Fresno State’s Rufie Fessler, playing as an individual, shot a 2-under 68 in Tempe to put himself in the hunt for an NCAA Championship berth at the end of the three-day regionals.

Southern Methodist’s Bryson DeChambeau (Clovis East High) was at 9-over 81 and the Mustangs seventh in Fayetteville, Ark.

Cal’s Weaver had an eagle and five birdies in a bogey-free round. His eagle came on the 307-yard par-4 15th at the 7,308-yard Palouse Ridge Golf Club, after he hit a 3-wood off the tee to about 4 feet from the hole.

“That was a hole I was hoping to birdie,” Weaver said. “It was nice to do one better. I was really pleased with my round. I hit it well and putted well, so that’s always a great combo.”

Sacramento State’s Ryan Williams (Clovis West) shot a 1-under 71 in Pullman, while USC’s Sam Smith took the lead with a Trojans’ and course-record 62.

Cal is up two on Saint Mary’s. San Diego State (270), USC (272) and Pacific (274) round out the top five.

“Yes, we want to win this tournament,” Bears coach Steve Desimone said. “But let’s not forget what the real goal is here, and that real goal is to finish in the top five and get to the NCAA Championship in Atlanta.”

Fessler is in an 11-way tie for sixth in the 75-player field at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, but just three back of the leading score for an individual not on a top-five team. The low individual not on one of those teams at each regional also will advance to the finals.

“Today I was very fortunate that my short game was on because I only hit six greens or so,” said Fessler, who had five birdies.

DeChambeau and the Mustangs (297) were five back of sixth-place Colorado and within seven of fifth-place Arkansas at Blessings Golf Club. Illinois leads at 6-under 282, with Texas three back.

Sunbirds infielder on All-PacWest first team

Fresno Pacific junior infielder Brett Bishop is the school’s first All-PacWest baseball first-teamer, while senior shortstop Steven Moon, junior outfielder Kaohu Gaspar and senior reliever Ryan Cheek earned third-team honors.

Bishop hit .325 and led the team in runs (38), doubles (11), homers (nine), RBIs (46) and slugging (.534), finishing among the PacWest leaders as well.

Call them tiebreakers, backbreakers or heartbreakers.

In tennis, it’s a matter of which side of the net you land.

Clovis West High, at home in Thursday’s Central Section Division I boys championship, did the backbreaking.

Bullard, experiencing the opposite on a day it had to have the breaks to upset the top seed and four-year reigning champion, left with broken hearts.

That simple.

Final score: Clovis West 5-4 after mounting a 5-1 singles lead that rendered three doubles matches meaningless.

Following a 40-minute exhibition by the Golden Eagles’ nationally-ranked Billy Griffith — officially, a 6-0, 6-0 win over Viran Batth — it was third-set tiebreakers and intense victories in Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles by Patrick Huls, Jayke Ancheta and Viet Nguyen that hung yet another plaque on the wall at Millbrook and Teague avenues.

“I actually had a dream last night — a nightmare — that we were down 4-2 after singles,” Clovis West first-year coach Hank Bessinger said. “And I really was expecting to go to doubles.”

Go to doubles, he meant, with the outcome hanging in the balance.

Imagine that?

“Hats off to Clovis West,” Knights coach Daren Carter said. “We put a lot of pressure on them, but they didn’t break. Too many third-set tiebreakers for us; we needed to finish in straight sets.”

The swing match of the 73-degree day, both coaches agreed, had Huls rally for a 6-1, 2-6, 10-5 win over Nick Jaramishian in a duel of vocal team leaders. And that reversed a Jaramishian third-set tiebreak conquest of Huls two months ago.

“A lot of time people look at the second court as a gauge where we’re going to be in the end because they know No. 1 (with Griffith) is going to be an automatic win,” Huls said. “They look at the second court thinking, ‘Where are we going with this?’ ”

Like dominos falling east, it went this way:

– From court 2 with Huls to court 3 with Ancheta, who beat Lincoln Hoppe, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-5.

– And then, with CW up 4-1, it went from court 3 with Ancheta to court 4 with Nguyen, whose defensive strategy paid off in a 6-4, 2-6, 11-9 win over Cameron Lee.

Lee, up 9-8, hit a shot into the net as Nguyen charged that way, then went long on consecutive shots after the Eagles’ senior lifted lob after lob after lob.

Nguyen was then mobbed by teammates who had lined court 2, then 3 and, finally, 4.

And that included Griffith.

“I love the team atmosphere and cheering on teammates to see if they can pull through,” said the state’s No. 1-ranked junior who also finished ranked No. 8 nationally for 16-under before he turned 17 in September.

He said he’ll probably attend USC, UCLA or Cal in 2015.

By Andy Boogaard

The left-handed hitting senior sliced a two-out, three-run double to the fence in left-center off Cal Poly recruit Sierra Hyland in the fourth inning that gave the eighth-seeded Cougars the lead en route to an 8-5 upset of No. 1 El Diamante on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Central Section D-I softball playoffs.

The Miners (28-2-1) entered ranked No. 6 nationally in the Maxpreps Xcellent 25, No. 10 in the USA Today/NFCA national Top 25 and No. 11 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

“I’ve played against them for four years and we’ve never beat them,” Reichle said of an El Diamante team that features five players who have signed with or have offers from D-I colleges. “No one thought we could do this. I’m glad we came out and played hard.”

El Diamante defeated Clovis 5-1 and 8-0 previously this season, and by a combined score of 12-3 last year while winning all three meetings, including a 5-0 triumph in the section quarterfinals.

Then when Hyland blasted a home run to open the bottom of the first and Charleston Southern signee Stevi Johnson added a two-run double in the second, it looked like the Miners would cruise into the semifinals.

But in the third, Cayla Broussard and Reichle reached on infield hits before Amber Shaw ripped a two-out triple to the fence in straightaway center that cut the Cougars’ deficit to 5-3.

“If we play 10 times, they might win nine. But today was our day,” Clovis coach Mike Noel said. “We had some fight. We had a chance to fold up when we were down 5-1 and they didn’t. Girls like Amber and Paige came up huge for us.”

Clovis (21-15) kept fighting in the fourth, as Katie Salisbury hit a one-out single, Ciara Camacho reached on an error and Cameryn Reichle walked to load the bases. Broussard followed with a bouncer to short, but Rylee Pierce’s throw to the plate wasn’t in time as courtesy runner Kennedy Diaz scored.

Hyland responded by striking out Mackenzie Emmett, but couldn’t get past Paige Reichle.

“When I went up, all that was on my mind was my team,” Reichle said. “I wanted to just get the ball in play. It was an outside pitch and I just went with it.”

Samantha Blair took over from there for the seven-time section champion Cougars, who will continue pursuing their first title since 2007 on Tuesday at No. 5 Central.

The junior right-hander shut out El Diamante — which entered with a .366 team batting average and 31 home runs — the rest of the way on one hit, three walks and a hit batter.

Blair twice worked through the Miners’ first four batters — Hyland, Purdue-bound Katy McJunkin, Missouri commit Pierce and Johnson — unscathed over the final five innings.

“The lead relaxed me,” Blair said.

It was the second straight early playoff exit for a top-seeded and nationally ranked El Diamante team, following its 7-6 loss to Clovis West in last year’s semifinals.

“Sickening. It was three innings of Miner softball and three innings of I don’t know what to call it,” said Brad Pendergast, who stepped in as the Miners coach three weeks ago following the resignation of Travis Roebuck. “We just couldn’t put the nail in the coffin. I feel bad for the kids, especially the four-year starters.”

Hyland finishes her four-year career with the second most home runs (28) and pitching wins (101) in section history.

By Nick Giannandrea

A trial for former Central High boys basketball coach Loren LeBeau is set for Aug. 6 in Fresno County Superior Court.

LeBeau, who is suspected of a fatal hit-and-run DUI along a crossing of the Sugar Pine Trail near Clovis West High School, was in court Thursday and in compliance with requirements to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and wear an alcohol-consumption monitor.

LeBeau is accused of striking and killing 7-year-old Donovan Maldonado, his father and little sister as they crossed Shepherd Avenue, west of Millbrook Avenue in a crosswalk along the Sugar Pine Trail. He left the scene and returned a few minutes later. Donovan later died.

A settlement conference is set for May 30.

By Marc Benjamin

Fans once again will line routes during the California Classic weekend.

Three years ago, organizers of the California Classic Weekend came up with two bold ideas that would set their event apart from others around the state:

Close a freeway for a bike ride, and make a zoo part of a half-marathon course.

Both are major reasons why the California Classic Weekend is more popular than ever as it returns to downtown Fresno this weekend.

“The freeway and the zoo are our two main selling points,” race director Mike Herman said.

“Three years ago we were the first running event in California that made a zoo part of its course. Now I hear there might be a couple others. But we’re still the only bike ride that goes on a closed freeway.”

The two-day event begins Saturday with the California Classic Century, a 100-mile pedal through the foothills east of Fresno. (Rides of 60 and 35 miles are also offered).

Cyclists line up at 7 a.m. along Inyo Street behind Chukchansi Park and are escorted by police to the Highway 168 onramp at McKinley Avenue. From there, cyclists pedal 10 miles on the closed freeway, where dozens of spectators typically stand on overpasses to cheer as the cyclists pass.

The westbound direction of Highway 168 will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (Cyclists ride opposite the usual traffic flow). This leaves eastbound 168 open for those using Highways 99 and 180 to attend Fresno State’s commencement ceremonies.

“The only people impacted are people who live in the foothills and use 168,” Herman said. “They have to get off at Shepherd.”

Herman works closely with Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and Fresno and Clovis police departments on the freeway closure. He also writes a $30,000 check to cover costs and police escorts.

“(Caltrans) points out to us at every meeting that we’re the only ride that closes off a freeway,” Herman said. “Meaning, we really need to appreciate this because we’re the only one that gets this privilege.”

Approximately 1,800 cyclists have signed up for Saturday’s rides, while some 2,300 are doing Sunday’s California Classic Half Marathon. Another 500 have signed up for the 5-kilometer run.

Sign-ups are more than 20% ahead of last year, Herman said.

Registration for both events is open through Friday at the Terrio Physical Therapy & Fitness Expo, 741 E. Barstow Ave., Fresno. There is no day-of-event registration.

Like the bike rides, the half marathon starts and finishes at Chukchansi Park. But the highlight comes at mile 7 when the course meanders through Chaffee Zoo.

Runners will pass by many of the zoo’s top exhibits, including the sea lion cove, kangaroos and zebras. And the giraffes have been known to stick their necks out and follow the action.

“People stop along the way and take pictures with the animals,” said Terri Mejorado, the zoo’s director of marketing. “And some use our nice clean restrooms.”

Events like the California Classic Weekend can’t function without a small army of volunteers — 900 already have signed up, but Herman said there’s room for 300 more.

“We’ll take volunteers all the way through the Expo,” he said.

California Classic Weekend

When: Saturday-Sunday

Start/finish: Chukchansi Park

Saturday events: Century ride, metric century and mini-metric, 7 a.m.; kids marathon, 9 a.m.

Sunday events: Half marathon and relay, 7 a.m; 5K run/walk, 7:15 a.m.

Registration: 3-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Terrio Physical Therapy & Fitness Expo (741 E. Barstow Ave.); none on day of events.

Web site: californiaclassicweekend.com

By Marek Warszawski

Angelina Jolie’s disclosure that she had her breasts removed to prevent cancer was welcome news Tuesday to a Clovis woman who had a similar procedure a year ago and hopes the headlines help other women facing the disease.

“It’s good to feel you are not alone,” said Clovis resident Jenny Fernandez, who had the same surgery in July 2012.

Like Jolie, Fernandez has the BRCA gene.

Normally, the gene helps stabilize cell DNA and prevent uncontrollable cell growth. But mutations can lead to cancer, both breast and ovarian, according to the National Cancer Institute.

And while Jolie’s announcement was embraced by nearly everyone, Fernandez underwent a vastly different experience.

When she opted for the double mastectomy, her friends and relatives didn’t understand why she would undergo such an intrusive surgery when she didn’t have cancer.

“It was a mixed bag of support,” said Jenny’s husband, Michael Fernandez. “Few people understood what we were going through.”

Without surgery, Jenny Fernandez had a nearly 90% chance of getting cancer, her husband said. He recalled going to doctor’s exams every six months, with the physicians telling the couple the cancer hadn’t arrived just yet.

“Our anxiety level increased with each visit,” Michael Fernandez said. “No way we wanted to live our lives this way.”

But it took a year for Jenny Fernandez to finally make up her mind, she said.

“But I knew I had to do something,” said Fernandez, who has three children and turns 37 years old on May 21. Her husband is 35.

That’s because breast cancer runs in her family. She said her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2011 and her mother’s sister had it the year before. Her great-grandmother and great-aunt also had breast cancer, she said.

Since the surgery, Fernandez said, she now has a 5% chance of developing cancer.

Her only setback: She got an infection at the incision site last August. She is now on the mend. Her goal is to get reconstructive breast surgery, then a hysterectomy to prevent ovarian cancer.

“What Jenny did was brave,” said Fresno resident Laura Whitehouse, who also has the BRCA gene and a family history of breast cancer. She underwent a similar double mastectomy in January 2011.

Whitehouse, 47 and a single mother of three children, said she already has undergone reconstructive breast surgery and a hysterectomy.

She praised Fernandez because Fernandez is younger than her, so the decision to have surgery had to be more difficult on her and her family.

“I’m glad I did it because I feel free,” Whitehouse said. “I love my life and my children know I did it for them.”

With Jolie’s high-profile stature, Whitehouse and the Fernandezes hope her announcement will encourage other women with the BRCA gene to take preventive measures.

“I know it saved my wife’s life,” Michael Fernandez said.

Jenny Fernandez agreed: “I don’t regret it one bit. It has given me and my family peace of mind.”

By Pablo Lopez

Apricot tart from Sierra Nuthouse in Fresno.

You may be wilting from the recent stretch of warm weather, but the Valley’s tree fruit is basking in it. The high heat has accelerated the ripening of several tree fruits, including apricots, an early season favorite.

Prized for its jam-making qualities, apricots are a versatile fruit that are popular for drying, eating out of hand or using in pastry dishes.

Others have put a new spin on apricots, by dicing it and using it in salsa.

Farmer Kevin Remick, who sells at the Market on Kern in downtown Fresno on Wednesday mornings, says the weather has produced not only an early crop, but a good tasting one.

“Everything is looking really good right now,” Remick says. “The sizing is good, the flavor is good and we will have plenty of fruit.”

At Sierra Nut House in Fresno, pastry chef Monica De Leon loves the delicate flavor of apricots, its bright orange color and its slightly soft flesh. Sierra Nut House is in the Villaggio Shopping Center at Blackstone and Nees avenues.

“They pair so well with so many things, but be careful not to mix it with something that overwhelms the apricot flavor,” says De Leon.

A classic example of two ingredients that complement each other are apricots and almonds. De Leon combines the two in an almond tart recipe.

“We are so blessed to have such a wonderful abundance of stone fruit, and for me, apricots are one of the stars of the summer,” De Leon says.

Charlotte’s Bakery owner Susan Rocha can hardly wait to buy her first apricots of the season. Rocha plans to incorporate them in scones, cupcakes, cookies and a coffee cake-type recipe.

“To me, apricots are so naturally sweet that you don’t have to use as much sugar,” says Rocha, whose bakery is on Olive Avenue in Fresno’s Tower District. “And I love that combination of being sweet and tart at the same time.”

Avid home cook Kelly DeJarnette has experimented with apricots and came up with a salsa recipe she likes. It’s a simple dish that has a light tropical flavor with a little bit of heat.

Depending on the weather, the Valley’s apricot season may last until the end of June. At Simonian Farms at Clovis and Jensen avenues, the store will sell more than six varieties of apricots throughout the season, including the Poppy, Robada and Patterson.

Fans of the Blenheim apricot may have to wait about two weeks. The Blenheim is coveted for its intense apricot flavor.

Fresno farmer Paul Mesplé says his fruit should be ready between May 27 and June 1 and will be available for three to four weeks. Mesplé sells his apricots at his farmstand at 7443 N. Millbrook and he recommends you call first to make sure he has fruit available. He can be reached at (559) 439-0104.

Apricot quinoa salad

2 cups cooked quinoa
4 scallions
1 pound dried or fresh apricots, chopped
3 cucumbers, chopped
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
Red bell pepper, chopped
Fresh cilantro and flat leaf parsley chopped

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, and toss until fully mixed.

Citrus vinaigrette dressing

Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together juices and honey. Slowly stream in olive oil until mixed, Taste and adjust for salt and pepper

Pour over salad, and toss to coat.

– Sierra Nut House

Apricot salsa

3-5 firm apricots, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onion, chopped (substitute: red onion)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (add more if you like)
1 fresh jalapeño chili pepper, finely chopped (Need more heat? Use habañero.)
3 tablespoons lime juice

Mix in a bowl and serve.

– Kelly DeJarnette

Almond apricot tart

For the crust:
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
11/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour

For the filling:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup almond flour
6-8 ripe apricots
1/3 cup chopped almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust: Beat together sugar, butter, salt and flavorings. Add the flours, until all are combined. The crumbs should stick together when squeezed. Press crumbs into the bottoms and the side of an 11-inch tart pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Chill the crust in the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake until it just starts to brown — about 15 minutes.

To make the filling: Beat together butter, salt, sugar, flour and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Then add flour, stirring until just combined.

Spread the filling in the tart shell. Cut the apricots in half and pit. Arrange in an attractive pattern and press firmly down into filling.

Sprinkle the almonds over the top of the tart, and sprinkle the sugar over that.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is brown and the middle is firm. Cool completely before serving.

–Sierra Nut House

By Robert Rodriguez

Two burgeoning golf stars from Clovis East High have made it through local qualifying for the U.S. Open.

Derek Ernst — who a week ago earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship — punched his ticket for sectional qualifying with a 70 at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas on Monday.

In a qualifier in Houston, fellow former Timberwolves star Bryson DeChambeau shot a 68 at Westwood Golf Club to qualify for sectionals.

DeChambeau this spring was named Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year, helping lead Southern Methodist to a No. 20 national ranking heading into this week’s NCAA Regional in Fayetteville, Ark.

While the 111 local qualifiers are played over just 18 holes, sectional qualifiers feature 36 in one day. Sectionals are June 3.

Ernst was The Bee’s Golfer of the Year as a Clovis East senior in 2008; DeChambeau was Golfer of the Year as a senior in 2012.

– Ex-Clovis North standout Chad Bell, a freshman at Lafayette, was the first alternate for sectionals at last week’s qualifier at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J. Bell was Lafayette’s top finisher at the Patriot League Championships, tying for 14th.

– In Fresno, Tommy Masters of Fresno won the local qualifier at Sunnyside Golf Course on May 6.

The Hmong past met its future at Sacramento International Airport Terminal B this weekend when Chai Ying Moua, a confident man in gold-rimmed glasses and a brown fedora, and his wife Maivang Her got off the tram.

The couple from Laos were swarmed and bathed in tears of joy Sunday night by two dozen long-lost relatives from Sacramento, Fresno and Clovis. They included a brother who hadn’t seen his older sister in 40 years and three younger brothers who had never met her.

Read and comment on the full story at SacBee.com.

By Stephen Magagnini

And Alyssa Monteverde assisted as well.

Prandini, a redshirt freshman from Clovis High coming off a leg injury last year, won the 100 (11.46 seconds), ran a leg on a winning 400 relay (43.81) and placed third in the 200 (23.33).

She accounted for 18.5 of the Ducks’ 139 points as they captured a fifth-straight Pac-12 title. Trailing were Arizona (123), Arizona State (110.33), UCLA (87.33), Stanford (86.50) and USC (81).

Monteverde, a redshirt freshman from Clovis West, placed fifth in the 100 high hurdles (13.45).

Prandini was a five-time state gold medalist in high school and remains the Central Section record-holder in the 100 at 11.34. She also owns section standards in the 200 (23.75) and triple jump (41-93/4).

Reedley golfer Ruffino wins state men’s title

Reedley College golfer Jacob Ruffino won the California Community College Athletic Association men’s golf state championship Monday, with his early morning round proving to be the difference at the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel.

Ruffino won by two strokes with an overall score of 5-under 137. The former Clovis North standout shot a 4-under 67 during the first round Monday to build a two-stroke lead on his closest competition, then held onto the lead after shooting a 70 in the second round. Sidney Wolf of the Canyons took second, shooting 69-70–139.

Fellow Reedley golfer Sergio Rios took eighth at 70-75–145 and teammate Nick Sorensen placed 27th at 80-74–154.