The Santa Rosa Junior College athletics programs were in full swing over the winter break. From men’s wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball to cheerleading regionals, the Bear Cubs represented in every competition, taking home medals and plaques in recognition of the exemplary work that the department continues to build on.
Wrestling State Championships 12/14
Individuals from the Santa Rosa Junior College men’s wrestling team represented at the CCCAA men’s wrestling state championship at Lemoore College in Lemoore, California on Dec. 14. The state championships began on Friday, Dec. 13 where nine wrestlers from SRJC competed to qualify for the finals on the following day.
Ali Hamzia (141), Karmine Berndt (141), Zac Morgan (174), Jesus Anguiano (184), Joe Ellis (197) and Aiden Riddleberger (197) fought hard and concluded their season on the first day of state championships.
Of the nine, four wrestlers moved into the finals day and medaled; freshmen Derek Ruffin (125) placed 7th, Erickson Edpao (133) placed 8th, Vicente Rodarte (149) placed 8th, and sophomore Rayhan Jaleel (197) placed 3rd. Jaleel earned the All-American award for the second season in a row with the Bear Cubs.
The men’s wrestling team has had a phenomenal season with a record of 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big 8 Conference. According to men’s wrestling head coach Fred Duerr, the Bear Cubs tied Sac City for the conference championship – something that has not been done for a long time. He expressed deep pride in the excellent work his men have done this season.
“We had a bunch of program firsts including the most qualifiers and medalists in a regional tournament.” Duerr said. “We were finishing on the podium at almost every tournament we entered. The whole team supported each other. It was a lot of fun from start to finish.”
Derek Ruffin (125), who is in his first season with the Bear Cubs, placed 7th in the 125 bracket. Hailing all the way from Texas, Ruffin says he has had an exemplary experience this season. “My first season as a Bear Cub was nothing short of unreal,” he said. “The team made me feel at home, even though I was so far away. That support allowed me to relax, have fun, and truly be myself all season long.”
Men’s Basketball Kris Kringle 12/28
The 48th annual Kris Kringle Tournament took place over the winter break. Foothill College, Shasta College, College of the Redwoods, Pasadena City College, and Santa Rosa Junior College battled it out in a two-day split at Haehl Pavilion.
Joining in on the second day of the tournament, SRJC dominated College of the Redwoods with a 19-point lead and dropped a total of 45 points in the first half. Freshman Spencer Langowski and Sophomore Andrew Pengel collectively dropped 47 points.
Succeeding their win against College of the Redwoods, the Bear Cubs prevailed over Pasadena City College, 80-73. Guard Andrew Pengel once again played a huge role, putting down 36 points against the Lancers.
“I felt my performance was good and we have to keep fighting and working hard,” Andrew Pengel said. “We feel good, we peaked at the right time and we are getting better as a team with more work to do.”
Due to too many schools dropping out, the tournament turned into a shootout and a winner wasn’t crowned.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball VS Diablo Valley College
Both SRJC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off the new year with wins against Diablo Valley College (DVC) on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
The men’s team performed greatly and took the win with a 22-point lead against Diablo Valley (70-48).
The first half proved fruitful with the Bear Cubs collectively dropping 43 points and preventing DVC from breaking 30 points. Scoring was well balanced across the Bear Cubs; guard Spencer Langowski and forward Vincent Jackson dropped 38 points together.
Following the men’s win, the women’s team dominated in their match against DVC and won with a final score of 64-40.
Guard Ivy Gonzalez and forward Kaia Eubanks monopolized the scoreboard and mutually scored 38 points, making up over half of the total score. The Bear Cubs never gave DVC a chance to breathe and came out on top every quarter of the match.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball VS Sierra
Following the match against DVC, both SRJC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams tipped off against Sierra on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Haehl Pavilion, where McMillian’s team reigned 83-74 victors, but Campbell’s women’s team fell to a spirited 66-61 defeat.
The men’s team went into the match on a seven-win streak of 14-3 overall. McMillian’s side was looking to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, Sierra won their previous match-up against Folsom Lake but was struggling to string together a consistent streak, having both won and lost two games in January.
This would be the men’s second home conference game of the season.
The first half was a high-scoring back-and-forth affair, with neither side gaining a significant advantage. The Bear Cubs’ were pouring in shots from across the court, playing with an aggressive style that the Wolverines struggled to cope with.
The half ended in the Bear Cubs’ favor, leading 34-30, setting the stage for an entertaining second half, which added 49 points to McMillian’s team’s tally, sealing Sierra’s defeat on the night.
The Bear Cubs’ freshman guard, Spencer Langowski led the scoring on the night, scoring 30 points and getting one assist, also netting three out of four attempted three-pointers. Closely behind was freshman forward Vincent Jackson who netted 22 points and four assists, as well as scoring 50% of his three-pointers, having made two of his attempted four. Finally, the sophomore guard Andrew Pengel followed suit and netted 20 points and three assists.
In the second game of the night, head coach Lacey Campbell and her team were looking to keep the momentum going, following a three-point win away from home at Folsom Lake. Similarly, Sierra played Folsom Lake in the previous fixture, but they were looking to bounce back with a win, after losing by a resounding 22 points.
In the opening exchanges, the Timberwolves came out firing, pouring buckets with minimal reply from the Bear Cubs. As the first quarter progressed, the Bear Cubs found some rhythm and clawed the deficit back to 19-17, still losing.
As the quarters progressed, the Sierra away support got in voice, jeering the Bear Cubs and disrupting their game. This, paired with the Timberwolves’ physical style of play didn’t let Campbell’s team establish a significant lead. Despite the odds being stacked against Santa Rosa, they fought resiliently, taking each quarter to the end, only missing out by a couple of points.
This tight match-up saw sophomore guard Ivy Gonzalez put on a show as she dropped 20 points, fueling her already impressive season. Alongside her, freshman forward Kaia Eubanks netted 13 points, making her average for this season 13.1pts/g.
They looked to bounce back against Sac City, which they did and won 83-69.
Cheer Regionals
The SRJC Cheer team competed in the World Class Championships cheer competition for the first time in Grace Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Local schools such as Rancho Cotate High School, Petaluma High School and Healdsburg High School were also in attendance. Those who placed first in their division received a bid into nationals in Las Vegas on March 15-16, 2025.
The team competed in a subset of the Performance Show Cheer division. During their routine, the team experienced sound malfunctions but pushed through with eight-count shouts from the team and the crowd. The team pushed onward and placed first and has received a bid for the Vegas Crown Championship in Las Vegas.
SRJC cheer coach LyndseyRose Burcina said the team put a huge emphasis on counting through the routine instead of relying on musical queues. Malfunctions are unfortunately a common encounter when entering a competition of any form.
“At the beginning of the season, we tell them, ‘if for any reason your music stops, you just keep going,’” Burcina said. “They did exactly what we told them to do and they kept going.”
Cheer captain Matthew Coronado, who is in his final season with the Bear Cubs, is excited at another chance at nationals. A seasoned veteran in the cheer competition world, Coronado represented San Rafael HS at the USA Nationals his senior year and placed second.
Coronado shared that the preparations to Vegas have had its challenges. “Comp season has not been the easiest. We have seen some falls and we’ve learned a lot from that.” he said. “The JC hasn’t competed in years so I’m glad to be the captain of a team that’s going to nationals. As a captain I’ve been making sure the team is fighting for their cheer stunts and cracking down on cheer techniques in encouraging ways.”
The team had a successful first season back in fall 2024. SRJC Cheer attended every home football game, and when funds allowed, even the occasional away game. As the team is recognized as a club team, they rely on community support and fundraising on their own to gather the funds to travel and compete. Coronado says that support from the community, online and at school, fuels their ambition to win this season.
SRJC Cheer will hold a Dine & Donate at Mountain Mike’s Pizza on Santa Rosa Ave. on February 7th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in an effort to raise the funds needed to get the team to Las Vegas in March.
