Riverside Athletics Week in Review – 9/18/19: Football Defeats Fullerton & Receives Top Ranking, Women’s Water Polo Runs the North
It was a strong week for the Tigers as the rose to the top spot in the JC Athletic Bureau of California Community College Football Coaches poll following a victory over No. 12 Fullerton. Riverside rode a strong defensive effort and special teams savvy leading to the victory. It was the first time the Tigers defeated the Hornets since 2014 and the first time since 2004 the Hornets have been held to under eight points. Sophomore Jaylen Bowens blocked a pair of field goals to highlight the game-changing efforts, while freshman punter Carson Reed reared back 10 times for 303 yards and pinned the Hornets inside the 20-yard line five times. Sophomore linebacker Kobey Fitzgerald recorded a safety, while sophomore wide receiver Tyler Kennedy hauled in a 15-yard touchdown reception as well.
The Tigers competed in the 2019 American River Rage and faced off against three of the strongest northern teams. They went 4-0 on the week with dominant wins over American River (19-2), Sacramento City (20-2) and San Joaquin Delta (15-4). Freshman attacker Nicole Tormey was a commanding force as seen in nine goals, two assists and one steal. She was accompanied by the efforts of freshman Jesenia Wilson and sophomore Hannah Peercy who each scored five goals. Peercy added five steals and three assists. Sophomore Madison Button earned all three wins and racked up 23 saves.
Riverside competed in the SoCal Preview this past week after a strong start to the season. Despite not having a single runner land in the top-10, Riverside hauled in third place by maintaining a consistent approach in their strategy. Sophomore Ariel Martinez paced the pack for the Tigers as seen in a 12th-place finish at a time of 20:25.2. Sophomore Emiliana Merida Cano snuck into the top-20 by a mere two second with a final clip reading 20:56.1. Freshman Maria Rojas followed with a time of 21:28.9 to earn her 26th place, backed by freshman Helena Valdez finishing with a mark of 21:40.9 to land in 33rd place.
Riverside went 2-1 on the week by taking down a pair of Inland Empire competitors in College of the Desert (3-1) and Mt. San Jacinto (3-2). In the five-set thriller against MSJC, the offensive combo of Vashti Elias-Romero and Jasmine Urban were on full display. Elias-Romero, who continues to pace the Tigers in offensive numbers, recorded a team-high 13 kills on 47 attempts. She recorded 12 digs and four services aces in the process. Urban hammered home 11 kills and dropped in five aces. Freshman setter Hailey Gray recorded 26 assists and notched 14 digs. Sophomore libero Sadie Arganda tallied a team-high 17 digs.
The men rallied behind freshman Jordan Wilson for the third-consecutive week as he placed 26th overall with a time of 22:14.5. Sophomore Matthew Lieberman followed at 36th overall with a time of 22:28.5, while freshman Alberto Lopez landed in 39th place at a time of 22:33.6.
The Tigers participated in the 2019 Inland Empire Classic over the weekend and went 1-3. Their victory came over NAIA Ottowa University by the final score of 16-12. Sophomore Kenny Wulf paced the Tigers with five goals and two steals, while freshman Vincenzo Inguanta found the back of the net four times and dished out an assist. Fülöp Hegyi recorded a team-high three steals. Sophomroe Leonardo Monges earned his fist win of the season after hauling in eight saves in the cage.
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