Living up to expectations
Chris Tosello (La Cañada High, 2008) Menlo College football, junior: There were plenty of expectations on Tosello’s shoulders, coming into his junior season after he was named a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics Independent first-team pick and the Menlo College Rick Booth Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.
It hasn’t held the defensive lineman back this year. Four games into the season, Tosello has made 11 tackles (seven solo and four assisted), including 5.5 for losses. He leads his team in tackles for loss and sacks with five for a total loss of 42 yards.
The former Spartan is half a sack away from matching his total for last season, when he led the Oaks in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (12) as a sophomore.
The Oaks are undefeated at 4-0 after dropping Whitworth, 24-17, on Saturday. Tosello put together an impressive performance, collecting five tackles and 2.5 sacks for a loss of 18 yards.
The win propelled the Oaks into the NAIA’s top-25 rankings, which were released Monday. Menlo College checked in at No. 24 and will look to stay perfect when it hosts Southern Oregon University in its homecoming game Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon.
Dietrich Riley (St. Francis High, 2010) sophomore, UCLA football: UCLA got off to a winning start in Pacific-12 Conference play Saturday in its opener, traveling to Oregon State and leaving with a 27-19 victory.
Riley tallied six tackles, as the Bruins improved to 2-2.
Riley, a three-time former All-Area Football Player of the Year, got his second consecutive start at strong safety. He’s played in all four of the Bruins’ contests, tallying 15 tackles, breaking up one pass, forcing a fumble and recovering another fumble.
UCLA travels north once again this week to face Pac-12 favorite Stanford on Saturday.
Alyssa Conti (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2011) freshman, Johns Hopkins soccer: The reigning All-Area selection went from helping one team win a CIF Southern Section Division I championship to another squad experiencing its share of success.
Johns Hopkins is 8-0 and ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America ratings.
Conti, a midfielder, has played in five of her team’s games, tallying one goal.
Her first-ever collegiate goal came on Sept. 4 in a 3-2 overtime win over Carnegie Mellon. Conti scored a goal at 78:09 that put her team up, 2-1, and would have stood as the game-winner had Carnegie Melon not rallied to score the equalizer in the final minute of regulation.
Johns Hopkins returns to the field Saturday at Swarthmore.
Courtney McCutchan (La Cañada High, 2010) Lehigh University women’s volleyball, sophomore: Lehigh rolled into Patriot League play Friday with a four-match winning streak. The team’s is 9-6, 1-1 in league, and McCutchan has had a big part to in the Mountain Hawks’ success.
The former All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year has racked up 90 kills, which is No. 5 on the team. Her 108 digs are also the fifth-best for Lehigh. She also has 16 aces, 12 assists and 11 blocks (10 assisted and one unassisted).
Lehigh’s winning streak was snapped in its Patriot League opener against Army on Friday in a 27-25, 18-25, 21-25, 22-25 loss. McCutchan, an outside hitter, had seven kills and 13 digs in the match.
The Mountain Hawks got back on track Saturday with a three-game sweep over Holy Cross, 27-25, 25-16, 25-18. McCutchan had 10 digs and two kills in the victory. Lehigh will hit the road to face Colgate Friday.