Sports

Story and photos by LANISSA PATTERSON While the Pima Community College track team finished competing in the NJCAA Indoor National Championship March 4 and 5, it has been two years since the Pima Community College West Campus track was closed to the general public.  The track’s surface is blemished with cracks, some of which span over three lanes. There are mounds where the track does not lie flat. Walking on the track is comparable to walking on bricks. In addition, the West side of the track is torn and unusable. PCC West Athletic Director Jim Monaco is well aware of the condition of the track, calling it “very dangerous.” While the final cost of the installation is still being assessed, Monaco states the lowest estimates start at $200,000. Despite the obvious risks of usin...

By LANISSA PATTERSONPima Post The Pima Track and Field competed March 4 and 5 in Pittsburgh, Kansas, for the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. "Coming home with a national champion and 80 percent of our teams being All-Americans was awesome."Chad Harrison, Pima Coach According to the Aztec Athletics website, the men's team placed 14th overall and earned 17 points at the indoor championships. Sophomore Reece Gardner took home the NJCAA National title in the Heptathlon and earned All-American status. Gardner also set a new Pima pole vaulting record with a mark of 15 feet 5 inches. Freshman Joel Gardner received NJCAA All American honors by placing eighth in the 5,000-meter race, with a time of 14 minutes, 43.36 seconds. In the female division, the women’s tra...

Pima bench celebrating. (Photo by Stephanie Van Latum) By NATE MARTINEZPima Post The Pima College women’s basketball team advanced to the finals of the 2022 Region I, Division II tournament after beating No. 3-seeded Scottsdale Community College 54-45 in a highly physical game. “The main thing was we stayed composed; they were out of control,” guard Melissa Simmons said. “Family-wise, we stayed close with each other, (we had) great communication. We stayed together as a group from first quarter to fourth quarter.” The Aztecs played their second game without injured starting guard Angel Addlemann (Palo Verde grad), but other guards such as Melissa Simmons, Luisa Chavez (Rio Rico) and Priscila Varela stepped up in her absence. “I just felt like they did such a good job, collec...

By GERARDO CASTROPima Post Pima Community College men’s basketball team (14-8) hosted Glendale Community College (13-9) Saturday in a game that wasn’t close at all besides the beginning stages of the game when the score was 2-3.  Glendale never had a lead in the game and Pima made sure to take advantage of that. The Aztecs came out strong out the gates against Glendale as the score was already 12-5 with 16:38 left in the first half of the game. One major factor that was noticeable throughout the game was the Aztecs' 3-point shooting as the team shot an impressive 58.1% from beyond the arc. As the game went on, the Aztecs were able to run away with this one by a multitude of scoring runs. Notable runs were carried out by sophomore Daniel Moody and freshman Griffin Eff...

Photo courtesy PCC AthleticsMarcus Smith gives pointers to Pima Community College golfer Andrew Rivas before a putt during the 2020-2021 golf season. By ALEX JIMENEZPima Post After being appointed as Pima Community College’s golf coach early 2020, Marcus Smith became NJCAA’s youngest head coach. Although it was a big accomplishment, the only surprise for him was how soon this opportunity came.  “I’ve always known I wanted to be a coach ... I did not know I'd do it this young, though,” said Pima Community College golf coach Smith, age 21. Smith started off his head coaching career before most would even consider helping out as an assistant coach or taking coaching courses. However, he did not begin golfing as early as you may expect.  “I started golf pretty late...

Photo Courtesy PCC AthleticsPima Community College freshman guard Angel Addelmann attempts a layup over two Glendale defenders. By Nate MartinezPima Post The No. 8 Pima women’s basketball team (7-2,3-1 in ACCAC) won its away game on Wednesday night, beating the Glendale Gouchos (2-7, 1-3) by a score of 74-57. The Aztecs added to their 32-28 lead in the first half, outscoring Glendale 42-29 after the break. Pima will play on the road again at 2 p.m. Saturday when the Aztecs will face Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Freshman Angel Addleman (Palo Verde) led the team with 18 points. She also had nine rebounds and three steals. Torrance Begay was second with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Begay also went an impressive 5 for 5 from the field.Nikya Orange (Tanqu...

Photo courtesy PCC AthleticsPima Community College sophomore forward Daniel Moody shoots a three-pointer over the head of a Glendale defender. By Nate MartinezPima Post It was a tough road challenge for the No. 11 Pima men’s basketball team (7-2, 2-2 in ACCAC), who took on the No. 17-ranked Glendale Community College Gauchos (8-1, 3-1) on Wednesday night. The Aztecs ran away with the game late in the last period, going on an 11-4 run with 3:27 remaining, handing Glendale its first loss of the season 91-75. “It was a good team win. Our strength is our bigs and we finally got the ball where we needed to,” Pima coach Brian Peabody said. “Beating a nationally ranked team will help our confidence moving forward.” Leading the Aztecs in scoring was sophomore Daniel Moody (Walden Gr...