The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
Volleyball and soccer playoffs also get underway, with CSM, Cañada, Skyline in mix
CSM freshman Ericka Dorn shows off some hardware from Toro Park earlier this season. Photo via Instagram.
College of San Mateo’s Ericka Dorn expects to be one of the top freshman runners in Saturday morning’s California Community College Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
The Westmoor graduate was third in the recent Northern California Championships at Toro Park in Salinas, running 19 minutes, 12.9 second on the three-mile course. Deia Kerseg-Foreman placed 21st in 20:24.9 to also qualify for the state finals.
Dorn finished in third place at the Northern California Regional Championships Nov. 8 at Toro Park in Salinas. She led a trio of CSM women while the men’s cross-country team finished in 12th place
Dorn cleared the three-mile course with a time of 19:12.9 for third and to earn All-Northern California honors. She was followed by teammates Kerseg-Foreman in 21st at 20:24.9, and Violeta Vasquez-Lopez in 68th in 23:40.5.
The CSM men totaled 307 points to finish 12th out of the 15-team field. Nathan Loof led the Bulldogs with his 40th place showing, clocking in at 22:27.8 on the four-mile course.
Aria Park was 63rd at 23:19.
Volleyball
CSM volleyball (19-7) received the No. 8 Nor Cal region seed and a first round bye on Saturday. The Bulldogs will host No. 9 Merced College (19-6) Tuesday at 6 p.m.
After getting through one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state, the Lady Bulldogs are looking to build off a solid second-place finish in the Coast Conference South Division.
Under head coach Katie Goldhahn, CSM closed the Coast Conference schedule with an 8-2 record in the South Division and is 19-7 overall heading into the playoffs. The Bulldogs have won eight of their last nine matches.
CSM is looking to return to the state championships after a one-year absence. In 2022, the Bulldogs made their first-ever state tournament appearance and advanced to the semifinals.
No. 9 Merced enters Tuesday’s contest with a 19-6 overall record. The Blue Devils finished third in the Central Valley Conference at 11-5. They have won four of their last five matches to close out the regular season.
Tuesday will mark the first meeting of the season between the two squads. The winner of the contest will advance to a third-round match on Nov. 30. Two wins are needed by the Bulldogs to advance to the CCCAA State Championships Dec. 6-8 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
Soccer
Coast North Conference men’s soccer champion Skyline College (15-3-2) received a first-round playoff bye as the Nor Cal No. 2 seed and will host No. 15 Feather River College (15-7-1) Saturday at 2 p.m.
Coast North Conference runner-up Cañada College (12-3-6), with the No. 5 seed, also had a bye into Saturday’s second round and will entertain No. 12 City College of San Francisco (13-6-1) in Redwood City, also at 2 p.m.
The No. 11-seeded Skyline women won their first round playoff contest Wednesday, 2-0, over visiting No. 22 Reedley College. The Lady Trojans are scheduled to play at No. 6 Santa Rosa (14-5-2) Saturday at 1 p.m.
