College notebook: SSU, SRJC fall teams off to strong starts

The fall season for college sports is in full swing and several teams from Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State are off to great starts.

Let’s take a closer look at how local college teams are faring so far this fall season.

SRJC

Men’s soccer: The Bear Cubs were 3-2 as of Wednesday ahead of their next game Friday vs. De Anza, looking for their third straight win. Sophomore Victor Vargas, a Piner grad, leads the team with nine points (three goals, three assists). Big 8 Conference play begin Sept. 30 at Modesto.

Women’s cross country: Freshman Olivia House, a Santa Rosa High grad, has burst onto the collegiate scene. She won her first college race two weeks ago at the Big 8 Preview, topping the field with a time of 20 minutes, 39.4 seconds over the three-mile course in Folsom. She followed that up with a fifth-place finish in a 52-runner field at the NorCal Preview this past weekend, running the 5,000-meter race in 22:12.

Men’s cross country: Freshman Ben Neargarder, an Analy grad, has been the Bear Cubs’ top runner through two races this season. He finished seventh out of 31 runners with a time of 23:39.5 at the Big 8 Preview and then led the Bear Cubs to a sixth-place finish at the NorCal Preview, finishing 26th out of 95 runners with a time of 23:22.

Volleyball: The Bear Cubs simply cannot be beaten on their home court. SRJC opened conference play Wednesday with a five-set win over Modesto to improve to 6-0 at home and 7-3 on the season. Freshman Sophia Lopez, a Windsor grad, leads the team with 78 kill and has two double-doubles on the year, while her classmate and former high school teammate Daya Mosqueda has 13 aces and a team-high 189 digs. Mosqueda also leads the Big 8 in digs per set with 5.56.

Women’s soccer: After starting the season 0-3, the Bear Cubs will be searching for their third straight win at Cuesta on Friday in their final nonconference tuneup. They were outscored 7-1 over their first three games but have bounced back with consecutive 3-0 wins over Las Positas and Merced. Sophomore Grace Messenger, a Cloverdale grad, leads the team with six points on three goals. Conference play starts Oct. 4 with against visiting Sacramento City.

Wrestling: The Bear Cubs have competed in two meets so far this season, splitting a double dual with Skyline and San Joaquin Delta before placing 12th at a tournament at Sac City College. Frankie Pomilia is currently 4-0 as the Bear Cubs head into Friday’s conference dual meet at Fresno City College.

SSU

Men’s golf: The Seawolves opened their season by winning the NCAA West Regional Preview this past weekend at Foxtail Golf Club, jumping four spots on the final day of play with a team score of 12-under par 276 to top the 11-team field. Three SSU players carded rounds of four-under 68 — Griffin Pace, Colin Huang and Sean Markham — to lead the 11-stroke comeback. The Seawolves ultimately prevailed by one stroke over Western New Mexico. The 12-under par round is one of the top five lowest scores in program history. Huang finished tied for second in the entire field with a final score of 10-under par 206 for the three-round tournament and was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s Men’s Golfer of the Week.

Men’s soccer: The Seawolves were on a three-game winning streak before falling 3-1 to San Francisco State on Saturday for a 3-2-2 overall record. Jose Rios Lara and Ulysses Vega each have two goals and an assist to lead the team with five points.

Women’s soccer: The two-time defending CCAA champs are once again poised for a strong year. The Seawolves are riding a five-game unbeaten streak and will enter conference play this weekend with a 4-1-1 record and ranked as the No. 22 team in the country. Lexi Zandonella-Arasa leads the team and is second in the conference with 12 points on five goals and two assists.

Women’s cross country: Two meets into the season and the Seawolves have already turned in a historic performance. At the Kim Duyst Invitational two weeks ago, SSU placed second out of the five-team field, its best team finish in a meet since 2017 when they won their own Seawolf Invite. Freshman Gianna Bomarito finished fourth in the 6k race with a time of 21:42.6, while sophomore Sophia Rodriguez also recorded a top 10 finish with a time of 23:48.6 for ninth overall. Maddie Baytosh (23:54.5), Olivia Knobbe (24:26.5), Abby Ribbet (24:26.6) and Alissa Rossett (24:38.7) finished 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th, respectively.

Volleyball: After a roaring start to their season, the Seawolves are looking to get back on track as they’ve dropped three straight entering Friday’s conference game at San Francisco State. SSU (8-4, 1-3) went a perfect 3-0 at the Seawolves/Penguin Classic at the start of the month and then opened CCAA play with a 3-0 win over Cal State San Marcos but have since lost to Cal State East Bay, No. 12 Cal State San Bernadino and No. 25 Cal Poly Pomona. Of their four losses this year, three have come against teams ranked in the top 25 in the country. Team leaders include Kiana Richardson (109 kills), Jen Trephan (220 assists and 125 digs) and Leilani Hallman (41 blocks). Brynna Slayton also leads the conference with 31 aces.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.