Weekend Roundup: Women's CxC Advances to State, Good Starts for Basketball

by Cerwin D Haynes

(photo credits: IG elac_trackandfield_xc, IG elacaquatics, Kara Saguchi, Mario Villegas)

East LA College had seven teams in action over this past weekend - eight if you extend it to last Thursday. We go around the horn to recap everyone.

THURSDAY - Men's Wrestling at Victor Valley

• The Pack headed east into the deserts of Victorville for a team dual with the Rams of Victor Valley College. Although the Huskies struggled, head coach Miguel Soto still has a few wrestlers on track for the SoCal Regional Championships next month. East LA will host the SoCal Championships on Saturday, December 7th. 

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Women's cross country qualified for the 3C2A State Championships by grabbing a team qualifier spot in the SoCal Regional Championships on Friday. The women qualified despite missing one of their key runners due to injury.
  • The men's team also ran in the SoCal Regionals but did not qualify for State
• Men's basketball opened last weekend at the annual Alvin Hunter Classic at San Bernardino Valley College. They got edged by Saddleback in the first game on Friday, but they recovered to beat Santa Monica and Compton handily on Saturday and Sunday. Among their weekend highlights:
  • Sophomore PG Donjae Lindsey was named to the Classic All-Tournament team. He averaged 12 points per game on 50% shooting over the weekend.
  • Freshman G/F Zyier Beverly poured in 18 points off the bench in ELAC's win over Santa Monica, shooting 7-10 from the the field and 4-5 from three-point range.
  • Sophomore G Daniel Michelini-Jackson had a game-high 22 points in East's win over Compton while adding seven rebounds.
• Women's basketball opened their 2024-25 regular season at the Moorpark Classic. They beat Solano in the first game on Thursday, lost to host (and playoff nemesis) Moorpark on Friday, and topped Riverside on Saturday.
  • Early returns on sophomore F/C Asiah Harris suggests she's on a mission this season. A double-double threat nearly every night last season, she has begun her 2024-25 campaign averaging 21 points per game and 14.7 rebounds per game (she's fourth in the state in rebounds).
  • Sophomore G/F Melanye Ramirez has improved her shooting. Given more of the green light this season to let the shots fly from deep, she's taking 8.3 attempts per game from three, hitting them at a 40% clip.
  • Incoming sophomore Derricka Millinghaus is second on the team in scoring with 14.7 point per game. She leads the team in field goal percentage, hitting 52.9% from the field.
• Women's water polo concluded their 2024 campaign at the South Coast Conference Tournament last Thursday and Saturday. They finished fifth, beating Chaffey College 10-5 Saturday in the  second-round bracket. 
  • Freshman UT Brisa Ayala scored three goals in the win. She finishes as the team leader in goals for the season at 15.
  • Given the difficult start to the season (0-11), head coach Diana Romero's squad got much more competitive as conference play came on. In addition to their fifth-place finish, the team went 5-5 in SCC play as Romero kept her squad fighting.

REST OF THE WEEKEND ACTION:

• Women's volleyball played their second to last game on Friday at Mt. SAC. They lost in straight sets. They'll close their season this coming Friday at Rio Hondo.
• Men's soccer, beseiged by multiple injuries, sunk to near-bottom of conference standings which placed them in the SCC consolation bracket of the tournament. They dropped their match at Rio Hondo 4-0 on Friday, and will conclude their season at home Tuesday versus LA Harbor, who is winless in conference play.
• Women's soccer also landed in the consolation bracket of the SCC Tournament. They lost a close match Friday at LA Harbor, 2-1, and will wrap up their season at LA City Tuesday.

UP NEXT:

1. Men and women's soccer wrap up their 2024 campaigns today in the SCC Tournament 9th Place brackets. 
2. Men's wrestling will head to Bakersfield tomorrow night to prep for the SEC Regionals on Friday. It's their last event before the Annual Brawl at ELAC on November 23.
3. Women's basketball will head down to Palomar on Friday for a two-day tournament.
4. Women's volleyball will conclude their season Friday at Rio Hondo, with a shot to finsh their conference record at .500.
5. Football will wrap up their season this Saturday at 6pm when they head down to Cerritos to face the Falcons. The Huskies will look to end things on a high note against a Cerritos team that is not as strong as previous years.
6. Men's basketball is off until Wednesday, November 20 when they host Cerritos at 5pm.