Mt. SAC's Rojas named South Coast Women's Coach of the Year; Baseball's Pat McGee is 1st SCC Men's Coach of the Year from PCC
PASADENA, Calif. - Pasadena City College baseball coach Pat McGee was named the 2016-17 South Coast Conference Men’s Coach of the Year for all sports by SCC athletic directors at their monthly meeting held at Compton College on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Mt. San Antonio softball coach Rubilena “Ruby” Rojas was voted SCC Women’s Coach of the Year. It is the third year in a row that a Mounties coach was awarded the annual all sports coach award.
McGee, who guided PCC to its first conference title in baseball in 45 years, is the first Pasadena coach to win the men’s award and first Lancers coach to be named since Tammy Silva won the women’s honor for volleyball in 2009-2010. Among McGee’s accomplishments were the most victories by a PCC team (26)-and-first playoff appearance for his college in a half-a-century (1967).
The Lancers, who won the North Division title by four games with a 15-7 conference record, also advanced to the Super Regionals after defeating No. 5 state RPI-ranked Riverside in an opening round sweep. PCC’s magical season was ended by fellow SCC foe El Camino. A third-year head coach, McGee took a program that had been a perennial doormat in baseball prior to his arrival to its finest season in its South Coast history that dates back to 1987.
Besides guiding the SCC MVP in Jeremy Conant, he had a PCC record eight players selected all-conference and two were selected CCCBCA All-Americans. Six of McGee’s players earned 4-year university scholarships, three to NCAA Division I programs.
Mt. SAC state champion soccer coach Juan Sanchez and Compton basketball coach Keith Higgins also were nominated for the men’s award. Rojas led Mt. SAC to a 42-5 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark to win the SCC North Division. She directed the Mounties to CCCAA state runner-up, losing to the only undefeated team to ever win a state title in Cypress (48-0) in the championship final.
Rojas sent an impressive list of 14 players to 4-year university scholarships and two of her players were NFCA Academic All-Americans. She coached both the SCC Pitcher of the Year in Tiffany Kennedy-Cummings and MVP in Taylor Jaurique. Rojas is the second Mounties softball coach to be so honored as Kelly Ford captured the all sports coach award in both 2004-05 and 2006-07. A former Olympics player for her home country Venezuela in 2008, Rojas was honored as the SCC Softball Coach of the Year award for the second straight season as well.
In the last 14 sports years, Mt. SAC coaches have won the all sports coach honor 14 times (eight women, six men). Pasadena’s Jen Ho was also nominated for this year’s women’s award for directing the Lancers to the first SCC state crown ever in badminton.
A list of previous SCC Coaches of the Year over the past 14 seasons:
2016-17: M-Pat McGee (Pasadena CC, baseball); W-Rubilena Rojas (Mt. San Antonio, softball)
2015-16: M-Ron Kamaka (Mt. San Antonio, track/field); W-co-winners Brian Crichlow (Mt. San Antonio, basketball) and Alvin Kim (Cerritos, tennis)
2014-15: M-Ron Kamaka (Mt. San Antonio, track/field/cross country), W-Jessica Rapoza (El Camino, softball)
2013-14: M-John Mosley (East Los Angeles, basketball), W-Ruben Gonzalez (Cerritos, soccer) 2012-13: M-Juan Sanchez (Mt. San Antonio, soccer), W-Brian Crichlow (Mt. San Antonio, basketball)
2011-12: M-Juan Sanchez (Mt. San Antonio, soccer), W-Ruben Gonzalez (Cerritos, soccer)
2010-11: M-Dean Lofgren (El Camino, track/field/cross country), W-Mike Goff (Mt. San Antonio, track/field)
2009-10: M-Juan Sanchez (Mt. San Antonio, soccer), W-Tammy Silva (Pasadena CC, volleyball)
2008-09: M-Benny Artiaga (Cerritos, soccer), W-Joe Peron (Pasadena CC, basketball)
2007-08: M-Alvin Kim (Cerritos, tennis), W-Kodee Murray (Cerritos, softball)
2006-07: M-Chris Oeding (Long Beach CC, water polo/swimming), W-co-winners Chris Oeding (Long Beach City, water polo/swimming) and Kelly Ford (Mt. San Antonio, softball)
2005-06: M-Casey Crook (Long Beach CC, baseball), W-Laura Beeman (Mt. San Antonio, basketball)
2004-05: M-Chris Oeding (Long Beach CC, water polo/swimming); W-Kelly Ford (Mt. San Antonio, softball)
2003-04: M-Juan Sanchez (Mt. San Antonio, soccer); W-co-winners Laura Beeman (Mt. San Antonio, basketball) and Mauricio Ingrassia (Long Beach CC, soccer)
The South Coast Conference is comprised of Cerritos, Chaffey, Compton, East Los Angeles, El Camino, Long Beach City, Los Angeles Harbor, Los Angeles Southwest, Los Angeles Trade Tech, Mt. San Antonio, Pasadena City, and Rio Hondo Colleges. The conference was created in 1967.
--Robert Lewis, SCC Sports Information Director, rmlewis@pasadena.edu