Cerritos College Wins Men and Women State Titles at Ojai


The 118th-annual Ojai Tennis Tournament began Wednesday with its hosting of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) men’s and women’s Dual Team State championship matches for the fifth consecutive year (since 2014), and its first two championships have been awarded to Cerritos College’s men’s and women’s tennis teams.

Playing in its first CCCAA Men’s Team State championship match, Cerritos (28-2) completed its rampage through the CCCAA playoffs with a dominant 5-0 victory over three-time defending Northern California champion American River College (15-3) at Ventura College. Cerritos’ women (25-1) followed suit hours later at Pierpont Racquet Club in Ventura, outclassing Northern California champion De Anza College (14-2), 5-0, in a rematch of the 2016 CCCAA women’s State title match to claim its second CCCAA State championship in three years.

Cerritos is the second California community college to win the men’s and women’s CCCAA Team State championships in the same year, after College of the Desert pulled off the championship double in 2009. The Falcons’ men’s and women’s teams entered the CCCAA playoffs ranked No. 1 in the state, both having won all three of its Southern California regional matchups by the same 5-0 score.

In the men’s Team State final, freshman Kent Hunter, the Falcons’ No. 1 singles player, teamed with Cerritos No. 2 Victor Castro to win a doubles point – 8-3 over American River’s Mikey Vizcarra and Sam Hall – before defeating Paul Bhatia, 6-2, 6-2, to claim a singles point. Freshman Dario Rico-Altozano clinched the title for Cerritos – 6-2, 6-4 over Andres Anderson – out of the No. 5 singles slot and partnered with Kwangeun Lee, one of three sophomores in the Falcons’ lineup, to beat Anderson and Robert Kendall in doubles, 8-3. The Falcons’ also won a point in doubles through sophomore Marcos Paulo Silvestre and freshman Alex Prokopchuk, 8-2 over Bhatia and Pete Gibson.

In the women’s Team State final, Cerritos defeated De Anza College, 5-0, and dropped just two total games in its three doubles matches. Cerritos was led by top three players Lisa Suzuki, Petra Such and Kseniia Prokopchuk.

CCCAA State Men’s Tennis Team Championship

Cerritos 5, American River 0

Doubles
1. Kent Hunter/Victor Castro (Cerr) def. Mikey Vizcarra/Sam Hall (ARC), 8-3
2. Alex Prokopchuk/Marcos Paulo Silvestre (Cerr) def. Paul Bhatia/Pete Gibson (ARC), 8-2
3. Dario Rico-Altozano/Kwangeun Lee (Cerr) def. Andres Anderson/Robert Kendall (ARC), 8-3

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles
1. Kent Hunter (Cerr) def. Paul Bhatia (ARC), 6-2, 6-2
2. Victor Castro (Cerr) vs. Mikey Vizcarra (ARC), 6-3, 4-2, DNF
3. Alex Prokopchuk (Cerr) vs. Pete Gibson (ARC), 6-4, 1-2, DNF
4. Biel Roca Carreras (Cerr) vs. Sam Hall (ARC), 6-4, 1-1, DNF
5. Dario Rico-Altozano (Cerr) def. Andres Anderson (ARC), 6-2, 6-4
6. Kwangeun Lee (Cerr) def. Robert Kendall (ARC), 6-5, DNF

Order of Finish: 1, 5

CCCAA State Women’s Tennis Dual Team Championship

Cerritos 5, De Anza 0

Doubles
1. Lisa Suzuki/Kseniia Prokopchuk (Cerr) def. Sandra DeFrancescu/Maria Zimmerman (DAC), 8-1
2. Petra Such/Moa Lindstrom (Cerr) def. Angelica Gagliano/Carlee Ellis (DAC), 8-1
3. Itzi Torres/Diviana Bravo (Cerr) def. Sakina Khawari/Sharon Cao (DAC), 8-0

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. Lisa Suzuki (Cerr) vs. Sandra DeFrancescu (DAC), 6-3, 0-1, DNF
2. Petra Such (Cerr) vs. Maria Zimmerman (DAC), 5-5, DNF
3. Kseniia Prokopchuk (Cerr) def. Angelica Gagliano (DAC), 6-0, 6-0
4. Moa Linstrom (Cerr) vs. Carlee Eliss (DAC), 6-4, 3-0, DNF
5. Itzi Torres (Cerr) def. Sakina Khawari (DAC), 6-0, 6-1
6. Diviana Bravo (Cerr) vs. Sharon Cao (DAC), 6-1, 2-2, DNF

Order of Finish: 5, 3