Vaqueros

GLENDALE — Glendale Community College men's tennis Coach Bob MacKay doesn't need any further convincing about Ventura. For the second time this season, MacKay came away impressed with the Pirates. "Nobody is going to beat them," MacKay said after host Glendale suffered a 7-2 Western State Conference loss against Ventura on Thursday afternoon. "They are so solid and you can go from their Nos. 3-6 in singles and they have extra guys who are strong. Ventura (7-0 in conference)

Thanks to a benchmark season in which it placed second in arguably the most difficult conference in the state before qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in the program's history, expectations are now at their highest for the Glendale Community College men's golf team. That's precisely the way Glendale college Coach Greg Osbourne wants it to be. The Vaqueros struggled at times throughout the first half of last season before encountering a streak of good fortune which ultimately led to them faring quite well in the ultra-competitive Western State Conference, taking second in the Southern California Regionals and finishing seventh in state.

A request was made by Glendale Community College women's soccer Coach Jorge Mena to his 18-member team — be prepared for the possibility of playing multiple positions during a match. In recent seasons, the Vaqueros have suffered their share of injuries, leaving them vulnerable on the depth chart. Mena's cautiously optimistic that his squad will enjoy a state of good health and luck to go along with versatility. "I usually like to have 20 players, but with 18, I think it's crucial to have them be able to play at least two different positions," said Mena, whose team will kick off its season at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 with a nonconference home match against San Diego City College at Sartoris Field.

BAKERSFIELD — At the onset of what would become a storybook season for the Glendale Community College baseball team, Coach Chris Cicuto admits not many, likely him included, predicted his Vaqueros would find their way to a first-ever state championships series. But the Vaqueros made a memorable run, characterized by stellar pitching, versatile offense and dependable fielding, to end up in Bakersfield College on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the California Community College Athletic Assn.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale Community College men's basketball team has already proven it can win a home tournament this season. The Vaqueros want to demonstrate it again. In taking its first step to reaching that accomplishment, Glendale college made a resounding statement Wednesday night. Glendale received 18 points from Antonio Garrett and 17 from Demitrius Perkins to pick up a convincing 102-54 victory against Rio Hondo College in an opening-round game of the Vaquero Classic.

The last time a Glendale Community College women's cross-country team fell short of defending a state championship, the disappointment didn't last long. The Vaqueros, under veteran Coach Eddie Lopez, assembled one of the finest teams the state had ever seen following 2008's second-place finish and reclaimed the crown in overwhelming fashion in 2009. Last season, Glendale couldn't run down San Diego Southwestern for the state title, but once again looks primed to repeat history.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — It was improved from the previous week's meltdown, but as its head coach said, it still wasn't "good enough. " The Glendale Community College football team made strides on offense and defense in Saturday's nonconference home game against Golden West College. But the Vaqueros still made too many mistakes on offense, had too many lapses on defense and couldn't make crucial plays in a 39-22 loss, their second straight to start the season. "Because we're young, everybody [got]

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - From the first spot in the Glendale Community College's women's tennis team's singles lineup to the third, there figures to be plenty of competition. Having Sofia Tavitian, Samantha Sismundo and Sevana Zargarian occupying those spots will also likely net the Vaqueros many points, leaving Glendale college Coach Bob Donaghy the good fortune of tailoring his lineup to the team's needs. The trio started the season off on the right note Thursday afternoon, as it combined to lose only one game in Glendale college's 7-2 nonconference victory against College of the Sequoias.

GLENDALE — This is the first of eight consecutive editions in which the News-Press looks back at the area's 2009-10 seasons, school by school, before looking ahead at the year to come. The 2009-10 season began with a return to state preeminence in the fall for the Vaqueros women's cross-country team, accompanied by one of the strongest seasons in recent years for Glendale college's men's cross-country program. In the spring, it was many of the same athletes from those two teams realizing Western State Conference and state glory as part of two successful track and field programs.