By Nicolas Esparza, November 12, 2025
While playing the game they love, the Cal Poly Pomona Women’s Basketball Club values competition and creating bonds.
The women’s basketball club is a student-run club that organizes competitive games against other basketball clubs at universities such as the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Southern California.
The club also travels across the country for the “Leaders in Collegiate Recreation” (NIRSA) Regional and Championship Tournaments. Every year the tournament brings together clubs to compete against each other. In 2025 the tournament included a total of 69 men’s, women’s, and unified teams from across the nation.
In 2023, the University of Maryland hosted the championship competition in which the CPP women’s team competed in and reminisced on making it further than they expected. “We came in as underdogs, undersized, under-matched,” said Renia Grunfeld, hospitality management student, and team scheduler. “We ended up coming out winning two games. We won a bracket game as well. I ended up hitting a buzzer beater to take us into the bracket game.”
Traveling as a team is a major aspect of the club, and the girls of the team have bonded over long flights and road trips. The team shared a story of one trip to Wisconsin when they had a meaningful conversation that included funny moments and memories during their flight. When they landed, they all bonded more over having the “best sandwich.”
“These are people that I can trust, that are there for me no matter what, if it’s basketball or not,” said co-president and biotechnology student Nicole Villanueva. “It’s very encouraging, and it makes you feel good, especially when you’re an underclassman. We try to create that same environment every year, no matter who our members are.”
Villaneva turned the page on her basketball career after spending all of high school thinking she would play organized basketball in college. She ultimately decided that wasn’t the right path anymore and chose to focus on academics but didn’t want basketball to end there.
The board members have been a part of the club for three to four years and are now looking to create a welcoming environment for other girls thinking about joining. “I think it’s a great way to meet people, … and it’s a great way to bring people together who might not necessarily be part of the same outside groups,” said co-president and business administration student Jasmine Jung. “It’s a good thing to reach out and broaden your horizons.”
Tryouts are open, allowing girls to join at any point in the school year. Basic basketball fundamental skills are taken into consideration during tryouts, Jung said. Assessments of girls’ availabilities are then taken after tryouts to find out what days and times work for the team to be able to attend practices.
“That mix, and that flexibility that the club provides, is one of the things I love about it,” Villanueva said.
The board members also spoke about the benefits of being in the club beyond friendship and the game itself. They believe they are creating valuable skills by being a part of a club they will carry for a lifetime.
As a co-president of the club, Grunfeld has learned leadership skills and how to be a good teammate, thus building friendships.
“It was really an eye-opening experience, and it also was a great experience to be able to keep playing basketball after high school and keep myself in this competitive environment,” Grunfeld said.
The women of CPP’s basketball club find balance by using the club as a fun and active way to blow off steam from the stress of school and work.
The team encourages students who are not yet ready to be finished playing sports to look at the myBar website if they are interested in joining their club or other sports clubs that fit their interests.
“I didn’t expect it to turn into everything that it has for me, in terms of community, friendships, experiences and traveling,” Villanueva said.
Feature image courtesy of Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Club
