STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ventura College women's track and field standout Brianna Richards is the final VC Pirate Student Athlete of the Week for the 2025-26 academic year. The first-year Pirate from Oxnard High School Richards ran a personal best of 4:45.08 in the 1500m at the Southern California Regional Finals Saturday to claim the fifth and final automatic qualifying position for next week's 3C2A State Championships at Mt. San Antonio. She finished less than four seconds off the winning pace in a race in which the top six finishers were separated by 3.93 seconds.
The VC men's track and field team competed at the Southern California Regional Preliminaries on Saturday and sprinter Ja'Varien Salter had an outstanding day. The sophomore from Ocala, Fla. qualified for the regional finals in the 200m with a time of 21.49, a mere .07 seconds ahead of the cut line. He then helped the Pirates' 4x100m relay team, including teammates Makaio Thompson, Max Daniel and Jeremiah Penny, run a 42.28 to move to the finals in an event where 1.5 seconds separating first place from 13th.
The VC men's tennis season came to an end last week at the 3C2A State Championships hosted at The Ojai Tournament. The Pirates were well represented as freshmen Caua Coimbra and Abladj Mondroha sliced through the draw, advancing to the doubles final on Sunday. Coimbra, who came to VC from Araras, SP, Brazil, and Mayotte, France product Mondroha raced through the first three rounds of the tournament, dropping just five games in six sets. In the quarterfinals, the duo again won in straight sets before prevailing in the semifinals in a super tiebreaker, becoming the second Pirate pair to advance to the Ojai doubles finals in the past 10 years.
The VC women's and men's swimming and diving teams had a great weekend at the Western State Conference Championships with a number of record-setting performances. One record setter was first-year Pirate Faith Marshall. The Royal High School product from Simi Valley set two school and meet records in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races. She swam a 1:04.83 in the 100, breaking a 28-year-old mark set by Lori Turner in 1998 before touching in 2:24.34 in the 200 breaking her own program standard. Marshall won gold in both events and was also a member of two silver medal and two bronze medal relay teams.
The VC beach volleyball team has completed another strong regular season with an overall record of 15-5. Leading the way for the Pirates have been their No. 1 duo of Shai Daniels and Viola Barrios. The pair, both sophomores, have posted a 17-3 record on the season and a 10-2 mark in Western State Conference play. The team, both products of Buena High School, are preparing for the WSC Pairs Championships this week at Santa Barbara's East Beach and also anticipate leading VC into the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday Apr. 28.
VC men's tennis standout Victor Peyrebonne had an outstanding Western State Conference Tournament. The first-year Pirate from Saint-Pierre, La Reunion, France was the only member of the team to qualify for the 3C2A State Championships in both singles and doubles. In singles he qualified for one of the conference's 12 state spots by winning three matches to advance to the quarterfinal round before falling. In doubles play with partner Shingo Ono, the pair lost in the round of 16 before working through the backdraw, defeating teammates Yanis Guerrout and Ariitea Cotti-Helme to move to the state championships at The Ojai Tournament later this month.
The Ventura College golf team is again in the thick of the Western State Conference race, this season behind the leadership of Freddie Carcamo. The freshman from Calabasas High School has led the Pirates all season and averaged a 4-over 76.1 on the season. In the March 23 Western State Conference event at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard, Freddie posted his fourth Top-10 placing in five WSC meets with an even-par 72 to lead VC to a runner-up finish.
VC sophomore Olivia Badaracco picked up where she left off a year ago and continues to be a dominant force for the Pirates' women's swim team. The Lake Havasu City High School product won two more races over the weekend at the Bob Miyashiro Invitational in Santa Rosa. She smashed the competition in the backstroke events, claimed gold in the 100-yard back by over two seconds before winning the 200-yard back by a whopping six seconds. Additionally, Olivia swam very fast splits in the Pirates' relay races, helping VC to a bronze in the 200-yard medley relay and a fourth place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
The VC men's swimming and diving team had a great day Saturday in the Western State Conference No. 2 meet at Los Angeles Valley, placing a strong second place as a team among nine competing teams. Leading the way was sophomore Jaiden Monroe. The Ventura El Camino High School product touched in 51.41 to win the 100-yard butterfly and swam a 52.28 to claim the 100-yard backstroke races. He also finished second in the 200-yard backstroke. In the final race of the day, Monroe anchored the quartet that also included Jacob Otsuki, Parker Steen and Shea as they swam a 3:21.02 to win the 400-yard freestyle relay.
After a difficult, injury-riddled start to the 2026 season, the VC softball team had its best week with a 6-6, 13-inning effort at No. 13 Long Beach that was suspended by darkness, a run-rule victory at Santa Monica to open Western State Conference play, and a big home doubleheader sweep over San Bernardino Valley. Leading the way at the plate has been redshirt freshman Samantha Soto. In the final three games of the week, the Camarillo High School product reached base on nine of 11 at bats with six hits and three walks. She scored six runs and had a pair of RBI in the three Pirate victories.
The VC men's basketball team advanced to the State Sweet 16 last week with a decisive victory over East Los Angeles in the second round of the 3C2A Southern California Regionals. Leading the way for Ventura was sophomore guard Kam'Ron Cigar, who scored 33 points to lead VC to the 91-73 victory. The Serrano High School product did not miss from inside the 3-point arc, hitting on all seven of his 2-point shots in addition to a 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line. He was also 4-for-7 from long range as the Pirates advanced to the Regional Final for the first time since 2023.
The Pirates' flag football team is off to a 4-2 start in their debut season, including a 3-1 day Friday at the Bobcat Bowl Tournament at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Leading the way for Ventura was two-way standout Honest Watson. She scored five total touchdowns on the day offensively while grabbing a pair of interceptions of defense with five pass break-ups. In the Pirates 23-19 win over MiraCosta, the Ventura High School product found paydirt twice and returned an interception on a PAT try for an extra two points, providing the difference in the game in the triumph.
The women's tennis team if off to a great start in 2026 with a 4-1 record with a 3-1 mark in Western State Conference play. Sophomore Dulce Contreras has been a standout for the Pirates with a 3-1 record in singles and 3-2 mark in doubles. This past week the Hueneme High School product won both singles matches in the No. 3 slot against Bakersfield and Antelope Valley while winning a pair of matches in No. 2 doubles with Isabella DeRosa.
The VC baseball team is off to a solid start in 2026 against difficult non-conference competition. Their best performance of the young season came on Saturday Feb. 7 when redshirt freshman Will Kaczynski pitched six no-hit innings against Rio Hondo in the Pirates' 1-0 victory. The Westlake High School product struck out two and did not give up a walk in his six innings of work, only allowing one baserunner who reached base on an error.
The VC women's basketball team has won three Western State Conference games in a row, propelled by the play of first-year Pirate Olivia Decierdo. The Buena High School product has led the team averaging over 15 points per game during that stretch, making 17-22 free throws (77%) in the process. She also totaled 13 assists and 13 steals in the three outings.
The Pirates' women's basketball team is on a hot streak, winners of their last four games. Leading the way for Ventura has been freshman forward Kayla Lumas. The Oxnard High School product has averaged 16.3 points per game during the winning streak while shooting 45 percent from the floor (19-42) and 83 percent from the free throw line (24-29). Against East Los Angeles on Nov. 22, Lumas scored a season-best 30 points on 11 field goal attempts (making nine) and a perfect 11-11 performance at the charity stripe.
