Sports
Fair Oaks resident earns collegiate basketball honors
Rachael DiRegolo has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week
Fair Oaks resident Rachael DiRegolo has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 19-25, the conference has announced.
DiRegolo, a junior center with the Cal State LA Golden Eagles, enjoyed a sensational career night in an 80-60 comeback win over Stanislaus State to open CCAA play Saturday. The Bella Vista High School alumna was the first Cal State LA women’s basketball player to earn CCAA Player of the Week honors since February 2017.
“I think it’s really awesome to be able to put Cal State LA back on the map for the conference,” DiRegolo said of the recognition. “We’re not a team to overlook.”
She had a perfect offensive showing, hitting all eight of her field-goal attempts while going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line, recording a career-high 26-point performance. She also had a game-high 12 rebounds, which was one shy of her career high.
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“A lot of it was our guards being able to move [the] Stanislaus defense and get me open, so having them be able to shift the defense and get me in a great position to score helped me just keep going,” she said.
DiRegolo is shooting a team-best 63.3 percent, which is No. 25 in the NCAA Division II. She also ranks ninth in the country with 3.67 blocks per game. She had the only five blocks of the game on Saturday and is one of only 10 women's basketball players nationally to enjoy a 10-for-10 or better performance from the free-throw line. She plays on the Golden Eagles squad with her twin sister, Rebeccah DiRegolo. The pair played together on the Bella Vista team.
“I think we’re off to a good start this season,” Rachel DiRegolo said. “We’re really locking in on our games and putting in the work at practice. I’m excited to play against San Bern and the following game at East Bay.”
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Cal State LA (3-0, 1-0 CCAA) returns to action on Thursday with a road conference game at Cal State San Bernardino. The Golden Eagles' next home game is Monday, Dec. 17 against Seattle Pacific.
Photo: Fair Oaks resident Rachael DiRegolo (Cal State LA) prepares for inbound in Saturday matchup with Stanislaus State (Credit: Robert Huskey/Cal State LA)