April 19, 2016
TAKE YOUR MARK: BIG 8 SWIM COMES TO DVC
Diablo Valley will host the Big 8 Conference swimming championships this week, and the defending champion Vikings men expect to receive a stern challenge from Sierra.
"I don't know if we have the numbers on the men's side," DVC coach Rick Millington said. "Sierra is loaded – this is the best team they've ever had."
The DVC women placed second in the conference last year, and this year's team race figures to be tight among the Vikings, Sierra and Santa Rosa.
Expect some great swims from the Vikings.
Brandon James, who set state and national records in the men's 100 backstroke at last year's CCCAA State Championship, is seeded first in the 100 and 200 backstrokes, and will vie for a PR in the 100 butterfly as the second seed.
"This is when we expect him to excel," Millington said of James.
The conference meet will run Thursday through Saturday, with the trials at 10 a.m. and the finals at 5 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Another standout, Jake Frigard (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) is top seeded in the 50 free. Gio Hernandez is the No. 2 seed in the 200 fly, and Garrett Middleton is seeded third in the 50 free, and also seeded in the 100 free and fly.
On the women's side, Malia Dillon is seeded first in the 50 free, and is expected to do very well in the 100 and 200 free.
"We're expecting great things from her," Millington said of Dillon.
Melody Pope will also be a top contender in the 200 free, 500 free and 1,650 free.
SOFTBALL
So nice they crushed it twice.
Diablo Valley softball players Cynthia Duenas and Bailey Simmons hit back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches Friday afternoon against Santa Rosa.
It was a rare, and really cool, accomplishment.
Even though the Vikings lost the game 7-6, after falling 2-1 to the Bear Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader, Duenas' grand slam and Simmons' solo shot, both hit to left field in the bottom of the third inning, provided a double jolt of electricity.
The first three Vikings' hitters reached base in the third, and then Duenas crushed her sixth home run of the season. Simmons followed with her third homer of the season. Nicole Nordahl completed the five-run rally with an RBI single to score Julia Pelletier.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, they didn't follow the big inning with a big finish. Santa Rosa overcame the 5-2 deficit to complete a surprising sweep, especially since DVC entered the dayfresh off an impressive road doubleheader sweep of first place Sacramento City, 11-2, 7-1.
The Vikings (25-10-1, 9-8) will look to rebound during a difficult stretch of three straight road games. After Tuesday's game at San Joaquin Delta, they have a doubleheader at American River on Saturday.
TENNIS
The Vikings' excellent freshman doubles team of Garrett Goldman and Mariano Salvador is the No. 1 seed for the CCCAA Men's Tennis State Championship (Thursday through Saturday in Ojai).
Goldman and Salvador have been in strong form. Their doubles win over Fresno City in the CCCAA Regional team tourney quarterfinals was their seventh in a row.
Marvic Domingo and Ricky Leung drew the No. 54 seed in state doubles (33-64 bracket), and Eric Lofquist and Sean Austin Miller are the No. 105 doubles seed (97-128 bracket).
Salvador is the No. 24 seed in singles (1-32 bracket), and Goldman is No. 33 (33-64 bracket). Sean Austin Miller is No. 73 (65-96 bracket).
In women's action, DVC's Danielle Powers is the No. 20 seed in singles. Seila Besirovic is No. 40 (33-64 bracket). Kristine Lencesova is No. 109 seed (97-128 bracket). Besirovic and Lencesova are the No. 49 seed in doubles (33-64 bracket), and Powers and Paris are the 67th seed (65-96 bracket).
TRACK AND FIELD
Nigel Burnett was second overall in the men's 100 meters with a lifetime best time of 10.75 seconds at the UC Davis Woody Wilson Classic.
Latrell Thayer was fifth overall in the 200 (22.12).
Geoffrey Weseman remained unbeaten in the 800 with a lifetime best of 1:54.89. The DVC men's 4x100 relay was first overall (41.80), with a team of Thayer, Austin Harper, Burnett and Lionel White. Juliette Alliaume was second overall in the women's high jump (1.60 meters),
Jordan Hinds ran a season best in the women's 100 (12.78).
BASEBALL
After winning two in a row, the Vikings (4-17, 4-12) endured a heartbreaking 6-4 loss to visiting Modesto in 10 innings on Friday.
DVC nearly pocketed a dramatic victory in the bottom of the ninth. With the score tied 4-4 and runners on first and second, Zac Guardino hit a two-hit single up the middle, but a perfect throw to the plate retired a sliding Andres Rodriguez to force extra innings.
Modesto (10-21, 4-12) scratched out two runs with help from a throwing error in the top of the 10th, and the Vikings were limited to a Drew Downing single in their final at bat.
Zach Maloney, Guardino and Downing all had two hits in the hard-fought contest, in which the gritty Vikings overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3.