Panich excelling for Dustdevils
The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level.
Tammy Panich (Glendale Community College, 2011) junior, Texas A&M International University women’s golf: Panich, a Glendale High graduate, is flourishing at the Division II level. Panich, who captured the California Community College Athletic Assn. Women’s Golf State Championships last season, entered last week’s Dallas Baptist Classic ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II women’s national rankings. It marked the first time in program history that a golfer achieved a national ranking.
Panich entered the event Monday with a scoring average of 73. She trailed top-ranked Whitney McAteer of Northeastern State by one stroke.
“Tammy is proof that this program has excellent bones and just needs talented muscle to surround it,” Texas A&M International Coach Becca Mayeux told the university’s website. “She is the type of player that can get recruits excited to join our team and it’s amazing the impact she has made on our program in such a short time.
“Her game is definitely going to take her places and it’s exciting to have a player like that on our team.”
Panich encountered some difficulty at the Dallas Baptist Classic, finishing tied for 16th at the Golf Club of Dallas. On Monday, Panich fired a five-over-par 75. She carded a 38 on the front nine before completing her round with a 37 on the backside. On Tuesday, she registered an 80 while battling windy conditions.
Panich began the season Sept. 19-20 with a fifth-place finish at the Northeastern State Classic. The former All-Area pick took fifth, carding a five-over-par 77 and 73 at Cherry Springs Golf Course in Tahlequah, Okla. At the University of Central Oklahoma Classic, held Oct. 3-4, Panich took fourth after tying a school record with an opening round one-under-par 69 before coming back with a 73.
The Dustdevils will next participate in the University of Texas at Brownsville Fall Shootout, which will be held Nov. 7-8 in Laguna Vista, Texas.
Apolonia Martinez (Crescenta Valley High, 2010) sophomore, goalkeeper, Linfield College women’s soccer: The Northwest Conference accolades keep rolling in for the Wildcats, who are riding a wave of momentum by virtue of their latest 6-0-1 unbeaten streak. This time, the honors went to Martinez, who was tabbed the conference’s Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week.
Martinez became the fourth Linfield player to earn the honor, which was unveiled Tuesday.
Martinez was spotless in goal, recording three shutouts last week against Lewis & Clark, Willamette and George Fox. Thanks to her impressive performances, the Wildcats are in first place.
She played 277 minutes, finishing with six saves. Martinez hasn’t yielded a goal in 431 minutes, stretching over five matches.
Martinez has allowed six goals this season (third in conference) and sports a tidy 0.49 goals-against average (second).
Linfield (11-2-2, 8-1-2 in conference) will next meet visiting Puget Sound, which has captured nine conference championships in a row, at noon Saturday.
Gabe Ramirez (Crescenta Valley High, 2009) junior, midfielder, University of Redlands men’s soccer: Ramirez, a former All-Pacific League selection, has put up plenty of points for the Bulldogs this season. He has aided mightily in helping the Bulldogs go 13-3 and 10-0 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference entering Wednesday’s home conference contest against Occidental College.
Ramirez scored his latest match-winning goal in Redlands’ 7-0 conference victory against visiting California Lutheran University on Oct. 12. Ramirez scored on an 18-yard shot in the seventh minute. His first winning goal came Sept. 28 in Redlands’ 8-0 conference road in against Caltech.
In 16 matches, Ramirez has registered four goals and eight assists for 16 points. In 10 conference matches, Ramirez, who helped Redlands win the conference championship last season, has notched four goals and six assists.
