Cheryl Holden
Head Coach
BA, Education, Central Washington University
MA, Management, Antioch University-McGregor
Head Women's Basketball Coach Cheryl Holden enters her 12th season at CBC. Holden's career record of 224-100 (.691 win percentage) includes four East Region Championships and three NWAACC Championships in 2005, 2008, and 2012. She was named the East Region and NWAACC Coach of the Year after all three championship seasons.
Since arriving at CBC, Holden's teams have qualified for the NWAACC Championship Tournament seven times. In 2005, she led the team to its first East Region Championship in more than a decade. She has elevated the women's basketball program to new heights in her 11 years at the College.
In 2008, the CBC women's basketball team put together the most successful season in school history. The Hawks went 14-0 in the East Region and 28-3 overall, losing to only one NWAACC affiliated team all season. CBC went nearly uncontested during the NWAACC Championship Tournament to earn a title game against Eastern Region foe Spokane CC. The Hawks used their stingy defense to guide them to a 49-37 victory. The Hawks set a school record with their 28 wins that season, including an 18-game winning streak to end the season.
In 2012, Holden's Hawks won back-to-back East Region titles for the first time in program history and nearly ran the table during conference play, posting a 13-1 record. The Hawks' 29-2 overall mark was the best season in program history, capped by a 60-59 title game victory over region-rival Yakima Valley.
According to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, the 2004-05 Hawks also ranked fifth in the nation among junior and community colleges with a 3.245 GPA. In 2006, the women achieved an even greater grade point average of 3.398. In 2009, the women were ranked ninth in the nation with a 3.115 team GPA.
During her 11-year tenure, Holden has helped 14 players move on to the four-year level including six from the 2008 championship squad. In 2007, Holden's team finished 21-10 placing second in the East Region and seventh at the NWAACC Tournament. In 2005, the Hawks put up an impressive season as they won the NWAACC Championship. Holden was named the NWAACC Coach of the Year and the Eastern Region Coach of the Year for the first time in her career after guiding the Hawks to a record of 26-6.
Holden came to CBC from West Valley High School in Yakima. In 2001, she led the Rams to their first state championship in school history. Her five-year record was 117-21 (.847 winning percentage), and ranks her among the best in Mid-Valley League history.
Coach Holden has a Master's degree in Arts and Management from Antioch University-McGregor. She also works as the Director for High School Programs at CBC.
Daron Santo
Assistant Coach
BS, Biology, Washington State University
Daron Santo enters his third year as the Women's Assistant Basketball Coach at CBC. Prior to his appointment at CBC, Santo was the Head Girl's Basketball Coach at Prosser High School from 1999 to 2008. After taking over the Prosser program in 1999 and building from a 3-18 record, his teams' record improved each year including four straight seasons of 17 wins or more in his final four years at Prosser. Santo led the Mustangs to 7th- and 3rd-place finishes at State in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Santo was the Boy's Varsity Assistant Coach for Prosser during the 2009-10 season before arriving at CBC.
Coach Santo has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and currently works as a lab technician in agricultural research. Santo is also a USPTA certified tennis pro and lettered in tennis at Yakima Valley Community College and Washington State University.