The UC Berkeley women’s swimming team won its first-ever NCAA championship Saturday night at the Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas. The Golden Bears, who have former Vintage High School and Napa Valley Swim Team member Natalie La Rochelle, finished with 411.5 points, ahead of second place finisher Georgia with 400.5 points.

Cal’s Teri McKeever was named as the 2009 NCAA Coach of the Year.

“Words can’t describe what this means,” McKeever said on the Cal athletic Web site. “This championship is for everyone that has ever been a part of California swimming. This was a total team effort — everyone involved made this possible.”

La Rochelle was a four-year swimmer for the Bears.

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Robert Exum of Napa deadlifted 628 pounds and took first place at the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters California State Bench Press and Deadlift Championships.

Exum competed in the masters 40-46 age group/242-pound weight class. He also took second place in the 242-pound open weight class in the deadlift with the same weight.

The contest was held Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Chico.

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HealthQuest’s powerlifting team from Napa performed very well Saturday at the WABDL (World Association of Bench Pressers & Deadlifters) California State Bench Press & Deadlift Championships in Chico.

Mike Bonifield, the team’s coach, placed first with a bench press of 325 pounds in the 61-67 age group.

Dr. Bob Urrea won with a bench press of 314 pounds in the 68-74 age group, a state record.

Lee Joiner took first with a bench press of 187.5 pounds, a personal best.

Kenny Kirk won with a deadlift of 369.5 pounds in the 54-60 age group.

Peter Murphy placed first with a deadlift of 512.5 pounds in the 54-60 age group.

Ken Engleman was second with a bench press of 325 pounds in the 49-53 age group.

Mike Basayne placed second with a bench press of 292 pounds in the 49-53 age group.

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Taylor Bickell of Napa shot a 7-over-par 70 to finish second in the girls 15-17 division of the Sonoma County Junior Open, a Junior Golf Association of Northern California major event that was played Saturday at the Oakmont Golf Club in Santa Rosa.

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Napa Valley Register columnist Ev “Ace” Parker will be the guest of the “KVON Sportsvine” Saturday.

The show, which will focus on the 2009 Major League Baseball season, starts at 9 a.m. on KVON-1440 AM and is hosted by Terry Simpkins, Charles Kennedy and Mark McLeod.

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Officer Omar Salem of the Napa Police Department will be Stacy Reyes’ guest during the sports segment of “The Napa Show,” which starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday on Napa Community Public Access TV-Channel 28.

Salem will be on hand to talk about the upcoming “Hoops to Stop Youth Violence” police-fire benefit basketball game, which is sponsored by the Napa Police Officers Association. It will be played Saturday at 6 p.m. at Napa High’s Messner Gym.

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Caroline DeVincenzi has started the first 13 games of the softball season for Lewis & Clark College of Portland, Ore., and is batting .367.

DeVincenzi went to Justin-Siena.

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Ryan Kostecka, a starter for the Lewis & Clark College baseball team, is batting .364 with three doubles.

Kostecka went to Napa High.

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Micah Putnam had her third four-RBI game of the season in Game 1 as the Cal State Northridge softball team swept a doubleheader Saturday against Cal State Bakersfield, winning 10-5 and 2-1.

Putnam, a Justin-Siena graduate, drove in four runs for the third time this season, going 3-for-3 from the plate with a run scored and her first triple of the season in the first game. She also had four putouts and four assists at second base.

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Napa’s Carolyn Knudson (3-2) picked up the win for the San Francisco State softball team, pitching five innings, giving up five hits and five runs while striking out three and walking three in the Gators’ 8-7 nonconference win Saturday over Grand Canyon in Phoenix.

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Napa High Athletic Director Brian King is my guest on Napa Community Public Access TV-Channel 28 in April.

The half-hour show, “Register Sports with Marty James,” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. and Mondays at noon.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.