Season of hits and misses for ARC athletics

As the academic school year ends, so does the American River College sports season. ARC was led by the men's tennis and track teams, as well as the women's track team. They all made playoff appearances this season. Both the baseball and softball teams struggled, with neither team making the postseason.

The men's track team is finishing up one of the best seasons in its history. They won the Big 8 Conference championship on April 29, finishing with 232 points, more than 100 points better than second place Modesto Junior College.They are also considered the favorites to win the Northern California championships in Shasta on May 14.

The team broke several school records this year as well. Three different athletes broke Mark Paige's 100m dash record of 10.52 seconds this season: Bracin Walker (10.50), Greg Turner (10.42), and Diondre Batson (10.39). Those times are all top 10 in California this year.

Walker, Turner, Batson, and Keven Brown also broke the 4x100m relay record of 41.05, which was set last year, with a time of 40.32 seconds. Walker did not finish there, as he broke Gerald Willhite's long jump record. Walker jumped a nation leading 25 feet 8 inches. Willhite set the record in 1979, and went on to become a first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 1982.

Despite having an experienced team this season, the ARC baseball team struggled to a 11-20 overall record and 5-13 conference record this season. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Dettman and sophomore first baseman Lydell Mosby lead the Beavers offense this season. Dettman posted a .304 batting average and led the team in hits, runs, and walks.

Mosby finished with a .288 batting average and led the team in home runs and R.B.I.'s, with 2 and 16, respectively. The Beavers pitching staff struggled to keep the team in games, as their defense gave up over seven runs a game, while the offense averaged only five runs per contest.

The men's tennis team did not have the experience of the baseball team, but they performed quite well this year. Seven of the team's top eight players were freshman, with Oscar Figeuroa leading the way. The freshman is currently ranked 12th in Northern California and 30th in the state.

Serge Khokhlan posted the best record on the team at 13-5 and showed great improvement during the season. He worked his way from being the number five player to the number two and three spots on the team.

Coach Bo Jabery-Madison couldn't be more proud of his team this season. "I have never had a team that worked as hard as these kids across the board," he said. "It was a true pleasure to coach them this season."

With so many players returning next year, he is also excited about the upcoming season. "With another year of experience some of these guys will make huge improvements," he said. "We also have a nice recruiting class coming in, so I feel like the sky is the limit for next year."

The ARC softball team finished with an overall record of 10-25 and a conference record of 5-16. They finished 7th in the Big 8 conference and did not make the playoffs.  Manager Lisa Delgado cited the teams inexperience as a main reason. "It was a really young team. We had some student athletes who weren't eligible to play."

Outfielder Summer Ikeda and first baseman Kayla Appino led the team's offense this season. Ikeda finished with a .357 batting average to go along with 16 R.B.I.'s, 10 stolen bases, and 27 runs. Appino had a .351 average and 22 R.B.I.'s. Like the baseball team, they struggled with pitching this season. The pitching staff had a team E.R.A. of 6.45, which was the worst in the conference.

This season's lack of success does not deter Delgado's optimism for next year, as the team finished the season strong, winning four of their last six games. "Our last six games they really figured things out," Delgado said. "The girls are already looking forward to next year."

The women's track team finished the season with a Big 8 conference tournament victory. They scored 330 points, which put them well ahead of their competition. Modesto Junior College finished second with 136 points and Santa Rosa Community College was third with 114 points.