DREAMERS IN CRISIS PG. 3
CAR-FREE IN SACRAMENTO PG. 4
CITY COLLEGE STREAKING TOWARD PLAYOFFS PG. 8
SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1922
VOLUME 101 ISSUE 3 APRIL 6, 2017
EDITORIAL
‘Watch our words spread hope like fire’ A very disheartening event happened to me recently. My favorite comedy show is no longer funny. Normally, a show loses its comedic touch when a writer or a character leaves the show. But none of these happened to my show. The writers are the same. The characters are the same. The issue is the world around us. The show I’m referring to is “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah. His show, although satirical, is a “fake news” program and draws its content from recent news stories, political figures and media organizations and satirizes it. The problem is the content has been increasing depressing as each week of Trump’s presidency moves on. Each week, each segments they feature has gone from hysterical to amusing to interesting to downright depressing. After each show recently, I’ve been down right depressed. To get out of my funk, I take my dogs for a walk and listen to music. Music has, for a long time, been my therapy. It’s my escape, my release from the harsh reality we live in now. I have been listening to music religiously since the sixth grade. To say that my music collection is eclectic would be a vast understatement. I have everything from Eminem to Beethoven to Jimmy Buffett in my iTunes library. All types of music have come to influence me and help me at different times in my life. I’d like to share a few of my favorite lyrics that have stuck over the years, because while the music is soothing, the lyrics that accompany the music are the words are the most life-changing. The first example is from Jimmy Buffett in his song “Son of a Son of a Sailor”: “I’ve read dozens of books about heroes and crooks, and I’ve learned much from both of their styles.” As in music and in life, I’ve found that, just like Jimmy Buffett sings, there is rarely a black-andwhite situation. There are a lot of gray situations. And sometimes, the right answer for one person is the wrong answer for another, and visa versa. But everything is a learning opportunity. You can learn not only what to do in certain situations but also what not to do, and often, that’s the
Editor in Chief Neill Little Photo Editor Vanessa S. Nelson Photographers Ella Morgan, Jayson Pierce, Sonora Rairdon, Ulysses Ruiz, Pedro Santander Writers Yvette Aghassi, Roland Armstrong, Casandra Garcia, Geoffrey Kindell, Jayson Price, Sonora Rairdon, Ellyssa Rodriguez, Kip Roegiers, Rose Vega, Vincent Ybarra
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IN THIS
EDITION Page 3 - A DACA student recounts her story of perseverance in America, both before she became eligible for higher education through the DREAM Act, as well as her fears following Trump’s rise to power. Page 4 - Former Express editor Maxfield Morris and current photo editor Vanessa Nelson team up for this award-winning story about the Practical Cycle Bike Shop in Old Sacramento.
Illustration by Alexander Buell · abcrewinc@gmail.com
more valuable lesson. Another life lesson that the lyrics in music have taught me is by Augustana with its song “Boston”: “I think I need a sunrise, I’m tired of sunsets.” I have been a West Coast kid all my life, living in places from Hawaii to California. A West Coast sunset is one of the most beautiful moments in life. Oranges, reds and yellows slowly burn out and give way to a beautiful hue of purples and blues that end in a night sky, twinkling with the stars of the Milky Way and a full moon. It’s the perfect ending to a day. But sometimes, that’s the issue. It’s an ending. Sometimes I want a fresh start. I want to start something new, not watch the end. I want to go somewhere new, where I don’t know anyone, and make a new impression, not know a person who knows my past and the mistakes I’ve made. I’m not ashamed of my mistakes, but I have learned from them and moved on. I want a fresh canvas to create my own art. I want a sunrise, not a sunset. Luckily for us, City College can be, and has been, that place for me. And last
but not least, the most important lyric to me in making sense of an increasingly depressing world comes from “Secret Crowds” by Angels and Airwaves: “Watch our words spread hope like fire.” This single line has shaped whom I have become over the last two years. Words are a powerful element in civilization, the building blocks of communication. Words bind together the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the foundational documents of our country. Words have built friendships and ended wars. They are the desired choice of my future. I want to write and tell stories. I want to describe game seven with three seconds left, leaving you gripping the paper as if you were there. I want to share my opinion with you, in hopes that you will respond with yours. I want to have discussions about the future with you, getting as many points of view as possible to shape the best future imaginable for the next generation. Music can help me escape the present. Music lyrics help me imagine a greater future. ♦
Design Adviser Michele Lee Assistant Design Editor Trevon Norton Cover Photo Dianne Rose Cover Design Vanessa S. Nelson
MEMBERSHIPS Journalism Association of Community Colleges California Newspaper Publishers Association
EDITORIAL POLICIES Views published in the Express do not reflect those of the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, the Associate Student Government, City College, Journalism department, administration, student body, or faculty; unless otherwise stated.
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Page 6 - Going back to school can be a challenge for parents.Staff writer Vincent Ybarra asks one couple how they balance raising two kids and attending City College. Page 7 - City College psychology professor Dr. Gayle Pitman shares her views on teaching, activism and empowerment with guest writer Christopher Hall. Page 8 - Sports writers Geoff Kindell and Jayson Price bring you up to speed on City College sports.
CONTACT US
Advisers Randy Allen, Dianne Heimer
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Page 5 - As the Kondos Gallery opens its newest exhibit, staff writer and photographer Pedro Santander sits down with guest curator Terry Peterson to discuss the work of the three artists being featured: Paul Taylor, Alyssa Lempesis and Christopher Jones.
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COMMENTARY
American wetback Editor’s note: The following essay was written and titled by a City College DACA student in her English composition class. In the piece below, she explains the betrayal she felt when she learned at 17 that she was undocumented, and then a decade later, that her Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status was at risk under the new administration. The student’s name has been withheld to protect her family.
The sound of glass shatters. A crescendo of screaming and anger. All of my dreams, all of my hopes, all of my plans of escape have quickly faded with the settling of this news. Why? Why? Why me? There’s something that can be done, right? How? No! No! I won’t accept this! I’m not even sure what this means for someone like me. So many questions gather and shove each other in my head. The screaming and questions in my mind overpower the low, indistinguishable mumbles that match the movements of my school counselor’s red lips. I watch how the hope that was once reflected in her eyes fades into the abyss of my future. This is the moment I am deemed different, branded with a mark that reads, “ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.” This wasn’t the way the story was supposed to go, and this wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Growing up, I was familiar with injustice, fear, and what it meant to struggle. But I had done everything right to prepare for that moment, the moment when I was going to be able to graduate, flee my home and achieve my dreams. I had always tried my best and took every advanced course I could. Extracurricular activities and college prep courses filled my schedule every year to distract me from my home life. Counselors encouraged and cheered me on as someone with a bright future who was determined to achieve the American Dream in the land of opportunity. I was going be the first in my family to go to college, and not just any college, but a four-year university, far away from home. Up to that moment with my counselor, I had never thought of myself as different. In my mind, I was like any other American teenager who sang along with radio hits, watched action movies, and woke up one day to see one plane after the other shatter and shake America to its core on 9/11. Hand over my heart, I pledged allegiance to the flag at every football game. I was no different. This was my home, the only home I had forever known. I was 16 years old when my counselor broke the news to me. I was aware that I had been born in Mexico but hadn’t grasped the idea of what this would mean. I would not be able to continue on to col-
Illustration by Martin Duran · kyontheotakugamer@gmail.com
lege; I would not be able to work because I was undocumented. I wanted answers and I wanted them now! Upon arriving home, I interrogated my mother for hours, and once I knew the truth, I bargained with her as if this could change the past or the answers to my questions. It didn’t make any sense to me. I felt robbed and cheated. “You brought me here as a baby, I mean, how could I not have papers?” I desperately pleaded. My mom replied, “When I brought you here, I thought things would be different for you and things would change. I believed that we would be legal by the time you were in high school; I thought we would be able to fix our status and it wouldn’t really affect you.” Her beliefs would never come true for me, nor for thousands of others in similar situations. It had all been in vain, all of it. All the effort I had put toward school was now meaningless, simple as that. Graduating high school was going to be a different experience for me than it would be for my peers. They could achieve it, that moment when you alone possessed the keys to your future, that moment where the world was yours and anything was possible. I remember dreading my graduation, loathing the fact that soon I would be turning 18. I would be stripped of my goals and any part of the American Dream. I was no
longer equal; I was beneath, and my life choices were no longer going to be mine to make. I was a criminal, and I would be punished for growing up in a country I called home for my entire conscious life. The situation at home did not get any better, and at 19, I had had enough. I left home with only the clothes on my back. In the years to come, I medicated my wounds with alcohol and late nights of flashing club lights. I didn’t want to feel anything. During the day, I worked at dead-end jobs, cleaning homes some days and on others waitressing for vulgar married men who exuded a pungent smell of alcohol. I am a strong believer in positive thinking, but sometimes you can’t help feeling bitter, like when you are forced to live in your car or are famished after the second day of unplanned fasting. “Here I am,” I thought. “This is my American Dream. Is this what bright young Americans spend their time doing?” I had all the potential in the world, and here it was being wasted away. I was just like thousands of others without a “real home.” The consolation I received from my friends or people who knew of my situation was “Well, I mean, I don’t get it; you don’t look like an immigrant or sound like one.” As if to say you are above “those people.” You are of higher quality, but still you are different. As if to say, “Your crime is not as offensive as the others, those who · · ·
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fled poverty and death. Those immigrants should get none of the American Dream or any of the freedoms.” According to some, I deserved only a taste of freedom, just enough to let me work and go to school. I wasn’t permitted any stability or certainty because that would be asking too much. I am only what you call a cheap knock-off, an imitation American who still looks like the real deal but is worthless. I am the American who is not as valuable but who still talks and looks like everyone else. I am seen as a threat. What an idiot I have been! What a joke! I thought I was going to be able to fly. I had dreamed of being equal, but branded criminals like me don’t get that luxury, no matter how much we have erased any trace of a Mexican accent. We are different just because a piece of paper proclaims it so. We are foreigners in both countries and don’t belong anywhere. We have been stripped of our culture to pursue the American Dream, a dream of acceptance, peace, and prosperity, a promise that falls short just because of a piece of paper. Others debate our future while we can only sit on the sidelines dreaming of all the possibilities. We hear political discussions and questions with no answers. Why do people view us as criminals? What have we done that is so bad? Pursue a better life for our families? Forgive us for believing in this illusion. The last couple of years, everything had finally started to come together. In the year 2015 I had finally received DACA, a permit that would grant me the opportunity to work legally in the U.S. and to further my education. Finally, I had reached stability, putting behind me so much wasted time, energy, and strength; I had just become an equal and functioning member of society. I was getting set to transfer to a four-year university, and this would be the year everything was supposed to go right. And yet, here I am once more, almost a decade later on the brink of having everything torn away from me. Again, I hear the sound of shattering glass, only this time I don’t have a school counselor to offer support or concern. I must deal with this sabotage all on my own. Now I get the privilege of watching it all crumble before my eyes. Once more, I’m going to have to hold that vast emptiness within me. I am preparing myself to hear the inevitable: “You are now ineligible for DACA.” No longer will I be equal; my fate will have been decided for me, and it will be time to hide and live in fear. What a moron my mother must have been fleeing the corruption, danger, violence, and her inevitable death in Mexico, cradling an infant in her arms. ♦ April 6, 2017 · Express
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NEWS
Local shop manager lives a car-free lifestyle Old Sac bike shop helps the city evolve into a bike-friendly community
Kao Xiong, store manager, stands in the Practical Cycle bike shop Friday, March 31, 2017. The shop has been in business in Old Sacramento for seven years. Photo by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Maxfield Morris
Former Express Features Editor MaxfieldMorris@gmail.com
Editor’s note: Former Express editor Maxfield Morris and current photo editor Vanessa Nelson won first place in the state for the article and photos on this page. They teamed up this past weekend at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges’ state convention in Sacramento to write and photograph a feature story for an on-the-spot contest against other California community college journalism newspaper staffers. Some people live a carefree life, but Kao Xiong lives car-free instead. That’s the mission of the Practical Cycle bike shop in Old Sacramento, to let people know they don’t have to rely on private automobiles for transportation. It’s not just idle talk, they really practice what they preach. Xiong is the manager of the shop, and she’s been commuting, trekking and pedaling without a car for four years. She works to give other people a taste of the Sacramento cycling community. “Sacramento isn’t so big,” she says. “You can actually bike from one place to
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the other, the same distance in a shorter amount of time than a car.” Xiong owns an electric bicycle, and she swears by the impact it has had on her life. “Since I got the bike, I’ve lost 11 pounds. That’s pretty drastic,” Xiong says. “I find myself enjoying things more. It gives me a reason to go out and do something productive.” When her sister got divorced and needed a way to travel with her child, Xiong made the decision to part with a dear friend — her Lincoln Mark VIII. “It’s a V8 engine, 250 horsepower, with the superchip and automatic suspension after you pass 50 mph. Heated seats, dashboard facing you. It was such an amazing car,” Xiong says, wistfully. “My sister didn’t have a car because her husband took sole ownership of it, so I gave my sister the car. I didn’t need it any more. She needed it more for herself and her kid.” Austin Rimmer, sales associate, bikes to work as long as the weather is friendly. He enjoys the location of the shop. “I like working down here. I live in midtown,” Rimmer says. “There’s a lot of nice people here, a really good customer base.” A local man, Don Williams, and his small, auburn dog named Chance wander · · ·
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into the store, welcomed by Rimmer. He’s been in the shop before for a few parts, but hasn’t been on his electric bike in a while. “I have two broken ribs at the moment. I got in a car accident,” Williams explains. “I’d be riding it right now if I were healthy enough.” As Chance and Williams continue their stroll around town, three Sacramento Police Department officers leisurely bike past the shop: Kelly Bagozzi, Kirby Gusti and Jon Nangle. They’ve been on the bike team together for three months, and patrol Old Sacramento and the downtown area.
Sacramento isn t so big, you can actually bike from one place to the other, the same distance, in a shorter amount of time than a car.
Kao Xiong
Manager of Practical Cycle
The three officers strike up friendly conversation with passers-by, cracking smiles and poking fun at each other. According to Bagozzi, the police department bike team has been around since at least the SCCEXPRESSNEWS
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1960s, and Sacramento is a good bike town. Xiong thinks that Sacramento is steadily becoming safer and more friendly to bikers, a goal Practical Cycle has been working to actualize. “We’re trying to erase carbon footprints. We do charity for the American River Parkway, maintaining it,” Xiong says. “We try to make this area more bike friendly with bike racks and paved roads.” Cars aren’t a bad thing, according to Xiong, but she wants to encourage people to try bicycling and experience what it’s like out there as a cyclist. “Five years ago, people weren’t riding bikes. It was socially unacceptable,” she explains. “Experience it for yourself. See what the hardships are, and what the rewards are in biking. I think the perfect world for me is in the world of acceptance of different lifestyles.” Practical Cycle has been renting out and selling bikes in Old Sacramento for seven years. The shop is located at 114 J St., Sacramento, at the start of the 32-mile-long American River Parkway, and a second location is set to open at the end of the trail in Folsom later this month. For more information, call Practical Cycle at (877) 448-1110 or visit PracticalCycle.com. ♦ · · ·
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FEATURES
New exhibit Multiverse at Kondos Gallery Shows the work of three artists, gallery works will run through April 21 Pedro Santander
Staff Writer · psantander.express@gmail.com
City College’s Gregory Kondos Gallery opened a new exhibit March 16 titled “Multiverse”, which displays sculptures, ceramics, resin, and even a stop-motion video. The exhibit shows works of three different artists: Paul Taylor, Alyssa Lempesis and Christopher Jones. The artists were chosen by guest curator Terry Peterson, a new full-time City College art professor. “I really wanted to show three artists who I thought were making interesting and engaging work,” said Peterson, who named the show “Multiverse” after the different practices and types of work. “Each artist has his own world they are living in.” Peterson chose the artists from the Bay Area and locally. “Whenever there is a new full-time faculty, we invite them to be guest curators,” said Michael Stevens, the Kondos Gallery director. “We wanted his perspective. We wanted him to chose the work and set it up.” The feature of Taylor’s art is the “selfie suit,” a mirrored suit which he wears while carrying around a selfie stick. For Taylor, it is impossible for him to take a selfie because the mirror surface of the suit reflects the environment around him. Also, if people try to take pictures of Taylor while wearing the suit, they are
The Kondos Gallery has a new exhibit named Multiverse. The exhibition shows works from three different artists. Photos by Pedro Santander · psantander.express@gmail.com
I think the show has a fresh, nice quality to it.
Michael Stevens
Kondos Gallery Director
actually taking pictures of themselves. “I think the show has a fresh, nice quality to it,” said Stevens. “The technical aspect works interestingly with the suit and sculptures.” Lempesis works in organic forms and plays with different materials, such as ceramic, cast metal, resins, foam, fabrics, latex and silicon. She animates them with stop-motion animation. There is a video on display at the Kondos Gallery of her work. Jones’ works exaggerate texture and colors on his paintings while working with different materials. “I really liked the fact that Chris is blurring the lines between painting and sculpture,” Peterson said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” The “Multiverse” exhibit will run through April 21 in the Kondos Gallery. For more information, go to http://www.scc.losrios. edu/kondos. ♦
The Kondos Gallery at City College features artists from Sacramento and the Bay Area.
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Paul Taylor s selfie suit can be seen at the Kondos Gallery located the Fischbacher Fine Arts Building, FIA 123.
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FEATURES
Married with children... and college
Couple juggles raising kids and going back to school to fulfill their dreams Vincent Ybarra
Staff Writer · vybarra.express@gmail.com
“Reality is people aren’t being honest with themselves, asking, Am I really happy?,” says Emily Wirth. Emily and Mark Wirth are a married couple who are honest with themselves. They knew the simple life wasn’t for them. And with two young children in tow, they are taking 12 units each this spring semester at City College and following their dreams. The couple is from Fresno. High school sweethearts who decided to travel the world, Mark enlisted in the Air Force in October 2010. Emily started a theater company in Misawa, Japan. Then they decided to have kids, first, their daughter Natalie, then son, Troy. Even though they were busy building a family, they always remembered their hopes of pursuing a higher education. For a while, Emily says she battled with what she wanted to study. During her time in the hospital after a post-Cesarean section surgery, her education goal became clear. She was talking with the nurses who helped her with son, Troy. She decided to go to school to be a registered nurse and specialize in lactation consulting. For Mark, he knew that mixed martial arts was his dream, and he is currently training to go professional this year. He explained that he knows fighting is not forever, and during a horrific car accident, he recognized how calm and helpful he was in a time of crisis. “I always thought about law enforcement,” Mark says. “I wanted to help people in that way but I never thought about it through a medical way like nursing. That was in the back of my head. Maybe that’s what I want to be, right there in the emergency room helping people.” Mark decided he would go to school for nursing as well. One thing both Mark and Emily know for sure is that the journey they are on is not easy. They received some negative feedback from relatives and fellow military friends when they shared their hopes of going back to school. Even though they encountered the negativity, they found support from each other and immediate family. Building support is one of the biggest tips Mark and Emily suggest to parents thinking about pursuing a higher education. There are days when they feel down about not seeing the kids, and one thing Emily finds helpful is praying and talking to Mark’s grandma, who she’s become close with.
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Mark, Troy (2), Natalie (6) and Emily Wirth enjoy bedtime stories on Feb. 1 as part their evening routine. Mark and Emily recently returned to school full time at City College. ¦ Photos by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
“Nobody’s life is perfect,” Emily says. “You may feel inadequate, and imperfect. That’s normal.” Mark likes to remember family days, which are every Saturday. They take the kids to the park or Chuck E. Cheese and get in quality time they miss during the week. It’s something that helps him get through the week. They are constantly reminding themselves that struggles are only temporary.
Nobody s life is perfect. You may feel inadequate, and imperfect. That s normal.
Emily Wirth
City College Student
“If you work hard now, it will pay off in the future,” Emily says. For Mark, he says he tries to remember “the bigger picture.” Another tip they both agree on is communication. Communication with your support system and with your instructor makes it all easier to get through busy and chaotic days. · · ·
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While taking the three years to prep for the move to Sacramento, they both did an equal amount of research. They learned of the many programs that are available for parents with children. School programs like CalWorks is helpful to those on cash aid. According to the City College website, the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) helps those educationally and economically disadvantaged. In doing research, Emily was surprised of the amount of help she and Mark would receive moving back to California from Montana where they were living at the time. Programs like the Board of Governors (BOG) fee waiver for community college students in California helped a lot. After-school programs like Bridges helps their daughter, Natalie. The program Seta Head Start advances Troy’s learning every day. These two programs are essential to helping Mark and Emily with their children. Mark and Emily say the main focus is their children. They want them to see their parents succeed and be successful, to follow their own dreams and find happiness. “We want them to know they’re loved and that they are our No. 1 priority,” says Emily. ♦ SCCEXPRESSNEWS
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Troy Wirth, age 2, awaits his evening cold medication as his parents Mark and Emily Wirth prepare him for bedtime.
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FEATURES
Campus leader teaches unity, social justice Psychology professor empowers City College faculty and students
Dr. Gayle Pitman, a psychology professor and Academic Senate secretary, received her bachelor s from Tufts Univeristy, her master s and Ph.D. from the California Professional School of Psychology. Photo by Ella Morgan · emorgan.express@gmailcom
Christopher Hall
Guest Writer · w1409731@apps.losrios.edu
Walking along the second floor of City College’s Rodda Hall North, you’ll feel the energy of diversity dwelling in the college community. The narrow hallways are consistently flowing with the traffic of different students from all walks of life. Some are racing from class to class, and some are waiting along the walls of a narrow pathway where a certain professor’s office resides. Of the many offices, one stands out, decorated in liberating sentiments, with a nametag to the right that reads: Dr. Gayle Pitman. It has a poster of a rainbow-colored shield that says “We All Belong” above another poster that has stick-figured people who represent individuals from different communities, cultures and ethnicities. Among them are the LGBT, religious, and those who suffer from disabilities, all holding hands, pinned below an advertisement for a children’s book and picture of “RAD American Women from A-Z.” When the door to this office is creaked open slightly, you will find a petite woman who stands approximately 5 feet 7 inches, poised and attentive, typing away at her computer. Pitman, 45, is a professor of psy-
chology. She teaches multiple psychology courses that embody and symbolize unity, empowerment and social justice. “I think that teaching in a lot of ways is an act of social activism, and I think that empowering other students to get involved in community and social justice issues is very powerful,” says Pitman. Pitman also applies her skills to leading faculty. She is secretary for the Academic Senate, the top governing body on campus for professors. Her efforts are admired by many. City College recently honored Pitman as recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award for her contributions and hard work in building a diverse community on- and off-campus. Pitman’s colleague, psychology professor Dr. Alan Keys, commended her on her professionalism and ability to work with and help others from different backgrounds. He says she has played a significant role in building a strong and diverse psychology department at City College. “Her ability to listen in a non-judgmental way — in an open constructive way — and help anyone she is working with just feel comfortable with their opinion and intents, and how it really affects the students at the college, is just a small
testament of what she does,” says Keys. Pitman’s research assistant, City College student Miguel Guerrero, is collaborating with her on research about mental health issues among college students. The intent is to collect enough data to advocate for services on campus.
I think teaching in a lot of ways is an act of social activism...
Dr. Gayle Pitman
Psychology Professor
“She is passionate for human rights and gender identity rights,” says Guerrero. “Her passion to help others really shows and relates to the research we are doing.” Pitman has authored two books: “Backdrop: The Politics and Personalities Behind Sexual Orientation Research” and the highly acclaimed and Stonewall Book Award-winning “This Day in June,” a children’s book that teaches tolerance. “I think both books personalize sexual orientation more and gender identity,” says Pitman. “I think they both widen the scope of what is acceptable.” · · ·
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Pitman has taught at City College for 16 years, following a career in her field. She teaches psychology of sexual orientation and psychology of women. “I think a lot of students don’t realize how smart they are, and they need to hear that more often,” says Pitman. “I think that every single one of our students has talents and skills or abilities, and some of which they are not aware,” she says. “One of the best things about coming to school is that it gives them the opportunity to discover and unlock some of those talents.” Pitman moved to California from the East Coast to attend graduate school at the California School of Professional Psychology after graduating from Tufts University. She was once a community college student herself. When Pitman is not busy teaching, researching and finding ways to generate social change, she says she enjoys being creative, hiking, spending time with her family and eating pizza, when she can get her hands on it, from her home state of New Jersey. “One of the things I most value, and that I most strive for myself, is to be as authentic as I can,” says Pitman, “both authentic to others and authentic to myself.” ♦ April 6 , 2017 · Express
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SPORTS
Panthers baseball tied atop Big 8 Conference Panthers teams making final push toward state playoffs in their respective sports Geoffery Kindell
Staff Writer · gkindell.express@gmail.com
Jayson Price
Staff Writer · jprice.express@gmail.com
Baseball The City College Panthers’ baseball team continued its strong conference play with a narrow victory over Cosumnes River College on April 4. The Panthers currently sit tied for first place in the Big 8 Conference with Santa Rosa, with a record of 13 wins and three losses. There wasn’t a lot of offense to go around as the Panthers edged out a victory by the score of 1-0. The only run for either team came from right fielder Jake Guenther as he singled in the top of the fifth to score Anthony Clyma. Starting pitcher for the Panthers was Isaiah Nunez, who pitched lights. Nunez pitched seven complete innings, allowing no runs on six hits while striking out six and walking only two. Relief pitchers Daylon Matthews and Nick Mears closed out the game by pitching the eighth and ninth innings. Neither gave up a hit or a run. The Panthers play Game 2 against Cosumnes River College at City College on April 6, followed by their third and final game against CRC on April 8. Further stats for the game and every game can be found at http://sccpanthers. losrios.edu/sports/bsb/index. Women’s Tennis Women’s tennis was back in action March 28, faced with a tough double-header. City College was swept 7-0 the first game, losing to Modesto College for a second time this season. The Panthers didn’t fair too much better in the next game, losing 6-1 to College of the Sequoias. Zoila Cadena won the lone match of the day, winning 6-2 and 6-0. The 0-10 Panthers played Modesto Junior College April 5. For results on the MJC game and more, go to http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/ sports/wten/index. Softball It was another busy week for the women’s softball team, which played five games in nine days, including two double-headers. The first double-header March 28 pitted the Panthers against divisional competitor Cosumnes River College. Unable to keep up with the Hawks’ batting, City
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Express · April 6, 2017
City College s Jacob Rodriguez competes in the butterfly at the Los Rios Invite at the Hoos Pool on February 24. Photo by Dianne Rose · dianne.rose.express@gmail.com
College dropped the first game 7-3. Reyna Garcia went 2-3 with one RBI. The Hawks continued their offensive onslaught the second game, winning 12-1, with six runs coming in the final inning. An uncharacteristic day for the Panthers led them to commit seven errors on the day, compared to the Hawks’ two. The Panthers are 0-3 so far against the Hawks. City College split its next pair of games on April 1 in a double dip against Diablo Valley College. The first game went extra innings, finally being settled in the ninth. The Panthers came back to tie the score 2-2 in the sixth inning, but it was Diablo Valley who ultimately came out on top, 3-2. The Panthers exacted revenge the second game, winning 6-3. City College took an early 3-2 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Angelica Dark and Marissa Rocha both went 2-3, with one RBI. The Panthers finished the day with 11 hits. Softball’s final game sent the Panthers to American River College, where the lone road game of the week was won 11-2. The Panthers are 2-1 against the Beavers on year, and now stand at 14-11 overall. · · ·
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City College will pack its bags and head to Santa Rosa College for a double-header April 8. For more game results and schedules, including stats, go to http://sccpanthers. losrios.edu/sports/sball/index. Track & Field The Panthers headed to the Bay Area on the March 31-April 1 weekend for the SF Distance Carnival. City College cleaned up nicely, placing multiple athletes in the Top 10 of multiple events. Jazmine Smith finished second in the 100-meter, with a time of 12.08, while the relay team finished second in the 4 x 100-meter, and third in the 4 x 400-meter. Jasmine Loyola finished fifth in the 2-mile race, with a time of 12:01.35, and teammate Alyssa Ayala took seventh place, finishing with a 12:10.15. Monae Newton took fourth in the shot put, with a 12.19-meter throw and ninth in the discus, with a throw of 37.65 meters. Both track teams head to the Bay Area for the Maurice Compton Invitational at Laney College in Oakland April 7. SCCEXPRESSNEWS
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For more information, go to http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/sports/wtrack/index. Swimming and Diving Both the men’s and women’s swim teams had a strong showing at the Hawks Invite on the March 31 weekend. The women’s team finished fifth out of 14 schools. Julia Ng and Brianna Magobet led the way, scoring 109 of the Panthers’ 180 points. Ng placed first in the women’s 50-yard fly, and finished third in two other events. Magobet placed second in the 50-yard fly, and placed in the Top 10 in her other three events. The men’s team finished eighth out of 14, led by Drew Lewis and Jacob Rodriguez, who had 54 of the team’s 66 points. Lewis finished third in the 50-yard backstroke, while Rodriguez placed fifth in the 50-yard fly. Rodriguez also placed Top 12 in his other three events. Swimming and diving will meet next at Chabot College for the Last Chance Meet April 8. For more information on game results, schedules and stats, go to http://sccpanthers.losrios.edu/sports/swimdive/index. ♦ · · ·
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