The City College wrestling team will be bringing on board future freshman Benito Lopez, trained in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, to compete for a spot on the team, as well as help push the current team to its limit, according to Head Coach Dave Pacheco.

“Looking into next year we have a lot of talent in every weight classification. Guys who redshirted this year and were on the team this year would make us a very good team,” Pacheco explained. “But if we can get freshmen like Benito to come in and push those guys for spots, our [read more...]

Mark Garrick is a beast, standing 6-foot, 4-inches, 270 pounds. His impact during the City College football team’s 2011 season was rewarded with being named to the 2011 Mid-Empire All Conference defensive team as defensive lineman.

Though he may seem larger than life on paper, he is just a down to earth guy from the East Coast. At just 20 years old, this business major ran a 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds while compiling 54 tackles on the season, which led to his Mid-Empire All Conference team honors. Though schools like University Nevada, LasVegas, Reno and San Jose State were [read more...]

These days it’s not uncommon for siblings to compete in the same sport. Think Edgar and Adrian Gonzalez, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Venus and Serena Williams, to name just a few.

City College has two names to add to that list: Aaron and Alan Tombleson, two brothers who not only share the same blood, but also share a passion for track and field.

“It has been like this from the beginning, ever since we grew up,” says Alan. “We have competed together in everything, especially against one another, from riding bikes, lifting to throwing.”

Aaron, 27, is a kinesiology major and Alan, 25, is a [read more...]

Students come from near and far to compete as athletes at City College. Although a majority of City College students are from Sacramento and the surrounding areas, many athletes come from as far north as Redding and as far south as Los Angeles.

“I think they hear about our program and what we’ve done both academically and athletically,” said head wrestling coach David Pacheco.

Efren Rodriguez said he moved to Sacramento last August from his hometown of Chico because there were no wrestling programs in or around Chico. Rodriguez, who said he plans to transfer to Simpson University in Redding, [read more...]

They’re not just members of a sports team; they’re also students in the classroom, as well as couples who share a love for athletics.

For these two sets of City College couples, juggling the ups and downs of academics, sports and romantic relationships can be challenging.

City College chemistry major Mellanie Castillo and undeclared major Jason Dunn are both on the track team and have been dating for 10 months.

Castillo and Dunn say they were already in love with track before falling in love with each other.

“People think track is just about running, but it’s about hard work and determination,” says Dunn. “[It’s about] telling yourself that you can do [read more...]

Forward Zach Bartley, a sophomore on the men’s basketball team for City College, is averaging eight points per game and has totaled 33 rebounds through the first four games, playing in the undefeated start the Panthers men’s basketball team is off to.

“I try to get rebounds, that’s how a lot of my points come. I’m kind of like the garbage man on the court,” Zach Bartley, English major says. “Any time there’s a missed shot I crash the boards hard.”

Bartley brings a lot of experience to the team.

After gray-shirting a year at Sierra College, Bartley arrived at [read more...]

City College wide receiver Byron Riggs has spent the last two fall semesters bolting from the line down the field, then leaping to tremendous heights to make big time catches. The rest of the week?

Good luck finding him.

Riggs is known around the team for his ability to make big time catches.

Quarterback Dominic Carmazzi, 21, remembered a particular play, against Sierra College.

“I had a 40-yard touchdown pass to him. He went up and got it and it was a great play on his part,” Carmazzi said.

At 6-foot-3-inches and weighing 185 pounds, Riggs’s teammates describe him as [read more...]

Isaiah Hurtado, kinesiology major, said he won’t quit pushing forward during a wrestling match, even when he’s losing. “A lot of guys, if they’re down 14-6, they just shut it off,” head wrestling coach David Pacheco said.

For example, Hurtado was down by eight points in a previous match, one of the worst performances of his season, Pacheco said, and despite losing the first round, the player fi nished the match with a 21-16 victory over his opponent. In the last two rounds, Hurtado outscored his challenger 15-2.

Hurtado’s all-around skills on the mat—from take downs, escapes off the bottom, [read more...]

A Swedish-American golfer, Annika Sorenstam, holds one of the highest achievements in the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s history, winning 90 international tournaments as a professional, according to Wikipedia. She’s an inspiration for young golfers like City College’s own, Riley Sexton, freshman golfer for the women’s golf team.

“She was the best of the best. She’s what I want to strive to be,” Sexton said.

Sexton spends nearly all her time on the golf course. The women’s golf team practices everyday besides the days they compete in tournaments, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On the days they do practice, Sexton spends time with [read more...]

Upon entering through the glass doors of the North Gymnasium, people often run into City College wrestling coach Dave Pacheco, as he makes his way to his next class or practice session, shoulders square and eyebrows furrowed with a determined look.

Pacheco has coached wrestling for a total of 31 seasons—28 of those have been at City College. During his time, he’s coached 55 Academic All-American wrestlers, according to the athletic department’s web site.

“The biggest thing for me is seeing young men challenge themselves and make it to the next level both academically and athletically,” Pacheco said.

While Pacheco’s seemingly no-nonsense appearance—usually gym shorts and a T-shirt—seems to project a tough-guy attitude, the coach’s colleagues and athletes say he puts his [read more...]