Santa Barbara's Source for Sports News and Information
The first Santa Barbara Volleyball Club team to play in the AAU Junior Championships came home with a trophy.The SBVC’s 15-Smack captured the Red Bracket and finished 28th overall in the four-day, 62-team tournament at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Center and the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.Santa Barbara started out in the Gold Bracket and finished in a three-way tie for second place. That set the stage for a one-game playoff against Wildcats Jrs. … [Read more...]
With two elite triathletes pushing him, 13-year-old Walker Bell won his seventh Nite Moves 1k swim and posted his fastest time of the season on Wednesday night at Leadbetter Beach.Bell was timed in 13 minutes, 16 seconds in finishing ahead of Zack Paris, 22, (13:37) and Chris Braden, 20,(13:40). Kyle Visin, 27, another local triathlete, was fourth in 14:16.COMPLETE RESULTSThe first female finisher was Alexa Skorus-Neely, 12, of the Santa Clarita Swim Club, which entered a handful of … [Read more...]
The So Cal Stealth, a Pony All-Star baseball team from Santa Ynez, won the 14-under division championship at the Las Virgenes Tournament in Agoura.The Stealth overcame a 1-1 start in pool play and won their final three games of the tournament by a 38-6 margin, including a 13-3 rout of West Hills in the championship game on Monday night.Aidan Williams was monster at the plate for the Stealth, going 11-for-15 with two doubles, a triple and a solo homer in five games. Nolan Tooley also had … [Read more...]
Andrew Checketts, who has spent the past three seasons as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Oregon, was named UCSB's new head baseball coach.Checketts was introduced by UCSB Director of Athletics Mark W. Massari at a press conference on Wednesday.Checketts becomes the ninth head coach in Gaucho baseball history and takes over a program that has produced the third-most Major League Baseball players in the Big West.“Throughout the process, … [Read more...]
Greg Somogyi, UCSB’s 7-foot-3 center, will play for Hungary’s National Basketball Team at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China from Aug. 12-22, it was announced on Monday.Somogyi's participation in the event means that there could be two Gaucho players taking part. Guard Orlando Johnson is one of 22 players invited to try out for the U.S. National Team that will make the trip to China."The opportunity to represent my country is a huge honor," Somogyi said. "It's been a … [Read more...]
Whitney Bruice became the first woman this season to finish first overall in the Reef and Run Series swim-run duathalon at East Beach on Tuesday.COMPLETE RESULTSBruice, 40,a member of the Moms in Motion fitness group, clocked 47:34 in the 1k swim (first-place time of 18:16) and 5k run (29:19), edging out Justin Russo, 18, who finished in 47:55.In the mile swim, local triathlete Chris Braden took first place in 19:52 and Jessica Broderick of Boulder, Colo. was second in 29:18. … [Read more...]
Ryan Byrne relishes the opportunity to be in a leadership role and work with the entire student-athlete population as the new Director of Athletics at Santa Barbara City College.Byrne is visiting the campus this week before officially starting his job on July 5.At his previous position at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Byrne was the director of the student-athlete academic success program. His experience also includes positions in athletic administration and compliance at Santa … [Read more...]
An early pitchers’ duel at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium broke wide open late in the game, with Foresters’ second baseman Michael Ratterree dealing the knockout blow with a solo home run to give Santa Barbara a 7-5 win over the Orange County Pioneers on Tuesday.The Pioneers were first on the scoreboard when second baseman Blake Thomsen hit a home run over the left-field fence to put Orange County ahead 1-0.That home run proved to be the only smudge on an otherwise excellent performance from … [Read more...]
Although the earth movers beat them to it, members of the San Marcos Field of Champions committee and major donors John and Mardi Warkentin dug up some old grass with their blue and red shovels during a ceremonial ground-breaking for a new synthetic field surface at the renamed Warkentin Stadium on Tuesday.With the Warkentin’s incredibly generous $500,000 donation, the project to install a state-of-the-art turf field and a new all-weather track is well on its way to being … [Read more...]
UCSB sophomore forward David Opoku has been called up to train with Ghana’s Under-23 National Team and will attempt to earn a spot on the squad that plays Nigeria this weekend in the All-Africa Games qualifier.Opoku was called up to the national team camp two weeks ago and has been training with the team for the past week. He has already played in one contest with the team, which they won, 3-2, last Thursday. He will play his second game on Wednesday, June 22."I've been playing well," … [Read more...]
