Comets Recaps: Palomar athletics win to conference titles in strong finish

Baseball

Overall: 24-10-1

Conference: 15-6

Picked to win the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference before the season started, the Comets failed to do so following a loss to San Diego Mesa April 23. The 7-1 defeat clinched the conference title for Mesa. As of this writing, Palomar went 24-11-1 on the season with a 15-7 conference record, good for third place.

Softball

Overall: 33-5

Palomar player Keyona Villanueva slides into second base early in the bottom of the 1st inning against Imperial Valley Friday, April 20. Amanda Raines/The Telescope

Conference: 15-1

Comets softball dominated the competition during the regular season, going 33-5 and 15-1 in conference play. The team won the last 15 games of the season en route to yet another conference title, enough to qualify for post season play.

Men’s Golf

Palomar men’s golf has been red-hot this season, racking up a total of 32 wins on the season, good for first in the PCAC. In their most recent tournament and the last one before the conference tourney, the Comets took first at Los Serranos South, scoring 383 as a team. Their stellar season qualifies the team for post season play.

Men’s Volleyball

Overall: 6-9

Conference: 4-2

Men’s volleyball ended their season on a three-game win streak, bumping their record to 6-9 on the year. 2019 is the first year the Comets have made it to at least six wins in a season since 2015 when the team went 8-9.

Women’s Beach Volleyball

Overall: 2-14

Conference: 0-10

The Comets did not qualify for postseason play, losing all ten of their conference games following a 2-4 start to the season. The team’s two wins came against Santa Monica and Santa Barbara March 8 where they won 4-1 and 5-0 against the teams.

Men’s Tennis

Comets Pitcher Connor Zalewski starting his delivery in Palomar’s 7-2 win over San Diego City April 11. Krista Moore/ The Telescope

Overall: 4-11

Conference: 4-8

The Comets’ season ended April 4 following a sweep of Imperial Valley, their fourth win on the season. Their 4-11 record was not enough to qualify for the post season conference tournament.

Women’s Tennis

Aiden Portillo runs for a backhand shot on March 8, 2019. Sukhi Heumann / The Telescope

Overall: 1-8

Conference: 1-8

Women’s tennis has struggled this year, their only win coming against Mt. San Jacinto in a 3-2 match. Their season is over as they did not qualify for the PCAC tournament. Freshman Cali Smith was a clear bright spot for the squad as she made the All-Conference team for singles play.

Women’s Track and Field

Comets track and field won their third PCAC title in the past four years, scoring 208 points in their last meet. Jessica Dutton, Maia Chaffin, Tria Ismay, Brianna Frain, Hannah Lauritzen, Mya White, and Lesley Maldonado all qualified for regional play in their respective fields. Regionals this year will be at Riverside Community College May 4.

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