Harley Frost sets himself up for a jump serve at UCSC men’s volleyball Senior Night. Photo Courtesy of Austin Einhorn.

Senior outside hitter Salvatore La Cavera III is the first to admit his team might not have as much physical talent as they had in past seasons. But this year the Slugs have something more important than talent — they have the will to compete.

“We have guys who pretty much foam at the mouth to play volleyball,” La Cavera said. “We’ve had a surplus of physical talent in years past, and this year we definitely have enough talent but we have guys who fight hardest when we get in very pressurized situations like the semi-final game [against Carthage College]. We have guys who love that chaos and aren’t afraid of it, which in my book outdoes talent any week.”

The Slugs beat Carthage College 3–1 and Fontbonne University 3–0 to advance to the semi-final round of the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) tournament. Carthage was on a 14-game winning streak prior to playing UCSC. La Cavera led the team with 17 kills in the game against Carthage. He was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Men’s Division III National Player of the Week in March.

The Slugs earned the No. 1 tournament seed with those wins and beat Stevenson College 3–2 to earn a spot in the championship game. Against Stevenson, La Cavera made 23 kills and libero Mauro Salinas made 25 digs. La Cavera, Salinas and outside hitter Jake Landel earned spots on the CVC All West Division Team. UCSC holds the most players from one college on the Division Team of eight players.

“We feel that we can still get better,” said head coach Todd Hollenbeck. “Every day I can see our players working together to succeed on and off the court. Being the No. 1 seed is only a number. Our goals for this season are more important than numbers and rankings.”

In the CVC Championship game, the Slugs fell to Juniata College in three close sets, 27–25, 25–22 and 25–22. With the loss their record fell to 15–7, but UCSC earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament based on their Division III No. 3 national rank and high finish in the CVC tournament.

“We went up early once again in the championship game but Juniata rallied to win the set on a couple of amazing plays,” La Cavera said. “Again we hesitated to make a move, and with the momentum that they had gained, the game never slowed down enough for us to catch back up. Our preparation for the NCAA tournament will be heavily based on our ability to refocus our efforts during the match and be able to counter the strengths of our opponents.”

The Slugs’ first NCAA game is April 26 against No. 2 Nazareth College, who is 31–1 on the season. The winner of the match will face off with the winner of Juniata and Rivier College in the semifinals the following day.

“If we are able to pass very efficiently then we can basically dictate the flow of the game, and that’s what we pride ourselves on and what we think that we are best in the nation at,” Mauro Salinas said. “So if we can be effective with that and work really well together on that, then it sets us up to do pretty much anything else in volleyball.”

Last season the Slugs lost to Carthage in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament but they hope this year their passion will allow them to have a chance in the championship game.

“We are a great team. Every player has a role and competes with confidence. We are focused and are ready to take care of business,” Hollenbeck said.

Men’s rugby made it through Conference semifinals in Chico this last Saturday in a 22–19 victory against University of Nevada, Reno but then fell to Chico State the next day in Conference finals. It was nonetheless an impressive season with a 4–2 season record and some major victories in post-season.

Women’s Rugby ­

After an undefeated season, women’s rugby comes to a close with two losses in Sweet Sixteens, the first against CSU Northridge. Despite suffering a number of injuries, the team played the consolation game the next day against Utah Valley and lost this match as well. Despite these losses, the women’s team also had an impressive season, with a season record of 4–1 and another win following the end of their regulation season.

Men’s Volleyball

Men’s volleyball beat Stevenson College this past Saturday in a 3–2 nail-biter of a match but fell to Juniata College later that same day in a 3–0 sweep in the championship match for the Continental Volleyball Conference. Despite the dip in the team’s season record, the team will be heading to NCAA games because of their No. 3 national rank and impressive finish in the CVC tournament.

Men’s Lacrosse

The Slugs fell to a major rival, Saint Mary’s College, this weekend in an incredibly close game that ended 13–15. The team has another home game this weekend at 11 a.m. on the Lower East Field against Humboldt State University.

Men’s Tennis 

Currently ranked No. 10 in the nation, the team will wrap up a successful season at Claremont Mudd Scripps before heading off to Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament in Ojai, Calif.

Austin Brown throws the ball into a lineout in the men’s rugby team’s last game at home for the year against Fresno State. Photo courtesy of Andrew Nakamura.

Men’s Volleyball

Men’s volleyball ended Carthage’s 14-match winning streak in a four-game match. The team continues their tromp across the country, with Continental Volleyball Conference championship semi-finals on April 13 and finals the next day.

Men’s Lacrosse 

With a 2–1 record, men’s lacrosse looks to their fourth game of their season against Saint Mary’s College, a major rival in their division. The game is at the Upper Field on April 13 at 1 p.m.

Women’s Rugby

Women’s rugby continues its undefeated streak, adding another win of 20–15 against Washington State University in the first installment of nationals for the team. The team is now on to regional playoffs, the next step toward national championships, against CSU Northridge on April 13 at 10 a.m. at Stanford University.

Men’s Rugby 

Men’s rugby crushed the competition in a 65–24 match against Fresno State in their first installment of conference playoffs. Chico State is the next team in store for a faceoff with men’s rugby on April 13 at Chico State.

Women’s Lacrosse 

After a 9–3 overall season record and a 3–1 conference season record, women’s lacrosse has finished at the top of the Division II North Conference. This weekend on April 13 they will face off against UC Santa Barbara, a tough opponent who also finished at the top of their conference, the Division I Central Conference. Women’s lacrosse is also looking further into the future, for regional playoffs on the weekend of April 20.

Kevin Shea, 11, and Eli Redman, 22, run to get back into position during a match. Photo courtesy of Randy Silver.

The men’s lacrosse team still has a bitter taste in their mouths. After losing to Saint Mary’s College in the last five seconds of the conference championship game last season, the Slugs are now in the midst of conference play and set to face off with their longtime rival on April 13.

“If we win [against Saint Mary’s], our alumni — every player that has ever played in this program — every player that’s ever prospectively played in this program, will know about it,” team captain Kevin Shea said. “It would be huge. It would be our season.”

While the team holds an overall 3–6 record, they are 2–1 in conference play with wins over Cal State Monterey Bay and University of the Pacific. Head coach Michael O’Neill said he scheduled games with strong competition early in the season in order to challenge his team. As a Division II program, the Slugs suffered defeats from Division I teams including UCLA and Santa Clara University.

However, Shea and teammate Randy Silver said their difficult schedule has better prepared the team for conference play, which consists only of Division II teams.

“Our record isn’t indicative of how well we’ve played,” Silver said. “So with the competition coming down [in conference play], we can definitely see and feel a difference [in the level of play].”

The tough losses have also brought the team together, Shea said. He said the team’s best experience this season was their first trip to Nevada where they went 0–2 against Cal State Fullerton and University of Portland. Both losses were within two points, which Shea said “really brought us together as a team.”

“The season has definitely been up and down and we’ve been through hard parts. Hopefully going through adversity helps us out in conference play,” Shea said. “But it’s been a fun season — my first in [Northern California Lacrosse Association], playing with a new coach, a new team, a new set of guys.”

New Coach, New Game

O’Neill became the team’s head coach at the beginning of the season, days before the teams first preseason game against Santa Clara. To prepare for conference play, O’Neill holds multiple practices a day and expects his team to put in the same dedication he is used to seeing with his previous NCAA teams. He decided to coach at UC Santa Cruz to build the men’s lacrosse program.

O’Neill hopes for “the school to get a little more behind [the team]” in order to turn men’s lacrosse into a varsity sport at UCSC in the future. He notes that his team’s strong leadership does come from the boys having to run the program by themselves as a club sport. Team captain David Masaka said with five team captains, camaraderie is a definite team strength. Misaka also leads his team offensively with an average of nearly five points per game.

Silver points out while the transition to a new coach can be difficult, now that the team has worked under O’Neill for a few months they are adapting to his coaching style and philosophies.

“[O’Neill] definitely brings a lot of lacrosse knowledge. He’s a player’s coach. He relates to all of us really well. He likes talking to all of us just one on one. He knows us all very, very well,” Shea said. “And we think the way he works is that he builds personal relationships and it just shows on the field. We all respect him.”

Members of UCSC Men’s Lacrosse take a breather between matches. Photo courtesy of Randy Silver.

Looking to the Future

Last weekend the Slugs played two conference games and came out with a split record. A tie game with less than three minutes in the fourth quarter left, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) “got a lucky fast break up top and scored and killed the clock,” Misaka said. After that 9–8 loss, UCSC defeated Pacific 16–5 the next day.

“[Against Pacific] we stuck to our roots,” Misaka said. “Our coach sat us down and talked to us about how we need to be more disciplined and run our sets and our plays that we have been working on in practice and really understand that if we execute what we need to get done on the field we will come away with a win.”

UNR has already defeated Saint Mary’s and lead the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League with an undefeated conference record. Misaka hopes the Slugs will face off against UNR again in the conference playoffs.

UCSC now looks forward to the most anticipated game of the season and are hoping for not only a win but also for a big fan turnout.

“So [with Saint Mary’s] coming to our home turf, we need all the fans we can get to come out and show their support for Slug lacrosse and help us win. We know we are going to be ready but the question is if fans will be ready to help us win. Once we win I want them to storm the field,” Silver said. “Even if we have a losing record, if we beat Saint Mary’s, we’re happy.”

With a new head coach leading the way, the UCSC men’s lacrosse team is ready to get rid of that bitter taste.

The UCSC men’s rugby team faced off against San Jose State University in a scrum on March 16. Photo courtesy of Andrew Nakamura.

Sarah Mackey Recognized for Impressive Season

UC Santa Cruz women’s basketball’s Sarah Mackey became a member of Division III First Team All-Independent. Despite a mid-season injury, Mackey played 19 out of 24 games and started 12 of them, with some of the highest number of offensive and defensive rebounds on the team.

AVCA Player of the Week

Sal La Cavera III was voted American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Week for the week of March 19. He is a senior outside hitter and led the team in two wins against NYU and Stevenson University, racking up 17 kills in each game.

Men’s Tennis Clamps a Nail Biter

In March, UCSC’s Division III tennis player Bryce Bettwy beat UC San Diego’s Division II Rajeev Herekar in a 5–4 match. The team — ranked No. 10 in the nation — has their last home game on April 14 against the No. 4 team, Cal Lutheran.

Women’s Rugby Focus on Playoffs

UCSC women’s rugby wins the title of League Champions after an undefeated season and heads into their first round of National Championships, which will be held at UCSC on the Lower East Field on April 6 at 11 a.m.

Nik Reeves makes an aggressive cut upfield. Photo courtesy of Randy Silver.

Men’s Rugby off to Playoffs After a Successful Season

The team won their last game of Winter Quarter against rival San Jose State 41–25 for the renowned McBeath-Porter Cup. After a 4–2 season, men’s rugby looks to their first round of playoffs against Fresno State, which will be held April 6 at 1 p.m. on the Lower East Field.

Men’s Lacrosse Starts Their Season Strong
With a 15–3 win against Cal State Monterey Bay under their belt, UCSC men’s lacrosse kicks off their season with a bang. The team will end their season with three home games in three consecutive weeks, the first of which will be April 13 against Saint Mary’s College at 1 p.m.

Calling All High School Soccer Players
Women’s and men’s soccer are each holding ID Clinics for those high school age students in the Santa Cruz community and beyond who are interested in playing soccer for the UCSC program, working on their skills or just getting a feel for what it is like to play for a team like UCSC. The men’s ID Clinic will be held April 13–14 and the women’s ID Clinic will be held May 3–5 — both clinics are on campus with players expected to find their own housing for the weekend. For more information or to register, contact men’s soccer at mnsoccer@ucsc.edu and women’s soccer at wmsoccer@ucsc.edu or go online to goslugs.com.

Men’s Volleyball Jumps Into First Round of Championships
The team plays against Milwaukee Engineering and Fontbonne in the Continental Volleyball Conference Tournament on April 5 and April 6, which will determine the team’s place in the CVC Championships for the following weekend.

Kevin O’Shea goes to goal for a shot against the goalie. Photo courtesy of Andrew Nakamura.

Photo by Daniel Green

2005, 2007, 2009 and now 2013? After a weekend winning streak by UC Santa Cruz men’s tennis against three ranked teams in three days, coach Bryce Parmelly said his second season as UCSC coach will end like his last season as a UCSC senior in 2005 — with a national title.

In the weekend of March 9–11, the No. 11 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) ranked Banana Slugs defeated No. 16 Pomona-Pitzer 8–1 on March 9, before beating No. 20 Texas-Tyler 6–3 on March 10 and No. 13 Whitman College 8–1 on March 11.

The long weekend of tough opponents and tougher vollies was scheduled by Parmelly to be an early test for his team, who will face two more ranked opponents, No. 3 Williams College and No. 14 Middlebury, before entering playoffs.

“We designed the weekend to simulate the experience these guys would face in a national championship situation,” Parmelly said. “We’ve been talking about this weekend for months.”

Men’s tennis player Erich Koenig said he enjoyed the spirit his team showed in hammering home three wins against ranked competition.

“We got better every day that we played,” Koenig said.

Photo by Daniel Green

Men’s tennis is currenty UCSC’s most successful program. The team has finished 13 times in NCAA’s top two positions since 1988. Their last title came in 2009 and followed championship victories in 2005 and 2007. The 2009 title bookended seniors Sam Rodgers, Erich Koenig, Andre Halabi and Erik Rosner freshman year with the team.

The final match of the weekend was Monday’s matchup with Whitman College and was considered to be a strong victory for the team. Players were heard whispering of how much they wanted to win the match, sentiments that were drowned out by Whitman fan’s loud support for their favorite players throughout the day.

Last season, Whitman men’s tennis recorded the team’s first victory over UCSC in their school’s history. While this year’s matchup ended in a lopsided 8–1 win for the Banana Slugs, a singles matchup between UCSC senior Sam Rodgers and Whitman junior Steven Roston continued long after their teammates finished playing.

Their singles matchup, originally one part of six matches taking place on UCSC’s East Field courts, featured numerous rallies of six or seven shots as the match time crept past two hours.

Around 30 fans and players descended on the immediate bleachers surrounding Rodgers and Roston as both players battled for an advantage in the first two sets of the match. Unlike their teammates’ matches that day, Rodgers and Roston had to play a tiebreaker.

As the match wore on, Rodgers’ conditioning was the difference that Roston could not catch up to. Without breaking a sweat in the 10-point tiebreaker, Rodgers finished the match by firing back several unanswered points to stun the watching Whitman players, who were hoping to take one more individual win before packing to go home.

Despite a long match time, many fans and players said the ending was anti-climactic. The match lasted two and half hours — a half hour more than any of Roston’s or Rodger’s teammates played.

Coach Parmelly was not surprised by Rodger’s dedication to playing tough in the two-and-half hour match.

“He’s the hardest working player on the team,” Parmelly said.

Roston said he disliked losing the singles matchup to Rodgers.

“I learned I had to go more with the ebbs and flows of the game if I want to win against a player like that,” Roston said, whose mother and sister accompanied him to the game. “I knew once everyone was done I had to perform at my highest level.”

Parmelly said Rodgers was a strong example of why he believes his team has the potential to win the championship this season.

“My guys are tough,” Parmelly said. “And they don’t like losing.”

The UC Santa Cruz men’s tennis team will play Middlebury, Williams College and DePauw on March 24, 25 and 26 in Claremont, Calif. Their next home match will be against Cal Lutheran on April 14.

UC Santa Cruz Students Nick Chase (left) and Steven Esser built a half pipe in their front yard, giving themselves an off-campus place to skate. Photo by Sal Ingram.

Is skateboarding a dangerous sport for thrill-seeking athletes or a mode of transportation for the UC Santa Cruz student? The UCSC community has mixed feelings about skateboarding on campus, even within UCSC’s skateboarding community itself.

UCSC skateboarders mostly say dangers are inherent in skateboarding UCSC’s campus because of its hazardous traffic and steep hills. Some however ignore that danger, despite a campus wide ban, while others seek different outlets in Santa Cruz for their sport.

Skateboarding UCSC students often ride longboards on campus — skateboards meant to ride hills and paths, not half-pipes. These boards are often used for transportation between classes.

“UCSC is a dangerous campus to skate on for sure, especially for new skaters, who are easy to spot and whom I see everywhere, but I think skating is such a convenient mode of transportation it shouldn’t be discouraged or prohibited,” said first-year Ph.D candidate Dave Fryxell.

UCSC Chief of Police Nader Oweis said skateboarding was banned on campus because of its potential for harm.

“People were skateboarding and they were breaking benches and causing other types of vandalism,” Oweis said. “Or they were falling and they were breaking their necks and getting very badly injured.”

However, Oweis said he is open to discussing changes to the skateboard ban to ensure safety for UCSC’s skaters.

“I think the times have kind of changed,” Oweis said. “I think skateboarding is now not just used to do tricks. Skateboarding is now being used as a transportation mode. There could be a potential for a discussion.”

Oweis said the police department of UC Davis, which Mr. Oweis once worked for, has opened a conversation about making skating legal in certain areas on Davis’ campus. Oweis noted that geographical differences between the two campuses made Davis—a flatter campus—safer for skating.

Oweis also said several incidents of students injuring themselves skateboarding at UCSC have occurred since his 2011 hiring.

One student, who wished to remain anonymous because of the campus ban, said they had multiple run-ins with the police, the first of which resulted in a citation and fine which later was reduced to community service hours. Since then that student has taken precautions to avoid citations, including skateboarding at night with a group of fellow riders.

“Its harder for them to give everyone tickets if we travel in a group,” the student said.

Sometimes that student said their skateboarding group of friends may scatter into the forest at night to make a quick getaway from UCSC police. Other students have reported suffering injuries when making this type of escape from the police.

Second-year Nick Chase  is a skater who supports prohibiting skateboarding on UCSC campus, citing the reckless nature of inexperienced skaters.

“Some people just buy a longboard and [they think] ‘look there’s a hill’ and they don’t even learn how to skateboard and go down these hills at 30 miles an hour,” he said. Chase said he witnessed a skateboarding student accidentally collide with the back of a bus as it drove downhill from College Eight.

Skateboarders do not lack for options, should they choose to not skate on campus. Mike Fox Park, located on San Lorenzo Boulevard, has been a magnate for shortboard toting skateboarders since its 2007 opening.

Third-year skateboarder Christina “T” Miller said she was in favor of the type of skateboarding that occurs in places like Mike Fox Park.

“I definitely think that skateboard culture is really cool,” Miller said. “Like you can see someone working on a trick for a really long time and then finally when they get it down, everyone in the skatepark will see it and we all smack our boards down. But I think that not being allowed to skateboard on campus is a good idea because there’s too much traffic and too many pedestrians and the campus is too hilly.”

Miller said UCSC should embrace its skateboarding community by providing them a safe place to skate on campus so they don’t have to travel to far away parks or use the busy and dangerous UCSC surface streets.

“I do think that it’s not fair that we have a lot of facilities on campus for other sports and not skateboarding,” Miller said. “If they’re going to make skateboarding illegal on campus, they should at least put a really small skatepark somewhere.”

Sammy the Slug gives away a pizza to hungry fans and the Santa Cruz Warriors “UCSC Night”. Photo by Daniel Green.

With several different UC Santa Cruz clubs taking part in the Warriors’ timeout and halftime performances, last Friday’s Warriors blowout loss showcased the blooming relationship between campus and Santa Cruz’s newest team. Fans were treated to Acquire A Capella singing the national anthem, a musical chairs contests between UCSC’s NCAA basketball players, Sammy the Slug break dancing and a choreographed dance by the UCSC cheer squad. About 70 UCSC community members also took part in a pre-game party at Surf City Billiards.

“We wanted to recognize UCSC as an integral part of the community,” said Warriors public and community relations manager Matt de Nesnera.

Both regional programs manager Allison Garcia and UCSC athletic director Linda Spradley are attempting to foster a strong relationship between the Warriors and campus to capitalize on the buzz the team has created in their inaugural season. Garcia, who helped organize “UCSC Night” at the Santa Cruz Warriors, viewed the outing as a way to reach out to UCSC’s staff, students and alumni.

“Alumni, students and faculty are all a part of a larger community here,” Garcia said. “We all have to have this Banana Slug Pride. It’s something bigger than just our student experience.”

Garcia said UCSC is different from other campuses in the UC system as many of its alumni move away from Santa Cruz when they graduate. In the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area, Garcia noted the campus has some 10,000 alumni living and working in the region, roughly an eighth of the campus’ 88,000 alumni overall.

“If you compare Santa Cruz to Berkeley, they have 80 percent of its alumni staying in the region. We have less than 20 percent stay.” Garcia said. “We’re really trying to put on events like this to strengthen the connection of the alumni, students and faculty.”

Spradley said UCSC’s relationship with the Warriors can be beneficial for UCSC athletics in particular, but noted that time and budgetary constraints have kept her department from seeking out a greater relationship so far.

“We want to hold clinics with the team and to learn from them,” Spradley said. “They have tons of expertise in a variety of places that we could learn from. We will develop a relationship when we get a chance.”

The Santa Cruz Warriors’ working relationship with UCSC stems from last November when the team began practicing at College Eight’s West Field House gym as downtown’s Kaiser Permanente Arena awaited finishing. In turn, the Warriors have returned the favor by allowing UCSC basketball a chance to practice in the approximately 2,400 seat arena they call home.

“UCSC has always stepped up whenever we needed help,” said Warriors public and community relations manager Matt de Nesnera.

Spradley hopes to one day see a UCSC basketball game in the arena.

Current UCSC cheerleading captain Allison Grove said that UCSC athletics and the university could also benefit from using the arena.

“I feel that our athletes that use the West Field House do not get the actual experience of being a collegiate athlete when they play at home because it only allows for minimal fans and spectators to come out to the games,” Grove said. “I think that the university can bond with the city of Santa Cruz more that way, actually.”

Many of the UCSC students, alumni and faculty, including Grove, were turned into fans as the night’s events wore on.

“Although that was my first Warriors game, I do plan to attend more games before their season ends,” Grove said.

Courtesy of Steve Hart

Despite being the last team to qualify in the upcoming Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League Regional Championship, the UC Santa Cruz’s men’s roller hockey club is confident. With players healed up and ready to go, the club is at full strength.

Men’s roller hockey has had a rocky season because of an injury to senior Erik Steggall and a general lack of cohesiveness, said club captain John Hart. As a result, the club has a 7-7-2 record, just enough to be seeded sixth in the Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League’s Division II.

“We don’t have time to practice and it makes us make errors,” Hart said. “We all have different styles of play and there are miscommunications sometimes … The defense will advance to score but no one will come back on to cover them. That’s been a problem this year.”

Hart said he thinks the club will click when playoffs come.

“Now we’re more like, ‘let’s get serious,’” Hart said.

Despite what Hart calls a disappointing season, the club has complete faith in their ability to be competitive in regionals for the weekend of March 2–4. With a full strength squad, Hart expects UCSC hockey to be more difficult to play than their win-loss record indicates.

UC Santa Cruz men’s roller hockey is a club registered through Stevenson College and not the UCSC club sports program. Hart proposed to UCSC sports club supervisor Kevin “Skippy” Givens for the team to become an official club sport through the UCSC Sports Club program, but was declined due to budgetary reasons.

“They stated a good case, well-organized,” Givens said. “The things I look for are: Do they take ownership of what their responsibilities are? If they were to become a sports club, we need to guard against them adding significant additional workload to me and to the staff. They have a good track record. I know that they’re highly competitive. They’ve tried to compete for a national championship. I’ve nothing but good things to say about them.”

Courtesy of Steve Hart

Despite the fact that the Sports Club program was unable to lend its support and funds, Hart said that coordinator for residential education Stan Prather from Stevenson College has helped the club immensely in being sponsored by Stevenson College. Prather even drove the team to nationals in Utah in 2012.

With this level of support from Prather and with talented players who have played roller hockey for years, the hockey team has had some successful seasons — last year especially for captain John Hart.

“[It] was the third year we had all been playing together,” Hart said. “Seven out of ten of the players had been playing for us for three straight years.”

In 2011, the club went to nationals in Wisconsin, but the club’s current record does not exemplify that former competitiveness.

The team hopes to restore the winning culture of previous years with training, practice and some hard work in the playoff games. Captain John  Hart has scheduled the team for some “dry land training” and training in their blades to give them extra edge.

“We’re getting back into the swing of things,” said junior member Jake Hennings. “Our first game for the season against Chico, we lost 7-1. They’re going to come in feeling pretty confident but I like our chances. I’m really not nervous about any team that we might be playing.”

The Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League Regional Championship will be held on March 2 in Corona, Calif

Photo by Daniela Ruiz

On a bright Friday afternoon, a group of three sailboats waft over the sea, pushed by the breeze as the sun glints off the water. For the UC Santa Cruz sailing club, this vista is their playing field.

“This is where we do our sport,” said sailing club member Patrick Boyden as the boats skipped off the water out of the harbor.

Sailing is a sport with a vault of special sailing terms and involves navigating various elements, including the ocean, the wind, weight distribution and more. Experienced sailors have definite advantages as they familiarize themselves with the water, wind and boat.

“It’s also a much different sport than most others, it’s almost like a puzzle,” said team captain Emma Shaw. “You have the wind and the sea and your body and if you know how to put those things together the best way, that’s what makes a great sailor.”

Club member Tommy Pastalka said the sport can be difficult to learn at first.

“Sailing is an extremely fluid sport and as such, you can’t take something you learned in a text book or during practice and apply it on the water and get the same results,” Pastalka said.

A team is divided into two people per boat, the “crew” and “skipper.” These two-person boats are called Flying Juniors. The skipper controls direction and speed with a tiller, while the crew control and keep weight distribution even, with the jib and the shaping of the sails.

Each member of the team, skipper and crew, has specific responsibilities when it comes to sailing the boat. Communication between the two members is thought to be key by sailors.

“To be a good crew, you are constantly talking to your skipper and you make decisions together, like where you are going next when all the boats are around you,” said senior captain of the team Jean Rutledge.

Pastalka said winning any boating race is a result of teamwork, not leadership.

“A common misconception is that the skippers win races. If you’re sailing a single handed boat, that may be true, but in every other case, the crew work will win you races. For me, sailing is a process that I will always be learning,” Pastalka said.

The team has two captains, Emma Shaw and Jean Rutledge. Shaw is known for her fearlessness on the team. She has been sailing for 12 years and has received a fair share of injuries, including multiple concussions, bad cuts and other injuries.

In fact, she did not join the team until her second year after receiving a concussion the summer before her first year at UCSC, despite her enthusiasm for the sport. She is now currently out with a broken leg.

Shaw planned to compete in the JJ Giltinan Australian 18 Foot Skiff Championship of Australia this year, which takes place Feb. 14–24, but was sidelined a week before the competition with her latest injury. However, Shaw is already planning on sailing there next year.

The JJ Giltinan Australian Championship is a regatta involving Australian 18, an 18-foot, three-person boat said to be the craziest boat on water — a boat rarely sailed. Shaw spoke of the long hours she spent fundraising and training this summer to be one of the first all -female teams in the competition’s history.

“It takes a certain type of courage, determination and passion to want to sail these boats. Women in the fleet are extremely rare and in the history of the world championships there has never been an all-female boat to compete,” Shaw said. “I’m devastated I didn’t get to go.”

Shaw said her “need for speed” drives her when she is out on the ocean.

“I could be in last place as long as I’m going fast and having the time of my life,” Shaw said.

Shaw’s passion for and experience with the ocean gives her a profound respect for the powerful force of nature.

“You have to know that you’re playing with the elements and that ocean is a whole lot bigger than you,” Shaw said. “The ocean has and always will be my life.”

Illustration by Caetano Santos

Sports fans are accustomed to having long, epic debates over who is the best in the field of play and what it means to be the best in a game, with much discussion centered on who to root for and who to root against.

According to the University of North Carolina’s Jan Boxill, in a conference held last Thursday by the UC Santa Cruz philosophy department, sports may be the best barometer for public ethics we have.

“Our sports tell us who we are are and who we’d like to be,” Boxill said. “It would be hard to ignore how sports are designed for self-development.”

A leading ethicist, Boxill focuses on sports ethics and has worked as an announcer in the Olympics as well as for the United States Anti-Doping Agency to determine performance-enhancing drug policy specifics. Beyond her work, Boxill classified herself as a big fan of athletic competition who has received extraordinary access to professional athletes and coaches.

The conference was one of many held in the philosophy department’s Peggy Downes Baskin Lecture Series, according to its official flyer, which focuses on presenting interdisciplinary ethical lectures for students and professors alike.

Boxill explained why a systematic approach to the way games are played and talked about by fans, players and coaches reveals much more about how people view themselves than just the game.

“Even those that are uninvolved are affected by it,” Boxill said. “Why else would heads of state go out of their way for Olympic swimmers?”

Boxill spoke of her three-pronged approach to understanding why sports are important for ethical studies. As sports are self-regulating, public and voluntary, sports become a forum that “dramatize social orders, and human fallibilities … and portray virtues we wish to exhibit in society,” Boxill said.

Boxill said sportsmanship is an ideal we wish to strive for and that those who exemplify bad behavior are part of sports’ ability to examine the way societies view the concept of respect.

“Sports is a challenge, and a challenge requires mutual cooperation,” Boxill said. “It is not just winning [that] dictates how one feels about sports, but the process associated with the game. Disrespect of the rules shows a lack of respect for one’s self.”

More than 30 people packed the audience of the small humanities classroom where Boxill spoke, which included several members of UCSC’s ethics bowl team, graduate students in a variety of disciplines, philosophy professors and UCSC athletics director Linda Spradley.

Ethics bowl team member and third-year philosophy student A.J. Felling said Boxill’s approach better explains why fan culture arises around sports. In questioning Boxill directly after the lecture, Felling asked about motorsports, which had caught his attention due to the ethics of how people “only wish to see crashes.”

“It’s very easy to make hackneyed judgements without knowing how these games work and what makes people continue following them against their better judgement,” Felling said.

Former NCAA Women’s tennis player and third-year UCSC student Soph Lundeberg approached the lecture not as a passive fan, but as an athlete. Lundeberg said what Boxill taught her best was how athletics can become a forum for success.

At a dinner reception held after the meeting, Boxill could hardly eat any of the food provided by UCSC catering because of the many questions being asked to her by Felling, Lundeberg and several graduate students. Lundeberg was excited to have met Boxill.

“I was really excited, this is where I want to go with my life when I think of how much time I’ve spent arguing ethics and playing sports,” Lundeberg said. “I feel like I just met the oracle today.”

UC Santa Cruz’s Women’s Basketball practices before last weekend’s two games in Los Angeles. Photo by Jessica Tran.

“Come on, get the ball up in the air,” said Stan Parrish, an enthused fan and the father of Leah Parrish as she missed another free throw. After an injury plagued January, Parrish found reason for his frustrations­­ — the UCSC women’s basketball team has suffered five losses out of eight games in January, following an early 11–4 run.

Sophomore forward Sarah Mackey’s kidney infection and Geena Giovannetti’s injured toe are two factors that damaged team chemistry in the loss to Menlo. While Giovannetti was out only for the Menlo Park game, Mackey’s been out since December.

“She’s our best player,” sophomore guard Giovannetti said of Mackey. Mackey is eleventh in the nation in blocks and despite missing almost a month worth of games, still averages 11.7 points a game.

Though not a starter, Giovannetti provides energetic movement toward the basket. She sustained an injured toe in a Jan. 20 game, which caused her discomfort in going up for lay-ups.

“I’d jump and come down on one leg,” she said.

Menlo scored 75 against UC Santa Cruz’s 45 on Jan. 23. The sitting Giovannetti said that the team’s defense lacked intensity with the loss of their pivot point, Sarah Mackey.

She also explained that the offense lacked movement toward the basket, with players consistently settling for three point shots. “It was just too many shots to the outside, not enough aggressive inward movement.”

Coach Todd Kent mentioned that this loss was unexpected for the team. “The team just did not play very hard,” he said. “This is rare for the team.”

On the weekend following the Menlo loss, Giovannetti and Mackey rallied back to health in order to play against against La Verne on Jan. 26, in a very fast-paced affair that ended in a 104–97 win for UCSC.

“It wasn’t like a real basketball game. It was like a track meet,” said Giovannetti of the fast-paced game.

Junior co-captain Ryane Ortiz found the La Verne’s game to be a strange predicament for the normally slower and defensive Slugs.

“La Verne’s style is completely against our own, focusing only on quick scoring and no concern about defense. So we decided we were going to beat them at their own game, and show them that defense does matter in basketball,” Ortiz said.

Mackey scored 33 and swatted 8 blocks in her first game back against La Verne. She played a total of 19 minutes in that game, but was unable to play in the game the next day against Cal Lutheran.

The game against Cal Lutheran was a close loss on Jan. 27, ending 56–49.

Kent believes his team has shown resilience despite losing one of their captains this season.

“All the players bring a certain skill set. We’ve played without Sarah Mackey lately and the kids have really stepped up,” Kent said.

Photo by Sal Ingram

A typical play in basketball is when teammate one dribbles the ball, sending teammate two into a cut toward the basket before screening teammate three, who flashes past teammate four into the post, while teammate five cuts hard to the three-point line.

Sound complicated? Now picture this play in math.

When the Santa Cruz Warriors officially relocated last October, fans wanted to see dunks, blocks and steals. Behind the scenes, however, few casual fans could expect the amount of data needed to run a professional basketball team.

“I have one guy who puts together spreadsheets of efficiency metrics [for players]” said Santa Cruz Warriors general manager Kirk Lacob. “We’re looking for a guy who has one elite skill that can translate to the next level.”

The team keeps figures not just on it’s own play, but for every team and player in the league. So far, this method has been reliable: The Santa Cruz Warriors have only lost one home game as of last Monday, the best home winning percentage in the D-league.

“It sounds crazy, but this our version of keeping up with other teams,” Lacob said. “We want to know them better than they know themselves when we make our moves.”

Statistical analysis usage has multiplied the past 12 years in professional basketball and is coming to the forefront with the Warriors organization. While the stats originally have roots in 1980s sportswriters like Bill James, their sophistication has accelerated with time and interest from professional sports teams.

These statistics are collectively known as Association for Professional Basketball Research Metrics, or APBRmetrics. Their focus varies, but many of the newer statistics are about how efficient a player is or how well a player plays in a team setting, as opposed to their individual accumulation of blocks or points.

New technology has made efficiency statistics data more frequent. Lacob spoke of the Stats Inc. cameras released late in 2012 which take pictures and video of any spot on the court, slow the action down and then export raw data back as an Excel spreadsheet.

While these cameras have not yet marked the rafters of downtown’s Kaiser Permanente Arena because of their expense, Lacob believes the capabilities of these cameras to examine how players play may be too great to pass up on in future seasons.

“We could measure anything we want,” Lacob said. “The shot arcs of guys from the first to fourth quarters, how they play defense in specific sets — the possibilities feel endless, but nobody really knows what to do with them just yet.”

Lacob centers much statistical work on five man lineup analysis, a complicated mode which looks to find the most efficient lineup possible on the court in a given situation. This type of statistical analysis can often explain the difference between winning and losing succinctly.

Lacob mentioned his office’s interest in offensive rating and defensive rating stats, a pace adjusted stat which calculates the total number of points scored or allowed over the number of possessions in a game before being multiplied by 100.

The margin between the two numbers is called points margin per hundred possessions, a number many general managers find strongly correlated with winning, according to Golden State of Mind — a blog devoted to all things Warriors.

Lacob said that these numbers can be deceiving at times, without mentioning any of the other metrics his office calculates.

“It’s too easy to get tricked by a big jump or an outlier,” Lacob said. “We have to use a bunch of them, really.”

Taylor Griffin sinks a free throw in Sunday’s win.

Lacob is the youngest general manager not just in the NBA developmental league, but in all of American pro sports at 24-years old. The recent Stanford alum believes his youth and education grants him an interest in taking risks some of his elder peers aren’t inclined to make.

“I grew up in the ‘Moneyball’ era of sports in the Bay Area,” Lacob said. “I’ve been fortunate to grow up when I did because technology has revolutionized the industry around me. That book was extremely influential.”

Fans have flocked to efficiency metrics as they become more popular. RealGM.com — a San Francisco based new media sporting news site —has found that hoops heads prefer their hard stats to go along with their daily digestion of dunks.

“We’ve contributed to an intelligent and in-depth discussion among very committed sports fans,” said RealGM.com chief operating officer Todd Essman.

The site began as a startup on internet message boards and grew as a place where fans could check out which NBA trades were possible under the rules of the salary cap. However, the site has grown to include a wide variety of specialized basketball news and statistics, including D-league analysis and a blog devoted to testing out stat calculations and theories.

Lacob said RealGM.com is a good place to find smart analysis of the evolving statistics. Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Nate Bjorkgren believes Lacob  sends a strong message with his interest in finding better math equations to explain what goes on in a game.

“Most of Kirk’s statistic match up to what I see on the court, but i’m inclined to listen to him when he shows me that a guy is producing really efficiently in a more limited role,” Bjorkgren said. “Usually, that’s when we have the best basketball conversations.”

Illustration by Maren Slobody

The UC Santa Cruz equestrian club trotted out a squad of beginners at the Stanford show last fall. Next season, the club hopes to gallop into nationals, one leaped fence at a time.

Captain Dana Frederick and co-captain Lily Pearson find it to be a novel position for the team, who have found the club to have too few riders to compete with bigger schools. Pearson believes the team is now cohesive in their search for riding glory.

“I think the team is definitely getting a lot more competitive,” Pearson said.

The UCSC equestrian club has found enough members to fill all divisions because of an increased outreach. The club features 14 regular competing members out of 23 total, a strong base when compared to only five returners from last season.

In contrast with past years, there is more inter-club competition for the equestrian club, something the captains and coaches have encouraged with the turnout.

In previous years, the club has vied against Cal Poly, UC Davis and Stanford, with no hope of beating these schools in the overall club score event. They could not rack enough points with so few riders.

With some new members testing the competitive waters of equestrian show and general horseback riding, the competitive drive of each member varies. However, the 11 year old team now finds itself in an enviable position, the co-captains said.

Riders may find that practicing equestrian can be an expensive undertaking. The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) requires all riders to practice once a week, while riders pay $35 per lesson for training with the coach. Club captain Dana Frederick found the structure of individual lessons to be a issue in rider retention and in creating a team mentality.

“Previously, everyone was on their own to meet the one lesson per week requirement,” Frederick said. “On top of that, we would try to meet monthly for a team lesson.”

This year, the club consistently holds weekly team practices together and has done so since week two of Fall 2012.

“We’re really focused on building a team,” Dennis said.

The club has a chance to compete against larger west coast college clubs. Some schools like UC Davis feature 30 regular members for their dressage team alone.

“This year is the first we have people who are noncompetitive because we have enough people to fill all the divisions,” Dennis said.

Equestrian divisions are based on a rider’s experience and specific skill set. Riding divisions refer to the type of obstacle setup on the course. Courses are either set up to represent a typical horseback hunting trip in the “huntseat” event, or to show off one’s show jumping skills in the “jumpseat” competition.

Most of the shows for which the team practice are held in the first two academic quarters, this year being the second year that UCSC hosted a show at coach Cassie Belmont’s barn at the Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville. Other barns where shows are held include Stanford, UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The last academic quarter will be when the IHSA holds post-regulation season events, including regionals and nationals.

Because of how new the club is, captain Dana Frederick shook her head and laughed at the prospect of nationals for UCSC’s only equine based sports club.

“Unfortunately, Stanford usually has that one in the bag,” Frederick said.

Dennis noted several members who could trot, canter and jump into nationals including herself, Dana Frederick, Susan Fredericks and Allyson Burkholder. Last year, Megan Forgie finished fourth in the flat novice division, according to the IHSA website.

Dennis said a spot in nationals may be certain for these individual riders, who will represent the rising standards of the UCSC equestrian team May 2– 5 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also according to the IHSA website.

Every other rider will just have to wait to bust out their trotting skills.

Courtesy of Janine Bodea

The women’s lacrosse team is an unofficial UC Santa Cruz club playing and practicing on UCSC turf. Despite a high number of new recruits this year, the team has not succeeded in becoming a registered UCSC club.

Last year was the third year that women’s lacrosse existed as a competitive team students could join. Assisting coach Janine Bodea and club president Laura Harris manage the team independently.

“The insurance is in my name,” Harris said. “Every step of the way we’ve been fighting. I had to go in front of the board of club sports to ask permission to use the OPERS field for a home game.”

This last season proved to be successful for the team, which received first place in North Division of Division II and third place all around in Divison II.

The team thrives without being registered, but registration would give the team rights to use the Office of Physical Education, Recreation and Sports field and a small sum of money for transportation, hospitality and refereeing fees.

It’s not that women’s lacrosse does not fit in with the program, UCSC club sports director Kevin “Skippy” Givens said, but that club sports funding is unavailable for the team.

A registered club team can receive up to $3,000 per quarter for becoming official through the registration process.

The UCSC club sports program plans on adding an assistant director, which, Givens said, should also free up the time he dedicates to managing the registered club teams and allow him to add some new teams to the mix.

“Things are shifting,” Givens said. “With any luck, women’s lacrosse will be at the top of that list of new teams to add.”

Givens said several teams have proposed to be registered UCSC clubs, including surfing, roller hockey, women’s soccer and bass fishing. These teams also cannot find funding from the club sports program because Givens currently does not have more funds to allocate.

Givens provides guidance to women’s lacrosse in contacting other teams, finding fields and transportation, none of which are in his official capacity as director of club sports.

“Skippy’s helping us,” Harris said. “Any time we’ve needed help he’s stepped in to help with planning.”

With a group of five newcomers for this season, in addition to 18 veterans, the team is an established club associated, if not officially, with UCSC.

The seniors call these players the “new blood.” Janine Bodea, assisting coach, said its important to create good team chemistry with the established veterans.

“In scientific terms, usually you don’t want to mix old blood and new blood,” Bodea said. “But it’s very comforting to see how much they want to be a team.”

Despite an awkward combination of experienced veterans and newcomers, some of whom have never played lacrosse, the team is gelling together. Many of the newcomers have proven to be athletic and quick learners.

“It took a little bit to get everyone to mesh, but it’s working out,” Harris said.

Bodea is impressed with the newcomers’ work ethic.

“If there’s something that someone isn’t getting at practice, they don’t want to brush it away as a rookie mistake,” Bodea said. “They want to work on it now.”

The women’s lacrosse club at UCSC will play their next game on Feb. 9 versus San Jose State University on the East Field.

Ryane Ortiz (right) scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Slugs to a 63-62 victory over Occidental College. Photo by Daniela Ruiz.

After a rough start to the season, the UC Santa Cruz women’s basketball team rebounded to win against Occidental College 63–62 on Jan. 7, riding captain Ryane Ortiz’s career-high 23 points to a close victory.

The win improves the Slugs to an 11–4 record, the hottest start of Coach Todd Kent’s three seasons at UCSC. After the game, he attributed the win to strong bench play, tough defense and guard Ortiz, one-third of the team’s captains, along with forward Sarah Mackey and forward Leah Parrish.

“[Ortiz is] like the last piece of the puzzle for us to win,” Kent said.

Ortiz is shooting for a breakout season in her junior year. While she is the team’s second leading scorer at 10.6 points per game behind Sarah Mackey’s 13.4 per game, Kent said Ortiz best exemplifies the type of game which does not show up in a box score.

In a two minute stretch in the first half against Occidental, Ortiz showed off her polished game by attracting three fouls, playing stern help in defense and scoring off a quick steal. On defense, she actively boxed out bigger players and cleared space for her teammates to grab rebounds, while on offense she forced Occidental into a quick timeout with her slashing to the hoop.

Kent said Ortiz sets the type of example that the team can always count on.

“I really believe we’re 13 players deep, but it’s the little things that get us sometimes,” Kent said. “[Ryane] takes pride in doing those smaller things to help the team win.”

By both her teammates and coaches, Ortiz has been praised as a leader. This season, Ortiz has jumped in scoring, steals and rebounds according to official NCAA statistics. Guard Geena Giovannetti said Ortiz’s improved game has been a result of consistent hard work.

“She’s the first one in and the last one out of the gym,” Giovannetti said. “And we definitely, definitely all look to her.”

The team has split the last two games since starter Sarah Mackey left due to a kidney infection. Ortiz said this is because she and the team have stepped up to fill the 6-foot tall forward’s shoes temporarily.

“We weren’t playing well the last game, and we had a meeting,” Ortiz said. “I pretty much decided then and there that we are going to the playoffs no matter what.”

Ortiz said her leadership is strong because of her empathy toward her teammates. Giovannetti said Ortiz is the “chatterbox” of practice and that everyone is always looking to her for comfort.

“It sounds cliched, but I always think that the best thing I can do is empower my teammates,” Ortiz said. “I just try to get everyone playing the best they can.”

Coach Kent said the team’s talents can be placed on more than just a few players, but that much of the praise he has received can be placed on the work of his captains.

“Everyone is playing better on defense now, and we’re so close to being a really good team,” Kent said. “Ryane will be a big part of it when we get there.”

The UC Santa Cruz women’s basketball team will play Cal St. Maritime Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. at the West Field House. 

Evie Borchard and Tyler Hoyt represented the Slugs in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively. In the women’s 6k race, sophomore runner Borchard took 121st with a time of 22:54.8, while senior runner Hoyt finished 139th in the men’s 8k race in 25:56.5. Both men’s and women’s cross country will graduate three seniors this year.

Golf

The women’s golf team is currently ranked 18th for Division III nationally, but have already beaten four teams with higher rankings this season. The team has finished in the top three of all three tournaments they’ve played in, including a victory at the Lady Bulldog Classic in Seguin, Texas on Sept. 11. Coach Paulette Pera is ecstatic about her team’s results.

“This is the best golf team I’ve ever had and we’re only halfway through the season,” Pera said. “All my players could be a number one player.”

The team will resume their season against Rhodes College in Santa Cruz on March 13.

Swimming

Men’s swimmer Daniel Hurst performed well for the team’s recent showing at the Finis Winter Invite held in Salinas, CA Nov. 30–Dec. 2. Hurst finished second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.96 seconds and swam the second best preliminary round time of 22.35. He also finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and first in 100-yard backstroke preliminaries and finals.

At the same invite, women’s swimmer Josanne Van Der Wilk finished first in both the 1,650-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle, with times of 17:55.88 and 5:12.46 for each respective event. Van Der Wilk also placed seventh in the 200-yard freestyle, winning her final heat with a time of 2:04.55.

At the competition, the final scores for the women swimmers were UC Santa Cruz 3,130 points, Cal Lutheran 1,679 points and La Verne 1,172 points. For the men swimmers, UCSC scored 2,852 to Cal Lutheran’s 1,720 and LaVerne’s 1,164. Their next meet will be on Jan. 12 of next year against Cal State East Bay at the Office of Physical Education, Recreation and Sports (OPERS).

Volleyball

Women’s volleyball finished with a 13–14 season. Coach Todd Hollenbeck said the injuries the team sustained this season led to a weaker campaign. Returning team captain Kat Grow had to sit out eight games after sustaining an injury in the first game of this season’s Trinity National Invitational before returning for women’s volleyball’s senior night on Oct. 16. Hollenbeck acknowledged Elisabeth Trambley, Helen Milne, Jaime Weber and Kim Rabii’s contributions during the period that Grow was out. The team will graduate six seniors this season.

The UCSC men’s volleyball team finished last season ranked third in the country, according to the AVCA Coaches poll. Coach Hollenbeck singled out returning starters Salvatore La Cavera III, Kevin Crosby, Mauro Salinas, Harland Frost and Jory Hollander as having a big role in the Slugs hopes to return to Nationals. Hollenbeck expects a special performance out of La Caverra this season.

“Sal returns as two-time, all-American, our conference player of the year, and this will be his third year as team captain,” Hollenbeck said.

The team’s first game will be at Concordia on Jan. 4.

Basketball

Women’s basketball currently has a 4–3 record with their recent three-game win streak coming to an end. Forward Sarah Mackey continues her assault on UCSC record books, as she is currently ranked eighth in blocked shots per game in Division III, with 3.57 per game. The team will play at Caltech and Whittier on Dec. 7 and 8, respectively.

Men’s basketball currently has a 2–5 record in Coach Ron DuBois’ first season. The team is in the middle of their season, with an upcoming game at Redlands on Dec. 7.

Soccer

Men’s soccer finished with a 7–9–2 record. After a scandal-packed season, with several players being barred from playing due to a hazing incident, according to an email sent out from UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal on Oct. 4, the team quickly returned to play. Zach Hummel, Sean Sprague and DJ Fuller were named to the Division III Independents’ first team.

Women’s soccer finished with a 10–7–1 record, ending their season by outscoring opponents 30–0 in their final three games. The Slugs narrowly missed the playoffs this season.

Tennis

The men’s tennis team is currently ranked eighth in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls. The team will open their season on Jan. 19 against Santa Clara, before returning for their home debut against Bates College on Feb. 18.

Women’s tennis will begin their season on Jan. 13 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Their first home games will be on Feb. 16 and 17 against Chapman, Cal Tech and Mills. The team features seven returning players from last season’s nationally ranked squad.

Slugs guard Geena Giovanetti Shoots over a Puget Sound defender. Photo by Mark Rad.

The Slugs lost both games by an average of 17 and a half points. In their first game of the weekend, the Slugs started strong before losing 57–40 to George Fox on Saturday, while the second game saw the Slugs lose 70–52 to Puget Sound on Sunday.

The Slugs beat Puget Sound University 63–52 in the team’s season opener on the Logger’s home floor in Tacoma, Washington. Their victory kicked off an early season winning streak with the Slugs winning by an average of 26 points over their first four games, which came to an end with the Slugs’ weekend losses.

Parrish said the team is talented but needs to change their mindset to return to their winning ways.

“Our only adjustment needs to be mental focus,” Parrish said. “We are athletic, but when we’re not focused, none of that matters and we get beat.”

The Slugs showed strong defensive awareness through the weekend, but found trouble scoring. Forward Sarah Mackey scored 11 points in both games combined, well below her team leading season average of 12.2 points per game. The team’s scoring woes were not limited to Mackey, as no Slug scored over 11 points in either game.

“Offensively, we were not converting our shots into makes like we usually do,” said Slugs guard Amanda Spence. “Part of that is due to the fact that our shots seemed rushed, which is why we are focusing on getting our shots off quicker.”

The Slugs defense continues to frustrate opposing teams, causing a combined 31 turnovers in both games. Puget Sound University responded by running up the court more often, tiring out the Slugs who were playing their second game within 48 hours.

“Their defense is rough,” said Puget Sound University guard Lindsay Layland. “We had to beat them in transition because we were turning the ball over so much in the half court.”

Spence said their continually strong defensive performances are due to the team’s attitude.

“We have very quick and aggressive defenders that can make our opponent’s point guards nervous and quick to pick up their dribble,” Spence said.

While the losses were not how the team intended to open play at the West Field House, Spence said, the Slugs will look to rebound the next time they play when school is in session. Parrish fosters great hopes for the team.

“Our expectations for this season include winning more than half of our games as well as making the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history,” Parrish said. “With the team and work ethic we have this year, we expect nothing less.”

Wooden clubs are now a thing of the past — modern technology has helped the sport of golf advance with new metal clubs. Photo by Jessica Tran.

With two golf courses, one mini golf course, one golf emporium on River Street and the world famous Pebble Beach only a stone’s throw of a commute away, Santa Cruz is a golfer’s haven. The town’s courses and shops have been setting the stage for a battle over golf’s advancing technology.

According to an April 2012 article in the Carroll County Times, club makers focus on limiting the “moment of inertia,” a term for a measurement of resistance when the club hits the ball. Newer metal clubs are said to give a player a two to four mile per hour increase in ball speed, a significant increase from older wooden clubs.

Wooden golf clubs have been used since the sport’s evolution into a more modern game in the nineteenth century British empire. Metal clubs allow players to drive the ball further, giving rise to courses with longer fairways and more elaborate traps to trick the golfer.

Currently, all members of the UCSC women’s golf team use new metal clubs. It’s a far cry from the game UCSC women’s golf coach Paulette Pera played in her youth.

“Because new technology makes play longer, they are building longer courses and tougher greens,” said Pera.

Pera remembered learning to play golf with wooden clubs.

“Everyone had wood clubs when I started,” Pera said. “When I switched from wood to metal clubs, I couldn’t get used to the new sound they made.”

Pera said none of her players have ever golfed with a wooden club. She said that playing college golf requires new equipment, because the team would flounder compared to its competition.

“They [UCSC women’s golf team] don’t know how big of an advantage they have been given,” Pera said.

Pasatiempo Golf Club assistant golf professional Matt Mackey said more specialized golf gear adds to the evolving physicality of the game. Mackey finds that the new technology makes the game easier to learn at the amateur level.

“Technology has done a lot for the game in terms of amateur playability,” Mackey said. “The equipment and physical ability in the game today have both improved exponentially.”

DeLaveaga Golf and Lounge pro shop assistant Tom Garcia said wooden clubs weren’t out of the ordinary less than 20 years ago, even among the majors, although players don’t prefer them now.

“[Professional golfer] Davis Love III was the last player to win a Professional Golf Association (PGA) major tournament with a persimmon wooden driver head [in 1997],” said Garcia.

In the past 20 years, golf technology has improved for apparel, shoes, clubs and balls. Newer wind resistant materials for attire, more supportive and comfortable shoes, and balls with different cores meant for different distances, spinning or control preferences, are all normal for the Santa Cruz golfer.

Stan Hajduk, an emergency room doctor from Watsonville Community Hospital, was out for a morning round at DeLaveaga. He said technology can not account for lousy play.

“It’s not the club,” said Hadjuk. “It’s the golfer.”

The women’s basketball team at UC Santa Cruz opened their season with an exhibition game against Division I Santa Clara on Nov. 1. The team will look to build on last season’s 12–13 record, which includes a .500 winning percentage in Division III play. Coach Todd Kent said this is the team’s most wins since 1995.

“Last season we had the best Division III record in school history, and we did it with a bunch of youth,’’ Kent said.

Although the team lost their public opener to Santa Clara, the Slugs went on a strong offensive run in the second half of the game, which pulled them within 14 points of Santa Clara’s lead. Santa Clara responded to the Slugs by increasing their defensive pressure.

Sophomore forward Leah Parrish is one of seven important returning contributors for the team. Parrish said she believes the team has room to grow.

“We were young, but this year a lot of us are returning players so we can focus on improving on last year,” Parrish said.

Sophomore forward Sarah Mackey will be one of the returners looking to make an impact. Last season, Mackey was one of three Division III players to record two triple-doubles of at least 10 points, 10 blocks and 10 rebounds while also finishing the year in the top five for blocks, the first UCSC player to do so.

The UCSC women’s basketball team will have their home opener against George Fox University — last year’s national Division III runner-up — on Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. in the West Gym.

Coach DuBois starts first season at UCSC:

UCSC men’s basketball will start their season with a new coach and a new sense of direction. Coach Ron DuBois was hired on Oct. 15 to take over for retired coach Gordon Johnson.

The team has had 13 practices as of Nov. 3. DuBois said the team is still learning a lot about themselves and their capabilities.

“The winning will take care of itself if we focus on where we are now,” DuBois said. “We need to have the right habits, and that’s what we’re practicing.”

Sophomore forward James Townsend will be a key player on offense and defense this season. DuBois will count on Townsend to provide strong defense and rebounding. DuBois said he is excited about Townsend’s work ethic in practice.

“He has a nice game offensively and defensively, and he’s only a sophomore so we’re excited about his future,” DuBois said. “He’s got a really good motor, a great focus and intensity about him no matter what time it is.”

Townsend said he thinks DuBois will be the type of coach who will inspire the team to bigger and better things.

“He came in with a lot of confidence,” Townsend said. “His ‘no excuse’ mentality and core values have spread throughout the team.”

Townsend said that the team is more familial than in previous years and that the team will be tougher to play against.

The UCSC men’s basketball team will open their season at Lewis & Clark Nov. 16 in Portland, Ore. The team’s home opener will be vs. Pacific University on Dec. 19th at 7 p.m. in the West Gym.

Illustration by Leigh Douglas

After two hours of training, the gloves come on. Tired students circle up for full contact fights. The room fills with excitement and tension as fighters test their knowledge for two long minutes.

The Thai Self-Defense class considers sparring as a gift for a long day of training . It’s the kind of gift they measure in bumps and bruises.

“We have constant supervision for sparring,” said club member Marlo Custodio. “We operate under the saying that ‘iron creates iron, steel creates steel.’”

The class is UC Santa Cruz’s newest martial arts club of the 11 different martial arts clubs registered with OPERS. The club practices a form of southeast Asian kickboxing called muay Thai, which has been popularized stateside through Mixed Martial Arts fights.

Club founder George Chen pointed out the practicality of the martial art beyond competitive use.

“Muay Thai is the most realistic martial art,” Chen said. “It’s a good style if you’re ever confronted on the streets or if you want to compete. It can be applied in any situation.”

Chen considers the Thai Self-Defense class to be an alternative to gyms that charge monthly fees in the area. The club is free, with money being spent only on gloves, shin and mouth guards for sparring.

Muay Thai differs from other martial arts because fighters adopt a more square stance and usually keep moving forward into their opponent’s attack, as opposed to moving around it. Club signer Travis Trinh believes that muay Thai is a more psychologically intense form of fighting.

“It’s more an in-your-face style,” Trinh said. “Once you get into your opponent’s head, that’s how you know you’ve won the fight.”

Fighters are allowed to clinch their opponents and use their knees and elbows, moves banned by other kickboxing disciplines internationally for being too rough.

For Chen, Custodio and Trinh, muay Thai is a passion each developed while in college. Chen found his passion for the martial art through his older brother, while Trinh and Custodio both fell into the sport unexpectedly.

Trinh found muay Thai through seeing someone practice the martial art on the East Field. Trinh discovered that he was a member of a prominent gym in San Francisco. Despite interest, Trinh had never practiced martial arts before.

“Everyone watched Jet Li or Jackie Chan movies when I was a kid,” Trinh said. “I wanted to properly learn how to fight.”

Custodio, a former high school wrestler, found the sport at what he considered to be the lowest period of his life. Custodio was battling anxiety from being in community college for four years, while his mother developed cancer. To compound his problems, Custodio was also broke.

“I told the sifu [a Cantonese term for master or teacher] that I’d wash the mats, I’d clean the toilets, anything to get the training,” Custodio said. “I began to train with them six days a week for nine months. It became my life.”

Custodio credits muay Thai for providing discipline in his life. Custodio became an amateur fighter, amassing a 1–0 competitive record before choosing to finish college at UCSC as a film and digital media major.

In his training, Custodio developed an interest in the spiritual side of muay Thai fighting. He spoke of muay Thai’s storied origins when a single sifu freed the nation of Siam from colonial Burmese rule in the 18th century.

Custodio believes that muay Thai offers empowerment through its learning.

“Muay Thai isn’t just fighting,” Custodio said. “In order to learn it you must practice poise, composure and self-discipline. Moderation is heavily emphasized.”

Club founder George Chen said the muay Thai community provides a strong experience for UCSC students.

“We look to build that sense of belonging,” said Chen. “There’s a real brotherhood with fighting.”

The Thai Self-Defense Class is every Wednesday and Friday from 5–7 p.m. in the OPERS Multipurpose Room. The club also practices from 12–2 p.m. on Sundays at the OPERS Martial Arts Room.

THE WARRIORS can only offer at most five players out of 68 hopefuls a chance at a D-League Contract. Photo by Mark Rad.

The next Jeremy Lin might’ve been in the building.

The Santa Cruz Warriors, the NBA Development League (D-League) Affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, held the first open professional basketball tryouts in Santa Cruz County history last Sunday. With about 200 onlookers cheering them on, 68 players tested their basketball skills. The tryouts, held on Oct. 14, signified the speedy arrival of Santa Cruz’s first fully professional sports team.

“I came out here for the experience,” said Justin Contreras, a 21-year old Watsonville native and Cabrillo student. “I like playing with better players, this isn’t the Grant Street Park crowd I’m used to.”

All players paid $100 or $125 admission for a chance to be coached and evaluated by the team’s coaching staff. Admission fare was based on whether one bought their ticket the day of the event or via pre-sale off the Santa Cruz Warriors website.

The event was the team’s first basketball related event since the announcement of the relocation from Bismarck, N. D. in May.

Professional players like Kyle Luckett and Cardell Butler shared court with a group of impassioned local amateurs. Luckett and Butler were of select few players looking for an invite to the Santa Cruz Warriors training camp, where at most five spots could open for players to compete for a main roster job. Luckett believed his expanded basketball skills would separate him from the pack of skilled prospects present.

“This is for me,” Luckett said. “I know if I work hard enough, I’ll make it.”

Luckett stood out as the tallest player at tryouts, at 7’0” tall. In the scrimmage portion of the tryouts, Luckett stymied defenders as a rebounding big man with a raw offensive game.

Luckett is one of an elite group of players who played Amateur Athletic Union basketball (AAU), on a summer league for elite high school players, with some of the game’s best known prospects including Greg Oden, Mike Conley and OJ Mayo in the mid 2000s. In 2005, Luckett declared for the NBA draft, where teams pick eligible players looking to join the league, straight out of high school, despite never playing in more than eight games in four high school seasons due to academic problems and injury woes. Luckett became ineligible for NCAA Division I basketball, where top prospects play before entering the NBA draft, because of his status as a professional.

“Several NBA teams liked me, but wanted me to attend college for a few years,” Luckett said. “I didn’t think it was a good idea but my AAU coach told me to declare. I went undrafted.”

After the draft, Luckett spent the next few years homeless, working at a grocery store to support his two daughters. After a few years off the radar of basketball scouts, Luckett was recruited to play at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif., before starting a professional basketball odyssey where he’s played in Hungary, Japan and the D-League in the past three years. Now 26-years old, Luckett continues to follow his goal of making an NBA team.

For Cardell “Ballaholic” Butler, a famous player from San Francisco playgrounds and the AND1 Mixtape Tour, a televised traveling team of players who travel the country looking for the best players on the blacktop, becoming part of the Development League would be vindication of his previous career move to stay a star on playgrounds across the country.

“The Knicks offered me a training camp spot, but I rejected it to stay on the AND1 Mixtape Tour,” Butler said. “I don’t regret it at all, but I still want to see where my game is in comparison to the D-League.”

Arriving as spectators, several UCSC men’s basketball players recognized Butler immediately from his popular YouTube videos and appearances on television. At least one scout in attendance was confused about Butler’s appearance at the tryouts, saying that Butler could have better options elsewhere.

“I don’t know what he’s doing here,” said Tom Hull, a scout for several European teams and coach of a Palo Alto eighth-grade basketball team. “He could be making good money right now in Europe.”

Not all of the players present played for an open roster spot. Don Wiberg, the oldest player at 76-years old came out to the Warriors tryouts to check something off of his bucket list. The retired UCSC electrical engineering professor played to the strength of his own septuagenarian athleticism on the court. Wiberg treated the topic of a potential NBA future with an air of laughter.

“I can’t run, I can’t jump, I can’t shoot, it gives me an advantage,” Wiberg said. “I set a wicked screen.”

SANTA CRUZ WARRIORS coaches speak about the hard work required to become a professional basketball player. Photo by Mark Rad.

Berkeley rapper and entrepreneur Brandon McCartney, otherwise known as Lil B, took part in the tryouts as part of a social media stunt. McCartney tried to show off his crossover dribble, immortalized via song, throughout the event to little success.

McCartney believed his best-selling point to the Warriors staff was his devoted fan base in the local area. Several fans and players went up to McCartney during the tryouts to ask for his autograph and to take pictures with him.

“I think I can sell some merchandise if they let me be on the bench,” McCartney said. “I was thinking I could be a little like Jeremy Lin that way.”

Former Fresno State player Bennie Rhodes was amused with the turnout, but was looking to make an impact. Rhodes was one of only 39 who took part in the Warriors first open tryouts in Oakland on Oct. 7.

Rhodes had the day’s most exciting play with a thunderous dunk on an offensive rebound over several earthbound help defenders, drawing an awed reaction from the buzzing crowd. Rhodes was nonchalant about the play afterwards.

“I’ve been trying to make the NBA my whole life,” Rhodes said.

The Santa Cruz Warriors will begin home play against the Bakersfield Jam on Dec. 23 at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Their Arena is located at 140 Front Street.

Head Coach Emily Scheese said she believed the game to be a tough, hard-fought loss for the Banana Slugs, who were coming off a three-game win streak. Her post-game comments focused on her team’s valiant effort.

“We had an unfortunate penalty kick against us, which was converted, but we battled back,” Scheese said. “My team was literally covered in sweat, blood, turf burns and the tears of the beating Orange County sun.”

This season, the Banana Slugs are now 7-6 with a 7-3 Division III record. The team was ranked No. 1 in California for Division III and No. 3 in the West in the National Soccer Coaches of America Association’s rankings for the week of Oct. 2.

While the team will be in line for a slight fall in playoff rankings after the loss, the Banana Slugs will have built a case for entry to NCAA Regionals with recent wins over Cal Lutheran, Mills and Austin College, each held scoreless.

The Banana Slugs plan to continue their success in NCAA Regionals. Last year, UCSC punctuated their season by recording an upset win over Cal Lutheran, who was ranked the No. 10 team in the nation.

The Slugs advanced to the second round where they ultimately lost in overtime to Concordia Moorehead.

Co-captain Brooke Atkinson said last season’s playoff win against Cal Lutheran was an achievement for the team, but pointed out that they have already beaten Cal Lutheran this season.

Scheese said beating Cal Lutheran during regular season play was key.

“This was a goal we aimed for this season as we did not beat Cal Lutheran at all in the regular season in 2011,” Scheese said. “It was high on the agenda for 2012.”

Two seasons ago, the Banana Slugs lost their senior captain to injury. They finished the season with a win-loss record of 1-13-2, and missed their first playoffs since 2006. Atkinson said during their disappointing 2010–11 season, they focused on continued improvement.

“Our approach turned into the mindset that you just look to improve every game,” Atkinson said. “[The team] was so upset about that season that [they] just wanted to win.”

Last season, the players succeeded in getting to the playoffs. This year the team has bigger plans.

Sophomore forward Sarah Sadler, the team’s leading goal scorer this season, said she has confidence in her team’s ability.

“We made it to the second round,” Sadler said. “We want to build on that and I think we can do that with the players we have this year.”

A UCSC player runs past a Menlo College player. Photo by Mark Rad.

The men’s soccer team began this season with hopeful expectations of regional post-season glory. And up until last week, the Slugs found themselves on track in the midst of a five-game winning streak. That was before a 0-0 double overtime home draw to Menlo College and a three goal loss at Redlands University momentarily humbled the team’s expectations.

On Oct. 6 and 7, the Slugs will look to rebound in two home games versus Rowan and La Sierra, in what the Slugs hope to be a return to their winning ways.

Senior defender Aaron Surrey said he believes the team needs to take the season one game at a time.

“Right now we’re focusing on Rowan,” Surrey said. “One mid-season loss against a formidable opponent is not the end of our season. We need to just get back to playing our game.”

After last week’s loss and draw, the team responded with a long practice to get the players into their best physical shape. Surrey said that the team did not respond well to the hot weather in the game at Redlands, but that weather was not a valid excuse for a loss.

“We’ve played in hotter weather before,” Surrey said. “We will continue conditioning to get better.”

After an early season setback at the Gustie Classic tournament, UC Santa Cruz ran the table with a five-game winning streak, their longest streak since 2010–11 season. During the streak, the Slugs outscored their opponents 10-2, showcasing their offensive firepower and defensive abilities in each win.

Both Surrey and senior defender Alika Okamitsu said he felt the Slugs 6-3-1 win-loss record shows the team’s strength at goalkeeping. In the Menlo College draw, goalkeeper Nate Levinson matched the efforts of Menlo College’s keeper, recording three saves to Menlo’s six. Okamitsu said the teams’s keepers free the team up to be more risky in offense and defense.

“We have two top class seniors in goalkeepers Nate [Levinson] and Matt [Pereira],” Okamitsu said. “They open up the game for us and make us more comfortable in getting into the attack.”

Menlo College forward Andrew Cota said UCSC’s goalkeepers and defense are the most frustrating to play against. The Oakes forward was consistently stymied by Levinson and UCSC’s defense in the Menlo draw, recording only one shot on goal the entire game.

UCSC forward Michael Hanabusa takes a free kick against Menlo. Photo by Mark Rad.

“The goalkeepers of UCSC can do a lot of things well, and it was pretty annoying for me,” said Menlo College forward Andrew Cota. “They were making diving saves and keeping me off balance the entire game.”

Regardless of the setbacks, Surrey said the Slugs were going to work hard to make the regional playoffs.

“We know that getting two wins is crucial,” Surrey said. “We’ll be coming out hungry.”

Now he will begin his next adventure at UC Santa Cruz, starting this fall with his first Division III head coaching gig.

Dubois’ career has seen stops in Mexico, Memphis, Antigua and Barbuda and France. He has eaten catered food on private jets with NBA superstars as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, and has shared long, cramped public bus rides with chicken farmers between games in Mexico. Dubois said his travels taught him not to take the comforts of basketball for granted.

“When I was coaching the Antigua and Barbuda national team [in 2009], the team still played on blacktop courts,” Dubois said. “That job gave me a soft spot for their country and team, and was a great learning experience.”

Dubois attributes the global beginning of his career to his love of basketball.

“I was so hungry for the game that it drove me to continue learning at the highest level I could achieve,” Dubois said.

In early August, coach Gordon Johnson quietly left UCSC after 12 years to be closer to his family. Dubois was immediately considered. After a series of interviews with different candidates, Dubois was chosen. UCSC athletic director Linda Spradley cited his years of coaching higher division basketball as the deciding factor.

“We had guys walk in with 20 years of experience in other levels, but they couldn’t match what Dubois brought to the table,” Spradley said.

Dubois plans to continue building the winning culture started by Coach Johnson in the past few seasons. The current UCSC team features nine returning players from last year’s 12–10 campaign, their most successful season since 2008. Dubois’ long-term goal is to move to regional playoff contention. He said he was excited to get to know his new team.

“Coach Johnson really set me up with a great team,” Dubois said. “I expect the winning will take care of itself.”

Spradley is excited for the talent and passion she said Dubois brings.

“He’s extremely organized and a very good recruiter,” Spradley said. “It’s going to benefit everyone around him. That’s the kind of coach he is.”

Dubois and his wife Rebecca are both natives of Lodi, Calif., located roughly 125 miles northeast of Santa Cruz. Coach Dubois’ personal connection to Santa Cruz stems from attending sleepaway summer camp when he was younger and having extended family in the city.

When choosing Santa Cruz, the family carefully considered which place would be best to raise their children while also working in their chosen fields.

Rebecca Dubois will be starting in the fall as a medical researcher.

“Rebecca found a job in Santa Cruz first,” Dubois said. “I needed to find a place where I could coach; I got lucky and Santa Cruz fit the bill best. I always loved this town, too.”

Dubois came back to Santa Cruz to coach Nike basketball camps under coach Johnson in the summer of 2010. It was at one of these basketball camps where he first met UCSC athletic director Spradley, to whom he later expressed interest in coaching the Banana Slugs.

“He walked into my office two years ago and said, ‘Linda, if there’s ever a job opening here, let me know,’” Spradley said.

Dubois cited his love of Division III athletics for seeking out the UCSC position.

“Division III is what the NCAA was supposed to be,” Dubois said. “It’s about the education here first, and that’s what I want to be part of.”

Photo by Toby Silverman

Women’s Volleyball vs. Holy Names 

Sept. 26, West Field House

After last year’s pair of five-set classics in Oakland and at the West Field House, a friendly rivalry has set the Hawks and Banana Slugs on pace for a collision again. While this is the Slugs’ only opportunity to play Holy Names this season, last year’s games were split between the two squads, with each home team coming away with victory. Look for the Slugs to defend their home court from the resurgent Hawks, who would like to get a victory from the Slugs at all costs. If last year’s team performances are any indicator for this season, this match may be the most drama you’ll find west of the Barn Theater.

Photo by Prescott Watson

Men’s and Women’s Soccer vs. Bethesda University 

Nov. 3, Lower East Field

Despite being the last game of the season, this game will be the first chance at seeing last year’s women’s soccer team in a home game during the school term. After stunning heavily favored Cal Lutheran last year, the Slugs have shown the ability to win against any team on the West Coast. This year’s Slugs will look to close the season in strong fashion on their home turf. The men’s team will also challenge Bethesda, ending their season in an exciting soccer doubleheader. The event will also double as both team’s senior nights, which will honor the achievements of their graduating players.

Photo by Toby Silverman

Cross Country at the Bronco Invite 

Oct. 13, Cupertino

UCSC’s newest NCAA team will look to start its second season with even more success than last year. The Bronco Invite will be the closest meet the cross country Slugs will have to Santa Cruz. The picturesque setting of Cupertino, only 30 miles from Santa Cruz, makes the run a perfect weekend getaway for the Slug sports fanatic.

 

 

Photo by Sal Ing

Men’s Soccer vs. Rowan and La Sierra 

Oct. 6 and 7, East Field

Slugfest II will be a weekend of soccer action, featuring the men’s team battling two different squads on two different days. Be sure to scout out La Sierra and Rowan, who play an early game on Friday before challenging the Slugs on Saturday and Sunday. A pair of wins here may dictate how the season will turn out for the Slugs, who are coming off a solid 9-9 season.

 

Photo by Melody Chu

Women’s Swimming vs. San Jose State 

Nov. 3, San Jose

This meet will be a rare chance for UCSC fans to watch an elite Division I team take on the Banana Slugs. The San Jose State Spartans feature five swimmers who were invited to the Olympic trials earlier this year. The UCSC women’s swimming team has the most competitors out of all NCAA teams at UCSC. Both Slugs and Spartans will be showcasing their talents at the San Jose State aquatic center, one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in California — a great reason to explore Silicon Valley’s largest city.

While the women’s tennis team lost eight players from the 2010–11 season due to graduation and time constraints, and was considered to be in a rebuilding year by some observers, they gained a 4-13 record with a 3-7 record in Division III play, which was good enough to finish No. 27 in the nation, and make an appearance at the NCAA tournament again.

“On paper we were weaker, but in the end we exceeded expectations better than anyone imagined,” coach Erin Ness said.

The number one and two players, sophomore Alexandra Scotten and junior Laura Wade, respectively, qualified for the NCAA national championships. This season is the first time UCSC has been represented in both singles and doubles matches since 2005.

Ness said the team will be bringing in an incoming freshman class in fall and hopes to improve on this season’s unexpected success.

“If we can get to the NCAA tournament this year, imagine what we can do next year,” she said.

Behind rookie coach Bryce Parmelly, the men’s tennis team finished with a 9-9 record, with a 6-5 record in Division III play. The team entered the regional playoffs ranked No. 6 in the national ITA rankings, before losing to fifth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in tournament play. The team did not have a ranking lower than 12th or higher than fifth place this season. Erich Koenig, Parker Larsen and Brian Pybas were awarded All-America honors.

Volleyball

An impressive semi-final appearance in the inaugural NCAA Division III tournament by the men’s volleyball team finished off their strong 17-7 season. The team ended the season in third place nationally, continuing their long run of success since 2004. The team’s coach of two years, Todd Hollenbeck, was awarded the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Coach of the Year, while four players were awarded CVC All-Tournament honors: Sal La Cavera III, Paul Leon, Darren Tsai and Jake Dietrich.

Basketball 

Photo by Morgan Grana

Missing the NCAA tournament by one game, the women’s basketball team finished at 11-13, their best record since 1994. The team is losing four seniors this year but will return with four starters and will bring in new talent from the freshman class. Coach Kent sees a bright future, especially with the return of  freshman Sarah Mackey, who was named West Region Rookie of the Year. Kent looks toward possibly winning 20-plus games next season.

Men’s basketball finished with a 12-10 record, with a 4-5 record in Division III play. This year’s above .500 record makes the men’s basketball team the winningest team since their 2008–09 season.

Golf

Led by ninth-season coach Paulette Pera, the women’s golf team posted strong results all season long. Charlotte Gibson recorded the best low round versus par in UCSC history this season, beating her own record with a round of 74 and +2 above par at the Lady Bulldog Fall Classic. At the same tournament, the team put up its lowest 36-hole total in team history, scoring a 662, only +86 above par.

Illustration by Leigh Douglas

While UCSC is not traditionally known as a sporting power, the 2011–12 school year has seen great success for the athletics department. Besides NCAA, UC Santa Cruz’s sporting success has continued to the club level. This year, 13 teams qualified for their regional or national playoffs — the most qualifying teams in school history.

The teams are: men’s lacrosse, women’s rugby, disc golf, cycling, boating, equestrian, men’s soccer, women’s water polo, men’s water polo, baseball, men’s ultimate and women’s ultimate. Men’s ultimate, men’s rugby and baseball couldn’t advance because of league structures or because of lack of funding.

“In terms of position, we’ve finished higher before,” said UCSC club sports director Kevin “Skippy” Givens. “But we’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Givens said UCSC’s increased numbers of athletic students over previous years allows the school to tap into its athletic potential better than before.

“Students are coming into the school with extracurriculars, and so many of those are sports,” Givens said. “Even if they start playing a different sport at the club level than what they did in high school, their considerable athletic experience easily translates into success on the field.”

This explains the continued success of UCSC club sports, Givens said, attributing the success to good infrastructure and support from the student and administration level.

“No matter where you go in the department,” Givens said, “you get a great quality of experience.”

With a few hundred onlookers, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) came to Santa Cruz last weekend, staging the 27th annual “Steady” Ed Headrick Memorial at DeLaveaga Golf Course.

The event is one of six tour events on the PDGA’s 2012 National Tour Elite Series, which will crown a champion based on points scored in August.

“The pros get double points for this event,” Steady Ed Memorial tournament director TJ Goodwin said. “But this tournament usually shapes up to be fun for the whole family.”

The event featured six different competitions, including an open master’s tournament for players 40-plus years of age and an open women’s tournament. The memorial took place over three days, with every day featuring the world’s best disc golfers facing off for cash prizes and points.

Santa Cruz was well represented in the tournaments. In the men’s open, UC Santa Cruz alumni Colin Chambers and Chris Edwards competed, while Santa Cruz locals and former men’s champions Nate Doss and Avery Jenkins took second and sixth place, respectively. In the women’s open, Santa Cruz locals Valarie Jenkins and Kristine King finished in second and sixth place, while three other locals finished in the top 15. PDGA tour manager Andrew Sweeton was unsurprised by Santa Cruz’s success.

“We like to think of Santa Cruz as the epicenter,” Sweeton said. “There’s so many courses in the area, and they are all fun to play.”

One of three local courses, DeLaveaga is one of the hardest disc golf courses in the world. Angles are difficult and players often roll their disc in order to find the putting green.

For UCSC intramural sports supervisor Kevin “Skippy” Givens, the event featured as much local flavor and personal interest as it did disc golf. Givens recounted stories of disc golf glory, while providing the reasoning why DeLaveaga is famous in the disc golf community. Givens mentioned “the kitchen,” or DeLaveaga’s twelfth hole, as having particular lore among athletes.

“Golfers used to keep an old fridge and a six-pack of beer in it,” Givens said. “If you miss the throw and hit the fridge, a golfer will ask you to get them a beer. It’s an old joke the golfers play on each other and the guy who hits the fridge absolutely hates it.”

Disc golf is a rapidly growing sport. Last year’s world championships, which took place at DeLaveaga, featured 432 pros, an increase of over 100 players from 2010. The disc golf team has been at UCSC for six years and has seen interest grow every year. Earlier this year, the team set up a temporary course around Stevenson College, where 60 students were able to learn the game for the first time. Givens, who also advises the disc golf club team, explained that a more permanent course for UCSC is in the works.

“We’d need to map out a course design that minimizes crossing pedestrian pathways and impacting visual corridors,” Givens said. “It will likely be set up as a temporary course, working toward a permanent course status later in time.”

Givens said UCSC is ready for a disc golf community of its own.

“There is a long history of college students throwing frisbees around,” Givens said. “There is a growing trend of disc golf teams being formed at college campuses. Couple that with the rich history of disc sports being played here at UCSC, and you have a natural fit for a student club.”