STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
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Rafael Matias, Men's Tennis - Week of March 24
March 31, 2025Pirate sophomore Rafael Matias has had quite the encore performance for the VC men's tennis team after helping the team to a 3C2A championship in 2024. This year, the sophomore from Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil has led the Ventura playing primarily in No. 1 doubles with Yanis Guerrout and in No. 1 singles. He has posted an 11-3 mark in singles play this season and a 12-4 mark in doubles, recently surpassing the 50-win benchmark for his career. -
Lola Tennison, Women's Tennis - Week of March 17
March 24, 2025First-year Pirate Lola Tennison is quietly haveing an outstanding season for the VC women's tennis team. The Foothill Tech product is 11-2 in singles matches this season in the No. 2 slot, including three wins this past week as the Pirates posted a 3-0 record to help their chances or reaching the post season. She also won three No. 2 doubles matches this week with Chandra Padua to push VC to an 8-6 overall record, 7-4 in Western State Conference play.
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Ben Drumheller, Pirate Baseball - Week of March 10
March 17, 2025The Pirate baseball team has come on strong in Western State Conference play, winning seven of its last nine outings, including three-game sweeps over rivals Moorpark and Oxnard. In starting pitcher Ben Drumheller's outing on March 11, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in VC's 7-1 victory over Oxnard.
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Olivia Badaracco, Women's Swimming & Diving - Week of March 3
March 10, 2025First-year Pirate swimmer Olivia Badaracco has taken the pool by storm this season. The Lake Havasu City (AZ) High School product claimed three gold medal finishes this past week at the Riverside Invitational, winning the 100- and 200-yard backstroke races and the 200-yard freestyle. She also placed third in the 50-yard freestyle and was part of four relays winning second, third, third and fourth. Badaracco has totaled six individual first place finishes in the past three competitions.
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Trevor McCarthy, Men's Track & Field - Week of February 24
March 03, 2025The VC men's track and field team won the Western State Conference North meet Friday at Cuesta. Leading the way was the strong performance of sophomore Trevor McCarthy. The St. Bonaventure High School product won the 200m in 22.24 and struck gold in the javelin with a throw of 177'10". He also came in second in the 400m and was part of the silver medal-winning 4x400m relay team.
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Sadie Lishman & Talia Behrens, Beach Volleyball - Week of February 17
February 25, 2025Sadie Lishman and Talia Behrens gained a bit of redemption last week at Golden West, after dropping their season-opening match against the Rustlers on Jan. 31, the Pirates' No. 2 pair came back on Friday, defeating the same team from GWC in three sets as part of VC's 5-0 sweep of the match. Lishman, a product of Santa Ynez High School, and Behrens, a St. Bonaventure High School graduate, are 5-2 on the year and have helped lead Ventura to a solid start to the 2025 season with a 6-1 mark.
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Nick Bublitz, Pirate Golf - Week of February 10
February 18, 2025The Pirate golf team is off to an excellent start to the 2025 season with a pair of second place finished and one third in multi-team events. Leading the way is transfer sophomore Nick Bublitz. The Newbury Park High School product has three Top-10 finishes in three meets, including a runner-up finish at the Western State Conference No. 1 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale on Feb. 3. Last week he shot a season-best 3-under par 69 on the Pirates' home course at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard to claim medalist honors in the conference contest.
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Alexa Coubal, Women's Basketball - Week of February 3
February 11, 2025Alexa Coubal has been a mainstay for the VC women's basketball team for the past two years. The sophomore's place in program history is being written, and last week she became the team's all-time leader in free throws made. The Thousand Oaks High School product has now made 261 career charity shots, 177 a year ago and 84 in 2025, to break the 30-year old standard held by all-time great Julie Hardy. Additionally, Alexa currently has made 83.7 percent of her free throws in her career (261-312) which would also break the record of 83.0 percent held by Kelly Murray set in 2001.
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Henry Borjas, Pirate Baseball - Week of January 27
February 03, 2025Pirate sophomore Henry Borjas is off to a great start for the Pirate baseball team. The Rio Mesa High School product batted .421 in the opening week of the season, totaling eight hits in 19 at bats in VC's four games. He also had batted in seven runs in helping Ventura to a 2-2 early season record. In VC's two wins, Henry was 5-10 at the plate with five RBI. Additionally, he is fielding 1.000 in center field, recording nine outs.
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Bryanne Magana, Pirate Softball - Week of January 20
January 28, 2025The Pirate softball team got off to a solid start over the weekend, going 3-1 at the David "Hawk" Wilder Memorial Tournament at Glendale College. Leading the way for Ventura was freshman Bryanne Magana. The Oxnard High School product was 8-14 at the plate, including a double, in four games (.571 batting average) with five runs batted in and five runs scored. Additionally, she made a pair of appearances in the pitcher's circle, starting one game, scattering 11 hits over nine innings pitched while picking up a pair of wins.
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Sam McKenzie, Women's Basketball - Week of December 9
December 17, 2024Sam McKenzie has had a solid start to her sophomore season for the VC women's basketball team. The Oxnard High School product leads the team with a 14.6 scoring average over the first eight games of the year while grabbing nearly four rebounds per contest. This past weekend at the Buddy's All-Star Classic, McKenzie scored 46 points with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals in three tournament games at LA Valley.
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Jeremiah Wilson, Men's Basketball - Week of December 2
December 09, 2024VC men's basketball freshman Jeremiah Wilson had an outstanding week for the Pirates at the Hypland Classic in Riverside. In two games, the Serra High School (Torrance) product averaged 21 points per game while shooting 14-24 from the field, 5-11 from three and 9-10 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds with three assists and four steals in the two contests. On the season, Wilson is averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 boards while shooting 50 percent from the field, 53.4 percent from three and 81.6 percent from the free throw line.
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Ty Ely, Pirate Football - Week of November 25
December 02, 2024Another outstanding Ventura College football season is in the books after the Pirates' 39-33 victory over Long Beach in the SCFA Beach Bowl on Nov. 26. Ventura defensive end Ty Ely was named VC's Player of the Game for his performance that included five tackles and a key sack of the Viking's quarterback in the second half. On the season, the sophomore from Camarillo High School recorded 48 tackles in 10 games, 22 solo, with 2.5 sacks as the Pirates finished at 8-3 overall.
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Daisy Vaca, Women's Soccer - Week of November 18
November 26, 2024The VC women's soccer team is in the playoffs for the 27th time in the past 28 seasons. In their opening round match, Daisy Vaca led the way helping the Pirates to a 3-0 victory over visiting San Diego Mesa to move forward in the bracket. The sophomore from Santa Paula scored twice and booted the corner kick that resulted in VC's third goal. On the season, the defender has scored four goals and recorded four assists in another solid campaign for the Pirates.
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Shai Daniels, Pirate Volleyball - Week of November 11
November 19, 2024The VC volleyball team closed on the regular season strong with three victories last week. Leading the way for Ventura as they head toward the post-season is first year outside hitter Shai Daniels. The Buena High School product has been a dual threat for the Pirates this season and last week she totaled 27 kills and 39 digs in the three VC wins over Santa Barbara, LA Pierce and Glendale. On the season, Daniels leads the team in kills (188) and digs (262) and is second with 33 service aces.
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Bo Dolinsek, Men's Basketball - Week of November 4
November 12, 2024The VC men's basketball team is off to a 4-1 start to the season after capturing the title at the Irvine Valley Classic over the weekend. Leading the way has been tournament Most Valuable Player Bo Dolinsek. The freshman from Corona Del Sol high School in Tempe, AZ is averaging a double-double this year at 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per outing. In the IVC Classic, Dolinsek scored 33 points in two games, making 11 field goals, including two three's, and shooting 9-12 at the free throw line. He also pulled in 22 rebounds for the Pirates in the victories.
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Evan Augusta, Men's Water Polo - Week of October 28
November 06, 2024The VC men's water polo team is looking to having its first .500 season since 2016 and they went a long way toward that winning three of five games last week to close the regular season. Evan Augusta was a main player in the effort to capture the final WSC contest and to split four games at the Día de los Muertos Tournament in Chula Vista. The freshman from Ventura High School scored 13 goals with 11 assists through the week to push the Pirates to a 12-11 overall record on the season.
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Kevin Ramirez, Men's Cross Country - Week of October 21
October 29, 2024
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Ty Morris & Jake Murphy, Pirate Football - Week of October 14
October 22, 2024The Pirate football team pulled away from Moorpark Saturday, scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half in their 37-12 victory in the 56th Citrus Cup game. Cornerback Ty Morris and running back Jake Murphy both had outstanding games defensively and offensively, respectively. Morris, a redshirt freshman from Buena High School, recorded three tackles, one solo, while recovering a fumble and forcing another. He had an excellent performance on the outside of the defense while the Moorpark offense targeted his side numerous times throughout the game. Murphy, also a former Buena Bulldog, had a season-best 155 yards rushing on 23 carries. The sophomore averaged 6.7 yards per rush and scored one touchdown in the Pirates' 16th straight win over the Raiders.
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Leslie Torres, Women's Soccer - Week of October 7
October 15, 2024The VC women's soccer team continues to shine this fall, winning two Western State Conference games last week to move its winning streak to eight games. During that streak, the Pirates have yielded one goal defensively and they have held opponents scoreless for the past 446 minutes of play. Leading the charge is first year defender Leslie Torres. The Pacifica High School product has been key in the Pirates' efforts to produce seven shutout wins to date this season.
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Owen Patterson, Men's Water Polo - Week of September 30
October 08, 2024The Pirates' men's water polo team opened their Western State Conference schedule with a victory last week at Santa Monica College, 19-12. Leading the charge for VC was freshman utility player Owen Patterson, who had 10 goals in the game. The Strathmore (Calif.) High School product was dominant,finding the inside of the cage three times in the first, third and fourth quarters of play. Patterson also added four steals defensively and three drawn exclusions to help lead Ventura to the triumph. On the season, he leads the team in scoring, steals and drawn exclusions.
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Lex Sahagian, Pirate Soccer - Week of September 23
September 30, 2024The VC women's soccer team is off to a fast start, posting a 6-1-3 non-conference record with a five-game winning streak and a seven-game unbeaten streak heading into Western State Conference play. Freshman forward Lex Sahagian has bee a a stalwart for Ventura with a team-leading seven goals and two assists in the first 10 match-ups of the season. The Westlake High School product has scored a goal in six of the past seven outings and had a pair of assists on Sept. 20 at Bakersfield. She has helped lead the Pirates to a No. 15-ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Community College Division III national poll.
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Silas Kemp, Pirate Football - Week of September 16
September 23, 2024The Pirate football team outlasted Cerritos on Saturday, 39-32. Wide receiver Silas Kemp had a breakout game with five catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns to lead nine different receivers who caught a pass in the triumph. The freshman from Thousand Oaks High School highlighted his evening with a 78-yard catch and run on aa pass from quarterback Daniel Duran to quickly answer a Falcon score late in the third quarter of the game.
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Kelsee Espitia, Women's Water Polo - Week of September 9
September 16, 2024Buoyed by a pre-season No. 9 state-ranking, the VC women's water polo team had a strong opening weekend at the West Valley Invitational in Saratoga. The Pirates came away from the tournament with a 3-1 mark, including three convincing victories. Leading the way was sophomore attacker Kelsee Espitia. The Ventura High School product led VC in scoring with 15 goals and grabbed eight steals with four assists and four drawn exclusions. Offensively, she connected on nearly 57 percent of her shot attempts in the four games.
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Quran Gossett, Pirate Football - Week of September 2
September 10, 2024VC football freshman running back Quron Gossett had a spectactular debut in the orange and black on Saturday night. The Bishop Diego High School alumnus scored four touchdowns for the state No. 7-ranked Pirates as they opened the 2024 season with a 49-34 victory over visiting Saddleback. He carried the ball 14 times for 119 yards and three touchdowns and added three pass receptions for an additional 32 yards and another trip to the end zone.
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Brianna Torres, Women's Cross Country Week of August 26
September 03, 2024Sophomore cross country standout Brianna Torres is this year's inaugural VC Pirate Student Athlete of the Week. The 2023 All-Western State Conference honoree picked up where she left off last season, claiming the runner-up finish in the season-opening VC Invitational at Arroyo Verde Park. Torres, a graduate of Oxnard High School, covered the difficult 5k course in 20:45, firmly in second place by a 14-second margin over third place.
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Sophia Godina & Cody Ray Emery, 2023-24 Athletes of the Year
June 10, 2024The VC Athletics Department is proud to honor our outstanding success in competition with our Athlete of the Year awards. Sofia Godina, a standout in cross country and track and field was named the Female Athlete of the Year while Cody Ray Emery of the state champion men's tennis team is the Pirates' Male Athlete of the Year. They were both honored at the 16th VC Athletics Hall of Fame Induction and Student Athlete Recognition Banquet on May 5 at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel.
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Sofia Godina - Rick Djouwe - Julian Tellez, 2023-24 Scholar Athletes of the Year
June 03, 2024The VC Athletics Department is proud to honor our outstanding academic achievement with the Scholar Athlete of the Year awards. Sofia Godina, a standout in cross country and track and field was named the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year while Rick Djouwe of the men's basketball team and Julian Tellez of the state champion men's tennis team are the Pirates' Male Scholar Athletes of the Year.
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Kayla Murdoch & Ayden Jacobus, 2023-24 Outstanding Sophomore Athletes
May 28, 2024The VC Athletic Department recognized its Outstanding Sophomore Student Athletes at its annual Hall of Fame Induction and Student Athlete Recognition Banquet on May 5. Women's volleyball and beach volleyball All-AMerican Kayla Murdoch and men's swimming and diving All-American Ayden Jacobus were honored at the banquet and will represent Ventura College Athletics at the Ventura County Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet on June 2 in Camarillo.
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Trevor McCarthy, Men's Track & Field- Week of May 6
May 14, 2024
