JJ Friedman
Forward JJ Friedman (junior) helped the Occidental men’s basketball team (10-12, 6-7) to another win last Saturday night, finishing with 19 points to be the game’s leading scorer. While a steady contributor throughout the first half of the season, Friedman brought his best game to the court to clinch an important win against conference rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) (16-6, 9-4).
Friedman shot 7-11 overall, knocking down three of his four three-pointer attempts. Teammate Joe Compagno (sophomore) spoke highly of Friedman’s game overall in the season.
“JJ gets buckets and has more bounce than a pogo stick—when he catches the ball it’s going up and usually it’s going in,” Compagno said. “He’s been torn up by injuries the past couple seasons and we are all really proud of him.”
Friedman expressed his gratitude and excitement that his personal game was instrumental in the win against CMS.
“We are competing for the last playoff spot and to be able to help my teammates in this way was an incredible feeling,” Friedman said. “We were on a four game losing streak, and to beat the top team in our conference is going to give us a great final push at the end of the season.”
Kimberly Orpinela
In last Saturday’s track and field meet at Pomona-Pitzer, Kimberly Orpinela (senior) took a strong, first-place finish in the women’s hammer throw. With a mark of 43.31 meters, she out-threw her competition by approximately 11 meters, finishing just one meter shy of her own personal record.
Orpinela attributed her success to a knowledgable coaching staff, positive team attitude and hard work.
“We have great, motivated coaches who are pushing us to do well,” Orpinela said. “Our strength and conditioning coach is very organized and is helping me keep track of my progress in my lifts which really helps my overall strength.”
Teammate Noah Winnick (junior) has thrown with Orpinela for three seasons and spoke highly of her success thus far in the season.
“She looked fast, efficient and focused and is looking great for this early in the season, which is a solid sign going forward,” Winnick said. “She really knows how to focus when she steps in the ring and I have a pretty good feeling she will break Kelly Young’s (’12) hammer record this year.”
