CBU wrestling coach Zalesky retiring

Cal Baptist University wrestling coach Lennie Zalesky is retiring after 11 program-defining years.

The 2017 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, Zalesky led CBU to a 71-70-1 overall record and four top-three national finishes during his time, including a program-record 13 dual-meet victories during the 2014-15 season.

“We thank Lennie for his years of dedication,” CBU president Dr. Ronald L. Ellis said. “He established a strong foundation for the program, and we appreciate the investment he made in the lives of so many student-athletes through the years.”

Zalesky is a member of three different wrestling Hall of Fames. He was first inducted into the Alaska Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 and then the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame and the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

“I want to thank CBU for letting me serve as the head wrestling coach at this very special university,” Zalesky said. “Thank you to Dr. Ellis for starting this program here in Southern California. It means a lot to not only the state of California, but also the national collegiate wrestling community.”

Zalesky led CBU to a 17-7 mark in conference and was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2016.

He arrived in Riverside following nine years as head coach at UC Davis, where he coached four Pac-10 champions and had 27 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2007 and coached the Aggies’ first-ever NCAA Division I national champion in any sport in Derek Moore (141 pounds).

“I experienced some of my greatest moments and coached some of the most spectacular wrestlers of my 27 years of college coaching at CBU,” Zalesky said. “Many of them were of the highest quality individuals I have had the chance to work with.”

Prior to beginning his coaching career in 1986, Zalesky was a three-time All-american wrestler at Iowa and helped the Hawkeyes to four straight NCAA national championships. He was twice the national runner-up at 142 pounds and won three Big Ten titles.

After his college career, Zalensky competed internationally, winning a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games.

“We are very thankful for Lennie’s leadership here,” CBU director of athletics Tyler Mariucci said. “He has helped so many young men succeed both on and off the mat. His contributions to our program and to the sport of wrestling have left an indelible impact.”

Moore, a current assistant, will serve as the interim head coach as CBU is set to join the Big 12 Conference next season. The Lancers will join other Big 12 wrestling members in a regular-season schedule alliance and will compete for the league’s postseason title and automatic qualification into the NCAA Championships.

“I believe great days lay ahead for the CBU wrestling program,” Zalesky said. “I am confident those days will come in the near future (and) CBU will compete in the Big 12.”

UCR softball team gets 20th win of the season

UC Riverside’s softball team won its 20th game of the season with a doubleheader sweep of UC San Diego on Saturday at Amy S. Harrison Field, securing a second consecutive Big West Conference series win as the postseason nears.

Chrys Hildebrand hurled her third complete game in her last five appearances with six strikeouts as UCR won Game 1, 4-1, before Katie Barbarick kept the Highlanders’ string of strong starts going in Game 2, striking out four of the first seven batters she faced in an 8-0 victory.

“Our late-season push is a testament to our continued work ethic in practice and commitment to our goals, game plans and strategies,” UCR head coach Nikki Palmer said. “We had to bring our best game (and) it was good to see our team commit to the plan.”

UCR (20-23 overall, 11-10 Big West) hosts UC Santa Barbara for a three-game series this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader that starts at noon on Saturday.

Third-seeded RCC baseball team set for regional series

The Riverside City College baseball team swept a season-ending, three-game series against Cypress College and slides into the California Community College Athletic Association Southern Regional Playoffs as the No. 3 seed.

Led by Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year Matthew Bardowell, the Tigers (29-11 overall) host No. 14 Grossmont College in a best-of-3 series beginning Friday at 2 p.m. at Evans Sports Complex.

An Etiwanda High grad, Bardowell is among the hottest hitters in the CCCAA, finishing third in the state in batting average (.448), first in doubles (19) and sixth in RBIS (51).

General admission is $12, and students with a valid ID, faculty, staff, veterans, seniors and children under 17 are $8. All fans are required to provide full proof of vaccination upon entrance, per college policy.

CMS women’s golf team receives an NCAA bid

The Claremont-mudd-scripps women’s golf team received a bid to the NCAA Division III Championships, the selection committee announced Monday.

The Athenas will be seeded 13th in the field and are one of three Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams to earn invitations.

Pomona-pitzer earned the automatic bid as the SCIAC champion, while Redlands received an at-large bid.

In danger of not receiving an invitation after it failed to clear enough student-athletes for the SCIAC finals, CMS’ win over Williams College — the DIII tournament’s No. 3 seed — at the Redlands Invitational in late March gave the Athenas’ resume the boost it needed.

The NCAA Division III Championships will be held May 10-13 at the Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston.