When Rafael Silva left the heat and crystalline shores of Rio de Janeiro to play soccer in the United States, he never imagined he would find himself in the bone-crushing arena of American football as Santa Monica College's prime kicker. "I came here to play soccer," Silva said. "I knew the football coach. He's a friend of mine. He told...

Head coach Nicole Ryan feels optimistic about the team's future despite a rocky start. "I feel like we're growing and learning and developing after every match," says Ryan. "I'm hopeful that our girls are going to figure it out and turn things around and be successful in conference."The Lady Corsairs currently sport a 4-11 record, 1-4 in Western State Conference...

The Santa Monica College Corsairs football team continued their longest winning streak of the season, now at four, with a convincing Homecoming win over the visiting Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs Saturday afternoon. Behind another shutdown defensive performance, SMC held the Monarchs scoreless until late in the fourth quarter when LA Valley punched in a garbage touchdown with mostly SMC...

As of right now, each major professional sport has its own handbook of regulations on how long players must be out of high school in order to be eligible to play for any major organization. According to the National Football League’s regional combines website, a person must be out of high school for at least three full NFL seasons in...

With only two returning players from last season, the Santa Monica College women’s water polo team entered this semester with a relatively new team. A few players were completely new to the sport as well. After Thursday's loss to the San Diego Mesa College Olympians, 10-7, SMC fell to 3-9 on the season, 0-2 in Western State Conference play, and...

Today's professional athletes live in an age where $30 million contracts resemble pocket change. These athletes normally come with a heavy skill set and an overwhelming dose of talent. However, rich or poor, they have all undergone a process of grade school and sometimes college in order to earn the wealth they so vigorously crave. Now, due to the money-starved...

I was 9 years old when my friend Sammy gave me a call and told me to turn on my television to channel 13. There, I saw a hulk of a man giving an interview. He carried himself with such arrogance. With a fierce mixture of attitude and determination, he shouted how he was going to tear his opponent limb...

The Santa Monica College football team won their 16th straight Pacific Conference matchup on Saturday night as they routed Los Angeles Southwest College, 27-2. Not only did the win preserve the Corsairs' conference win streak, but it also resulted in SMC's first extended win streak of the season. Behind an impressive defense, the Corsairs managed to keep their pristine conference...

California Interscholastic Federation champion, Ocean League Most Valuable Player, two-time All Ocean League and third team All-CIF are good starting places when describing the young career of Santa Monica College men’s water polo standout Evan Peterson. Not only is he the leading goal-scorer this season for the Corsairs, but he also serves as team captain."I’m proud; I’ve worked hard," Peterson...

Counselor, teacher, community activist and Santa Monica College alumni; those are some of the words that describe Byanca Barajas. One of SMC's athletic counselors, Barajas grew up in West Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica High School. After graduating, she continued her academics at SMC where she had a short stint playing soccer for the Lady Corsairs. “I loved it...