Five Inducted into CCAA Hall of Fame
WALNUT CREEK – Last year’s California Collegiate Athletic Association’s Inaugural Hall of Fame class hardly scratched the surface when it comes to special individuals who have passed through the Conference over the past 76 years. And that fact is illustrated by the five inductees to the 2015 CCAA Hall of Fame class.
The members of this year’s class are former Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer player Ruth Van’t Land-Parkes, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo baseball player Mike Krukow, Cal State Bakersfield administrator Rudy Carvajal, San Francisco State softball player Sonja Garnett, and former Cal State Northridge head softball coach Gary Torgeson.
Van’t Land-Parkes is undoubtedly the best women’s soccer player in CCAA and Cal Poly Pomona history. In her four-year (1997-2000) college career, the forward collected 76 goals and 29 assists for a total of 181 points, placing her atop the Conference record books in all three categories. As a junior Parkes led the Broncos to an overall record of 17-6-1 and a CCAA record of 12-3 en route to the program’s first-ever outright Conference title and an NCAA Division II National Championship final appearance.
Now known as a radio and television announcer for the San Francisco Giants, Krukow originally made a name for himself from the mound at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. From 1971-73 Krukow set program records that still hold today in earned run average (1.94) and career shutouts (5). In 1973 the right-hander earned All-CCAA honors just prior to being drafted by the Chicago Cubs. Still a huge supporter of his alma mater, Krukow donates to Cal Poly Athletics and to Krukow’s Klubhouse, a food and drink area named in his honor at the Mustangs’ Robin Baggett Stadium.
Through nearly five decades as an educator and administrator, Carvajal built a legacy of success that still resonates on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield. After being named the Roadrunners athletics director in 1971, Carvajal built a small university program into one of the best Division II programs in the nation, which included winning an unprecedented 30 national championships over seven sports. He and the CSUB athletics program received their highest recognition in 1998, as the institution became the first and only Cal State University to date to earn the Sears Directors’ Cup, which is awarded annually to the nation’s premier overall athletics program. Carvajal put significant emphasis on education and community in his 34 years with Bakersfield. He served on the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship committee and the NACDA John McClendon Minority Post-graduate Scholarship Committee, while also receiving the Kern County Board of Supervisors Award for exemplary public service in 2003.
Garnett was one of the top pitchers in CCAA history and played for San Francisco State’s softball team from 2003-2006. In her four years with the Gators she was named CCAA Pitcher of the Year on three occasions and was also a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America selection. Garnett led the Gators to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004-2006, including an NCAA Division II West Region title and fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II World Series in 2005. She concluded her collegiate career as the program’s career leader in wins (103), saves (11), earned run average (0.96), strkeouts (609), appearances (188), complete games (127), and innings pitched (1,062.2). After playing professional softball for six years, Garnett returned to the CCAA where she served as an assistant for Cal State Monterey Bay from 2012-2014. Most recently she was named head coach at Academy of Art.
Torgeson finished his 13-year stint with the Cal State Northridge softball program with a 636-216-8 overall record, which included nine Conference crowns from 1982, when he took over the program, to 1990, when the Matadors left the CCAA. By 1990 he had amassed a record of 406-119 with NCAA Division II National Championship titles in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1987.
The CCAA will honor the five inductees on June 2nd at the Castaway Restaurant in San Bernardino, Calif.
The CCAA Hall of Fame was created during the 2013-14 academic year, in conjunction with the celebration of the Conference’s 75th Anniversary.