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Athletic News Articles fromWomen’s Soccer Pumas down SM for 5th straight A 5 goal second half barrage paved the way as PV topped South Mountain 7-2 on Saturday. A goal in the 33rd minute by Simone Marshall gave PV the lead at half-time 2-1. Five goals in the first 25 minutes of the second half sealed the victory. The win is the 5th in a row for the Pumas (5-0-1). "We had a hard time finding the back of the net in the first half, "noted coach Kacey Bingham. "We stepped up in the second half and executed much better, particularly in the final third of the field." No less than 6 Pumas contributed to the season high 7 goal effort. Chloe Hansen and Ally Oelschlager led the way, each scored 2 goals and had an assist. Kayla McClain added a goal and 2 assists. Both Marshall and Nicole Acosta notched a goal and an assist. Stacy Hock contributed an assist in her first action of the season. "It was a great team effort," Bingham added, "the whole team contributed to the win." Though still relatively in the early season, PV's next match is a big one. Conference leading Chandler/Gilbert comes to Shoenhair Field on Wednesday. Kickoff is slated for 3:30pm. Women’s Soccer Pumas blank GateWay PV's women ran their win streak to 4 with a 3-0 victory over GateWay CC at the Reach 11 Sports Complex last night. The Pumas are now (4-0-1) overall and 2-0-1 in ACCAC play. Chloe Hansen, Ally Oelschlager and Sami Palmer each recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Coach Kacey Bingham was pleased with the improved effort of her charges, "I think our team came out very focused and organized in this game. We did a very good job of possessing the ball from the start and creating dangerous scoring opportunities. The 3 point scorers for the night did a great job executing in the final 1/3 of the field." The Pumas had 13 shots on goal. Goalkeeper Mimi Salazar also drew praise for her efforts. Wednesday's shutout was Salazar's second of the young season. PV's Pumas travel to South Mountain CC on Saturday for a 12 noon match against the Cougars. Men’s Soccer Pumas fall to Yavapai PV's men continued their trend of improvement but last night's opponent made the going tough at the reach 11 Sports Complex. The visiting Roughriders from Yavapai posted a 4-0 defeat over the host Pumas. Three first half goals by the visitors put the Pumas (0-4-1) in an early hole. Yavapai's overall team speed and size proved to be a challenge. "Our guys played hard and showed some excellent flashes," said first year coach Mate Kozul. "We are on the right track but the schedule has been difficult early." The Pumas did possess the ball well at times but had trouble generating serious scoring chances. "If our guys keep working, we'll have a chance," he added. Scott Macon drew praise for his work as a central defender. Jonathan O'Connor and Joao Vandik earned high marks for their work in the offiensive end. Up next for PV is a match at SMCC on Saturday morning. Kickoff is at 9:30am. Women’s Soccer Pumas win 2 PV's women (3-0-1) posted a pair of non-conference match victories over the holiday weekend. PV defeated Dakota County Technical College (MN) 2-0 on Friday, then topped Western Nebraska 2-1 on Saturday. Against Dakota County, Simone Marshall found the net in the first half on a nice run after a nifty pass from Ally Oelschlager. After half time, Michelle Martin banged home a rebound after a shot and assist from Nicole Acosta. PV outshot the visitors 15 - 3. "We played better as the game went on, our kids used the large field at Rose Mofford well," noted coach Kacey Bingham. On Saturday, PV mounted a 2 goal second half comeback for the second time in their last 3 games. Oelschlager and Kayla McClain found the net after intermission to pace the Puma win. Acosta and Sami Palmer had assists. "Both teams played very hard and the game was relatively even," Bingham said, "we were fortunate to get the victory." PV returns to ACCAC action this week with a home game against Gateway CC at 6PM on Wednesday. That game is at the Reach 11 Sports Complex at Cave Creek and Deer Valley roads. Saturday, PV travels to South Mountain CC, with game time at 9:30am. Men’s Tennis Pumas aid Special Olympians On Saturday, May 3rd, the Arizona Special Olympics was held at Arizona State University. The Summer Games involved more than 1,000 athletes, 500 coaches, 700 volunteers, and hosted seven sports. The PVCC men's tennis team helped to give leadership in tennis. The team members directed competition in skills and singles play. They tossed balls, recorded scores, positioned players, and generally encouraged the athletes throughout the skills event. During the singles tournament, each team member, was a chair umpire for five to seven matches. The Arizona Special Olympics is an activity that has been on the PVCC men's tennis calendar for three years now. Coach Paajanen commented, "that as the competition gets going, the athletes and PVCC players begin to interact, with laughter and high-fives. The excitement is contagious and all have a memorable time." Women’s Golf Women compete in Daytona Beach finish 11th in the nation The Puma women returned from their second straight NJCAA Women’s National golf Championships last week and posted an 11th place finish. Their national tournament result was close to expectations as the PVCC squad was ranked 12th in the NJCAA poll prior to the tournament. There are just under 100 women’s teams in the country. A quartet of Puma players endured wildfires, smoke and tough conditions over 3 rounds at the LPGA International course in Florida. Wild fires, set the day before the tournament began, forced cancellation of the opening round of the 72 hole event. “Our kids struggled a bit early on in the tourney,” said coach Cindy Campbell, “but we came back nicely to post our team best total the last day.” Nerves played a part in the team’s early round struggles as 3of PV’s 4 competitors were freshmen. “It was excellent experience for us, we’ll use this to build from for next year,” added Campbell. The Pumas posted a team total of 1099 strokes in the 3 rounds, just 9 shots out of a top ten team finish. Sophomore Alex Ward posted a team low 3 round total of 263, including her tourney best 84 in the final round. Ward finished in 40th place overall among 112 individuals. Two shots behind in 43rd place was Kelley Stapleton at 265. Kendall Martin (282-64th) and Shannon Robertson (289-71st) comprised the second half of PV’s team score. Track & Field Michaud claims 2nd National Championship, leads Puma Women For the 2nd time this year, Jamie Michaud captured an Individual National Championship in the pole vault. This time it was at the NJCAA Outdoor National Championships in Levelland. TX. Michaud cleared 11’ 8 ½” to lead a 1-3-5 PV finish in the event. Erica Rutley cleared 11’ 2½” for 3rd place. Laura Faris jumped 10’ 2 ¾” for 5th. In March, Michaud captured the indoor national championship with a jump of 11’ 3 3/4’. PV’s other points in the meet came from the 4x400 relay team of Faris, Rutley, Angelyn Avery and Marissa Maki. The quartet came in 7th place, earning the Pumas 2 points. Fourteen different Pumas qualified for the championships. Over 35 teams participated in the event, 29 teams scored. Track & Field Men finish 18th at Nationals A trio of Pumas placed in the top 8 in the NJCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Levelland, TX. Last week. The three led PVCC to an 18th place overall finish. Kyle Fugit led the way with a runner up finish in the pole vault. Fugit cleared 15’ 10 1/2” en route to his 2nd place finish. The result was bittersweet though as only the number of misses in the competition kept Fugit from claiming his 2nd national outdoor title. Kevin Potter nabbed 6th place in the hammer throw at 162’ 10”. Potter also qualified for the discus final but did not score in that event. Jeremy Sudbury captured PV’s other point in the 3,000 meter steeplechase by finishing 8th. His time of 9:52.12 was four seconds faster than his qualifying time. Over 40 colleges sent participants to the meet, 29 teams scored. Fourteen Pumas qualified to compete at the National Championships. Women’s Soccer PUMA Captain signs with Ft. Lewis All-American and team captain, Samantha Smith has committed to play Women's soccer at Fort Lewis University in Durango, CO for the 2008-2009 season. Sam was a major offensive threat and play-maker at center-midfield for her two seasons as a Puma. Sam says she looks foward to having an immediate impact on the field for Fort Lewis and is excited to take on the challenge of excelling at the next level. Sam plans to major in business or marketing at Fort Lewis. Women’s Soccer PUMA stays local, signs with GCU Puma Captain Jessica Schartz has signed her letter of intent to play women's soccer for Grand Canyon University in the 2008-2009 season. Jessica, an ALL-ACCAC defender, will also be playing defense for the Antelopes. Jessica will join a roster of familiar faces from her past club teams and ACCAC rosters, not to mention her old coach, Stevie Gill who has recently been named the new head coach at GCU. She will major in Early Education at Grand Canyon. Women’s Soccer Baseball tryout information Coach Victor Solis has announced that information for open tryouts for the 2008-09 Puma baseball team has been finalized. Tryouts will be held June 19th at Paradise Valley High School at 9AM. Those interested in trying out should contact Solis via email: victor.solis@pvmail.maricopa.edu or by telephone 602.787.7031, for the required forms prior to June 19th. Registration is required. Check in will begin at 8:30AM. PVCC will provide Baum bats, baseballs and other equipment needed for use during the tryout. Each player must provide his own work out clothes, baseball spikes and glove. There will be a $5 fee to tryout.
Michaud wins national championship title Freshman Jamie Michaud (Mesa Mountain View) won the women's pole vault title Friday at the National Junior College Athletic Association Indoor National Championships held at Eastern Illinois University. Michaud's victory gave Paradise Valley Community College's Track & Field program its 20th individual pole vault title in the school’s history. Paradise Valley women's team scored 25 points to finish 13th overall. The Pumas men's team had six points to finish tied for 21st. Michaud vaulted 11’03”.75 to win the title. “It was a really exciting and fast atmosphere,” said Jamilyn, “I was in a slump and to comeback and win, was great”. Teammate Erica Rutley captured second place and an NJCAA All-American honor with her vault of 10’09.75". In 6th place was Laura Faris with a jump of 9’10.00” which earned her a coaches All-American nod. Jamilyn and the Pumas are thrilled to keep their winning history in the pole vault event intact. “It is nice to keep tradition going especially having two teammates there with me on the podium,” commented Michaud. But she is not ready to rest on her laurels, “I definitely hope to break 12’ for outdoors, I need to PR each meet and I will be there.” Co-Head Track and Vault Coach, Todd Lehman could not be happier with the result of the women’s competition. “It was very emotional,” said Lehman, “the ladies jumped very well. It was an awesome competition to watch. Erica almost made the 11’04.00” mark, but just touched the bar, giving Jamilyn the edge”. Normally top contenders, injury kept the men’s pole vault team sidelined, including 2007 outdoor national champion Kyle Fugit who was primed and ready to capture the indoor title. “Kyle was leading the country in the vault before nationals and I could hardly watch the competition without him there,” said Coach Lehman, “He will be ready to get back in it for outdoors”. On the track freshman Eric Harasyn placed 5th earning coaches All-American honors in the 3000m run with a time of 8:40.79. Julius Bor of Cloud County won the national title in 8:22.41. PV’s Las Vegas import, Jeremy Sudbury placed 9th in 9:04.49. Harasyn also ran to a 7th place finish in the mile with a time of 4:21.21. It is likely that both will earn coaches All-American honors once the number of foreign athletes in each event is reported. In the 5000m Jeremy Sudbury placed 17th running a 16:01.93. “Sudbury struggled in a slow heat,” commented Coach Lehman, “and with no one to run with, he could not keep pace with his PR”. The leader Lekanah Kibet of Rend Lake finished the 3.1 mile distance in 14:38.78. In the 4x800 PVCC kept pace with all their projected splits (Angel Sanchez, Mitchell Moses, Jordan Hunke and Juan Quintero) running an 8:06.07 for 9th place. In throws Puma Kevin Potter placed 12th in the weight throw with a toss of 13.91 meters (45’07.75”). Jason Robbs of Neosho County won the title with his throw of 60’03.25”. On the women’s side PV’s freshman multi athlete Marissa Maki qualified in the first semi-final heat of the 400 meters. She finished 7th in the finals in a time of 58.78 to earn coaches All-American honors. Maki also grabbed 7th place in the high jump with a mark of 1.55m (5’01”) and 10th in the pentathlon with a total of 2895 points. “Marissa is a great competitor for us,” said Coach Lehman, “She will continue to place well and earn points”. With the indoor track season now official over the Pumas will concentrate on outdoor national qualification. The team will next compete at the Central Arizona College Relays beginning March 13th.
PVCC men swept by Pima Pima swept Paradise Valley 9-0 Thursday in Tucson. It's been a roller coaster week for the Pumas, who defeated GateWay 7-2 Tuesday to break a four game losing streak. PVCC, 3-5 overall and 2-5 in Arizona Community College Athletic Association play, could not permanently reverse the trend in Aztec territory. In singles, all but one match was decided in straight sets. Pima’s Nick Caldwell beat Oliver Clark 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Ian Esquer beat PV’s Shaun Rade 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2. The Aztec’s James Shrock beat Micah Briscoe 6-0 6-1 at No. 3. Ruben Medina had some difficulty defeating PVCC's Feroz Rast, but eventually won out 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4. Only the Puma’s No. 5, Scott Carter, caught a glimpse at potential victory. Losing the first set 1-6, he came back to win the second 6-4. But Carter’s opponent Mark Pitzlin was not going to give up the game, besting the Puma in the tiebreaker 10-5. In doubles Pima’s Caldwell and Preston-Carpenter fought off PV’s Clark and Rade, narrowly defeating the pair 9-7 at No. 1. The No. 2 and 3 Puma doubles flights were downed 8-3 a piece by Pima. The Pumas will host non-conference San Diego City College on March 17 at 2:00PM.
Pima bests PV Lady Netters, but Zertuche wins out Pima defeated host Paradise Valley 6-3 Thursday. The Pumas who defeated Pima by the same count earlier in the year, could not repeat the performance. PVCC, now 3-6 in Arizona Community College Athletic Association play, has only a few matches to go in the season before regional competition begins. The sole PV match win for the day went to tennis newcomer, Jazmin Zertuche who blanked Pima’s Eunice Sanchez 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. This is the first win for Zertuche this season. At No. 1 Pima’s Ali Brackey fought off Kara White, defeating the Puma only after a third set 4-6, 6-3, 6-7. Also in a narrow victory, Rachel Lockey of Pima bested PV’s Barbara Easterly 4-6, 6-1, 3-6 at No. 3. Puma Jennifer Maxwell lost out 4-6, 4-6 at No. 5 singles to the Aztec’s Jenn Hamel. Pima forfeited No. 2 singles, due to injury. In doubles Pima’s Hamel and Sanchez fought off PV’s A. McArthur and Zertuche, narrowly defeating the pair 8-6 at No. 2. At No. 1 White and Easterly were downed by Pima’s Brakey and Lockey 3-8. Pima forfeited the No. 3 doubles flight. The Pumas next head to sunny California for a spring break trip. They will play Cerritos College on March 12 and Riverside Community College on March 13. While in Cali the team will watch the pros at Pacific Life Open. The Pumas will return to the valley to play Glendale Community College on March 18 at Glendale, game time 1:30PM.
Men's Tennis captures a win The Paradise Valley Men’s Tennis team opened the second half of the season with a win Tuesday, beating the Geckos of GateWay 7-2. At No. 1 doubles PV’s Clark and Rade blanked O’Dell and Campillo 8-0. On the next court, Puma’s Briscoe and Carter won out over GWCC’s Dalbey and Fisher 8-4 in the No. 2 flight. PV’s Rast and Sutherland lost the No. 3 flight 8-2 to Borunda and Baldwin, putting the overall score 2-1 in favor of the Pumas heading into the singles matches. In singles the Pumas won decisive victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 flights. At No. 2 Shaun Rade went 6-0, 6-2 over GWCC’s Jonathan Dalbey. At the three-spot PV’s Micah Briscoe pushed by Alex Fisher 6-2, 6-3. The Pumas wanted a little more drama in the other matches, going to three set tiebreakers at the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 flights. PVCC’s Oliver Clark won his first set 6-3 and lost the second to the same count against Scott O’Dell of GateWay in the No.1 flight. Clark held on for a third set victory, 6-0. At No. 4 the resilient Puma, Feroz Rast, dropped the first set 6-7, but came back with a 6-2 and 10-8 tiebreaker win over Arturo Borunda. At No. 6 PV’s Adam Sutherland lost out 2-6 in the first, but overcame the Gecko’s Dustin Baldwin finally 6-4 and 10-8. PV’s No. 5 singles match was the other loss for the day as GWCC’s Anthony Campillo overcame Scott Carter in two sets of 6-2. The Pumas (3-4 ACCAC) head to Tucson Thursday, March 6 to face the Pima Aztecs for the second time. Game time, 2:30PM.
PVCC names Rico and Kozul to Men’s Soccer staff Paradise Valley Community College announced Edson Rico and Mate Kozul as the new Co-Head Coaches of the Men’s Soccer program. The pair replace Timothy Marchisotto who successfully coached the Pumas to a playoff chance in 2007. PVCC Men’s Soccer will be entering its tenth season of intercollegiate competition in the Fall of 2008. The Pumas compete in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Rico and Kozul started their playing careers together at Yavapai College. The two were on the Roughrider inaugural team in 1989 and again in 1990 when the team won their first NJCAA National Championship title. Edson, who was named to the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2006, was their star forward and all-time leading scorer; Mate played defense. Both Edson and Mate left the United States to play professional soccer in Europe. Edson played for FC Kampenhout 1st Division team in Belgium. Mate also played for Belgium in 1st Division FC Westerlo; he later transferred to FC Rijeka of his native home, Croatia. The pair began regular coaching careers in the United States in the late 90s with the USISL Arizona Saguaros. Mate took up the mantel of Head Coach, Assistant General Manager and defensive player for the Saguaro team, earning USISL Pro League “Coach of the Year” honors in 1998. Edson assisted Mate with coaching duties and was the lead forward player. In 2000 Coach Kozul and Rico moved their coaching and playing talents to the Tucson Fireballs (USL). Kozul also coached several club teams in that time. In 2007 Edson and Mate formed the Sonoran Foothills Soccer League. The club focuses on the development of soccer and team skills for children between the ages of 3-11. Coach Edson and Mate are excited about leading their first collegiate team. There are confident they can develop the Pumas in to one of the top contenders in the county and conference. “Edson and Mate are really enthusiastic about joining our program,” commented Athletics Director Greg Silcox, “their ability to relay their professional and personal experience will be a big asset to our students”. The Pumas are currently recruiting for the 2008 season. Potential players or those interested in the Men’s Soccer program may contact PV Athletics via the web at: www.paradisevalley.edu/athletics/ or by phone at 602.787.7173.
Getting closer The PV women took another step toward winning an ACCAC tournament on Tuesday by finishing second at the GateWay tournament at Pagago GC. For the second straight event, the Pumas led after round 1 of the 2 day tourney. After having been tied with Mesa at 354, the Pumas posted a team season low round of 342 on day 2. PV's low score was not quite low enough as Mesa's T-Birds posted a team 340 for an overall total of 694 to win by 2 strokes. In addition to their 2nd place tournament finish, PV's tournament total of 696 strokes was also a team best finish for 2008. "It was very exciting for our players and team, "said coach Cindy Campbell, "we came charging back on the back nine and almost caught them (Mesa), our kids played much better and definitely learned from last week's experience." Markie Payne shot a stellar 37 on the back nine and totaled 83 strokes on the day for a 4th place individual finish. Stephanie Ng came in with an 87 and just 40 shots on the back to capture 6th place overall. Kendall Martin returned to her normal form and carded an 85. Alex Ward posted an 87 despite suffering from flu-like symptoms throughout the round. "This should be a big confidence boost for us,"added Campbell. Alex Ward also drew high praise for her efforts while definitely being sick and under the weather. Next up for the Puma women is the Mesa CC tournament at Dobson Ranch GC, March 10 and 11.
Pumas 5th - German ties for 1st The home course advantage proved to be just that for PV's golf team. The Pumas posted a 2nd round team total of 306 for a combined total of 616 strokes and 5th place in their tournament at Estrella Mountain Ranch GC. After a disappointing team finish (8th) in the 1st tournament of the year, this result was more to the liking of first year head coach Jack Snyder. "Our guys played much better, though we still have a way to go to play to our capability," he said, "Trevor (German) was outstanding, his 72 was just 1 shot back of the low score of the day." German posted a tournament low 147 shots over 36 holes (+3) but lost the tie breaker (2nd day score) and finished 2nd individually. Ross Benson, Corey Lietzau-Morer and Ryan Busbee all improved their play from day 1, carding 78's. German's medal finish follows on the heels of Mendenhall's 5th place individual finish in the previous ACCAC tournament in Tucson. Next up for the Pumas is the Glendale CC tournament at Palm Valley GC, March 12/13.
PVCC announces head baseball coach Paradise Valley Community College named Victor Solis of Phoenix, Arizona as the Head Baseball Coach for the most recent intercollegiate addition to the Puma Athletics Program. Baseball is PVCC’s 12th sport. PV Baseball will begin competitive play in the spring of 2009, competing within the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Solis is an Arizona native. A graduate of Brophy College Preparatory, he attended Glendale Community College and played baseball. After completing his Associates Degree, Coach Solis transferred to Grand Canyon University where he and the Antelopes competed in the NAIA National Championships. Mr. Solis completed his MBA at Oklahoma City University where he also served as an assistant coach. Victor has coached baseball for over 15 years. He spent three years at his respective Alma matters, Brophy College Preparatory and Glendale Community College, as well as five years at the University of Arizona and two years at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Solis brings unique knowledge and experience of starting a baseball program from scratch to Paradise Valley Community College. In 2006 Solis built the inaugural GateWay Community College team and in his second year was able to bring the new team to a 21-34 overall record. In 2007 he was honored by being named the head coach for the USA Junior National Team who competed in the Pan American Games in Ixtapa, Mexico, winning the Bronze Medal and qualifying for the World Championships in the summer of 2008. “Victor is as perfect fit given his knowledge of Arizona and the conference as well as his ties to local high school programs,” said Athletics Director Greg Silcox, “he has really hit the ground running and builds the level of excitement surrounding our program”. Field construction for an on-campus facility off of 32nd Street is currently underway and should be completed for the fall practice season in September. Potential players or those interested in the program may contact PV Athletics via the web at: www.paradisevalley.edu/athletics/ or by phone at 602.787.7173.
Pumas in front PV's women golfers are in a familiar position after day 1 of the GateWay tournament, this time they hope to seal the deal. For the second straight ACCAC tournament, PV's Pumas are on top of the leaderboard after 18 holes of a 36 hole event. Their team total of 354 left PV tied with Mesa. Pima CC, of Tucson is 3 shots back at 357. PV's women were tied with Pima after the first round of the previous tournament but did not finish strong. "We've been in this boat before," said coach Cindy Campbell, "we hope we'll be better able and better prepared to handle it this time." Markie Payne posted a team best 87 at Papago GC and is in 2nd place in the individual standings. Stephanie Ng and Alex Ward carded 88's and are tied for 4th place. Kelly Stapleton (91), Kendall Martin (96) and Chrisitina Ramirez (99) also teed it up for the Pumas. A team score of 340 continues to be the Pumas' goal. "We are capable, we just have to go out and do it, Kendall's score was really out of character for her," added Campbell.
Pumas host tournament - improve play PV's Pumas have improved their game on their home course. PVCC is the host for the 2nd tournament of the ACCAC 2008 schedule at Estrella Mountain Ranch GC. PV's scores are improved and perhaps a bit of the home course advantage is showing. PV posted a team total of 310 strokes on a windy day that was tough on the field. Sophomores Trevor Germann (75) and Joey Mendenhall (76) paced the PV team with Ross Benson (79) and Ryan Busbee (83) rounding out the top 4 counting scores. Chandler/Gilbert led the team standings at 298. the rest of the field is tightly bunched with Mesa and Scottsdale both at 306, South Mountain at 307, Pima at 309 and PV in 5th at 310. Play on day two begins at 11am today.
Tough day for the Pumas PV's Pumas dropped a pair of ACCAC contests to league leading Phoenix College at PC today. The visiting Pumas found themselves down big early in both games and could not recover. The Bears captured both games of the twin bill easily 16-0 and 17-0. "They hit the ball extremely hard and we continue to struggle by giving up too many free passes," coach Nick Candrea said. The Pumas mustered only 3 hits in the day. Samantha Cooley absorbed the loss in the first game, allowing 8 bases on balls and hitting a pair of batters. "Jamie (Glazener) threw it better in the second game and when she threw strikes, they hit the strikes that were thrown," noted the mentor. Non-conference foe Spokane Falls CC from Washington state is next on the schedule, Friday at 2pm. Conference opponents Yavapai and Arizona Western then are next before another pair of non-conference teams come to town the following week during spring break.
Pumas on the bubble The Pumas strugged as a team in their second ACCAC meet of the season Saturday. PVCC lost to Glendale 65-53 and to Pima 103-50 in the men's team competition. On the women’s side the Pumas lost 116-68.50 to Glendale and were only narrowly defeated by Pima 92.00-85.00. On the track Paradise Valley's Eric Harasyn was the single new Puma qualifier for the day winning the steeplechase with a time of 9:46.54. PV’s Jeremy Sudbury was just behind in a time of 10:02. He will need a 9:59.96 to qualify. The Pumas are only seconds off qualifying for NJCAA Outdoor Nationals in numerous events. The Men’s 4x100 relay team finished in second place in 44.33. Qualifying is 42.22. In individual events Erica Rutley (100 hurdles), Jacob Desanti (110 hurdles), Nicholas Vidaurreta (200/400 meters), Marissa Maki (100/200 meters) and Amjed Al-marridi (100/200 meters) are less than 2 seconds off their qualifying times for nationals. On the field, PV’s Kevin Potter continued to throw above the qualifying mark in the men’s hammer event winning with a 48.11m toss. In the pole vault Puma’s Jamilyn Mischaud and Erica Rutley went one-two in the vault besting their last conference meet jumps of 3.30m with a 3.57m and 3.42m vaults respectively. In the men’s vault the Pumas made improvements, but still remain short of qualification. PV’s Kelly Taylor won the vault event with his mark of 4.24m. The Pumas will get another chance to meet their times and marks next Saturday, April 5 when they host an all-comers meet. For detailed results see www.maricopa.edu/cctf/results/track/2008/080329_ACCACParadiseValley.html
Future field site cleared The Paradise Valley CC Baseball Field Project is underway. The relocation of trees and removal of brush is now complete at the future site of the on-campus facility. The facility will be south of the main campus off of 32nd Street and will include a natural turf field, block dugouts and a batting tunnel. Digs to establish electrical work for the field and walkways will also get started soon. A temporary pathway has been identified for pedestrians to use between the main campus and existing athletics fields during the 3-4 month project. Field construction should be completed by late July in time for fall baseball training. PVCC will open its first season of intercollegiate baseball, January 2009.
Pumas sweep Scottsdale The Paradise Valley softball team notched a twin bill sweep of the visiting Artichokes from Scottsdale CC on Tuesday. The 2 conference wins were strong steps toward the team's goal of an ACCAC playoff berth. The Pumas (7-21/3-17) have a steep hill to climb to get there but are still in the hunt for a playoff berth. "We definitely tried to keep it exciting," said mentor Nick Candrea, "we had big leads in both games, tried to make interesting down the stretch but came out on top and did what what we wanted to do." PV pitchers Jamie Glazener and Sam Cooley both notched wins, with Dani Hoffman earning the save in game 2 in relief of Cooley. "Dani did a great job, she came in throwing strikes and just settled us down as SCC made a comeback in the 2nd game," said Candrea. Trisha Sappington and Kim Gallindo paced the Puma offense on the day. Sappington notched 4 hits in 7 trips to the plate and broke the school record for doubles in a season with 13. She knocked in 3 runs, scored 2 run and stole a base. Gallindo went 4/8 in the 2 games with 6 RBI, 4 coming on a second game grand slam. Cooley helped herself in the nightcap with 2 hits a home run, her second in 3 games. "It was nice to get a couple wins, our kids have been working hard and we did what we needed to do," finished Candrea. The Pumas host Chandler/Gilbert, one of the teams they are chasing on Saturday. The double header begins at noon.
Puma Outdoor Meet Entry Now Available The Puma Indoor Invite is scheduled for Thursday, April 3 and Saturday, April 5. Meet information is now available for team and individual participants. Please go to DirectAthletics at www.directathletics.com/meets/track/9065.html for all meet entry. Long and middle distance running events begin at 6:00PM on April 3. Throws, jumps and sprints events begin at 10:00AM on April 5. Entry Fees Teams: $100.00 / gender Individuals/Open: $20.00/ entrant Please call Todd Lehman at 602-787-6621 for more information.
Pumas 7th at GateWay tourney The Paradise Valley Men’s Golf team posted a 7th place team finish at the GateWay CC tournament at Papago GC this week. Their 7th place finish leaves the Pumas in a 5th place tie in the standings of the 10 team ACCAC conference. "Our guys didn't play particularly well," said coach Jack Snyder, "we unfortunately took a step backward as the Region tourney approaches." The Pumas have another event remaining on the schedule to get back on track before the Region I tourament, at Rio Rico CC south of Tucson, May 2-4. PV posted team totals of 304 and 307 over the 2 day, 36 hole event. Joey Mendenhall led the Puma effort with scores of 75 and 72 for a 147 total. Trevor German was 2 shots back at 73/76-149, despite battling a serious case of stomach flu on the 16th hole of day 2. "Given his condition, Trevor hung tough and played well, a lot of guys would have just packed it in," Snyder noted. German and Mendenhall are in contention for All-ACCAC honors. Ross Benson (79/78-157) and Ryan Busbee (78/81-159) were PV's 2 next low scorers. Mesa and Scottsdale tied for team low score (568) with Mesa prevailing in the scorecard playoff to capture the tourney title.
Pumas drop to Spokane Non-conference Spokane Community College defeated PV’s men’s tennis 8-1 Thursday. Puma Oliver Clark earned the only match point for PV winning 6-2, 6-1 over Spokane’s Mike Shelton. “Oliver looked really good in singles today,” said PV Head Coach Paajanen, “He did not miss many shots and kept his opponent off balance”. PV lost the rest of their singles matches in straight sets. In doubles Oliver Clark with partner Feroz Rast gave Spokane a run for their money but could not hold on, losing 6-8. “Oliver and Feroz played well in doubles but came up a bit short,” commented Coach Paajanen. In No. 2 doubles PV’s Rade and Carter dropped 3-8 to Shelton and Person. At No. 3 Spokane’s Gant and Rasmussen topped Briscoe and Sutherland 8-2. PVCC (2-8 in the ACCAC and 5-9 overall) will head to California on April 3 for four non-conference match-ups to get ready for the Region Tournament back in Phoenix April 16.
PVCC falls 5-4 to CC of Spokane Paradise Valley's women dropped their final non-conference match of the season, losing 5-4 to visiting Community College of Spokane. The Pumas (3-12) will head to the Regional Tournament on Wednesday, April 16. PVCC's Natalie Faddis beat Spokane's Morigeau at No. 5 singles. Faddis and Jennifer Maxwell also won their No. 2 doubles match 8-4 over Morigeau and Skeman. Maxwell won her No. 3 singles match against Skeman 6-4, 6-3. PVCC's Barbara Easterly readily defeated Hardwikk 6-2, 6-1. Spokane captured the No. 1 doubles flight over Allison and Mary Jo McArthur 8-3 as well as the singles matches against the Puma pair. With three points to the Puma four points in matches, Spokane earned the victory off of PV’s forfeitures at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles matches for PV not fielding a full team.
PVCC men blanked by SCC Scottsdale Community College swept host Paradise Valley 9-0 Tuesday in the last conference match of the season. PVCC moves to 5-8 overall, 2-8 in Arizona Community College Athletic Association play. Every match was decided in straight sets. SCC's Thomas Rizk beat Oliver Clark 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Alex Weiland beat Shaun Rade 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2. Richard Lindstrom narrowly defeated Micah Briscoe 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3. Andrew Waltz defeated PVCC's Feroz Rast in matching sets of 6-1 at No. 4. Puma’s Scott Carter and Adam Sutherland each lost 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 5 and 6 flights to their Scottsdale opponents. In doubles Scottsdale's Rizk and Weiland posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over Paradise Valley's Clark and Rade at the No. 1 flight. Scottsdale’s Waltz and Borhani fought off Briscoe and Carter 8-3 at No. 2 doubles while SCC’s Crowley and Lindstrom downed Rast and Sutherland 8-0 at No. 3. The Pumas will host Spokane Community College at 2:30PM Thursday. The Pumas will compete in Region play April 16-17 which will determine qualification for nationals.
Pumas win tourney! The PV golf squad won the SCC tournament yesterday at Pavilion Lakes. The Pumas team total of 641 was 29 shots clear of 2nd place Pima (670) and 34 shots better than 3rd place Mesa (675). The tournament win is the first of the year for PV and put the team in serious contention for the ACCAC title. "Our kids were so excited, we were fired up after playing well on Monday and used our excitement to continue to press our advantage on Tuesday, " said coach Cindy Campbell. The Pumas did just that. After a team total of 324 on Monday, PV came back with a season low 317 on Tuesday. A trio of Pumas earned medals for their individual efforts. Alex Ward carded a 72 for a 36 hole total of 155 and 2nd place. Markie Payne earned her second medal of the year with rounds of 75/82. Stephanie Ng had a two round total of 159, good enough for 4th place. Kelly Stapleton drew praise for a back 9, 39 on Tuesday. Christina Ramirez posted a season best 84 in round 1 on Monday. "We're enthused to play at Toka Sticks (Chandler/Gilbert Tourney) in 2 weeks," added Campbell. Our immediate goal is to contend for the conference championship as we prepare for the national tournament." added Campbell.
Lady Pumas finish regular season with loss Scottsdale Community College women's tennis team beat Paradise Valley at Glendale 6-3 Tuesday. But PV, who lost to the Artichokes 7-2 in the first half of the season, was able to grab an additional match in their second meeting. Paradise Valley won out in the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles flights. At No. 1 White and Easterly topped Uzeta and Such 8-6 while Faddis and Maxwell bested SCC’s Jauregui and Lemon 8-4. Mother-daughter pairing Allison and Mary McArthur lost to Klemphere and Hinze 1-8. In singles Paradise Valley's Natalie Faddis earned the only Puma singles victory for the day against Lemon 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. Scottsdale’s Hinze topped Kara White after three sets 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. At the second flight Allison McArthur struggled against Uzeta who won out 6-2, 6-0 over the Puma. PV’s Easterly had a good early start against SCC’s Klemphere winning the first set 6-4 at the No.3 flight. Klemphere came back with her own 6-4 win in the second set and then won out over the Puma 6-2 in the third. At No. 4 Puma Jennifer Maxwell let go 4-6, 4-6 to Jauregui and at No. 5 Mary McArthur was blanked by SCC’s Such. PVCC (3-9 in the ACCAC) will play non-conference Spokane CC on Thursday.
Heartbreak hotel vs Clackamas Saturday's doubleheader against Clackamas (OR) CC proved to be double trouble for the host Pumas. The Pumas played better ball for longer periods of time and were within 1 strike of a win in the second game but dropped 5-1 and 6-4 decisions to Clackamas. The PV squad outplayed the opposition for the first 6 innings of both games but twice let 7th inning leads slip away. Jamie Glazener pitched, "her best game of the year by far in shutting out Clackamas on 1 hit through 6 innings. A defensive error opened the door to 5 runs and the loss. Glazener struck out 12 in the complete game effort. PV's run came courtesy of a bases loaded walk to Dani Hoffman in the 4th inning. The Pumas managed just 3 hits in the game. "It was very disappointing," added Candrea, "Jamie deserved a better outcome." In the second game, Sam Cooley was almost as good in the circle for the Pumas. She yielded just 2 hits through 6 inning, before Clackamas struck for 4 hits and 4 runs in the 7th. "Sam pitched very well too, she and all of us were disappointed to come up short," noted Candrea. Trisha Sappington had 3 hits with 2 doubles in the night- cap. Vicki Meza added a pair of hits and 2 RBI in the game. The Pumas get back to ACCAC play this week with home doubleheaders against Scottsdale (TUE) and Chandler/Gilbert (THU) this week. The action starts at 2 PM at PV on both days.
Harasyn qualifies at Willie Williams Classic Freshman Eric Harasyn cracked the top ten in the men's 1500m at the Willie Williams Classic Saturday hosted by the University of Arizona. Harasyn set a personal record of 3:58.04, qualifying in the event for the NJCAA Outdoor Nationals. Harasyn was the first community college student-athlete to cross the finish line. The event was won by Diego Borrego of Mexico in a time of 3:51.01. “Eric ran very well,” said Head Coach Dave Barney, “despite fighting off a cold, he was able to PR”. Also competing for PV were Jordan Hunke, Angel Sanchez and Jeremy Sudbury. Hunke placed 38th in the 1500m in a time of 4:19.76. Sanchez followed, placing 39th in a time of 4:21.07. Jeremy Sudbury had to withdraw from the 5000m due to illness. Harasyn and the PVCC team will compete in their second conference meet this Saturday. Paradise Valley will host the meet. Events begin at 11:00AM.
Kanyaruhuru earns NCAA championship title Former Puma Daniel Kanyaruhuru has been named a 2008 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Men’s Division II Indoor Tack and Field All-American. Kanyaruhuru captured the national title in the 5,000m at the 2008 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships that took place on March 14-15 in Mankato, Minnesota at Minnesota State University. Daniel attends Queen University a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina where he is coached by Scott Simmons. Daniel competed for the Pumas under Coach Dave Barney in the 2004 and 2005 cross country and track & field seasons. In 2005 he helped lead the Pumas to a NJCAA DI Team Cross Country National Championship title. Kanyaruhuru who was the number one seed going into the NCAA DII Championships secured the 5,000m title with a time of 14:12.85. Earlier this year Daniel was named an All-American in cross country for his fifth place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship. Form more information about Daniel please visit www.queens.edu/news_detail.asp?press_id=2421§ion=athletics .
Pumas sweep twin bill PV's Pumas captured both ends of their doubleheader yesterday against Skagit Valley (WA) CC. Both games ended via run rule with final scores of 9-1 and 10-1. The PV squad has won 4 of its last 6 games. PItchers Sam Cooley and Jamie Glazener both threw complete games to claim the victories. "Both pitchers had better command and they had to be excited to have thrown like they did and to have had their defense play very well behind them," said coach Nick Candrea. Cooley yielded just 5 hits and struck out 7. Glazener faced just 15 batters, gave up an unearned run and struck out 5. The Pumas played errorless ball in the first game and committed just 1 error in the second game. Lauren Jardine paced the PV offense in the opener going 3-3, with 2 RBI and a home run. Dani Hoffman added 3 RBI with a single and a sac fly. Kim Gallindo added a home run and 2 RBI in the night cap as a part of her 3 for 3 hitting effort. Kelsey Carter and Ashley Rodriguez had a pair of hits apiece. Rodriguez knocked in 4 runs. The Pumas host Clackamas (WA) CC Saturday at 12pm.
Puma netters drop two The Thunderbirds did not give up many chances Thursday, beating the Puma netters in both the men’s and women’s matches. In the women's match, PVCC's Natalie Faddis made it two-for-two this week besting Blackburn of Mesa 6-4, 6-4 at No. 6 singles. At No. 1 Kara White topped MCC’s Cerda after a three set tiebreaker 4-6, 6-4, 10-7. The Puma ladies dropped all three double matches, losing 4-8 at No. 1, 1-8 at No. 2 and 3-8 at No. 3. The Pumas finished the match 2-7 dropping 3-8 in the conference. In the men's match, PVCC's Scott Carter beat Thunderbird John Decker after a three set tiebreaker 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 at No. 5 singles. “Scott was the last match off today, but he hung tough for the win,” said Puma Head Coach Jim Paajanen. The Pumas gave a good fight in the No. 1 and 3 doubles flights with Clark and Rade falling 7-9 to MCC’s Schwartz and Wardenburg at No. 1 and Sutherland and Rast dropping 6-8 at No. 3. The No. 2 doubles flight went down 1-8 in favor of MCC. The loss puts PVCC's men at 2-7 in the conference. PV will play Scottsdale Community College on Tuesday, February 19. The men's team will play at home.
Pima captures 2 from PV The Aztecs from Pima CC in Tucson took a pair of ACCAC softball games from the host Pumas yersterday by scores of 10-1 and 5-3. The same bugaboos haunted the PV squad as Pima scored 5 unearned runs in the 4th inning of the first game to break open a 1-1 game. One errant pitch in the second game ended up as a 2 run home run for Pima, givng them the 2 run margin of victory. "We just haven't been able to put our entire game together at the same time yet," said Nick Candrea, the Pumas mentor, "it has been hard to explain and I'm sure is hard for our players to deal with as well." "At times we have shown flashes of brilliance and at times we don't know how to react but the teaching and learning and work will continue, we are still in the hunt to get into the playoffs." There were indeed flashes of brilliance for the Pumas during the doubleheader. Trisha Sappington had a pair of two base hits on the day and made a spectacular diving catch in centerfield in the 7th inning of the second game. Ashley Rodriguez smacked a 2 run home run in the nightcap to tie the score at 3 all. Two non-conference twin bills are next for PV on Thursday vs Clackamas CC, WA (2PM) and Saturday vs Skagit Valley CC, WA (12PM).
PV netters improve against Glendale Glendale Community College women's tennis team beat Paradise Valley at Glendale 5-3 Tuesday. But PV, who lost to Glendale 8-1 in the first half of the season, managed to improve the loss by 2 matches at their second meeting. Two of the doubles matches ended in default, with Paradise Valley claiming the No. 1 flight and GCC crediting the No. 2. At No. 3 Glendale’s Anderlin and Tosuner bested Faddis and Maxwell 8-0. In singles Paradise Valley's Natalie Faddis beat Tosuner 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 at No. 6 singles. “This is as big win for Natalie,” said Coach Buchanan. PV also earned a default win at the No. 4 flight. Glendale’s Pehlic topped Kara White 4-6, 3-6 at No. 1 singles. At the second flight Allison McArthur struggled against Andelin who won out 6-1, 6-2 over the Puma. At No. 5 singles Mary McArthur lost out to GCC’s Sauer 6-0, 2-6. GCC and PVCC both forfeited the No. 3 singles spot. PVCC (3-7 in the ACCAC) will host Mesa Community College 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20.
PVCC men swept by Glendale Glendale bested Paradise Valley 9-0 Tuesday in Gaucho country. PVCC who is undefeated in out-of-conference matches, cannot seem to put enough matches together to win more contests in the ACCAC. In singles, all the matches were decided in straight sets. GCC’s Jakub Szymanski beat Oliver Clark 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Eric Schroeder beat PV’s Shaun Rade 61-, 6-3 at No. 2. The Gaucho’s Andy Green wobbled in the second set, but managed to pull out a 6-1, 7-5 win over Micah Briscoe at No. 3. George Laura had some difficulty defeating PVCC's Feroz Rast in the second set, but eventually won out 6-1, 7-6 at No. 4. PV’s Scott Carter and Adam Sutherland were defeated 6-1, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-1 respectively. In doubles the Puma’s gained some games against Glendale but were unable to capture a match. GCC’s Laura and Fesko fought off PV’s Clark and Rade, defeating the pair 8-5 at No. 1. PV’s Rast and Sutherland made the similar gains for the Pumas, losing out 8-5 to GCC’s Schroeder and Elliot. PV lost the No. 2 doubles flight 1-8 The Pumas head to Mesa on Thursday, March 20 to play the Thunderbirds.
Pumas post 601 at Hillcrest The Pumas posted mixed results in the most recent ACCCAC golf tournament, this past Monday and Tuesday at Hillcrest GC in Sun City West. After a disappointing team total of 304 on Monday, PV rebounded somewhat with a sub 300 round of 297 on Tuesday. In each of the last two tournaments, there has been a low round or two posted by the Pumas but the team has not yet played well together over 2 days. Freshman Ross Benson posted a personal season low 71 on Monday, yet PV's next low scores were 75 (Joey Mendenhall) and 78 (Corey Lietzau-Mourer). Benson followed his 71 with a 75 on Tuesday. Trevor German carded a stellar 69 on Tuesday but PV's next low score Tuesday was a 77 from Mendenhall. Benson's 2 day individual total of 146 was just 2 shots out of a medal. PV's scores are somewhat reflective of the conference as a whole. "Teams have been really up and down from tourney to tourney, if our guys put it together we'll be right there at the end," said coach Jack Snyder. "Ross played very well, other than 2 drives on Tuesday he played great," Snyder added. PV finished in 7th place overall in the team standings at Hillcrest but remained well withing striking distance in terms of total strokes. Scottsdale captured the overall team title at 578 besting Chandler/Gilbert (578) in the tie breaker. PV's 601 total was 1 shot better than Mesa, which won last week's tourney. The Pumas are off until March 24/25 when they will test themselves against Papago GC in the GateWay CC tournament. Final team scores: Scottsdale 578 Chandler/Gilbert 578 South Mountain 586 GateyWay 588 Pima 589 Glendale 597 PV 601 Mesa 602 Phoenix 606 Eastern 636
Pumas edge out San Diego CC for win Paradise Valley men's tennis team hung on for a win over San Diego City College Monday, 5-4. Paradise Valley's Feroz Rast determined the final point with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over Dwaine Smith at No. 4 singles. "With everyone watching, Feroz came back after losing the first set in a very short period of time to secure the victory,” said Puma Head Coach Jim Paajanen, “No pressure, he got the job done." Also securing singles victories for the Pumas were Oliver Clark who defeated Tom Andrews 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 and Shaun Rade who topped Chris Sua 6-3, 7-5 at the No. 2 flight. In doubles PV’s Oliver Clark and Feroz Rast beat Tom Andrews and Ray Tabuena 8-3 at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 Micah Briscoe and Shaun Rade bested Chris Sua and Jeffrey Castro 8-2. The Pumas lost matches at No. 3 doubles as well as No. 3, 5 and 6 singles flights. DOUBLES 1. Clark/Rast vs. Andrews/Tabuena PVCC 83 2. Briscoe/Rade vs. Sua/Castro PVCC 82 3. Carter/Sutherland vs. Smith/Delgado SDCC 18 SINGLES 1. Oliver Clark vs. Tom Andrews PVCC 57 63 61 2. Shaun Rade vs. Chris Sua PVCC 63 75 3. Micah Briscoe vs. Ray Tabuena SDCC 26 06 4. Feroz Rast vs. Dwaine Smith II PVCC 16 76 63 5. Scott Carter vs. Elias Delgado SDCC 46 26 6. Adam Sutherland vs. Jeffrey Castro SDCC 36 36
PVCC goes 0-2 in California Paradise Valley Community College women’s tennis team spent their spring break in Southern California taking in some sun, surf and tennis. The Pumas played two matches on their three day excursion, losing to Cerritos College 8-1 and Riverside Community College 9-0. This moves the Pumas 3-8 overall for the year. PVCC’s Jennifer Maxwell won the only match for the trip, besting Cerritos at No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-1. PV’s White and Easterly also came close to a victory at No. 1 doubles against Cerritos losing out in the third set tiebreaker 9-8. The Pumas earned several games against Riverside, but could not put it together for a match win. Despite the losses the Pumas had a great trip and even stopped in to watch the pros at the Pacific Life Tournament qualifying rounds. PV vs Cerritos College 3/12 8-1 Doubles: White/Easterly Cerritos 8-9 (5-7 tiebreak) A.McArthur/Dwyer Cerritos 0-8 Singles: White Cerritos 1-6,2-6 Easterly Cerritos 0-6,2-6 McArthur Cerritos 0-6,0-6 Maxwell Paradise Valley 6-2,6-1 Dwyer Cerritos 0-6,0-6 PV vs Riverside 3/13 9-0 Doubles: White/Easterly vs. Houston/J.Vatelia Riverside 4-8 Maxwell/McArthur vs. Andrade/P.Vatelia Riverside 0-8 Dwyer/Riverside player vs. Meador/Tebeau Riverside 4-8 Singles: White vs. Houston 3-6,4-6 Easterly vs. J Vatelia Riverside 0-6,1-6 Maxwell vs. Andrade Riverside 4-6,0-6 McArthur vs. P Vatelia Riverside 0-6,1-6 Dwyer vs. Meador Riverside 1-6,1-6
Maki and Faris qualify for nationals It was a day for a pair of Pumas and season bests at the Central Arizona Relays & Multi Events outdoor meet last Thursday in Coolidge. Maki a freshman jumps and multi event athlete from Buckeye Union HS, continued her streak of season best improvements qualifying for outdoor nationals in the women’s high jump. Maki placed second in the event, making the 1.60m mark. “Marissa did really well, she keeps improving and is so close right now to making he next height,” said Puma Co-Head Coach Todd Lehman. In the vault sophomore Laura Faris (Cactus) earned a spot to represent PVCC at outdoor nationals in May with her vault of 3.12m. Faris joins teammates Jami Michaud (Mountain View) and Erica Rutley (Canada) who qualified earlier in the season. Michaud and Rutley were one-two in Coolidge. Both hit the 3.57m height, but Michaud took the win with less overall misses. "It was great to see Laura come out and qualify," Coach Lehman said. "The team really pushes each other in practice and in competition." In the decathlon freshman Matthew Tormey (Sunrise Mountain) placed fourth with 5014 points which included two season bests in the ten events. Tormey was second in the men’s long jump with a leap of 6.23 meters for a season-best. He also posted a 8.12m toss for a season best in the shot put. PVCC's men’s 4x100 relay team of Amjad Al-marridi (Barry Goldwater), Juan Mendez (Horizon), Kelly Taylor (Mountain View) and Nicholas Vidaurreta finished third in 43.93. They will need to skim a little more than a second to a 42.22 to qualify. PV sprinters also placed third in the men’s 1600 medley (3:35.97) and the women’s 4x400 relay (4:26.77). In the hurdles sophomore Jacob Desanti posted a season best in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles. He placed third overall in the 110 event in a time of 16.14. In the 400 he placed fourth in 57.92. Freshman, Jacob Bartell (Pinnacle HS) hit a season best height of 1.86m in the high jump. In the throws Bruce Bale (Mountain Ridge) , Chris Hall (Paradise Valley), and Kevin Potter (Lake Havasu) were all able to claim season best marks. The Pumas did not run in any distance races and team scores are not kept. The Pumas will split up this week with half the team competing at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, AZ and the other half at the Glendale Community College Relays.
Pumas sweep twin bill PV's softball squad used solid offense and just enough defense to capture both ends of twin bill yesterday against visiting Mott Comunity College (MI). The Pumas banged out 27 hits on the day during their 6-5 and 8-5 wins. Jamie Glazener allowed only 1 runner to 2nd base prior to the 7th inning in pitching a complete game victory in game 1. Glazener hung on for the win despite a series of defensive mistakes in the 7th. Mott tallied 5 unearned runs to make the game interesting. "That's what we have had a tendency to do, we make one mistake and it has snowballed," said coach Nick Candrea, "Jamie threw perhaps her best game of the year." The Puma offense accounted for 27 hits on the day, 12 in the first game. Trisha Sappington had 5 hits on the day with 3 RBI, Kelsey Carter had 4 hits to go with 4RBI. "We hit the ball well but can still do better in some situations," said Candrea, as his club left multiple runners on base in both games. For the year, the team sports a respectable .320 batting average. In the nightcap, PV scored 4 runs in the 6th inning to overcome a 5-4 deficit and earn the sweep. Winning pitcher Sam Cooley helped herself with a 2 run double in the inning. Cooley had 3 hits on the day with 2 doubles. With runners on first and second, second baseman Lauren Jardin made a nice defensive play to end the game. She snagged a hard hit ball headed for right field and threw to first to seal the win. Five consecutive home doubleheaders in await the Pumas, with three next week. Pima CC, Skagit Valley (WA) and Clackamas Valley (WA) come to PV on Tuesday (3/18), Thursday (3/20) and Saturday (3/22). Division 2 foes Scottsdale and Chandler/Gilbert travel to PV for twin bills the following week.
Pumas place 5th PV's men fell back one place after the second day of competition at Palm Valley GC yesterday. After posting a season low 292 on Wednesday, the Pumas carded a 298 total on Thursday to finish in 5th place out of 10 ACCAC teams. For the second straight tournament, sophomore Trevor German medaled. After a second place finish last week, German finished 6th this week with rounds of 69/75 for an even par total of 144. Fellow soph Joey Mendenhall was 2 shots back at 146 after a one under par 71 in the 2nd round. Paul Trittler continued his improved play with rounds of 73 and 76 for a 149 total. Ryan Busbee posted a 76 for PV on the day. "Our guys are right there and have a chance," said coach Jack Snyder, "we're constantly improving and if we continue to do that we'll be there at the region tourney in May." Trittler's recent play drew praise from Snyder as well, "he struggled early on this year but has posted 2 consecutive good rounds, he is excited as are we all about his play." Mesa captured the team championship with an even par total of 588. In the final standings, Scottsdale, South Mountain, and Chandler/Gilbert were sandwiched in between Mesa's T-birds and the Pumas. "We have closed the gap each week," added Snyder, "our guys are beginning to believe." The Pumas return to action Monday and Tuesday, March 17 and 18 at Hillcrest GC. Tee times both days are at 12 noon.
Going low........the trend continues! For the fourth straight round, PV's Pumas posted a season low score. This time is was a best ever in PV women's team history! The Pumas carded a team total of 318 strokes in the 2nd round of the Mesa CC tournament at Dobson Ranch GC. The 318 total was the tournament low but not quite enough to catch Mesa in the final team standings. PV's rounds of 332 and 318 left them at 650 strokes and in 2nd place, 6 shots behind MCC. Mesa posted rounds of 323 and 321 for a 644 total. "Our kids played great, they should be really, really proud," commented coach Cindy Campbell who was excited as well. "Our kids know what they can do, these are the scores we can and should be shooting, though we still want to and can improve." Alex Ward, playing in the last group of the day and using a tip from assistant coach Riley Darveaux, posted a personal and season best score of 75 to lead the Puma effort. After struggling in Monday's 1st round, Stephanie Ng came through with a 79 on Tuesday. Kendall Martin and Markie Payne tallied 82's in posting the first ever sub 320 team score. The PV golfers will look to continue the trend when they resume play after a 2 week break. Scottsdale CC hosts the next tournament on the schedule, March 24/25 at Pavilion Lakes GC.
Pumas in 4th, scores dropping The Pumas are in the hunt. After a shaky 8th place start in the first tournament of the year, PV's golfers improved to 5th in last week's second event. After todays' first round of the 3rd tourney of the year, the Pumas continued their ascent up the team standings. The Pumas posted a season low team total of 292 at Palm Valley GC, site of this year's NJCAA national tournament, and stand in 4th place. PV is just 1 shot out of 3rd (South Mtn) and 4 shots out of 2nd (Mesa). Scottsdale leads after 1 round at 282. Sophomore Trevor German put up a season low 69 to lead the Puma charge. Ross Benson posted a season low 73. Joey Mendenhall and Paul Trittler added 75's. "Trevor is just playing great golf, he tied the low score in last week's tourney and is just 1 shot back today," said coach Jack Snyder. It was the overall team effort though that drew the most praise from the mentor, "our kids are pretty excited and should be, our progess in the last month has been excellent." "We're looking forward to playing with the big boys in the last group tomorrow," Snyder said of his team's pairings, "Mesa and Chandler/Gilbert were quite a bit in front of us earlier in the year so we'll see how tomorrow goes." In the long run though, tomorrow's round is not as important as the team's ultimate goal of playing well in May at the Regional tournament. Tee times for the Pumas run from 12:15 to 12:52 at Palm Valley GC in Goodyear.
PV Tennis hosts 3rd Annual HS Doubles Tourney PVCC men’s tennis hosted their 4th Annual High School Flight Doubles Tournament on Wednesday, March 12th, with 11 different schools competing. GIRLS The Horizon High School girls were the champions followed by closely by Deer Valley, and in third place North Canyon. The Flight winners were: #1 -- Shelley Johnson and Chelsi Redpath (Horizon), for the second year in-a-row, beat Ashley Brunk/Hallie Liu (Shadow Mt), #2 -- Jessie Trink and Cassie Corcoran (Horizon) beat Alyson Fix/Brittany Brewer (Deer Valley), and at #3 -- Alex Pressler/Cassie Edwards (North Canyon) beat Corrie McDonald/CaseyHenrichsen (Deer Valley). BOYS The North Canyon boys, the defending champions, repeated for the third straight year. Mingus was a close second and Sunrise Mt. finished third. The Flight winners were: #1 -- Joe Adewumi and Sean Sehorn (North Canyon), for the third year in-a-row, beat Brian Thieme/Thanat Khamlua (Mingus), #2 -- Alex Lineberry/Paul Paradise (Mingus) beat Rajit Kapoor/Auggie Cala (North Canyon), and #3 -- Mark Beall/Drew Halley (North Canyon) beat Boaz Witbeck/Josh Rogers (Sunrise Mt). Congratulations to all who competed!
Pumas continue to improve For the third straight round, PV's Pumas lowered their team score. In the first round of the Mesa CC tournament at Dobson Ranch GC, the team posted a season low stroke total of 332. Despite the new team low score, the Pumas were in 2nd place in the team standings behind Mesa (323). Pima was in 3rd at 345 with Chandler/Gilbert in 4th at 397. The overall depth of the Puma squad is showing as the scores of PV's #3 through #6 players comprised the 332 total. Alex Ward posted her season best round of 81. One shot back was Kendall Martin at 82. Shannon Robertson and Kelly Stapleton finshed with 84 and 85 respectively. "Our players were so excited to have played so well," coach Cindy Campbell said, "if we can continue to improve and get contributions from all of our team members we will eventually come out on top." The tournament continues on Tuesday. The second 18 hole round at Dobson Ranch GC begins at 10am.
Puma netters rocket past Rock Valley Paradise Valley breezed by Rock Valley on Monday 7-2 in a non-conference men’s tennis match proving that paper and Pumas can beat rock. PVCC claimed the top five singles matches and two of the three doubles matches to secure the win. At No. 1 doubles Oliver Clark/Shaun Rade defeated Rock Valley’s Jesus Roman and Andy Neyer 8-1. At the No. 2 flight Micah Briscoe and Scott Carter blanked Randy DelaCruz and Tomasso Ignesti 8-0. PVCC forfeited the third flight to give Rock Valley a point. In singles Oliver Clark rolled past RVC’s Jesus Roman 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. At No. 2 PV’s Shaun Rade squeezed past Andy Neyer 7-6, 7-6. Puma Micah Briscoe went 6-1, 6-2 over Rock’s Randy Dela Cruz at No. 4. Though losing his first set 4-6 to Jordan McDonald of Rock Valley, PV’s Scott Carter refocused winning the second and third sets 6-3 to claim the No. 5 singles match for the Pumas. Without a sixth player for the day, the Pumas forfeited the No. 6 singles flight to Rock Valley. The Pumas improved to 4-5 with the win. Even Puma Head Coach, Jim Paajanen got some time on the court, playing a non-competitive match up against Rock Valley in No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles. We are happy to report that he is 2-0. The Pumas will play another non-conference match home on Monday, March 17 against San Diego City College at 2:00pm.
Pumas improving PV's softball Pumas are improving. The lessons though are being learned the hard way. Despite leading through 6 innings in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with Yavapai, the Pumas dropped the game, 4-3 and both ends of the twin bill (5-0/4-3). In the nightcap, freshman pitcher Jamie Glazener threw her best game of the year but was victimized by an errant pick off attempt in the 7th inning of a 3-2 game. The ill fated attempt sailed into left field allowing 2 runs to score, handing Yavapai the win. "Jaime and Sam (Cooley) pitched their best games of the year," said coach Nick Candrea, "the second game was a heartbreaker." Freshman Kim Galindo (3rd base) led PV's offense against Yavapai and had 10 hits in 15 plate appearances for the week. Kelsey Carter added 4 hits on Saturday. Vicki Meza drew praise for her solid defensive work at 1st base. "Our kids have been working hard," added Candrea, "we've been finding ways to lose, we need to turn that around and find ways to win." Despite the slow start in terms of wins and losses, the Pumas still have a shot to reach the playoffs. "We've played 18 games but have 34 still to go, we have yet to play most of the teams that we'll compete against for a playoff berth, so as long as we work hard and continue to improve we'll be fine," he noted. The Pumas travel to Yuma Tuesday for an ACCAC twin bill against AWC, then return home for non-conference doubleheaders against Mott CC (MI) and Lake Land CC (IL) on Friday and Saturday.
Over 100 at open tryout Last Thursday, just over 100 players partcipated at the first ever open tryout for PV baseball. Coach Victor Solis was both surprised and pleased at the turnout. "Things just snowballed in the last 2 weeks," he said, " the response from our community has been incredible." "We were hoping we could find a couple position guys and always are on the lookout for arms," he added. The Puma's fall roster has really taken shape. "We've been able to successfully recruit many of the guys we targeted, hopefully the tryout will just about put an end to our recruiting," Solis finished. Solis and PVCC baseball are indebted to coach Roy Muller and crew at PV High School for use of their facility for the tryout. Field construction, on the PV campus, is slated to be completed by mid-August.
Baseball Field Progress Though the official "Opening Day" or PV's first home baseball game in January of 2009 is still months away, much work has been completed recently to prepare PV's on campus "home field." The field is targeted to be ready for the Pumas to begin fall practice at the beginning of the fall term in August. Here is an update as to specific progress. - The backstop and batters eye are nearly completed. - Dugout walls are up. - Almost all fencing and gates are in. - Dugout roofs are poured. - Foul poles have been added. Work to prepare the infield and foul territory for turf installation began Friday 6/13 and is ongoing. Outfield stolons are to be applied by the end of June. The scoreboard and flagpole are due to be installed by June 26.
Former Pumas chase Olympic dreams Three former PVCC athletes, April Steiner-Bennett, Vince Mosca and Britney Rogers recently competed in the Olympic trials in Track and Field. Another former Puma, Daniel Kanyaruhuru qualified for the meet but chose not to run after a long season that included an NCAA DII Indoor National Championship. Additionally, three athletes that formerly trained at PVCC in preparation for this meet were at the trials as well. "PVCC Track and Field" was well represented and was heard multiple times over the public address system at the trials. Former PVCC Track and Field Athletes at the trials; April Steiner-Bennett: Currently ranked fifth in the country. Placed 5th at the trials in 2004. Contender to make the team. At PVCC for '99 and '00 seasons winning a National Championship and setting four National Juco Records. Vince Mosca: Currently ranked fifteenth in the country. Competed this weekend at the trials but failed to advance to the finals. Placed 13th at 2004 trials. At PVCC for '00 season. Britney Rogers: Currently ranked 26th in the country. Competed last Monday at the trials but failed to advance to the finals. At PVCC for '04 and '05 seasons placing third at the NJCAA championships in the heptathlon. Athletes with PVCC connection; Nick Hysong: 2000 Olympic Champion. Competed Friday at the trials but failed to advance to the finals. Trained full time at PVCC from 2000 - 2004. Still trains at PVCC occasionally. Stacy Dragila: 2000 Olympic Champion. Former World Record holder. Trained full time at PVCC for 2001-2004. Brian DaCunha: 3rd place at 2003 NCAA for Univ. of Florida. Trained at full time at PVCC for 2004 season.
Former Puma earns trip to Beijing Former PVCC pole vaulter April Steiner-Bennett cleared 15' 1" at the US Olympic Track and Field trials over the weekend, claiming a spot on the US National team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Steiner-Bennett, a Mesa Moutain View High School product, competed for PVCC during the '99 and '00 seasons. As a Puma, April established four NJCAA records. She finished 5th at the 2004 trials. http://www.azcentral.com/sports/olympics/articles/2008/07/06/20080706steinerbennett.html
Turf added to PVCC baseball field The dream is becoming reality as turf was added to the baseball field at PVCC last week. On Wednesday, July 23, Tifway 419 sod was added to the infield and foul territory. Mid-iron stolons were applied to the outfield on Thursday, July 24. The first mowing is expected in 3 weeks. Fall practice for Puma baseball is scheduled to begin in eary September.
No need to fear, the underdogs are here The underdogs this year? Maybe. But the Pumas did not let that get in their way in 2007. Battling it out to the end in the Regional tournament in April, the Pumas cinched the third spot and trip to nationals in their very last doubles match. A bit of a nail biter for sure, but the reward was worth the stress. At nationals in Plano, Texas PV showed that they deserved that chance, earning a 12th place team finish the highest placing since the program started in 1996. The Pumas finished the regular season 6-3 in the conference and 12-7 overall. Losing most of their top players from the previous season, the Pumas will have to work twice as hard in 2008. “Six out-of eight players from last year are gone, it is now time to build upon their successes,” says Head Coach Paajanen who is now in his 5th season with the Puma team. Returning for Paradise Valley is OLIVER CLARK a 2nd Team All-American individual player in 2007 with a 5-4 record. Clark also earned conference recognition with doubles partner Mic Saeed, completing the regular season with a 5-2 overall record. Also back for a second year, but first year of competition, is FEROZ RAST who was a red shirt last season. “Oliver and Feroz will be counted on to give leadership to the newcomers,” commented Paajanen. With only two sophomores, the team has to rely on freshman to step-up early and often to win points. A former volleyball player and graduate from Greenway HS, freshman MICAH BRISCOE has the hops to get some of that work done. The volleyball player formula has worked well for PV in the past as 2007 Puma veteran Clinton White, and high school volleyballer, earned the only opening day points at nationals for the Paradise Valley team. Briscoe’s fellow freshman teammate and volleyball player SHAUN RADE (Centennial HS) will also put the cross-sport theory to the test. Completing the Puma team is SCOTT CARTER a former varsity tennis player for Greenway HS and ADAM SUTHERLAND a graduate of Horizon HS. Even if there is not a lot of bark for the Puma team this year, they are ready to take a bite out of 2008; hoping to prove the old adage that “Every dog has its day.” Paajanen is aware that his team is green, but he is optimistic. “The conference has improved from last year and our inexperience will be evident in the early part of the season. There will be no lack of effort from the players and I hope that will make a difference come April and region tournament time.” PV gets their first chance at the Maricopa County Community College District preseason jamboree at the Phoenix Tennis Center February 1. They open the regular season at Gateway Community College on February 7 and their first home contest is against non-conference Imperial Valley College out of California on February 8.
Putting out their best for 2008 The PV Lady Pumas had an incredible season in 2007. Tying for second in the ACCAC the Pumas made their first team trip to the national championships at the Plantation Halifax course in Daytona Beach, FL. Not shy of too much success, they finished in 7th place in the nation just behind conference rivals Pima and ahead of Mesa. Adding the icing to the victory was Puma 4-year transfer Kass McGrath, whose 13th place 321 stroke total earned the first individual NJCAA All-American spot in the program’s nine year history. What could the Pumas do after that? They went to Disney World of course! But now it is time for the Pumas to show that they are more than one drive wonders as they head into their first 2008 season competition, a home match, at Cave Creek GC on February 4-5. Although several of last year’s players are not returning, including McGrath, Coach Campbell is not phased. “We have several awesome players and the depth is to our advantage,” says the optimistic Head Coach Campbell, “We are shooting for number one.” Returning for the Pumas is 2007 2nd team All-Conference player ALEX WARD who peaked at the right time, earning a 4th place medal at the conference closer. Alex finished in 52nd place and third for the team at nationals. Also returning, is STEPHANIE NG who played for the Pumas in 2006. Stephanie was 1st Team All-Conference for the PV, placing 2nd individually during the season. Her hiatus has only made her hungrier for victory. Joining the PV roster for 2008 is freshman KENDALL MARTIN (Canyon Del Oro HS; Tucson) a top 25 finisher in the high school state tournament and consistent top 3 player in SAJGA tournaments. Hailing from Coach Campbell’s day job, Deer Valley HS, is CRISTINA RAMIREZ who will lend her top 6 high school state finish performance to the Puma card. Rounding out the squad are: MARKIE PAINE who played HS golf in Las Vegas, NV and chose PV when her family relocated to Kingman; SHANNON ROBERTSON a two-year high school varsity player and CO-Captain of her St.Mary’s team in 2007; and KELLEY STAPLETON a Saguaro HS graduate and player who earned the 2007 JGAA Sportsmanship Award. Coach Campbell is excited about the prospects. “The talent on the team looks really good,” commented Campbell who is now in her sixth season with the Pumas. “They have a great deal of potential and the goal is to be one of the top 3 teams in conference and qualify for nationals as a team.” The season opening tournament at Cave Creek GC begins at 10:30AM.
It’s a family affair It has been a hard recruiting season for the Pumas. The numbers were up and down on a daily basis leaving the new Head Coach Kristin Buchanan to fear that a full-team may not have emerged to compete. “It's been quite the roller coaster for women's Puma tennis this season. One day we were ecstatic to have a full team of seasoned players, the next we'd receive a call one of the players fell through for various reasons,” said Buchanan. “I was so glad to have my tremendous assistant coach, Tom Walker, with me throughout the ordeal.” Tom, who was a former pro-baseball player, signed on with Kristin to help coach and recruit this fall. Just when things seemed to be at their bleakest, a sudden change of fortune came in the form of a familial bond which prompted two ladies to fill in the remaining spots on the court. Let’s call them “The Mom Squad”. BARBARA EASTERLY (mother of first year player and ASU transfer KARA WHITE) and MARY JO MCARTHUR (mom to second year player ALLISON MCARTHUR) took to the net for the love of the sport and their daughters. The moms were hesitant at first, but upon coaxing from their daughters the pair decided to move from recreational and adult league tennis and take up the racquet for Paradise Valley. “I am super excited,” says Barbara Easterly, “To be a scholarship student-athlete at 42 is fabulous and someday I can tell my grandchildren that their mother and I played together on the same college team!” As for the daughters, they are not bothered about having their moms on the team. “It’s exciting to see my mom out there, it is fun,” says Allison McArthur. Kara White is also pleased with mom turned teammate arrangement. “I am happy for my mom. She really enjoys playing and I am proud to have her on the team,” says Easterly’s daughter Kara, “Having her on the team ensures that we will have a promising season.” Also on the roster for the Pumas this spring is returning player JENNIFER MAXWELL, whose injury kept her off the court most of the 2007 season. 1st year players NATALIE FADDIS (Washington HS) and late addition JAZMIN ZERTUCHE, a transfer from Cochise College in Douglas, AZ, complete the line-up. Freshman MALORIE DWYER (Barry Goldwater HS) will be a red shirt and #1 fan of the Puma netters. The Pumas, who were 4-8 in the conference and 4-11 overall, will try to get off the line of service swinging as they continue to earn more program wins. With a team to field certain, Buchanan is optimistic these days. “The team is thrilled to begin playing matches next week and to see how all their hard work and practice will payoff,” commented Coach Buchanan, “We're excited to have a full team of players with a strong desire to win matches and have fun at the same time. It's going to be a great season for Puma tennis.” The Pumas compete in the Maricopa County Community College District preseason jamboree at the Phoenix Tennis Center February 1. They open the season at Eastern Arizona College on February 5. PV’s first home contest is against Gateway Community College on February 7.
Nine Pumas qualify at track season opener PV opened their ninth Track & Field Season with a bang on January 26th, qualifying one individual for each year of its team's history for the NJCAA Indoor Nationals. On the track, 1st year sophomore Matt Rowell led the way by smashing the 8:58.17 NJCAA qualifying time in the 3000 meter run with a time of 8:54.88. He was followed by freshman teammates Eric Harasyn (8:54.91) and Jeremy Sudbury (8:55.37). Jumping in her first college meet, freshman Marissa Maki hit the 1.55m qualifying mark in the high jump event. Maki also competed well in the long jump with a mark of 4.93m. She will need a 5.37m to qualify. In the pole vault, all four of the lady Puma vaulters earned qualifying spots. Topping the event was freshman Erica Rutley with a jump of 3.50m. Following her closely down the runway were teammates Lauren Cruzan (3.35m), Jamilyn Michaud (3.20m) and Laura Faris (2.85m). For the men, defending pole vault outdoor national champion Kyle Fugit sailed into indoor nationals with his vault of 4.72m. Several Pumas are within striking distance of qualification marks in their events. Kevin Potter was only 47cm from qualifying in the men’s weight throw while Mitchell Moses (600m), Nicholas Vidaurreta (400m, 200m), Juan Quintero (1000m) were only seconds off the pace to make nationals. For full race results visit Direct Athletics at www.directathletics.com/results/track/7835.html . The Pumas get another shot at their respective marks in NAU Lumberjack country at the Mountain T Invitational in Flagstaff on February 2.
Rain or shine, PVCC track opens season The Paradise Valley Community College Track & Field will open their indoor track season as they host the annual Puma Indoor Invitational on Saturday, January 26. The meet, which starts at 11:00AM, is welcome to all-comers as well as teams. Hundreds of participants from around the running community, as well as local 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities are expected at the event. Participants will get to break a new track surface at the Puma home, a project which was completed at the facility in November. A new pole vault pit was also installed. Although rain is forecasted for Saturday, the Pumas will not let it dampen their spirits for the new season. The Pumas completed the 2007 indoor track season in twelfth place for the women and eighteenth on the men’s side at the NJCAA Indoor National meet held at Texas Tech University last March. Two All-Americans, Kyle Fugit and Nancy Piazza, were named in the pole vault event. This year’s prospects look just as good for the Puma team. With several returning veterans, talented freshman and some exciting new coaching staff, the Pumas are ready to work the formula that has kept them as one of the top teams in the conference and nation. “We are excited to get started this year,” commented Coach Lehman, “Our XC kids had a lot of success and are fired up to keep it going on the track. Many of our incoming freshmen had outstanding high school careers and I expect each of them to have tremendous seasons.” DISTANCE The distance team is a bit male heavy this year, but despite the gender gap the team is ready to make all their laps count. Returning for distance events are ANGEL SANCHEZ (Safford HS) and JUAN QUINTERO (Carl Hayden). Sophomores MATTHEW ROWELL (Blue Ridge HS) and STEPHANIE WILSON (Greenway HS), both red shirts in track last year, are more than ready to put on their track spikes for the Pumas. Rounding out the distance events are freshman RENON FURR (North Canyon HS), ERIC HARASYN (Buena HS; 2007 5A DI State Champion 3200m, 1600m Runner Up), JORDAN HUNKE (Bradshaw Mountain HS), GEOFF OLSON (Greenway HS), JEREMY SUDBURY (Las Vegas, NV), MONROE TAHMAHKERA (Mountain View HS). Coming off a very successful cross country season this fall, with a 6th place in the national meet in Illinois, the men’s distance team is ready for the challenges of the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and steeplechase events on the track. The distance team is coached by Co-Head Track & Field Coach Dave Barney. Former Puma and Track and Cross Country All-American, Sereena Harmon will assist for a second season. JUMPS/ MULTIS The jumps and multi team for the Pumas this year are all first year student-athletes. In the numerous jumping events (high, long and triple) are AMJAD AL-MARRIDI (a transfer from Glendale CC), ANGELYN AVERY (Millenium HS), JACOB BARTELL (Pinnacle HS; 2006 Long Jump HS State Champion) and KENNY GUNDRUM (Sinagua HS; HS All-region high/long jump, 200m). Freshman MARISSA MAKI (Buckeye Union HS; 1st State 100m, 200m/2nn in State High Jump) will tackle jumps, sprints and the heptathlon for PV. MATTHEW TORMEY a freshman from Sunrise Mountain HS will compete in the Decathlon. Coaching the multi events in 2008 is Brian Keehn. Keehn who coached with PVCC in 2004 is a former two sport student-athlete at Paradise Valley and two-time All-American in the pole vault and decathlon events. Keehn also participated in Puma soccer. Joining the coaching staff in multis and jumps is Heather Keehn a former All-American at PVCC in the jump and multi events. Heather comes to PVCC after coaching at the high school level in Missouri. SPRINTS/HURDLES Coach George Page will be leading the sprints for his second season as an Assistant Coach with the Pumas this spring. Coach Page made a radical improvement to the sprint program at PV last season as he coached two Pumas to All-American honors and Adrianna Vargas to an individual national championship title in the 800m run at the outdoor nationals. Jennie Otanicar a former coach at Cactus Shadows HS will be taking on the hurdles coaching duties in 2008. Otanicar was a HS All-American and competed at the collegiate level at Kansas University. Returning for the Pumas in the sprints and hurdles events are JACOB DESANTI (Paradise Valley HS), LAURA FARIS (Cactus HS) and JUAN MENDEZ (Horizon HS). Joining the sprints/hurdles team is Amjad Al-Marridi and freshman Angelyn Avery, HAILEY BUSHCUR (Queen Creek HS), Kenny Gundrum, Marissa Maki, MITCHELL MOSES (Mountain Ridge HS; 2004 5A State Champions 4x800) and NICK VIDAURRETA (an import from the M Soccer program). THROWS Recruiting efforts for the 2008 season were focused on building a more comprehensive throws program for the Pumas. This year PV will have four throwers and a new coach, Sara Shisslak a former thrower for and recent graduate of Arizona State University. Returning red shirt KEVIN POTTER (Lake Havasu HS) leads the Pumas with his dedication to weight and skills training in the shot put, discus and hammer. The Pumas picked-up freshman BRUCE BALE (Mountain Ridge HS), CHRIS HALL (Paradise Valley HS) and TARYN THOMPSON (Queen Creek HS). “After an unfortunate accident last year, that kept him from competing, we are excited to see what Kevin Potter can do in the throws,” mentioned Lehman. “His training has gone well and we are happy to have his leadership on the team.” VAULT The Puma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
