Aztec Sports – Pima Post

Women’s basketball highlights shortened 2020 season

10May

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Women’s basketball highlights shortened 2020 season

By COREY MCMULLEN The world is in a place that none of us is used to, with the cancellation of all sporting events and types of social gatherings across the globe. This includes the Pima Community College women’s basketball team’s 2020 season. The Aztecs were supposed to play in the NJCAA regional tournament in March. The original plan was for the tournament to just be postponed to the end of April, but with no signs of the COVID-19 pandemic slowing down, the tournament and the Aztecs’ season officially was canceled. With the season being over, the end-of-season honors were announced. Aztec head coach Todd Holthaus was honored with Region I West District Coach of the Year. This is the sixth time coach Holthaus was honored with the award (2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019). “This season wil...

27Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Aztecs earned a second chance at NJCAA Division 1 Nationals

By COREY McMULLEN The Aztecs were given a new life with receiving one of four at-large bids to get into the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. In the second chance game, the Aztecs fell 1-0 to Eastern Florida State in double overtime. The Aztecs were eliminated from the regional tournament Nov. 2 to Arizona Western in a shootout. Thinking the season was over for the Aztecs, they received one of the four at-large bids for the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Tyler, Texas. The tournament went from Nov. 18 to Nov. 23. The Aztecs entered the tournament as the 9 seed. This was the Aztecs’ third straight year to the NJCAA tournament and their sixth appearance in nine years. Aztec sophomore goalie Nils Roth made some early game-saving stops. Roth made a diving stop in the first 1...

Women’s team nets 3-1 record; men’s team struggles

27Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Women’s team nets 3-1 record; men’s team struggles

By COREY McMULLEN Women’s Basketball After opening the season with a dominant win over Park University, the Aztecs headed to Thatcher for the Eastern Arizona Classic. The Aztecs were overpowered in their first game of the tournament by Odessa College, falling 76 to 47. The Aztecs were quick to bounce back, and put a 69-point beat down on Southwestern College. The Aztecs got going early with the help of sophomore Haile Lawson, who put up 22 points, was 10 of 12 shooting and had 6 rebounds. Fellow sophomore Marlena Arroyo-Plata had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. She went 5 for 6 from the field. The Aztecs would dominate every quarter of the game, outscoring the Southwestern College 53-10 in the second and third quarters. The Aztecs’ third game of the tournament was canc...

27Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Sports

Tippins takes the long way to Tucson

By COREY McMULLEN For most athletes to make it to the collegiate level, it took a lifetime of practicing their craft. Kaylon Tippins isn’t most collegiate athletes, however. At 6 feet, 8 inches, the Aztecs starting forward didn’t start playing basketball until his junior year of high school. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Tippins was a football player who never thought about playing basketball. Tippins started high school in Fort Worth at North Crowley High School. He was 5 feet, 5 inches. By his sophomore year, he was standing 6 feet tall, and when he graduated, he was 6 feet, 5 inches. Tippins and his family moved to Tucson his junior year of high school to be closer to his mom’s side of the family. Tippins says the transition from Texas was a tough move. He d...

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...