Former UC Riverside women’s soccer star Quinley Quezada, along with current Highlanders Jazmine and Daphane Mendez, have been selected to represent their respective nations in competition ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Quezada, who scored nine goals in 63 appearances with UC Riverside, is currently playing for the Philippines at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India. The Mendez sisters will represent Puerto Rico at the CONCACAF qualifiers.
“As with Quinley, Jazmine and Daphane have earned an opportunity to represent their homeland in our sport,” Highlanders head coach Nat Gonzalez said. “Their humbleness and work ethic have put them in a position to be considered to compete at the world stage.”
Gonzalez was recently named head coach of the Puerto Rican women’s national team.
“I am proud that the Highlander program will be able to support and prepare the student-athletes for their lifelong memorable experiences,” Gonzalez said.
Quezada and the Philippines are competing in Group B at the Asian Cup. She started and had two shots on goal as the team earned a 1-0 win over Thailand on Jan. 22, and did not play vs. Australia on Monday, Jan. 25. Philippines played its final group-stage game against Indonesia on Thursday, Jan. 27.
The next FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand. The tournament has been expanded to 32 teams for the first time, and the top five teams from the Asian Cup will qualify.
Beginning mid-February, the Mendez sisters will play for Gonzalez and Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF qualifiers.
Puerto Rico was drawn into Group A along with Mexico, Suriname, Antigua & Barbuda and Anguilla, and will be looking to earn a spot for the eight-team CONCACAF Championship to take place in Mexico in July.
BRONCOS BASEBALL TOPS IN CCAA POLL
Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team received six first-place votes and 116 points to claim its first California Collegiate Athletic Association preseason No. 1 ranking since 2016.
The Broncos had six consecutive 30-win seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic, and will looking at another big year under head coach Randy Betten, the former Riverside City College star and Angels minor leaguer.
All-CCAA infielders Ryon Knowles, a Corona Santiago grad, and Cesar Lopez return to headline the offense. Starting pitchers Rhys Stevens and Drew Atherton will take their turn in the rotation every week and Eric Romo is the team’s top reliever.
The 2022 season opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4 against University of Colorado-Colorado Springs at Scolinos Field in Pomona. CCAA play begins on Feb. 25 at Cal State San Bernardino.
JUCO BASEBALL BREWING
Inland area junior college baseball gets started this week with a slate of nonconference games across the Inland area.
Chaffey College hosted Citrus College at Claremont High School on Thursday while San Bernardino Valley hosts L.A. Mission College on Friday, and follows with a game at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Saturday.
Riverside City College, a four-time CCCAA state champion, kicked off its season with a three-game series at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo beginning Thursday.
Mt. San Jacinto College went to Imperial College for a single game on Thursday and heads to Compton College on Saturday.
CMS MEN’S TRACK RANKED
Following strong performances from distance runners Henry Pick and Miles Christensen in December, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s track and field team is ranked No. 22 in the nation in the latest USTFCCCA Division III indoor poll.
Pick and Christensen recorded two of the top 20 times in NCAA Division III history at the Boston University season opener on Dec. 4.
Pick crossed the line in 8:11.26 to finish third in a field of largely Division I entrants. Christensen wasn’t far off the pace and finished in 8:13.57.
CMS hosts its annual Challenge Meet this weekend at Burns Track Complex in Claremont, featuring indoor distances on an outdoor track.
