Universally, one thing that brings people together is a sporting event, and a San Bernardino game day is no different. Well, there is one difference, and that would be the turnout at certain games. There’s one team that when we play them, you can expect the bleachers to be packed, and that team would be Cal Poly Pomona.
Over the years, Cal Poly Pomona has racked up 14 national championships while San Bernardino has only had two. Even though there is a very stark contrast between these numbers, San Bernardino has become a more competitive school within the conference in recent years. In track alone, we’ve had more than 6 all-Americans in the last year.
Speaking next is sophomore Gianna Frank on the track and field. Gianna broke the school record multiple times during her freshman year, and she has been able to experience this rivalry firsthand as Pomona and San Bernardino are both very high-level competitors in the CCAA conference when it comes to track and field.
Gianna Frank interview questions:
What do you think makes this rivalry between Cal Poly Pomona so special compared to
other teams?
I believe it’s so special because Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino are a couple of the top teams in the conference. So we usually face each other at a neck-and-neck type of competition because we obviously have some of the best athletes that are in the conference. And so I believe it’s just really special because the type of competition that we have really brings out the competitive side of both athletes” – Gianna Frank, thrower at CSUSB (sophomore).
As Gianna mentioned, we typically face Cal State San Bernardino in fairly high-stakes competitions, and the first time this fire was really brought out between these two teams was in 2003 when they played against each other at the West Regional Championships. Although that year had gained traction for the Broncos and Yotes rivalry, it had been going on since 1989, and it is still going strong today. Basketball, Volleyball, and track and field are all great examples of this.
Men’s basketball alone had many moments that lit this fire this season, one being a win and the other a loss, maintaining that neck-and-neck competition style they tend to have. Every team has a rivalry of its own uniqueness with Pomona, but many athletes have their own unique and personal experiences with Pomona, and Gianna is an example of this.
Interview question #2:
“Hi Gianna, what would be a defining moment for you between CSUSB and Cal Poly
Pomona”?
“Personally, I think the defining moment for me would be at the conference championships. I was originally leading the conference in the shot put for the year-long, and then I unfortunately lost and got fourth place at the conference against Cal Poly
Pomona. So that really sparked my drive in order to beat them since they usually are
the head of the conference, always, and so that was really a defining moment for me.” –
Gianna Frank, thrower (sophomore).
Although a rivalry is fueled by the competitors, the real fuel comes from the fans. Without a fan base to cheer you on, the drive to give it your all often falls short. This theory is put into action quite a lot here at the colosseum. Many matches against Cal Poly are named as “rivalry night”; this particularly happens pretty often with volleyball games.
Holding a 49-29 record against Pomona. The CCAA has 11 teams: Humboldt, Pomona, Dominguez Hills, San Bernardino, East Bay, San Francisco State, Cal State LA, Monterey Bay, San Marcos, Chico, and Stanislaus. Yes, we do aim to beat every team, but out of all these teams, the teams that are consistently put on the watchlist are San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, and Chico. A watchlist typically tells people watching the CCAA the predicted placements when it comes time to conference. This could all change in the next few years with the addition of UC Merced and Fresno Pacific, but one thing that remains constant is the heated rivalry between the yotes and the broncos.