FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fred Baer
(650) 483-3733
baerf@smccd.edu
Liao Leads State Women’s Sprinters; Folau Men’s SP Champ; #1 SB Streak At 30; Baseball Leads NC At 10
Four CSM Teams Streak Into State Play With Pacesetting Performances
Sprinter Yan-Jun (Sophie) Liao is emblematic of athletes on four College of San Mateo teams streaking into post-season competition this week.
With more than a hundred California Community Colleges currently fielding sports teams, the top-ranked CSM women’s softball team has a pacesetting 30 game winning streak while the men’s baseball team leads Northern California with an 11-game skein (second longest in the state).
–Liao was a standout at the Coast Conference women’s track and field championships at De Anza College Saturday, running a state-leading time in the women’s 100 meters, 11.75 seconds, and a Northern California 200 meters best of 24.41 (No. 2 in the state) in taking runaway victories. She also stared on two state ranking relay performances.
In the men’s championships, Serra grad Elijah Folau became the ninth straight Bulldog to win the Coast shot put title, throwing 48 feet, 4 inches. He ranks No. 4 in the state with his Stanford Invitational mark of 49-11. The Bulldogs compete in the Northern California trials Saturday (May 4) at Modesto JC – and will host the concluding California Community College Athletic Association state championships May 17 and 18 at College Heights Stadium.
–After finishing regular season play at 37-2, the state top-ranked CSM softball team will open state post-season play Friday, hosting Solano (21-13) in a best of three series Friday and Saturday.
–In similar fashion, the Coast Golden Gate champion Bulldogs baseball team (28-11) entertains Sierra College (29-10) Friday and Saturday in a first round playoff tournament.
CAPPING A GREAT SPORTS YEAR: College of San Mateo looks to cap a great sports year that began with a championship in the toughest CC football conference – with wins over eventual state/national champion Laney and previous state/national champ CCSF in the Bay 6. That was followed by former CSM player Julian Edelman being named Super Bowl MVP!
PLAYOFF RUNDOWN, BY SPORT:
TOP-RANKED CSM BRINGS 30-GAME SKEIN INTO SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS FRI.
Repeating Coast Conference softball champion College of San Mateo (37-2) pits its state-leading 30-game winning streak against visiting Bay Valley Conference champion Solano College (21-13) in a best-of-three state playoff opening series Friday (May 3) at 2 p.m. Competition continues Saturday at 12 noon, adding a third game, if necessary, at approximately 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs are looking for a seventh straight state finals tournament appearance under coach Nicole Quigley-Borg, May 17-19, in Bakersfield.
Emily McAdams led Coast pitchers with 25 wins (No. 1 in the state), a 0.77 E.R.A. (No. 2 in state & No. 1 in NorCal), and 174 strikeouts. The Bulldogs have three of the league’s top hitters – all over .400: Amanda Ubois-Weitenhagen, .495 (with a dozen home runs); Kaylyn Sterling, .410; and Riley Donovan, .404. The Bulldogs lead the state with 38 home runs and a .586 slugging average.
Link to bracket: https://www.cccaasports.org/sports/sball/2018-19/files/SB_NorCal.pdf
CSM TAKES 11-GAME STREAK INTO BASEBALL PLAYOFFS FRIDAY
Following two dramatic title-deciding comeback victories over season-long previous league pacesetter Mission College last week, the College of San Mateo’s baseball team has become the area’s hottest team — winning the title by a 2-game margin over the state batting leading Saints. The Bulldogs (28-11) and only Southwestern College from San Diego County has a longer winning streak (13).
CSM will have the Golden Gate’s top four starting pitchers well rested for the playoffs: Nico Zeglin (5-2, 2.03 E.R.A.), Sean Prozell (7-1, 2.66), Jamie Kruger (7-4, 3.04), and Brett Karalius (3-0, 3.13).
Kruger and Prozell led the GG with seven wins apiece. Kruger had 69 strikeout and Prozell had 64. It was Karalius who came on late as a substitute starter, pitching wins on three consecutive Tuesdays in April — starting with a no-hitter on April 9.
FURTHER NONO RESEARCH: The only previous no-hitter during CSM’s tenure at College Heights was a half century ago, in 1969, by Barry Woodruff, against San Jose City College — according to former coach John Noce. Woodruff later had a minor league career in the Kansas City organization.
Top hitting CSM “regulars” this season are Cole Gabrielson (.354) and Danny Carnazzo (.350). Alec Ackerman (.333), Christian Stepleton (.277), and Justin Torres (.271) each have smashed a half dozen of CSM’s 32 home runs. The Bulldogs rank sixth in the state in home runs and second in doubles with 98 (paced by JJ Ota with 15). Hitting well in late season action have been Daniel Uchqun (.455) and Daniel Haberern (.417).
CSM 3, MPC 2: CSM finished regular season play with a 3-2 win over visiting Monterey Peninsula College on Saturday in a make-up of a previous non-league rainout. Christian Stapleton doubled home Kobe Christo and Cole Sperling with the deciding runs in the fifth inning after Justin Torres managed a RBI walk with the bases loaded to score Anthony Flores (who had two of the Bulldogs five hits in the game). Zach Button (3-1) was the winning pitcher, in relief, and had three strikeouts in two innings.
Link to playoff bracket: https://www.cccaasports.org/sports/bsb/2018-19/files/BSB_NorCal.pdf
COAST T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Including A Top Team Peformance:
LIAO RUNS AWAY WITH SPRINT TITLES; SETS LEADING MARKS; BULLDOGS WIN 3 FIELD TITLES
Yan-Jun (Sophie) Liao electrified the crowd at the Coast Conference track and field championships Saturday. The College of San Mateo freshman from Chinese Taipei won the women’s 100 meters by more than a half second margin in a state leading 11.75 seconds with a meager (and legal) 1.1 meters per second aiding wind. The time is the second fastest in CSM history behind the college record 11.63 by Ronda Robinson in 1983.
She then sprinted away from the opposition in the 200 meters in 24.41 to win by more than a full second over Janice Conley (25.65) of City College of San Francisco, again with legal wind (2.0 mps) – fastest time in Northern California and No. 2 in the state. That ranks No. 3 on the all-time CSM list, headed by Robinson’s 24.08 record.
Liao started the day running the key second leg on the Bulldogs 4 x 100 meter relay that placed fourth in a season best 49.95 (No. 13 in the state). Her 56.8 second leg on CSM’s 4 x 400 relay brought the Bulldogs into second place. A gritty 59.6 anchor by Yashvee Patel closed a large gap on leader De Anza and came just short of catching the Dons at the wire in 4:06.56 (No. 10 in the state). Host De Anza barely held on to win the meet’s concluding fan-pleasing women’s event in 4:06.42. Patel, earlier, placed fourth in the individual 400 in a personal best 1:01.06.
Taina Livai was the big scorer in the field for the Bulldogs, winning the shot put (38-4) and javelin throw (125-8) and placing fourth in the discus throw (112-7) – where teammate Teme Fanguna was the runner-up at 123-3.
That helped San Mateo surprise many of the larger teams, scoring 79 points for fourth place. Hartnell used its depth to win the team title with 165 points.
MEN: Serra grad Elijah Folau won the men’s shot put at 48 feet, 4 inches. He ranks No. 4 in the state with his Stanford Invitational mark of 49-11. Folau also placed sixth in the discus throw at 123-10 – where he has a best of 132-10 entering NorCal competition. Kevin Flores placed fourth in the javelin throw at 134-4.
Jafar Bucknal chased the state’s top hurdler to the finish line twice. The CSM freshman placed second in the 400 hurdles (56.08) and third in the 110 hurdles (15.45), won by Jamal Britt of College of the Sequoias in respective state seasons bests of 51.75 and 14.15.
STATE CHAMPS AT CSM, MAY 17-18: The Bulldogs compete in the Northern California trials Saturday (May 4) at Modesto JC, with region finals also there on May 10. CSM hosts the concluding California Community College Athletic Association state championships May 17 and 18 at College Heights Stadium.
