College Sports with Michelle Gardner

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The University of La Verne will not be going back to the Elite Eight - at least not this season.

The Leopards were beaten in the Division III West Region championship match by Colorado College 25-19, 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-9. The loss was a disappointing one because it had more to do with what the Leopards didn't do than something the Tigers did do. They had trouble with serving, serve receiving and passing - all areas in which they are typically sound.

The Leopards have built such a solid tradition that anything short of a trip to the Elite Eight seems like a disappointment. It's easy to take that success for granted. But the Leopards dealt with a coaching change as well as injuries, one of which sidelined a key player the last month. So they are to be commended for their showing.

It was also a nice run for the SCIAC schools, Redlands and Cal Lutheran also made the regional and all three won their quarterfinal which validated the fact that they deserved to be there. In fact both Cal Lutheran and La Verne beat other teams that were nationally ranked.

Redlands lost to La Verne and Cal Lutheran lost to Colorado College in the semifinals, both in five sets. So it easily could have been an All-SCIAC final.

All three of those teams return a lot of key players next season so it could be just as much of a dogfight next season.

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The University of La Verne volleyball team has been there before and it showed.

The Leopards surged past Pacific Lutheran 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 27-25, 25-19) in the NCAA Division III West Region tournament at the University of Redlands on Thursday. That puts the Leopards into the semifinals on Friday against the winner of Redlands-Chapman which is next up.

La Verne might have finished third in the SCIAC but the Leopards have a bunch of players who finished one win short of a national title a year ago. So they know what it takes when it's all on the line.

Crista Jones delivered 23 kills and 20 digs while Anna Calmer added 14. Yesenia Lopez and Kendall Kraiss combined for 50 assists. Lopez also collected a team-high 21 digs.

That also makes the SCIAC 2-for-2 on the day with the Bulldogs still to play. Cal Lutheran defeated Puget Sound earlier in the day. It goes to show that the SCIAC deserved all three entrants.

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The University of Redlands has been selected as the host for the NCAA Division III West Region Volleyball Tournament which starts on Thursday.

The announcement came down Monday morning but surprised no one. There are seven teams in the field and four are from Southern Calfiornia so it wouldn't have made sense for the NCAA to ship those four to one of the other three.

Colorado College (33-4) is the top seed and has a bye. It will got to the semifinal against the winner of Cal Lutheran-Puget Sound. University of La Verne gets Pacific Lutheran and Redlands will draw Chapman.

The quality of competition in the SCIAC was evident in last week's four-team tournament that ended with a thrilling 3-2 win by Redlands over La Verne. The semifinal between Cal Lutheran and La Verne was equally exciting. By including all three teams the NCAA got it right!

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Injuries are a growing concern for University of Redlands football coach Mike Maynard, whose Bulldogs will play at Chapman at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

It may be a nonconference game but it is still crucial because if the Bulldogs can beat Cal Lutheran the last game of the season and forge a three-way tie with Occidental it will need that win to further its case for an at-large playoff bid which the SCIAC rarely gets.

The Bulldogs (6-1) are thinning out at wide receiver Tyler Aubrey and tight end Pete Tobiason are already out. Brian Putman, Brendan Barkate and Evan Reuter, who form possibly the top receiving trio in the conference, are all game-time decisions.

The defensive line is also a concern.

The Panthers (3-4), who have two wins by a combined seven points, always find a way to come up big against the Bulldogs no matter how much they seem to be struggling. Sot it should be a battle.

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The University of Redlands got a win on the field and another off it Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) cruised past Pomona-Pitzer 41-14 at Ted Runner Stadium. Dan Selway threw for 405 yards, his best showing this season. Daylan Swedlow ran for 100 with three touchdown runs, the highlight being a 25-yard in which he broke at least a half a dozen tackles.

The Bulldogs also got good news as Cal Lutheran beat Occidental 24-14. That means if the Bulldogs win their last two they could forge a three-way tie for first with Oxy and Cal Lutheran. Of couse that will be no easy task as Cal Lutheran is a formidable foe and Redlands will have to travel there the last game of the season.

As for the Sagehens . . . well they put up a fight. They only trailed 13-0 at the half despite being outplayed in every way. Jacob Caron is a quality quarterback and did everything he could. He just doesn't have the talent around him that Selway does.

Next up for Redlands is Chapman. Occidental is next for the Sagehens!

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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. 
 

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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.

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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.

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Senior center Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) of the University of Redlands women's water polo team and Bulldog women's lacrosse's senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) both earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VIII At-Large Second Team for the College Division, according to an announcement made today by CoSIDA.

Greenawalt, who boasts a 3.53 GPA as a Communicative Disorders major, enters the ranks of the Academic All-District honorees for the first time in her collegiate career. An outstanding student, she earned the Redlands Scholar-Athlete honor this year, which is bestowed upon those that possess a GPA of at least a 3.5.

In the pool, Greenawalt has been a mainstay in the Bulldogs' offensive attack throughout her four years, finishing out her tenure ranked fourth all-time in career goals (255).

This past season, she helped lead the team to the Collegiate III Women's Water Polo National Championship title game. Greenawalt also garnered First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) honors and gained a selection to the Collegiate III Women's Water Polo National Championship All-Tournament First Team. She scored a team-high 74 goals this year while also adding team-highs in assists (29) and field blocks (15). Greenawalt also supplied 30 steals and 35 ejections drawn.

Matta owns a 3.70 GPA as an Accounting major, and her selection to the Academic All-District team marks the second time she has received this honor. A three-time Redlands Scholar-Athlete, she has continuously personified the ideals of a true student-athlete, boasting both academic and athletic excellence.

 Matta, who also earned an Academic All-District nod in 2008, has proven to be one of the most potent offensive threats in program history. She owns career program records in ground balls (198) and draw controls (169) and also ranks second all-time in goals (100). This past season, Matta produced the team's second-highest totals in goals (27), points (30) and draw controls (53) while also adding three assists, 30 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.

Both Greenawalt and Matta were chosen through the At-Large program, which includes all student-athletes in varsity sports that do not have a designated CoSIDA nomination process. These sports include women's bowling, women's crew, men's and women's fencing, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's skiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo and men's wrestling.

CoSIDA's District VIII includes institutions located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington in addition to those located in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon. The College Division includes all non-NCAA Division I institutions in the district.

All nominees must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and participate in 50 percent of their team's games to be nominated. The CoSIDA Academic All-District teams, which are presented by ESPN The Magazine, are voted on by members of CoSIDA.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About the only thing missing on the resume of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior Larry Wang is a win at the NCAA Division III Championships. He went a long way in remedying that with two victories on the first day of the singles draw Friday at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

It is Wang's fourth appearance in the national event and he failed to win a match the first three years. He entered this year's event seeded No. 2 with the added pressure of playing on his home court.

But Wang delivered, coming from behind to defeat Steven Sullivan of Bowdoin 7-5, 6-2 in the round of 32, then advancing to the quarterfinals with a 5-7, 6-2 6-3 win over John Pelton of Hope College (Mich.).

Wang is the last hope for a local winner as freshman teammate Robbie Erani lost a three-setter to Ben Stein of Bates College 6-1, 2-6, 6-2.

The University of Redlands duo of junior Mike Reading and sophomore Cameron Spearman fell to the No. 4 seeded team of Zack Lerner and Moritz Koenig of Amherst College 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

"I was kind of nervous, playing on my home court and being our last hope," he said. "I just needed to settle in and start playing my game. I was really just focused on the first round and getting past that."

Wang trailed 5-3 in the opening set against Sullivan, but reeled off the next four to win the set. He cruised in the second.

His match later in the day was just the opposite. He surged out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, then dropped five of the next six games with Pelton securing the set when Wang netted a forehand return.

Wang also got out to a 4-1 lead in the second set but didn't falter at that point again. Pelton held serve to make it 4-2 but Wang held the next game, then got a set-ending service break when Pelton netted an overhead.

"He did a good job of adjusting to my game," Wang said. "I just had to do a better job of executing my shots."

Wang dominated the third set, getting the key break to go up 5-3 when Pelton returned a serve out. Wang then won his serve at love, closing out the match with an overhead as Pelton was running in.

Wang squares off against No. 5 seed Michael Goodwin of Emory (Ga.) today at 9 a.m. The two have played twice this season, splitting matches. Earlier in the week, Wang was named West Region Player of the Year while Goodwin was the South Atlantic Player of the Year, then nabbed the overall National Player of the Year honor.

"I'm going to have to bring my 'A' game and I can't get off to a slow start," he said.

UC Santa Cruz won the team title, beating Amherst 5-0. It was the seventh championship for the Banana Slugs who defeated CMS in the West Region final, preventing it from playing for the team title on its home court.

CMS coach Paul Settles had mixed feeling about that. Santa Cruz and CMS have played in the past four regional finals, splitting those. Both are consistently in the top five in the country, but playing in the same region prevents both from advancing.

"It's frustrating because both of us deserve to be here. But that's the way it is," he said. "We all know the situation going in."

While Wang is a veteran at nationals, both Redlands players were making their debut. The team is a relatively new one with Spearman transferring in from Nevada-Reno this season.

They came back from a one-set deficit to force a third. With the pivotal set tied at 3, the Amherst duo reeled off three straight games, winning the last at love and all the points coming on return errors by the Bulldogs. They finished the season 15-7.

"It was a great experience to come and play in championship environment," Reading said. "It was nice to come back and make it a match. Both of us have big serves and we used that to get back in it." "It takes time to build a rapport and a relationship," Bulldogs coach Geoff Roche said. "This was a great showing for them to get this far in their first year playing together."

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During the 2009 campaign, Smith led the Bulldogs in every statistical category for field players.  In 13 games, she tallied 48 goals and 13 assists for 61 points.  She picked up 49 ground balls and captured 54 draw controls.  With her stellar defense, she forced opponents to make 22 turnovers.

Nationally, she landed 24^th in draw controls per game at 4.15 and ranked 36^th in ground balls per game at 3.77.  Smith also finished out the season among the top 100 in Division III for goals per game (52^nd) and caused turnovers (73^rd). 

In addition, Smith played a crucial role in the Bulldogs' final ranking of eighth in the nation for draw controls at 15.93 per game.

Currently, Smith sits among various top-10 lists at the University of Redlands for single-season and career records.  In just two years, she owns the mark for career points per game (4.79) as well as career goals (116).

This is Smith's second All-Region award in as many years, following last season's spot on the First Team. 

Smith is now eligible for inclusion on the IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American teams, which will be announced on May 22.

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Sophomore Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) and junior Jake Baechle (Aurora, OH) of the University of Redlands track & field teams gained invitations to the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Marietta, OH, according to an official announcement made today by the NCAA.

Smith, who will compete in the Javelin Throw, enters the meet with the eighth-best mark in NCAA Division III at 139' 6". A two-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champion in the event, she placed sixth at the 2008 NCAA Championships in the Javelin Throw, earning All-American status. Trials and finals for the Javelin Throw are both on May 21.

For the second straight season, Baechle has graced the list of NCAA Championship invitees in the 800m Run. Also a two-time SCIAC Champion in the event, he competed in last year's national championship meet, clocking a 1:53.77 in the preliminary heats of the 800m Run. His entry time of 1:51.28 ranks sixth in NCAA Division III this season. Trials for the men's 800m Run are on May 22 while finals take place on May 23.

Hosted by Marietta College (OH), the NCAA Championships occur from May 21-23 at Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, OH.

For an official list of those chosen for the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, please visit http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexod.html.

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The University of La Verne golf team moved into first place after two rounds of the Division III national tournament at the PGA Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Thursday.

The Leopards (575) shot a team total of 5-under 283 over the par 72, 6,973-yards Ryder course to surge past first-round leader Methodist (NC) which ballooned to a 15-over 303 on the harder 7,123-yard Dye course for a two-day 582.

The University of Redlands, the national runner-up four of the last five years, remained in seventh place (695) in the 36-team field after a 10-over 298.

Leading the charge for La Verne were junior Mitchell Fedorka and senior Rizal Amin who are 1-2 on the individual leaderboard.

Fedorka added a 1-under 71 to his 5-under 67 the first day for a 138, which is three strokes better than Amin. He went 3-over on the seventh, eighth and ninth holes but followed that up by going 4-under over the next four holes highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 13th hole.

"He really doesn't get too rattled," La Verne coach Joe Skovron said of his top player, who entered the event ranked No. 1 individually. "That's the best thing about him. He has shown the last two days what kind of player he is."

Amin's 3-under 69 was the best round of any player on Thursday. He continued his steady play with a round that consisted of five birdies and two bogeys with a 35 on the front nine and a 34 on the back.

Rounding out the scoring for the Leopards were Andrew Kramer with a 2-under 70 (147) and Eric Bunge with a 1-over 73 (153). The non-scoring member on Thursday was Kevin Smith with a 3-over 75 (151).

Redlands is 20 strokes behind La Verne but just four strokes out fourth place. The Bulldogs were led by sophomore Alex Hedlund who is fourth individually after carding a 2-over 74 for a total of 144.

Junior Ross Canavan settled for an even-par 72 which puts him 26th in the field of 185 golfers at 148.

Also factoring in the scoring were freshman Todd Steller (75) and lone senior J.C. Riter (77), with Steller improving on an opening round of 84.

Scott Pena (82) was the discarded score of the day.

Freshman Tain Lee of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who qualified for the event as an individual, shot a 2-over 74 and is tied for 57th with a 151.

All the teams will compete on the Dye course Friday. The Leopards will be in the first group, teeing off the first hole at 10:30 a.m. The first player from Redlands will go off No. 10 at the same time.

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In most sports the SCIAC does well to get two teams from the conference in the playoffs so it was a pleasant surprise that three have been selected to the double-elimination Division III West Regional to be hosted by East Texas Baptist starting Thursday.

The University of Redlands (30-10) got the automatic bid by winning the four-team conference tournament but the Bulldogs also won the regular season. They will be the No. 4 seed in the seven-team event.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (28-14), the SCIAC tournament runner-up), received the No. 6 seed while the University of La Verne (28-18) is the No. 7.

"I'm very excited that we got three teams in and all are deserving," Redlands coach Laurie Nevarez said. "I think we're going to surprise some people."

Athenas coach Betsy Hipple agrees.

"The object is to take the best teams in the West Region," she said. "I don't see how you can not take all three teams."

Joining host and No. 3 seed East Texas Baptist (37-7) are top-seed Linfield, Ore. (36-4), No. 2 Louisiana College (36-7) and No. 5 Texas-Tyler (34-8), which hosted the event in 2008.

As surprising as the fact that three SCIAC teams got in is that three got in and Redlands still was not awarded the right to host. The school did submit a bid and the NCAA typically gives that honor based on finanical concerns. The fewer teams that need to fly, the better.

Even though the three SCIAC teams are closer in proximity, four teams were going to have to fly in to either location.

"They were ranked higher than we were most of the season so I guess they didn't think they could take it away from them," Nevarez said.

La Verne was the second seed in the SCIAC tournament but lost a 13-inning game to CMS in the loser's bracket that resulted in their elimination.

What likely helped get the Leopards in was a 5-4 win over Linfield, the No. 1 ranked in the country. Five of the seven in the field are ranked with East Texas at No. 3, Louisiana at 11, Texas-Tyler at 14 and Redlands at No. 25.

The teams will leave today and practice at the venue on Wednesday.

Division II men's golf

The University of Redlands will join the University of La Verne at the Division III national tournament which starts May 13 at the PGA Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
La Verne, ranked second nationally, was the SCIAC's automatic qualifier. Redlands received one of just two at-large bids handed out.

The Bulldogs success on the national stage seems to warrant that as they have finished as the national runner-up four of the last five years. The year that Redlands didn't go, 2007, La Verne was the runner-up giving the conference a streak of five straight second-place finishers.

"We're glad to get the chance to go again," Redlands coach Art Salvesen said. "Winning the conference is nice but it isn't our main goal.

Redlands is ranked ninth nationally. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is No. 12 and had a shot at earning an at-large bid as well but the Bulldogs likely secured a bid by finishing one spot ahead of the Stags at the SCIAC 36-hole tournament, the last event of the regular season.
Methodist (N.C.) is ranked No. 1 but Salvesen likes La Verne's chances.

"I think they're the team to beat, I really do," he said. "They're talented and have some veteran players that have been there before."

It will be the first time La Verne has made the trip without veteran coach Rex Huigens, Salvensen's close friend, who retired after last season. The Leopards are now coached by Joe Skovron, a former player at the school.

Chaffey baseball

The Panthers (29-13) drew the No. 18 seed and will travel to No. 15 Ventura (26-16) for a first round playoff game at 2 p.m. today. It will be the sixth straight playoff appearance for coach Jeff Harlow's team.

The Panthers finished third in the Foothill Conference behind Mt. San Jacinto (31-10) and Rio Hondo (24-16) which drew the No. 7 and No. 16 seeds respectively.

"It was pretty much what I expected," Harlow said. "We had the highest RPI of the teams in the Southern region so we deserved to get in. We had a good practice yesterday (Sunday) so the guys are ready and excited."

Freshman right-hander Colby Gurney (10-0), out of Alta Loma High School, will get the start for the Panthers.

CMS women's lacrosse

The Athenas (12-1) were selected for the 26-team NCAA field and will travel to Cortland State for a first-round game on Wednesday.

CMS has qualified for the NCAA Championships three straight years. The team is led by the scoring trio of sophomore Sarah Dick (41 goals), senior Courtney Cronin (41 goals) and junior Colbi Brawner (40 goals).

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By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

REDLANDS -- The young Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team knew it faced a formidable challenge in having to face traditional power University of Redlands in the championship game of the SCIAC tournament Saturday afternoon.

It didn't help that the Athenas had to fight through the loser's bracket, outlasting La Verne in 13 innings, only to play Redlands an hour later.

Experience paid off as the top-seeded Bulldogs posted a 5-1 win in the title tilt. Redlands (30-10) now awaits word on where it will head for the Division III West Region while CMS (28-14) is hoping the strong showing will result in an at-large berth. The SCIAC did get two teams in the regional last season.

"They have a championship culture and we're still trying to build one. We went a long way in doing that today," CMS coach Betsy Hipple said. "That game took a ton out of us but we still had to stay the course. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle."

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 25 by the NFSCA, had their ace in the circle as junior Olivia Ellis hurled every inning of all three of her team's games in the event. She set down the first 13 hitters she faced with the first hit being a single by Emily Lopez with one out in the fifth.

By then Redlands had already surged out to a 5-0 lead with senior second baseman Dory Baga knocking home four of those runs. She clubbed a three-run home run off an 0-2 pitch from Julia Cruz in the third that followed singles by Kayla Peterson and Lizett Casillas.

"I was looking for something inside," Baga said. "We have been focusing on swinging hard and it paid off. It was nice to have a lead but we respect the game and we know anything can still happen."

Redlands, the visiting team despite playing on its home field, added to that in the fifth with the same players doing the damage. Peterson and Casillas singled with Peterson scoring on Baga's second hit of the day. Lindsay Henry then drove home Casillas with a single and the Bulldogs were not threatened again.

Ellis surrendered just four hits and one run while striking out six.

CMS, which finished the game with four freshman and five sophomores on the field, prevented the shutout with a run in the seventh on a run-scoring single by sophomore Chelsea Baker.

Ellis was also backed by a defense that played error-free.

"Our first goal was winning the regular season and the second was the conference tournament," Redlands coach Laurie Nevarez said. "We're going to savor this today and tomorrow refocus on a regional championship."

Redlands will find out its destination for the regional on Monday. It has submitted a bid to host but everything depends on what teams qualify and how many will have to be flown in.

Hipple will be on the call as the conference rep.

"I hope we get a shot to keep playing but I'm proud no matter what happens," she said.

CMS 3, La Verne 2

Michelle Brody stroked a run-scoring single in the 13th inning to boost the Athenas past defending champion La Verne in loser's bracket play.

The game tookl more than three hours. CMS managed 13 hits and La Verne collected 12. Each team finished with 13 runners left on base with CMS loading the bases in the eighth and ninth with no outs but failing to score.

Brody and Jessica Vaughn had three hits each for the Athenas. La Verne got two each from Melissa Carlson, Diandra Burns and Daryn Schively.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year the University of Redlands softball team was fortunate. The Bulldogs finished first in the SCIAC during the regular season, only to lose the tournament final and the automatic playoff bid to University of La Verne.

But the Bulldogs made it into the Division III West Region tournament with an at-large bid.

They are hoping it doesn't come down to that this season.

The Bulldogs host the four-team double-elimination event today and Saturday. No. 2 La Verne (27-13, 16-8) will face No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (26-12, 15-9) at 9 a.m. with No. 1 Redlands (27-10, 20-4) following against No. 4 Whittier (24-16, 11-13).

The loser's bracket game is slated for 2 p.m. with the winners following at 4:30 p.m. Action gets underway at 10 a.m. on Saturday with a loser's bracket game.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 25 by the National Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association, went 4-0 against the Poets this season with two games ending early on the mercy rule.

Redlands leads the conference in hitting and fielding and ranks second to CMS in pitching.
Junior outfieler Kayla Peterson (.434) leads the team in hitting with sophomore first baseman Lizett Casillas (.419) and junior catcher Nicky Neumann (.383) among the other valuable offensive weapons. The Bulldogs have also gotten a boost from freshman Lindsay Henry (.393), named the SCIAC Rookie of the Year.

Junior Olivia Ellis (20-5, 1.70) and Amanda Doeppel (7-3, 1.93) have handled the bulk of the pitching.

The Leopards split both doubleheaders they played against the Athenas this season. Coach Julie Smith thinks her team is peaking at the right time.

It is led by senior outfielder Melissa Carlson (.462) who led the conference in hitting, runs scored and stolen bases. She earned SCIAC Player of the Year honors even though her team finished second.

Among the other La Verne standouts are freshman outfielder Diandra Burns (.443) and sophomore shortstop Ashley Paul (.384), also a starter on the basketball team.

"We're loose. We're confident. We're ready to go," she said. "I think we're in a good place right now."

Smith said the turning point for her team likely came halfway through the season when junior Sabrina Garcia (7-2, 2.68) joined the team. Sophomore Delaney Baylor (15-7, 2.36) had shouldered much of the load in the pitching circle but the team didn't have a consistent No. 2.
Garcia was at the school, having transferred from NAIA Hope International. She planned on playing next year but Smith enlisted her help midseason.

"It's in how you present it," she said. "I just told them she is giving up more than she's taking because she is giving up a year of eligibility to help us now."

Redlands won three of four games against La Verne and split four games against CMS.

CMS is led by junior pitcher Julia Cruz (13-5, 1.18) and senior pitcher Erika Weingart (10-6, 2.80) and sophomore outfielder Gizelle Pera (.379).

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Damiani went undefeated during the two-day event, competing at No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles.  She played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs' share of the conference championship and upset of No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the tournament final.

Damiani joined forces with teammate junior Rachael Miller and posted doubles wins over Whittier (8-1), Cal Lutheran (8-2), and Pomona-Pitzer (8-5).

In singles, Damiani captured a 6-1, 6-3 victory over her opponent from Cal Lutheran during the semifinal round and then clinched the match win, conference championship, and NCAA automatic bid for the Bulldogs with her come-from-behind 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 showing against the Sagehens.

For her contributions during the season, Damiani earned First Team All-Conference honors.

The male athlete of the week was Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges' tennis player Larry Wang.

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By capturing the 2009 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with sweeps over Whittier College and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the University of Redlands softball team looks forward to hosting the second annual SCIAC Postseason Softball Tournament on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the "Field of Dreams". 

The double-elimination tournament begins at 9 a.m. on Friday with the second-seeded University of La Verne Leopards taking on the No. 3 Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

As the No. 1 seed, the Bulldogs face off against the No. 4 Poets of Whittier College at 11:30 a.m.

The losers compete again at 2 p.m., followed by a winners' duel at 4:30 p.m.

Play continues on Saturday with games at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and then at 3 p.m. if necessary.

Admission is free.  Fans are reminded that pets are not permitted at the "Field of Dreams", per University of Redlands policy.

For additional information, please log onto http://www.goredlands.com/sports/sball/2008-09/SCIAC_Postseason.

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Prior to the start of game one, the Bulldogs recognized senior second baseman/shortstop Dory Baga (Aiea, HI), senior outfielder Roxy Lambert (La Jolla, CA) and senior outfielder Jennie Fregoso (Bloomington, CA) for their years of service to the program.

Redlands wasted little time getting on the board as the team hung three runs on the Poets in the first inning. Junior outfielder Kayla Peterson (San Jose, CA) scored on a single by freshman catcher/third baseman Lindsay Henry (Lake Elsinore, CA) through the right side, and junior pitcher/designated player Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA) pushed two across with a two-run single to right.

The Bulldog defense held in the top of the second before the Maroon and Gray overwhelmed Whittier in the bottom half of the second with five runs on six hits. Junior catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA), freshman shortstop Kai Masutani (Honolulu, HI), Peterson, sophomore first baseman/outfielder Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) and Baga accounted for Redlands' run total in the frame.

After a coach's visit at the pitcher's circle by Whittier, Poet pitcher Amanda Webster calmed down, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the third and fourth. Whittier scored one run in the third, putting Redlands just out of reach of downing the Poets by means of the eight-run rule.

Baga led off the fifth and ended the game with a walk-off bomb over the leftfield fence, putting the team one step closer to SCIAC glory.

Peterson, Casillas, Baga and Henry all accumulated two hits while Baga completed the hardest half of hitting for the cycle with a home run and a triple.

Junior pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) pitched brilliantly, allowing just one run to cross in a five-strikeout, complete-game victory.

Webster surrendered nine runs, all of which were earned, in four full innings of work for the Poets.

The back end of the doubleheader started off with Redlands exploding offensively, as the Bulldogs scored one in the first and seven in the second.

Neumann doubled to start the bottom of the first, advanced to third on a stolen base and scored on a Peterson groundout to put the Maroon and Gray up early. A costly error by the Poet third baseman gave way to seven unearned runs as the Bulldog base runners capitalized on the extended inning, taking extra bases at will. Freshman outfielder Kirstie Bender (Lakewood, CA), senior outfielder Roxy Lambert (La Jolla, CA), freshman pitcher/outfielder Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA), Neumann, Casillas, Peterson and Baga all touched home plate during the seven-run inning.

Whittier answered with one run in the third on two hits, but Redlands returned the blow with a two-run home run by Neumann.

Once again, the Poets fought to keep the game at seven innings as Kellie Canida launched a two-run blast over the centerfield fence to pull Whittier within seven.

After two scoreless innings, the Bulldogs took advantage on an opportunity to put the game away. Neumann walked to start off the sixth, and Peterson singled to the shortstop to place two on for Casillas. Casillas ripped a shot to the gap in right centerfield, giving Neumann plenty of time to score the winning run.

Neumann headlined game two with four runs and four RBI on three hits. Peterson also paced the offense with a 3-for-4 performance at the dish, driving in two runs while scoring once. Also providing multi-hit outings were Casillas and Ruelas.

Ellis got the ball in the second bout as well, pitching a complete game. She struck out four and allowed three runs, all of which were earned.

Heather Dady shouldered the loss for the Poets despite giving up just one earned run.

Redlands (25-10, 18-4) rounds out its regular season with a doubleheader against Pomona-Pitzer Saturday afternoon in Claremont. Game time is set for 12 noon.

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The No. 19 University of Redlands baseball team rebounded from its loss against Rutgers University-Newark (NJ) from earlier in the afternoon, defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 11-4, in non-conference action at The Yard on Sunday.

With the win, Head Coach Scott Laverty earned his 200th victory at the helm of the Bulldog baseball program and became just the third coach in the team's history to accomplish that feat. Laverty won his first game on Feb. 11, 2000 by a 13-1 score against Whittier College. Jeff Tape '00 earned the winning decision on the mound in Laverty's first triumph as head coach.

Both teams scored early as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps posted one run on no hits and two errors in the first while Redlands responded with an RBI single by senior infielder Tony Stutevoss (Portland, OR) in the bottom of the inning.

Redlands took a 2-1 lead due to sloppy play by the Stag infield. Stutevoss singled through the right side to start out the inning, but he ended up advancing to second on an error by the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt and went home on an erroneous throw by the first baseman.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps equaled the score in the sixth, but the Bulldogs emerged victorious in the end due in large part to a productive offense in the bottom in the inning.

Senior utility player Will Wetmore (Santa Cruz, CA) doubled to right field with one out, and senior catcher Brett Sandford (Santa Barbara, CA) walked, giving the Bulldogs two men on board. Senior pitcher/infielder Evan Dunn (Portland, OR) grounded out and advanced the two runners, giving Redlands what looked like a dreary situation with two outs. The scoring started when junior shortstop Zack Braband (Alameda, CA) plated Sandford and Dunn with a double to right center, and Braband advanced to third on a passed ball in the ensuing at bat. Senior outfielder/catcher Kyle Rizzo (Redlands, CA) brought in Braband with a single through the right side and then stole second while Stutevoss was at bat. Stutevoss singled to third, which moved Rizzo over, and he lucked out with a botched catch in a steal attempt. Junior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) cleared the bases with a single to centerfield, and senior outfielder Cory Vane (Simi Valley, CA) continued the offensive outburst with a single to third. Finally, senior outfielder Matt Goldstein (Lincoln, CA) closed out the fireworks with an RBI triple that scored Johnson and Vane.

The Stags scored once more in the top of the seventh, but the Bulldogs one-upped their opponent with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Dunn reached on an error by the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps shortstop and eventually stole second and third before scoring on a passed ball. Rizzo, who walked after Dunn stole second, came home via Stutevoss in the following at bat.

Rizzo scored an impressive three runs on one hit and two walks and notched one RBI. Batting a solid 4-for-5, Stutevoss fortified the offense with two runs and two RBI. Vane stretched his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games with a  2-for-5 showing while Braband also recorded a multi-hit game.

Junior pitcher/infielder Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ) pitched solidly for seven full innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. Senior pitcher Kevin Bissell (Orange, CA) and sophomore pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) held the lead in relief, combining for one strikeout and one surrendered earned run. The Stags' Kyle Shipley shouldered the loss.

Redlands (15-6) continues on with Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on Friday when it hosts red-hot Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 3 p.m.

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The University of Redlands swimming & diving team's freshman Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) garnered Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Athlete of the Week honors today following his dominance at the 2009 SCIAC Swimming and Diving Championships from Feb. 12-14 in Long Beach.

Harp torched the program record book, breaking three individual records while having a hand in four relay records. The only event in which he did not walk away a school record holder was in the 50 freestyle as he finished the event just .08 seconds behind sophomore Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina) in an NCAA "A" qualifying time of 20.39.

Additionally, he won the 100 freestyle in an NCAA "A" qualifying mark of 44.97 and registered "B" marks with a first-place 100 butterfly (50.02) and a lead-off split of 1:40.69 in the 800 freestyle relay.

He served as a part of the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:23.16), the winning 200 medley relay (1:34.34) and the winning 400 freestyle relay (3:02.46). Also, he partook in the 800 freestyle relay (6:54.35) that took second overall. Each of his relay contingents captured NCAA "B" qualifying marks.

For his successes, the conference head coaches named him the men's SCIAC Athlete of the Year, edging out worthy candidates such as his teammate, sophomore Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA), and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges' Vincent Pai.

Harp, as well as a few additional Bulldog swimmers, will compete next in the 2009 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, which occurs from March 18-21 in Minneapolis, MN.

The SCIAC Athlete of the Week is voted on by the eight conference sports information directors on a weekly basis.

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The University of Redlands swimming & diving teams finished as runners-up to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in both the men's and women's competition following the third and final day of competition at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships.

Freshman Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) received the conference's Athlete of the Year honor following a meet where he set three program records and one conference record individually and four program marks and one conference standard as a relay member. With "A" qualifying standards in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, he receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship meet, which takes place in Minneapolis, MN, from March 18-21.

The Redlands record book got torched throughout the three-day meet as the men set a total of eight program records while three program marks fell on the women's side.

Saturday's finals session featured a timed-final heat of the women's 1650 freestyle, and three Bulldogs managed top-eight finishes in the event. Sophomore Michelle Camburn (Sunnyvale, CA) stopped the clock at 18:16.25, taking sixth. Camburn's swim bested the program's former record of 18:16.60 in the event, which Cathleen Penney '07 set in 2006. Sophomore Kayla Desai (Lakewood, CO) and junior Danielle Caver (Highland, CA) finished seventh and eighth with times of 18:54.20 and 18:58.71, respectively.

Sophomore Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA) completed the trifecta, winning his third event of the meet with a decisive 16:05.58 victory in the men's 1650 freestyle. Alders flirted with the program record in the event (16:04.99) but earned an NCAA provisional qualifying time with the performance nonetheless. Senior Marc Hicks (Granada Hills, CA) caught Occidental Colleges' Michael Wade at the 800 mark of the race and earned a fifth-place finish (16:47.88) while junior Ned Voytovich (Salt Lake City, UT) powered through the back half of his race to gain a seventh-place time of 17:01.21.

Utilizing her endurance, senior Hillary Nicholson (Santa Cruz, CA) maintained a solid spot in the middle of the pack in the women's 200 backstroke throughout the entirety of the race and took fourth with a time of 2:11.16.

Backstroke depth again helped the men earn points as the Bulldogs placed sixth through eighth in the men's 200 backstroke. Junior Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA) took sixth with a 2:01.41 time, sophomore Mike Reilly (Coral Gables, FL) finished seventh with a 2:02.78 mark and junior Chad Kyffin (San Jose, CA) stopped the clock eighth with a 2:02.95 standard.

Two young sprint talents allowed the Bulldogs to make a strong presence in the women's 100 freestyle. Freshman Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) took advantage of a surge in the second half of her race to gain a fifth-place finish (54.91) while freshman Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR) had a competitive showing as well, taking eighth with a 56.00 time.

Harp became the first-ever SCIAC swimmer to crack the elusive 45-second barrier in the men's 100 freestyle as he lowered Greg Milton '96's program and conference record of 45.07, which he set back in 1993 when he won the event at the NCAA Championship meet. Harp's swim also cleared the NCAA automatic qualifying time by .01. His teammate, sophomore Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina), finished right behind him with an NCAA provisional cut time of 45.44. Two additional Redlands swimmers placed in the top eight as well. Senior Buddy Olds (Murrieta, CA) touched the wall at 47.07 for fourth place while junior John Floersch (San Jose, CA) captured seventh (47.50).

Three Redlands student-athletes swam in the championship final of the women's 200 breaststroke, and freshman McKenzie Nakamura (Kenmore, WA) led the way with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and a program record of 2:23.85 in her second-place showing in the event. Cathleen Penney '07 clocked the former gold standard of 2:25.70 back in 2006. Sophomore Jo Navarro (Chandler, AZ) tapped in at 2:33.30 for sixth while sophomore Kelley Cooper (San Antonio, TX) finished eighth with a time of 2:34.70.

Freshman Mike Grant (Weston, MA) took out his first 100 in a 1:03.30 and pushed through the final half of the race to give the Maroon and Gray a fifth-place finish in the men's 200 breaststroke (2:17.60). Rounding out the top eight finishers was Hicks who clocked an eighth-place 2:20.31.

Despite having just two Bulldog representatives in finals, Redlands took advantage of its depth as it accounted for six of the eight consolation finalists in the men's 200 butterfly. Freshman Jesse Lieberman (Princeton, NJ) clocked a lifetime-best 1:57.82 for sixth in the championship final while sophomore Sonny Morin (Seattle, WA) managed a time of 2:02.43, which earned him eighth.

The Redlands women closed out the weekend with a fifth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Sripramong led off the relay with a 54.90 split, setting the pace for the quartet. Freshman K.C. Hughes (Gig Harbor, WA), Cooper and Nakamura followed suit and registered a final time of 3:41.52.

Perhaps none of the broken records of the weekend resonated as much as the Bulldogs' victory in the men's 400 freestyle relay. With the bleachers on the starting end of the pool packed with swimmers cheering on their teammates in the final event of the meet, a loud atmosphere ensued, setting the stage for a final curtain call by the Redlands sprinters.

Olds led off the relay with a time that was nearly a full second faster than that of his 100 freestyle in the championship final an hour prior, clocking a 46.26. Terzic extended the lead over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on the second leg with a 45.25 and handed a two-second lead off to Floersch. With a strong first lap to set the tempo, Floersch muscled his way through the 100 in 46.03 and gave the large lead off to the individual champion in the 100 freestyle, Harp. With the race already in hand, Harp battled the clock and turned in a remarkable anchor split of 44.92 to give the team a total time of 3:02.46.

Their collective efforts earned a quality NCAA "B" cut while erasing a 26-year-old SCIAC record (3:03.10) and a 16-year-old program record (3:05.31).

The Athenas won the women's meet with relative ease, raking in a whopping 1004.5 points throughout the meet. Redlands finished second with 621 points while Pomona-Pitzer Colleges settled for third (547).

For the second consecutive year, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the men's meet. Despite elite performances from both sides, the Stags edged the Bulldogs in the end by a 932.5-871 score. Pomona-Pitzer emerged in a three-team battle for third with 402.5 points.

Both Harp and Terzic possess NCAA "A" cuts and earn an automatic invitation to the NCAA Championship meet, which is held in Minneapolis, MN, from March 18-21. Those who possess "B" qualifying times are placed in an at-large pool but are not guaranteed a spot at the meet.

The NCAA will announce a psych sheet for the NCAA Championship meet after the conference championship season is completed. Further information on additional invitees to the national championship meet will be posted on www.goredlands.com.

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University of Redlands women's soccer senior midfielder Becky Willis (Escondido, CA) earned the right to try out for the Boston Breakers, a Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) franchise, according to announcement by Head Coach Suzette Soboti.

Tryouts are set to occur on Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA. Players attending the tryout may be selected for the team's preseason camp, which will start on Feb. 28.

Willis enjoyed a remarkable career as a student-athlete at Redlands. Throughout her storied Bulldog tenure, she garnered two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/ adidas® All-American honors, three NSCAA/adidas® All-Region laurels and three First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) nods, including the 2008 SCIAC Player of the Year award. This past season, Willis tied the program mark for assists in a season with eight and led the team to its first-ever at-large bid into the NCAA Championships.

"This opportunity is great for the exposure of the University of Redlands as a premier Division III institution," Soboti said. "It's every girl's dream to have this opportunity, and being that this is the first year of the league, many are having the chance to move on to the next level that didn't have it before. The goal is to help bring the girls to the next level, whether it be as a player, coach or otherwise, and hopefully Becky's experience in Boston motivates those on the team that want to play professionally."

While the competition is fierce in trying out for the Breakers, Soboti said that the experience there could open up other opportunities should she not make the training camp roster.

"If she goes to the Boston Breakers tryout and doesn't make the cut, she could possibly get on other WPS teams," Soboti said. "The soccer community is very small, and if the coach there thinks she has potential, she may get a similar opportunity with another franchise."

A handful of undergraduate Redlands student-athletes will try out for the Ventura County Fusion, a semi-pro team, this summer. The Fusion recently produced a player that got drafted by the Breakers in the inaugural WPS draft.

The WPS is in its first year following a five-year period without a women's professional soccer league in the United States. In 2003, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) folded after three seasons.

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University of Redlands soccer standout Ross Schunk was the only Division III athlete out of 70 invited to the MLS Combine last week at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

That was an honor in itself. But the news get better later in the week as he was selected by the Colorado Rapids with the 47th pick of the MLS SuperDraft last Thursday in St. Louis, Mo.

"I was very excited," Schunk said. "I thought I did pretty well at the combine so I thought I had a chance. But you never know what they're thinking or what they're looking for."

Schunk, 22, is the first Redlands men's soccer player to enter the MLS via the SuperDraft. Adam Acosta (2005) was signed in 2006 by Real Salt Lake but did not enter the league through the draft process. He was signed as a free agent.

Schunk monitored the draft on the internet. Shortly after seeing his name come up he received a phone call from Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith.

He will report to training camp next week but isn't sure how many athletes he will be competing against for a spot on the roster.

"I'll just find out when I get there," he said. "It's just a great opportunity. Coming from a Division III school, you never know if you're going to get that."

Schunk's list of accolades in his Redlands career is lengthy. He set the career records for goals (63) and points (139) while garnering three first-team All-SCIAC honors, including Player of the Year awards his sophomore and senior seasons. He was part of four SCIAC championships and led the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 2007 as a junior.

Colorado finished the 2008 season 11-14-5.

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Last year Occidental and Cal Lutheran were the premier men's basketball teams in the SCIAC during the regular season but neither even made it to the conference tournament final. It was Pomona-Pitzer taking the tournament and automatic playoff bid.

It was that kind of topsy-turvy season.

The 2009 race begins with all eight teams taking the court for their conference openers Saturday. CMS will be at Redlands while La Verne treks to Whittier. Pomona-Pitzer will host Caltech.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8-3) has emerged as the frontrunner. The Stags served notice by winning the Lee Fulmer Tournament at Redlands in December. Their most noteworthy win in that event came over No. 15 Whitworth (Wash.) which is 11-1 and hasn't lost to anyone else.

"We have played some teams out of that Northwest Conference which is a pretty decent barometer of where you stand," said CMS coach Ken Scalmanini, in his 11th season. "I like my team. The guys play hard and we're pretty deep. I think we have a little more offense than we have had in the past and we can score both inside and outside."

CMS currently has four players averaing double figures led by sophomore forward Chris Blees (12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the MVP at the Fullmer Tournament.

Joining him are junior guard Conner Faught (11 ppg), senior guard senior guard Austin Soldner (10.5 ppg) and junior guard Jason Toney (10.3 ppg). Senior center Tejas Gala (5.5 ppg) rounds out the starting lineup.

Cal Lutheran (8-3) also looks like a formidable foe led by returning first-team All-SCIAC selection Andy Meier (18.4 ppg, 11.4 rpg). The Kingsmen recently dropped a close game to No. 8 Buena Vista (Iowa) 68-65.

Much-improved Whittier (6-5) and Pomona-Pitzer (3-8) should also contend.

"I think those are the four top teams right now," second-year La Verne coach Richard Reed said. "That doesn't discount the others because anything can happen in this conference. There is a lot of balance."

The Sagehens upended CMS in the SCIAC tournament finale a year ago, then lost a first-round playoff game Occidental. Pitzer's record is a bit deceiving. The Sagehens had four players, three of whom are starters, go abroad for the fall semester and they just rejoined the team in December.

"Anyone overlooking them is making a big mistake," Scalmanini said of his cross-street rival. "They just got their whole team together and they're going to be as tough as ever."

Most coaches like having a conference tournament, pointing out the atmospehere it creates. The Sagehens downed the Stags in last year's final.

"It's always crazy when we play," Scalmanini said. "Now throw in that a playoff spot is on the line. It was one of the greatest atmospheres I've seen for a game at this level."

The Leopards were a good example of a team that benefited from it, although they didn't make the four-team field.

"We were 2-5 in the first round of conference so we would have been mathematically eliminated," Reed said. "Because we had a tournament, we had something to play for right up until the last game. It gave a lot of kids a chance to compete in a playoff environment."
"I also think it's good because then the conference is being represented by the team playing the best at the end of the season."

Defending regular season champion: Occidental

Tournament champion: Pomona-Pitzer

Current records: Cal Lutheran 8-3; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8-3; Whittier 6-5; Occidental 4-7; La Verne 4-7; Redlands 4-7; Pomona-Pitzer 3-8; Caltech 1-10.

New coach: Oliver Eslinger (Caltech).

10 players to watch: Cal Lutheran - Andy Meier (18.4 ppg, 11.4; rpg); Caltech - Matthew Dellatorre (15.2 ppg); CMS - Chris Blees; (12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Austin Soldner (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg); La Verne - Kyle Luhnow (14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg); ; Occidental - Henry Meier (12.1); ppg, 8.6 rpg); Pomona-Pitzer - Adam Chaimowitz (Sr., G, 6-1, 21 ppg, 6.2 rpg), David Liss (Sr., G, 6-0, 14.7 ppg, 3 rpg); Redlands - Matt Dietrich (17.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Whittier - Michael Archuletta (15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg)

Comment: Last year CMS and Pitzer met in the SCIAC tournament final, upsetting the No. 1 and 2 seeds respectively. The Sagehens picked up the win and advanced to the playoffs, only to lose a first-rounder to Occidental which had gotten an at-large playoff bid.

Saturday's games: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Redlands; Caltech at Pomona-Pitzer; La Verne at Whittier; Cal Lutheran at Occidental (All games 7:30 p.m.)

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The University of Redlands suffered a tough 58-67 loss to the Coe College Kohawks (IA) in tonight's final game of the 2008 Redlands Winter Classic.  

The Bulldogs fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first half but inched their way back into the game.  Redlands took its first lead with 6:04 to go in the second half, pulling ahead by one point.  However, Coe fought back with persistent defense and strong shooting, and held on for the win.

Redlands gained 22 points from junior forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA), shooting 9-for-12 from the floor.  She also came up with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

  Sophomore guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort  (Ventura, CA) and freshman forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) each chipped in 14 points in the loss.

Coe was led by junior center Brittany Norris, who provided 17 points, including three-for-three shooting from beyond the arc.  Calie Sobaski and Sarah Anciaux contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the double-digit scorers.

All-Tournament team

Brittany Norris (C)

Sarah Anciaux (C)

Clarissa Holz (L)

Meghan Yetman (R)

MVP:  Trenecca Jones (L)

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Two University of Redlands men's soccer student-athletes, senior forward Ross Schunk (Portland, OR) and senior midfielder Bryan Fakkema (Oak Harbor, WA), earned NSCAA/adidas^® Division III All-American recognition for their stellar play in 2008, according to an announcement made today by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Schunk, who earned First-Team All-Far West Region honors as well, landed on the All-American Second Team following a season where he led the team in goals with 18 and points with 38. During the 2008 season, he set career program marks in both goals (63) and points (139). This 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year also earned All-American honors following his sophomore season in 2006 when he earned Second-Team accolades. Schunk finished out his career with three NSCAA All-Region honors, two NSCAA All-American laurels and three First-Team All-SCIAC nods, including two SCIAC Player of the Year awards.

This marks the second Third-Team All-American selection Fakkema has received in his four-year tenure as a Bulldog. During the 2008 season, he offered eight goals and nine assists for 25 points. He also gained First-Team All-Far West Region honors and earned a spot on the All-SCIAC First Team. With his First-Team All-SCIAC selection, Fakkema totaled four First-Team berths in his career at Redlands, tying the program record. Throughout his career, this senior midfielder compiled three NSCAA All-Region recognitions, two NSCAA All-American considerations and four First-Team All-SCIAC laurels, including the 2007 SCIAC Player of the Year award.

Redlands finished the season at 16-5-2 after having started the season 1-4-1. For the eighth straight year, the Bulldogs won the SCIAC title and subsequently earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships. The team went undefeated in SCIAC play, compiling a 12-0-2 record.

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University of Redlands senior midfielder Becky Willis (Escondido, CA) earned NSCAA/adidas^® Women's Division III First-Team All-American accolades following an outstanding 2008 season in the Bulldog midfield, according to an announcement by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

This marks the first occasion in program history that a Bulldog women's soccer student-athlete has landed on the First-Team All America.

Willis led the women's soccer team this year in assists with eight and tied for the team lead in goals with eight for a total of 24 points. Her eight assists tied Marissa Santa Cruz's program record for assists in a season. For her dominance in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), Willis earned the SCIAC Player of the Year award.

In 2007, she picked up a spot on the All-American Second Team following a campaign where she scored five goals and contributed two assists. Only three other members of the 2008 First-Team All America have earned past NSCAA All-American honors.

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The No. 16 University of Redlands men's water polo team won three straight games despite falling to fifth-seeded No. 15 Santa Clara University in its opening game of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships on Friday to ensure a fifth-place finish in the three-day postseason tournament.

The championship tournament, which took place at Claremont Mudd-Scripps Colleges from Nov. 21-23, included a 10-team field: No. 8 Loyola Marymount University, No. 9 UC San Diego, No. 11 UC Davis, Redlands, Santa Clara, the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Academy (CO), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Chapman University and UC Santa Cruz.

A three-goal effort by senior driver Andrew Becskehazy (Miami, FL) on Friday fell just short of lifting the Bulldogs over Santa Clara. Redlands led 7-6 at the half, but the Broncos netted four second-half goals to the maroon and gray's two to edge Redlands 10-9 in the first-round matchup.

Becskehazy led the way again in Redlands' second game, which took place on Saturday, but this time, the Bulldogs prevailed, crushing UC Santa Cruz by a 13-5 final.

Redlands defeated the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champions, Pomona-Pitzer, with ease in its second contest on Saturday, advancing to the fifth-place game after winning 11-5.

Sunday's game against Air Force featured a high offensive output from both teams, and the score was knotted at 10 at the end of regulation. The Bulldogs scored three goals to the Falcons' one in the first overtime period, giving Redlands the 13-11 win. Senior utility player Buddy Olds (Murrieta, CA) finished out his collegiate water polo career playing the role of the hero, scoring a team-high three goals.

Becskehazy wrote a storybook ending to an illustrious Bulldog water polo career, leading the team in its four games with nine goals. Junior center Brendan Meaney (Palm Desert, CA) scored seven goals while Olds and sophomore defender Andrew Smith-Jones (Annapolis, MD) compiled six apiece to supplement Becskehazy's offensive success. Also scoring for Redlands were senior defender Jon Rielly (Vista, CA), sophomore center Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina), junior utility player Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA) with three, junior driver Taylor Swyers (St. Louis, MO), senior utility player Jim Kehrig (Danville, CA), junior defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA) and junior utility player Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA) with two and junior center Ben Taylor (Porterville, CA) with one.

In goal, senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) saved a team-high 18 shots while junior goalkeeper Jack Amaral (Porterville, CA) also saw action between the posts and tallied 11 saves.

Redlands closed out its excellent season with a 29-9 record, including a 9-1 mark in conference games.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CAL LUTHERAN (6-2, 4-1) at REDLANDS (7-1, 4-1)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

Radio: KMET (1490-AM)

About Redlands: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 25 by D3football and No. 21 by the AFCA and need to win to still have a shot at an at-large playoff berth. The Bulldogs rank No. 2 nationally in total defense and No. 1 in sacks for a loss and net punting. Senior DE Brock Arndt, LB Ian Sluss and DB Mike Nicolini head the effort on that side of the ball. Junior QB Steve Smith has progressed each week since taking over for Dan Selway. Zack Schafer is the top rusher in the SCIAC.

About Cal Lutheran: The Kingsmen also rely on defense and rank fourth nationally led by DE Jacob Calderon, last year's player of the year. Cal Lu ranks first nationally defending the pass and has not yielded a touchdown pass through the air in conference play. Elusive QB Jericho Tolilolo is the catalyst of the offense and is good at making things happen on the run. The Kingsmen also boast a reliable place-kicker in Jackson Damron.

LA VERNE (2-6) at CHAPMAN (4-4)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

About La Verne:  The Leopards have already surpassed their win total of 2007 so another win would be an added bonus. The passing game has been the most consistent part of the offensive attack with junior Anthony Andre at the helm, averaging 163.6 ypg. The defense has been spearheaded by senior LB Jason Carpenter and junior DB Taylor Hart. According to D3football.com the Leos have played the 14^th toughest schedule out of 228 Division III schools.

About Chapman: The Panthers, a Division III independent, are coming off a 21-7 loss at Redlands. They tend to play up to the competition and down as well. They are 3-3 against teams from the SCIAC. The Panthers are averaging 322 yards a game on offense and are giving up 306 per game. They prefer to throw the ball with senior QB Eric Marty directing the offense. Daniel Hartigan and Chino product Garrett Earls lead the defense.

POMONA-PITZER (2-6, 1-4) at CLAREMONT-MUDD-SCRIPPS (3-5, 2-3)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

About Pitzer: The Sagehens have been totally reliant on a passing game that averages 294 yards a game. Sophomore Jacob Caron threw for 507 yards last week with Kevin Kelley, last week's SCIAC Athlete of the Week, catching 16 for 272 yards in a 62-33 loss at Occidental. R.J. Maki has been a steady performer on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Success here depends on whether or not the rushing game can contribute.

.

About CMS: The Stags snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-6 win over Whittier last week. D.J. Lillard ranks third in the conference in rushing and is coming off a 113-yard effort against the Poets. Senior DB Brock Olson leads the SCIAC in interceptions (6) and senior LB Ashton Clarke ranks second in tackles. CMS has 15 interceptions as a team, tied for first with Redlands.

CHAFFEY (5-4, 2-3) at MT. SAC (8-1, 4-1)

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

About Chaffey: The Panthers are coming off a 27-14 loss to College of the Desert that spelled the end of any postseason Bowl hopes. A number of Panthers are playing through nagging injuries including leading rusher Mark Chase (96 yards) who missed some practice time this week with a sprained ankle. Edward Heath is the team's leading tackler.

About Mt. SAC: The Mounties fell from No. 1 to 3 in Southern California after losing to Cerritos last week 44-38. They can clinch the Central Conference with a win. Freshman Nick Lamaison (2,631 yards, 29 TDs)  is the catalyst of an offense that averages 428.7 yards a game.  Other key players are WRs Jesse Canada and Matt Austin and RB Iosefa Burton. Sophomore DB Dominique Gaisie, of San Beranrdino, and sophomore LB Alfred Rowe lead the defense.

VICTOR VALLEY (3-6, 3-3) at MT. SAN JACINTO (2-7, 1-5)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

About Victor: The Rams snapped a three-game losing streak with a 39-17 win over Compton. They have gotten solid play out of freshman QB O'Ryan Bradley who averages 236 yards a game passing. The Rams are down to five healthy linemen however. Victor Valley's biggest struggle has come in the secondary and it will be facing a team that averages 212 yards a game through the air.

About MSJ: The Eagles have played better of late, winning two of their last three games with one of those wins coming over a team the Rams lost to. They have used four quarterbacks but freshman Carmen Boyer worked the entire game last week. Other key players on offense are RB Butch Tuvale (562, 6 TDs) and WR Daniel Chamberlain (673 yards, 6 TDs). Freshman DB Clarence Laster is the leading tackler.

SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY (0-9, 0-7) at L.A. HARBOR (2-7, 1-5)

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

About SBVC:  This is the last chance for the Wolverines to chalk up a win and snap a 14-game losing streak that dates back to last season. The bright spot for coach Pat Meech's team has been the improvement of freshman QB Danny Laugen. Meech also singled out the play of WR Robert Anderson, LBs Cordell Nugent and Shawn Borden and DB John Lewis.

About Harbor: The Seahawks rank first in the South in passing (329.4 ypg) with QB Andrew Trudnowski but don't do much of anything else. They average 148 on the ground. Chris Mathews is his favorite target. Harbor has lost three in a row and six of its last seven.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

The University of Redlands football team is hoping to get one more shot at Occidental, the only team it has lost to this season.

But for that to even be a possibility the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1) have to get past Cal Lutheran (6-2, 4-1) first. And that will not be an easy task. Redlands will host the Kingsmen at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ted Runner Stadium in the regular season finale for both teams.

Occidental (8-0, 5-0) is just a win over hapless Whittier (1-7) away from locking up the SCIAC title and automatic bid for the playoffs but Redlands is hoping for an at-large bid. The Division III playoff draw will be announced Sunday. Occidental is ranked second in the West Region and will likely get to host a first round playoff game. If that happens it would make sense from a cost standpoint for the NCAA to give Redlands, ranked sixth in the West, a bid and send it to Occidental.

Redlands moved back in the D3football rankings at No. 25 and is No. 21 according to the American Football Coaches Association.

``Obviously we have to win this game or it doesn't matter,'' Redlands coach Mike Maynard said. ``Assuming we do, I think it's better than 50-50 that we get in. But you never know. The SCIAC hasn't been looked on favorably and that is working against us. If we win this one I think we're worthy.''

Spectators taking in today's contest shouldn't expect a lot of scoring. Redlands ranks second nationally in total defense (214.8) while Cal Lutheran is ranked fourth (236.8). Redlands is first in tackles for loss, fourth against the run and sixth against the pass while Cal Lutheran is first in passing defense, seventh in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss.

 Redlands also ranks first in net punting.

Both teams lost to Occidental with Redlands losing 28-15 on Oct. 11 and Cal Lutheran losing 24-21 two weeks ago. The Kingsmen also lost to unbeaten Willamette, ranked first in the region and 10^th nationally.

``They're a very good team. We're certainly not taking them lightly,'' Maynard said. ``They have been very solid on defense and they have a quarterback (Jericho Toilolo) that can make things happen with his athletic ability.''

Redlands is coming off a 21-7 nonconference win over Chapman. It only led 14-7 and Chapman was in the red zone late in the fourth when the Bulldogs made a defensive stand. Maynard was pleased to see his team rise to the occasion in a competitive game after three straight blowouts in which his starters were out by halftime.

   ``They pushed us and we had to respond,'' he said. ``We played well in the first half and the fourth quarter but had to really gut it out.''

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

 CLAREMONT - Pomona-Pitzer sophomore Jacob Caron is looking forward to a chance to redeem himself. Last year he threw an interception after driving his team 80 yards to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 10 with time running out. The Sagehens lost 27-22.

It wasn't just any old loss. It was CMS, the cross-street rival. So when the teams meet Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pomona-Pitzer to play for the Peace Pipe, the sophomore standout will be looking for a little poetic justice.

``There were a couple throws in that game he'd like to have back and that was one of them,'' said Pitzer coach Roger Caron, also Jacob's father. ``He definitely has some added incentive.''

Neither team is going anywhere in the standings with Pitzer at 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference play and CMS slightly better at 3-5 and 2-3. But that doesn't lessen the intensity of the rival which started in 1959. CMS holds a slight 27-23 edge overall, although there is some debate as to when the teams actually started playing for a prize.

  ``There is always a buzz around here when it comes to that game,'' Caron added. ``There were good teams here that were expected to win that game and lost and vice versa. As coaches we don't have to say much about it because the kids are already talking about it.''

Stags coach Rick Candaele agrees.

``There are very few rivalries where the other team is 20 yards up the street,'' he said. ``It may be Division III but it would be like Ohio State being able to go 20 yards to play Michigan. It's a big deal for us.''

The Sagehens look to have the advantage because of the emergence of Caron. He threw for 1,659 yards with seven touchdowns and 15 interceptions as a true freshman but has improved to the tune of 2,359 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. He threw for 507 last week in a loss to unbeaten Occidental.

The CMS secondary has been solid led by SCIAC interceptions leader Brock Olson. He will be tested as will teammates Landon Patoc, David Spiller and Blake Kos.

``He (Caron) presents a problem,'' Candaele said. ``He's tall and got good vision downfield and he gets rid of the ball pretty fast. We're going to have to put some pressure on him and limit the damage.''

CMS will be led by senior quarterback Ryan Larsen, who has struggled with a shoulder but appears healthier now.

Elsewhere La Verne rounds out the season with a nonconference game at Chapman at 7 p.m. The big clash will be at Redlands where the Bulldogs and Cal Lutheran will square off, with the winner having an outside shot at an at-large playoff spot.

In the community college ranks Chaffey will be at Mt. SAC at 6 p.m. and San Bernardino Valley will be at L.A. Harbor, also at 6 p.m.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

University of La Verne volleyball standout Brianna Gonzales has been named the 2008 SCIAC Player of the Year after helping lead the Leopards to their ninth straight conference championship and second consecutive undefeated league mark.

Gonzales was joined by four other Leopards in the All-Conference awards as Crista Jones and Anna Calmer were First Team All-SCIAC selections while Yesenia Lopez and Ashley Morgado each earned Second Team nods.

Voting for the all-conference teams was conducted among the league's coaches.

Gonzales paced La Verne She tallied a team-high 310 kills (3.92 per game) while also collecting 274 digs which ranked second-most on the Leopard squad. She had a .268 overall hitting percentage on the season while hitting .304 in conference matches from her outside
hitter position. Gonzales also reached double figures in both kills and digs in 14 matches this season.

A senior from Whittier, Gonzales repeats as SCIAC Player of the Year from last season and becomes La Verne's first two-time Player of the Year since Amy Kratochvil (2002, 2004). Her selection marks the 16th time a La Verne student-athlete has earned SCIAC Player of the Year honors in volleyball.

Jones led La Verne in hitting percentage at .353 in all matches while hitting .397 in conference play. The junior middle blocker also tallied 225 kills (2.85 per game) in addition to leading the team in blocks with 72. Jones makes her third appearance on the All-SCIAC squad after a First Team selection in 2006 and a Second Team nod in 2007.

A sophomore from La Habra, Calmer earns her first selection to the All-SCIAC team after making a successful transition from setter to rightside hitter for the Leopards. Calmer finished the regular season with 157 kills, an average of 2.01 per game.

A junior from Hacienda Heights, Morgado makes her first All-SCIAC selection after collecting 123 kills. The middle blocker also registered 58 total blocks this season.

Lopez dished out a team-high 721 assists. The junior setter from West Covina helped La Verne record the highest team hitting percentage in the conference (.250) while averaging 8.90 assists per game which ranked second in SCIAC play.

La Verne finished the regular season with a 23-2 overall record including a 14-0 mark in the SCIAC to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Leopards are currently ranked #3 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
Division III Top 25 Poll.

The team includes:

Anna Calmer OH  ULV SO

Emily Hudson  OH CMS  FR
Summer Plante-Newman  OH CLU JR
Crista Jones M ULV JR
Allison Kerr  M CLU SO
Linsdey Benson  S CLU SR
Ruchi Patel L  PP SR


Second Team

Corri Hayes OH CLU JR
Helena Bottemiller  M CMS SR
Ashley Morgado  M ULV JR
Alex Harrison  S  CMS SR
Yesenia Lopez  S ULV JR
Chelsea Arcaris  L  UR SO

Erin Exline  M CLU SO

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After reentering the D3football.com poll yesterday at No. 25, the University of Redlands football team also improved its standing on the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) national poll by landing at No. 21 this week. 

On Saturday, the Bulldogs defeated Chapman University in a solid 21-7 effort that included a red-zone play for the Panthers that was halted by the second-best defense in the country. 

Redlands currently leads all of Division III in net punting and tackles for loss while ranking third in scoring defense.

Redlands (7-1, 4-1 SCIAC) hosts conference rival Cal Lutheran University in its regular-season finale on Saturday a 1 p.m.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

Jeff Willey scored off an assist from Nick Gunderson 29 seconds into
the second overtime to give the top-seeded the University of Redlands
a 2-1 win over third-seeded Pomona-Pitzer in the championship game of
the SCIAC tournament.

The win sends the Bulldogs (16-4-1) into the Division III playoffs
with pairings to be announced Monday.

Redlands finished with a commanding 40-14 edge in shots. It also had
a goal late in regulation ruled no good. But Coach Ralph Perez
appreciated his team's determination.

"You have to overcome. Sometimes it's the opponent. Sometimes it's a
referee's decision,'' Perez said. ``Sometimes it's a game when things
aren't going your way.''

It was the second game in as many tries where the Bulldogs where
forced to double overtime. They defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in
Thursday's semifinals 1-0.

``I've never been a big fan of the tournament because I think 14
games is enough,'' Perez said. ``But this does help make you
tournament tough, tournament ready.''

The Sagehens (10-7-3) scored first despite being outshot 27-8 to that
point. A Sagehen player was tripped inside the box on a breakaway and
Andrew Stamm converted the penalty kick to give the visitors a 1-0
lead with 16:50 left.

The Bulldogs appeared to answer with 12:47 left when Willey dished
the ball off to Bryan Fakkema who sent the ball to the right side of
the net sending the Bulldogs into celebration. But that proved
premature as the referee called the ball off the inside of the post.

It didn't take long for them to answer though. Just a minute later
Alex Parker did score from 15 yards out off a pass from Fakkema,
tying it at 1-all.

The Sagehens played the last 10 minutes of regulation a player short after a red card had been issued to one of their players after a hard tackle on the Bulldogs Alex Parker.

Pomona-Pitzer keeper Charlie Balter made 13 saves while Redlands'
Evan Hobson needed to make just three.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

REDLANDS - The first two times the women's soccer teams from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and the University of Redlands squared off, one goal made the difference. Each team won on its home field. So no one could be surprised that was the difference in the rubber match.

It was Athenas sophomore Laura Hagen chipping a shot in from 20 yards out 20 minutes into the second half to give the third-seeded CMS squad a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the SCIAC Championship at Farquhar Field Saturday night. The win sends CMS (11-8-1) into the playoffs as the conference representative.

Redlands (14-5-1), which topped the conference in the regular season, will have to wait and see if it gets an at-large bid.

The Bulldogs had a 21-10 edge in shots, many of those coming in the last 10 minutes in which they dominated play but nothing got past keeper Camila Friedman-Gerlicz.

``I think I've aged 10 years in the last 10 minutes,'' CMS coach Keri Sanchez said. ``They're a great team and we knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle. It was a relief to score the first goal but we knew they were going to battle.''

The Bulldogs had not allowed a goal since a 1-0 double overtime loss to Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 11. They came in with a streak of seven straight shutouts that included a 3-0 win over the University of La Verne in Wednesday's tournament semifinal.

CMS lost four of its last five regular season games and needed a penalty kick shootout to get past Cal Lutheran 3-2 in the semifinal.

``We definitely felt like the underdog coming in,'' Hagen said. ``They had been playing very well and we kind of backed in. It feels good to get one when it really matters.''

Twelve minutes after the Athenas made it 1-0, the Bulldogs had a great chance. A shot by Becky Willis was knocked away by a diving Friedman-Gerlicz. The ball deflected back to Emily van den Bosch but her shot was just over the crossbar.

The Bulldogs had even better chances in the second half. A shot by Kelsey Kimmel from 25 yards out with 5:03 was wide left. A minute later Kaily Benanti dribbled toward the net but the ball she never got a good swing at the ball and it slipped off the left corner of the net.

Then in the last minute and Redlands in desperation mode a direct kick by Chelsea Hafley  went right of the goal and out of bounds before a teammate could catch up to it. That proved to be the Bulldogs last chance.

Friedman-Gelicz made nine saves while Redlands counterpart Tenley Rawlings made seven.

The Division III playoff draw will be announced Monday. It will be another wait-and-see for the Bulldogs who have won the regular season two of the last three years, only to lose in the tournament.

``The SCIAC hasn't been very lucky when it comes to getting a second team in,'' Redlands coach Suzette Soboti said. ``This is disappointing because we had so many good chances. We were just a little unlucky.''

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the seventh consecutive match, the No. 20 University of Redlands women's soccer team shut out its opponent, taking out the University of La Verne by a 3-0 score in the semifinal round of the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament on Wednesday at Farquhar Field.

After a scoreless first half, sophomore midfielder Jessi Hoyt (Boise, ID) took a pass from freshman midfielder Jaimie Morton (Boise, ID) and chipped a shot over Leopard keeper Tatiana Gutierrez's head for the first goal of the match.

Freshman midfielder Fionna Connolly (Salem, OR) tacked on the second score of the contest with a goal off of a through ball from senior forward Erica Jahn (Davis, CA) while sophomore defender Chelsea Hafley (Redlands, CA) secured the victory at the 85-minute mark from a shot driven well outside of the box, marking the third time she has found the back of the net this season.

The Bulldogs outshot the visiting Leopards by a 26-9 margin and received seven corner kicks to La Verne's three.

With Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges advancing on penalty kicks (3-2) after a 0-0 tie against Cal Lutheran University in the first semifinal round game, Redlands (14-4-1, 9-3 SCIAC) will host the Athenas on Saturday, Nov. 8 at a time to be determined. The winner of the match on Saturday will get the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Redlands football team continues to inch its way back up the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) national poll by landing at No. 22 this week, improving two spots from last week. 

On Saturday, the Bulldogs captured an impressive 52-14 victory over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.  In the win, Redlands put together a balanced attack that included equal yardage on the ground and in the air.  T

he team utilized three quarterbacks and looked to a variety of ball carriers and receivers.  The third-ranked rush defense continued to impress and allowed only 12 yards on the ground for the Sagehens.  Leading the nation in tackles for a loss, the Bulldogs posted 14 TFL of 88 yards against Pomona-Pitzer.

Redlands (6-1, 4-1 SCIAC) returns to Ted Runner Stadium for its final two games of the regular season, hosting regional rival Chapman University on Saturday at 1 p.m.  The Bulldogs' finale brings Cal Lutheran University to Redlands on November 15 for a 1 p.m. kick-off.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Redlands women's soccer team paid tribute to its four seniors in the grandest way possible, winning the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with a 1-0 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

Prior to the start of the match, the team recognized senior forward Erica Jahn (Davis, CA), senior midfielder Steffany Becker (Las Vegas, NV), senior midfielder Becky Willis (Escondido, CA) and senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) for their years of service to the Bulldog women's soccer team.

Two seniors combined to generate the match's lone goal as Willis scored in the 23rd minute off of a long pass by Jahn. That score was enough to lift Redlands to its fourth-ever SCIAC title and its second in three years.

Junior goalkeeper Tenley Rawlings (Salt Lake City, UT) kept a clean sheet between the pipes, stopping all four shots on frame.

The Bulldogs held the shot advantage 18-11 and outchanced the Athenas on corner kicks as well (3-2).

Coming into the match, the team needed at least a tie to claim the title outright. A loss would have resulted in a shared title with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Head Coach Suzette Soboti, who is now in her 11th year at the helm of the squad, has coached all four SCIAC-champion Bulldog teams.

Redlands (13-4-1, 9-3 SCIAC) hosts the semifinal games of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament on Wednesday, and the maroon and gray will play in the second of two games against the No. 4 seed,  the University of La Verne. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Farquhar Field. The winner of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When the University of Redlands lost to Occidental three weeks ago, hopes of a playoff bid appeared bleak. It might be natural to suffer a letdown, but the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) have lived up to their billing, beating two foes by a combined 101-14. Next up is a 1 p.m. contest Saturday at Pomona-Pitzer (2-4, 1-2).

"I have been proud of this team because that does show a lot of character," Bulldogs Coach Mike Maynard said. "That was a huge, disappointing loss but it shows nothing can keep us down."

Pitzer coach Roger Caron has been impressed with the way the Bulldogs regrouped after their loss.

"They're going out and playing to the bitter end and letting things play out," he said. "That's a tribute to their kids and coaching staff that they have played that well after such a big letdown."

This is yet another game that looks like a mismatch. The Bulldogs got back in the American Football Coaches Association poll at No. 25. More importantly they are ranked seventh in the West Region.

Redlands is ranked second in the country in total defense. Senior end Brock Arndt is tied for second nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss.

While the Sagehens have not fared well overall, they do boast a passing attack that ranks first in the SCIAC and 26th nationally.

Sophomore quarterback Jacob Caron, the coach's son, is the catalyst. He has the two top receivers in the conference in senior Kevin Kelly and sophomore R.J. Maki.
Maynard said he plans to mix up his defenses to try and keep Caron off balance.

"He's a very good quarterback and his receivers are solid," Maynard said. "He's very savy. He's a coach's son so they talk about coverages over the dinner table."

Caron knows that they key to that passing will whether or not the smaller offensive line can withstand a bigger, more physical defensive front.

Redlands will dress 100 while Pitzer, which also has smaller players physically, will dress 40.

"We're going to have to go out and play way over our heads," Caron said.
In SCIAC play elsewhere La Verne (1-5, 1-3) will be at Whittier (1-5, 1-2) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2-4) will play nonconference foe Chapman (3-3).

On the community college front, Chaffey (4-3, 1-2) will host Riverside (2-6, 0-4) at 1 p.m. and San Bernardino Valley (0-7, 0-4) hosts first-place Southwestern (5-2, 4-0).

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The University of Redlands football team was back to form on Saturday as it handled Whittier 53-14. Coach Mike Maynard said it was good to see his team bounce back from a loss to Occidental the previous week that seriously damaged its playoff hopes.

"We needed to go out and play well and get over what was ailing us," he said. "Our focus was on getting back to playing Bulldog football and I think we did that."

The Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1) were superior in all facets of the game but were especially impressive on defense. They ranked first nationally against the run and second in overall defense before being throttled by Occidental.

But the Bulldogs were stellar in all aspects Saturday. They intercepted six passes with senior Conor Drake returning two for touchdowns and freshman Chris Yeakey running back another. The other three were recorded by Mike Nicolini, Josh Herrera and Eddie Stamm.

Maynard said he thought that might be a school record but further review showed it was tied for second. Redlands had eight in a 1980 game against La Verne and six against Pomona-Pitzer in 2002.

The Bulldogs were also solid against the run, giving up just 69 yards and holding the SCIAC's leading rusher Anthony Pomponio to 34 on 20 carries. He was kept in check even with backups playing much of the second half.

Maynard said he thought about making personnel changes but opted not do to so.

"We just wanted to go out and play better defense. We are what we are and we just wanted to get better," he said.

Maynard cleared his bench early with backup quarterback Dylan Barrera seeing action for the first time. He went from being third-string to backup when starter Dan Selway was injured.

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Few players get to leave a mark on an athletic program. Senior forward Ross Schunk will do that at the University of Redlands.

The Portland, Ore., native set the school's all-time career scoring record with a goal in the Bulldogs 4-2 win over the University of La Verne Saturday. That goal gave Schunck 126 points for his career, besting the 125 of Adam Acosta who graduated in 2005.

Earlier this season Schunk broke Acosta's career goals mark of 50. He has a team-high 12 goals and one assist this season in helping the Bulldogs (10-4-1, 9-0-1) to first place in the SCIAC.

Following Saturday's match, Redlands coach Ralph Perez handed the new career point record holder the ball that he scored the goal with in a short postgame recognition ceremony at the middle of the pitch.

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In 16 of the last 20 years either Occidental or Redlands has won or shared the SCIAC title. So when the teams square off at Ted Runner Stadium at 7 Saturday, it will be a pretty meaningful game despite coming early in the SCIAC schedule.

"Obviously it is a huge game," Bulldogs coach Mike Maynard said. "It's so early that even if you win it, you're not home free. But historically these are two teams that have always been in the hunt."

Occidental counterpart Dale Widolff agrees.

"It's like a one-game single elimination tournament. Last week CMS was our first round. This week it's Redlands for our second round."

The game pits the teams who have been the most successful in the last two decades with the Bulldogs having 10 SCIAC titles in the last 20 years and the Tigers six, including back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.

It also pits the two most veteran coaches with Widolff in his 27th year and Maynard in his 21st.

Both teams are 3-0 overall with impressive wins in their SCIAC openers last week. Occidental trounced Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 38-0 and Redlands beat La Verne 37-7.

Redlands played a day game last week while Occidental played at night so both veteran coaches took advantage of the opportunity to scout the other in person rather than rely on film.

Junior quarterback Steve Smith now directs the offense with reigning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year Dan Selway (broken foot) sidelined.

Smith went 13-for-24 for 156 yards in a steady rain last week in his debut as the starter. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was brought back 60 yards for a score.

Widolff isn't expecting less of a battle because Selway is out. All he needs to do is think back to last year.

"We lost to Cal Lu last year when they were going with a backup," he said. "Good teams still win with a backup. Average or below average teams are the ones that struggle."

Selway will be joined on the sideline by all-conference noseguard Mitchell Crocco who tore the ACL in his right knee last week against La Verne. The news was a little better elsewhere as the ankle injury to end Josh Cunningham was not as severe as first feared. He was on crutches at the end of the game last week but could see playing time. Senior Tyler Sutton is likely to see increased playing time in Crocco's absence.

"That's why we carry a lot of players," Maynard said. "During the course of a season you have injuries. The other guys have to be ready to step up."

Widolff expects the Bulldogs to overcome those injuries.

"They may not always have the best 22 players, but they always have the best 44," he said. "They have tremendous depth and they are more capable of overcoming those than most other teams."

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LA VERNE -- Bob Dyer, the University of La Verne public address football announcer, walked around the track some 30 minutes before a recent SCIAC game against the University of Redlands en route to the press box.

He stopped and picked up a scrap of paper, then placed it in a nearby trash receptacle.

"I do that because of Ort. He always did that, never left trash on the ground," said Dyer, in his 19th year as the voice of the Leopards.

Ort as in Roland Ortmayer, who headed the Leopard football program for 43 years, parts of six decades. He was an institution at the school and the community that the stadium was named in his honor when he retired in 1991.

Ortmayer, 91, passed away Thursday morning. He had a bout of pneumonia in August and his health had declined ever since. He had been under hospice care at Hillcrest Homes in La Verne the past several weeks.

Ortmayer, born in College Park, Md., on Aug. 22, 1917, was not known for his success on the field. His teams were 182-193-8, sharing the SCIAC title twice but never winning one outright. The program did not produce a professional player.

Ortmayer was more about teaching life lessons than wins and losses on the football field.

Rex Huigens played quarterback from 1967 to 1969, assisted Ortmayer for 25 years, then took over the program from him in 1991. He remembers calling his own plays, something unheard of even today for a college quarterback.

"He thought if you prepare all week the way you were supposed to, you should be able to handle it," Huigens said. "He was about more than just football," said Huigens. He was about molding people, not just football players. I'm a better person because I played for him and worked with him."

Ortmayer's coaching style was unlike any other. It had to be for Sports Illustrated to devote several pages on a Division III coach, as it did in a Sept. 4, 1989 profile by Douglas S. Looney.

Ortmayer didn't believe in playbooks because they stifled creativity and limited a player's ability to improvise.

He didn't believe in studying game film, especially of the opponent. He didn't endorse weight training because it wasted energy. He didn't actively recruit players but never cut one either.

He didn't make practices mandatory and didn't have a curfew.

He never cursed.

He believed in the hands-on approach, even if it meant he had to chalk the field himself or do his team's laundry.

He also had an adventurous side too, teaching a class called "When Lewis and Clark Met the Mountains," that included a four-week camping junket to Montana in which he took students kayaking, rafting and canoeing.

He also taught climbing and repelling.

"It wasn't unusual to walk around campus and see him repelling down the side of a building," said Don Morel, who played defensive end for Ortmayer from 1983 to 1986 and served as head coach from 1995 to 2006.  "That was Ort. What he taught transcended the football field. He taught values and life experiences."

Ortmayer also left a lasting impression on his peers. Occidental's Dale Widolff, in his 27th year, is the dean of coaches in the SCIAC and recalls many close contests against Ortmayer's teams.

"He always had the right perspective on college football," said Widolff. "I always considered him and Frank Serrao (former Redlands coach from 1964-1983) the moral compass of coaches. There are a lot of situations that come up when I think, 'What would those guys do?' "

Widolff also said he saw a human side of the coach even in the heat of competition.

"I really remember two games against them. One we kicked a 49-yard field goal on the last play to beat them by two and he came over to shake my hand. He was truly happy for me. The other they beat us 52-51 in double overtime and he felt really bad for me, more so than he felt good for his team."

Redlands coach Mike Maynard is the only other coach in the SCIAC whose tenure coincided with Ortmayer.

"He always appeared to be this laid- back guy and I think people often mistook that for his teams not being intense or ready to play. I never bought that for a minute," he said. "They were always prepared and were ready to play."

Ortmayer was preceded in death by wife Cornelia and son David, who died in 1953 from an accidental drowning at the age of 6. Cornelia was as much a fixture at the university as her husband. The concession stand, Corni's Corner, is named after her.

Ortmayer is survived by sister Marilee Franke of Madison, Wis., and two daughters, Suzi Bowles of Belfgrade, Mont., and Corlan Harrison of Upland, along with four grandchildren and two great grand children.

Funeral arrangements are pending. The school's plans to honor the icon will likely be announced next week.

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University of Redlands junior center Brendan Meaney was named Western Water Polo Association Player of the Week honor for his 11-goal showing at the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest from Sept. 27-28.

Helping the Bulldogs obtain a No. 15 ranking in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Varsity Top 20, Meaney supplied three assists, three steals, four ejections drawn and five field blocks en route to a 3-1 showing at the invitational, the big wins being over No. 20 U.S. Air Force Academy and No. 13 Santa Clara.

On the season, he has netted 40 goals in helping the Bulldogs to a 14-4 record.

Redlands will compete in the Southern California Invitational this weekend. The event includes Division I teams such as USC, UCLA, Stanford, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

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No Dan Selway. No problem.

The University of Redlands got off to a good start in the Steve Smith era, turning back the University of La Verne 37-7 Saturday in the SCIAC opener for both teams in a steady drizzle at Ortmayer Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0), ranked nationally in three polls, were playing their first game since losing Selway to a broken foot two weeks ago.

Smith, a junior, made his debut as the starting quarterback and went 13-for-24 for 156 yards with one touchdown pass and two interceptions. He was aided by a rushing attack that totaled 319 yards.

"He was hot and cold," Redlands coach Mike Maynard said of Smith. "When he was pressuring and overanalyzing he became a little too mechanical. When he was in the flow and got in a rhythm he did good things."

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, the offense isn't totally dependent on the passing game. Zack Schafer rambled for 175 on 16 carries, highlighted by touchdown runs of 15 and 36 yards while Jeff Stewart powered his way to 130 yards on 22 tries.

The third prong of the three-headed monster, fullback Tom Romaine, caught an 8-yard scoring pass.

"We wanted to come out here with the same game plan," Smith said of his new responsibility. "We didn't want to go conservative at all. We have a good line and good backs, so one injury isn't enough to slow us down."

The Leopards (0-3) stuck with the Bulldogs early, blocking a field goal try on Redlands first possession and holding them to a 37-yarder by Joe MacMillan minutes later.

But Redlands found the end zone on its third try, capping a nine-play drive with the 8-yard pass from Smith to fullback Tom Romaine, a two-point conversion making it 11-0.

La Verne got the ball back after an interception by Branamier Courtney. It went the distance only to have a 19-yard scoring toss from Anthony Andre to Phi Van Le nullified by a holding. It proved costly as La Verne got nothing when a field goal try by Wesley Dean was blocked by Mike Nicolini.

The Bulldogs upped their lead to 18-0 and were driving for more in the closing minute of the half but a Smith offering was picked off and run back 60 yards by Rocky Keawekane, cutting the deficit to 18-7.

The Bulldogs put the game away in the third quarter.

But Leopards coach Andy Ankeny hardly sounded like a coach on the short end of the stick.

"We played hard. We played physical. We had some mental mistakes and some turnovers but we did a lot of positive things in the course of the game that we can build on as a program."

Andre threw for 118 yards but was picked off three times and was hurried by the Bulldogs defense all night. Van Le was the Leopards top reciever, catching six for 78 yards.

The Leopards managed just 31 yards on the ground on the nation's top-ranked rushing defense.

The win did not come without a cost as the Bulldogs lost two defensive linemen with what Maynard said are season-ending injuries. Noseguard Mitchell Crocco tore an ACL in his right knee in the second quarter while end Josh Cunningham sustained a broken ankle.

Next week the Bulldogs host Occidental at 7 p.m. while La Verne plays at Claremont-Mudd Scripps, also at 7 p.m.

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Starting quarterback or no starting quarterback, the University of Redlands is still a formidable foe. That seems to be the prevailing thought among coaches in the SCIAC.

Conference play begins today and the Bulldogs (2-0) will trek to Ortmayer Stadium for a 1 p.m. showdown against the University of La Verne (0-2).

The Bulldogs will be without junior quarterback Dan Selway who earned SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2007 but sustained a broken foot in a win over Whitworth (Wash.) two weeks ago.

He threw for 489 yards and five touchdowns in the first two games. His spot now goes to junior Steve Smith with freshman Dylan Barrera elevated to backup status. Smith did see some mop-up duty in the first two games. He also played the entire second half of Redlands' playoff game last year at St. Johns (Minn.).

"They're a good program and they're deep at every position," second-year Leopards coach Andy Ankeny said of the Bulldogs. "We don't shy away from tough competition. We want to play them at their best because there's no better way to find out where your progam is. We wish he (Selway) was in there but don't expect less of a game because he isn't."

The Bulldogs were idle last week, giving Smith an extra week to prepare. Redlands coach Mike Maynard said his team won't alter its game plan even though it has the luxury of a three-pronged rushing attack ignited by seniors - Tom Romaine, Zack Schafer and Jeff Stewart.

"We do what we do. We're not going to change anything, he said. "He has been here so he knows the offense. He has had a good week of practice and we have all the confidence in the world in him."

Selway was also the Bulldogs' punter. Maynard said freshman Wes Norris and senior Kraig Kraning are battling for that job.

The biggest factor in the game will likely be how the La Verne running game fares against a Redlands defense that ranks first nationally against the run.

The Leopards have managed just 101 yards total in two games on 75 tries with their leading rusher being freshman Curtis Puli with 61 yards.

The Bulldogs, led by senior defensive end Brock Arndt and freshman linebacker Ian Skuss, have held their first two opponents to minus-24 yards.

"We can't let our quarterback sit back there and get tattoed," Ankeny said. "Our young pups are going to have to hold up. That's obviously a big factor. If we can do that we have a chance."

Redlands is averaging 452 yards offense. The La Verne defense, led by senior linebacker Jason Carpenter, is giving up and average 453.

While the game looks one-sided on paper, Maynard is leary of the Leopards.

"They're a hungry team and it's the conference opener so they're going to be ready," said Maynard, who was at La Verne's game last week against Willamette (Ore.). "They have made a lot of progress even though it may not show in th win column. We're expecting a battle."

The other SCIAC teams will also be in action. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1) will be at Occidental (2-0) to play a team it nearly upset a year ago. Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) will be at Chapman (1-1) for its final nonconference tuneup. Both the Stags and Sagehens are coming off byes.

Area community colleges will also be in action. Chaffey (3-1) will host Cerritos (3-1) in its National Division Central Conference opener at 6 p.m.

In American Division Mountain Conference play San Bernardino Valley (0-4) will be at San Diego Mesa (1-3) at 6 p.m. and Victor Valley (1-3) will host Golden West (2-2) at 1 p.m.

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University of Redlands junior quarterback Dan Selway, the reigning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year, will not play in next week's conference opener at La Verne.

Selway sustained a broken foot late in the first half last week against Whitworth (Wash.) yet still played in the second half. An X-ray later revealed the extent of the injury.

Selway threw for 489 yards (46-for-63) and five touchdowns in the first two games. He threw for 2,429 yards and 22 touchdowns in leading the Bulldogs to a SCIAC title in 2007.

He will be replaced by junior Steve Smith, who saw action in both the first two games. While his time in those games came in mop-up duty, Smith has played in pressure situations. He entered in the second half of last year's playoff game at St. John's with Selway out with a shoulder injury and completed 12 of 16 passes for 93 yards.

"It hurts to lose Dan but we have the utmost confidence in Steve," Bulldogs coach Mike Maynard said. "He has been here and knows the offense and he has good players around him."

Selway also did the punting and will be repalce there by true freshman Wes Norris.

The Bulldogs are ranked in three national polls, the highest being a No. 19 by the American Football Coaches Association.

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Congratulations go out to Unievrsity of Redlands sports information director and senior women's administrator Rachel Roche who gave berth to an eight-pound, six-ounce baby girl on July 31.

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 28^th 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.

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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".

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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 11^th 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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The University of Redlands football team is No. 22 in USA Today Sports Weekly's Preseason Poll for NCAA Division III programs. Redlands is the only team from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) to be included on the poll. In addition, the Bulldogs join the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) as the only schools from the western part of the United States.

Last season, Redlands went 8-2 overall, which included an exciting 24-12 road-victory over Whitworth University. In addition, the Bulldogs captured a share of the conference title with a 5-1 SCIAC mark, earning the program's 28th championship in school history. In addition, the football team advanced onto the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time.

During the 2007 campaign, Bulldog football gained 14 players on the All-SCIAC teams, including the Offensive Player of the Year in upcoming senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa Park, CA). In addition, Redlands looks forward to the return of upcoming senior defensive linemen Gavril Gabriel (Downey, CA) and Brock Arndt (Valencia, CA), who earned d3football.com All-West Region Second Team honors. Most recently, Gavril landed on the Consensus Draft Services Division III Preseason All-American Second Team for Defense.

Overall, the Bulldogs return eight offensive and eight defensive starters for the 2008 season.

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UC Riverside Head Men's Soccer Coach Junior Gonzalez today announced the hiring of Peter Boyer as the team's new assistant coach. Boyer will work primarily with the team's goalkeepers in addition to playing a vital role in the development of the Highlanders' field players.

"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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The University of Redlands finished 30th out of 430 Division III colleges in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup.

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.

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It was announced earlier today that senior Natalie Calderon (Pasadena, CA) and graduate student Fritz Nugent (Tinley Park, IL) landed on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District First Team for Track & Field and Cross Country.

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.

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Sophomore catcher Nicky Neumann of the University of Redlands has been named to the Easton All-American second team.

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.

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First year University of Redlands coach Mike Schmidt has been named
the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association West
Region Women's Coach of the Year.

In his first year at the University of Redlands, Schmidt led the
women's team to its first SCIAC title since 1978 as the Bulldogs
edged rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 131-129. I

n addition, senior Natalie Calderon unanimously was named the SCIAC Track & Field
Athlete of the Year after winning five individual and one relay
during the conference championship meet. She later captured NCAA
Championships in the long jump and triple jump at the national meet
in Wisconsin.

Schmidt also produced a solid second-place finish in the men's
conference standings. Graduate student Fritz Nugent won a national
title in the long jump.

Schmidt joined the Redlands staff in the fall from Oneonta State in
New York, where he worked with the track and cross country programs.
During his four-year tenure there he had nine athletes turn in a
total of 17 All-American performances, with three conference team
championships, 49 individual titles and 14 relay championships.

Prior to Oneonta, Schmidt worked with the pole-vaulters and throwers
at Frostburg State University in Maryland.

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Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez announced yesterday that senior track & field standout Natalie Calderon (Pasadena, CA) and senior tennis player Eric Wagar (Yakima, WA) were named the 2008 Frank Serrao Student-Athletes of the Year. Given in honor of longtime football coach Frank Serrao, this award acknowledges the top male and top female student-athletes who best exemplify strong academic and athletic success at the University of Redlands.

Calderon boasts a 3.797 cumulative GPA while majoring in Communicative Disorders. 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. This 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. This member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honors Society was named the SCIAC Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year for the second-consecutive season.

 In addition, Calderon currently owns the Redlands records as well as the best Division III performances of the season in the Long Jump and Triple Jump, gaining NCAA Automatic Qualifying marks.

Last year, she won the NCAA Championship in the Long Jump while taking fourth in the Triple Jump. She heads to the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, on May 22 to defend her title. Finally, Calderon has been nominated for the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for spring sports.

With plans to attend dental school in the fall, Wagar offers a cumulative GPA of 3.874 as a Chemistry major and Biology minor. As a four-year member of the men's tennis team, he has helped the Bulldogs advance onto the NCAA Championships every year of his career.

During the 2008 season, Wagar provided a singles record of 25-4 at the #2 spot and advanced onto the NCAA Individual Championships, which begin Friday at Bates College (ME). In doubles, he competed at the #1 spot, garnering a mark of 17-13. A two-time recipient of the prestigious Jim Verdieck Coach's Award,

Wagar was honored with the 2008 ITA Arthur Ashe Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership for the West Region with possible national recognition still to come. In addition, this two-time All-SCIAC performer was a finalist for the highly-acclaimed Walter Byers Scholarship and has been nominated for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. After landing on the Dean's List every semester of his career, Wagar's impressive academic accolades culminated in election to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Calderon and Wagar will be presented with their awards at the University of Redlands Honors Convocation on Friday, May 23, at 10 a.m.

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It was another case of so near and yet so far for the University of Redlands golf team as the Bulldogs finished second at the Division III national tournament at Chateau Elon Resort in Braselton, Ga. Friday.

The Bulldogs did not qualify for the event last year but posted three straight second-place showings in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Redlands shot a 14-over 298 to finish with a 72-hole total of 1,195. St. John Fisher, which started the day with a four-stroke lead over Redlands, carded a 22-over 306 and was third at 1,199.

But it was St. John (Minn.), fourth at the start of the day, that came from eight strokes out with a 291 to finish at 1,192.

The recent finish was a bit more disappointing because the Bulldogs had the lead, only to falter on the final three holes. Redlands made up the deficit on St. John Fisher in the first six holes and led until the final three holes, losing seven strokes on the last three.

Ross Canavan was the top individual for the Bulldogs, shooting a 2-over 73 for a 9-over 293 total. E.J. Stenftenagel tied for 10th (75-297).

The player that made the big difference for a third straight day was Alex Hedlund. Normally the No. 5 player, he had a 2-over 73 and was 23rd overall (302).
Scott Pena and J.C. Riter had indentical 77s and both finished at 311.

The University of La Verne, which beat Redlands head-to-head eight times this season, settled for ninth (1,219) in the last match for retiring coach Rex Huigens.

The Leopards had most of its returners from last year's national runner-up team and led after the first round. But nothing went right the last three days.

"Golf can be a fickle game," Huigens said. "We had a good first day but after that we were terrible, no other way to put it."
 

Junior Rizal Amin (74-302) was the top finisher for the Leopards in 23rd. He was followed by Mitchell Fedorka (78-305), Chris Davis (83-309), Andrew Kramer (79-311) and Jordan Talah (76-314)

Huigens said he will miss the camaraderie of his players.

"Any time you do something for that long, it will be a little emotional when you stop doing it," he said. "But the relationships will go on."

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2008 All-SCIAC Baseball Selections Announced
May 14, 2008

The 2008 All-SCIAC Baseball Selections have been announced.  University of La Verne Leopards claimed the SCIAC Conference title.  Scott Marcus, a senior from La Verne has been named Player of the Year.  The First and Second All-SCIAC Teams are listed below. 

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With one round left to play in the NCAA Division III tournament at Chateau Elon, the University of Redlands golf team is in a familiar position - second.

The Bulldogs qualified for the event in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and finished as national runner-up on all three occasions.

The first two times the Bulldogs were far enough back they didn't have a chance to win. But now they're ready to shed the bridesmaid label.

"We're in it to win it," Redlands coach Art Salvesen said. "We are right where we need to be. It's all up to us on the final day."

St. John Fisher (893) remains in first place with Redlands (897) next. It had started the day eight strokes out but shot a 293, its best round of the tournament while St. John Fisher shot a 297.

The Bulldogs steady twosome of Ross Canavan and E.J. Stenftenagel led the way. Canavan (220) shot an even par-71 for the day and is tied for fourth place individually while Stenftenagel (222), the lone holdover from the runner-up team in 2006, managed a 2-over 73 and is tied for ninth.

The Bulldogs No. 5 man also came up with a clutch performance. Alex Hedlund bounced back back from an opening-day 83 to post the second-best score on his team the last two days, including a 72 Thursday.

"He (Hedlund) was the key for us," Salvesen said. "We know we have two guys that are going to right around par but he gave us a big lift today.

Also checking in for the Bulldogs were Scott Pena (80-234) and J.C. Riter (77-234).

The University of La Verne, which led by 10 strokes after the first day, is tied for seventh after a 298 for a 54-hole total of 911.

Rizal Amin, Chris Davis and Mitchell Fedorka (227) are part of a five-way tie for 27th with Fedorka boasting the Leos bestr round of the day - a 1-under 70. Rounding out the scoring are Andrew Kramer (79-232), Jordan Talah (78-238) and

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was a good first day for the local teams at the Division III national golf championship Tuesday at Chateau Elon Resort in Braselton, Ga.

The University of La Verne surged out to a 10-stroke lead with a 7-over 291 while SCIAC foe University of Redlands is tied for fourth in the 35-team field at 20-over 304.

Skidmore is a distant second (301) while St. John Fisher is third (302).
Leopards coach Rex Huigens is optimistic but guarded, citing the fact that the 72-hole tournament is being conducted over two courses.

"We'll have a lot better idea where we stand after the second round. We played the easier of thre two today," he said. "But we are hitting the ball well so we're off to a good start."

The Leos and the Bulldogs both played the par-71, 7,030-yard Chateau course. Seven of the top eight teams played that one. The other is the par-71 6,728-yard Woodlands course.
A cut will be made after today's round and all teams will play the final two rounds on the same course.

"The one is longer but its straighter," Huigens said. "The other one is shorter and tighter and there is a lot more potential to get into trouble."

La Verne had two players in the top five with Andrew Kramer shooting an even-par 71 and Chris Davis right behind him at 72.

Rounding out the scoring were Rizal Amin (74) and Jordan Talah (74) who were in a logjam of seven players tied for 16th place. Mitchell Fedorka (75) was the non-scoring member of the team.

The Bulldogs are led by Ross Canavan, one of just three players that broke par. He shot a 1-under 70, just two strokes behind leader Scott Harris of Pacific (68).
Also representing the Bulldogs are E.J. Stenftenagel (75), Scott Pena (77), J.C. Riter (81) and Alex Hedlund (83).

"You can't win a title on the first day but you can lose it," Redlands coach Art Salvesen said. "Today will be the difference. This one is real man's course."

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CONFERENCE CHAMPION: UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS

HEAD COACH: LAURIE NEVAREZ

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  NICKY NEUMANN, UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:  MOLLY YRIARTE, WHITTIER COLLEGE

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The University of Redlands boasted two members on the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams as decided by the head coaches at their end-of-season meeting.  Junior 2m-offensive player Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) landed on the First Team while senior driver Alana Martinez (Riverside, CA) earned a spot on the Second Team.

In nine conference games, Greenawalt led the Bulldogs with 30 goals to go along with eight assists, six steals, 12 ejections drawn and one field block.  Overall, she supplied 87 goals to rank third all-time at Redlands for a single season.  She also tallied 10 assists, 17 steals, 42 ejections drawn and four field blocks.  This marks Greenawalt's second All-Conference accolade following her Second Team nod in 2006.

Martinez wrapped up a solid career at Redlands with 17 goals, 27 ejections drawn, 10 steals, three field blocks and two assists during nine conference games.  On the season, she led the team with 85 ejections drawn while adding 54 goals, 19 steals, and nine assists.  Her ejections drawn broke the school record for a single-season and move her into third all-time on the career list at Redlands with 156.  This is Martinez's first All-SCIAC honor.

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By Michelle gardner

Staff Writer

After a long day on the diamond, the University of La Verne softball team headed home to pack. SCIAC rival Redlands went to wait by the phone.

The Leopards gained the SCIAC's automatic bid beating the Bulldogs 5-4 Saturday in the title game of the first SCIAC tournament. Next up is the Division III West Regional which starts Thursday at University of Texas-Tyler.

The Leos (27-17), under first-year coach Julie Smith, have won 11 of their last 12 games. They were the No. 3 seed in the four-team tournament, but upended No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (10-0) and No. 4 Pomona-Pitzer (4-1) on Friday.

"We're peaking at the right time. I used the old marathon analogy," said Smith, a member of the United States' gold-medal Olympic team in 1996. "With about seven miles to go we were running sixth and I told them we still had time to make a move but we had to move together."

Smith chalked part of the team's slow start this season up to the late arrival of three players who came out after basketball. The Leos made the playoffs in that sport, so the trio of freshman shortstop Ashley Paul, senior outfielder Jenny Strycula and freshman reserve Mayra Duenas didn't join the team until the middle of March.

"We had more bodies, more depth and we were able to start practicing much more efficiently," she said. "Then we had to get used to playing together."

Top-seeded Redlands (34-10) had to come through the loser's bracket after dropping its opener to Pitzer 4-1 on Friday. It defeated CMS 6-0 later Friday, then avenged the loss to Pitzer, 6-5, Saturday morning.

Shortstop Melanie Hamlin led the effort, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, home run and three RBI, with three RBI, falling a single short of the cycle.

Senior pitcher Katie Brnca logged 17 innings of the 21 the Bulldogs played Saturday. She pitched five in the opener, then went the distance in the first game against La Verne, surrendering just four hits. The Bulldogs' offense racked up 11 hits, led by Nicky Neumann's three.

But Redlands trailed from the start in the deciding game, committing two errors on the first three hitters and twice failing to handle bunts, allowing La Verne an early 2-0 lead.
A two-run single by junior Kari Granger in the third made it 4-0.

La Verne was up 5-1 before Redlands scored three in the fifth.
But that inning could have  produced more, as Redlands had two runners thrown out at the plate, the last with some controversy. Kayla Peterson tried to score from first after a hit by Hamlin, but catcher Melissa Carlson made the tag on a toss from pitcher Delaney Baylor-Dick.\

Redlands wanted, but didn't get, an obstruction call on Carlson for blocking the plate without the ball.

The two plays at the plate and four errors proved costly, but coach Laurie Nevarez refused to blame fatigue.

"I hate to blame any one thing or one person," Nevarez said. "For every thing someone didn't do right I can think of five things they did do right."

The Bulldogs, who won their fourth straight regular season title, are hoping for an at-large bid -- which is possible given their strength of schedule and No. 12 national ranking, despite the SCIAC's dubious history of advancing second-place teams.

"A lot of people have told me we have a good shot but you never know," Nevarez said. "I hope we get a shot because I think we're deserving but we didn't do what we needed to do here."

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By winning the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship, the Bulldog softball team earned the right to host the first-ever conference postseason tournament. The inaugural double-elimination event takes place on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, at the Softball Field of Dreams at the University of Redlands. 

As the top seed, Redlands faces #4-seed Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.  The complete tournament schedule is listed below.

The winner of the postseason tournament earns the SCIAC's automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday, May 8, at the University of Texas, Tyler.

Game 1 9 a.m.                    #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. #3 La Verne

Game 2 11:30 a.m.            #1 Redlands vs. #4 Pomona-Pitzer

Game 3 2 p.m.                    Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 4 4:30 p.m.              Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Game 5 9 a.m.                    Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3               

Game 6 11:30 a.m.            Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Game 7 2 p.m.                    Only if necessary (first loss)

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For the second year in a row, the University of La Verne golf team finished the conference schedule undefeated en route to claiming a SCIAC Championship.

This year, the Leopards put an exclamation point on the SCIAC title with a dazzling performance of 559 (284-275) at the SCIAC 36-Hole Championship Monday at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills to outdistance second-place Redlands (573) by 14 strokes.

Prior to 2007, no SCIAC golf team had ever finished an entire season undefeated in league competition.

La Verne had five of its golfers finish in the top seven in the individual standings. Sophomore Andrew Kramer paced ULV with a second-pace effort of 138 (70-68). Senior Jordan Talah placed fourth overall at 141 (73-68) with senior Chris Davis placing fifth at 142 (71-71). Junior Rizal Amin earned a sixth-place finish carding a 143 (73-70) over 36 holes while freshman Kevin Smith finished tied for seventh at 144 (76-68).

Redlands golfer EJ Stenftenagle took first place in the individual standings at 136 (70-66).

Under head coach Rex Huigens, the Leopard squad racked up several conference honors following the 36-hole competition. Amin was named Co-Player of the Year while Smith earned Freshman of the Year honors.

ULV dominated the First-Team SCIAC selections with four spots. The quartet included Davis, Talah, Kramer and Mitchell Fedorka. Smith earned a spot on the Second Team.

Amin also was the co-winner of the Jess Clark Sportsmanship Award.

As the SCIAC Champion, La Verne secures an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, held next month at Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, GA. The Leopards are ranked sixth nationally in Division III.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

The University of Redlands women and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men will take to the tennis courts this weekend looking to keep their perfect SCIAC records in tact. On the line will be a automatic bids to the upcoming Division III West Regionals.

“The way it used to be it didn’t matter if you lost early. You really wanted to peak at the right time,” Bulldogs coach Jim Ducey said. “Now you still want to peak at the right time but those matches early are also important because of the automatic bids.”

The two schools will be hosting the eight-team tournament beginning today. The women’s competition will be hosted by Redlands with some matches aslo played at Redlands East Valley High School.
The Stags will host the men’s draw with matches also played at neighboring Pomona-Pitzer as well as the Upland and Claremont Tennis Clubs.

The automatic bids will be awarded for a combined finish in the regular season and the tournament. Both host teams head in with 7-0 marks but that is just a coincidence since hosting rights are rotated alphabetically.

On the men’s side the Stags (20-7, 7-0) are currently ranked eighth nationally and third in the West but that was before they upset No. 1 UC Santa Cruz last Sunday.

CMS is led by junior Larry Wang, who holds down the No. 1 spot. Claremont native Drew Sabater has pulled out some clutch wins in the No. 5 hole.

“We’re playing pretty well right now and we’re coming off a couple of big wins,” CMS coach Paul Settles said. “We’re hoping to keep that momentum in this tournament.”

Redlands (18-6, 6-1), led by No. 1 Matt Liebman and No. 2 Eric Wagar, is seeded second and lost a hard-fought battle to CMS 5-4 a week ago in the regular-season conference finale for both teams.

No. 2 seed Pomona-Pitzer (11-7, 6-1) is the defending champion on the women’s side and boasts the reigning player of the year in sophomore Siobhan Finicane.
Redlands (13-4, 7-0) is currently ranked third in the West Region and has five of its six singles players returning. The new addition is sophomore Rachael Miller, whose father played for the Bulldogs in 1976 with Ducey.

“You like to think if you’re ranked high enough you can get an at-large bid if you don’t win,” Ducey said. “But you can’t take any chances.”

There is no admission charge for spectators at any of the sites.

MEN’S SCHEDULE

Friday’s matches (All at 9 a.m.) - No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. No. 8 Caltech at CMS; No. 2 Redlands vs. No. 7 Whittier (at Pomona-Pitzer); No. 3 Cal Lutheran vs. No. 6 La Verne (at Upland Tennis Club); No. 4 Occidental vs. No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer (at Claremont Tennis Club).

Next round (All at 1 p.m.) - CMS-Caltech loser vs. Occidental-Pitzer loser (at Claremont TC); Redlands-Whittier loser vs. Cal Lutheran-La Verne loser (at Upland TC); CMS-Caltech winner vs. Occidental-Pitzer winner (at CMS); Redlands-Whittier winner vs. Cal Lutheran-La Verne winner (at Pitzer).

Saturday’s matches (All at 9 a.m.) - Seventh place match (at Claremont TC); Fifth place (at Upland TC); Third place (at Pitzer); Championship - (at CMS).

WOMEN’S SCHEDULE

Friday’s matches (All at 8:30 a.m.) - No. 1 Redlands vs. No. 8 Caltech (at Redlands); No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer vs. No. 7 Whittier (at Redlands); No. 3 CMS vs. No. 6 Cal Lutheran (at Redlands East Valley HS); No. 4 Occidental vs. No. 5 La Verne (at REV).

Next round (All at 1:30 p.m.) - Redlands-Caltech winnner vs. Occidental-La Verne winner (at Redlands); Pitzer-Whittier winner vs. CMS-Cal Lutheran winner (at Redlands); Caltech-Redlands loser vs. Occidental-La Verne loser (at REV); Pitzer-Whittier loser vs. CMS-Cal Lutheran loser (at REV).

Saturday’s matches (All at 10 a.m.) - Championship and third-place matches (at Redlands); Fifth and seventh place matches (at REV).

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It was announced earlier today that senior short stop/second baseman Billy Lavelle (Phoenix, AZ) was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Male Athlete of the Week for March 31-April 6.

In last week’s three-game sweep over Cal Lutheran University, Lavelle led the Bulldogs with a .714 average on 10-for-14 batting.  He tallied four runs, three RBI and 13 total bases, to go along with one double and one triple.  Lavelle earned a slugging percentage of .929 and an on-base percentage of .750.  He was 3-for-5 for stolen bases and was walked twice.  Playing both short stop and second base, Lavelle provided a .947 fielding percentage with 10 putouts, eight assists, and one error.

By starting 29 games, Lavelle has been instrumental in the Bulldogs’ 20-11 overall showing and 8-4 mark in conference so far this season.  He currently owns a .407 batting average with 48 hits, 20 runs scored, and 20 RBI.  Lavelle has offered six sacrifice hits and three sacrifice flies while amassing 13 stolen bases, leading the team in each of these categories.  Finally, he has provided 64 putouts and 69 assists with three errors for a .947 fielding percentage.

The Female Athlete of the Week was awarded to Caltech’s Rene Davis, who broke the school record in the high jump and long jump at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational.

The SCIAC Sports Information Directors nominate and vote on the Athletes of the Week.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Redlands men’s tennis team is gearing up for another run at the regional playoffs. The No. 11 Bulldogs, coached by Geoffe Roche, are 15-3 with seven wins over nationally ranked opponents.

The Bulldogs have advanced to regional play for 16 straight years. They usually end up running into either UC Santa Cruz and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who are top contenders again this season.

“I like to think we have played good enough competition we’re going to be ready,” Roche said. “We return most of our team and they did too so it will be a battle.”

The Bulldogs have been bolstered by the addition of sophomore Matt Liebman, a transfer from the University of Delaware who has moved into the No. 1 slot. That has strengthened the lineup by allowing senior Eric Wagar, who was No. 1 last year, to move down to No. 2.

Rounding out the top five are junior Aron Ouye, sophomore Mike Reading, junior Chris Trippel and sophomore Jeff Hammond. The doubles lineup consists of Wagar and senior Ransom Cook at No. 1, Reading and senior Zack Hasenyager at No. 2 and Hammond and freshman Keven Wong at No. 3.

“I think it’s just a matter of everyone being a year older and more experienced,” Roche said. “Now they all know more about what they’re facing.”

The three losses have all been to top 10 teams - No. 5 Middlebury (6-3), No. 9 Williams (5-4) and No. 10 University of Mary Washington (6-3).

No doubt the most dramatic match came last week as the Bulldogs upset No. 1 Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) 5-4, the pivotal match coming when Wagar won the last match of the day in a third-set tiebreaker.

The Bulldogs were up 2-1 after doubles but the Gusties won three of the five singles matches to tie it with Wagar still out on the court.

“It doesn’t get any more exciting than that,” Roche said. “It was a great match and a great atmosphere. And what makes it even more interesting is that he was in that same position last year and lost. So it was ironic.”

Next up for the Bulldogs is a Wednesday home match against Concordia-Irvine, a quality NAIA program. The most notable matches will come on April 11 when the Banana Slugs come in and April 12, the last match of the season, when the defending SCIAC champion CMS team pays a visit.

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The University of La Verne golf team earned yet another victory in SCIAC competition by taking top honors at the SCIAC #3 Tournament Monday at the friendly confines of Sierra La Verne Country Club.

The Leopards finished with a four-player team total of 294 to prevail over Redlands (297) by three strokes. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finished third at 300 followed by Cal Lutheran (308), Pomona-Pitzer (309), Occidental (317) and Whittier (350).

Chris Davis earned medalist honors with the top individual finish of the day with a round of 72 (37-35). Teammates Mitchell Fedorka and Ryan Waring were among five players who tied for second one stroke back with respective rounds of 73, while Rizal Amin contributed with a 76.

The Leopards break from conference play to compete at the West Region Invitational held April 8 at Berry Creek Country Club in Texas.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDLANDS — The No. 7 University of Redlands softball team proved it can win with the short game and the long game, all in the same day.

The defending champion Bulldogs swept a SCIAC doubleheader from much-improved Pomona-Pitzer 1-0 and 7-6 Saturday to keep a strong hold on first-place.

Redlands (20-2, 11-1), which has won 20 straight games, took the first contest on a one-out squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth by senior shortstop Melanie Hamlin.

The Bulldogs then won the nightcap on a two-run walkoff home run by sophomore catcher Nicky Neumann.

“We didn’t play up to our potential today but we found a way,” Redlands coach Laurie Nevarez said. “We got lucky with a couple of hits and that was the difference.”

The first game was a pitcher’s dual between seniors as Katie Brnca allowed the Sagehens just two hits and struck out six. Pitzer’s Billie McGrane was up the challenge and gave up just six while striking out four.
But one of those hits was a triple to Neumann with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Hamlin, a Redlands East Valley product, came up next and laid down a bunt that was retrieved by McGrane, whose toss to home wasn’t handled by catcher Alyssa Corley.

Neumann factored even bigger in the nightcap. The Sagehens (12-8, 5-5) surged out to a 4-0 lead, powered by a solo home run by Christine Calderon in the fourth and a two-run shot by Corley in the fifth.

The Bulldogs answered with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the inning, the big blows being a run-scoring double by Dory Baga and two-run singles by Remy Kawaguchi and Kayla Peterson.
But back came the visitors, who took a 6-5 lead on a two-run bloop single by Leanna Guillermo in the sixth.

The Sagehens again were on the brink of victory as sophomore Melanie Gularte, who entered in relief of starter Alexis Garcia in the fourth, fanned the first two hitters in the seventh.
Peterson then reached on an infield single, setting the stage for Neumann who smacked a 1-0 pitch over the leftfield fence, ending the contest.

“We seem to know when to turn it on,” Neumann said. “I was really just interested in getting a single. The last thing I was thinking about was a home run. Wow. That was so exciting, I don’t know what else to say.”

The close calls were little consolation for a Sagehen team that has made monumental strides. In 2007 Pitzer finished sixth of seven teams in the conference at 15-24 overall and 8-16 in conference. Their losses to Redlands came by scores of 5-0, 9-4, 11-2 and 10-0.

“I am pleased with how far we have come and that we have raised the bar,” second-year coach Joanne Ferguson said. “It’s a step in the right direction but we’re not satisifed.”
Nevarez, a former player at UCLA, was impressed with the opposition.

“That coach has done a great job with them,” Nevarez said. “They aren’t just improved, they’re a good team that really gave us our most competitive conference games so far.”

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Redlands baseball team got a chance to see how it stacks up against a national champion and the Bulldogs weren’t quite up to the task.

The Bulldogs fell to visiting Kean (N.J.) 9-6 on Tuesday in nonconference play at The Yard.
The Cougars (10-3), the defending Division III champion, pounded four Redlands pitchers for 18 hits and came up with some clutch defensive plays in the final innings to secure the win.

“It was kind of a roller-coaster game,” Redlands coach Scott Laverty said. “They score, we score, they scored. When that happens and the other team makes a couple plays, it pretty much kills your momentum.”

Kean, ranked No. 8 nationally, led 7-6 after six innings. The No. 18 Bulldogs (14-7) had a chance to tie it in the seventh as its first two runners reached base. Matt Goldstein missed on his first try at a sacrifice bunt and eventually grounded out to third. Chase Beatty then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Laverty said he took the bunt off after the first strike and didn’t regret that call even though it backfired.

“He (Goldstein) has been swinging the bat so well and the first try wasn’t very good,” Laverty said. “The third baseman was creeping in so I took it off. Seeing the way the defense was playing, I would play it the same way.”

Kean, playing its fourth game on a spring-break swing through Southern California, then plated a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on three hits to go up 9-6.

Kean then came up with the play of the game in the bottom of the inning with two Bulldogs on and one out. Brandon Owashi lofted a fly ball into foul territory where three Cougars gave chase. Shortstop Mike Diaz, who entered the game when the starter went in to pitch, made a diving catch toward his left, then leaped to his feet and nailed the runner trying to advance to third to end the inning.

In the ninth, third baseman Chris Carrano dove toward the bag to snag a line drive off the bat of Jefre Johnson and leaped to his feet in time to make a strong throw to first base.

Senior first baseman Brian Schumaker had three hits to lead the Bulldogs offense,. The highlight was his fifth home run which came in Redlands’ three-run fifth. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it came right after a runner was picked off.

“It was a fastball inside,” he said. “They were trying to pitch around me but I was lucky to get just enough of it.”

Johnson, Billy Lavelle and Corey Vane also had multiple hits with Johnson knocking home two runs.
San Gorgonio product Steven Dryden (0-1), who entered in relief of starter Nolan Nicholson in the sixth, took the loss.

Michael Noceri and Derek Gianakas had three hits each while Bryan Burke, Dan Mattonelli and Kevin O’Neill each knocked in a pair of runs for Kean.

Junior Matt Grinkevich (2-0), the second of three Kean pitchers, earned the win.

The contest was the Bulldogs’ fifth in a stretch of nine nonconference games. They next play this Thursday against Rutgers-Newark at 2:30 p.m. and They resume SCIAC play against defending conference champion Pomona-Pitzer on March 28.

“We played crummy today,” Laverty said. “We have a few more games to work out the kinks, though.”

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was announced earlier today that sophomore pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Female Athlete of the Week for March 3-9, 2008.

After helping Redlands to a 10-1 routing over Occidental College on Saturday, Ellis threw the first no-hitter of her career en route to an exciting 1-0 victory over #4 Ithaca College.  Against the Tigers, she scattered two hits and struck out five in four innings of work to earn the win.  On Sunday, she faced 25 batters and stuck out three in seven innings on the mound for the no-hitter against the Bombers.

On the season, Ellis boasts an ERA of 0.90 with 40 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched.  She has helped Redlands accumulate an overall record of 14-2 and a SCIAC mark of 7-1.  The Bulldogs host Whittier College in a conference doubleheader on Saturday at 12 noon.

Senior Connor Whitman (Los Angeles, CA) of Occidental earned the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week for his showings during the Tigers’ two NCAA postseason basketball games.

The conference sports information directors nominate and vote on the athletes of the week.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2007-08 Women's Basketball All-SCIAC Awards
March 4, 2008 

The 2007-2008 All-SCIAC Women's Basketball Honors have been named.  The Occidental Tigers and Head Coach Jaime Hoffman claimed the title of Conference Champions finishing 12-2 in conference.  Head Coach Julie Kline and the Leopards of La Verne (11-3, SCIAC) were crowned champions of the inagural SCIAC Tournament and will represent the SCIAC in NCAA post-season competition as they go on the road to face Puget Sound Friday night.

Player of the Year:  Brianne Brown, Junior, Occidental College

Ed Baldwin Award Recipient: Lindsay King, Senior, California Institute of Technology                                               

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The 2007-2008 All-SCIAC Men's Basketball Honors have been named.  The Conference Co-Champions and recipients of the Dave Jacobs Trophy were the Occidental College Tigers and California Lutheran University Kingsmen.  Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens were crowned the SCIAC Tournament Champions.   

David Wells Player of the Year:  Connor Whitman, Senior, Occidental College, 6'1"
Ted Ducey Award Recipients: Jabarri Reynolds, Senior, Pomona-Pitzer, 6'4"
                                                 Matt Loretz, Senior, University of Redlands, 6'5"

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the first-ever SCIAC Women's Basketball Tournament, the University of La Verne held off the University of Redlands 65-60 in a hotly-contested semifinal battle Thursday night at Frantz Athletic Court.

With the win, La Verne (19-7) sweeps the three games against the Bulldogs this season and will face Occidental in Saturday's SCIAC Championship game in Eagle Rock. The Tigers defeated Cal Lutheran 69-47 in the other semifinal. Redlands ends its season at 17-9.

The Leopard defense proved key in holding the Bulldogs to 37.9% from the field while forcing 15 turnovers. Additionally, the Leos won the rebounding battle with 45 boards compared to 38 for the visitors.

ULV took control late in the first half with a 22-9 run to take its largest lead of the game at 34-21 with 3:02 remaining to eventually hold a 36-27 advantage at intermission.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 12-5 spurt to close within two points at 41-39 at the 15-minute mark. Redlands, however, wouldn't get any closer as the Leopards were able to sustain their lead throughout. La Verne stretched the margin to eight points at 50-42 before the Bulldogs again whittled down the lead to two points (58-56) with five minutes left.

La Verne was able to subdue the Bulldogs by getting key baskets from Emily Carrillo and Trenecca Jones while not allowing a Redlands field goal for over four minutes. Heather Lokar's three-point basket cut the ULV lead to 62-60 with 21 seconds left, but Jones converted four of five free throw attempts to advance the Leopards to Saturday's championship game.

Jones tallied 17 points while posting a game-high 18 rebounds. In the process, she collected her 14th double-double of the season. Carrillo sparkled in her return to the lineup with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting to tie for game-high honors with Jones. Marissa Raya added 10 points for the Leopards.

For Redlands, point guard Valarie Katayama posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds with Lokar totaling a team-high 12 points.

(02

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The University of La Verne boasted the top four individual finishers and cruised to a a first-place team showing at the first SCIAC tournament of the season at the 6,628-yard par 72 Empire Lakes.

The Leopards, the national Division III runner-up a year ago, tallied 284 while Claremont-Mudd Scripps was second (305) and Redlands third (306). Pomona-Pitzer tied Cal Lutheran for fourth (319).

The Leos Mitchell Fedorka took medalist honors with a 70. Teammates Rizal Amin and Andrew Kramer were one stroke back while Chris Davis was two back. Also representing the school were Jordan Talah (75) and Kevin Smith (78).

John Morris had the best finish for the Stags (74) . His teammates included Luke Redfern (75), Kurt Scheline (76) and Kyle Cassella (80).

Ross Canavao was the top player for Redlands (75).  Other finishers for the Bulldogs were Nick Giordano (76), Scott Pena (77), E.J. Stenftenagel (78) and Ryan Williams (79).l

Aex Nakao led the Sagehens (77).

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALEC ALDERS

University of Redlands

Swimming

The lowdown: The freshman distance freestyle specialist has helped the Bulldogs to an overall record of 7-2, including a 7-0 showing in SCIAC competition. Led Redlands to a 126-117 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday with wins in the 200 free (1:44.61) and the 500 free (4:44.59) and a second-place finish in the 1,650 (17:13.39). Has also provided depth in some of the other strokes.

Age: 18

Hometown: Pasadena

High school: Loyola, 2007

Major: Undecided

Role model: My grandfather

Most embarrassing moment: Almost scoring on myself while playing goalie in water polo in high school.

Most memorable sports moment: Getting second place in CIF with my high school team.

Person most influential in your athletic success: My parents (Marla and Chris)

Favorite food: Pasta

Can’t miss TV shot: The Office

Favorite movie: Boondock Saints

Last good book you read: Eragon

Other hobbies: Video games

Favorite vacation spot: The beach

Worst job you ever had: Lifeguarding

What’s in your CD player/iPOD: 30 Seconds to Mars

Pre-game ritual or superstition: Breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and toast.

Best advice anyone has given you: You should be comfortable being uncomfortable.

What do you want to be doing in five years?: I’m not sure.

- Compiled by Michelle Gardner

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The All-American Football Foundation honored Head Coach Mike Maynard and Offensive Coordinator Jeff Thomas with individual awards at the 89th Banquet of Champions on December 20, 2007, in Las Vegas, NV.  Maynard received the Johnny Vaught Head Coach Award while Thomas earned the Mike Campbell Top Assistant Coach Award for Small Colleges.

In 20 years at the helm of Bulldog football, Maynard owns an overall career mark of 121-62 and an 88-24 record against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foes.  His teams have won 10 conference championships while making five NCAA playoff appearances.  During the 2007 campaign, he led the Bulldogs to an 8-2 overall record with a 5-1 SCIAC mark, resulting in a share of the conference title and a spot at the NCAA Championships.

In 2005, Maynard was inducted into the Bulldog Bench Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame for his coaching success and contributions.  In 1999, the University of Redlands recognized Maynard for his involvement and leadership with the prestigious Frank J. Rice Memorial Award for Community Service.  After guiding Redlands to its first SCIAC title in 10 years and its first-ever postseason berth, Maynard was named the 1990 American Football Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year.

"I join the All-American Football Foundation in applauding and recognizing Coach Maynard's work as a head coach and educator," commented Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez. "The University is fortunate to have him on staff as a faculty member and head coach, and it is outstanding that he has been recognized among his peers."

Following a standout playing career at the University of Redlands, Thomas has served as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs since 2003.  He became the Offensive Coordinator in 2007 and immediately made an impact.  Under his direction, the 2007 Bulldogs earned more than twice the number of points per game and nearly 75 more first downs than their opponents.  In addition, the Bulldogs established a new school record for total offense in a single game with 667 yards against Whittier College.

"In just his first season as the Offensive Coordinator, Coach Thomas did an excellent job of building and bringing our offense together," stated Maynard.  "Redlands' record-setting offense was a direct result of the expertise and hard work of Coach Thomas, the offensive coaching staff, and our amazing players.  It pleases me that he has received this recognition, which he so deserves."

Thomas originally worked with the Redlands receivers and tight ends during the 2003 season.  He moved into a full-time assistant position in 2004 and coached the defensive backs and special teams.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Redlands posted a 108-100 nonconference win over visiting Grinnell College Sunday at Currier Gymnasium.

The contest marked the return of former coach Gary Smith, who directed the Bulldogs for 27 years but is now a volunteer assistant at Grinnell, a Division III school in Iowa.

Under Smith, the Bulldogs adopted a run-and-gun offense that produced a national scoring record of 132.4 points per game in 2005-2006.

Grinnell actually ran that system first and led the country in scoring for 11 straight years before Redlands broke its record.

Redlands (5-6) runs a more traditional offense now under Smith's successor Jim Ducey, but that didn't make Sunday's game, arranged by Smith before he retired, less interesting.

Smith was acknowledged before the game to a standing ovation. He was greeted by several friends and former players right up until tipoff and remained in the gym long after the finals seconds ticked off the clock.
He admitted it felt different standing on a court that bears his name as a visitor.

"It was a little bit surreal," he said. "You think once the game starts you can put that out of your mind. But then you see (Dave) Thomas, (Daniel) Markus, (Matt) Loretz, guys you coached. It does pull at you."
Appropriately enough the game was tied at 48 at the half, with Dave Thomas completing a 3-point play in the closing seconds.

Grinnell's last lead came at 82-81 with 8:25 to play, but Thomas nailed a 3-pointer, the only one for Redlands, to give the Bulldogs an 84-82 edge.

The host team led by as many as 13 at 102-89 with 2:36 to go. The Pioneers (8-2) got closer with three 3s but Redlands secured the game at the free-throw line, with Thomas making two and Patrick Coffey hitting 4-of-4 over the last minute.

"We never thought the game was over," said Thomas, who played for Smith for three years in the uptempo offense. "We know how fast a 10-point lead can go away."

Ducey said his team didn't do much to prepare for Grinnell, although it likely helped that his players knew what to expect, having played that system themselves.

"We worked for 15 to 20 minutes a day on our press break but that was about it," Ducey said. "As much as we wanted to win this game, we have conference play coming up and none of the other teams we're going to be facing play like this. We were more worried about that than this one game."
Smith and Ducey both credited Redlands assistant Donald Brady with coming up with the game plan. Brady played in the offense under Smith and coached with him after he graduated.
The Bulldogs' strategy was to go with the tempo, but kick the ball back out if no high-percentage shot was available.

The Bulldogs scored 82 points in the paint to 22  for Grinnell. Redlands also benefited from a huge 49-30 lead on the boards with Loretz and Matt Dietrich snagging 10 each.

"We didn't think that just running with them would work," he said. "We were going to take the easy shot if we had a fast break or even a 2-on-1 but if it wasn't there we didn't want to force it. That is what the teams that beat us would do."

Redlands shot 67.2 percent (43-for-64) and were led by Loretz with 25 and Daniel Markus with 16. Dan Selway had 13 points and eight assists.
Grinnell shot 41.5 percent (34-for-82), including 21-for-52 from long distance. John Grotberg managed his season average of 30 points and was 8-for-20 from long distance.

"It was great to see coach Smith again and it was fun to run that offense," Thomas said. "But it is also nice to go back to more normal basketball."

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 7:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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CARLEY NADDY
University of Redlands
Swimming

The lowdown: The 5-foot-8 senior excelled in the freestyle
events last year as a junior, contributing to a second-place team
finish in the SCIAC. Helped establish school records in the 200 free
relay (1:37.22), 400 free relay (3:32.19) and 800 free relay
(7:48.37). Was third in the 50 free (24.58) at the SCIAC and competed
in the NCAA National meet on four different relays. Helped the
Bulldogs to a No. 9 national ranking as a sophomore and set
a SCIAC record in winning the 50 free (23.83) and later placed 16th
at the national meet in that event.
Age: 21
Hometown: Danville, Calif.
High school: San Ramon Valley High School, 2004
Major: Business and psychology
Favorite team: Oakland Raiders
Favorite athlete: Natalie Coughlin
Favorite food: Mexican
Can’t miss TV show: Grey’s Anatomy
Role model: My grandpa
Most memorable sports moment: Setting the SCIAC and school record in
the 50 free at the SCIAC meet in 2006.
Last good book you read: At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
Celebrity you most want to meet: Patrick Dempsey
What’s in your CD player/iPod: Country (Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw).
Favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz
Favorite vacation spot: Cannon Beach, Ore.
Best advice anyone has given you: You can race and win from any lane
(my mom).
Pre-game ritual or superstition: Rubbing my hands on the block and
dring the block off with a towel.
Other hobbies: Photpography and scrapbooking
What do you want to be doing in five years: Be settled in my career
and hopefully traveling.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Redlands - After back-to-back losses, the University of Redlands women's basketball team rebounded in fine fashion on Sunday with a decisive 71-55 victory over Division III opponent UC Santa Cruz.  Despite late comeback runs by the Banana Slugs, the Bulldogs maintained their composure and continued to pull away with strong shooting and stifling defense. The early part of the game saw a back-and-forth contest with UCSC gaining a five-point lead at 15:51 in the first half.  However, Redlands responded with relentless defense that resulted in 23 points off of 23 Slug turnovers.  Although UCSC moved within three late in the second half, the Bulldogs took advantage of opportunities and handled the ball well to hold the lead.   Sophomore forward Meghan Yetman (shown in photo; Danville, CA) led the way once again for the Bulldogs, scoring a season-high 26 points to lead the both teams.  In addition, Redlands boasted three other players in double figures with senior guard Valerie Katayama (Huntington Beach, CA) adding 13, junior post player Lindsey McFerran (Lakewood, CA) providing 12, and sophomore guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA) chipping in 11.  As a team, Redlands shot 36.4% from the field, accompanied by a much improved 78.8% from the free-throw line. Santa Cruz gained 14 points from senior point guard Talia Joyce (Carson City, NV) while sophomore forward Jessica Andrusaitis (Durham, CA) added 12.  Junior forward Melissa Junge (Sunnyvale, CA) rounded out the double-digit figures for Santa Cruz with 10 points.   Later this month, Bulldog women's basketball (5-3) continues non-conference play on the road in Michigan at the Kalamazoo Classic. On December 29, Redlands takes on Kalamazoo College (MI) at 4 p.m. EST and then faces Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on December 30 at 2 p.m. EST.  Redlands returns home on January 10 for the first conference game of the season and hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 7:30 p.m.

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Offensive Player of the Year - Dan Selway, QB, Redlands

Defensive Player of the Year - Josh Richards, DL, Cal Lutheran

Newcomer of the Year - Jacob Caron, QB, Pomona-Pitzer

John Zinda Award - Zach Landman, LB, Pomona-Pitzer; William Wagner, Claremont-Mudd Scripps

First team offense

QB Josh Scurlock, Whittier

RB Zach Shafer, Redlands

RB Jason Haller, Occidental

TE Jake Lacey, Redlands

WR Kyle Godfrey, Redlands

WR Rocky Ciasulli, Occidental

WR Jesse Matlock, Cal Lutheran

OL Matt Rosen, Cal Lutheran

OL D.J. Tano, Redlands

OL Chris Kyles, Occidental

OL Max Hodge, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

OL Jared Schwass, Redlands

K Connor Pearce, Cal Lutheran

SPT Kyle Godfrey, Redlands

First-team defense

DL James Sabo, Occidental

DL Gavril Gabriel, Redlands

DL Brock Arndt, Redlands

DL Daniel Lopez, Whittier

LB Arlo Castelo, Whittier

LB Kris Richardson, Redlands

LB Ashton Clarke, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

LB Zach Landman, Pomona-Pitzer  

DB Conor Drake, Redlands

DB Garett Redd, Cal Lutheran

DB Eddie Pickett, Pomona-Pitzer

DB Jerel Garcia, Redlands

P Alex Groh, Occidental

 Second-team offense

QB Jericho Toillolo, Cal Lutheran

RB D.J. Lillard, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

RB Tom Romaine, Redlands

TE Anthony DeJager, La Verne

WR Shawn Briggs, Whittier

WR Colin Regan, Pomona-Pitzer

WR Danny Hernandez, Cal Lutheran

OL Chris Anderson, Whittier

OL Jeff Briscoe, Cal Lutheran

OL Joe Manfre, La Verne

OL Tom Gonzalez, Occidental

OL Brett Henderson, Occidental

K Neil Martin, Occidental

SPT Grady Thomas, La Verne

Second-team defense

DL Jacob Calderon, Cal Lutheran

DL Tim Creamer, Occidental

DL Victor Lopez, Occidental

DL Mitch Crocco, Redlands

LB Jared Izidoro, Whittier

LB Branamier Courtney, La Verne

LB Jason Carpenter, La Verne

LB Eddie Stamm, Redlands

DB Dan Picciotto, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

DB Sean MacNeil, Whittier

DB Daniel Tromello, Occidental

DB Chris Denton, Cal Lutheran

P Bryan Downs, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

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The football teams from Redlands and Occidental squared off for the SCIAC championship Saturday night in Eagle Rock. Sure it was only the first conference game for Redlands and the second for Oxy. But everyone knows these are the only two teams really in the hunt.

The game was close as expected with Oxy prevailing 28-21.

A few things were troubling. A total of 17 penalties were called on the Bulldogs, just three were called on the home team. That is a big enough difference for concern. Also consider that Redlands had been called for just 15 total penalties its previous three games combined. Six of the penalties were called on one Redlands drive late in the fourth quarter.

Bulldogs coach Mike Maynard is going to see it one way. And yes I want the team I cover to win so I want to side with him.

So I asked Pomona-Pitzer coach Roger Caron, who can be a more subjective observer. His team plays Redlands this week so he has seen the film. He admitted there were some questionable calls made.

The other thing I hate to see is a stadium with all the stands on one side. This forces all the fans from both teams to intermingle which can cause trouble in games like this where there is passion on both sides and so much is on the line. There were harsh words being thrown about by both sides, especially in the fourth quarter when penalty after penalty was being called on the visiting team.

It didn't quite come to blows. But having seating on both sides of the field really cuts down the possibility of that happening.

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)