College Sports:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

She might not consider herself one, but Sheryl Herchenroeder is every bit a pioneer.

When she became the Sports Information Director at Chaffey College back in January of 2007, Herchenroeder was the only female SID in California.

Fast forward 17 years, and Palomar, LA Valley, Cypress, Allan Hancock, Riverside and Long Beach City College all feature women in that position.

Herchenroeder’s humility won’t allow her to acknowledge this, but she paved a path for everyone that has followed her lead.

In 2024, she was recognized as the CCCSIA Sports Information Director of the Year, and in the process, she made more history by becoming the first female to receive that honor.

According to longtime PCC Sports Information Director Robert Lewis, “it’s the highest honor a JUCO SID can receive.”

This coming Tuesday, Herchenroeder will call her last game at Chaffey, and shortly thereafter, the soon-to-be 55-year-old is retiring after 17 years of service.

As someone who wrote for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, and is now running 210 Prep Sports, which includes the coverage of Chaffey College football and baseball, Sheryl has been an invaluable asset to my site.

In spite of being a wife, mother and grandma, Herchenroeder’s commitment to the student-athletes at Chaffey College is both remarkable and inspiring.

Just recently, I was putting together a story on former La Salle coach Ben Buys being named the new head football coach at Chaffey, and I sent Sheryl a last-second email in the hopes of attaining a quote.

Herchenroeder was headed to a Panthers sporting event, but she said to give her an hour and she would get a quote from the new AD.

As the one-hour mark was nearing, up popped an email with the quote that she had promised.

She’s also great at making sure reporters and photographers have the information and access needed to give Chaffey athletes the opportunity to receive positive publicity.

During her 17-year run in Rancho Cucamonga, Herchenroeder has witnessed the arrival and departures of approximately 4,800 student-athletes, 47 conference titles, five final fours, 40 head coaches, four AD’s and six Deans of Athletics.

Perhaps the most unusual or surprising accolade on her resume is that of being 1-0 as the women’s water polo coach.

Herchenroeder filled in when a coach had to serve an ejection penalty, and the Panthers went on to secure a 17-4 victory at El Camino College that day in 2018.

Sheryl described some of her duties over the years this way: “Although much of my time at Chaffey has been spent at a computer, “other duties as assigned” has had me (among other things) operating the scoreboard, announcing games, hosting halftime events, livestreaming, and taking photos – often all at the same time. Eager to get out of the office, I’ve embraced every opportunity to be hands-on.”

Herchenroeder attended Royal High School in Simi Valley.

She went to Art Center College of Design (Pasadena) for a bit before graduating high school.

And then it was onto Cal Poly Pomona (BS Communication) and Univ of Phoenix (MA Organizational Management).

What many don’t know is that Herchenroeder started in athletics at Cal Poly in 1987.

After college, she was the Director of Operations for an athletic training software company in the 1990’s.

They developed the first AI enhanced workouts and exercise equipment.

I asked Sheryl what she considered to be the most difficult and best parts of the job.

“The most difficult part of my job is probably still being mansplained to, especially by coaches,” she said. “I’ve had to say, more than once, how about, I won’t tell you how to coach and you don’t tell me how to report it. The best part is working with the students. They bring so much energy and personality to my day. At Chaffey, in addition to working with nearly 5,000 student-athletes, I have been a club advisor, and I ran the college’s student-ambassador program for a few years.”

Herchenroeder said the late-great and former MLB pitcher Darryl Kile as likely the most famous Chaffey athlete of all-time, but she considers Khallifah Rosser, an American track athlete that specializes in the 400-meter hurdles as the best during her run at the Rancho Cucamonga school.

Sheryl and her husband Eric have been married for 34 years.

The couple has three boys named Anthony, Justin and Aaron, who range in age from 24-27.

They are the grandparents of eight-year-old Sienna and in August, they’ll happily welcome a second grandchild into the world.

Over the years, Herchenroeder has seen very good and very bad teams at Chaffey.

She considers the football program winning 21 consecutive games at one point, and the men’s basketball program in the state final in 2013 as two of the more remarkable accomplishments while on the job.

It goes without saying that Sheryl is thrilled to see far more women involved in the profession, as well as a diversity that is far more representative of our society.

Lastly, I asked former longtime Daily Bulletin sports journalist Michelle Gardner to reflect on her time and dealings with Herchenroeder, as well as Mt. SAC’s Brian Yokoyama and Kenny Walter, Citrus’ Andrew Wheeler, and one of the best to ever do it, Robert Lewis (PCC), for their thoughts on Sheryl and her impact on their profession.

Quotable:

Former Daily Bulletin/current Arizona Republic journalist, Michelle Gardner: “When I think of Chaffey College, I will always think of Sheryl. The hours spent on campus when you a hold a position she held for so long means a lot of sacrifice as far as time with your own family. Sheryl considered every student-athlete at Chaffey “her child” though. She could not have been more helpful in trying to help our newspaper get good news out about the wonderful coaches and athletes at the college. There was a time after I lost my job at the newspaper that I was considering pursuing a job at a college in a position similar to hers and I went down to the school, and she spent time with me going over some of the ins and outs and the computer/web stuff involved. I will always be grateful for that, although I ended up not landing that type of job. Yes, the school will hire a successor, and that person will have tough shoes to fill.”

PCC Sports Information Director, Robert Lewis: “I met Sheryl for the first time when Chaffey won a CCPRO (Calif. Comm. College Public Relations Organization) award for one of the top three sports media guides due to her exemplary work. I identified with her as at the time we both were working under the Public Relations head at our respective colleges, and later both of us moved over to Athletics. I’m proud of her that she was the very first woman to win our CCCSIA (CCC Sports Information Association) Brass Top Award for being the SID of the Year for this past year. Her service for the SIA over the years was always appreciated. But better, she is a great person and knew her role in Chaffey Athletics was an important one. She will be missed in the SID community, and I hope she and her family enjoy her retirement. Good for her to get out of the rat race.”

Mt. SAC’s Communications Sports Publicity Specialist, Kenneth Walter & Director of Athletics Special Events, Brian Yokoyama: “Sheryl, it won’t be the same without you in the Sports Information Profession. You have been a joy to work with and we have been blessed to have worked and learned beside you. You have raised the bar of this profession and there is no one more deserving of the California Community College Sports Information Association Top Brass Award than you. Best wishes in retirement!”

Assistant Athletic Director at Citrus College, Andrew Wheeler: “As one of the few women in this industry at this level, Sheryl has always exuded confidence and professionalism that is unmatched. Her quick-witted nature and dedication to the student-athletes at Chaffey College will be missed. I wish her a retirement filled with books, good food, and time with her family.”

Chaffey baseball coach, Andrew Smith: “Sheryl has been a wonderful advocate and support system for our baseball program as long as I’ve been here, and a kind and helpful resource for me personally. Sheryl has always been so willing to lend a helping hand, provide encouragement, and share stories with me over the years. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside Sheryl at Chaffey.”

To view photos of Herchenroeder, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook