SanLuisObispo.com: Sports

Here we go! NCAA Tournament filled with upsets on first day

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:56 PDT

By Janie McCauley -- SAN JOSE � Murray State coach Billy Kennedy went with his gut and drew up a play his team had never run before, with Isacc Miles the go-to guy at the end.

Third option Danero Thomas became the hero instead.

Thomas hit a 15-footer as the buzzer sounded and 13th-seeded Murray State stunned No. 4 seed Vanderbilt 66-65 on Thursday in an NCAA tournament opener in the West Regional.

Two Cal Poly wrestlers move into quarterfinals at NCAA Championships

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:51 PDT

Cal Poly saw two of its wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships on Thursday in Omaha, Neb.

Boris Novachkov, seeded fifth at 155-pounds, beat Kendric Maple of Oklahoma (6-3) and No. 12 Steve Mytych of Drexel (4-1 in overtime) to advance to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State.

Chase Pami, who is bidding for his second All-American honor by finishing in the top eight, took a 3-2 decision over Kurt Kinser of Indiana and won 7-5 over No. 10 Shane Vernon of Oklahoma at 157 pounds.

Three golfers break par in Paso Robles High tournament

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:49 PDT

Three golfers broke par at Hunter Ranch Golf Course, shooting 1-under 71 to share medalist honors at a PAC 7 league tournament hosted by Paso Robles High on Thursday.

Atascadero�s Austin Kaiser, Nipomo�s Rory Doll and San Luis Obispo�s Tyler Anderson carded the 71s. Righetti won the team title, shooting a 378 to finish seven strokes ahead of San Luis Obispo.

Atascadero was third with 397, Arroyo Grande was fourth with 408 and Nipomo finished fifth with 424.

Ginther tosses complete game in Cuesta baseball team�s win

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:45 PDT

Cuesta College pitcher Cory Ginther helped his team get on track, scattering five hits in a 3-2 victory over Allan Hancock on Thursday in San Luis Obispo.

After the Bulldogs tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, Ginther (2-2) shut them down, not allowing a hit the rest of the way while striking out six.

T.J. Filicia and Ty Muller had two hits apiece for the Cougars (9-8, 2-3 Western State Conference).

Lintner in second place at Bassmaster Elite tournament after rough week

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:44 PDT

By Wayne Shaw -- Four days after losing his truck, boat and trailer in an I-5 accident, Jared Lintner managed his best first day in 43 Bassmaster Elite competitions here Thursday on Clear Lake in Lakeport.

Lintner, fishing out of a borrowed boat devoid of sponsor decals, threw big baits to bring a 23-pound, 4-ounce weight to the scales. He�s in second place, 5 pounds, 12 ounces behind the leader, Byron Velvick. Lintner, 36, had been higher than sixth after the first day in previous tournaments. That was at The Delta in 2007.

The Arroyo Grande bass pro barely managed to get much meaningful time in for practice for the second event on the eight-event Elite schedule. Persistent phone calls from insurance agents interrupted his focus during the three practice days leading up to the start of competition.

Five Cal Poly wrestlers begin NCAA quest

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:55 PDT

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- This is it for Chase Pami, his fourth and final chance at an NCAA wrestling title.

The Cal Poly senior missed out on his third straight Pac-10 title a couple of weeks ago, falling to Boise State rival Adam Hall in the finals of conference championships.

But seeded seventh in the NCAA Championships, which begin with today�s first round in Omaha, Neb., the 157-pounder sees hope in a bracket where he�s won against every grappler ranked above him at least once.

Prep Football: CIF plans for football draw mixed reaction

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:51 PDT

By Donovan Aird -- A proposal made by the CIF-Southern Section that would have a significant effect on football teams from the PAC 7 league drew mixed reactions from two coaches Wednesday.

Most of the section�s divisions have been able in recent years to send half of each of their leagues� members to the playoffs, as has been the case in the PAC 7.

But a pending proposal, which addresses playoff groupings from 2010 to 2012, would move the PAC 7 from the Northern Division to the Western Division. The Western Division would then also include five other leagues: Channel, Mission, Ocean, Pacific View and San Gabriel Valley. Thus, the newly formed six-league division would be able to guarantee playoff spots to only the top two teams in each respective league, plus four at-large bids to be spread throughout the division.

Miles to go before he sleeps: Ultramarathoner stops in SLO

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:49 PDT

By Scott Silvey -- Some people don�t run 350 miles in a lifetime let alone straight through.

That�s just one of many seemingly crazy things ultramarathon runner and Cal Poly alumnus Dean Karnazes has accomplished in his life.

Karnazes, who ran the 350 miles without sleeping over the course of three full days, was back in San Luis Obispo at Art�s Cyclery on Wednesday to speak with those interested in testing the limits of the human mind and body.

College Roundup: Former Cal Poly star Sheriff receives honor

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:46 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- Former Cal Poly football standout Stan Sheriff � who also played in the NFL before becoming a college coach and administrator � will be posthumously inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in May.

Sheriff attended George Washington High School in San Francisco from 1947-50, where he earned first-team All-Academic/Athletic Association honors in 1948 and 1949 as a center and linebacker.

Sheriff, who died in 1993, was a four-year starter at center for the Cal Poly football team from 1950 to 1953, leading the Mustangs to the California Collegiate Athletic Association title with a 9-0 record during an MVP senior season.

Prep Boys Volleyball: Arroyo Grande downs Paso Robles

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:00 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- The Arroyo Grande High boys volleyball team swept Paso Robles 25-12, 25-15, 25-19 Wednesday.

Tyler Slocum paced the Eagles (1-2, 1-0 PAC 7) with 15 kills.

Mission Prep swept

Fishing Report: Salmon fishermen won�t be shut out

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:58 PDT

By Wayne Shaw -- There will be a salmon season this year.

California saltwater anglers have been waiting for that news after being denied in 2008 and 2009 by what the Pacific Fishery Management Council called �the largest closure on record.�

The season will open April 3 and reservations are now being taken by Virg�s Landing and Patriot Sportfishing.

Golf: Woods picks the Masters for his return

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:20 PDT

By David Wharton -- Immense hedges and thickets of azalea trees surround the Augusta National Golf Club, concealing its picturesque fairways from the outside world.

Fans at the club�s annual Masters tournament are known for their gentility � they are referred to as �patrons� � and media access is tightly controlled.

So it makes sense that Tiger Woods would choose the Masters as a suitable place to emerge from seclusion, the troubled superstar announcing Tuesday he will resume his career in early April after months of wrestling privately with the fallout from his widely reported extramarital affairs.

Prep Roundup: San Luis Obispo�s Reynolds misses a perfect game by one out

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:16 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- San Luis Obispo High freshman Andrea Reynolds came within one out of a perfect game as the Tigers dominated Mission Prep 10-0 in six innings in a Tuesday nonleague softball game.

Reynolds allowed a two-out, sixth inning single to Mission Prep�s Kyra Joseph and faced just one batter over the minimum.

�She�s a real exciting freshman to have,� San Luis Obispo coach Mike Lee said. �She�s also the only freshman on the team this year, and I�m really looking forward to having that kind of pitching in the circle for several years.�

College Roundup: Cuesta's Guardia named to all-state team

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:12 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- Cuesta College sophomore shooting guard Roger Guardia can add another award to his growing list of honors this season.

Guardia, already a unanimous choice for Western State Conference Player of the Year, was named to the all-state first team Tuesday.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard helped lead the Cougars (26-6) to the CCCAA Southern California regional final, where they fell 82-80 to eventual state semifinalist Citrus.

NCAA Women's Tournament: Can anyone beat UConn?

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:54 PDT

By Doug Feinberg -- Connecticut�s path to another perfect season could include a renewal of the most heated rivalry in women�s college basketball.

The undefeated Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women�s basketball tournament Monday night and will open against Southern in Norfolk, Va.

Geno Auriemma�s Huskies have won an NCAA record 72 straight games, but none of them have come against Pat Summitt�s Tennessee Volunteers. The two pre-eminent teams in the sport broke off their annual matchup in 2007 in a testy split.

Prep Roundup: Arroyo Grande dominates division all-star water polo team

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:58 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- The Arroyo Grande High girls water polo team dominated the CIF-Southern Section all-Division 4 team announced Monday.

The Eagles, who on Feb. 27 edged Rio Mesa 7-6 in Irvine to claim their third consecutive Division 4 championship, took home both the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

The Player of the Year honor was shared by Eagles senior goalkeeper Briana Lippert, a Cal recruit, and teammate Melanie Johnson, a senior defender.

Cal Poly men's basketball: Things looking up for Mustangs

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:45 PDT

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- Joe Callero�s first season as the head coach of the Cal Poly men�s basketball team shared some elements with 1980s sitcom �The Facts of Life.�

Like the theme song intoned, �You take the good. You take the bad.� But at the end of the episode, things were headed in a generally positive direction.

The team was successful in getting to the Big West Tournament and won a first-round game before being knocked out in the second round Thursday.

Pieces in place for Cal Poly women's basketball team to build on success

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:42 PDT

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- The Cal Poly women�s basketball team�s season ended in disappointment with a semifinal loss in the Big West Conference Tournament on Friday.

But there was still some reason for optimism buried in that three-point loss to eventual tournament champion UC Riverside.

Even though the team said goodbye to three and possibly four senior starters after the potential game-tying 3-pointer hit iron, the Mustangs� were only in the game after falling behind by double digits because of a group consisting largely of returning players.

Run in sixth inning lifts Cal Poly softball

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:28 PDT

Despite blowing all of a four-run lead after the fifth inning, the Cal Poly softball team got a two-out RBI single from sophomore centerfielder Kendal Hennings in the bottom of the sixth to earn a 5-4 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday.

The victory capped a 3-2 record for Cal Poly (8-8 overall) in its own Mustang Classic Tournament at Bob Janssen Field.

The Mustangs committed three errors in the top half of the sixth to help spur the Roadrunners� comeback, and junior lefty Anna Cahn, who was perfect through three innings and had allowed just two hits through five innings, allowed the tying run to score on a wild pitch.

Prep Roundup: San Luis Obispo boys take fourth place at volleyball tournament

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00 PDT

By Tribune staff report -- The San Luis Obispo High boys volleyball team finished fourth out of 20 teams at its 11th annual SLO-town Invitational on Saturday.

The Tigers beat Madera and Oxnard in preliminary play before splitting a pair of sets with Trabuco Hills to claim one of the top four seeds and a bye through the first round of the elimination rounds.

San Luis Obispo beat Oxnard for a second time before falling to Bullard in the semifinal and California of San Ramon in the third-place match.