Loyola Marymount University earned the top spot with 168 points, including 11 first-place votes. UC San Diego trailed closely behind with the second-highest point total of 150.
Other Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools in the WWPA, all of which were represented on the preseason poll, include Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (seventh), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (eighth), Cal Lutheran University (ninth), Occidental College (11th), Whittier College (12th) and the University of La Verne (14th).
Last week, Redlands received the No. 1 national ranking among Division III men's water polo programs, according to the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
Compiling a 2007 overall record of 22-14 and a 9-1 SCIAC tally, the Bulldogs finished No. 1 in the nation among Division III institutions. Redlands finished sixth in the WWPA tournament, defeating Pomona-Pitzer Colleges but falling at the hands of eventual champion Loyola Marymount University and UC San Diego.
The Bulldogs travel to San Diego in September to start the 2008 season where they will compete in the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. Redlands squares off against Long Beach State at 10:30 a.m. and UC San Diego at 1:30 p.m. to open the invitational on Sept. 6.
Traditional title contender Juniata is ranked first with reigning national champion Washington University-St. Louis at No. 2. Emory (Ga.) is third and Wittenberg fourth.
The only other SCIAC school mentioned is Cal Lutheran which checks in at No. 24.
Coach Don Flora returns four starters and 11 letter winners, including senior outside hitter Brianna Gonzales, an AVCA first-team All-America selection in 2007. Also providing La Verne firepower will be 2006 AVCA honorable mention All-American, outside hitter Crista Jones and all-conference athlete Karli Fowlkes, a middle blocker.
Interim Director of Athletics Julie Kline has announced the hiring of Joe Skovron as new head golf coach. A 2004 graduate of La Verne, Skovron returns to his alma mater and succeeds longtime coach and La Verne Hall of Famer Rex Huigens, who retired at the conclusion of the 2008 campaign.
One of the most accomplished players in Leopard history, Skovron played four seasons under Huigens, twice earning All-America honors (2001, 2004) along with being named SCIAC Player of the Year in 2001. He also was a member of the Leopards' 2004 SCIAC Championship team which also finished 6th at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Skovron also was a two-time Academic All-America (2003, 2004) and earned La Verne Male Scholar-Athlete Honors in 2004. He turned professional in June 2004 and played on the U.S. Pro, Spanos, Gateway and Canadian Tours.
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Every week during the season, the NSCAA ranks the top 25 programs for both men's and women's soccer. Each of the nation's eight regions designated by the NSCAA has a member on the ranking committee with an additional ninth committee member that serves as the national chair.
The University of Redlands comes off of a season where it compiled a 20-4 overall record and won its seventh-straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with a 12-2 in-conference tally. Led by a team with two All-Americans, the Bulldogs reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA playoffs and obtained a No. 8 ranking at the season's end.
Head Coach Ralph Perez enters his third season as the Bulldogs' mentor with a remarkable 40-6 record at Redlands and returns three All-SCIAC First Team selections, two of whom garnered All-American honors. Of his 11 starters from last season, six are returning for the 2008 campaign.
The men's soccer team opens its season on Aug. 28 against No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology followed by an Aug. 29 match against The College of New Jersey.
It is the first for Rachel and husband Geoff, the school's men' tennis coach.
Kenzie Michelle arrived at 12:46 a.m. She was 21 and a quarter inches long.
Mother and baby are both doing well.
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During the 2007 season, Arndt helped the Bulldogs win their 28th Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship and advance onto the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in school history. In nine games, he provided 29 solo and 19 assisted tackles to rank fifth on the team in total tackles with 48.
Arndt supplied 10 tackles for a loss of 53 yards, including five sacks for a loss of 39 yards. In addition, he racked up nine quarterback hurries and three pass break-ups while recovering two fumbles for 10 yards. Despite missing the final game of the season due to injury, Arndt earned First Team All-Conference and D3football.com Second Team All-West Region honors.
For a complete list of the D3football.com Preseason All-Americans, please log onto http://www.d3football.com.
In addition, freshman Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA), sophomore Jake Baechle (Aurora, OH) and sophomore Richard Valenti (Palm Desert, CA) joined them as members of the 2008 USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Track & Field Team. To earn a spot on this team, the student-athlete must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and earned at least one provisional or automatic qualifying mark in his/her respective event.
Boasting a cumulative GPA of 3.957 in graduate school, Nugent earned the male field scholar-athlete of the year award based on his success both in the classroom and in competition. He captured a gold medal at the 2008 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the Long Jump. Currently, he is pursuing his Master of Arts in Higher Education at Redlands.
"Fritz is a true 'Renaissance Man,' being able to balance excellence in many different facets of track & field and in life," Head Coach Mike Schmidt said.
Calderon won the women's field scholar-athlete of the year award after accumulating a 3.797 cumulative GPA as a Communicative Disorders major. She led the Bulldogs to their first women's track & field conference championship since 1978 and won both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
"Natalie is a true student-athlete who has shown an amazing ability to balance academics, athletics and community service," Schmidt said.
With a 3.737 cumulative GPA, Smith supplied a standout freshman season, placing sixth at the NCAA Championships in the Javelin Throw with a mark of 138' 8". She earned All-American honors and placed third all-time in program history with her performance.
Baechle and Valenti join Nugent on the men's side as members of the 2008 USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Track & Field Team. As a Business major, Baechle put together a 3.393 cumulative GPA to compliment his breakout year in the 800m Run. He qualified for the NCAA Championships with a time of 1:51.76 and also ran on a 4x400m Relay team that provisionally qualified for the national meet. Valenti boasts a 3.457 cumulative GPA and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the Hammer Throw where he threw for a distance of 157' 0".
Baseball coach Scott Winterburn has been named assistant athletic director for compliance. He has been part of the athletic staff since 2000, winning three SCIAC titles in his eight years, the most recent coming this spring.
Softball coach Julie Smith, who just completed her first year at the school, is assuming a new role as senior women's administrator.
She led the Leopards to a 28-19 mark on the diamond, including a win at the first SCIAC Tournament that gave them a berth in the Division III West Regional.
With a 3.72 GPA, senior driver David Mills (Los Alamitos, CA) boasts the highest GPA of the five Bulldogs named to the All-Academic Team. This Business major scored eight goals and accumulated seven assists, 14 steals and three ejections drawn over the course of the 2007 season.
Sophomore defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA) offers a 3.45 cumulative GPA as a Business major. He recorded 11 goals, seven assists, 11 steals and 17 ejections drawn in the Bulldogs' 2007 season.
Also majoring in Business, sophomore driver Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) posted a 3.58 GPA. In addition to his 25 goals, R. Floersch supplied 14 assists, 19 steals and 30 ejections drawn during the 2007 season.
Junior driver Clint Stevenson (South Jordan, UT) earns a spot on the team with a 3.01 GPA as a Business major. He offered 18 goals while totaling nine assists, 24 steals and eight ejections drawn during the 2007 season.
Finally, sophomore goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) rounded out the Redlands players represented on the team with a 3.41 GPA as a Computer Science major. Trowbridge tied for 11th in the country in saves with 233 and posted a save percentage of 43 during his 2007 campaign.
The Bulldogs compiled a 22-14 record during the 2007 season and finished ranked as the top Division III team in the Collegiate Water Polo Coaches final poll. In addition, Redlands tallied a 9-1 mark in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action to take second in the standings.
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"Peter is a great addition to our program," said Gonzalez. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to coaching collegiate student athletes that compliments the rest of the coaching staff's perfectly."
Boyer comes to the Highlanders staff after two years with the University of Redlands where he worked primarily with the defenders and goalkeepers. He also earned his maser of arts in counseling while at Redlands through the School of Education.
Prior to joining the Bulldogs staff, Boyer was the assistant men's soccer coach for the United States Military Academy (ARMY) during the 2005 season. A New Jersey native, Boyer graduated from Drew University (Madison, NJ) with a degree in political science. He also competed on the Rangers men's basketball and men's soccer teams during his undergraduate career.
During his four years on the pitch, Boyer helped the team reach the 2003 NCAA Championship game while earning NSCAA All-American First Team honors. As the team's top goalkeeper, he also gained NSCAA All-Region honors during his junior and senior seasons. To wrap up his career, he was named Freedom Conference Player of the Year in 2003.
Following graduation, Boyer stepped into the coaching ranks by serving as the assistant boys' varsity soccer and basketball coach at his alma mater of Dwight-Englewood School.
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This honor is presented annually by NACDA and USA Today to the nation's best
overall collegiate athletics programs in each division as well as the NAIA.
Williams College (Mass.) was the winner in Division III. Redlands chalked up 438.5 points to finish 30th in the standings. It was the highest finish of any Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) school.
The University of La Verne came in 73rd, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges took 81st and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges 98th. In addition, the Bulldogs surpassed various schools from the West Coast, including Whitworth University (41st), the University of Puget Sound (59th),
Linfield College (68th), and UC Santa Cruz (75th).
"We earn points and remain competitive because of the quality of our programs across the board," Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez said. "This is a great tribute to our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff, who work diligently to help make us the best we can be
every day."
This is the fifth straight season Redlands has been in the top 30. The Bulldogs' best finish came in 2004-05, when they earned 458.5 points for 16th place.
Calderon recently graduated from the University of Redlands with a 3.797 cumulative GPA as a Communicative Disorders major. This season, she helped the Bulldog women's track & field team win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship for the first time since 1978. T
his Dean's List member alone accounted for 68 of Redlands' 131 points by winning the Triple Jump, Long Jump, 100m Dash, 200m Dash, and 100m Hurdles, and contributing to the first-place showing of the 4x400m Relay and the second-place finish of the 4x100m Relay.
She was named the SCIAC Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year for the second-consecutive season and later was crowned the Redlands Frank Serrao Senior Female Student-Athlete of the Year. In addition to owning the school records in the Long Jump and Triple Jump, she won the 2008 NCAA Championships in both events, earning back-to-back titles in the Long Jump. Last season, she earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-American honors.
Nugent earns his fifth CoSIDA Academic award of his career, which includes three All-District and two All-American honors. He currently holds a 3.95 cumulative GPA through the School of Education, in which he is pursuing a Master of Arts in Higher Education.
In 2006, he completed his Bachelor of Arts with a 3.66 GPA as a Studio Arts major. This season, he helped the Bulldog men take second in the conference by earning All-SCIAC honors in the 400m Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump and as a member of the 4x100m Relay.
He captured the second NCAA Championship of his career by winning the Long Jump with a leap of 23' 6 ¾". Last season, he won the NCAA Decathlon Championship with a school-record total of 7,199 points.
Both of these student-athletes have applied for the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
The members of CoSIDA nominate and vote on the Academic All-District teams, with the First Team honorees moving onto the national ballot for possible Academic All-American recognition.
She is in select company as the team is made up of players from Division I, II, III and NAIA schools. Neumann, the SCIAC Player of the Year, was one of just three Division III players named.
Neumann led the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive SCIAC championship and NCAA appearance. Earlier she earned first-team recognition from National Fast-pitch Coaches Association.
During the 2008 campaign, Neumann led the Bulldogs in most offensive categories, hitting .407 with 68 hits, 40 runs scored, 15 doubles, and six home runs. She also tallied four triples and 28 RBI and struck out only twice.
On defense, she boasted a fielding percentage of .977 with a team-leading 254 putouts to go along with 46 assists and picked off 18 would-be base-stealers.