August 2009 Archives
Former University of Redlands women's soccer standout Becky Willis '09 is one of 10 NCAA Division III semifinalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year, according to an announcement made on Aug. 20.
Willis, who was chosen as the representative for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), joins 29 semifinalists from the three divisions of the NCAA.
She endured a competitive nomination process, which included 132 conference nominees representing all three divisions.
The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will trim down the list of 30 semifinalists to nine finalists--three from each division--next month. All semifinalists are invited to attend the 2009 Woman of the Year awards dinner on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis, IN.
The lone Division III recipient of the award was Ashley Jo Rowatt, a swimmer from Kenyon College (OH), in 2003.
A three-year starter for the Bulldog women's soccer team, Willis embodied the ideals of a true scholar-athlete throughout her four years at Redlands. She compiled a 3.664 GPA as a Communicative Disorders major while earning three First-Team All-SCIAC honors and two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas® All-America laurels. In April, she was named the Frank Serrao Student-Athlete of the Year for the women and also received her department's Outstanding Senior Award for posting a 3.98 GPA in her major. Currently, she is taking classes at the University of Texas at Dallas toward a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
The University of La Verne volleyball team is ranked #3 overall in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll, released Aug. 19.
The Leopards, which finished 27-3 last season en route to an appearance in the national championship match, garnered a total of 550 points along with two first-place votes. Defending national champion Emory University topped the poll with 595 points and 20 out of a possible 24 first-place votes, followed by Juniata College with 555 points and one first-place vote.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh (521) and Washington-St. Louis (495) round out the fourth and fifth spots in the poll, respectively.
First-year head coach Marlon Sano welcomes five returning starters plus the libero to the lineup. Among that group is senior middle blocker Crista Jones, who earned AVCA First Team All-America honors a year ago. Also returning are the trio of junior opposite Anna Calmer, senior middle blocker Ashley Morgado and senior setter Yesenia Lopez. Each earned All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) accolades in 2008.
La Verne will battle seven teams ranked among the Top 15 in the poll, including matches against #2 Juniata and #5 Washington-St. Louis at the annual Teri Clemens Invitational in St. Louis, MO.
The Leopards will hold their annual Alumni match on Sept. 1 at Frantz Athletic Court before opening the regular season at the Pacific Coast Classic Tournament Sept. 4-5 in Claremont.
The University of Redlands announces the broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2009 football campaign, which marks the 100th season of Bulldog football. With continued coverage on the radio and through the web, all nine Redlands football games will be available on KCAA 1050 AM radio with a simulcast available on the KCAA web site.
For the 22nd year, fans will follow every snap, pass, and touchdown with hosts Mitch McClellan and Brett Malak.
During the Bulldogs' games, fans outside of KCAA's listening range may also tune into the action through the station's simulcast on the web, enabling fans around the world to follow the action. To access the web-cast, go to the station's homepage at http://www.kcaaradio.com/ and then click listen live. In addition, this link is available directly from the Bulldog Football Schedule page by going to http://www.goredlands.com, choosing football under Sports, and then clicking on "Schedule".
Redlands kicks off the 100th season of football with a 5 p.m. home game against East Texas Baptist University on Saturday, September 12, in Ted Runner Stadium. Prior to the game, fans are invited to "Rah Rah Redlands", a family-friendly reception at the football practice field.
Please contact the Alumni Office for more information at 909-748-8011.
"This is a great honor for Bulldog men's tennis," commented Head Coach Geoff Roche. "Earning this award has become part of our tradition, dating back as far as I can remember. I'm proud to work with such exemplary student-athletes at the University of Redlands."
In addition, freshman Lander Jewett (Helena, MT), junior Daniel Adachi (Honolulu, HI), junior Mike Reading (Mill Creek, WA), and senior Aron Ouye (San Diego, CA) all earned ITA Scholar-Athlete status, which is given to varsity letter-winners with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above who have completed at least two semesters of college coursework.
Adachi owns a 3.507 GPA as a Liberal Studies major and played a supporting role in Redlands' 19-9 season.
Equipped with a 3.886 GPA, Jewett enjoyed his rookie campaign as a reserve competitor. He is pursuing a degree in Biology.
Reading looks forward to his senior year as a Religious Studies major with a 3.634 GPA. Last season, he joined forces with sophomore Cameron Spearman (Laguna Niguel, CA) as the Bulldogs' top doubles duo, earning a 19-12 record. In singles, Reading went 13-18, primarily at the No. 2 spot.
Ouye wrapped up a solid four-year career at Redlands by graduating with a 3.519 GPA as an Accounting major. He compiled a 52-47 singles record, primarily at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. He also garnered a record of 21-13 in doubles during his career.
The Redlands men's tennis team earned a solid 19-9 record during the 2009 season while competing against numerous nationally ranked teams. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 18th consecutive year and finished out their campaign as the No. 10 team in the country.
As the team's associate head coach, Renfro is in charge of working with the hitters and will assist Laverty in his head coaching duties as needed.
Renfro coached under Laverty from 2002-07 and was a member of the staff that guided the 2006 team to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title. During his tenure at Redlands, Laverty's teams combined for a 111-88 record.
After the 2007 season, Renfro sustained injuries after falling from a ladder. In his two years away from the game, he has been recovering from knee replacement surgery.
A seasoned veteran, he has served as a baseball coach at Rio Hondo College (1973-75), Los Angeles Valley College (1975-79) and Esperanza High School (1997-2000). In addition, he dabbled in coaching softball at Rim of the World High School from 2000-01. He starred on the diamond at the University of Southern California, Rio Hondo College and Pepperdine University and garnered All-Conference laurels competing for Rio Hondo and Pepperdine.
"We are extremely lucky to have Coach Renfro back to work with our players," Laverty said. "His great knowledge of the game will help us continue to build on the success we have had over the past five years."
Renfro currently resides in Crestline with his wife, Paige, and has three grown children.
Six members of the No. 19 University of Redlands men's water polo squad garnered a spot on the 2008-09 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Academic Team. This honor is awarded to student-athletes who boast a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA while competing as one of the top 10 players at a member institution.
In his first year at Redlands, freshman driver Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) gained a 3.46 GPA in his first year as a Biology major. Competing in his inaugural season with the Bulldogs, Harp tallied four goals, eight assists, six steals and one ejection drawn and also earned a spot on the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Freshman Team.
With a 3.41 GPA as a Business major, junior driver Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA) lands on the All-Academic team following a productive 2008 season, which included 18 goals, 44 assists, 16 steals, 14 ejections drawn and six field blocks.
Junior utility player Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) boasts a 3.55 GPA while majoring in Business. In 2008, R. Floersch scored 14 goals while also supplying 35 assists, 27 steals, nine field blocks and a team-leading 55 ejections drawn.
His brother, junior defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA), also earns a spot on the All-Academic team by putting together a 3.49 GPA as a Business major. J. Floersch enjoyed a solid 2008 season with 10 goals, 18 assists, 14 steals, 30 ejections drawn and 11 field blocks.
Sophomore driver Tim Hendrickson (Los Altos, CA) has stockpiled a 3.46 GPA while majoring in Business. During the 2008 campaign, he scored a goal in addition to offering seven assists, 13 steals, one ejection drawn and six field blocks.
Senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) garnered a place among the academic honorees with a 3.36 GPA. This Computer Science major patrolled the goal for the Bulldogs this past season and saved 207 shots while dishing out 15 assists.
Earlier this year, these six student-athletes also garnered spots on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPA) All-Academic Team.
Redlands finished the 2008 season at 29-9 and compiled the most wins in the program's history. The Bulldogs held a national ranking nearly the entire season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and finished the season at No. 19.
