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.”

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

UC Santa Cruz has many club teams, but only few as successful as the women’s rugby club.

The team headed to Florida for USA Rugby’s 2010 Collegiate Playoffs during the weekend of April 17 and 18, defeating La Salle University and Slippery Rock University to earn their place as one of the final four teams left competing for the title.

While the girls are now enjoying many triumphs in their post-season conquest, there has been no shortage of challenges along the way.

In 2006, the women’s rugby team brought home the national title, beating Plymouth State University in the finals. The following year, Santa Cruz returned to the finals, and placed as runner-ups, second to Iowa State.

“This club is definitely built on successes of the past,” Head Coach Alex McKenzie said. “We’re consistently successful in league play if not in the playoffs every year.”

The team’s run during last season carried them to Regionals, but at the end of the year, the girls said goodbye to many members.

“Last year, we lost about eight to nine seniors, some in very key positions,” Coach Courtney Warner said.

While the loss of the graduating players could have been problematic, the remaining girls have stepped up to fill the empty shoes.

“The younger players have really helped,” McKenzie said. “They’re dedicated, very motivated, and that passes on to their teammates.”

Through the season, the women of the rugby team have proven that they’ve come into their own even without the leaders of last year.

This season the team went undefeated in league play, making it loud and clear that Santa Cruz was not backing down.

Only recently did the Slugs suffer their first loss of the season, to Washington State University during the regional playoffs.

“The first loss of the season was a wake-up call,” McKenzie said. “It helped reform us, reminded us that we need to take it seriously, [that] we need as much time together as possible.”

The girls take their game seriously, which is evident in the hours they spend practicing on Lower East Field.

“The team puts in a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work,” first-year Anne Mari Bowlus said. “We’ve [been practicing] since the beginning of the year.”

Endless days of practice and an inner intensity elevates their love of the game.

“It makes you appreciate what you and your teammates go through to get there,” second-year Alyssa Heckin said.

As a club sport at UCSC, money is hard to come by, but the girls are doing what they can to cover the costs. The rugby team frequently tables on sunny days at Quarry Plaza, holds fundraisers at Woodstock’s Pizza, and asks for donations.

“It’s frustrating when we can’t get funding,” Warner said. “It does get expensive. It all goes without saying, rugby is an expensive hobby.”

Coach Warner finds the effort put forth from all the girls an impressive feat.

“What I’ve seen out of these girls show how driven they are,” Warner said. “They train a lot, and that’s even more stress piled on top of jobs and classes. It definitely brings it to a new level of commitment.”

With the girls heading to Stanford for Championship Weekend at the end of April, the team feels that their regular-season success will prepare them once they hit the fields to represent Santa Cruz’s finest.

Photo by Morgan Grana.

Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll once said, “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”

Last Saturday, the D-III men’s volleyball team ended their season with a second-place finish in the 2010 Molten D-III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship, which was hosted this year by Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“We got runner-up plaques and I know a lot of us were thinking about leaving them behind,” second-year outside hitter Austin Kress said. “We all decided to keep them and hang them up right over our beds. I mean, we’re proud of the second place, but seeing that everyday is motivation to go to the gym and do anything and everything to get ourselves a national championship next year.”

For head coach Jonah Carson, the season was hugely impressive despite the final loss.

“Winning a championship is a way to define success,” Carson said, “but the team improving and building lasting relationships are other ways to define it. It was a family dynamic this season and we all succeeded.”

After posting an impressive 15-6 record during the regular season, with four of the losses coming against Division I opponents, the Banana Slugs were granted the number one seed in last weekend’s tournament.

Several individual Slugs were showered with accolades for the team’s success in D-III. Fourth-years Austin Einhorn, Brad Sullivan, Justin Lam and Eric Rowell were all chosen as First Team All-Americans and freshman Salvatore La Cavera III was chosen as a Second Team All-American and as D-III Men’s Newcomer of the Year.

“It was kind of a surprise this year that we even got this many All-Americans,” middle hitter Einhorn said. “In past years we never got this much respect.”

Einhorn said that most of the strong programs in D-III men’s volleyball are located on the East Coast, making it difficult for a California team to get noticed nationally.

“Not many schools get to watch us, so we’re not really on a lot of people’s radar,” Einhorn said. “When they see us play, it’s a reality check.”

Since taking over, head coach Carson has led the Slugs to four Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championships over his six year tenure. This year was their third straight.

“I have a real sense of pride in the program,” Carson said, “And a real sense of pride in the guys in the program.”

It won’t be easy to win the title next year, though. The Slugs will lose Sullivan, Lam and Rowell, three First Team All-Americans, leaving some big shoes for incoming recruits to fill.

Still, Kress is confident that the returning stars and younger players will make the Slugs a force next year.

“Everyone is going to think that we are not going to be as great, but we are planning on having the same type of season we did this year.”

“Coach always talks about everyone having a common goal and if everyone knows it, they’ll all work towards achieving that goal,” Einhorn said. “Everyone’s primary goal is winning this national championship.”

The reality of college athletics today is that there is no off-season; to be competitive, players must constantly go to the gym and practice their craft. Being so close to achieving their goal could be demoralizing, but with their coaching staff and a strong core of returning players, expect the Slugs to bear their defeat against Springfield without losing heart.

“We’re going to relax this week,” Kress said, “but as of next week, it’s back to work.”

Men’s Soccer
11/14 vs. Claremont Mudd-Scripps (home) 2-1 (loss)*

Women’s Soccer
11/14 at Claremont Mudd-Scripps (away) 2-1 (loss)*

Women’s Basketball
11/17 vs. William Jessup 69-58 (loss)

Men’s Basketball
11/11 vs. SF State (home) 69-68 (win)

{Upcoming Athletics}

Men’s Basketball
11/20 vs. Puget Sound (away) at 8 p.m.
11/21 vs. Whitworth (away) at 8 p.m.
11/27 vs. Claremont Mudd-Scripps (away) at 5 p.m.
11/28 vs. Pomona-Pitzer (away) at 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball
11/21 vs. Mount St. Mary (away) at 12 p.m.
11/22 at Emmanuel Tourney (away) at 3 p.m.
11/25 vs. Menlo (home) at 6 p.m.
11/27 vs. Claremont Mudd-Scripps (away) at 7:30 p.m.
11/28 vs. Pomona-Pitzer (away) at 5 p.m.

*Indicates NCAA postseason game

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

American novelist Rita Mae Brown once said, “Sport strips away personality, letting the white bone of character shine through…[it] gives players an opportunity to know and test themselves.”

This quote essentially summarizes the 2009 season of the UC Santa Cruz men’s soccer team. Through strength of character and an ability to overcome obstacles, the team was able to secure a spot in the NCAA Division III postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Third-year midfielder and forward Clay Sorensen attributes the team’s success to a new style of leadership under coach Michael Runeare, who was the head coach of the UCSC women’s team for six years prior to becoming the men’s coach this year.

“Our coach has brought us an attitude of togetherness and brotherhood that we’ve never understood before,” said Sorensen. “I think a lot of it has stuck with the guys and it’s helped us develop as players and teammates, as well as friends.”

Sorensen also added that the team was able to learn and mature from last year, when they were “a pretty young team.”

The team finished this year with a record of 13-4-2, significantly improving over last year’s record of 8-7-2. They were undefeated through the first twelve games of the year and were at one point ranked as high as fourth in the nation, according to the NSCAA poll.

Coach Runeare says the team’s good start was what helped them continue to excel.

“We had some good results early in the season that gave us a lot of confidence,” said Runeare, citing to two overtime road victories against University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran as games that helped motivate the team.

The team encountered a significant problem, however, at the end of the regular season schedule. During a late October road trip to Southern California, several players were banned from the team for the remainder of the season due to an undisclosed breach of team rules. Subsequently, they lost their last two games of the season against Cal Lutheran University and Holy Names University, which accounted for half of their total losses this year.

“Seven of the players broke a team rule and were immediately released from the team, but all seven players are back [for the playoffs],” said senior co-captain and central defender Brendan Ward, who preferred not to elaborate on what led up to this decision by the coaches. “Our entire team had our backs and all the players talked to the coaches, [who] reconsidered and gave us a second chance.”

Sorensen feels that despite the obstacle the team had in playing with several teammates missing for the remainder of the season, it ultimately made them stronger and more united.

“Some players made a bad decision that affected the team but coming out of it, especially now all the players have been reinstated, it’s actually going to build our trust with each other and it’s going to benefit us finding out who we are as people and players,” Sorensen said. “If we could do it over I think everyone would’ve done it differently to make sure it didn’t happen, but in the end it has made us stronger and more of a team.”

The team hopes to take this mentality into the first round of the postseason, which begins this Saturday as UCSC will host Claremont Mudd-Scripps (11-7-2), a team they faced in one game during the regular season, and which resulted in a 1-1 tie. Chapman will also play Whitworth on the East Field shortly after this game, and the winners of these two games will face each other in the second round on Sunday (which will also take place at UCSC).

Sorensen believes the team learned from their matchup with Claremont Mudd-Scripps earlier this year and has a plan of attack in mind for this weekend.

“Last time we played them they definitely switched up … they’re a team that plays more direct like [in] Division I soccer and that took us off our game and we weren’t able to keep the ball,” explained Sorensen. “We really need to dictate the style of play … and if we play our game it’s going to come up with us on top.”

Meanwhile, Ward is confident that the team will come out victorious in the postseason.

“Without a doubt we’re the better team, and if we come with the right mentality I think we’re going to win.”

The women’s volleyball team throw up their arms in a quick celebration as they score another point against Menlo College team. Photo by Alex Zamora.

Senior Amy Knight spikes the dreams of Menlo college down as she slams in the points for the women’s’ volleyball team. Photo by Alex Zamora.

It’s a cool October night, but inside the West Field House the temperature is high. The gym echoes with the sounds of yells and the squeaks of shoes on its hardwood floor. This is where the UC Santa Cruz women’s volleyball team conducts its practices, plays its home games and hones its skills.

Coach Selene Teitelbaum led the 2008 team to a 22-8 season, but with the team currently 15-3 she believes they could improve on last year and possibly have the best season in UCSC women’s volleyball history.

“The team this year is the best it’s ever been,” Teitelbaum said. “We did lose three starters last year, but the team has filled in the gaps and we’re looking stronger than ever. Our goal for the season is to make it to NCAA Regionals for the first time in school history.”

The players, including senior outside setter Katie English, share their coach’s sentiments about gunning for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regionals.

“Making it to the Regionals is a huge goal and motivator for the team because we would be the first team to ever do that,” English said. “And this year is the year it could happen. A lot of us have been playing together since freshman year so we have that team chemistry that sets us apart from the pack.”

This team chemistry has proven to be a powerful force when the team goes on the road.

“It’s a different atmosphere playing away games [because] we don’t have our fans there, so we have to motivate ourselves and each other,” English said. “Our team thrives off of energy from one another. We are always trying to build up momentum in the game, always trying to stay ahead of our opponents in any way we can.”

Senior setter Amy Knight feels as if the team is playing for more than just victories.

“Our coaches always stress that we have goals other than winning,” Knight said. “We’ve come back from so many games because we are playing for more than just the win — we’re playing for each other.”

Despite this philosophy, though, the team has been so successful this season that some players are still taken aback by a loss.

“We kind of expect to win every game now, so it’s kind of a shock when we do lose,” English said. “Right now we are at the top of our game, and every school we go to [is] kind of out to get us because of our record and how well we are doing.”

The women’s volleyball team, which has a 9-1 record in its last 10 games, showed their strength again this past Saturday night at home with a decisive victory in four sets against Menlo College (6-7).

Though the team has a solid fanbase, Knight hopes more UCSC students will recognize the team’s success and come out to support them at future matches.

“A lot of people show up right now. A lot of regulars, mostly friends and family, but there are a lot of locals who show up, too. Come out and watch us play; we’re a fun team to watch and we’re the best we’ve ever been.”