COC NOTEBOOK: RENFRO TAKES COC TO TITLE.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Courtney Renfro placed third in the state in women's golf for the second year in a row. This time, third was good enough for a title.

Renfro's third-place finish paced the College of the Canyons women's golf team to a state championship at the finals in Modesto this week. The state title is the first by a COC women's team and completes a perfect 52-0 season for the Cougars.

COC led by just two stroke heading into the final round of the two-day, 36-hole tournament Tuesday, but its final score of 694 was 17 strokes better second-place Mt. San Antonio. The Cougars were runner up to Mt. SAC last season.

Renfro was the Cougars' top individual finisher with a combined score of 167. Fellow sophomore Susan Latch, who placed second in the state last year, was one stroke behind Renfro in fourth place despite playing with a bee sting on her hand.

Moorpark's Jennifer Stopka (164) took medalist honors.

--Pinky reconsidering: Tight end Leon Pinky is rethinking his plans to play football at San Diego State. Pinky orally committed to the school in July, but is looking into other options since the Aztecs fired coach Ted Tollner last week. Pinky has recruiting trips scheduled to Tennessee and Washington State and has offers for to visit other schools.

He had planned to transfer at the end of the semester.

Pinky, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound sophomore has seven touchdowns and averages more than 20 yards a catch this season.

--Wish granted: The football team won't get to play for a state title, but finishing the regular season with nine consecutive victories did get coach Chuck Lyon at least one thing he wanted - a new opponent for the postseason. The Western State Conference Pacific Division champion Cougars (9-1) play host to Saddleback in the Western State Bowl on Dec. 1.

``As long as we don't play someone we've already played, I don't care who we play, I'll be happy,'' Lyon said. ``I don't want to play Cerritos or Hancock.''

Lyon's request stems from last year, when COC's reward for sharing the conference title with Hancock was facing the Bulldogs in the Western State Bowl. The Cougars won the regular-season game against Hancock, but lost the bowl game as Lyon said he had a difficult time inspiring his team for a matchup with someone it already had defeated. He made his displeasure known from the start, but found no sympathy.

``They laughed at me last year,'' Lyon said.

--Record run finished: The women's soccer team was denied a chance of making its first state playoff appearance when the Cougars were eliminated in the regional semifinals Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Orange Coast. However, the Cougars established multiple program records en route to a 20-2-2 finish, which included a third consecutive WSC South Division title.

Sophomore Kristine Marbach leaves as COC's all-time leading scorer. She led the Cougars with a team-record 64 points this year. She had 77 points in two seasons.

Freshman Heather Collins, who led the state in scoring for much of the season, shattered the school mark for goals in a season with a team-high 23.

As a team, COC won its most games in the program's four years. The Cougars' 12 consecutive victories before Saturday's loss also were a team record.

--Odds and ends: The women's cross country team finished 17th at the state finals in Fresno last week. Sophomore Whitney Phillips was the Cougars' top finisher, placing 61st with a time of 20:52.49. Katie Pielow was 64th at 20:59.17. Juan Granados was the only member of COC's men's team to qualify for the meet and finished 63rd in 21:43.51.

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Kristine Marbach will leave as COC's all-time leading scorer.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer