Stanislaus State women’s soccer, cross country runners gear up for NCAA competition
Members of the Stanislaus State women’s soccer team met in the team room Monday afternoon to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show, hoping their season would be extended.
After some anxious moments, the Warriors jumped for joy and hugged one another after they received a ticket to the dance.
Despite a semifinal round loss to Sonoma State at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament last Friday, the Warriors (15-5) received the West Region’s No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 Western Washington (18-2) on Friday in Rohnert Park.
It’s the program first NCAA appearance since 2014.
“The opportunity for us to continue to play together is the ultimate reward,” said Head Coach Gabriel Bolton. “Getting into the NCAA tournament is so difficult in our region. We have worked very hard all year and are committed to making the most of this opportunity.”
Earning the No. 1 seed is CCAA Tournament champion UC San Diego (16-1-1), which took over the top seed after beating Sonoma State in the final.
The Tritons, who received a first-round bye, will face the winner of the Cal Poly Pomona (13-4-3)-Point Loma (12-4-2) match. In the other first-round game, No. 2-seeded Sonoma State (15-3-1) meets No. 7 seed Cal State Los Angeles (8-7-1).
Friday’s match against Western Washington is at 10 a.m. at Seawolf Soccer Field at Sonoma State.In 2014, the Warriors won the West Region after wins over Seattle Pacific, Western Washington and Cal Poly Pomona. Stan State loss in penalty kicks against Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., during the quarterfinals.Stanislaus State also made NCAA tournament appearances in 2011 and 2013.
Volleyball No. 4 seed
The volleyball team is heading back to the CCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, this time as the No. 4 seed.
The Warriors clinched the North Division with last Friday’s win at Cal Poly Pomona, securing a spot in the eight-team tournament. Stan State will take on No. 5 seed Cal State San Marcos in the first-round match, Thursday, at 5 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino.
A win on Thursday could set up a rematch of the regular-season finale versus No. 1 seed, and the No. 1 team in Division II, host Cal State San Bernardino. CSUSB faces No. 8 Chico State on Thursday. Friday’s semifinal match against the CSUSB-Chico State winner is at 7:30 p.m.
Since coach Mallori Gibson-Rossi took over the helm, the Warriors only missed the CCAA Tournament once in five years. The 2016 team won the program’s first postseason match in the opening round with a win over UC San Diego.
Runners gear for NCAAs
The men’s cross country team, and individual women’s qualifier Nancy Juarez, are set to run at the season’s final race at the NCAA Division II championships on Saturday at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento.
The men’s team qualified for nationals for the first time in program history.
Stan State men are led by Joseph Macareno, who came out of a potential redshirt season to race at the CCAA Championships. He promptly earned All-CCAA honors and placed sixth in Monmouth to earn the All-Region accolade.
Tomas Huerta also earned an All-Region award with his 22nd place result. Cristhian Macias, Andrew Vazquez, Alexies Reynoso, Carlos Mendoza and Caleb Ko make-up the rest of this strong team, which was ranked as high as No. 24 in the USTFCCCA Top 25 this season.
Juarez, who was the team’s leader all season long, will represent the women’s team as an individual entry. She became the first Warrior woman to qualify for nationals since the team made it in 2013.
Her seventh place finish at Regionals was the best by a Stan State female runner since Hall of Famer Carrie Luis placed fifth in 1994. Luis was the program’s first Division II All-American when she finished 15th at the Championships.
The NCAA Cross Country Championships begins with the women’s 6K race at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s 10K at 11:15.