Five Claremont High School girls varsity runners lead a tight pack of their competitors on the way to claiming 3 of the 4 top spots during the second Sierra League cross country meet on Wednesday at Bonelli Regional Park. The Wolfpack had a stunning meet winning four out of five events. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont High School’s Simone Bliss, left, and Denise Brittain gang up to block a shot from South Hills on Tuesday at CHS. The girls lost the first game but came back to win the second game. After exchanging two more games the Pack outlasted the Huskies in the fifth and final match to win 3-2. Check out our game story. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
The Wolfpack are coming off of a 17-1 beatdown of Charter Oak following Tuesday’s non-conference action. Claremont won all of its single sets, with its lone loss coming during a doubles set.
“I believe our one loss was attributed to unforced errors on our part,” Head Coach Lilibeth Katigbak said. “One of our goals is to maintain consistency throughout our matches in everything from serves to volleys to ground strokes.”
Claremont is not known as a basketball town. It does, however, have its own basketball dynasty, with 3 noted coaches hailing from the City of Trees.
It started with Lowell Rice, who coached basketball at Claremont High School from 1983 to 1993, ending his run by guiding the Wolfpack to a Baseline League Championship.
Lowell’s sons, Dave and Grant, both of whom attended CHS and played for the Pack, have gone on to follow in his footsteps, taking a family passion to even greater heights. Dave is head basketball coach for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, above.
Girls Golf:
The Claremont girls golf team returns two varsity starters from a year ago, highlighted by second-year team captain and fourth-year varsity starter Kennedy Bingham.
Caitlin Chan joins Bingham as the only other returning varsity starter from last year’s squad, which featured three first-team All-Sierra League honorees, the most recipients head coach Octavio Hernandez has had in one season in his four years with the program. This year’s team boasts five seniors, one junior and five freshmen.
The bicycle safety education course is open to the Claremont community and offered free of charge, for participants ages 18 and above. The course includes a one-hour classroom setting instruction, one-hour of parking lot practice and a one-hour bicycle ride. As a part of the bicycle safety training session, participants will receive a free helmet, lights, bike maps and additional giveaways on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Marcos Giron played a near-flawless first set to beat former UCLA teammate and doubles partner Dennis Novikov 6-0, 7-5 in the singles championship Sunday at the USTA Claremont Club Classic, a $10,000 Men’s Pro Futures event taking place at the Claremont Club.
“I started off on fire and didn’t miss a ball,” said Giron, a 20-year-old UCLA junior. “”I put Dennis on his heels and I think he was shocked at how I came out. I had the momentum and could really go for my shots in the second set. He had all the pressure to come back.”
Former junior rivals and UCLA teammates Dennis Novikov and Marcos Giron will meet for the 18th USTA Claremont Club Classic title on Sunday after both won hard-fought three-set matches over former Bruins on Saturday at the Claremont Club.
The No. 3-seeded Novikov, 19, had to come back from down a set and a break to beat No. 2-seeded Nick Meister, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, while the unseeded 20-year-old Giron survived a match point against him in his 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) over Haythem Abid of Tunisia in the $10,000 Men’s Pro Future event
The Claremont Consortium has handed down its final decision, the Claremont Golf Course, Inc. will shutdown in early January 2014.
The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon, a day after an independent audit of the golf course confirmed that the facility’s financial operations are no longer manageable.
On Thursday, September 5, board members stated that revenues from the use of the driving range and golf course have declined approximately 30 percent since 2008 and “has accelerated” within the past 12 months, putting the golf course “in a position of critical financial distress.”
Building on the experience of winning the recent US Open National Playoff and playing in the US Open Qualifying tournament, former Texas A&M All-American Jeff Dadamo rolled into the quarterfinals of the USTA Claremont Club Classic, a $10,000 Men’s Pro Futures event taking place at the Claremont Club.
Claremont High School quarterback Craig Myers looks for an open receiver while being pursued by Glendora High School defensive back Colin Grady on Friday during the Pack’s season opening game in Claremont.. CHS lost to the visiting Tartans, 23-15. The Pack’s next game will be an away game on September 13 at Walnut High School. Check out our complete game story. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont High School football player Nathan Gonzalez cools off during a break from practice on Tuesday at CHS. The Pack’s first game will be next Thursday with a pre-season scrimmage against Burbank at CHS. The regular season begins on September 6 with a home game against Glendora. Check out our complete football photo gallery. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
A runner stands poised in preparation for the hand-off. He is running the last leg of a relay and once his teammate arrives, the team’s fate lies in his hands. As he whispers a soft prayer, the hand-off is made. His heart slams hard in his chest as he bolts forward to complete the last leg of the 400-meter dash to take home a second-place finish. He is only 10 years old.
Alex Sotolongo brought home a silver medal for his team, the Bay Cities Unleashed, at the 2013 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships held in Greensboro, North Carolina last month.
The Claremont High School Cross Country Wolfpack ran for charity with their 24-hour relay event last Friday and Saturday.
The relay is held annually for the team to bond before the new season starts in September and also has the team involved with fundraising efforts. This year, cross country captains Adam Michno, Daniel Ross, Merian Arft, Andrea Flores, Megan Renken and Kylee Jorgensen selected the Foothill Family Shelter as the charity of choice.
“We selected Foothill Family Shelter because they were relatively easy to donate to,” Adam said. “They’re a good family shelter and get people to stay in shape and get their lives together.”
