Track and Field Team Poised to Defend Title

BY ELI MILCHMAN
Staff Writer

DAN ELDRIDGE / GUARDSMAN

Rams are known for their speed, power and agility, and the track and field team embodied the traits of their namesake by winning the Coast Conference Championships in dramatic fashion.

“We’re calling out the entire NCAA,” said 18-year-old runner Justin Sibley, just weeks before he and the rest of the City College track and field team defeated seven other teams that make up the rest of the conference.

In a display of complete domination, the men’s track team won 10 out of the 12 running events, missing first only in the 10,000-meter run (4th) and the 3,000-meter steeplechase (3rd).

The team also claimed both first and second place in seven of the running events and won the prestigious 4x100m relay.

Women’s track and field standout Shawna Ellis swept all her events, winning the triple jump, long jump, 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.

In 2004, the Rams were California Junior College State track and field champions, and this year they are in good shape to bag that title again.

One effect of the fame and re-cognition from being the state champions is that it attracts athletes.

“If you want to run, you come here,” track coach Greg Bianchi said.

“I think we have more depth,” said head coach Doug Owyang, speaking about the difference between this year’s team versus last year’s.

“Instead of relying on one guy to pick up points we have three guys who can score we’re definitely deeper.”

Owyang often takes the team to top-level meets and pits them against pro-caliber athletes. “Last year, we ran against guys who ran in the Olympics,” said Owyang, referring to a 4x400 relay race at the 2004 Stanford Invitational where the Rams faced a team anchored by Olympic gold medalist Maurice Green.

“Stretch” Shelton and Bobby Jones sprint down the track in preparation for the NorCal Championships in Modesto. DAN ELDRIDGE / GUARDSMAN

Currently, the men’s team holds top 10 spots in eight of 14 track events in the National Junior College Athletics Assoc-iation in California.

While the men’s team strides forward, the women’s team appears on only two top-10 lists, the triple jump and long jump. Because of Title IX, which requires parity between men’s and women’s collegiate teams, junior colleges tend to benefit from the overflow of male athletes not getting into four-year colleges.

For female athletes, it’s a different story: A lower number of women athletes in general, combined with an abundance of scholarship money from four-years schools, results in many junior college women’s teams lacking muscle.

All the more stunning then, that the Rams can draw the dy-namic Ellis out of their quiver of athletes, who joined the Rams last semester after turning down several scholarships from state schools.

The 5-foot-2-inch Ellis currently leads the California junior college lists in the triple jump, and is fourth in the long jump.

“She’s a smaller girl compared to the rest of the girls, but she’s got a lot of pop … she’s like a coil spring,” Bianchi said. The Rams will compete at the finals for the Nor thern California Championships on May 5 and May 6 at Modesto College.

e-mail: emilchman@theguardsman.com

Rams Track

City College competes in three jumping events and three throwing events.

The jumping events are the triple jump, high jump and the long jump. In the triple jump, athletes run to a designated mark from which the jump is measured. Competitors must successively perform a hop, skip and a jump in continuous movement, and finally landing in a sandpit. For the high jump, competitors leap over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights. The long jump is where competitors sprint down a runway and jump as far as they can off a slightly raised wooden board. The distance is then measured by the indentation in the sandpit where the jumper lands.

In throwing events, the Rams participate in the javelin throw, discus and shot put. The javelin is a spear made of metal and fiberglass that weighs 1.5 pounds. It is thrown after running to a painted line at the end of a runway. The discus is a small metal disc weighing 4.4 pounds that is thrown from a circle and must land within a specified boundary. The shot put is a metal ball that weighs 8.9 pounds and is thrown from a circle, similar to the discus throw.

SCOREBOARD

Baseball

With the baseball season drawing to a close, the Rams have finally started to live up to their potential. On April 29, the Rams beat Monterey easily, 11–3. In the previous game, the Rams blew a 3–1 lead in the fifth inning in a 6–4 loss to Chabot. On April 16, the Rams put up possibly their best outing all season with a 13–2 route of Cabrillo College. The offense exploded for 18 hits, with Anthony Portillo leading the way, going 4 for 6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The season officially ends on Thursday, May, 3 against Cabrillo. – Dan Verel



Softball

The Rams’ dismal season finally came to end last Wednesday, but it did not come without yet another loss. Despite a decent pitching performance from standout Sidney McIver, Gavilan College defeated the Rams 4–1. The team had only 10 players available for the game, six of whom had injuries. One day before the loss to Gavilan, the Rams’ struggles were exacerbated in a 20–0 loss to conference rival Ohlone. April 27 marked the conclusion of the season, and the Rams finished with a 2–24 overall record, and a 1–8 conference record. – Dan Verel

Rocky Season For Rams

BY SHAWN LIU
Contributing Writer

Jerome Saddler gets a facefull of dirt while sliding safely into second base against Cabrillo. PHOTOS BY NATHAN WEYLAND / GUARDSMAN

With a 7–16 conference rec-ord and a 10–23 overall record, the Rams will finish their season without a playoff appearance for the tenth straight time this year, but a talented freshmen class may have what it takes to break the streak.

“Our record doesn’t show how well we’re playing right now,” ninth-year head coach John Vanoncini said. As of late, the Rams have faired better in conference play, losing close games in the late innings to rivals San Mateo and Skyline.

The return of outfielder Ryan Peterson and pitcher Addis O’Connor, along with most of the pitching staff, will be key for the Rams to compete for the North Coast hampionship next season.

“Peterson on offense and O’Connor on pitching have really stepped up for us this year,” Vanoncini said.

Peterson ranks first in the Coast Conference with a .407 batting average, and has a team-high of 46 hits, nine more than any other Ram this season.

“Ryan is one of the smartest hitters I have seen in a long time,” said hitting coach Wesley Yourth. “He understands what the pitcher is trying to do to get him out, possibly even before the pitcher does.”

O’Connor, who recorded half of the Rams’ eight wins, is 15th in the conference with a 3.81 ERA. With closer skills, O’Connor started the season in the bullpen.

“He has four pitches to strike out hitters,” Vanoncini said about his ace, “but he put too much pressure on himself as a closer. He is more comfortable starting because he doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Nine of the Rams’ 10 pitchers are freshmen, including all three regular starters. Tyler Axelrod, O’Connor and Alex Sowyrda are all in the conference top 25 in ERA.

Head coach John Vanoncini

“We didn’t have the depth we have this year,” said pitching coach Jeff Menard. “These guys had given us a chance to be in every game.”

O’Connor is the only Rams pitcher to record a complete game this season. He earned his second in a 4–3 win against Skyline College on April 14.

During the game, Axelrod, who wore a black jacket with O’Connor’s No. 40 on his arm, and Sowyrda also contributed by leading the cheer on the bench.

“These guys have become the leaders of our pitching staff,” Vanoncini said.

Sophomore leaders on offense had a lot to do with the team’s improvement as well.

Catcher Derek Luque hit .302 in the clean-up spot behind Peterson while leading the team with 106 at bats. He also started two games as a pitcher before O’Connor entered the rotation. “Luque has been a rock behind the plate for us the whole year,” Vanoncini said.

Second baseman Derrick Reynolds is 13th in the state with 15 stolen bases.

After the game on April 21, Vanoncini reminded his team to show their improvement on April 23 at the Cabrillo College game. The Rams committed seven errors in the 16–6 loss to Cabrillo at home on March 7.

“I always tell my guys it is not how you start but how you finish,” Vanoncini said. “I wanted us to finish out the season on a high note.”

The Rams answered the coach’s call by defeating Monterey 11–3 on April 29.

A look at Baseball Rituals

BY KATHLEEN DONOVAN
Editor

Hall of Famer Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game. Sammy Sosa tosses a cup of coffee out of the dugout. Turk Wendell, of the Houston Astros, brushes his teeth before each inning.

But you don’t have to look to the major leagues for eccentric behavior. The Rams have their own rituals and superstitions.

Diet Infielder Evan Kruger has a turkey sandwich before each game while outfielder Jerome Saddler refuses to eat. James Madison, another outfielder, has a protein shake.  

Hats When it comes to rituals, hats play a big role. If the game is close or the team is behind, Rams players flip their hats inside out and cheer.

Most players write on the underside of their hats’ bill. Saddler has the names of family members. Kruger has his nickname “Killer Krug.” Pitcher Alex Sowyrda has a detailed design covering the entire underside of the bill, but not for luck. He just likes to draw on his hats.

Jewelry / Clothing Wearing “lucky” clothing or jewelry is a common practice among players. Pitcher Derek Posner has lucky wrist bands and infielder Marvin Rombaua wears a chain, given to him by his mom and his girlfriend. Hitting coach Wes Yourth knows of players who won’t wash a uniform they’ve won in. Some players won’t shave on game days and some have special socks.

Cheers Before each game, the team does a standard “One, Two, Three, City!” and the players hold up their index fingers to signify team unity, according to Madison. O’Connor high-fives another player exactly three times before the game.

The Game Rituals are most noticeable to fans during the games. Batters rub the bat and pitchers change gloves before they pitch. O’Connor picks up dirt and walks a circle around the mound before each inning.

Post-Game After wins, some teammates go to the Cheese Steak Shop … maybe not out of ritual, but because cheese steaks are delicious.