BUTTE VALLEY — If the early bird gets the worm, the Butte College Roadrunners had an auspicious start to their program’s third straight trip to the Elite Eight of the state women’s basketball championships.
Players and staff arrived on campus well before sunrise Wednesday to board their charter bus, a new vehicle nicknamed White Cloud, which they were among the first to ride. They pulled out at 5:38 a.m. in order to reach Southern California for a whirlwind day before their first game: an afternoon practice, a quick change into formal wear and a banquet. Ranked first in the state, Butte (29-1) tips off against Long Beach City (20-9) at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Despite the yawn-inducing hour of departure, the Roadrunners were energized about the road ahead, with the word “excited” repeated often to describe their return to the tournament where last year’s squad reached the title game.
“It’s good — it feels familiar,” head coach Tyler Newton said moments before the bus pulled away. “It feels like we’ve been here before, and we’re prepared and ready to go. It’s an exciting time of year.”
Guard Morgan Trigueiro, one of seven freshmen who joined six sophomores in the offseason, echoed her coach’s assessment.
“I’m excited,” she said, seated inside White Cloud. “This is what we’ve been waiting for all year, and it’s finally actually here.”
Among the first wave of arrivals were freshman guards Campbell Vieg and Jocelyn Medina. Like their teammates, they brought aboard pillows and blankets for the journey. Medina also held a good luck charm, a stuffed animal she said “goes with me everywhere.”
Trainer Janet Guill drove up even earlier — ironic, considering she’d returned only hours earlier from accompanying the softball team to Aptos for Tuesday’s doubleheader against Cabrillo College. On one-hour’s sleep, she got to the training room at 5 a.m. to collect her gear.
“These girls put in so much work and dedication: late-night practices, early practices,” Guill said. “They did a lot of that last year, as well. They have a lot of drive, and I think they’re going to do really well this week.”
Annie Ward, one of the team’s assistant coaches (along with Justin Schneringer), said she’s “excited for this team” and “it never gets old” going to the Elite Eight.
“It’s a different group and they’ve earned it,” continued Ward, in her fourth season with Butte. “So I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Freshman forward Giselle Rodriguez expressed the same enthusiasm: “Glad to see all the hard work pay off. It’s been a really long season, and (I’m) really excited to be here.”