Patricia Jones received the honor of a lifetime for her three decades of service in synchronized swimming when she was inducted into the USA Artistic Swimming Hall of Fame.

A part of the Cypress Swim Club for 30 years and a coach for the past 20, Jones has also served as a judge at local, regional and zone level competitions for 25 years.

The president of the Pacific Association of Artistic Swimming, Jones also served as president of the Western Zone for 12 years, which represented 12 states.

Jones has served as the chair of the National Rules Committee, where she oversaw the United States incorporate all the new world aquatic rules that were used in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Guiding arguably one of the more successful artistic swim clubs in the Western United States, Jones initiated a scholarship fund to assist athletes on the U.S. Senior National Team for their training for the World Championships and Olympic Games.

The Cypress Swim Club, which was started in 1964, also became one of the first clubs to compete in an international club exchange program, where the Peninsula-based synchronized club has traveled to Jamaica to attend competitions and train together.

The club celebrated Jones’ achievement by bringing home three gold medals at the United States National Masters Synchronized Swimming Championships in Clearwater, Florida.

Lorri Geiger, Robin Kramer and Aimee Shea claimed gold in both the technical trio routine and the free trio competition.

Geiger and Shea earned a bronze in the free duet routine, while Kramer and Shea placed fifth in the technical duet. Geiger was fifth in the technical solo. Over 300 competitors from around the United States took part in the prestigious event.

Hunter continues to impress at Cal >> Nyziah Hunter recorded a season high for receiving yards last week, catching four passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in Cal’s rout of Oregon State.

The Salinas High grad, who has caught at least one pass in all eight games this year, also equaled his season high in receptions for the third time this year.

Hunter leads the Bears in touchdown receptions with five over eight games, which is fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 30th in the nation.

The 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman is second on the team in receptions with 24, receiving yards with 315 and average yards per catch at 13.2.

Hunter, who broke the Salinas school record in the 100 meters in 2022, had over 1,000 receiving yards as a senior in 2022, finishing with 17 touchdowns.

A teammate of Hunter’s at Cal is Carmel graduate and 2021 Herald Male Athletic of the Year JT Byrne, who is being used in multiple tight end formations for the Bears.

Byrne on court at Middlebury College >> Listed as an outside hitter, true freshman Caroline Byrne is making an impact in the back row for the Middlebury College volleyball team.

The 5-foot-11 Byrne has played in 19 of the team’s 21 matches, recording 69 digs in a limited role, along with seven kills and six assists.

Where the Carmel graduate has made a big impact for Middlebury is at the serving line, where the 18-year-old is third on the team with 24 service aces.

A two-time member of The Herald’s All-County volleyball team, Byrne compiled over 200 kills in each of her final two seasons at Carmel, while finishing second on the team in digs.

Johnson gets playing time for BYU >> A component to Brigham Young University’s 8-0 start this season has been cornerback Evan Johnson, who is making an impact in the secondary.

The fastest 100-meter sprinter in county history, Johnson had a critical quarterback hurry in the Cougars ‘win last week against the University of Central Florida.

Coming up from his defensive back position, the 6-foot-1 Johnson has 11 tackles — 10 solo — on the season, with his first collegiate interception and a pass breakup.

Johnson came out of Stevenson as one of the premier receivers in the area, averaging 21 yards a catch, with 13 of his 35 receptions going for touchdowns.

The Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2022, Johnson earned all-county honors in football and basketball, setting a county record in the 100 meters in track and field at 10.41 seconds.

Cortez-Menjivar turning catches into touchdowns >> Making the most of each reception, Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar is second on the University of Idaho in touchdowns this fall with three.

In seven games for the Vandals, the Salinas High graduate has eight catches for 89 yards, which is fifth on the team.

Idaho has looked for ways to get Cortez-Menjivar touches, as he has carried the ball on jet sweeps seven times for 90 yards.

The redshirt sophomore has also returned kickoffs the past two weeks, averaging 15 yards on two kickoff returns.

A member of The Herald’s All-County Defensive team in 2022 with a county-leading five picks, Cortez-Menjivar caught 86 passes over two seasons at Salinas.

MPC’s Eldridge, Lomboy conference leaders >> Anna Eldridge leads the Coast Conference North in digs per set for Monterey Peninsula College at 4.74, while teammate Kat Lomboy is averaging a conference-leading 0.81 blocks a set.

Having prepped at Salinas High, Eldridge has 251 digs in just 16 matches for the Lobos, who share the conference lead with rival Hartnell.

The Panthers Paige Mason leads the conference in digs with 321 over 24 matches, with teammate Theresa Habrik compiling 279.

Habrik is second in the conference in assists at 7.2 per set, and fourth in service aces for Hartnell, who will host MPC on Nov. 9 with a conference title expected to be on the line.