Pineda heating up for Hawaii-Hilo
After missing four games, Eileen Pineda (5-foot-6) was back in the lineup for the University of Hawaii at Hilo as she scored a team-high 23 points during a Pacific West Conference game against Dixie State College. The Brownsville Hanna graduate is averaging 11.4 points while playing 21.9 minutes per game for the Vulcans.
Pineda played last season as a true freshman at McLennan Community College.
PSJA North alum J.C. Herebia (6-6) is leading his NCAA Division III Piedmont College team in scoring with an 18.2 average. He is also grabbing 6.1 rebounds that rank second on the team. Herebia, a Texas Lutheran transfer, recorded a double-double (18 points, 13 rebounds) against Greensboro College.
La Villa's Genoveva "Jova" Serna (5-4) is a member of the Bacone College Warriors basketball team. Bacone College is a member of the NAIA and competes in the Red River Athletic Conference.
True freshman Rebecca Valdez (5-10) has seen her playing time increase at Texas Lutheran. The McAllen High alum recently scored 13 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field while playing 20 minutes. The Lady Bulldogs play at Schreiner tonight and will play host to Sul Ross State on Thursday night.
Football
Don Moore (6-3, 250) was a member of the Hardin-Simmons University squad this season as a true freshman. Moore, who played high school ball at Weslaco East, was an offensive lineman for the Cowboys.
Golf
Dustin Garza (5-11, junior) has been named "Biggest Surprise Player" by GolfWorld's Campus Insider Blog, which released its midseason awards recently. A Sharyland graduate, Garza plays for Wichita State. The Shockers open their fall season Feb. 16 and 17 at the University of Texas-San Antonio's Oak Hills Classic.
Soccer
McAllen High grad Sarah Stansell (5-7, sophomore) was named to the American South Conference West All-Conference first-team as a defender. The Hardin-Simmons midfielder was the leader in total votes on the squad. Stansell helped the Cowgirls increase their ASC unbeaten streak to 107 matches while going 12-0-1 in 2008.
HSU won its sixth straight league title.
Track & Field
Competing unattached former University of Texas-Pan American athlete Will Littleton placed first in the high jump (6-10.25) at the Leonard Hilton Memorial indoor meet held at the University of Houston.
PSJA North's Starla Garcia (freshman) also competed at the meet, placing ninth in the women's 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:28.11. Garcia is in first season at the University of Houston.
Volleyball
Anissa Renee Garcia, a freshman setter for Hill College, helped lead the Lady Rebels to a spot in the NJCAA Region V North Tournament. Garcia, who attended Brownsville Hanna, saw her team finish 23-12 overall and 6-4 in conference. The Lady Rebels finished as runner-up in the Region V Tournament.
Pikey Rodriguez is a longtime sportswriter in the Rio Grande Valley. His college update runs every Tuesday. To reach him about college news, contact him at (956) 683-4450 or via e-mail at wbaker@themonitor.com.
