Santa Ana’s eight-game conference winning streak ends with loss to Golden West
The last thing pitcher Sean Slettvet thought of the morning of April 13 was giving up the go-ahead run by comitting a cardinal pitching mistake. His relief appearance in the latter innings of a tied game saw him do just that.
Sophomores Julian Duran and Chris Miller have played in every game for the men’s baseball team the past two seasons playing in a combined 158 games, 79 straight games each. Aside from their durability, they’ve combined to hit for a .
Santa Ana's sports overcome budget cuts to find success in their respective seasons
The 2009-2010 Santa Ana College athletic season got off to a depressing start. Due to budget cuts, four sports were suspended including men’s cross country, men’s swimming, men’s track and field and women’s tennis.
Santa Ana gets knocked out of regional playoffs despite a No. 1 seed and home field advantage
Freshman pitcher Marcus Garrett made his second start of the year for the Dons in the most crucial game of the season. Little did he know his inexperience would cost the Dons a return to the CCCAA State Championships. In a win-or-go-home game against Cuesta College, Garrett was torched for six runs on seven hits in his short 2.
During the 2010 Ed Arnold Golf Classic awards dinner, six Santa Ana College athletes were rewarded with student-athlete scholarships. Proceeds from the golf tournament help provide funds for the scholarships geared towards transferring SAC athletes.
The SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach hosted the 2010 Ed Arnold Golf Classic last Monday. The tournament, put on by the SAC Athletic Hall of Fame, featured 144 golfers playing to support the development of the SAC Hall of Fame and provide scholarships for transferring SAC student-athletes.
Santa Ana clinches OEC title for fourth straight year
If you ask Dons’ pitcher Christian Meza, his reservation is made and his bags are packed for Fresno. Fresno City College is the site of the CCCAA State Championships, the same place where Meza and the Dons lost to San Joaquin Delta in the State Finals.
A poor finish in Orange Empire Conference play puts Santa Ana in fifth place
Down three runs, pinch hitter Taylor Martin stepped up to the plate as the possible tying run for Santa Ana. Her at-bat was the last chance to end the softball season on a high note after a 9-0 shutout loss to Riverside College in the previous game.
Santa Ana’s baseball program received multiple honors after winning their fourth straight Orange Empire Conference championship. Topping the list is sophomore Julian Duran, who was named the OEC Co-Player of the Year.
Softball player Sarah Steinbeck was selected First-Team All-Orange Empire Conference. Steinbeck led the team with a .404 season batting average. She totaled 34 runs scored and 14 RBIs. She also led the team with 42 hits and six triples.
Women's track and field team sends two athletes to the SoCal preliminaries
Crossing the finish line in the 1500-meter conference-qualifying race, freshman Reyna Fonseca broke into tears as she realized she had shattered her personal record by 15 seconds. “Everyone was cheering and I just let go,” Fonseca said.
SAC shoots lowest score of the year winning one and losing two
Four Santa Ana golfers shot their lowest rounds of the season including Jimmy Sanford’s 1-over par 73 that earned the Dons their first Orange Empire Conference victory of the year. Santa Ana’s combined 377 strokes was good enough to beat Cuyamaca College but they fell short in matches with Orange Coast College and Palomar College at the meet hosted at Los Serranos Country Club April 7.
Freshman thrower Cortnee Kleidon threw her way into Santa Ana’s record books April 10 at the 52nd annual Mt. SAC relays held in Walnut, Calif. The 37’ 10.5” record setting throw placed her third all-time in Santa Ana’s women’s shot put category.
Dons’ quarterback Jordan Thomas and linebacker Sean Kurtz were named Scholar-Athletes at the 40th Annual National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Awards Dinner held in Anaheim. The NFF honors athletes who have a 3.
Men’s golf lost 371-406 at Cypress College on Monday. The round also included Santiago Canyon College and Palomar College who ended the day with team scores of 377 strokes and 384 strokes, respectively. The loss drops the team to a 0-10 record in the Orange Empire Conference.
Dons’ right fielder Gary Apelian stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning with his team holding on to a tight lead. He stared the pitcher down, then delivered a three-run home run to put the game away, giving Santa Ana a 12-7 win over visiting Saddleback College.
Pitcher Katlyn Harp leads team to a 3-1 victory, gaining her ninth win
Pitcher Katlyn Harp got her ninth win of the season as the Dons’ defeated the visiting Orange Coast College Pirates 3-1 Monday. Harp got off to a shaky start in the first inning as Pirates’ catcher Katrina Gaar singled and scored on an RBI single from right fielder Summer Comstock making it 1-0.
Conference Pitcher of the Year Christian Meza wants a State Championship with the Dons before becomi
The pitcher stands atop the mound. Everyone’s eyes are on him. He concentrates on one thing: the mitt. He has one goal in mind: throw the ball for a strike. Christian Meza has been throwing his whole life. Like every young athlete, it started at home.
Santa Ana’s eight-game conference winning streak ends with loss to Golden West
The last thing pitcher Sean Slettvet thought of the morning of April 13 was giving up the go-ahead run by comitting a cardinal pitching mistake. His relief appearance in the latter innings of a tied game saw him do just that.
Sarah Steinbeck sets a record for most hits in consecutive games despite the Dons’ loss to SCC
The Dons’ softball team lost their final home game by a score of 5-1 to rival Santiago Canyon College, April 14. With the win, the Hawks avoided a season sweep to Santa Ana. SCC got on the board in the third inning when right fielder Jessica Brillantes’ RBI single to left scored designated hitter Lauren Villareal.
Five unearned runs are too much to overcome in an 11-9 loss to Santa Barbara
Dons’ freshman pitcher Sean Slettvet entered the game in the eighth inning with Santa Ana up by one run. After drawing two walks and capitalizing on two Dons’ errors, Santa Barbara took the lead. The Vaqueros held on for the 11-9 win, handing Santa Ana its second consecutive loss on Feb.
Dons get their first playoff win in three years before losing to Citrus College in the second round.
Santa Ana’s season came to an end in a second round playoff game at No. 2-ranked Citrus College. Victory seemed within grasp earlier, but the Dons fell 81-65 in the Feb. 27 game. The Dons jumped out to a quick 11-1 lead but Citrus gained control late in the first half, closing with an 18-6 run.
Strong play on both sides of the plate leads Santa Ana to a 10-3 win over Santiago Canyon College.
For the first time since April 2008, the Dons softball team defeated district rival Santiago Canyon College 10-3 in a game marred by multiple errors on Feb. 24. Santa Ana totaled six hits and capitalized on six errors by Hawks’ defense.
Women’s basketball forward Jessika Korzelius and center Andrea Hernandez both received All-Orange Empire Conference honors. Korzelius was named First-Team All-Orange Empire Conference. This is her second year being elected to an OEC team as she was chosen to the Second-Team as a freshman.
Freshman Reyna Fonseca was the lone first-place finisher for the Women’s Track & Field team, winning both the 800 and 1500 meter runs in the Feb. 26 meet against visiting Fullerton College and Golden West College. Fellow freshman Cortnee Kleidon led the Dons, placing in five events.
Family and friends honor the young pitcher
About the proudest thing a parent can experience is watching their son excel. Watching a boy grow into a man, right before your eyes. James Wernke was that man. The promising college baseball career of the Santa Ana Dons left-handed pitcher came to a sudden end before it could flourish, when Wernke was reported missing on Dec.
The Dons are off to a rough start producing a 5-4-1 record in a season where there have been shutout
Opening day usually means sunshine, green grass and hope of a winning season. But this year it meant muddy fields, rain drops and storm clouds, symbolic of Santa Ana’s 13-25-1 record last year. But soon the skies cleared, and the Dons appeared ready to begin a new season.
Seven wrestlers take their weight classes in 23-9 win
Sophomores Jose Navarro and Bobby Scofield along with the rest of the Santa Ana College wrestling team continued their undefeated season when they overpowered Fresno City College 23-9 to win the State Duals Championship. “To go undefeated is a big accomplishment,” said Head Coach Vince Silva.
Dons defeat College of the Canyons 4-0 earning them a spot in the State Semi-Finals
A vibrant crowd of a few hundred, a home playoff game, and an opponent rolling with momentum was the formula the Santa Ana men’s soccer team used as motivation to get a 4-0 win over College of the Canyons Nov. 28, putting the Dons in the final four of the California Community College Soccer State Championships.
The No. 1 team in the playoffs was too much to handle as the best season in nine years ends
Like Cher, the Dons definitely believed. Despite losing to district rival Santiago Canyon College in the first round of the playoffs, the women’s soccer team had the biggest turnaround in history. After a 3-16-2 record in 2008, Head Coach Jodi Coffman inscribed “believe” on the back of the coach’s shirts as a motivator.
Sahr Hemmor survived war in his native Sierra Leone to dominate on the football field
A 12-year-old boy watches his country fall apart as villages burn to the ground while he and his family struggle to survive Sierra Leone’s Civil War. Thousands are missing an arm, leg, or both, their limbs amputated by a group of rebels.
Wife’s cancer diagnosis spurs soccer coach to raise awareness
The memory is still fresh. One day grandma is doing fine helping out with Thanksgiving dinner or getting the decorations ready for the Christmas tree. The next she is coughing up blood and being diagnosed with cancer. For Head Coach Jose Vasquez his grandmother was the first in his family to be stricken with the disease.
Players remain enthusiastic after their first round departure, losing to OCC 18-9
Daniel Nagy gathered around with his teammates at poolside after an 18-9 first round loss to Orange Coast College in the Orange Empire Conference Water Polo Championships on Nov. 6, but he wasn’t disappointed. On that Friday morning at the Fullerton College pool, spirits remained high despite knowing that the loss ousted the Dons from the OEC tournament.
Holley’s third trip to the end zone puts the Dons away in overtime 33-27
The pressure was on when a tired and struggling Dons offense took the field in overtime down six points Oct. 10. What resulted next was déjà vu from the L.A. Harbor game as quarterback Jordan Thomas threw an interception to linebacker Jimmy Keating, ending the game.
A disease that left George Curtis mute cannot stop him from speaking through his courageous actions
In the spotlight stood George Curtis, trembling, but not from fear. Speechless, not from emptiness of mind, but because he is in fact unable to speak. His son, Buddy Curtis, extends his hand out to help him up on stage. Side by side they stand, proud and emotional, as Buddy is about to deliver a speech on behalf of his disabled father.
Navarro, Bristol and Onofre take first while five others place at the SAC tournament
No. 1 seeded wrestler Jose Navarro outscored his four opponents 58-12 at the Santa Ana College Wrestling Tournament on Oct. 3, leading his Dons to their second first place finish in a tournament for the 2009 season. The Dons sent six wrestlers into semi-final matches, with sophomores Ted Bristol, Luis Onofre and Navarro each cruising into first place finishes.
Defense allows one shot on goal by Irvine in 3-1 victory
At the last women’s soccer game, the faces that were on the field weren’t players that you would expect to see against Irvine Valley College Oct. 9. That’s because they are usually sitting on the bench, but instead of cheering on the sidelines, they were on the grass, celebrating their win as the Dons breezed by Irvine Valley College 3-1.
Following in his father’s footsteps and raising comparisons to former Dons’ kicker David Buehler
Chase Lansford isn’t afraid of lofty goals. After all, he is a kicker. Right now, Lansford’s goal of becoming a kicker for the NFL is, “kind of a fantasy,” he said. “There are only 32 teams in the NFL, so that’s 32 kickers in the whole country.
The game against Taft City College Cougars was a physical back-and-forth resulting in two ejections
Tied 1-1 in the final minutes of the first half, Santa Ana defender Henry Escalante was ejected, receiving a red card for a hard sliding tackle from behind that injured a Taft player. The ejection forced the Dons to play with 10 men the rest of the game, losing 4-3 against visiting Taft College Cougars on Friday, Sept.
Dons, Seahawks combine for 1,004 yards of total offense, but it was a SAC special teams breakdown
Quarterback Jordan Thomas made history by throwing five touchdown passes, but it was his interception that ended the game for the Dons in a 47-45 loss to L.A. Harbor College Sept. 19. Thomas went 19-29, threw for 345 yards and tying a Santa Ana College record of five touchdown passes in a game.
Dons lose first game after their 5-0 start to the season
Goalkeeper Cortnee Kleidon allowed three goals to Riverside College in a 3-2 loss giving the Dons their first loss Sept. 18. Going into the game, Kleidon had only allowed three goals this year including three shutouts, a 5-0 record and playing all 90 minutes of every game.
The Dons begin their run for a 16th straight OEC title.
At the Dons home opener against Rio Hondo, about 20 men’s soccer alumni cheered their former team with hopes of witnessing another winning season, much like the ones of which they were a part of. The Dons have one goal, and that is to continue making history as they seek their 16th consecutive Orange Empire Conference championship.
Freshman Adrian Negrete scored the game winning goal with 32 seconds left in regulation in the Dons 2-1 victory over Rio Hondo College Sept. 2. I wanted to go all out and get the win," Negrete said about his goal. Santa Ana College started this game with eight returners and 17 freshmen on the team.
Sophomore Cortnee Kleidon has played every minute in goal this season and has yet to allow one into the net leading the Dons to a 3-0 start. Kleidon has saved 14 shots in the three games and has already surpassed the two shut-outs the team earned last season.
SAC running backs rush for 170 yards in 38-7 win
Freshman running back Eric Pesante introduced himself to Citrus College as he flipped over the defensive line and into the end zone scoring his second touchdown in the Dons 38-7 win over the Fighting Owls Sept. 5. "Nothing but fun," Pesante said.
Pitcher Brian Peacock was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Draft. After a year where he went 8-3, Peacock decided to skip his sophomore season beginning his goal of playing in the big leagues.
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