By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

Napa Valley College finished 47th in the 2022-23 NATYCAA Cup overall standings, the California Community College Athletic Association announced in a report, at www.cccaasports.org, on June 13.

According to a report from the CCCAA, colleges are awarded points based on their teams' final positions in postseason competition, with state championships providing the most points. Each school's top-5 men's and women's team results count toward a school's overall point total, the CCCAA said.

As the winner of the 2022-23 NATYCAA Cup all-sports championship, Mt. San Antonio College-Walnut was presented with awards by the National Alliance of Two Year Collegiate Athletic Administrators at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics' convention in Orlando, Florida, in June, the CCCAA said in a report.

"It's … gratifying to see the number of schools that made it a great chase for the title this year," Jennifer Cardone, CCCAA Executive Director, said in the report. "The 3C2A has great balance throughout the state and it's evident by this year's standings."

According to the report, there were 110 schools that competed in the CCCAA this past year.

Napa Valley College Athletics enjoyed an outstanding year.

The 2022-23 school year was highlighted by:

* The NVC women's golf team taking third-place at the Northern California Regional Championships, played at Dragonfly Golf Club in Madera, and finishing in fifth place at the CCCAA State Championships, played at Morro Bay Golf Course.

* The NVC men's golf team placing third at the Northern California Regional Championships, played at Castle Oaks Golf Club in Ione (Amador County), and turning in a fourth-place finish at the CCCAA State Championships at Dragonfly Golf Club, in Madera.

The NVC golf programs are led by head coach Bob Freschi. The Storm's assistant coach is David Knox, a PGA Class A golf professional and the Director of Instruction at Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park.

The third-place trophies earned by the Storm teams are on display in the NVC Athletic Department offices.

It was the first time that a NVC women's golf team has advanced to the state tournament.

The excitement that women's golf generated continued with:

* Alexis Larsen, the No. 1 player for the Storm the last two years, signing a national letter-of-intent with Cal State East Bay (Hayward). She will play for the Pioneers, who are in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, an NCAA Division II conference.

* Makayla Kearney committing to play for the University of Puget Sound. It's a private NCAA Division III school in Tacoma, Wash., and is a member of the Northwest Conference.

The NVC men's golf team generated excitement as well, with:

* A.J. Tomasini tying for third place individually and being named All-State after posting rounds of 67 and 73 for a 6-under-par 140 total at the CCCAA State Championships at Dragonfly Golf Club.

* Markus Nanpei winning the individual title at the Northern California Regional Championship. Nanpei was presented with the CCCAA tournament's first-place medal after shooting 68-74 – 142.

There were additional highlights to the school year, including:

* The NVC women's basketball team advancing to the CCCAA Championships and winning its first playoff game in school history, 92-80 over College of the Siskiyous, 92-80, in a Round 1 game in the Northern California Regionals in Weed.

The Storm's 19 wins ties the program record for victories in a single season.

* Napa Valley College Athletics honoring Paul DeBolt on his 1,000th career game as a head coach. DeBolt became only the fourth head coach in California community college history to coach 1,000 games and the first one to do it in Northern California.

* The Napa Valley men's soccer team winning a fifth straight Bay Valley Conference championship and advancing to the CCCAA-Northern California Regional playoffs. Rogelio Ochoa was named as the Conference's Coach of the Year. The Storm lost in the first of the CCCAA NorCal Regional playoffs, 7-2 to Evergreen Valley College-San Jose.

"For a small institution, we were very impressed with what we accomplished this year," Jerry Dunlap, NVC's Associate Dean of Kinesiology, Health and Dance and the Storm's Athletic Director, said in a report, on June 5, at nvcstorm.com. "Great coaching staff.

"You can talk to anybody in this department – the student athletes we had this year were just phenomenal young men and women. They were great to be around."

Napa Valley College Athletics offers nine sports.

The 2023 fall season starts with NVC men's and women's soccer opening at home on Aug. 29.

The Storm women's soccer team takes on Butte College-Oroville at 2 p.m.

The Storm men's soccer team meets Modesto Junior College at 4 p.m.

"We have a goal, to fulfill all the sports that we do have. We're really focused on the nine sports that we do have. We just try to stay upbeat. I think if you're putting a good product out, that student athletes will come," Dunlap said in the report, at nvcstorm.com, last month.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.