Sports stories you should know about
Since the Lariat last published a paper, there have been many sports stories at Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges. Here’s a list of the top 10 things you should know
Jake Long selected for Pro Bowl: National Football League offensive lineman Jake Long was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. Long formerly played for the Gauchos during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, before moving on to University of Oregon. He currently plays for the Chicago Bears.
Saddleback men’s basketball is 25-2: Gauchos men’s basketball is having a fantastic season so far, having only lost two games. They are currently ranked number four in the state of California and are attempting to win their fourth consecutive conference title.
IVC women’s basketball is 21-3: Much like Saddleback’s men’s team, Irvine Valley College’s women’s basketball team is enjoying great success this season. The Lasers have not lost a game since 2014 and are also attempting to win their own conference championship.
Legendary coaches that we lost: Longtime Saddleback football coaches George Hartman and Dick Stuetz have both passed away since last semester. Hartman, 83, who is credited with creating Saddleback’s athletic program, was the Gauchos first football head coach as well. Steutz, 69, who was part of three state championships in football, also coached the baseball team from 1975 to 1981.
Signing Day: Many Gauchos football players signed on to go the next level on this year’s national signing day. Here is the list: Anthony Berg (Washington), Roderick Dedrick (Arizona Christian), Christopher Dimry (Washington State), Chris French (Texas State), Erik Harris (Navy), Drake Martinez (Michigan State), Calvin Steyn (Weber State), Tyler Wileman (Houston Baptist)
IVC’s undefeated teams: Some of IVC’s teams have started off this season with strong wins. Men’s tennis is 3-0 to start their season with wins over El Camino College, Grossmont College and Cerritos College. IVC baseball started their season 4-0, before losing their fifth game to Imperial Valley College. The most drastic win went to women’s volleyball, who went an 27-0 en route to a CCCAA state championship.
Saddleback’s hot start: Like IVC, Saddleback has had some success to begin their spring sports season. The Gauchos men’s tennis team and baseball team started their seasons 4-0 before losing this past week. Saddleback softball is 5-0 to start their season and with a solid roster, look good for a deep playoff run.
Coaching milestones: Some IVC and Saddleback coaches were recognized for milestones. Saddleback softball head coach Nick Trani got his 500th win on January 28 against Grossmont College. On the IVC side, women’s head basketball coach Julie Hanks got her 300th win as head coach in a 55-52 overtime win over Saddleback.
Saddleback Track and Field place second: Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams placed second in the opening meet this past weekend hosted by Santa Ana College.
Saddleback women go to three OT’s: Saddleback women’s basketball went into three overtimes against Fullerton College on January 16. Most games don’t even go into one overtime, let alone three. The final score of the games was 85-81.
