By Cael Cross, April 21, 2026
Six new inductees had their spots forever enshrined in Broncos history, officially being inducted into the Cal Poly Pomona Athletics Hall of Fame April 11 at Kellogg Arena.
The 2026 class includes five individuals — Mark Batres (Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field), Sergi Monsó (Men’s Soccer), Durelle Schimek (Women’s Track & Field), Jimmy Ramos (Baseball) and Carol Spanks (Softball) — as well as the 1981-1982 women’s basketball team, which is only the third team to be inducted into the CPP Athletics Hall of Fame, following the 1976 Baseball and 1983 Men’s Cross-Country teams.
The CPP Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1986 but had not seen any inductions since 1994, apart from two in 2003 before Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brian Swanson reintroduced it in 2014. Swanson has made it a point to host the ceremony biennially to keep the standards of the Hall of Fame high.
“A lot of people do it every year, and we can, but by doing it every other year, when we go through the nominations, the pool of accolades of some different athletes that have been here in the past, it’s just so strong,” Swanson said. “It’s five-time All-Americans and six-time All-Americans and two-time All-Americans and Player of the Year and National Champions. Those are the type of people that should be in a Hall of Fame, and that’swhat we are able to do by doing it every other year.”
Batres, Schimek and Monsó all earned multiple All-American honors during their time as Broncos. Multiple national champions are featured in the class as well, with the 1981-1982 women’s basketball team winning the inaugural NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament, and long-time assistant baseball coach Ramos was a part of the title-winning 1976 and 1983 baseball teams.
Batres earned five All-American honors, four All-West Region selections and three All-CCAA selections, as well as winning both the 2002 CCAA Freshman of the Year and CCAA Runner of the Year. Batres also won the 2004 NCAA West Region individual championship and holds the second-highest winning percentage of any Bronco in cross-country history at 93.3%.
Schimek also earned five All-American honors, as well as three national titles, two coming in the javelin and the other in the heptathlon. Schimek also was awarded the CPP Female Athlete of the Year and still ranks in the top three all-time in three events, including the record in the javelin at 56.94 meters.
Monsó shined on the pitch during his three years at CPP, still holding numerous program records in goals (38), points (96) and shots (205). Coming from Barcelona, Spain, Monsó made a real connection with life at CPP he still feels today.
“When I think about my time here, I think about my family that I had here,” Monsó said. “I’m from Spain, so my family was really, really far away. But I had another one here with my coaches, my teammates. It’s the second time that I’ve come back, and it actually feels like home.”
Even after graduating, Monsó is still making history at CPP, becoming the first men’s soccer player to be inducted into the hall of fame, defining the start of the greatest era in program history.
Outside of competing, Spanks and Ramos showed the impact that coaching can have on programs. Spanks spent 15 seasons from 1979 to 1993 as head coach for the softball team, turning CPP into one of the most dominant programs in the 1980s at the Division I level. Spanks led the Broncos to four NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series appearances and two AIAW College World Series appearances and finished with 577 career wins at CPP. Her induction into the CPP Athletics Hall of Fame is her sixth induction into halls of fame, headlined by the USA Softball Hall of Fame.
Ramos continues to build on his career at CPP, currently serving his 43rd season as an assistant coach. Ramos played for the Broncos in the 1970 and 1971 seasons before CPP coach John Scolinos recruited him to become a part of his coaching staff, eventually helping the Broncos to two Division II national titles. He credits his support cast for his success when looking back at his career.
“For me, it’s not me as an individual,” Ramos said. “It’s the people who basically help me get to where I’m at. It’s them. They’re the ones who guided me.”
Ramos is one of two people in CPP history to have his number retired, with No. 1 displayed in left field at Scolinos Field.
CPP Athletics hopes to continue the ceremony in the coming years, adding more plaques to the front wall of Kellogg Arena. The Broncos are in the closing stages of what’s been a successful 2025-2026 for the athletics program, including three CCAA championships, two NCAA West Region championships and more than 110 wins across all sports.
Swanson is confident there are some student-athletes currently competing who have the potential to be in the future classes of hall of fame inductees.
“A lot of our teams have had great success, so we know hall of famers are coming on our current teams, and it’s exciting to see,” Swanson said. “They don’t always see that, but I’ve been here a while to see what type of accomplishments they’re making and to know that they’re probably the next generation of hall of famers.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics