Vaqueros

MEN'S GOLF Vaqueros take second in conference match: Glendale Community College got a two-over-par 74 from Brennan Amirkhizi on Monday in a Western State Conference match at Saticoy Country Club in Ventura County. The Vaqueros placed second with a 390, behind College of the Canyons (382). Aaron Fernandez carded a 77 for the Vaqueros, who got a 78 from Danny Fernandez and a 79 from Michael Timpson. Chris Ramirez and Jin Park each had 82s for Glendale. BOYS' VOLLEYBALL St. Francis 3, Temple City 0: Chris Thompson finished with 21 assists and Wesley Coffey added 11 kills Monday for the visiting Golden Knights in a 25-23, 25-15, 25-12 season-opening nonleague match.

WOMEN'S TENNIS Glendale Community College 6, Allan Hancock 3: Glendale High graduates Sevana Zargarian and Samantha Sismundo won a doubles set, 8-3, and were two of five Vaqueros to sweep their singles sets in a Western State Conference match Tuesday. Sindi Concebida, Phoebe Minette and Mayra Alvarez also won singles sets for the Vaqueros, who improved to 4-9 and 2-7 in conference. BOYS' GOLF La Salle 218, Flintridge Prep 223, Cathedral 238 : The Rebels split in a nonleague tri-match Tuesday afternoon at the par-34 La Cañada Country Club.

MEN'S TENNIS Glendale Community College 5, Bakersfield College 3: The Vaqueros finished second in the Western State Conference with a road win Thursday. Glendale college (9-8, 5-3 in conference) got singles victories from Alex Sarkissian (6-0, 6-0), Trevor Campbell (7-5, 6-3), Grayson Frazier (6-3, 6-1) and Andre Ratavousian (6-4, 7-5). Campbell and Sarkissian teamed up for an 8-3 doubles win. The Vaqueros will now await to see if they will participate in the Southern California Regionals, which will begin Tuesday.

WHITTIER - For all the last at-bat heroics and nailbiting dramatics that have characterized the Glendale Community College baseball team’s run to and through the postseason, the Vaqueros’ biggest triumph thus far in a magical season came with a reasonable margin of comfort. That did little to lessen the adulation of the Vaqueros as reliever Michael Noteware struck out the last batter of the game to put the finishing touches on defeating Southwestern, 11-5, in the championship game of the Rio Hondo Super Regional on Saturday afternoon to advance to the California Community College Athletic Assn.

GLENDALE — The following are previews of today's contests involving area teams. COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD While no members of the Glendale Community College track and field team qualified in the field events for the Southern California Championships, plenty of runners will be on hand in their quest to advance to the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships. It is on the track where the Vaqueros have excelled recently. Twelve Glendale college athletes are expected to compete in various events at the Southern California Championships, which will be held at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

COLLEGE BASEBALL Glendale Community College 6, Pasadena City College 5: Sako Chapjian and Erik Suarez each had three hits Thursday to spark the Vaqueros (9-2) in a nonconference game at Jackie Robinson Field in Pasadena. Chapjian had a two-run double in the first inning to give Glendale a 2-0 advantage. Glendale starting pitcher Thomas Korn (2-0) struck out six in five innings en route to the victory. MEN'S TENNIS Glendale Community College 7, Santa Barbara City College 2: The Vaqueros began Western State Conference competition Thursday with a road victory.

MEN'S BASKETBALL Glendale Community College 62, Bakersfield College 58: Narbeh Ebrahimian made a three-pointer with 35 seconds left to give the visiting Vaqueros a Western State Conference Southern Division win Wednesday. Ebrahimian's shot gave Glendale college a 60-58 lead. Nick Bryant made two three-pointers in the final five minutes to help Glendale college improve to 15-7, 4-2 in the division. The Vaqueros are tied for first in the division with Citrus, College of the Canyons and Santa Monica City College.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - Well that's one way to start a new season.  After losing its quarterfinal game in the Vaquero Softball Classic Saturday, the Glendale Community College Lady Vaqueros weren't expecting to play in the final rounds the next day. But when Ventura College announced it would be unavailable to continue, the Vaqueros took its spot and took full advantage of the second chance as GCC went on to win its host tournament for...

COSTA MESA - Two games is perhaps a small sample size to make any definitive statements. But during that stretch, the Glendale Community College football team is slowly building a reputation for being a team that is unable to protect the ball. The latest example came Saturday evening, when the Vaqueros fumbled the ball twice on their first three drives and both times it cost them touchdowns. With that, Glendale was unable to recover, losing to Golden West, 34-7, at Orange Coast College.

Grace Zamudio spent the spring in dominant fashion on all-weather tracks across California. The Glendale Community College women's standout track and field athlete blazed a bunch of trails that saw her excel in the 10,000-, 5,000 and 1,500-meter events. The sophomore finished with nine championships, winning each event in the Western State Conference, Southern California Championships and California Community College State Track & Field Championships. Zamudio's body of work was recognized Thursday, as she was named the 2012-2013 California Community College Athletic Assn.

Things finally got moving for a handful of baseball players with local ties on the final day of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft on Saturday. While the wait was longer than hoped for a quartet of players who've spent time with three different local teams, they all realized their long-time dreams when they were drafted between the 13th and 32nd rounds. A trio of current Glendale Angelenos - Jimmy Bosco, Aaron Brown and Keaton Leach, who also spent this past regular season at Glendale Community College - were drafted Saturday, while former Crescenta Valley High standout Lonnie Kauppila, Jr. also saw his name on the big board.

Dave “Hawk” Wilder, who coached the Glendale Community College softball team the past 13 seasons, died Sunday at his home in Northridge. He was 70. Glendale college assistant softball coach Sal Pizzo confirmed Wilder's death Monday. Pizzo said Wilder died of natural causes. Wilder, a Native American, was born June 27, 1942, and was a member of the Karuk Tribe. Wilder coached the Vaqueros from 2001-13, going 213-274-2 overall and 124-141 in division play. Pizzo, who has served as Wilder's assistant the past six seasons, said he had been living with Wilder for the past several months.

A year ago Grace Graham-Zamudio settled for runner-up, third- and fourth-place finishes at the state championships. The Glendale Community College women's track and field star wouldn't settle for anything less that first in 2013. It resulted in Zamudio leaving the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships, which was held at the College of San Mateo, and Glendale college with a triple crown. “The last race was definitely special, I know during the last lap I was thinking, 'This is my last lap as a Vaquero,'” said Zamudio, who capped off an incredible two-year career with the team by winning the 1,500-meter race in four minutes 36.13 seconds and the 5,000-meter in 17:41.

Looking to jump start his career, Angel Rodriguez left Cal State Northridge for an opportunity to join the Glendale Community College baseball team. Rodriguez, who spent last season as a redshirt at CSUN, sought the chance to receive more individual attention while looking to improve his overall pitching skills. Turns out things worked fine for Rodriguez, who helped the Vaqueros win their third Western State Conference South Division championship in a row and was tabbed the division's pitcher of the year.

After building up the Glendale Community College men's and women's teams and leading each to appearances in the California Community College Athletic Assn. Golf Championship, Greg Osbourne resigned his post as coach to become Cal State Bakersfield's director of golf. Osbourne recently accepted the position with Bakersfield and will replace the retiring Dave Barber, effective June 6. He will coach both programs at Bakersfield, which will be joining the Western Athletic Conference next season.

FULLERTON - Timely hitting throughout the order and reliable relief pitching have been staples of Glendale Community College baseball success this season. On Friday afternoon, however, they were the Vaqueros' undoing. GCC stranded 13 base runners and its bullpen allowed two runs, as the Vaqueros lost to Palomar, 3-2, in the opening game of the Fullerton Super Regional of the CCCAA tournament at Fullerton College. "We really didn't play our game," said Vaqueros Coach Chris Cicuto, whose team will now play either El Camino Compton Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Santa Ana College, hoping to move on and into another elimination game Saturday afternoon at Fullerton.

Success is quickly becoming synonymous with the Glendale Community College baseball program in its current three-season run to unprecedented heights. For a third year in a row, the Vaqueros will ride into the super regionals and for a second straight year, that journey will take them south to Orange County. "Guys are excited. Guys are less nervous than they were this time last week," said Vaqueros Coach Chris Cicuto, whose squad opens up play at the Fullerton College Super Regional at 11 a.m. Friday against Palomar.

Jin Park certainly isn't a stranger to the playoff stage. He's soaked up some past experiences, including an appearance with the talented Glendale Community College men's golf team that advanced to the state tournament in 2011. Things will now be a bit different for Park, who will tee off at the Southern California Regionals on Monday at Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club. Park, a Burbank High graduate, will be the lone representative from Glendale college to participate in the 36-hole event and attempt to qualify for the California Community College Athletic Assn.