https://vcweplayhard.com en-us https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260511-SAOW-Richards-WTF Ventura College women's track and field standout Brianna Richards is the final VC Pirate Student Athlete of the Week for the 2025-26 academic year. The first-year Pirate from Oxnard High School Richards ran a personal best of 4:45.08 in the 1500m at the Southern California Regional Finals Saturday to claim the fifth and final automatic qualifying position for next week's 3C2A State Championships at Mt. San Antonio. She finished less than four seconds off the winning pace in a race in which the top six finishers were separated by 3.93 seconds. Mon, 11 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260511-SAOW-Richards-WTF https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260504-SAOW-Salter-MTF-SAOW The VC men's track and field team competed at the Southern California Regional Preliminaries on Saturday and sprinter Ja'Varien Salter had an outstanding day. The sophomore from Ocala, Fla. qualified for the regional finals in the 200m with a time of 21.49, a mere .07 seconds ahead of the cut line. He then helped the Pirates' 4x100m relay team, including teammates Makaio Thompson, Max Daniel and Jeremiah Penny, run a 42.28 to move to the finals in an event where 1.5 seconds separating first place from 13th. Mon, 04 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260504-SAOW-Salter-MTF-SAOW https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260427-SAOW-Coimbra-Mondroha-MTen-SAOW The VC men's tennis season came to an end last week at the 3C2A State Championships hosted at The Ojai Tournament. The Pirates were well represented as freshmen Caua Coimbra and Abladj Mondroha sliced through the draw, advancing to the doubles final on Sunday. Coimbra, who came to VC from Araras, SP, Brazil, and Mayotte, France product Mondroha raced through the first three rounds of the tournament, dropping just five games in six sets. In the quarterfinals, the duo again won in straight sets before prevailing in the semifinals in a super tiebreaker, becoming the second Pirate pair to advance to the Ojai doubles finals in the past 10 years. Mon, 27 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260427-SAOW-Coimbra-Mondroha-MTen-SAOW https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260420-SAOW-Marshall-WSwim-SAOW The VC women's and men's swimming and diving teams had a great weekend at the Western State Conference Championships with a number of record-setting performances. One record setter was first-year Pirate Faith Marshall. The Royal High School product from Simi Valley set two school and meet records in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races. She swam a 1:04.83 in the 100, breaking a 28-year-old mark set by Lori Turner in 1998 before touching in 2:24.34 in the 200 breaking her own program standard. Marshall won gold in both events and was also a member of two silver medal and two bronze medal relay teams. Mon, 20 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260420-SAOW-Marshall-WSwim-SAOW https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260413-SAOW-Daniels-Barrios-BVB The VC beach volleyball team has completed another strong regular season with an overall record of 15-5. Leading the way for the Pirates have been their No. 1 duo of Shai Daniels and Viola Barrios. The pair, both sophomores, have posted a 17-3 record on the season and a 10-2 mark in Western State Conference play. The team, both products of Buena High School, are preparing for the WSC Pairs Championships this week at Santa Barbara's East Beach and also anticipate leading VC into the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday Apr. 28. Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260413-SAOW-Daniels-Barrios-BVB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260406-SAOW-Peyrebonne-MTen VC men's tennis standout Victor Peyrebonne had an outstanding Western State Conference Tournament. The first-year Pirate from Saint-Pierre, La Reunion, France was the only member of the team to qualify for the 3C2A State Championships in both singles and doubles. In singles he qualified for one of the conference's 12 state spots by winning three matches to advance to the quarterfinal round before falling.  In doubles play with partner Shingo Ono, the pair lost in the round of 16 before working through the backdraw, defeating teammates Yanis Guerrout and Ariitea Cotti-Helme to move to the state championships at The Ojai Tournament later this month. Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260406-SAOW-Peyrebonne-MTen https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260330-SAOW-Carcamo The Ventura College golf team is again in the thick of the Western State Conference race, this season behind the leadership of Freddie Carcamo. The freshman from Calabasas High School has led the Pirates all season and averaged a 4-over 76.1 on the season. In the March 23 Western State Conference event at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard, Freddie posted his fourth Top-10 placing in five WSC meets with an even-par 72 to lead VC to a runner-up finish. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260330-SAOW-Carcamo https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260323-SAOW-Badaracco-WSwim VC sophomore Olivia Badaracco picked up where she left off a year ago and continues to be a dominant force for the Pirates' women's swim team. The Lake Havasu City High School product won two more races over the weekend at the Bob Miyashiro Invitational in Santa Rosa. She smashed the competition in the backstroke events, claimed gold in the 100-yard back by over two seconds before winning the 200-yard back by a whopping six seconds. Additionally, Olivia swam very fast splits in the Pirates' relay races, helping VC to a bronze in the 200-yard medley relay and a fourth place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260323-SAOW-Badaracco-WSwim https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260316-SAOW-Monroe-MSwim The VC men's swimming and diving team had a great day Saturday in the Western State Conference No. 2 meet at Los Angeles Valley, placing a strong second place as a team among nine competing teams. Leading the way was sophomore Jaiden Monroe. The Ventura El Camino High School product touched in 51.41 to win the 100-yard butterfly and swam a 52.28 to claim the 100-yard backstroke races. He also finished second in the 200-yard backstroke. In the final race of the day, Monroe anchored the quartet that also included Jacob Otsuki, Parker Steen and Shea as they swam a 3:21.02 to win the 400-yard freestyle relay. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260316-SAOW-Monroe-MSwim https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260309-SAOW-Soto-SB After a difficult, injury-riddled start to the 2026 season, the VC softball team had its best week with a 6-6, 13-inning effort at No. 13 Long Beach that was suspended by darkness, a run-rule victory at Santa Monica to open Western State Conference play, and a big home doubleheader sweep over San Bernardino Valley. Leading the way at the plate has been redshirt freshman Samantha Soto. In the final three games of the week, the Camarillo High School product reached base on nine of 11 at bats with six hits and three walks. She scored six runs and had a pair of RBI in the three Pirate victories. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260309-SAOW-Soto-SB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260302-SAOW-Cigar-MBB The VC men's basketball team advanced to the State Sweet 16 last week with a decisive victory over East Los Angeles in the second round of the 3C2A Southern California Regionals. Leading the way for Ventura was sophomore guard Kam'Ron Cigar, who scored 33 points to lead VC to the 91-73 victory. The Serrano High School product did not miss from inside the 3-point arc, hitting on all seven of his 2-point shots in addition to a 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line. He was also 4-for-7 from long range as the Pirates advanced to the Regional Final for the first time since 2023. Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260302-SAOW-Cigar-MBB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260223-SAOW-Watson-FFB The Pirates' flag football team is off to a 4-2 start in their debut season, including a 3-1 day Friday at the Bobcat Bowl Tournament at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Leading the way for Ventura was two-way standout Honest Watson. She scored five total touchdowns on the day offensively while grabbing a pair of interceptions of defense with five pass break-ups. In the Pirates 23-19 win over MiraCosta, the Ventura High School product found paydirt twice and returned an interception on a PAT try for an extra two points, providing the difference in the game in the triumph. Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260223-SAOW-Watson-FFB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260216-SAOW-Contreras-WTen The women's tennis team if off to a great start in 2026 with a 4-1 record with a 3-1 mark in Western State Conference play. Sophomore Dulce Contreras has been a standout for the Pirates with a 3-1 record in singles and 3-2 mark in doubles.  This past week the Hueneme High School product won both singles matches in the No. 3 slot against Bakersfield and Antelope Valley while winning a pair of matches in No. 2 doubles with Isabella DeRosa. Mon, 16 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260216-SAOW-Contreras-WTen https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260209-SAOW-Kaczynski-Base The VC baseball team is off to a solid start in 2026 against difficult non-conference competition. Their best performance of the young season came on Saturday Feb. 7 when redshirt freshman Will Kaczynski pitched six no-hit innings against Rio Hondo in the Pirates' 1-0 victory. The Westlake High School product struck out two and did not give up a walk in his six innings of work, only allowing one baserunner who reached base on an error. Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260209-SAOW-Kaczynski-Base https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260202SAOW-Decierdo-WBB The VC women's basketball team has won three Western State Conference games in a row, propelled by the play of first-year Pirate Olivia Decierdo. The Buena High School product has led the team averaging over 15 points per game during that stretch, making 17-22 free throws (77%) in the process. She also totaled 13 assists and 13 steals in the three outings. Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20260202SAOW-Decierdo-WBB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251208SAOW-Lumas-WBB The Pirates' women's basketball team is on a hot streak, winners of their last four games.  Leading the way for Ventura has been freshman forward Kayla Lumas. The Oxnard High School product has averaged 16.3 points per game during the winning streak while shooting 45 percent from the floor (19-42) and 83 percent from the free throw line (24-29). Against East Los Angeles on Nov. 22, Lumas scored a season-best 30 points on 11 field goal attempts (making nine) and a perfect 11-11 performance at the charity stripe. Mon, 08 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251208SAOW-Lumas-WBB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251201SAOW-Smith-MBB The VC men's basketball team is off to a great start for the 2025-26 season. The Pirates were 7-1 in November and ranked No. 12 in the state, No. 7 in Southern California, in the latest CCCMBCA poll. Leading the way has been transfer sophomore Jerimiyah Smith. The Rancho Cucamonga High School product is averaging 19.1 points per game this season, shooting 60 percent from the floor, and 8.6 rebounds per outing. He has scored 104 points in the last four games, all Pirate victories, while connecting on 40-56 field goal attempts (71.4 percent). Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251201SAOW-Smith-MBB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251124-SAOW-Leon-FB The Pirate football team posted its first-ever home playoff win Saturday, coming back from a 16-point deficit to defeat Cerritos 41-37 at the VC Sportsplex. Quarterback Braesen Leon led the charge, engineering three late scoring drives to bring Ventura back from the brink to advance to the SCFA semifinals on Nov. 29 at Golden West in Huntington Beach. The freshman from Gilbert, Ariz. completed 32 of 39 pass attempts for 427 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Additionally, her ran the ball nine times for 38 yards and another trip to paydirt. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251124-SAOW-Leon-FB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251117-SAOW-Olson-VB The Pirate volleyball team is heading to the post-season on a hot streak. Winners of five in a row, Ventura won all three matches in the final week of the regular season, including a 5-set thriller against Desert. Leading the way for VC has been Addison Olson. The freshman from Bakersfield finished the week with 17 blocks, 16 kills, 10 digs, two aces in the three outings. Additionally, she led the team in +/- per set at +2.3 for the week. Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251117-SAOW-Olson-VB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251120-SAOW-Dingman-MWP Redshirt sophomore Wyatt Dingman has been wit the VC men's water polo team for three seasons. This past week he helped lead the Pirates to their first Western State Conference championship in 16 years as VC defeated Cuesta 13-12 in the WSC title game. The experienced team leader from Nordhoff High School in Ojai leads the team with 47 assists on the season, including three in the title game Saturday. His defense also stands out as he delivered the field block at the end of Saturday's game to preserve the crown for Ventura.  Mon, 10 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251120-SAOW-Dingman-MWP https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251103-SAOW-Patterson-MWP The VC men's water polo team head into this week's Western State Conference Tournament at the Ventura Aquatic Center on a hot streak as the Pirates have won six of their last eight games, including five wins over ranked opponents. Sophomore Owen Patterson surpassed the 100-goal mark for the season this past weekend with 10 goals for VC in their four games at the Día de los Muertos Tournament at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. On the year, Patterson's 107 total goals ranks second in the state. Additionally, the Strathmore, CA is second on the team in steals and is also among the team leaders in assists and ejections drawn. Mon, 03 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251103-SAOW-Patterson-MWP https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251027-SAOW-Fulk-MXC For the 13th straight season, and at least the 20th straight year VC has had a men's cross country team, the Pirates have advanced to the Southern California Regionals as a team on their performance in the Western State Conference Championships. Freshman Henry Fulk led the 2025 effort last week, finishing as the top man for VC in 20th place overall as the team came in seventh to advance to the regionals. Fulk ran the 4-mile course at Moorpark College in 21:34 to earn second-team All-WSC honors. Mon, 27 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251027-SAOW-Fulk-MXC https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251020-SAOW-Brigham-FB The Pirate football team is off to a great start at 7-0, ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 2 in Southern California. This past week, the Pirates defeated No. 17 Citrus 31-17 to maintain their undefeated run. Freshman defensive back Marcellus Brigham helped lead the effort with seven solo tackles and a big-time interception in the end zone in the second half. The Augusta, GA native's oskie ended a Citrus scoring threat late in the third quarter, leading to a long Pirate drive that put the game away. Mon, 20 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251020-SAOW-Brigham-FB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251013-SAOW-Glukhovsky-WWP The VC women's water polo team captured a pair of wins last weekend at their own tournament at the Ventura Aquatic Center. First-year Pirates Julia Glukhovsky led the effort against Modesto and Pasadena with a combined 11 goals and three assists in the two games. The Louisville High School product also had five steals defensively and drew 10 ejections against the Pirates and Lancers, respectively. On the season, Glukhovsky leads the team with 48 goals and 38 ED's in 13 games played. Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251013-SAOW-Glukhovsky-WWP https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251006-SAOW-Vargas-WSoc Winners of three straight and five of the last six, the Pirate soccer team is red hot atop the Western State Conference standings.  Sophomore Cristal Vargas has been a major contributor to VC's resurgence after a slow start to the season. The Hueneme High School product is back after an injury a year ago and leading the Pirate offense from the front of the attack. She has scored twice with an assist in the past five games, including a goal last Friday as the Pirates defeated Cuesta 2-0. Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20251006-SAOW-Vargas-WSoc https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250929-SAOW-Sanchez-WSoc The VC women's soccer team had some bad breaks in the early season, including an injury to returning All-American center back Leslie Torres.  Sophomore team captain Alondra Sanchez has stepped right in and anchored the VC defense from her center back position, helping Ventura hold opponents to one goal or less in six of the Pirates 10 matches. The Santa Clara High School product has led Ventura as the team has recently gotten their groove back, winning four of the past five outings, including a 3-2 victory at Moorpark last Friday in the Western State Conference opener. Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250929-SAOW-Sanchez-WSoc https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250922-SAOW-Rausch-VB After an incredibly difficult early season schedule, the Ventura College volleyball team climbed back into the state rankings this week with a pair of victories. Leading the charge has been sophomore Josephine Rausch, who is leading the team with 96 kills in 10 matches this season. Against Antelope Valley and Citrus this week, the Tehachapi High School alumna had a combined 24 kills  with a .321 hitting percentage and 18 digs defensively.  She also had four blocks at the net against the Owls. Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250922-SAOW-Rausch-VB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250915-SAOW-Botkos-MWP The Pirates' men's water polo team is off to a great start in 2025. They have won six of their first nine games with four wins by nine goals or more in earning a No. 9-ranking in the state in the first CCCWPCA poll. Leading the charge for VC has been Patrik Bötkös, a freshman from Budapest, Hungary. In four games last weekend at the Golden West Tournament, Bötkös had seven goals and drew 14 ejections in the four games. On the season he has 14 goals with a team-best .560 shooting percentage. He has drawn 27 ejections with eight steals for VC. Tue, 16 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250915-SAOW-Botkos-MWP https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250901-SAOW-Tate-FB The VC football team is off to a 2-0 start in 2025. Sophomore quarterback Devin Tate has led the charge for the Pirates in victories at Palomar and at home against Fullerton as the College celebrated 100 years of Pirate Athletics.  Saturday against the Hornets, the Oaks Christian alumnus from Oxnard was 15-22 in the air for 226 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 15 times for another 69 yards and another score as VC defeated Fullerton 45-42 at the Sportsplex. Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250901-SAOW-Tate-FB https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250901-SAOW-Richards-WXC The VC women's cross country team began the 2025 season on Friday hosting the Pirate Invitational on the difficult Arroyo Verde Park course.  First-year runner Brianna Richards took on the challenge head-on, finishing third in the race setting high expectations for the remainder of the season. The Oxnard High School product covered the 5k course in 21:25 to begin the new season on a high note. Mon, 01 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://vcweplayhard.com/saotw/20250901-SAOW-Richards-WXC