Tubert helping Arkansas women’s golf to successful season
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level:
Emily Tubert (Burroughs High, 2010) senior, Arkansas University women’s golf: The former Burbank Leader Female Athlete of the Year and All-Area Player of the Year won a tournament in the early going of her final season with the Razorbacks.
Tubert, a three-time All-American, posted back-to-back under-par rounds in leading Arkansas to a team title in the rain-shortened 17th annual Mercedes Benz Collegiate on Sept. 22 in Knoxville, Tenn. Arkansas shot 282 and 281 for a 563 two-day total and claimed the first team title of its season.
Tubert opened play in the event with a 69 and added a 68 for 137 and a three-stroke win. Tubert opened her round with a bogey on the first hole, but settled in with eight consecutive pars. She lit up the back-nine, playing four-under with birdies on the 10th, 12th, 15th and 16th holes for her 68.
Arkansas is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the most recent Golfweek.com rankings. Tubert is ranked No. 15 in the country.
Tubert had a busy summer of amateur events. The senior qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, reaching the round of 32 before she was eliminated. She also took part in the U.S. Women’s Open, shooting 74-78 (152) to tie for 81st in her first open appearance.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to take part in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, which begins Friday in Chapel Hill, NC.
Jocelyn Cervantes (Bellarmine-Jefferson, 2012) freshman, Cal State Stanislaus women’s volleyball: The decorated high school player is seeing her share of playing time and getting her share of swings at the outside hitter position during her first season.
Cervantes, a three-time All-CIF Southern Section selection and two-time Santa Cruz Player of the Year pick, has played in 12 of the Warriors’ 15 matches, getting three starts. She is third on the team with 87 kills to go along with 47 digs and six blocks.
The former Guards standout had her best match in a 21-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-27, 15-4 victory Sept. 14 against a team from the Dominican Republic. In the contest, Cervantes tallied a match-high 18 kills. She also tallied 14 kills Sept. 12 against Cal State Monterey Bay and 13 on Sept. 28 against Cal State San Bernardino.
In Cal State Stanislaus’ last match Saturday, a 25-10, 25-19, 23-25, 25-17 loss to San Francisco State, Cervantes had seven kills and two digs.
Heading into a contest Thursday at home against Cal State L.A., the Warriors are 4-11 and 1-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.
Western Nelson (Burroughs High, 2009) senior, Cal State San Marcos, men’s cross-country: The former Burbank Leader Male Athlete of the Year is attempting to end this collegiate career on a high note after enjoying a wildly successful three years with the Cougars.
Nelson is looking to become the program’s first athlete to earn All-American honors in all four years. Nelson is also the only current runner in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics to have been an All-American in each of the last three seasons.
He finished third in last year’s Assn. of Independent Institutions Conference Championship and 17th at the NAIA National Championship. Nelson has finished as high as seventh in 2011.
Cal State San Marcos, ranked No. 8, finished third out of 12 teams Saturday at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, finishing as the top NAIA team in the field. The Cougars ended up with 86 points, behind only race winner Cal Poly Pomona (36) and runner-up Pomona-Pitzer (65), and were well ahead of the closest NAIA opponent, Vanguard (196).
In the race, Nelson placed 15th in 26 minutes, 2.9 seconds.
The Cougars have more than a week until their next race, which will be their first of two home meets this season. The 2013 Cougar Challenge will be held Oct. 19.
Gor Kirakosyan (Burbank High, 2009) senior, midfielder, UC Irvine men’s soccer: The former Pacific League Player of the Year, who spent two seasons at Pasadena City College, had his season end before it even began.
Kirakosyan suffered a knee injury during the offseason and will likely be lost for the entire season.
The former Bulldog was coming off a fine junior campaign for the Anteaters in 2012. He started 12 of UC Irvine’s matches and finished second on the team with 12 points (four goals and four assists). He finished just ahead of another former Pacific League MVP, freshman Pavle Atanackovic of Crescenta Valley, who tallied 10 points.
This season, the Anteaters are 6-3-2, 1-1 in the Big West Conference.