College update: Gonzalez, Cal Lutheran volleyball earn spot in NCAA Championship
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level:
Dani Gonzalez (Burroughs, 2014) sophomore, California Lutheran University women’s volleyball: The former All-Area and All-Pacific League selection and the Regals are in the midst of a monumental season after a huge upset victory Sunday, earning the team advancement to the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Taking part in he 2015 NCAA Division III Thousand Oaks Regional on its home court, Cal Lutheran rolled to a 25-20, 17-25, 25-12, 25-2 win against top-seeded Washington-St. Louis to win the regional championship.
“This is just indescribable, really” Cal Lutheran Coach Kellee Roesel said in a post-match press conference. “I know it’s something every one of the kids on the team has dreamed about. We have overcome so much adversity this year, with sickness and injury and dropping a couple of conference matches.
“I am just so proud of the group that they were able to hold on and continue to believe in themselves.”
Cal Lutheran (28-5) will travel to Grand Rapids, Mich. to play in the NCAA championship tournament that begins Thursday and concludes Sunday at the Van Noord Arena on the campus of Calvin College. Joining the Regals will be Bethel (Minnesota), Bowdoin (Maine), Carthage (Wisconsin), Clarkson (New York), Hendrix (Arkansas), Randolph-Macon (Virginia) and Wittenberg (Ohio). Cal Lutheran will open the tourney Thursday against Bowdoin.
Gonzalez, a libero, didn’t record any stats in the win against Washington-St. Louis (34-3). On the season, the sophomore has played in 17 matches and recorded 35 digs, 12 assists and 10 aces.
Maddie Carlborg (Burbank, 2013) freshman, Wellesley College woman’s soccer: In a successful junior season, the former Bulldog made her presence known while leading her team on offense.
Playing for the small private women’s college in Massachusetts, which competes on the NCAA Division III level, Carlborg, a forward, started in 15 of 17 matches for the Wellesley Blue. She led the team in scoring with 15 points and goals with six. Carlborg collected three assists to also lead the team and her 36 shots was a team best.
Carlborg began the season with a bang, scoring goals in Wellesley’s first four games, including two game-winners, and had at least a point in the first five.
Wellesley finished the 2015 season with an 8-6-3 overall record, going 3-5-2 in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference. The Blue’s season came to an end Oct. 31 when it fell to Springfield College, 2-1, in NEWMAC play. Carlborg assisted on Wellesley’s only goal. Wellesley needed a win to advance to the conference tournament.
Tatiana Rizzotti (Burroughs 2013) sophomore, Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer: It was a successful season for the Titans and Rizzotti, who earned a spot as a scholarship player after originally making the program as a walk-on.
For the third straight season, Cal State Fullerton captured the Big West Tournament Championship. Alba Barrios’ goal in the 56th minute propelled No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton past top-seeded Long Beach State, 1-0, in the tournament championship contest Nov. 6 at Titan Stadium.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the women and the program at this point,” Cal State Fullerton Coach Demian Brown stated on the university’s website. “Going into the game, it was always going to be one of those games where it wasn’t necessarily based on skill; you had to grind it out and be tougher than your opponent. Our women really stepped up and did that.”
The win gave the Titans an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for No. 25 Cal State Fullerton, its season ended Friday against host No. 11 USC with a 3-3 (4-3 on penalty kicks) loss.
On the season, Rizzotti played in 13 matches, starting five, and had two assists for two points. Her playing time improved greatly from her freshman season when she saw time in just two contests.
The Titans ended the season with a 16-3-2 record and were 6-2 in the Big West Conference.
Garrett Boulais (Burroughs, 2015) freshman, UC San Diego men’s cross-country: The 2015 Burbank Leader Athlete of the Year finished out a successful first collegiate season for the Tritons
UC San Diego concluded the 2015 season Nov. 7 at the NCAA West Regionals, hosted by Western Oregon, with a 13th-place finish for 320 points. Alaska-Anchorage won the competition with 55 points.
Boulais was the Tritons’ fifth scorer in the race, finishing the 10-kilometer course in a time of 32 minutes 18.82 seconds, good enough for 84th place.
“The men put together a solid race and we were pleased with how they competed,” UCSD Coach Nate Garcia stated on the university’s website. “We had a lot of young guys get some really good experience and they handled themselves well in their first 10k.”
The Tritons placed fifth at the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Championships, hosted by San Francisco State, Oct. 25. UCSD finished with 61 points in an event won by Chico State (38 points). Boulais came in as the Tritons’ final scorer, navigating the seven-kilometer course in 26:10.3 for a 47th-place finish.
--
Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports