June 5, 2007

AVC alumnus keeps busy

By PATRICK BURNS
Valley Press Staff Writer

When the summer rolls around and colleges are out of session, most athletes are happy to get a break from their collegiate sports.

But for former player-turned-coach Monica Tantlinger, summer this year will be a lot busier.

"Now that I'm a coach, summer recruiting is busier than the season," Tantlinger said.

The Quartz Hill graduate just completed her first year as an assistant coach for the UC Riverside softball team. After playing two years for Antelope Valley College and two more for Cal State Fullerton, she has had to adapt to solving problems this year as a coach rather than as a player.

"We had a lot of injuries this year and it was difficult because I couldn't go out there and fix it as a player," Tantlinger said. "I had to do what I could as a coach instead."

For those who've played with Tantlinger, it comes as no surprise she decided to be a coach.

In each of her last two seasons for the Rebels, she was voted Most Inspirational for her team.

"As a player she always had a great passion for the game," former teammate and coach Jodie Cox said. "She always put 100% into everything she was doing."

Cox, also a Quartz Hill graduate, was Tantlinger's teammate for two years with the Rebels and also coached her as an undergraduate assistant at Fullerton. Cox also decided to continue her passion for softball through coaching — she has been an assistant coach for the last two years at Cal State Northridge.

Recruiting has been an adjustment for Tantlinger, and in a small way kept her connected with the Valley. This season, she was at the Junior College State Championships in Chino Hills where she scouted some of the AVC players.

Standout players on the Marauders team like Katie Cornelison and Brooke Stix are friends with her younger sister, Shelby Tantlinger who played at Highland.

"Seeing them from a recruiter's standpoint was something different," Tantlinger admitted.

Tantlinger drew inspiration for coaching from her former head coach at Fullerton, Michelle Gromacki, and her father, Kevin Tantlinger, who coached at Highland until he passed away from cancer in August 2004.

"(Gromacki) showed me so much about the love of the game and the different concepts behind it and my dad played a huge part in my life in coaching (me and my sisters)," she said.

End of a Career

Now that their softball season is over, the Roadrunners have a pretty big hole to fill on their roster.

Kianna Urbanski's career as a softball player for Cal State Bakersfield has come to an end.

The Lancaster graduate is finishing finals this week and will earn a degree in Criminology.

She leaves the Roadrunners as the all-time leader in stolen bases with 63, and also has the third highest average (.362) in school history. Christie Hill is the Roadrunners' all-time leader in batting average (.372).

"She was a big part of our team and it was be tough to replace her run production," coach Kathy Welter said.

Urbanski filled in for the Roadrunners wherever they needed her. She played all three outfield positions and even helped out in the infield.

"We asked her to play shortstop and she was the anchor of the infield," Welter said.

In the final tournament of her career, Urbanski led Bakersfield to the championship game of the Independent Tournament in Kennesaw , Georgia with a 5-1 win over Northern Colorado. Urbanski hit a two-run single and an RBI triple in the game.

The Roadrunners lost the championship game 8-0 to host Kennesaw State.

Urbanski was also a selection for the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association second team in 2006.

Not Done Yet

Former Littlerock High School track star Dominique Calvin will be part of Cal State Northridge's 4x100 relay team that has advanced to the Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento State University on June 6-9.

The relay team won the Big West crown and then took third at the NCAA West Regional after running in 45.12.

Calvin, a sophomore, also performs in individual events like the 200-meter dash, the long jump and the triple jump for the Matadors.

If you know of a former Valley athlete doing well after high-school, we would like to hear about it. Email pburns@avpress with any information.