C0-Sports Editor Alonso Tacanga contributed to this report Times sure have changed for the men’s basketball team since their admirable 2009 trip to the NCAA Tournament. And it’s all due to something a member of that last championship team says has changed little: grades. “That’s been a problem for a while,” said Rob Haynes, a senior on the 2009 Big West Tournament champion squad. Low-grade problems, among other factors, won’t allow the Matadors to even attempt to repeat the 2009… Read more

With tears running down his eyes, an emotional Don Strametz tried to regain his composure to speak to his team after the Big West Track and Field Championships Saturday in Irvine, California. “I’m extremely excited, especially to go out this way,” said Strametz after the Matador women picked up a sixth straight conference title. “Pretty emotional day for me, it’s hard to say goodbye.” It was a perfect way to end Strametz’s final Big West championship meet, culminating an illustrious… Read more

Michael Lizarraga, 22, the only deaf player in Division I men’s basketball last season, had his inspiring story covered by “The New York Times,” “Los Angeles Times,” ESPN, Fox Sports, “Los Angeles Daily News,” CBS Sports and many other media outlets. Having to cover the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team for the last two seasons, I had the opportunity to see all the attention Lizarraga received from reporters and began to wonder if he ever got tired of the… Read more

In what has been a disappointing season thus far, the Cal State Northridge softball team rallied back from a 5-0 deficit to finally capture its first series win, defeating Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 7-5, Sunday at Matador Diamond. For the three-game Big West Conference series, the Matadors (18-29, 6-9 Big West) were led by senior Kristen Mihm, who was named Big West Player of the Week after batting a perfect 8-for-8 against the Mustangs (8-33, 4-11 Big West). “It… Read more

With 15 of 30 Major League Baseball teams having their spring training in Arizona, the state that passed a bill last year that allows police officers who have stopped somebody for an infraction to ask for proof of legal residence if there is reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal immigrant, some teams have taken precautions to ensure their Latino players are prepared if the situation arises. The Milwaukee Brewers have issued their players identification cards with their photo and information on… Read more

What started out as an opportunity for the defending Big West champions, Cal State Northridge, to climb up the conference standings, ended in another series loss as the Matadors dropped two of three at UC Santa Barbara to fall five games out of first place. With Northridge’s 4-2 defeat against the Gauchos on Saturday, the sixth-place Matadors lost all five of their three-game series and have not won back-to-back games since Mar. 19-20 (wins over Ohio State and Ohio). The… Read more

After Cal State Northridge lost its rubber-game against University of the Pacific, 5-1, on Sunday, Matador Mikayla Thielges, one of the hottest hitters in the Big West Conference, expressed her displeasure in the team’s lack of production at the plate. “It’s tough to lose a series, it definitely stinks to keep losing,” said sophomore catcher Thielges, who hit a solo bomb to left field in the series finale to record her league-leading 11th home run. “But we still feel like… Read more