Hartnell Athletics 2016-2017 Recap

Athletics at Hartnell are very important to the college and to me. As a former student-athlete myself, I am able to understand the struggles and challenges each one of our current and former Panthers face every day. I want to share all the accomplishments we had this academic year.

For our fall and winter sports, Women’s Soccer earned the first ever title of Women’s Soccer - Coast Conference South Division Champions. Two players and a coach were recognized as: Player of the Year, Norma Verduzco; Defender of the Year, Maritza Trujillo; and Coach of the Year, Ivan Guerrero. The Lady Panthers moved to the Northern California playoffs. However, they were defeated in their first round against Fresno City College. Men’s Soccer earned the title of Coast Conference South Division Champions yet again. Three players and head coach were recognized as: Player of the Year, Javier Alfaro; South Division Midfielder of the Year, Wily Miranda; South Division Defender of the Year, Rigoberto Mariscal; and Coach of the Year, Daniel Ortega, who was also nominated for National Coach of the year. The team had four players awarded All-Northern California Region Team and two players awarded All-American and one All-State.The Soccer Panthers made it to the third round of playoffs, but they were defeated by Taft College.

Women’s Cross Country earned 2 nd place Coast Conference South Division and 3 rd place Northern California. Yvette Felix and Beatriz Duarte were awarded All-Northern California Runners. Men’s Cross-Country earned the Coast Conference South Division Championship as well as the Northern California Championship. They ended up earning 5th place at the California State Championships. Five student-athletes were awarded All-Northern California Runners: Edgar Bonilla, Jorge Sanchez, Mario Perez, Jr. Andrew Martinez, and Williams Ordaz.

Women’s Volleyball finished 3rd place in the Coast Conference North division and made regional playoffs as the 10th seed. They played the first round of regional playoffs against Cabrillo. The Football Team finished 6-4 in the regular season and played in the Stadium 76 Bowl in Merced, which they lost 14-13. Donyae Moody led the league in tackles per game with 11.3 and Sherrod Hawkes led the league in rushing yards per game (104.5) and touchdowns (9). Nine players were selected to the All-Conference team. Donyae Moody received a scholarship to continue his career at Marshall University in West Virginia.

This spring season the Baseball Panthers finished the regular season at 16-24. This season was an improvement over last year and Coach Travis Babin’s winning percentage has gone up every year since he has taken over the program. Women’s Softball finished the regular season at 26-10 and placed second in the Coast South Conference. The team advanced to the California Community College Regional Championships and faced Diablo Valley in the first round. The Lady Panthers lost the best of three by 2 runs. Angelina Ruiz ranks second in Northern California with 33 stolen bases; 3 players earned All Nor-Cal recognition, 4 players earned first team all-league honors, and 4 players earn second team honors.

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field finished second in the conference championship. The Men’s team won the 3k steeplechase 1,500 meters, 800 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters. The Women’s team enjoyed conference overall champions in the 1500 meters, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, and long jump. We are so proud of all the accomplishments made this past year and look forward to the beginning of a new academic year. Go Panthers!