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While the Richland College soccer teams’ seasons may have ended in November with the men winning a second straight National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III title and the women advancing to the national tournament’s semifinal round, both squads are still receiving post-season accolades.

Leading the way are the head coaches – Rex Rayfield (women) and Sean Worley (men) – who both were named National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regional Coach of the Year.

Worley was named the Northwest Region Coach of the Year while Rayfield was the South/Central Regional Coach of the Year.

Entering this season, Worley had compiled a 164-43-16 record while Rayfield was in his first season as head coach.

By becoming a regional Coach of the Year, Worley and Rayfield are candidates for the NSCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, which will be announced on Thurs., Jan. 17.

Also receiving NSCAA awards for the women were freshmen Korey Hearn and Dominique Harrison, who were named to the All-American first team and second team, respectively.

Harrison and Hearn, along with freshman goalkeeper Michelle McDowell, were also named to the All-South/Central Region Team as well as receiving NJCAA Division III All-American awards.

According to the NJCAA statistics, Harrison finished the season with a team-high 15 goals and 10 assists while Hearn had seven goals and a team-high 15 assists.

From the goalie position, McDowell allowed only nine goals on 69 shot attempts.

Receiving All-American awards for the men were freshmen Carlos Videla and David Freeland, who were handed NSCAA and NJCAA honors.

Videla and Freeland were also named to the All-Northwest Region first-team while sophomore Jorge Morales and freshman Hugo Ruelas were named to the second-team.

Videla finished the season with six goals and a team-high 10 assists, according to the NJCAA, which had Freeland totaling a team-high 13 goals and one assist.

Although Morales and Ruelas combined to total only one goal and one assist, the two defensive specialists played a pivotal role in making sure the T-Ducks’ opponents only scored 24 goals out of 100 shot attempts.

Easton Sports has named catcher Ryan Saldivar from Richland College as the Easton/National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Baseball Defensive Player of the Year.

Richland College head coach Joe Wharton calls Saldivar “the best catcher defensively I have ever seen at the two-year college level in my 10 years of coaching.”

Saldivar threw out 23 of the 28 (78%) runners that attempted to steal bases on him this season. He was also credited with just one past ball this year. Additionally, Saldivar recorded 240 putouts, 51 assists, and just two errors for a .993 fielding percentage. His play helped lead Richland to a 37-17 record this season.

Saldivar was just as solid offensively, batting .387 for the season with 10 home runs. He led the Division III ranks with 72 RBIs.

Contact: Stephanie Flemmons
Richland College
940-206-3127

For immediate release
Feb. 15, 2007

The Richland College soccer program brought home national titles from both the women’s and men’s teams this past season. They traveled to Herkimer, NY, where they competed and conquered the national title in two hard fought games.

The Thunderduck players and coaches have gained national recognition for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the season of 2006.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America have awarded our athletes and coaches honors to carry on for a lifetime. The NSCAA is the largest single-sport coaching organization in the United States.

They recognized Women’s Head Coach Ashley Gordon as the NSCAA Coach of the year for the Nation and the Region.

Men’s Head Coach Sean Worley was awarded the NSCAA Coach of the Year for the Region.

Both the women’s and men’s teams are ranked No. 1 on the NSCAA poll, which includes all Division III junior colleges in the nation.

The Lady T-Ducks received multiple awards as well. Freshman midfielder Karina Davila was named to the NSCAA First Team All-American. Davila was also awarded player of the year.

Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Bishop and sophomore Traci Gibbs were both named to NSCAA’s Second Team All-American.

Davila, Bishop, Gibbs, freshman midfielder Lauren Scoggins and freshman defender Jessica Grayson were all recognized as the NSCAA/Adidas South/Central Region Team.

For the men, freshman forward Alberto Rodriquez, who was the T-Ducks leading scorer, was named NSCAA Division III First Team All-American. Sophomore goalkeeper Raul Herrera was named to the NSCAA Division III Second Team All-American.

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For more than 30 years, Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District has focused on teaching, learning and community building. In recognition of these efforts, the White House and the Dept. of Commerce named Richland a 2005 recipient of the Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award, the only community college to have received this award. Richland helps students build their future through courses that can be applied to the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, one or two-year certificates in a number of career fields, and training in the latest technology for students who want to advance in their current careers. The student body of more than 14,000 college credit students and about 5,000 continuing education students at Richland is internationally and ethnically diverse, speaking more than 79 first languages. Visit www.richlandcollege.edu for more information.