Fresno State

Jamal Rashad didn't expect to spend just one season at Glendale Community College. But after rushing for a team-leading 1,160 yards and 11 scores, his expectations drastically changed. The Vaquero got the attention of numerous NCAA Division I schools, one of which stuck by him despite being leery of Rashad's right shoulder injury. Instead of returning for his sophomore season at Glendale College, the 18-year-old Rashad opted to become a Bulldog, as he accepted a full scholarship to Fresno State.

Little League team needs support The Glendale Senior Softball All-Star team is seeking financial assistance for potential trips to the upcoming Little League Western Regional Tournament and World Series. The cost for a team's travel, lodging and meals for a trip to the regionals or the World Series is estimated at $9,000. Glendale -- which captured the Little League World Series championship in the 15- and 16-year-old division last summer -- is one win away from returning to the Western Regional Tournament, which begins Saturday in Butte, Mont.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Matt Curtis stood before the 90 or so attendants of the Falcons Summer Baseball Camp at Stengel Field on Thursday morning and drew some oohs and aahs from his audience when sharing stories about traveling around the country with a collegiate baseball program and celebrating in a dog pile on the mound after winning a championship, all while flashing his College World Series ring. Curtis brought a voice of authority on the subject for the young campers in attendance hoping to someday play college baseball, as the La Crescenta resident just completed his first season as head baseball coach at Cal State University Northridge after spending 10 seasons as an assistant with the highly successful Fresno State program.

Hamlet Nalbandyan Elliot Jones has been one of the area's most reliable cornerbacks the past three years for St. Francis High, and the senior will get a chance to showcase just why Saturday. Jones -- who will play at the University of New Mexico next season, joining former Golden Knight teammate Jason Turner -- was one of two area athletes selected to participate in the eighth annual East-West All-Star football game, hosted by the Valley Youth Conference.

Erik Boal GLENDALE -- o7 In an effort to keep track of local of local high school athletes who now compete in college, the News-Press will devote space to a weekly update:f7 Alexis Sheridan (Crescenta Valley, 2001) freshman distance freestyle specialist, UC Irvine women's swimming -- The fact that Sheridan broke a 10-year-old school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle in front of three of her former CV teammates Saturday at the Anteaters' Big West dual meet only added to the excitement on the deck of the UC Irvine pool.

Hamlet Nalbandyan R.J. Brown (St. Francis, 2001), redshirt junior catcher, UC Irvine baseball -- Brown waited his entire collegiate career for a start behind the plate. He finally got one Saturday and showed what he could do when he does start. Brown, who was a Freshman All-American Honorable Mention in 2002, went three for five with two runs batted in to lead the Anteaters to a 12-1 victory against fifth-ranked Arizona on Saturday in Sacramento.

THE following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level . ? Kathryn Poet (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2007) sophomore outfielder, University of Missouri softball: Poet helped the Tigers, the Big-12 champs, capture the Los Angeles Super Regional at Easton Stadium on Sunday and move on to the College World Series in Oklahoma City for the first time in 14 years, where, on Thursday, they?ll face Arizona State. Missouri (50-10) picked up a lopsided 9-1 win in the deciding game of the best-of-three series against UCLA, the No. 2 seed.

GLENDALE ? The following is an update on locals playing at the collegiate level. Michelle Summers (Hoover, 2004), sophomore utility player, Southeast Missouri State University softball ? It was only a matter of time before Summers broke the school's career home run record. It happened Tuesday, as she hit her 21st career home run, a record-breaking shot that went over the left-field fence in a 10-5 victory against Eastern Illinois University. The Panthers pitched around Summers in the first game of the doubleheader, but they couldn't do the same in the second contest.

Erik Boal Wednesday marked the beginning of the week-long national signing period for local student-athletes and one of area's most gifted swimmers was the first to sign on the dotted line. Crescenta Valley High senior Lindsay Taylor signed a national letter of intent to swim at the University of Wyoming, choosing the Cowgirls' program over Brigham Young, Fresno State, St. John's and Washington State. "It's a huge load off my shoulders and now I can concentrate on my training and my schoolwork," said Taylor, 17, who joined her older brother Travis -- a junior at Clemson University -- in competing at the Division I level.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Matt Curtis stood before the 90 or so attendants of the Falcons Summer Baseball Camp at Stengel Field on Thursday morning and drew some oohs and aahs from his audience when sharing stories about traveling around the country with a collegiate baseball program and celebrating in a dog pile on the mound after winning a championship, all while flashing his College World Series ring. Curtis brought a voice of authority on the subject for the young campers in attendance hoping to someday play college baseball, as the La Crescenta resident just completed his first season as head baseball coach at Cal State University Northridge after spending 10 seasons as an assistant with the highly successful Fresno State program.

GLENDALE — For the last two seasons, Crescenta Valley High's baseball team has had a wealth of underclassmen seemingly brimming with potential. While that talent has certainly been glimpsed, Falcons Coach Phil Torres and his staff are still looking for a season in which consistency meets flair. Whether or not that time is here remains to be seen, but after a second-place Pacific League finish last year behind two-time reigning champion Arcadia, the Falcons have the league's most vaunted group of returners.

GLENDALE — Last season, the Flintridge Prep boys’ cross-country team saved its best race for the last meet of the season. The members of this year’s Rebels squad would like nothing more than to be able to say the same thing when the dust clears after today’s CIF Cross Country State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno. Competing in the Division V race at 11:15 a.m., the Rebels, who were the only area team to advance out of Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division finals at Mount San Antonio College, will look to turn in another strong finishing kick.

THE following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level . ? Kathryn Poet (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2007) sophomore outfielder, University of Missouri softball: Poet helped the Tigers, the Big-12 champs, capture the Los Angeles Super Regional at Easton Stadium on Sunday and move on to the College World Series in Oklahoma City for the first time in 14 years, where, on Thursday, they?ll face Arizona State. Missouri (50-10) picked up a lopsided 9-1 win in the deciding game of the best-of-three series against UCLA, the No. 2 seed.

GLENDALE — Although veteran Glendale Community College football Coach John Cicuto recently resigned following a 19-year stint to concentrate on being the college’s athletic director, his influence is still being felt. Under Cicuto, the Vaqueros have had a long-standing tradition of sending numerous players to four-year institutions to continue their playing careers. Five Glendale college players who helped the team finish 6-4 and 5-2 in the Western State Conference’s Pacific Division recently signed letters of intent or verbally committed to four-year schools.

GLENDALE — Though they fell just short of competing in a bowl game, the honors are still coming in at a steady pace for a trio of Glendale Community College football players. The latest accolade has a national significance, as Grant Valentine, Zack Williams and Ray McDonough were named members of the 48th annual J.C. Grid Wire All-American Team. It marked the first time that each player earned the prestigious honor. Valentine, a sophomore defensive lineman, was named to the second team after leading the Vaqueros with 93 tackles and 9 1/2 sacks.

Jamal Rashad didn't expect to spend just one season at Glendale Community College. But after rushing for a team-leading 1,160 yards and 11 scores, his expectations drastically changed. The Vaquero got the attention of numerous NCAA Division I schools, one of which stuck by him despite being leery of Rashad's right shoulder injury. Instead of returning for his sophomore season at Glendale College, the 18-year-old Rashad opted to become a Bulldog, as he accepted a full scholarship to Fresno State.

GLENDALE ? How times have changed. Following the 2002 campaign, Glendale Community College football Coach John Cicuto interviewed and evaluated 32 of his sophomores and did what he thought was best for the squad. Cicuto asked 15 of his players to leave the program, and all 15 did. Years and a new breed of athletes later, Cicuto has nothing but praise for his players. Twenty-four of Cicuto's athletes from the 2005 squad that won the Western State Conference Southern Division title have committed to play for four-year universities.