Webb softball continues strong season

The Vivian Webb School’s softball team is having a stellar year. The Gauls took first place in their league with an impressive 15-3 record, and followed up on Thursday with a 9-0 rout of visiting Rio Hondo Prep in the first round of the CIF tournament.

The shutout was anchored by junior Keely Marquez who pitched seven innings, giving up four runs while striking out four batters. Other top performances came from freshman Thea Kirkpatrick, who had two hits, two runs, four RBIs and a triple—all this from just three at-bats. Junior Hailey Arteaga literally batted 1000 by getting three hits for three at-bats and scoring three runs.

Sophomore Jessica Renfrew had three hits including two doubles and a triple, netting one run and three RBIs. Rounding out the scoring were Sarah Renfrew, Alejandra Butcher and Elise Morris, who each had one hit and one run.

Kirkpatrick also deserves credit for 11 putouts at first base, while Marquez had five outs, two assists and combined for a double play.

Webb lost in the second round of the CIF tournament to Sierra Canyon, ending their season. The team of just 11 girls has no seniors, which bodes well for their continued success next year.

CHS swimming finals

Medalists in the Palomares League Finals included junior Samantha Duran, who was third in the 100-meter fly, fourth in the 500-freestyle and third in the 200-medley relay. Sophomore Katrina Strash took second in the 50-freestyle, fifth in the 100-freestyle and third in the 200-medley relay.

Freshman Emily Marks took fourth in the 100-backstroke and third in the 200-medley relay, while senior Morgan Stockham took third in the 200-medley.

Strash was awarded Palomares All League Team for the 50-freestyle, while setting a new Palomares League meet record in the prelims at 24.7. She broke her own record at the finals at 24.6, but was out-touched for first, according to her father Jon Strash.

For the boys, sophomore Ben Eagleton took third in the 50-freestyle at 22.67.

In the CIF prelims, Strash scored in the top 10 in the 50-free and set a new personal record of 24.5. Samantha Duran made the top 13 in prelims in the 100-fly while getting her best time for the season, 57.86. Both girls made the finals but were unable to compete due to a mishap with entries.

CIF track finals

Claremont High School boys track team placed 22nd and the girls placed 23rd during the CIF Southern Section Division II finals last weekend at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Claremont’s top performance came from Jonah Ross, who placed third in the 1600-meter race, while the top girls’ performance came from Brittney Duquette who took sixth in the 400-meter and Annie Boos, who also took sixth in the 800-meter.

Ira Clark Donovan, Robinson Thomas Beck and Duy Tran-Sampson took home fifth in the 4 x 100 relay, while Kylie Robinson, Kyra Tisopulos, Boos and Duquette got a seventh-place finish in the 4 x 400-meter relay.

CMS men’s tennis nationals

After 34 years and back-to-back losses in the national title match in 2013 and 2014, the number-one ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s tennis team is bringing the national championship trophy back to Claremont, according to Christopher Watts of CMC.

CMS soundly defeated Middlebury 5-0 in the national title match of the 2015 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships on May 20 in Mason, Ohio. For the Stags, it’s the second national title in program history. The other, a tie, was in 1981. CMS Athletics has now won three team national championships as an athletic program, two for men’s tennis (1981 and 2015) and one for men’s swimming (NAIA, 1967).

“It’s been a long road,” said senior Warren Wood (CMC) after the match. “Two years in the finals and not quite getting there, especially at home last year, that really pushed us this year.”

For the second time in three seasons (2013 and 2015), the CMS women’s tennis team finished in fourth place at the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championships, also in Mason, Ohio.

Seventh grader heads to judo junior nationals

Liam McNair, 13, won a state championship in the juvenile A category during the California Judo Invitational Tournament recently in Cerritos. The El Roble seventh grade student has been taking judo lessons for nine years at the San Gabriel Japanese Community Center. His sister Eileen McNair, who is now 17, was featured in the COURIER in 2007 when she placed second in the same competition. Liam will now head to Dallas for junior nationals on June 26.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com