It was another year of success for the Westcliff athletic department, as the Warriors added 12 more championships, bringing the program total to 26 (four national championships).
Not bad for just three years of NAIA and California Pacific Conference play.
But success athletically is not even the first priority of Dean of Athletics Shawn Harris, nor should it be.
Westcliff is first and foremost an institution that values the development of young people, and placing them in a position to succeed at life — and that starts in the classroom.
They’re still dancing.
No matter how the Westcliff baseball team wraps the Cal Pac championships this week in Mesa, AZ, they have already made history.
A year after the Warriors were bounced in the third round of the tournament, the Dubs did the bouncing this time around, sending home No. 3 Simpson with a 6-5 win in 11 innings.
Sometimes all you can do is tip your cap.
The Warriors played inspired baseball Wednesday evening at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, AZ, but in the end, Ben U was just a little bit better and took home the 10-9 win in walk-off fashion.
Those unfamiliar with the Warriors’ seeding at the 2024 Cal Pac baseball championships may have been scratching their heads at the start of Wednesday’s 6-3, tournament-opening win over Park.
Camden Cooper toed the rubber, rather than Warriors’ ace Eddie Rios.
But the move by Westcliff skipper Dylan Hoffman was one of confidence, in Cooper and his team — and strategy — because if it worked out, the Warriors would be set up for their best chance at tournament success.
As planned, Cooper was fantastic, and when he slowed, Kyle Douphner picked up right where the starter left off and the Warriors cruised to the win.
It’s been a year of learning and process for the Westcliff baseball team.
After a sizable amount of player turnover, and with Head Coach Dylan Hoffman in his first year at the helm, it’s taken the season for the Warriors to develop and start to play their most consistent brand of winning baseball.
But if there’s one player Hoffman has been able to pencil in easily from the very start, it’s top-of-the-rotation pitcher Eddie Rios, who started the Warriors’ first-ever playoff game year ago, and had an opportunity to return Westcliff to Mesa, AZ for the 2024 Cal Pac playoffs when he took the hill against Saint Katherine Monday at the Great Park.
It was a long trek to the top of the Cal Pac mountaintop, but after three straight seasons of climbing, the Westcliff men’s volleyball team finally made it.
After completing a stunning, 3-2 reverse sweep of UC Merced Saturday a the Cal Pac tournament finals, the Warriors are champions.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again.
The twelfth time was the charm for the Westcliff men’s volleyball team Friday at UC Merced, where the Warriors took down three-time reigning Cal Pac champion, Ben U, 3-1, in the Cal Pac tournament semifinals.
Westcliff Warriors hosted the NAIA West Qualifier in Pool B. They went 2-0 on the day and advanced to the Semifinal round.
Warriors will face Saint Katherine or Corban.
The opening matches in pool play was slow for the Warriors as they quickly saw their 1's and 2's go down against Bushnell.
4's and 5's took care of business winning their matches.
All eyes were on our 3's with Serena Comer and Izzy Duchaine. Beacons were able to force a 3rd set which would determine the match.
Comer went on a tear with multiple service aces and strategic kills. Duchaine with 2 high blocks went on a 15-0 win to take the match 3-2.
Warriors followed it up with their 3rd straight win against Park-Gilbert 4-1.
The Westcliff baseball team had a rough Saturday at the Great Park, wasting an elite performance from starter Camden Cooper in a 2-0 Game 1 loss, before Simpson captured the series with an 8-1 rubber-match victory.
Eddie Rios has been there and done that.
Friday afternoon at the Great Park when his team needed him to deliver the most, Westcliff’s ace came through one more time.
Rios mowed down nine Red Hawks in seven innings of two-run ball, scattering just four hits along the way and the Warriors picked up a huge win over second-place Simpson, 10-4.
Westcliff Warriors hosted San Jose Spartans for a Saturday Night Lights matchup.
The match was a high intense match with both teams going back and forth. Westcliff started off the 1st period with a 3-0 lead holding the Spartans to 0 goals.
2nd Period was a little different as San Jose was able to bounce back and extend their lead heading into the half.
Warriors were down 5-4 at halftime. The 3rd and 4th period were all Warriors. Westcliff held the Spartans to only 1 goal. Extending their win streak to 5 for the season.
Standout Performers
This past weekend Westcliff Warriors went up North for a tough 3 match streak against RV UC Merced, Pacific Union and Simpson.
1st Match against UC Merced was an important matchup as both teams were tied at the top of the standings.
Warriors needed one more win to clinch an appearance in the Cal Pac Tournament.
They had their toughest opponent UC Merced who were at the Top of the Cal Pac Standings.
Warriors won past the Bobcats 3-1. The win secured their spot in the Cal Pac Tournament.
Westcliff went up to take on Pacific Union and Simpson. Warriors won both matches 3-0 and 3-1.
Simpson was a tough match going back and forth with very little gap between the two squads.
Warriors were able to separate at the end of each set to get the edge over the Redhawks.
There was nothing warm about Warm Water Jetty Beach in Carlsbad Saturday where the Westcliff women’s beach volleyball team captured its third straight Cal Pac championship.
It rained during Westcliff’s 5-0 sweep of Benedictine at noon, and a ferocious wind swept through for the final match of the day between bitter rivals, Saint Katherine and the NAIA No. 6 Warriors.
Even though the Firebirds upended the reigning champs, 3-2, with three-game wins in each of matches one through three, Westcliff won the tiebreaker thanks specifically to Ava Himstreet and Amanda Ferreira.
Because the 5s won in just two games, 21-19, 25-23, the Warriors had the tiebreaker margin they needed to claim the Cal Pac crown for the third straight year.
It was breezy day beachside for Westcliff Women’s Beach on Day 1 of the Cal Pac Jamboree Friday at Carlsbad’s Warm Waters Jetty.
The Warriors took down Park in the early match, 4-1, before wrapping with a 5-0 sweep of Simpson.
The Westcliff baseball team welcomed Master’s University to the Great Park Tuesday afternoon and the visitors walked away with a hard-fought 4-3 win.
After allowing double-digits in a loss at Master’s earlier this season, Westcliff nearly pulled off the upset.
As Another Year Ends, Westcliff Continues to Ascend
May 08, 2024It was another year of success for the Westcliff athletic department, as the Warriors added 12 more championships, bringing the program total to 26 (four national championships). Not bad for just three years of NAIA and California Pacific Conference play. But success athletically is not even the first priority of Dean of Athletics Shawn Harris, nor should it be. Westcliff is first and foremost an institution that values the development of young people, and placing them in a position to succeed at life — and that starts in the classroom.
