A Capsule of the Toros’ 2005-06 Athletic Season
June 13, 2006

The Toros continued their athletic excellence in 2005-06, a year highlighted by a Regional Championship, two Coaches and two Player of the Year awards, four All-Americans, 12 All-Regions, 36 All-CCAA honors and 18 Player/Pitcher/Athletes of the Week. Beyond each sport’s season, CSUDH boasted two players drafted by professional teams in men’s soccer’s Kei Kamara (9th overall pick by the Columbus Crew) and baseball’s Ryan Owen (selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 16th round, the only CCAA player chosen on day one of the MLB draft).

In addition, five of the 11 sports qualified for NCAA post-season action (just one off from last year’s mark of 6 teams making post-season play), with men’s soccer taking the Far West Title and softball making it to the Far West title game. Combined with men’s soccer’s Joe Flanagan winning his 4th CCAA Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year honor, baseball’s George Wing taking home his 2nd CCAA Coach of the Year award, and softball’s Jim Maier winning his 200th game as head coach of the Toros in just his 6th season, the Toros were well-represented from fall through winter.

Individually, Francisco Corona established a new high for total points scored in a Toros’ men’s soccer uniform, while Tameka Blue became CSUDH’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball history. In the spring, Cindy Perry-Brown finished her four-year career on the softball diamond with 17 records under her name as softball bade a fond farewell to eight seniors while baseball’s Jason Klug had one of the most success baseball seasons in school history, claiming two All-Americas and three Player of the Year honors.

Not to be outdone, track and field boasted two All-Americans in freshman Meia Tezeno (indoor) and junior Alexandria Anderson (outdoor).

Here are brief summaries of the sports that were 2005-06:

MEN’S SOCCER:
The Toros claimed the Far West Regional Title with a heart-stopping 2-1 overtime victory over then No. 5 Seattle Pacific, only to fall 3-2 in the NCAA quarterfinals to undefeated and eventual champion Fort Lewis College.

Having made the playoffs for the sixth-consecutive season, the Toros boasted 1 3rd-team All-American, 3 1st-team All-Region players, 2 1st-team All-CCAA Conference players, 4 2nd-team All-CCAA players and the CCAA Coach of the Year in Joe Flanagan.

Kei Kamara, a 3rd-team All-American, two-time 1st-team All-Region, two-time 1st-team All-CCAA and 2004 CCAA MVP, was selected as the No. 9 overall pick by the Columbus Crew in this year’s Major League Soccer Draft.

WOMEN’S SOCCER:
The Toros qualified for their third-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, where they fell to the CCAA champion UC San Diego Tritons, 1-0.

Rachele McDonald led CSUDH with nine goals and 30 points, while Tara Senff’s 8 and Katie Roche’s 7 goals provided a balanced attack for the forward-heavy Toros. Freshman goalkeep Lisa Agramonte was superb between the pipes in her first collegiate season, posting 5 shutouts and 11 wins.

CSUDH boasted 2 1st-team All-Region players, 1 2nd-team All-Region, 3 1st-team All-CCAA, 2 2nd-team All-CCAA and 3 3rd-team All-CCAA.

Next season, the Toros will return seven starters, including 2004 MVP McDonald and their starting goalkeeper.

VOLLEYBALL:
This year was a year of change for Toros volleyball, returning just five letter winners including just one senior on a team that graduated its four-leading hitters from a year ago.

Courtney Spainhour emerged early on, recording a monumental effort of 21 kills and 21 digs in defeating CS Monterey Bay for the team’s first win of the year.

One of the most vocal and hard-working athletes in Toro history, Sylvia Bonilla etched her name in the CSUDH record books with 898 career digs to place her 3rd all-time. A duo of juco transfers would also etch their names in the Toros record book, with Spainhour would grabbing 10th place for attack attempts in a season with 994, and Timary More’s .783 hitting percentage against the University of Connecticut-Bridgeport earning her the top spot for hitting percentage in a match.

With only one senior departing, experience in the returners, and a new coach in Randy Cline, positive changes are going to be seen 2006.

CROSS COUNTRY:
Freshman Kristin Glen led a revamped cross-country squad to three top-10 finishes over the course of five invitationals, and an overall 10th place finish at the CCAA Championships in late October.

On the year, Glen posted the fastest Toro time in all seven races in which CSUDH has competed.

The Toros, who welcomed six newcomers to this year’s squad, should have both experience and depth as they look forward to a successful 2006 season.

MEN’S BASKETBALL:
The 2005-06 men’s basketball team made great strides this year. Incorporating 10 newcomers with just three returning players, the Toros posted an 11-16 overall and 8-12 CCAA record, garnering two more conference wins than last season, and four more wins total.

Juniors Carlos Rivers and Shamont Brown, who was named to the 2nd Team All-CCAA, led the Toro offense, averaging 13.4 and 12.0 points per game, respectively, while fellow junior Trevon Bryant anchored a revamped defense that held opponents to just 46% shooting from the field. Bryant, in fact, established the CSUDH record for blocks in a single-season with 52, and his 2.36 blocks per game average placed him 15th in the NCAA. Bryant was so dominant in the paint that he outdistanced the CCAA’s runner-up finisher by 1.06 blocks per game (2.36 to 1.30).

After posting just four wins in their first 14 contests, the Toros reeled off seven wins over their final 13 games, including two to end the regular season.

CSUDH returns nine letter winners and two redshirt freshmen in 2006-07, and will look to crack the upper echelon of the always tough CCAA Conference in hopes of making its first postseason appearance since 1986-87.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:
The 2005-06 season was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but CSUDH would pick up its play with back-to-back wins to close the season, finishing 15-11 overall and 10-10 in the CCAA Conference.

Senior point guard Tameka Blue, who earned 2nd-team All-Region and 1st-team All-CCAA honors this season, is a 3-time 1st-team All-CCAA winner and former CCAA Freshman of the Year, closed her career in style, setting the Toros all-time career record for points scored on the final day of the season. Sophomore Alana Bailey picked up her first career All-CCAA nod.

Next season, the Toros return a combined 10 freshmen and sophomores, adding experience and talent to its incoming class that will look to make it back to the NCAA postseason.

TRACK & FIELD:
During the indoor season, Meia Tezeno and Grace Fitchett both qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, with Tezeno advancing to the finals and earning All-America honors as a freshman with a 4th-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles.

The indoor success would transfer and multiply over to the outdoor season as the Toros claimed two individual titles at the CCAA Championships and sent four individuals and one relay team to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships the weekend of May 25-27, where junior Alexandria Anderson picked up her first-career All-America nod by placing 6th in the 100-meter hurdles.

GOLF:
The 2006 golf team fielded a team of three juniors and two freshmen, all looking to make their mark on the links.

Junior Matt Giamberdino led the Toros at the Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational, CSUDH’s first tournament of the season, as the Toros posted a 15th place team finish, while freshmen Niraj Dhruv found his groove at the 56th Annual Southern California Intercollegiate one week later, leading the Toro contingent to a 14th place finish at the UCSD-hosted event. Fellow freshman Miguel Saucedo then took his turn over the final two tournaments, giving the Toros’ golf team hopes for a promising 2006-07.

Saucedo led the Toros at the CS Stanislaus-hosted Buzzini Invitational on April 11, and followed that performance with a top 50 finish at the CCAA Championships one week later as the Toros placed 8th in the tournament.

SOFTBALL:
The Toros finished the 2006 season with a 46-11 record, winning four games in the NCAA Far West Region playoffs that included a thrilling 3-2 victory over then No. 1-ranked Humboldt State in the region’s semi-final match-up, the deepest post-season run the program has enjoyed in its existence. The 46 wins tied the program record for most wins set just last season while the 11 losses was the fewest amount of games lost in one season. Overall, the Toros set 24 individual and team records and tied three others to cap yet another record-breaking year, led by Cindy Perry-Brown’s total of 17 records to her name(s).

Perry-Brown and Jackie Miller both were named to the 2nd-Team All-West Region and 1st-team All-CCAA teams, while Araceli Martinez joined the duo by being selected to the All-West Region Tournament team. Junior transfer Kristine Minter picked up a 3rd-team All-CCAA accolade after posting a 14-2 record, which included her first-career no-hitter at Cal State San Bernardino in her first season in Cardinal and Gold.

Head coach Jim Maier, who also reached a milestone with his 200th victory at CSUDH on February 28, welcomes 10 freshman into the mix next season as he looks towards the Toros’ fifth-consecutive post-season appearance.

BASEBALL:
After a rocky start 6-10 start in the month of February, the 2006 baseball team turned it around quickly as the Toros won 8 of 11 games in March and 13 of 16 in April to grab the top seed heading into the CCAA Tournament. In the tournament, the Toros went 2-2, sending host Cal State L.A. and UC San Diego packing before dropping its second game of the tournament to Chico State, which would make it to the NCAA title game. Despite its late-season run, CSUDH was overlooked by the NCAA committee, finishing its season at 33-18, 20-10 CCAA, and with a No. 24 ranking.

San Bernardino Valley College transfer Jason Klug would have one the best seasons in Toro history, claiming a litany of awards — ABCA 2nd-team All-American, NCBWA 3rd-team All-American, ABCA & NCBWA West Region Player of the Year, CCAA Player of the Year, 2 CCAA Player of the Weeks — en route to establishing the CSUDH record with a 23-game hitting streak.

Chris Borchers had a stellar season on the mound as he earned ABCA and NCBWA 1st-team All-Region honors, two weeks after claiming the CCAA Pitcher of the Year award, while head coach George Wing received his second-career CCAA Coach of the Year honor.

Freshman Cody Puckett grabbed 1st-team All-CCAA honors while senior lefty Ryan Owen, who earned his first-career 2nd-team All-CCAA honor, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 16th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, the only CCAA player chosen on day one of the two-day process.