothills coach Jason Hisey named head baseball coach
Men’s soccer holding tryouts July 5 and July 7
Aztecs earn Academic All-American accolades
Three softball players selected to All-American teams
Japanese Speech Contest, Aikido and Anime Club Videos
Women’s track & field takes 13th at Nationals, the men finish 17th
Video of baseball coach’s last home game
Men’s golf team finishes 18th at Nationals
Two women’s golfers finish in top 42 at Nationals
Living the Dream: Pima Fashion Show video
Both track & field teams finish third at Regionals
Chloe' Nowell
Men’s tennis finishes 19th at Nationals
Women’s tennis finishes 19th at Nationals
Men’s basketball coach Karl Pieroway steps down, again
Yavapai finishes off softball
Softball bounces back, advances to Semifinals
Softball upset by bottom seed
Online Extra: Women’s track & field takes 13th at Nationals, the men finish 17th
By James Kelley
Photo by Daniel Gaona
The Pima Community College track and field teams both finished in the top 17 at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship and had10 top-eight finishes, breaking records in the process.
The Aztec women finished 13th with 17 points, while the men finished 17th with 11.25 points. The meet was held in Hutchinson, Kan.
Sophomore Sharissa Korn placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 135’ 9”. Freshman Kat Howard finished fifth in the 10,000-meters, but more notably in a new school record time of 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.
Stephan Bullard
Sophomore Jessica Davis took fifth in the shot put, by putting up a score of 40’ 2”.
Freshman Christian Tover earned Pima’s first points of the meet, going 160 feet with a personal record in the hammer throw and finishing sixth. Freshman Chloe’ Nowell leaped her way to a seventh place finish in the triple jump, (36’ 7”).
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, was also an eighth place finisher, in the high jump, with a best of 6’8.75”.
Pima sent 24 athletes in 21 events.
Online Extra: Both track & field teams finish third at Regionals
Story and photo by James Kelley
The Pima Community College track and field teams finished third at the National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Championships.
Three Aztecs won region titles and four more qualified for Nationals.
Freshman Chloe’ Nowell CQ, triple jump, freshman Mario Portillo, 5,000-meter, and freshman Christian Tover, shot put, were crowned champions.
Nowell won the triple jump with a leap of 36’7”, Portillo won the 5,000 with a time of 15:51 and Tover won the shot put with a mark of 51’8”.
Chloe' Nowell
The new Pima qualifiers for Nationals are sophomore Kyle Bush in the 1,500-meter, freshman Derrick Coker in the 200 meter, freshman Magda Mankel in the 1,500-meter; and Nowell in the high jump.
The men’s 4×400 team finished in third place but broke a school record they had set earlier in the season. Sophomore Stephan Bullard, Coker, sophomore Nathan Manigault and sophomore Chris Phillips ran a 3:13.26.
Pima qualified 24 in 21 events for the NJCAA National Championship meet in Hutchinson, Kansas, May 20-22.
Nationals Qualifiers
Women
1. Acosta Zavala, Kathy 400-Meter Hurdles
2. Bishop, Brittany Pole Vault
3. Davis, Jessica Hammer
4. Dittiger, Julia 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
5. Dorado, Ashley 400-Meter Hurdles
6. Howard, Kat 5,000-Meters, 10,000-Meters
7. Korn, Sharissa Javelin
8. Loevenguth, Annalisa 1,500-Meters
9. Mankel, Magda 1,500-Meters, 5,000-Meters
10. Montano, Stephanie Pole Vault
11. Nowell, Chloe Heptathlon, Triple Jump, High Jump
Men
1. Bullard, Stephan 800-Meters
2. Bush Kyle 1,500-Meters
3. Coker, Derrick 4×100-Meter Relay, 200-Meters
4. Johnson, Anthony High Jump
5. Manigault, Nathan 4×100-Meter Relay
6. McIver, Daniel High Jump
7. Moeykens, Dylan Decathlon
8. Phillips, Chris 4×100-Meter Relay, 4×400-Meter Relay
9. Portillo, Mario 5,000-Meters
10. Robertson, Matthew 4×100-Meter Relay, 4×400-Meter Relay
11. Scarber, Frederick High Jump
12. Thomas, Antoine 4×100-Meter Relay
13. Tovar, Christian Hammer, Shot Put
Track and field carries high hopes into final meets
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
For the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams, regionals and nationals are nothing like ordinary meets.
Pima will travel to Mesa Community College on May 11 and 13 for the Region 1 Championships. Head coach Greg Wenneborg wants either the men or the women to be runners-up at regionals.
“Our goal is to get the upset,” he said. “Right now we’d probably take third or fourth at the region meet but we want to get runner-up.”
The teams are fully aware of what they need to do to bring home the hardware.
“We want to take a trophy home and everyone is going to have to do their part in order for that to happen,” Wenneborg said.
He also said the confidence level is high heading into the meet. Wenneborg feels that the team is set for a breakout meet and that it would surprise other teams because on paper it doesn’t look like Pima has a shot.
“Looking at the entries and looking at how our team is doing right now I think we could steal either a men’s or women’s second place finish,” Wenneborg said.
“The upside potential for the regional and national meet is so great and we’re just really excited for everyone.”
However, there is still some anxiety on the team.
“We’re a little nervous right now because there are sometimes downside potential and there are bad days,” Wenneborg said about regionals. “But right now I think we are poised to have a good meet.”
The biggest success factor through the whole season has been the depth and widespread talent for the Aztecs. It isn’t just a few events in which Pima is a contender.
“The thing I am so impressed right now is that we have such depth across the whole team,” Wenneborg said. “We’ve got our jumps crew in order, we’ve got our sprints crew in order, we’ve got our distances clicking right now and our throws are going to be a big surprise for us and score some huge points.”
Shortly after the regional meet, those on the team who qualified will head to Hutchinson, Kan. for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships on May 20-22.
Middle distance runner Stephan Bullard and javelin thrower Sharissa Korn will be the top two Aztecs to watch during the upcoming meets. Both are legitamate contenders for NJCAA titles.
Bullard is currently the national No. 3 800-meter runner on the men’s side and his season best was 1:52.65.
“He has had some great workouts recently and I think as usual we expect him to go for a national title,” Wenneborg said. “He has a great shot because he is sharpening very well right now.’
Korn is the No. 2 female javelin thrower in the NJCAA with a best of 139 feet, 2 inches. Wenneborg thinks she can break the school record, which is 142-4, and win the regional and national titles.
Other athletes to watch include sprinter Derrick Coker and Kat Howard, who are both freshmen.
Coker ran the 100-meter dash in 10.70 but he needs a 10.69 to qualify for nationals.
Howard is the No. 6 5,000-meter runner and the No. 5 10,000-meter runner in the NJCAA.
“She is a machine,” Wenneborg said about Howard. “She improves every time she steps on the track.”
In field events on the men’s side Christian Tovar is a threat in multiple throwing events. He is No. 11 in shot put and No. 9 in the hammer throw. Wenneborg expects him to be a “big force” in both events.
Anthony Johnson should stand out in the high jumps. He is currently No. 11 in the country and Wenneborg said he’s clearing close to 7-0 at practice.
Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads are ranked nationally. The 4×100 is No. 16 and the 4×400 team is No. 10. Chris Phillips and Matthew Robertson are on both of the relay crews.
Matthew Robertson and Chris Phillips
Chloe’ Nowell placed third at the Region 1 multiple-events meet on May 3-4. Her point total of 3,695 puts her at No. 10 in the nation and qualifies her for nationals in the heptathlon. She had already qualified in the triple jump as well.
On the men’s side, Dylan Moeykens is ranked 10th in the decathlon with 5,673 points.
Visit AztecPressOnline.com for updates and results.
Track and Field national qualifiers as of May 6
Men
Stephan Bullard
Derrick Coker
Anthony Johnson
Nathan Manigault
Daniel McIver
Dylan Moeykens
Chris Phillips
Mario Portillo
Matthew Robertson
Frederick Scarber
Antoine Thomas
Christian Tovar
Women
Kathy Acosta
Brittany Bishop
Jessica Davis
Julia Dittiger
Ashley Dorado
Kat Howard
Sharissa Korn
Annalisa Loevenguth
Magda Mankel
Stephanie Montano
Chloe’ Nowell
Korn following family roots, eager to end season with wins
By Eric Townsend
Photo by Daniel Gaona
When Sharissa Korn travels to Kansas later this month for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships, she hopes to follow in her brother’s footsteps and bring home a national trophy.
Jeremiah Korn, Sharissa’s older brother and roommate, won the shot put title two years ago.
“I’m very excited,” Sharissa Korn said. “Just to have the opportunity is pretty awesome.”
As a sophomore, Korn is currently the nation’s No. 2 female community college javelin thrower. Colleen Felix from South Plains is the top thrower with a best of 146 feet, only 6 feet, 8 inches farther than Korn’s top throw this year.
“I don’t really know anything about her but I’ve seen her marks and they are impressive,” Korn said about Felix. “I just have to stay focused and have fun. There is really no point in doing a sport if you don’t have fun.”
The surprise is that Korn has been throwing the javelin for just two years because high schools in Arizona don’t offer it as an event. Last year was her first year and she immediately connected.
“It’s by far my favorite event,” she said. “I haven’t been throwing for long, but it’s by far my best event.”
Sharissa Korn
Korn’s athleticism and work ethic can be attributed to her athletic family. Jeremiah has helped guide her this season, providing his sister with insights about nutrition, training and weight lifting to help her compete at the highest level.
“He is very supportive,” she said about her brother. “We are both pretty level-headed, but he’s been making sure I’m getting into the weight room and eating right.”
Korn competes in all of the throwing events but javelin is the only event in which she qualified for nationals. She isn’t too concerned about shot put, discus or hammer throw.
“I’m just average at those other events,” she said. “I’m trying to focus on javelin and improving my techniques at this point. I just want to get into the weight room and improve my throws.”
Her talents have garnered national attention and she has recently received a few scholarship offers. She said the recruiting process has gone well, and she is looking at schools in Colorado and Kansas.
Come May 20, in addition to repeating her family history, Korn will also try to keep a streak alive for the track and field team. Pima has produced at least one national champion in each of the last three years.
Sharissa Korn
Track & Field begins to dominate field events
Story and Photo by Daniel Gaona
Field events are new additions to the strong points of the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams, with two regular season meets left.
Running events remain solid for the Aztecs, but the field events are beginning to gain national attention.
Pima will travel to the UCSD Triton Invitational in San Diego April 23-24, then to Glendale Community College on May 1. Beyond that are the regional and national championships.
Stephan Bullard is confident heading into the latter part of the season. He is hoping to run a 47.8 in the open 400-meter dash at the Triton Invitational. He also wants his team to run a 3:12 in the 4×400 relay and break the school record once again.
“I need to crank down on speeds and I have my competition scoped out and everything,” Bullard said. “I mentally know what I have to do, now I just have to do it physically with the speed work.”
Stephan Bullard
Off the track, head coach Greg Wenneborg is enthusiastic about the throwing staff.
“We have a lean crew, but three of them are going to the national championships with solid marks,” Wenneborg said about the throwers.
Sharissa Korn is currently the No. 2 athlete in the women’s javelin. Since qualifying for nationals earlier this season, she has continued to better herself each meet.
“I’ve just worked out really hard and have been training really hard and being strict with myself,” Korn said. “It’s a good feeling because all that is finally paying off.”
Korn plans on working on her form a lot more, which she said would make a big difference.
“I have to work on my form more because I’m using mostly just muscles right now and my form is pretty bad,” she said. “Once I get my form in that click, it will be good.”
She won the event at Mesa Community College on April 16. Her 139 foot, 2-1/2 inch toss bumped her up to second place nationally.
“I think she is a contender now,” Wenneborg said about Korn. “Just like that, she became a threat to win a national title.”
Her cohort Jessica Davis recently qualified for the women’s hammer throw, but she is still in search of more. Davis placed third in the hammer throw at Mesa with a 138-10 toss.
“I still have to qualify in discus and then shot put is after that,” Davis said. “I just have to get my throws perfect. I’ve done it before but when it comes to meet time, I can’t get it right. It’s just something for me to work on.”
Christian Tovar already qualified for shot put at nationals and he did not compete in it at Mesa. However, he placed third in the hammer throw.
Zach Dunbar, who splits his time between track and football, is hoping to qualify for the men’s javelin. He threw 169-1 earlier this season, which is about 15 feet shy of the qualifying mark.
Wenneborg also continues to be impressed by the jumpers.
“Jumps have never been a factor for us in the last five years and now they’re turning out to be another strong suit for us,” Wenneborg said.
At the conference meet on April 16, four Aztecs finished in the top nine spots of the long jump while three placed in the top four of the high jump.
Devin Phillips jumped 23-3-1/2 to win the long jump and Frederick Scarber cleared 6-6-3/4 in the high jump to place second.
On the women’s side, Chloe’ Nowell won the triple jump with a 36-4-1/2 jump and Gabby Siltanen won the high jump with a 5-1 leap.
Hector Araujo won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:12.
Wenneborg think the team still has more athletes to qualify.
“We’re really deep and wide right now and we are very excited to have 20 student-athletes to the national championships and I think we are still going to get another five or six,” Wenneborg said.
The coach expects the women’s 4×800 relay squad to qualify and Magda Mankel to secure a spot in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs.
Some athletes on the men’s side who are likely to qualify soon are Derrick Coker and Chris Phillips in sprints and Kyle Bush in distance.
Coker had personal bests in the 100-meter dash, 10.70, and 200-meter dash, 21.76, at the Mesa meet. Both of his times were within one second of the mark.
Phillips is pushing to qualify in the 400-meter dash.
He is within half a second and has a spot in the 4×400 team that is qualified for nationals.
Bush ran the 1,500 at Mesa in 4:07.43.
That time was seven seconds over the qualifying mark.
Track and field overcoming plateaus
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
After exploding in all aspects, the Pima Community College track and field teams suffered a minor downfall.
However, head coach Greg Wenneborg thinks the bumpy patch the teams hit is over.
“We hit a little bit of a plateau but we came out of it at the end of the last meet,” Wenneborg said. “We had about five people achieve lifetime-best marks.”
Among those athletes were Jessica Davis, who came within two feet of qualifying for Nationals in the hammer throw, and Kyle Bush, who ran the 800-meter in 1:56.02 to come within a second of standard.
Pima will travel to Mesa Community College April 9 and 16. The April 16 meet will be the season’s third conference meet.
“We have three weeks in a row where we have awesome opportunities in night time meets with good competition,” Wenneborg said. “It’s about 10 degrees cooler and you don’t have the winds. It’s better conditions for good performances all around.”
The Aztecs are coming off back-to-back meets at Paradise Valley Community College.
Thrower Christian Tovar may have been the most impressive performer. On March 27, he threw the shotput 49 feet, 11 3/4 inches to lock up his second spot at Nationals.
Christian Tovar
“I just feel like I did what I was supposed to do,” Tovar said. “It took hundreds and hundreds of reps. I tried to keep track but I couldn’t so who knows. It just took a lot of technical stuff I had to get done in the ring and I still have to.”
He also said that it will be his first time riding an airplane when the team travels to Hutchinson, Kansas, in May.
“I’m just a little nervous,” he added. “I’m more nervous about that than competing because that will be fun. I’m ready to compete.”
Wenneborg feels the team overcame its struggles and should be ready to prosper again.
“Our first goal is to achieve lifetime-best marks for all athletes and after that we are looking for National qualifying marks,” he said.
Wenneborg shifted to sharpening mode after the mid-season point passed. The regiment focuses more on quality instead of quantity.
“Everyone has started to sharpen,” he said. “We’ve shortened our weekly mileage and we’ve decreased our weekly volume. That way we are sharpening it.”
He is still confident that at least 25 athletes will qualify for Nationals. Currently there are 18.
“Just on the distance side alone I think we’ve got three or four athletes who are poised to hit qualifying marks,” Wenneborg said.
Overall the team has been successful but Wenneborg still feels it is early.
“Jumps have been strong and will continue to be strong for us and our sprints are coming together,” Wenneborg said. “I believe the men’s 4×400 relay team could set the school record two or three more times before the season is over.”
Stephan Bullard will be running at the Sun Angel Meet at Arizona State University while the remainder of the team is at Mesa. He is the No. 2 800-meter runner nationally.
“It’s looking like we are going to sharpen well in the next couple of weeks and be ready for a big Region and National Championships,” Wenneborg said.
Track & Field teams reaching new heights
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
At mid-season, the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams are ahead of schedule.
“We’re pretty much halfway through the season and now we go into this stretch with meets every weekend,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “We’re shooting all the way through to the end of April for big performances.”
After completing only three meets, the teams have a combined 15 athletes qualified for Nationals in 11 events.
“We’re right on pace, or actually we’re ahead,” Wenneborg said. “I remember previous seasons at Willie Williams when we would have two or three qualifiers at most.”
Wenneborg expects to have at least 25 athletes qualified by the end of the season. By early April, he thinks about five more should qualify.
“I believe last year we brought 22 (athletes) and we are way ahead of pace right now,” he added. “I think we’ll have 25 to 30 this year. Everything just has to come together smooth.”
Pima will travel to Paradise Valley Community College on March 27 for the second conference meet of the season and returns there April 1-3 for the Paradise Valley Invitational.
“There have been some great performances but now we are pushing through to Paradise Valley and hoping to come up big there,” Wenneborg said.
He feels that Pima has been all about quality this year.
“Even though our women’s team is lean in numbers, everything is going very well,” he said. “With the men we are definitely ahead of previous years in talent and the array of events that we have.”
The women’s team has five different athletes in six events qualified for Nationals.
Distance runner Kat Howard has locked up spots in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs. She placed second in the 5,000 in 18:47.21 at the conference meet hosted by Pima on March 13 and clinched a spot in the 10,000 at Central Arizona College on Feb. 20 with a time of 39:21.28.
“We’ve had a lot of good practices and a lot of good training,” Howard said. “We put in a lot of miles before the season started and I think that’s helped a lot. It will be interesting to be able to run in more than one event.”
Ashley Dorado will be competing in the 400 hurdles at Nationals. She ran her event in 1:08.82 at the Willie Williams Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona on March 19-20. She was injured in the meet but is expected to recover.
Chloe’ Nowell had a distance of 37 feet, 7 3/4 inches in the triple jump at the March 13 meet to secure a spot at Nationals.
“The second I landed I kind of knew it was a qualifying jump and it was a personal record by like a foot and a half almost,” she said about her jump.
She is planning on doing the heptathlon too and credits jumping coach Chad Harrison for her success.
“Chad has helped me out a lot and he’s gotten me a lot faster,” Nowell said. “Listening to his coaching has made me jump a lot further. I’m really excited to be doing eight events at the National Championships.”
Brittany Bishop will be doing pole vault. She cleared 10-0 at the Willie Williams.
Sharissa Korn is the only thrower locked in for Nationals right now but Jessica Davis is also likely to qualify in shot put and discus. Korn threw 123-10 in the javelin at the Willie Williams to set a new personal best. She ranks third nationally.
Mallory Drain and Stephanie Montano are both dual-enrollees and have been competing as unattached athletes. However, they both have hit qualifying marks.
On the men’s side, there are two relay teams and four individuals set to make the trip to Kansas for Nationals.
Daniel McIver
The Pima men’s 4×400 relay team broke a nine-year-old school record at the Willie Williams meet.
The squad of Matthew Robertson, Stephan Bullard, Phillip Hobart and Chris Phillips placed second behind Central Arizona in 3:14.46.
However, the Aztecs beat the Vaqueros in the 4×400 on March 13 in 3:16.14 to qualify.
“I looked up at the time and I knew that I had to run a 47 or under so we could break the record,” Phillips said. “That’s what I did and it was a personal record for me. I like the team that I have and I couldn’t have done it without them. I knew I had to anchor it in. The show isn’t over.”
Both Bullard and Phillip will each have a separate individual event as well.
Bullard, who just signed a letter of intent to University of Oklahoma, will be running the 800-meter dash. He won the event on March 13 in 1:53.07.
“I’m feeling pretty comfortable about my 800,” Bullard said. “I just signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, which is a big thing. It makes me relax and focus on running fast.”
Phillips will be running the 400. He won the race overall at the Willie Williams in 48.94. Wenneborg called Phillips “a great anchor for the 4×400.”
Daniel McIver and Frederick Scarber were battling to win the high jump at the Pima meet and in doing so both qualified for Nationals. They ended up tying at 6-6 3/4. Scarber matched that height at the Willie Williams to place second.
Christian Tovar secured a spot in the hammer throw with a 159-8 toss. He is less than one meter from qualifying for shot put as well.
The speedy 4×100 team is the other relay team that qualified. Antoine Thomas, Nathan Manigault, Robertson and Derrick Coker ran the race in 41.53 on March 13.
Wenneborg was impressed with not only Pima’s talent in the first conference meet of the season on March 13, but also the overall talent.
“Of all schools there were 45 qualifiers, so it was a very competitive meet,” he said.
Wenneborg is also aware that the team can’t let up or experience a downfall, especially at the end of the season.
“We’ll be doing more sharpening work in the coming weeks,” Wenneborg said on March 22. “We push a little bit hard so we can continue to push our peak pack because we want kids peaking in May when it counts.”
“You can’t always be on an upward swing and there are times when your performances level off a little,” he added.
National Qualifiers
Women
Chloe’ Nowell- Triple jump
Sharissa Korn- Javelin
Brittany Bishop- Pole vault
Kat Howard- 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs
Ashley Dorado- 400 hurdles
Men
Stephan Bullard- 800-meter dash
Chris Phillips- 400-meter dash
Christian Tovar- Hammer throw
Daniel McIver- High jump
Frederick Scarber- High jump
Antoine Thomas, Nathan Manigualt,
Matthew Robertson, Derrick Coker- 4×100 relay
Phillip Hobart, Bullard,
Robertson, Phillips- 4×400 relay
Online Extra: Track & Field to host meet
Story Daniel Gaona
Photo by James Kelley
The Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams host the first Arizona Community College Athletic Conference meet of the season on March 13.
It is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and run until the early evening at the West Campus track.
Sports Shorts
Track and Field
The Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams host the first Arizona Community College Athletic Conference meet of the season on March 13.
It is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and run until the early evening at the West Campus track.
-Daniel Gaona
Women’s Tennis
The Pima Community College women’s tennis team is off to a bumpy start at 0-3.
“It is a rough start, we had to play the top three teams first,” head coach Gretchen Schantz said. “It is nice to have played the toughest schools first because now we know what we need to do to beat them.”
The Aztecs’ match at Paradise Valley Community College on March 9 was rained out. Schantz wasn’t sure when it would be rescheduled for but said it would be soon.
Pima opened the season with an 8-1 loss at conference power Eastern Arizona College on Feb. 25. The Aztecs lost 9-0 to Mesa Community College at home on March 2, then fell 6-3 at Glendale Community College.
The team is hoping to “gain confidence” in the next couple of matches. “We have a really good chance against the next couple schools,” Schantz said.
Pima is off until March 23, when it hosts Scottsdale Community College at the Tucson Racquet Club, located at 4001 N. Country Club Road.
-Daniel Gaona
Golf opens season
The Pima Community College women’s golf team finished second at another tournament, while the men’s team opened its season with a tough result.
The women’s team finished second at a two-day tournament at the Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa on March 3-4.
Pima finished 17 shots behind Mesa Community College, the winner of the seven-team tournament.
Freshman Jennifer Candanoza finished second overall, with a two-day total of 165. Sophomore Brianne Anderson finished sixth, shooting 169.
The women’s next tournament will be March 13-14, hosted by Mesa Community College.
The men’s team opened the season March 3-4 by placing seventh out of 10 teams in a tournament hosted by Chandler-Gilbert Community College at the Toka Sticks Golf Course.
The Aztecs finished 46 shots behind the tournament winner, Scottsdale Community College.
Sophomore Joseph Molina was Pima’s low scorer, shooting 72 on the first day and 79 on the second. Sophomore Eric Briggs shot a 79 and then a 76.
The men hope to improve on March 15 when they travel to Glendale Community College’s tournament.
-James Kelley
Pima set to host next track and field meet
By Daniel Gaona
Photo by James Kelley
Poor weather ended the day early for the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams at the Central Arizona College relay meet on Feb. 20.
“We got rained out about a third of the way through the meet,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “But we did get some events taken care of.”
Pima doesn’t have a meet scheduled until March 13 and that is the first conference meet, hosted by the Aztecs starting at 10 a.m. Wenneborg said the team might compete in the University of Arizona meet on March 6 because the Central meet was rained out.
“These kinds of things happen but just not too often,” he added. “We are just rolling with the flow right now. I’m happy where we are at and I’m excited about our prospects.”
In Coolidge, Kat Howard placed second and qualified for nationals in 39:21 in the 10,000-meter run for the women’s team. She also moved to third place on the all-time list for Pima.
In field events, Sharissa Korn placed second in the javelin with a 117-foot-11-inch throw. She only missed the qualifying mark by about one foot. Wenneborg said Korn is shaping up to be one of the best throwers in the region.
Jessica Davis, who specializes in the hammer throw, took fifth in the javelin throw. She didn’t get to do the hammer throw because of the weather.
Chloe’ Nowell scored 3,390 points in the heptathlon and Wenneborg said that could most likely qualify her for nationals. It consists of the 100-hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter dash.
Kyle Bush placed second in the 3,000-steeplechase on the men’s side in 10:20. It was his first time in that event.
Frederick Scarber won the high jump with a 6-foot-3-inch leap. Daniel McIver won the high jump at the Aztec Invitational and tied for third at Central.
“Our one-two punch in the high jump is going to be great,” Wenneborg said. “McIver won at our Aztec meet and now Scarber took over at this one.”
Michael Moreno placed second in the long jump with a just-under-22-feet measurement. Matthew Robertson won the high jump at the Aztec Invite.
“We’ve kind of got a revolving door of good talent coming up,” Wenneborg said about the field events.
The men’s 4×100 relay team placed third overall in 42.53 seconds and missed the qualifying mark by about a half of a second. Derrick Coker, Matthew Robertson, Antoine Thomas and Nathan Manigault form the squad. Wenneborg is confident they will be able to qualify for nationals.
Track & Field teams open with solid showing
By Daniel Gaona
Triple Jump Photo By James Kelley
1000-meter photo by Daniel Gaona
Athletes from the Pima Community College men’s and women’s track and field teams won in just under 10 events at the Aztec Invitational, the first meet of the season.
“Overall the meet was a good start, I wouldn’t say it was a great start,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “We didn’t officially score this meet. I scored it myself and we stack up very well against our big competition, which is Mesa and Paradise Valley.”
Wenneborg was impressed with the jumps and throws but he wasn’t really surprised.
“It was a great showing for our throwers and jumpers,” he said. “Things are looking pretty good, not a bad start for our first meet.
“We’re happy with the results and we’ve got another meet in two weeks, so we’ll sharpen things a little bit and decide what we should do to be really competitive for the rest of the season.”
Although the meet was held outdoors, it consisted of only indoor events. Pima only competes in the outdoor national championships.
Stephan Bullard was the main attraction. He won the 1000-meter run and topped the school record by three seconds. Bullard finished in 2:28.77, passing past Robert Seaman in the record books. Seaman, an assistant coach on the team, ran the race to help pace Bullard.
He would have qualified for nationals with that mark, but it isn’t an outdoor event. Bullard said he had already broken the record but now it is official
“I did actually get the record at a UA meet in December,” he said. “I didn’t run that much faster so that was kind of disappointing but to be able to get it again, for my fitness level, it let me know I’m in the same spot and I haven’t lost anything. It gives me a lot more confidence than before.”
Another strong performance came in the jumps. Gabby Siltanen won the women’s high jump and Daniel McIver took first for the men.
Siltanen topped out at 5-1 to win and she said it felt “amazing” to win.
“I had a really bad season last year and this year I finally feel like I’m gaining pace on people again,” she said. “I didn’t focus as much this time because it’s high jump and it’s all a mental sport and if you focus too much it gets a little rough.”
McIver, a freshman, jumped 6-6; he felt it was a confidence booster.
The women and men also swept the 600-meter run. Annalisa Loevenguth won in 1:47.16 and Chris Phillips ran it in 1:23.17. He credits the practice workouts for giving him the strength.
“It was my first time running the 600 and I got boxed in coming around the last curve,” Phillips said. “I knew I had it coming down the last 100 pumping hard. I’m glad I was strong enough, last year I didn’t have the strength for the last 100. This year I have more endurance.”
It’s nice to start off your freshman year winning something and the high jump is big for me,” he said. “Downfalls are going to happen but you want them to happen early, rather than late.”
Also on the women’s side, the throwing duo of sophomores Jessica Davis and Sharrisa Korn split their success.
“We’re each other’s competition,” they joked. “We battle each other.”
Davis placed second in the discus, shot put and javelin. She won the hammer throw with a toss just over 121 feet. She said she was happier about placing second in the shot put than winning the hammer throw.
“Hammer didn’t really count because it was just me and [Korn], none of the girls really showed up,” Davis said. “I was a little more happy about shot actually because I came in second behind a post-collegiate thrower.”
Korn was second in the hammer throw but won in the javelin with a throw just under 112 feet.
“I just did it out of anger because I didn’t want to lose,” Korn said about her throw. “I was working hard all offseason, busting my ass in the weight room.”
The men claimed the top two spots in the long jump. Freshmen Matthew Robertson and Dylan Moeykens placed first and second respectively. Robertson jumped 22-9 while Moeykens leaped 22-2.
Christian Tovar was the top Aztec on the men’s side of the throwing events. He placed second with a 45-6 throw in shot put.
Kathy Acosta Zavala took third in the women’s 200-meter run in 27.02 and Jess Montour stood out in the 3000-meter, placing second in 9:24.91 on the men’s side.
Wenneborg said that the distance squad is trying to push through injuries right now. Cross country standout Wais Khairandesh is unable to compete due to a knee injury.
He also said the region looks strong and the team will have to stay focused.
“After watching some of the other teams compete, we have noticed that our region is stacked this year,” Wenneborg said. “Everyone’s improved. We’ve improved and they’ve improved.”
Pima will travel to Central Arizona College on Feb. 19-20 for its next meet.
Online Extra: Track & Field 2010 results
Photo by Daniel Gaona
Feb. 6 AZTEC INVITATIONAL (PIMA)
Feb. 19-20 Central Arizona Relays (Central Arizona College)
Mar. 13 *ACCAC MEET#1 (PIMA)
Mar. 19-20 Willie Williams Invitational (University of Arizona)
Mar. 27 *ACCAC Meet #2 (Paradise Valley CC)
Apr. 1 Paradise Valley Distance/Multi Meet (Paradise Valley CC)
Apr. 2 Paradise Valley Outdoor/Multi Meet (Paradise Valley CC)
Apr. 3 Paradise Valley Outdoor Invitational (Paradise Valley CC)
Apr. 9 Mesa Classic Invitational (Mesa CC)
Apr. 16 *ACCAC Meet #3 (Mesa CC)
Apr. 23-24 UCSD Triton Invitational (UC San Diego)
May 1 Glendale CC Last Gasp Meet (Glendale CC)
May 3-4 NJCAA Region 1 Multi-Event Championships (Mesa CC)
May 11 NJCAA Region 1 Championships (Mesa CC)
May 13 NJCAA Region 1 Championships (Mesa CC) 3rd men, 3rd women
May 20-22 NJCAA National Championships Hutchinson, Kansas 13th women, 17th men
*ACCAC Conference Meet
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Track and field hoping to produce champions
Story and photo by Daniel Gaona
Like always, Pima Community College women’s and men’s track and field coach Greg Wenneborg has high hopes entering the season. Among those hopes is a big one: crown another individual national champion.
For three straight years Pima has had one athlete win a title. Last year it was Aurora Trujillo in the 3000 steeplechase and the year before it was Jeremiah Korn in shotput. Nicole Smith had a hat trick in 2007, winning the high jump, long jump and triple jump titles.
“We’re trying to keep the streak alive and I think that could be the story for the year if everything goes well,” Wenneborg said.
For the teams overall, he wants both to finish top 10 at nationals. The women have managed to do so the last three years and Wenneborg feels this could be the year for the men.
He said the roster exploded with talent and there are currently more than 75 athletes on it.
“We’re dealing with trying to manage a lot of student athletes but we’re really excited because we seem to be fully loaded in just about every area,” Wenneborg added. “We have very few weaknesses this year.”
Wenneborg feels the Aztecs will excel in jumping events this year. He credits jumps coach Chad Harrison’s brilliant recruiting for bringing in talent.
“I think the jumps are going to be enormous for us and they’ve been a non-factor in previous years,” he said.
Wenneborg also thinks the team’s speed will stand out on the national level.
“I think the sprints are going to post some national class times,” he said.
Among the sprinting events is the men’s 4×400 relay, made up of sophomores Stephan Bullard, Chris Phillips and Phillip Hobart. There is still one more spot to be filled in place of Johnathan Lopez, who will miss the season with a knee injury but Wenneborg believes they can shatter the school record.
“We believe they can break the school record by maybe more than four or five seconds,” he said. “Doing that in a sprint event is amazing.”
Bullard is most likely the top athlete on the men’s side. Aside from doing the 4×400 he will also compete in the 800-meter dash. Last year at nationals he placed fourth in that event and his 1:51.6 broke the school record.
“I think I peaked beautifully and the season went very well, I did get fourth in the nation but I want to expand on that,” Bullard said about last season. “I hope to get sub 1:50 this year and hopefully win the national title. I want to build up my strength and stay strong and injury free.”
Wenneborg said heptahlets and decathletes are also stepping up for the team this year. The women compete in seven events and the men compete in 10.
Stephanie Montano is looking forward to having a breakout season after setting a lifetime personal record in pole vault at a UA winter meet.
“This is my first season doing heptathlon in general and I just want to excel in things that I am good at,” she said. “Hopefully I can do well in the running events but I have to work on the jumps.”
Central Arizona College will be a heavy favorite to win the region, according to Wenneborg. He said Mesa Community College and Paradise Valley Community College would be Pima’s main competition.
“We will beat Central Arizona in some events but as a team I don’t know if we are there yet,” he added. “We’re all shooting to have them looking over their shoulder for one of us to be region champion.”
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