1999-2000 in Review

Comets are dominant again

Palomar College enjoyed another dominant year in athletics in 1999-2000, winning State championships in softball and dual-match wrestling.

The Comets captured conference titles in football, women's volleyball, wrestling, men's basketball and softball, and placed second in men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis and men's swimming

Palomar athletes continue to earn four-year college scholarships at record rates. Coach Tom Craft's football team, having to settle for an 8-3 season, Mission Conference championship and 10th bowl appearance in 12 seasons in 1999 after sharing the 1998 National championship, sent 18 sophomores out on Division I scholarships. Coach Marc Eldridge's softball squad, after winning a third State title, sent 12 players out on scholarships.

And the Comets continue to shine in the classroom. Leading the way was football safety Garret Pavelko, a first-team JC Grid-Wire All-American who chose a scholarship offer from San Diego State over Michigan and Kansas State. Pavelko was honored as the outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete for San Diego and Imperial counties in all sports.

Some of the more notable on-the-field highlights of 1999-2000:

• SOFTBALL: The Comets won a 15th straight Pacific Coast Conference championship, then followed that effort with their third State title since 1989. Along the way, they gave Eldridge his 800th victory as Palomar coach.

• WRESTLING: Coach Joe Ismay's team defeated Skyline College of San Bruno, 37-9, for the State dual match title, then finished second to Moorpark in the State tournament.

• FOOTBALL: After winning the country's strongest JC football conference, the Mission Conference, and playing in the Shrine Potato Bowl in Bakersfield, the football Comets were ranked No. 21 in the Nation by the JC Grid-Wire.

• BASKETBALL: Palomar, under first-year coach Virgil Watson, won the college's first conference title since 1978.

• BASEBALL: Coach Bob Vetter guided the Comets to a third straight conference title. Palomar (32-11) advanced to the championship game of the Southern California Regionals before losing to eventual State champion Riverside. During the season, Vetter recorded his 500th win.

• VOLLEYBALL: Coach Karl Seiler's squad went 16-3 on the season and tied Grossmont for the conference title.

• OTHER SPORTS: The men's soccer team saw its string of conference titles broken at four straight, but still went 15-4-4 on the season ... The women's soccer team went 16-2-2 ...After winning two straight conference titles, the men's tennis team had to settle for a 14-3 record and a second-place finish ...The Comets placed ninth in the State meet in men's swimming and 13th in women's swimming.

Off the field, Palomar Athletic Director John Woods, formerly the Comets' longtime succeessful wrestling coach who guided the Comets to five State team titles, was inducted into three Wrestling Halls of Fame, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Comets' football coaching staff was selected as State Staff of the Year. Four former Palomar football players signed NFL contracts. And assistant water polo coach Gubba Sheehy is captain of the U.S. Olympic women's water polo team that will play in Sydney, Australia, in December.

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