Fall Sports Dominate 2023 Season, Highest Winning Percentage in CPP Athletics History
By: Alex Kline, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
POMONA, Calif. – The five intercollegiate sports that compete during the fall season – men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's volleyball – dominated their respective 2023 seasons, combining for one of the winningest falls in Cal Poly Pomona Athletics history.
The three win-loss-tie sports (men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball) combined for a 47-15-8 overall record, good for a staggering .729 winning percentage. That is their highest combined winning percentage in the history of the three sports, passing a 1997 season that saw a joint record of 48-18-1 (.724). Since both soccer teams officially joined Athletics 40 years ago in 1983, the three teams have only had a joint winning percentage above .700 four times, most recently in 2021. Both men's soccer and volleyball competed in the NCAA Tournament, while women's soccer won their first-ever CCAA Regular Season Title. All three made at least the semifinals in their respective CCAA Tournaments.
In addition to the overall success, the Broncos were simply unbeatable at home, owning a 22-4-5 (.790) record in Kellogg Arena and at Kellogg Stadium. They also combined for a 29-8-3 (.763) record in CCAA games, their second-highest conference winning percentage in a season ever.
The two sports that do not have win-loss-tie results, men's and women's cross country, boasted a strong season of their own. The men's team made it to the National Championships for the 23rd time in program history, while placing fifth or higher in six of their seven races. The women's team never finished lower than 10th place, while winning both the Seawolf Invite and the Pomona-Pitzer Invite. Both teams competed in the NCAA West Regional, the men placing third out of 23 schools and the women placing sixth out of 24 schools.
Individual awards were plentiful as well, as there were 14 CCAA Athletes of the Week, 31 All-CCAA honorees, and 16 All-West Region honorees.
Men's Cross Country
- Finished first place at both the Seawolf Invite and Pomona-Pitzer Invite.
- Placed second at the CCAA Championships for the third consecutive year and the eighth time in the past decade.
- Nine Broncos finished in the Top 25 of the CCAA Championships, while Daniel Echeveste, Leandro Candray, Francisco Zavaleta, Vincent Sarino, Ricardo Vargas, and Tom McDonnell each finishing in the Top 15 to earn All-CCAA honors.
- The team finished third in the NCAA West Regional, earning an automatic qualifier for their 23rd trip to the National Championships hosted in Joplin, Missouri.
- Candray, Vargas, Zavaleta, and McDonnell finished in the Top 25 of the NCAA West Regionals, each earning All-West Region distinction.
Women's Cross Country
- Finished first place at both the Seawolf Invite and Pomona-Pitzer Invite.
- Placed third at the CCAA Championships, their best finish since 2019.
- Alondra Arias, Vivian Martinez, and Angela Arellano each placed Top 10 at the CCAA Championships to earn All-CCAA honors.
- Broncos placed 6th in the NCAA West Regional, with the top five runners all placing in the Top 60 of the race.
- Arias finished 13th in the NCAA West Regional, earning USTFCCCA All-West Region. Arias' 21:21.1 time is the second-fastest by a CPP runner in NCAA West Regional history.
Men's Soccer
- Made the NCAA Tournament for the 8th consecutive season.
- Nationally ranked in the Unites Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the entire 2023 season, reaching as high as No. 5 in the nation.
- Their .786 win percentage is the third highest in program history.
- The team scored their second-most goals in a game with an 8-0 win over Stanislaus State.
- Cesar Ruvalcaba, Paul Roger Henschke, Melvyn Perez Cortez, and Jasper Winslow earned All-West region honors.
- Ruvalcaba was named CCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
- Ruvalcaba, Henschke, Perez Cortez, Winslow, Mads Frederiksen, CJ Walker, Fin Jackson, Woody Angell, and Max Laguna earned All-CCAA honors. The Broncos led the entire conference with nine selections.
Women's Soccer
- Won their first CCAA Regular Season Title in program history.
- Reached the CCAA Tournament Finals for the first time since 2001.
- Jay Mason was named CCAA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
- Tara Oper, Liberty Ortiz, Auburn Burnett, and Jaclyn Cuevas earned All-West Region honors.
- Oper, Burnett, Ortiz, Cuevas, Bella Hara, Marisa Salazar, and Bella Anderson earned All-CCAA honors.
Volleyball
- Made it to the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd consecutive season and the 19th time in program history.
- Nationally ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for the entire 2023 season, reaching as high as No. 13.
- Set a program record with 15 sweeps on the season.
- Third straight season with 20 or more wins.
- Samantha Campion, Daisy Duke, and Caitie Mueller were named All-West Region.
- Campion, Duke, Mueller, Madison Novak, Kaitlan Tucker, and Avery Percival were named All-CCAA.
- Duke earned AVCA National Player of the Week for November 6-12th.
- Duke became the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Latest Men's Cross Country
- 53 Broncos Recognized in CCAA Fall Academic Honor RollCal Poly Pomona saw 53 student-athletes named to the 2023 CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll on Tuesday, ranking second in the conference behind only Cal State Monterey Bay. A record 551 men and women across the CCAA's 12 member institutions were honored.
- CPP Athletics Launches New WebsiteFor the first time since 2019, the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has launched a redesign of BroncoAthletics.com. In partnership with SIDEARM Sports powered by Learfield, the new website went live on Wednesday morning.
- CPP Athletics Announces 2024 Hall of Fame ClassPOMONA, Calif. - The Cal Poly Pomona Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is pleased to introduce the 2024 induction class of the CPP Athletics Hall of Fame. Joann Miller, Niki Bracken, Larry Gordon, and the 1983 Men's Cross Country team will be honored in February for their contributions to the history of Cal Poly Pomona Athletics.
- Men’s Cross Country Places 23rd at NationalsThe Cal Poly Pomona men's cross country team competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the 23rd time in program history on Saturday morning, finishing in 23rd place in a field of 34 teams.
- Over $53,000 Raised During Bronco LaunchpadPOMONA, CA - In a two-week campaign that ended on October 27th, the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Intercollegiate Athletics raised over $53,000 from nearly 450 gifts during the campus-wide Bronco Launchpad campaign, both up from last year's campaign.
- Broncos Secure 23rd Trip to NCAA Championships With Third Place Finish in RegionalsMONMOUTH, OR – The Cal Poly Pomona men's cross country team placed third in the NCAA West Regional 10K championships on Saturday morning, earning an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships in Joplin, MO on November 18th. This will be the Broncos' 23rd appearance on the national stage, and their first since 2021.
