SWIMMING & DIVING:
Waterman Festival


ABOVE: Palomar's
Misaki Onoue swims to first place in the men's 1000
freestyle at the Waterman Festival. He was clocked
in 10:10.80. BELOW: Haley McCauley
swms the second leg for the Comets' winning women's
200 medley team, which was timed in 2:03.00
PC's men's team swims to title
while women bring home second
SAN
MARCOS (2-05-2012) --The
Palomar men's swimming & diving team brought home the team
championship with 741 points and the Comets' women's squad
placed second with with 512 points. in the Waterman Festival
that concluded a two-day run on Saturday at Wallace Memorial
Pool.
In the Pentathlon portion of the meet on
Friday, the men's team placed nine swimmers in the
top 20, with five in the top 10 . Wyatt Woodworn
took first place, followed by PC teammates Drew
Thomas (third), Cody MoffatT (fourth), Kevin Reichel
(f9fth) and Chaffin Blake seventh.
In the women's pentathlon, Laura Bryant finished
second as the Comets placed four swimmers in the top
20.
In the regular porion of the meet on Saturday,
Palomar's men took hom six first places -- Thomas in
the 100 breaststroke (1:00.47), the 300 breast relay
team (3:49.83), Misaki Onoue in the 1000 free
(10:10.80), and both the 600 ironman relay team and
the 400 free relay team.
For the PC women, the 200 medley relay team
(2:03.00), Bryant in the 100 butterfly (1:03.17 and
Melanie Consiglio in the 50 free (25.93).
BASEBALL: Palomar 7,
Santa Ana 0

ABOVE: Josh Sabourin gets down a
sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning in the Comets'
7-0 win over Santa Ana at Myers Field. Santa Ana
mishandled the bunt, loading the bases. Palomar went
on to score four times in the inning to break open a
3-0 game. BELOW: Winner Julian
Esquibel delivers a pitch on his way to six shutout
innings. The Comets wore camouflage hatsin their
season opener to honor the military. -- Photos by
Hugh Cox
Comets knock off Dons in battle
of ranked teams; Gabrella 3-for-4
SAN
MARCOS (2-03-2012) -- Palomar, ranked No. 8 among
the nation's community colleges by PerfectGame.org, got
six shutout innings from starter Julian Esquibel and three hits
from Nico Garella on Friday as the Comets opened their baseball
season with a 7-0 victory over Santa Ana.
The Dons came to town
ranked No. 1 in California and on the Pacific Coast
by the American Baseball Coaches Association and No.
1 in Southern California by the California Community
College Baseball Coaches Association.
Esquibel, a sophomore right-hander out of Vista High
School, who was the Comets' ace starter a year ago,
scattered four hits in his six innings, getting nine
ground-ball outs and getting strong defensive
support. Freshman left-handers Kyle Montiel and Matt
Silberman came on in relief to preserve the shutout.
Gabrella, a red-shirt freshman shortstop from
Cathedral Catholic High School by way of UC Santa
Barbara, led a 14-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a
double and a run scored as the Comets' leadoff
hitter.
Audie Afenir (2-for-4, double, two runs scored),
Casey Munoz (2-for 2-for--4, double, RBI) and
Christian Johnson (2-for-3, run scored) also had
multiple-hit games.
Danny Hanksley doubled in two runs, .and Tommy Cheek
and Austin Muehring each doubled in a run. Reggie
Jones beat out a suicide squeeze bunt for an RBI
single. Cheek and Josh Sabourin also got down
crucial bunts as the Comets forced the Dons into
erros with nearly-flawless execution.
Palomar played errorlerss ball in back of its
pitchers, and second-generation Comet catcher Audie
Afenir had a big day defensively. He picked off a
runner, threw out a runner trying to steal and made
a good play to get another runner trying to score on
a throw from Munoz in left to complee a game-ending
double play.
Johnson, playing second base, handled seven chances
in the field and turned a double play, taking a
throw from Cheek at short and relaying the ball to
Hawksley at first.
Sabourin also hit safely.
The Comets go on the road to play Ventura on
Saturday at 1 p.m..
-----
Comets again pound ball at plate
but early pitching meltdown fatal
VENTURA (2-04-2012) -- Palomar continued to pound
the ball at lthe plate on Saturday, but early-game pitching
problems proved deadly as the Comets dropped a 13-8
non-conference decision to Ventura.
The Comets, coming off a 7-0 victory over
highly-regarded Santa Ana to open the season Friday,
knocked out 14 more hits against the Pirates, led by
Reggie Jones (3-for-4, double, 4 RBIs, sacrifice
bunt), Tommy Cheek (3-for-5, double, RBI) and Casey
Munoz (3-for-5, double).
Palomar (1-1) couldn't hold early leads of 3-0 after
a half-inning and 4-3 after 1 1/2 innings as Ventura
(1-0) pushed 10 runs (9 earned) on 9 hits over the
first four innings.
The Comets did get a superb relief inning from D.J.
Zapata, who spent three seasons as a quarterback in
the football programs at the University of Montana
and Palomar since last pitching for Mission Hills as
a high school senior. Zapata threw a scoreless
seventh inning, recording two strikeouts and getting
a weak ground out to first base.
Austin Muehring had a double and two walks for the
Comets. Audie Afenir singled and drove in two runs.
Josh Sabourin singled and walked. Nico Garbella
contributed a single.
SOFTBALL: Comets 13,
Eagles 1

ABOVE: Palomar catcher Mia Sprau
tags out Mt. San Jacinto baserunner at the platein
the fourth inning in Comets' 13-1 home-opening win.
-- Photo by Hugh Cox. BELOW LEFT:
Katie Wilford, who went 3-for-4 with a triple,
double and three RBIs.
Same result as Palomar blasts
Mt. San Jacinto in home opener
SAN
MARCOS (2-03-2012) --
It was the same story for the Palomar softball team in its home
opener on Friday as it was in the Comets' double-header sweep of
Victor Valley to open the season on Wednesday.
Another run-rule wiln. Another big day at the plate.
Another strong pitching performance.
The Comets won the non-conference game 13-1 behind
the pitching of Brenna Parker (1-0) and
munltiple-hit performances courtesy of Katie Wilford
(above left), Riesa Tanielu, Mia Sprau, Jasmine
Vogel and Parker.
Wilford went 3-for-3 with a triple, double, and
three RBIs, Taniele (2-for-2, double, three
stolen bases). Sprau was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Vogel
went 2-for-4 with a tiple, doule and RBI. Parker
was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Coach Lacey Craft's Comets are 3-0 and have
outscored their opponents 38-1 going into a home
game vs. Saddleback on Monday at 3 p.m.
W. BASKETBALL: Palomar
56, IVC 38

Ashley Witherspoon drives against Imperial Valley on
Friday evening. She pulled up and scored on the play
(below). -- Photos by Hugh Cox
Comets play best game as they
turn back Arabs on cancer night
SAN
MARCOS (2-03-2012) --
Coach Leigh Marshall's Palomar basketball team was at its best
on Friday evening in the first game of the Coaches vs. Cancer
double-header with the men's team.
The Comets opened up a 10-point halftime lead and
went on to rout the Arabs 56-38 at The Dome.
Alliya Pinckney led the Comets (5-18, 3-6) with 13
points. Mariah Bennet scored 11
points.
Palomar helped itself by going 13-for-14 from the
free throw line. Soli Faapouli went 4-for-4 from the
line.
After trading the early lead back and forth with the
Arabs, the Comets went on top 18-17 on a Faapouli
bucket and began to draw away after that.
M. BASKETBALL: Knights
68, Comets 58

ABOVE: Nate Coleman takes the ball
to the hole to score for the Comets against San
Diego City College. BELOW: Vuk
Ecmecic puts the ball up on a put-back after a
missed shot by the Comets. -- Photos by Hugh Cox
First-place City buries 14 3's and
turns back Palomar at The Dome
SAN
MARCOS (2-03-2012) --
Visiting San Diego City College swept in to town on Friday
evening and knocked down 14 3-point shots, five by Stephon
Lamar, as the Knights beat Palomar 68-58 to remain alone atop
the Pacific Coast Athletic Conferencve.
Monas Stephens went 10-for-13 from the field as he
led four Knights in double figures with 23 points.
Lamar had 19 points.
For the Comets, Chris Gorman went9-for-10 from the
free throw line and finished with 21 points.
He also dished off four assists and played a key
role in bringing Palomar, which trailed by as many
as 23 points, back in the second half to make the
game respectable.
Vuk Ekmecic was 6-forp-7 from the
field and had 15 points and eight rebounds for the
Comets in only 12 minutes of playing time.
Joe Vaz contributed 11 rebounds, including four on
the offensive board. Vaz, Chamron Morgan and Zach
Ramirez each tallied eight points.
FOOTBALL: Signings,
Transfers
Westbrooks (Nevada) and Kose
(Montana) sign; List is at seven

SAN MARCOS (2-01-2012) --
Palomar sophomore receiver Nigel
Westbrooks (left, Mission
Hills High School) signed with the University of Nevada on
Wednesday, bringing the list of Comets from last football season
moving on to play at the 4-year level to severn and still
counting.
Linebacker Jeremiah Kose (right), who
came to Palomar from Vista High School, also signed
on Wednesday, with the University of Montana.
Westbrooks caught 52 passes for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns
during the 2011 season. He tied a Palomar record with four
touchdown receptions in a 44-41 win over Saddleback on Nov. 5.
In two seasons at Palomar, he had 91 receptions for 1,187 yards
and 12 touchdowns.
Kose recorded 88 tackles, second highest on the team, 7 tackles
for losses, 5 sacks, 2 pass break-ups, 2 quarterback hurries, 4
fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble. He stole the ball from a
Fullerton player and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown in a
41-18 victory over the Hornets on the road on Oct. 22.
Five Comets transferred at the semester break -- receiver Alex
Wheat to Utah State, quarterback David Fisher (Vista High) to
Kent State, linebacker Adam Witzmann (La Costa Canyon) to
Charleston Southern, safety Devin Taverna (Oceanside) to South
Dakota and slot receiver Dallas Butler (Misiion Hills) to the
University of San Diego.
Wheat and Kose both are freshmen.
M. BASKETBALL: Comets 81, Olympians 66

ABOVE: Zach Ramirez, whose 11
first-half points enabled the Comets to take a
four-point halftime lead, steals the ball from
Mesa's Chris Barrow on Wednesday evening. Ramirez
took the ball in to score on a layup. BELOW
LEFT: Chris Gorman drives off a pick. --
Photos by Hugh Cox
Palomar rolls up SD Mesa ...
Double-doubles for Morgan, Vaz
SAN
DIEGO (2-1-2012) -- Chris Gorman (18 points, 5
assists), Chamron Morgan 16 points, 12 rebounds) and Joe
Vaz (13 points, 10 rebounds) led visiting Palomar to an
81-66 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory
ast San Diego Mesa on Wednesday night.
Zach Ramrez scored all 11
of his points in the first half in leading the
Comets to a 40-36 lead at intermission.
Morgan also had a crucial defensive performance in
the second half, holding Mesa's best player Dee
Hugie to just six points over the last 20 minutes.
Vaz, playing with an injury, was 3-for-3 shooting
and 7-for-7 from the free throw line for Palomar.
Vaz gavethe Comets the
lead for good when he dropped in two free throws
with 6:15 remaining in the game.
SOFTBALL: Palomar at
Victor Valley
Avii ignites Comets' 15-0, 10-0
opening sweep of Rams on road
VICTORVILLE (2-01-2012) --
Samantha Avii (left) pitched a
shutout in the first game and went 7-for-8 on the day on
Wednesday as Palomar swept a season-opening doubleheader from
Victor Valley 15-0 and 10-0 in a pair of five-inning mercy-rule
games on the road.
Avii struck out seven in four innings and Bree Burns
came in to strike out the side in the fifth in Game
1. Brenna Parker was 4-for-4 at the plate with a
triple, three runs scored and three RBIs. Avii was
4-for-4, scored two runs and drove in two runs.
Katie Wilford was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs
scored. Raea Tanielu homered.
Burns pitched a shutout in Game 2. Avii (3-for-4,
double, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs) led the Comets at the
plate. Parker was 2-for-4 with a home run and
four RBIs.
PCAC: Academic All-Conference
Honorees
71 fall sports Comets receive
academic all-conference honors

SAN
MARCOS (1-31-2012) -- The
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference has honored 71 Palomar fall
sports athletes as academic all-conference award winners.
Minimum qualifications for
the award include at least a 3.0 grade-point average
on a 4.0 scale, successful completion of at least 12
units of coursework and active participation on an
intercollegiate athletic team.
Nine athleties
achieved
straight-A 4.0 grade-point averages -- Austin Cloes
(above left) from the men's basketball team, Gianna
Cioe (women's golf), Natasha Bartolotti and and
Lauren Weiler (women's soccer), Anneke Bulthuis
(above right), Elle Farrell and Jennifer Godfrey
(women's volleyball) and Chloe Heath and Michelle
Thornbury (women's soccer).
Football had the most
honorees (19), followed by wrestling (8), women's
soccer (7), women's water polo (7), women' golf (6),
women's cross country (5), women's basketball (4),
women's volleyball (4), men's basketball (3), men's
soccer (3), men's water polo (3) and men's cross
country (2).
More than half of the 71 all-conference qualifiers
had grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher, while the
147 fall sports athletes who passed 12 or more units
achieved an aggregate 3.04 GPA. Women;s golf had an
aggregate 3.52 GPA, women's water polo 3.21 and
women's volleyball 3.17.
Palomar's All-PCAC academic all-conference award
winners:
MEN'S BASKETBALL -- Austin Cloes,
Chris Gorman, Joe Vaz
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL -- Irene
Amezcua, Mariah Bennett, Katelyn Bonner, Tiana
Dominick
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY-- Joshua
Lemack, Omar Romero
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY -- Kathryn
Bouvatte, Courtney McvGowan, MaryElizabeth Morones,
Mayra Olea, Katie Sanger
FOOTBALL -- Erik Aunese, Brandon
Blinn, Jon Conde, Michael Connelly, David Fisher,
Gabriel Frost-Horton, Brandon Green, Kyle Greenwood,
Demarcus Henderson, Morgan Kimbarow, Eugene Lott,
David Moodie, Manasee St. Vil, Josh Sherlock, David
Villanueva, Anthony Walker, Alex Wheat, Adam
Witmann, D.J. Zapata
WOMEN'S GOLF -- Sadye Busby, Gianna
Cioe, Taylor Crandall, Allysa Masaniai, Natascha
Wiebe, Bobbi Wolfenden
MEN'S SOCCER -- Ricardo Godino,
Alexis Mercado, Javier Sanchez
WOMEN'S SOCCER -- Natasha
Bartolotti, Kelsey Kyneson, Keriann Nomura, Tessa
Stark, Sara Stotler, Lauren Weiler, Sarah West
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL -- Anneke
Bolthuis, Elle Farrell, Jennifer Godfrey, Andrea
Johnson
MEN'S WATER POLO -- Dan Hartl,
Stephen Krvk, Htrhh Knapp
WOMEN'S WATER POLO -- Chloe Heath,
Hailey Holthaus, Michelle Thornbnury, Jessica
villareal, Kimberly Walters, Charlie Warburton,
Stephanie West
WRESTLING -- Jacob Asaeli, Chris
Bascon, Cody Gratis, Matt Lewellen, Jarrod Mcehee,
Simon Olguin, Tim Randall, Kyle Vexler
FOOTBALL: 4-Year
Transfer Report
Wheat moves on to Utah
State;
Butler to University
of San Diego
LOGAN,
Utah / SAN DIEGO
(1-26-2012) --
Palomar freshman outside receiver
Alex Wheat (right, photo by Hugh Cox) has transferred to Utah State. Slot receiver Dallas
Butler has transferred to the University of San Diego. Both are
enrolled.and attending classes.
Wheat, who caught 47 passes for
854 yards and 11 touchdowns this past fall, joins a team that
dropped its opener to defending BCS national champion Auburn
42-38, dropped its season finale 24-23 in the Famous Idaho
Potato Bowl in Boise and in between won seven of 11 games.
The Aggies placed second in the
WAC.
Mission Hills High product Butler
caugtht 23 passes for 339 yards and a touchdown during his
sophomore season. USD went 9-2 and won the FCS Subdivision
(I-AA) Pioneer Football League.
Other players from the Comets' 2011 team who transferred at
the semester and are already in class are quarterback David
Fisher (Kent State), linebacker Adam Witzmann (Charleston
Southern) and safety Devin Taverna (University of South Dakota).
Linebacker Jeremiah Kose
will sign with Montana next Wednesday. Receiver Nigel Westbrooks
is expected to sign with Nevada the same day.
M. BASKETBALL:
MiraCosta 73, Palomar 58
Comets' 6-point lead at
halftime
disappears as Spartans win by 15

OCEANSIDE
(1-28-2012) --
Palomar opened up a 34-28
halftime lead over Highway 78 rival MiraCost ain a
nearly-packed, noisy gym at MC on Saturday evening.
But the Comets, basically, did not show up for the
second half.
The Spartans' pressing defense and Palomar's 27
turnovers did the Comets in as MiraCosta won the
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference game 73-56,
breaking Palomar';s modest two-game winning streak.
"This was not the same team we were last week, or
Wednesday night," said a disappointed Palomar coach
John O'Neill, whose Comets were coming off
impressive performances in back-to-back wins over
Miramar and Grossmont.
For the Comets, Jake Duffy (above left) scored 15
points, 12 in the first half, and also grabbed five
defensive rebounds before fouling out. Three Comets
fouled out in the game.
Chamron Morgan also was in double figures for
Palomar with 14 points. Nate Coleman (above right)
grabbed 11 rebounds.
Joe Vaz contributed eight points and seven rebounds
off he bench. Chris Gorman, averaging 21 points on
the season but held scoreless in the first half,
went 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the second
half and finished with nine points.
Morgan led the Comets with four assists.
French import Baptiste Boucharel led MiraCosta with
23 points and had a pair of big dunks.
M. BASKETBALL: Comets
86, Grossmont 66
Palomar rallies from 17-2 deficit
to blow out the G-House at Dome

SAN
MARCOS
(1-25-2012) --
Chamron Morgan (left) contributed another
double-double and Chris Gorman (right) had 23 points
and nine assists on Wednesday evening as Palomar
came back from an early 17-2 deficit to beat
Grossmont 86-66 in a Pacific Coast Athletic
Conference men's basketball game at the Dome.
Morgan finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds as
Palomar roared back to take a 33-30 lead at the
half. The Comets led 71-47 with 1:43 to play in the
game.
Jake Duffy also scored in double figures for coach
John O'Neill's squad with 12 points. Gorman and
Duffy each drained four 3-pointers.
Nate Coleman added seven points. Zach Ramirez, Drew
Allen, Lee Staples and Joe Voss sparked the Comets
off the bench. Vuk Ekmecic made his second straight
start but exited the game after eight minutes with
an ankle sprain.
Palomar will go after its third straight win when
the Comets travel to Highway 78 rival MiraCosta on
Saturday for a 5 p.m. game.
W. BASKETBALL: Palomar
63, MCC 60
Comets beat rival
MiraCosta on
Pinckney's late steal
and layup
SAN
MARCOS
(1-20-2012) -- Alliya
Pinckney (left, photo by Hugh Cox), a freshman from Mt. Carmel High School,
stole the ball and took it in for a lay-up with 10
seconds left to clinch Palomar's 63-60 women's
basketball win over North County rival MiraCosta on
Friday evening at The Dome.
It was by far the biggest victory for
coach Leigh Marshall's Comets since she took over a
program with no returning players after the former
head coach and her replacement walked away from the
program in the summer and fall of 2010 -- leaving a
program that had won three straight conference
titles in shambles. The 2010-11 Comets went winless
after Marshall was hired by September 2010, after
classes had started.
"We recruit the same players, so this one means
something," Marshall told the North County Times.
Added Marshall: who took over a similar program in
shambles at Orange County's El Modina High School
and had her team in the CIF Southern Section
playoffs two years later: Until now, these girls
didn't know what it was like to win a close game.
Maybe this is the game that gets us over the hump."
Tina Dominick (14 points), Tesa Balcom (10) and
Pinckney (10) led Palomar in scoring. Katelyn Bonner
and Ashley Witherspoon each had 7 rebounds.
The Comets are 4-15, 2-3 in the Pacific Coast
Athletic Conference. The Spartans fall to 5-12, 1-3
M. BASKETBALL: Palomar
93, Miramar 86
Gorman (33
points) and Morgan
(15 pts, 15 RB) ignite
road win

SAN
DIEGO
(1-20-2012) -- Chris
Gorman (left, 33 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) and
Chamron Morgan (right, 15 points, 15 rebounds) led
Palomar to a 93-86 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference
men's basketball win at Miramar on Friday night.
Gorman and Morgan received plenty of
assistance from Jake Duffy (14 points, 6 rebounds
from his guard position, 6 assists, 2 steals),
Nate Coleman (14 points, 6 rebounds) and Zach
Ramirez (9 points, 6 key free throws on 6 attempts)
as the Comets avenged an earlier loss to the Jets at
home.
Palomar jumped out to early leads of
8-0 and and 22-8, fell behind, re-took the lead on
Gorman's bucket off Duffy's assist, stretched its
lead to 4 points on a Duffy 3-pointer and converted
16 of 17 free throws down the stretch. Ramirez''
perfect free throw shooting gave PC 5 of its last 8
points.
Gorman, the 5-foot-10 freshman
out of El Camino High School , went 10-for-17 from
the floor, 4-for-9 on 3-pointers and 9-for-10 from
the foul line.
Coleman,. Duffy and Joe Vaz
contributed momentum-changing blocks in the second
half. Vaz also had 6 rebounds.
Alberto Ganis, a freshman guard from
Italy who was PCAC Men's Athlete of the Week after
leading Miramar to two victories last week, led the
Jets with 21 points.
Palomar (5-14, 3-6), which has been
frustrated by blowing big leads all season long but
trying to end the season with al hot finish, will
try to make it three victories in its last four
games against Grossmont on Wednesday at the Dome at
5 p.m.
FOOTBALL: Alumni Coaching Update
Buh is named linebackers
coach
at the University of Wisconsin
MADISON,
Wisconsin (1-18-2012) -- Andy
Buh, who was a first-team J.C.
Grid-Wire All-American linebacker at Palomar, was named
linebackers coach at the University of Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Until Wednesday, Buh has been
defensive coordinator at Nevada and was formerly co-defensive
coordinator and linebackers coach at Stanford.
He also coached at Cal, San Diego
State and Fresno State. He was a starting linebacker for
two seasons at Nevada after two seasons with the Comets.
Buh steps in for
DeMonte Cross, who resigned as the Badgers'
linebackers to become the new linebackers coach at
the University of Kansas.
Wisconsin's 2011 team won the Big
Ten championship game from Michigan State before losing 45-38 to
Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
FOOTBALL: Alumni Coaching Update
Kaumeyer leaving NFL for
Hawaii defensive coordinator job
HONOLULU (1-12-2012) --
Former Palomar
J.C. Grid-Wire
first-team All-American safety and ex-Comet coach Thom
Kaumeyer, who, has been a defensive coach for the
Jacksonville Jaguars for four seasons,
is returning to college football as the new
defensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii.
Kaumeyer previously was defensive coordinator at San
Diego State, Tulane and Kentucky and spent two years
as an assistant with the Atlanta Falcons.
He was
an assistant at Palomar and also spent one season as
the Comets' head coach, guiding Palomar to a 7-4
record and a bowl victory in 1994.
As a
player, Kaumeyer went on from Palomar, where he
starred for two seasons, to make All-Pac 10 at
Oregon. After originally being drafted by the Los
Angeles Rams, he played in the NFL for the Seattle
Seahawks and New York Giants.
In Honolulu, new
Hawaii head coach Norm Chow told the Associated
Press that Kaumeyer is a "great defensive
mind" who "will be a great tutor to younger
defensive coaches."
FOOTBALL: 2012, 2013 Re-Alignment
Santa Ana, Coast, Golden
West
join Comets' football
conference
LONG
BEACH
(1-12-2012) --
Palomar's football conference, the National Division
Southern Conference, will lose two teams and pick up
three for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, as part of the
Southern California Football Association
re-alignment announced on Thursday.
Mt.
SAC will leave for the Central Conference, with
Pasadena City College departing for the Northern
Conference.
The
Mounties and Lancers will be replaced in the
Southern Conference by Santa Ana, Orange Coast and
Golden West. The Comets, Grossmont, Saddleback and
Fullerton remain in the conference. Schedules have
not yet been announced.
The
SCFA moves to three conferences in its top tier,
instead of two. There will be two lower-tier
conferences, and there will be two tiers instead of three..The
Southern, Central and Northern Conference champions
will qualify for the Southern Cal playoffs and be
joined by the top-ranked remaining team from both
the Upper and Lower tiers.
The new SCFA Division
/ Conference alignments:for the 2012 and 2013
seasons:
UPPER
TIER (NATIONAL DIVISION)
SOUTHERN
CONFERENCE -- Palomar,
Grossmont, Saddleback, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Orange
Coast, Golden West
CENTRAL
CONFERENCE -- Mt.
SAC, El Camino, College of the Desert, Long Beach
City College, Riverside Community College, Citrus,
Los Angeles Harbor
NORTHERN
CONFERENCE --
Cerritos, Hancock, Bakersfield, Ventura, Moorpark,
College of the Canyons, Pasadena City College
LOWER
TIER (AMERICAN DIVISION)
MOUNTAIN
CONFERENCE -- San
Diego Mesa, Southwestern, San Bernardino Valley, Mt.
San Jacinto, East Los Angeles, Victor Valley,
Compton, Chaffey
PACIFIC
CONFERENCE -- West
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Valley, Los Angeles Pierce,
Santa Monica, Los Angeles Southwest, Santa Barbara
City College, Glendale, Antelope Valley
ALUMNI UPDATE: Major
League Baseball
Saladino ranked as
third-best
prospect in White Sox system
CHICAGO
(1-10-2012) -- Former
Palomar shortstop Tyler Saladino will head to Major League
spring training with the Chicago White Sox for the second
straight season ranked as one of the top prospects in the Sox'
organization.
Two web sites, Baseball Instinct.com and
Bullpen Banter.com, both rank the former Comet and 2010
Summit League Player of the Year at Oral Roberts University as
the third-best prospect at all positions in the White Sox
organization.
Saladino sustained a fractured
hand in a Major League spring training game for the White Sox a
year ago and missed more than a month to begin the season before
slugging 16 home runs with 26 doubles, nine triples and a .501
slugging percentage at Double-A Winston-Salem.
He'll report to White Sox Major
League spring training camp at Glendale, AZ for the second year
in a row as a non-roster player. The other ex-Comet reporting to
Major League spring training, pitcher Nick Vincent, is on the
San Diego Padres' 40-man roster.
Saladino dominated for the Comets
during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, then also dominated Division I
pitching during his junior season at Oral Roberts in 2010 before
being drafted by the White Sox in the seventh round.
He'd been a 36th-round selection
of the Houston Astros coming out of University City High School
in 2007.
Saladino credits his two seasons
with the Comets so much for his development as a baseball player
that he lists "Palomar" instead of "Oral Roberts" as his college
on all of his Major League and Minor League bios.
On the fast track to making the
Sox' Major League roster, Saladino was one of three ex-Comets
who spent the past off-season in the prestigious Arizona
Instructional League.
Comets 4th in SoCal, 6th in
state
SAN
MARCOS (1-10-2012) --
Palomar is ranked No. 4 in the pre-season among
Southern California community college baseball teams
sixth in the state and No. 8 on the West Coast as
the Comets await their 2012 opener Feb. 3 at Myers
Field against Santa Ana.
The
Dons are No. 1 in all three polls.
The
Southern Cal poll was released by the California
Community College Baseball Coaches Association. The
American Baseball Coaches Association sponsors the
state and Pacific Divisions (California, Oregon,
Washington) rankings.
Among teams ranked in
the Top 20 in the Southern Cal poll, coach Buck
Taylor's Comets will play No. 1 Santa Ana twice, No.
2 Orange Coast twice, No. 5 Cypress once, No. 14
Southwestern five times and No. 17 San Diego Mesa
five times during the regular season.
SOUTHERN CAL:
1 Santa Ana, 2 Orange Coast, 3 Rio Hondo, 4 Palomar, 5 Cypress,. 6
Glendale, 7 Cuesta, 8 Chaffey, 9 Riverside CC, 10 Hancock. ... STATE: 1 Santa Ana, 2
San Joaquin Delta, 3 Orange Coast, 4 Rio Hondo, 5 Cypress, 6 Palomar,
7 Ohlone, 8 Cypress, 9 Sierra, 10 Glendale. ... PACIFIC
DIVISIONS (CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON): 1 Santa Ana, 2 San
Joaquin Delta, 3 Bellevue (WA), 4 Orange Coast, 5 San Mateo, 6
Rio Hondo, 7 Lower Columbia
(WA), 8 Palomar, 9 Ohlone, 10 Cypress
FOOTBALL: Final 2011 National
Rankings
Grid-Wire ranks Comets
18th in
nation at conclusion of
season
KIRKLAND,
Washington
(12-12-11) --
The J.C. Grid-Wire has ranked Palomar No. 18 in the nation at
the conclusion of the 2011 football season.
City College of San
Francisco, which defeate4 Mt. SAC 52-42 for the CCCAA California
state title on Saturday in San Francisco, is the Grid-Wire's
2011 national champion.
East Mississippi,
which defeated Arizona Western in the NJCAA championship game
(non-California community colleges) was No. 2, followe3d by No. 3
Butler (Kansas) and No. 4 Mt. SAC.
JCGrid-Iron.com
of Lake Forest, California, ranks East Mississippi and San
Francisco 1-2, and ranks Palomar a final No. 22.
SOFTBALL: National
Honor
Eldridge will
join D-I coaches
in national
fastpitch Hall of Fame
LAS
VEGAS, Nevada
(12-3-11) --
Longtime Palomar coach Mark Eldridge will become the third community
college coach in history and the first in nine years to be inducted
into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the
NFCA announced Friday.
Eldridge will be one of three inductees in the Class
of 2012 next December at the NFCA National Convention at Orlando,
Florida, along with Patty Gasso (University of Oklahoma) and Donna
Papa (University of North Carolina). The announcement was made in
Las Vegas, site of the 2011 convention.
Eldridge will become the sixth coach
from a California college or university to be inducted into the
Hall of Fame, joining Sharron Backus (UCLA, 1991), Judy Garman (Cal
State Fullerton, 1993), Sue Enquist (UCLA, 2006), Gary Torgeson (Cal
State Northridge, 2008) and Diane Ninemire (Cal, 2009)
Eldridge retired from his second
stint at Palomar after the 2010 season, finishing with a
1,083-304-5, record, 29 conference championships and three state
titles. He joins Lorene Ramsey ((Illinois Central College, 1992) and
Celeste Knierim (St. Louis Community College, Meramec, 2003) as the
only community college coaches along-side 54 from 4-year colleges in
the Hall of Fame.
BASEBALL: Major League
Baseball
Padres elevate ex-Comet Vincent
to 40-man
Major League roster
SAN
DIEGO
(11-19-11) --
Right-hander Nick Vincent, who made a quantum jump
in his baseball career while pitching at Palomar,
was elevated by the San Diego Padres to their 40-man
Major League roster on Friday.
Vincent, 25, a Ramona
High School product, came into his own as a Comet
with 20 career victories, second-best in Palomar
history.
After an outstanding
junior season at Long Beach State, he was drafted
and signed by the Padres in 2008. Vincent was a
finalist for Outstanding Double-A Reliever in Minor
League Baseball in 2011. He was
8-2 with 3 saves, a 2.27 ERA
and 54 hits, 89 strikeouts and 20 walks in 79 1/3
innings
in helping lead San Antonio to the Texas League
championship and best record of any minor league
team on any level..

ABOVE: Palomar's state
championship women's golf team is shown after winning the 2011 CCCAA
State Championship on Tuesday. -- CCCAA Photo. BELOW RIGHT:
Taylor Crandall, who shot a 76 for the best score of the day Tuesday
in Hanford and won the title for the Comets with a 20-foot punt on
the final hole.
Taylor's birdie brings Comets
from
behind to CCCAA state title

HANFORD
(11-15-11) -- Taylor Crandall
(left) dropped in a 20-foot birdie putt on
the 18th hole Tuesday, giving Palomar a come-from-behind win and the
CCCAA State Community College team women's golf title on Tuesday at
Kings Country Club. Crandall carded a tournament-low 76 for the day
for a two-day 158 total.
Crandall tied for third. Meghan Hardin
(161) tied for seventh, Natascha Wiebe (163) tied for 10th and Sayde
Busby (164) tied for 12th. Bobbi Wolfenden and Gianna Cioe both had
180s.
Crandall's putt gave the Comets (646) a
one-stroke win over Glendale (647) when a Vaqueros golfer took a
double bogey on the hole. Sacramento City College was third at 676.
Modesto was fourth at 700.
“We started
the day four strokes back against a really good team (Glendale,
the Southern California champion) and didn’t make it up until
the 18th green," Palomar coach Mark Eldridge said.
"Glendale led for 35 of 36 holes, but we got it done when it
counted.
"We didn’t
play our best golf, but we played tough golf. It was a long
course (5,924 yards) and a tough course (par 73). We knew every
stroke counted and we kept our focus and concentration.”
Tuesday's
state team championship at the historic King's Country Club
course, which opened in 1924, means Eldridge has been a coach
for multiple state championship teams during his tenure at
Palomar in four sports, -- as head softball and women's golf,
and as a defensive coordilnator in football as well as javelin
coach for the 1977 men's state track & field champions when he
was future world record holder Tom Petranoff's first-ever coach
in the event.:
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