College Roundup

MEN’S TENNIS

UC Irvine 4,

Cal Poly SLO 0

INDIAN WELLS — The No. 3-seeded Anteaters upset the top-seeded Mustangs in the final of the Big West Conference Tournament on Sunday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Coach Trevor Kronemann’s Anteaters (17-9), who learn their pairing in the NCAA Tournament today, won the doubles point and claimed the first three singles matches to finish to earn the program’s first conference title since 2005, the first during Kronemann’s three-year tenure.

Senior Shempei Suzuki (in the No. 3 spot), sophomore Ryan Mayer (No. 6) and sophomore Steven Henderson (No. 4), respectively, completed singles victories to give UCI its 13th conference crown.

UCI lost at home to Cal Poly, 5-2, in their regular-season meeting on April 10.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

UC Irvine 4,

Long Beach State 1

INDIAN WELLS — The No. 3-seeded Anteaters upset top-seeded Long Beach State in the final of the Big West Conference Tournament on Sunday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

It’s the first conference title in the history of the program for Coach Mike Edles’ squad, which had lost five times to the 49ers in the title match during Edles’ 14-season tenure.

UCI (13-10) lost the doubles point, but Courtney Byron (No. 1), April Bisharat (No. 2), Becka Kwan (No. 5) and Kristina Smith (No. 6) finished off singles wins to give the Anteaters a berth in the NCAA Tournament, for which pairings will be announced today.

Long Beach State had topped UCI, 4-3, in their regular-season meeting Feb. 20 at Long Beach State.

SWIMMING

State championships

WALNUT — The Orange Coast College women won the team title and the OCC men were second at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Championships, completed Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.

Sophomore Danielle Lavery won the 100-yard freestyle in 52.10 seconds and also anchored the winning 400 free relay team that included Lisa MacManus, Kierstin Colesen and Michelle Kirkpatrick on the final day of competition.

OCC also won the men’s 400 free relay, as Chris Uncanin, Kevin Donnelly, Daniel Burns and Derek Prong combined for a time of 3:04.93 on Saturday.

Colesen was second in the 100 free (52.54) and Kirkpatrick was third in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.10), while Lindsay Ronce and Natalie Bell both tied for third in the 100 butterfly (58.55) to help the women’s team produce 543 points, 135 more than Sierra.

Ronce finished fifth in the 100 back (59.72).

The OCC men had 374 points, well back of victorious Ventura (501.5).

Pronk was fifth in the 200 back (1:53.74) and Josh Kloppenburg was fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:07.59) to round out top-five finishers from OCC.

BASEBALL

UC Irvine 8,

Cal State Bakersfield 7

IRVINE — Senior Dillon Bell’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the ninth inning allowed the host Anteaters to complete a nonconference three-game series sweep Sunday.

Bell’s heroics helped bail out a bullpen that squandered a 7-2 lead entering the eighth inning, preventing starter Eric Pettis (eight hits and three earned runs in seven innings) from earning the victory.

Instead, Matt Summers, who recorded the final two outs of the ninth on strikeouts, posted the win to improve to 2-2.

UCI (27-14) was led offensively by Jeff Cusick (three for four with two runs) and Ronnie Shaeffer (two for three with two runs batted in).

MEN’S GOLF

Big West Conference Championship

MISSION VIEJO — UC Irvine senior John Chen is the individual leader and UCI also tops the nine-team field after the first two rounds of the event, contested Monday and today at Mission Viejo Country Club.

UCI has a 15-shot lead over second-place Pacific.

Chin shot six-under-par 138 (68-70) to earn a two-shot lead over Chris Russo of Cal State Northridge.

UCI junior Sean O’Meara is sixth (145), junior Max Greil is ninth (146) and freshman Jerry He is 11th (147) for the Anteaters.

The final 18 holes are scheduled today.

Orange Empire

Conference

championship

CHINO HILLS — Orange Coast College and Cypress finished tied, but OCC won the tie-breaker to claim the crown after 36 holes Monday at Los Serranos Golf Course.

Ryan Knapp and Joe Doody (both par 144 to tie for fourth) led the way for OCC, for which Josh Hurst (146), Kord Tagley (147), Benny Santa Maria (148) and Tyler Paul (153) also contributed.

Knapp, Doody and Santa Maria were named to the 12-player all-conference team.

OCC competes next at the Southern California Regionals, Monday at the SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta.

TRACK & FIELD

Steve Scott Invitational

IRVINE — UC Irvine sophomore sensation Charles Jock won the men’s 400 meters with a career-best time of 46.72 seconds and anchored the winning 4X400 relay team Sunday at Anteater Stadium.

The relay quartet of Jacob Yowell, Tim Murphy, George Hernandez and Jock topped the field in a season-best three minutes, 11.56 seconds.

The Anteaters’ Murphy was second in the 800 in 1:50.26.

Colin Hacker was third in the 1,500 in 3:46.98.

UCI’s Amber Middleton placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in 14.39.

The Anteaters’ 4x100 relay of Middleton, Sanmisola George, Breeanca Fleming and Vanessa Houston finished second in 46.50.

UCI’s Chloe Fata was fifth in the women’s 1,500 in 4:36.25.

Placing sixth for UCI were Jacob Yowell (men’s 110 high hurdles in 14.59 and the 400 hurdles in 53.48), Thomas Hamm (men’s pole vaunt with a mark of 15 feet, 7 1/4 inches), Madeline Leduc (women’s triple jump at 39-6), Hernandez (men’s 400 in 48.0), Cam Mitchell (men’s 800 in 1:54.14) and Sam Hyams (men’s 1,500 in 3:50.97).

Seventh-place finishers from UCI included Aman Bhatia (men’s 1,500 in 3:51.52), Sakia Sailinuu (women’s 800 in 2:14.44), and Houston (women’s 200 in 24.14).

MEN’S CREW

Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championship

GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The Orange Coast College novice eight boat came from behind to win the grand final to highlight five Pirates boats to reach championship finals Sunday on Lake Natoma, just outside Sacramento.

The Pirates’ novice eight captured the lead on the final stroke over UC San Diego and finished two inches ahead of the Tritons. OCC finished the 2,000-meter course in six minutes, 21.30 seconds.

OCC was second in the second novice eight final, fourth in both the second varsity eight and novice eight finals, and fifth in the varsity eight final.