Weddle inscribes her name in SDSU record book

Student-athletes and coaches with connections to Yuma-area high schools and Arizona Western College are making an impact on their current teams around the country. Here's a few updates on some (but certainly not all) of these players:

SWIMMING

• Katelyn Weddle (Kofa H.S.) needed just four meets in her freshman season at San Diego State University to set a new Aztec record in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Toshiba Classic Nov. 21 in Long Beach, Calif.
 
Weddle won the event with a time of 1 minute, 2.21 seconds, though her record-breaking swim of 1:01.45 cam in her preliminary heat. The following day, she finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.20), missing the school record by .14 second, and was part of the school's record-setting 200 medley team.
 
The Aztecs set 12 school records at the three-day event and finished fourth out of 25 teams in the three-day event.
 
San Diego State, ranked 34th in the Division I national poll - the highest of any Mountain West Conference school - hosted UNLV and Oregon State on Saturday in its final meet of the 2009 schedule. The Aztecs return to the pool Jan. 7 at home against Boise State and Tulane.

WRESTLING

• Gabe Miranda (Cibola H.S.) won his final match of the calendar year on Dec. 12, pinning his opponent in 1 minute, 13 seconds to help North Idaho College defeat Southwestern Oregon Community College 31-15.
 
Wrestling at 133 pounds, Miranda is 3-2 this month. Both of his losses came at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 4. His only win at the invite was against Columbia's Andrew Grabfelder, a 7-3 decision.
 
Kelvin Gastelum (Yuma H.S.) also wrestled at the Las Vegas Invitational for the Cardinals at 174 pounds and was 2-2 in his four matches. He pinned Western Wyoming's Cole Evans in 51 seconds and won an 11-8 decision against Brown University's Ziad Kharbush.
 
North Idaho is 9-2 in its duals thus far this season. The Cardinals' next match is Jan. 13 against Yakima Valley Community College.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• Tanya Clark (AWC) scored a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for Dixie State College in their 85-84 win against Pittsburg State on Nov. 27, the Red Storm's most recent victory.
 
It was the fourth double-double of Clark's career at Dixie State. She scored seven of the team's final 20 points as they overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 6 minutes, 14 seconds of the game.
 
Clark, a senior, has started in five of the team's six games and averages 21 minutes per game. She is averaging 8.8 points per game - second on the team - and leads the Red Storm in rebounding.
 
Dixie State is 2-4 on the season. The Red Storm will return to action after a 16-day layoff on Monday against California State University - Dominguez Hills.
 
• Yohanna Morton (AWC) began the season in Robert Morris University's starting five, but has taken on a smaller role eight games later into the season.
 
Morton started for the Colonials in their first game against Kent State, but only played 9 minutes and did not score. She has appeared in five other games this season and has more turnovers (14) than points (six).
 
Robert Morris is 6-3 overall and 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Its next game is today at home against Morehead State.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

• Alonzo Brandon (AWC) has appeared in eight games and averages 8 minutes per game.
 
• Mehdi Cheriet (AWC) is expected to redshirt this season for San Diego State, according to a report earlier this month in USA Today. Cheriet, a senior, averaged 14 minutes per game last season.
 
• Former teammates Rafael Crescencio (AWC) and Sean Imadiyi (AWC) were on opposite ends of the floor last Saturday as Crescencio's San Diego Toreros beat Imadiyi's Boise State Broncos 59-56 in Boise.
 
Crescencio played 4 minutes in the game. Imadiyi, who played in 30 of the Broncos' 32 games last season, has yet to play.

Know of a former Yuma-area coach or athlete making an impact in college sports or beyond? Let the Yuma Sun sports staff know at sports@yumasun.com