INLAND COLLEGE NOTES: Broncos riding high heading into CCAA Tournament

The Broncos are back in the saddle heading into the postseason.

Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team is 25-3 and riding high after the Broncos won their first outright California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title since 2013-14.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for this incredible group of young women,” said Cal Pomona head coach Danielle Bishop, the CCAA coach of the year, whose team has the second-most wins in NCAA Division II this season. “Their dedication and hard work have truly shone through.”

Led by junior small forward Sydney Nelson and sophomore power forward Hunter Hudson, Cal Poly Pomona (25-3 overall, 20-2 CCAA) earned a first-round bye in this week’s CCAA tournament. The Broncos play Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Kellogg Arena against the winner of the game between No. 4 Chico State and No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“We’ve cultivated a vibrant culture, powered by a player-led team that is nothing short of inspiring,” Bishop said. “They’ve earned every bit of this success, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”

Hunter, the most recent CCAA player of the week, posted two double-doubles and averaged 15 points and 16 rebounds per game as Cal Poly Pomona wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 95-69 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills last Thursday, and a 74-40 win over Cal State L.A. in the regular season finale on Saturday.

In victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills, Hudson had 16 points, 19 rebounds and was 6 of 14 from the field with seven offensive rebounds. With the top seed on the line on Saturday, Hudson scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Broncos snap Cal State L.A.’s 15-game winning streak and win the CCAA title outright.

Nelson, a Roosevelt High graduate, leads the Broncos and ranks 32nd in Division II in scoring at 18.5 points per game. She scored in double figures in 22 of the 24 games and eclipsed the 20-point mark 13 times. An all-CCAA first team selection, Nelson leads the conference in field goal percentage at .499 and ranks among the league’s best in free throw percentage (.744) and steals (1.83 per game).

Cal Poly Pomona, ranked No. 10 in the nation, has its best record since 2000-01 when the Broncos won the second of their back-to-back D2 national titles. This season’s won-loss record is the best regular season mark in Bishop’s 16 years.

The CCAA tournament championship game is Saturday at 5 p.m. The winner earns an automatic bid in the NCAA D2 tournament next week.

Watch the entire CCAA tournament on FloCollege at goccaa.org/flocollege.

THREE SEEDED FOR CBU

The California Baptist University wrestling team is headed to its final Big XII Conference tournament with a trio of contenders.

Senior Gabe Schumm (Citrus Hill High), sophomore Paul Kelly, and Corona native Jesse Vasquez will all be seeded for the Big XII tournament in Tulsa, Okla. this weekend, earning top-eight spots in their respective weight classes.

Schumm, seeded No. 6 at 165 pounds, has a first-round bye before facing the winner of No. 3 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) and Peyten Keller (Oklahoma).

Richard “Remy” Murillo (Canyon Springs High) takes on No. 3 Kyler Larkin (Arizona State) at 133 pounds. Larkin beat Murillo in a 7-2 decision earlier this season.

THOMAS JUMPS TO WIN

UC Riverside junior Kyan Thomas went big in the Biggest Little City in the World.

Thomas (Valley View High) set a personal record to win the men’s triple jump at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor track and field championships hosted at the University of Nevada in Reno.

Thomas’ jump of 15.28 meters led a field in which UC Riverside jumpers took three of the top four spots. Freshman Addae Ma’at (14.86) was third and freshman ZeShaun Daley (14.62) was fourth as as the Highlanders placed third in the team standings.

Thomas, a  medalist at last year’s Big West championships, and the Highlanders open their outdoor season at the Riverside City College Invitational on Friday.

THE DOCTOR IS IN

The University of La Verne women’s volleyball team, the recent NCAA Division III national runners-up, has its new leader.

Dr. Randi Taylor-Toomay has been named the next head coach of the Leopards, La Verne athletic director Dr. Jenna Panatier announced on Thursday, Feb. 26.

An undergraduate student, student-athlete, graduate student, doctoral student, coach, adjunct professor, full-time faculty member, and now head coach, Dr. Taylor-Toomay has done it all at La Verne.

A former D3 All-American, Taylor-Toomay stands sixth all-time in La Verne history with 1,271 career kills. She helped lead the Leopards to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a West Region semifinal berth in 2009.

ODDS & ENDS

Kyle Harford, a junior transfer from Riverside City College, fired a school-record 3-under-par 69 as La Sierra University competed in its first 54-hole event as a full team at the Coyote Springs Invite at Coyote Springs Golf Club in Moapa, Nev. last week. … Sophomore Ava Gurney scored four goals as the Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team defeated Redlands 23-6 on Sunday, March 1. The Sagehens (7-8 overall, 4-0 SCIAC) were last season’s NCAA Division III national champions. … Riverside City College sophomore water polo driver Yanti Quijada (Arlington High) will transfer to Fresno Pacific. Quijada had 67 goals and 27 assists for the Tigers this season.