Sports – Page 12 – Pima Post

Pima Aztec Women’s Basketball Season Preview

24Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Pima Aztec Women’s Basketball Season Preview

Story and photo by KYLE KERSEY Last year, the Pima Community College Women’s Basketball team finished strong, achieving victory in the fifth-place game of the NJCAA Division II tournament. The win came after a tough loss to Kansas City (Kansas) Community College in the quarterfinals, the team that would eventually win the championship. Entering his 13th season with the Aztecs, Todd Holthaus has been the coach of Pima’s Women’s Basketball team since 2007. His teams have enjoyed a large amount of success, finishing as high as the runner-up in the NJCAA Division II tournament in 2011. His teams have finished with at least 20 wins over the past four seasons. Working alongside him is a mix of four assistant coaches, including newcomer and Tucson native Nalani Hernandez, as well as returning...

Nash helps lead Pima Volleyball on the court.

24Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Nash helps lead Pima Volleyball on the court.

By ANGEL CANEZ Aztec Volleyball is being led by Madi Nash, a 19-year-old sophomore star outside hitter from Tucson’s Sahuaro High School. Nash has a lifelong love for the sport of volleyball. She comes from a family of volleyball players: Her older sister Morgan Nash plays D-2 volleyball for Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, and her twin, Abi, plays D-1 volleyball for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Nash leads the team leader in kills (volleyball version on scoring a point) and is ranked 60th in the nation in kills per set at 2.7. Nash gave a lot of credit for her improvement this year to Carla Garrett, Pima’s strength and conditioning coach. “I think my physicality has improved a lot, and I feel like I started jumping a lot higher than I did l...

Aztecs win two of three, but struggles continue

11Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Aztecs win two of three, but struggles continue

By ANGEL CANEZ The Aztec Volleyball team finally seems to be getting on the right track. The team has won two of its last three matches over the past two weeks after dropping four in a row and seven of its last eight, thus bringing its total record to 6-10. Pima’s play this season has mirrored last season, as the Aztecs’ record at the same time last year was (7-11). Oct. 4 (3-1) Pima over Phoenix College The Aztecs would go on to beat the Phoenix College Bears 3 sets to 1 after dropping the first set. The win marked Pima’s first road win of the season. Madi Nash had 16 kills, and she leads the team in that category this year. Nash and Jade Romine both posted double-doubles in kills and digs to bring home the win against the Bears. Kaleigh Hockett led the Aztecs with an impressive...

Men and Women’s teams boast winning records

10Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Men and Women’s teams boast winning records

By COREY McMULLEN The Pima Community College Soccer teams continue hot streaks. The women’s team is playing exceedingly well, winning the last five road matches and shutting out four of the last seven. Men’s Soccer also is winning, although not in such dramatic fashion. Men’s Soccer The returning national champs continue to roll through the competition by outscoring their opponents 26-2. Oct. 5: PCC 5, Glendale CC 0 The No. 7-ranked Aztecs turned up the volume on the Gauchos in the second half of play, scoring all 5 goals in the second half. Freshman Saul Lopez scored his first goal of the season in the 88th minute. The Aztecs’ defense impressively held the Gauchos to only one shot on goal. Oct. 3: PCC 0, Phoenix College 1 Once again, the Aztecs find themselves once again in ano...

Pima finishes in fourth at conference championship

10Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Pima finishes in fourth at conference championship

By JOSHUA SHAVER The Pima Community College Cross Country Men and Women’s teams ran their hearts out at the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in Mesa. The women’s team tied for fourth with Glendale Community College with 120 points each. Runner Iriana Sanchez received an All-ACCAC honorable mention after she placed 21st in the 5K race with a time of 21 minutes, 27 seconds. Rainbow Hoss finished just 14 seconds behind Sanchez with a time of 21 minutes, 41 seconds and finished in 24th place. Freshman Janae Quihuis showed her potential by finishing right behind Hoss in 25th place with a time of 21 minutes, 48 seconds. Carolina Vega-Picos finished 31st with a time of 24 minutes, 52 seconds. Alysa Canez rounded out the women’s race with a time of 26 minutes, 25 second...

10Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

News, Sports

Chapman Auto gives Pima a jumpstart

Story by ANGEL CANEZ and JOE GIDDENS Additional interviews by JOUSHA SHAVER Pima Community College is investing over $500,000 in upgrades to its athletics facilities in as a cost-saving measure and to attract recruits. The athletics department also has signed a $210,000 sponsorship deal with the Chapman Automotive Group for three years. However, despite both of these events, there’s consideration by Pima administration to terminate additional sports programs. Golf, tennis and track are the most commonly discussed. This comes near the end of the first year of the Jim Monaco era of Pima Athletics. Monaco took over the job from former Athletic Director Edgar Soto, who held the position for 11 years and now serves as Desert Vista Campus vice president. Soto also will remain as dean o...

PCC Women’s Volleyball looks to smooth out rocky start

26Sep

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

PCC Women’s Volleyball looks to smooth out rocky start

By COREY McMULLEN After starting the season 3-2, the Aztecs have had a rocky start in September, dropping two straight games in Thatcher, Arizona. Sept. 18: Arizona Western 3, PCC 1 The Aztecs started out strong, winning the first set, but then they dropped three straight sets to Arizona Western 23-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17. This was the third straight conference loss for the Aztecs. Madi Nash finished with 9 kills and 15 digs, while freshman Bergen Campbell had 7 kills, 10 digs and 3 blocks. Sophomore Emily Robinson posted 7 kills and 5 blocks. Freshman Kaitlyn Cook finished with a double-double of 22 assists and 13 digs, while sophomore Grace Adams had 17 digs. Freshman Aydalis Felix posted 15 digs. Sept. 11: Yavapai 3, PCC 0 Aztecs fell in straight sets to the No. 19-ra...

26Sep

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Pima cross country runs to Conference Championships

By JOSHUA SHAVER Pima Community College is running away from the competition. Last season, Pima went all the way to the NJCAA Nationals. Pima eventually ended up losing to Iowa Community College, but it is on a fast track for similar, if not more, success. Can Pima duplicate its success from last year, or can it at least improve from its 16th place showing? At the Dave Murphy Invitational, women and men competed against a number of schools. In the women’s 5K (3.1 miles), sophomore Iriana Sanchez finished in 28th place with a time of 23 minutes, 58 seconds. Her friend and teammate Rainbow Hoss placed behind her at 24 minutes, 4 seconds. While the women showed up, the men also showed their grit running the 7K (4.35 miles) race. Sophomore Juan Miranda was the top finisher for th...

11Sep

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Athletic Voice

Kliff Kingsbury Has Sean Mcvay’s Chin, But Does He Have His Stones?

By Kyle Kersey Overtime. 1:10 on the clock. Fourth and seven on your opponent’s 47 yard line. You’re currently rostering the supposed “next big thing” as your quarterback (irony intentional), and he’s led you back from down 18 in the fourth quarter. The question at hand: do you go for it? It’s been a running joke in NFL circles all offseason: the Arizona Cardinals, tired of losing to the Los Angeles Rams, are now trying to copy them with their latest head coaching hire, Kliff Kingsbury. He sports the handsome good looks and youthful charm of the Rams’ very own Sean McVay, as well as exciting offensive ideas in a league that’s been trending towards the offensive side of the ball for the last 30 years or so. But McVay had NFL coaching experience when he was hired by the Rams at the ripe o...

NJCAA addresses gender inequality in awards

2May

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Sports

NJCAA addresses gender inequality in awards

By MONTY GANTT On April 5, Pima Community College Women’s basketball coach Todd Holthaus sent a mass email to various members of the NJCAA. The email raised a question that was on the minds of coach Holthaus and his players: Why were they simply gifted a game ball for fifth place while the men’s team were gifted with medals and a plaque for seventh place in their respective tournament? Rod Lovett, Director of Championships for the NJCAA, responded with a further explanation as to why the women’s teams below third place received essentially nothing. “The awards provided at the Men's Tournament were purchased by the host school.” Lovette said in an email to coach Holthaus. The host school for the men’s tournament was Danville Area Community College in Danville, Illinois. The hosts fo...