Cal Sports Quarterly - Summer 2008 by Cal Media Relations

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SPORTS

CONTENTS

QUARTERLY

FEATURES

FEATURES Exceptional Dreamer

When Dana Vollmer stood on the blocks for the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials eight summers ago, she did so as the youngest competitor in the field with only a blurry vision of her potential in the pool. She has since developed into one of the elite representatives of her sport and has plans to continue at the top for years to come.

A Culture of Excellence

Many of the traits required to succeed at the University of California – perseverance, hard work, discipline, intelligence, ambition – are also necessary to compete on the highest of international sports stages – the Olympics. The culture that encompasses Cal Athletics has a long history of developing Olympic champions and this summer should be no exception.

You Can Call Him ‘Cal’

Law partner, restaurateur, marathoner, longtime Cal supporter and Bear Backers co-founder Stu Gordon, BA ’62 JD ’65, has a recipe for success that includes one part passion, two parts dedication and about a billion parts get-’er-done. Not only are there plenty of places to admire his handiwork around the Bay Area, but his touch can be found on many of Cal’s athletic programs.

Running for Her Country

Magdalena Lewy became a United States citizen on one of the most infamous days in this country’s history – Sept. 11, 2001. Now, seven years later, the Polish immigrant, Cal graduate and current assistant coach will proudly represent her adopted homeland at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as one of three women on the U.S. marathon team.

Destination Beijing

For many athletes from around the world, the road to the Olympics begins in Berkeley. Whether current or former student-athletes, they developed their skills in the water or on the fields in and around the Cal campus. Entering the summer, more then 60 Golden Bears were vying for their place in the Games.

DEPARTMENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

SIDELINE REPORT

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

SEASON REVIEWS

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT

ISP SPORTS UPDATE

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

32 summer 2008

LETTER from Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour Dear Friend of Cal Athletics:

t’s hard to believe that four years have passed since the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where current and former Cal students and staff played a major role on that international stage, collecting a total of 15 medals. As we noted back then, if Cal were a country, the Golden Bears would have finished 18th overall in the medal count. I was brand new to the Cal community in September of 2004, and as spectacular as that seemed to me then, it is even more amazing now that I am privy to all that is the Cal family. As we count down to August 9 and the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, we have great cause for celebration, hope and anticipation. As the Quarterly went to press, there were 31 Cal affiliated students and staff who had earned spots on their respective Olympic teams, from 14 countries. Many of their stories are told in the following pages. What is it about Cal that attracts these exceptionally talented, exceedingly driven individuals to our campus and our athletic program? That answer is at the same time very simple and ultimately complex. In its simplest form, Cal attracts the best and the brightest in every aspect of the academy based on the University’s reputation for comprehensive excellence. The complex part comes from the painstaking formulation of the right mixture of coaching, motivation, discipline, science, environment and a little magic! Your investment in our programs make it possible for Lauren Boyle, John Mann, Vicky Galindo, Duje Draganja, Erin Cafaro, Elliot Hovey and Shellie Onstead (just to name a few!) to achieve their dreams of representing Cal and their countries proudly in an Olympic Games. The 2008-09 season is just weeks away. Fall 2008 brings much excitement – Mike Montgomery at the helm of our men’s basketball program, the possibility of a sixth consecutive postseason bowl appearance, the SAHPC project underway, and once again hope for national championships everywhere you look! In addition, we wipe the slate clean and begin anew to challenge for another Top 10 NACDA Directors’ Cup finish. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the year that we crack the Top 5 for the first time in our history. Your support and encouragement make it all possible. It sounds trite, but it has never been truer: We couldn’t do it without you! Together, let’s March to Victory! Go Bears!

Sandy Barbour Director of Athletics

Summer 2008 ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: Sandy Barbour DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: Steve Holton DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/SWA: Teresa Kuehn Gould SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/ INTERCOLLEGIATE SERVICES: Foti Mellis ASSOCIATE AD/HUMAN RESOURCES & FINANCIAL SERVICES: Dawn Whalin

EDITORIAL STAFF 349 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA 94720 EDITOR: Herb Benenson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Scott Ball, Dean Caparaz, Chris DeConna, Anton Malko, Tim Miguel, Anna Oleson-Wheeler, Debbie Rosenfeld-Caparaz, John Sudsbury, Jeremy Wu DESIGN: Evan Kerr PHOTOGRAPHY: John Todd (www.goldenbearsports.com), Michael Pimentel, Michael Burns, Don Faria, Mollie McClure, Ray Barbour, John Dunbar, Richard Ersted, Evan Kerr, Henrriette Mena, Harrison Stubbs, Hood County News, among others ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE 195 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA 94720 510-642-2427 bearback@berkeley.edu ATHLETIC TICKET OFFICE (800) GO BEARS For daily updates on Cal Athletics, including schedules, press releases and player profiles, visit the department’s official website at www. CalBears.com. ON THE COVER Junior swimmer Dana Vollmer, who won an Olympic gold medal at the age of 16, looks forward to a long career filled with international success in the pool. Photo by John Todd.

(510) 643-1967

cal sports quarterly

summer 2008

SIDELINE REPORT Court Ruling Offers Roadmap for Constructing High Performance Center

oth Athletic Department and university officials were pleased that the Student-Athlete High Performance Center is one step closer to becoming a reality following a June 18 court ruling on a lawsuit challenging the building’s construction, While a few narrow issues remain to be cleared up, Judge Barbara Miller concluded that the proposed facility does not, on the whole, violate state earthquake safety laws or state environmental laws.

“She has given us a clear roadmap to the things that we need to do to move forward with construction,” Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. “She ruled that there is no fault line under the footprint of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center. Therefore, we may build it as we designed it and right where we proposed putting it. She ruled that it is indeed a separate structure from the stadium itself. In all of her rulings related to our ability to construct that facility on that site, she ruled in our favor.”

As the Cal Sports Quarterly went to press, the university was preparing its response to the outstanding issues, which university attorney Charles Olson deemed simple and very technical in nature. Both concerned later phases of the project related to the renovation of Memorial Stadium. “This has been a long time coming,” Barbour said. “It’s been a long time in the planning stage. What I’m so happy about is that for our student-athletes, our coaches and our programs across the board, this project is going to be transformational for our athletic department.” Once completed, the high performance center will support more than 450 studentathletes and coaches on a daily basis, offering a safe and quality environment for them to work and train.

Championship Corner

ver the course of the 2007-08 seasons, Golden Bears stood atop the victory platform more than two dozen times on the national and conference stages. Men’s water polo and rugby successfully defended their national championships, while Tim McNeill became the most decorated gymnast in school history when he won NCAA crowns on the pommel horse and parallel bars to give him five career titles. The month of June brought home Cal’s last two championships of the year with the men’s freshman eight capturing its IRA final in crew, and junior track & field star Katie Morgan winning the NCAA pole vault crown. Men’s soccer, women’s crew and field hockey (regular season) all won their respective conference championships, and Golden Bears claimed 17 individual league titles, including Rugby double winners McNeill (pommel horse and parallel bars) and swimmer William Copeland (50 and 100 freestyle), as well as track & field’s Ed Wright (indoor and outdoor high jump) and Alysia Johnson (indoor and outdoor 800 meters). The result is that Cal finished among the top 10 in the Directors’ Cup standings for the fifth time in the last six years. The Bears were No. 1 in the country at the end of the fall for the second year in a row and were fifth when the winter seasons were completed. Cal’s third National Championship Week to honor these tremendous accomplishments will run Sept. 29 through Oct. 4 and will culminate with introductions of the national champions on the field during the football game vs. Arizona State.

Men’s Water Polo

Katie Morgan

Tim McNeill

cal sports quarterly

Five Teams Gain Valuable Experiences from Overseas Trips

nce the school year ended in May and students headed home for the summer, five Golden Bear teams took trips overseas to learn about a variety of cultures around the world. Women’s basketball was the first sport to take to the air, visiting Tunisia and Senegal from May24June 3. The Bears played three games during their journey and also had the opportunity to ride camels, visit an orphanage, conduct a clinic for over 300 grammar-school children and spend time with the family of sophomore Rama N’diaye, a native of Dakar, Senegal. The men’s soccer team enjoyed a trip to Italy from

Men’s and Women’s Tennis

May 30 through June 10, taking in the sights of Florence, Pisa, San Marino, Milan and Lake Como. In addition to five matches against lower division Italian clubs, the Bears also made a visit to Switzerland to watch Italy play Holland in a 2008 Euro Cup match.

Cal Athletic Hall

Fame Adds Seven New Members

he Cal Athletic Hall of Fame will increase its ranks by seven members when the new class is enshrined this fall. The formal ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 24, at the Greek Orthodox Church in Oakland, and the inductees will be introduced at halftime of the Oct. 25 Cal-UCLA football game. Joining the Hall this year are Todd Mayo, baseball (198689); Brian Hendrick, men’s basketball (1990-93); Shellie Onstead, field hockey (1980-82); David Ortega, football (1986-89); Kristen Smyth, women’s

Joan Parker

Kristen Smyth

Brian Hendrick

Derek Van Rheenen

Women’s golf traveled to Scotland June 14-22, where they played some of the world’s finest courses, including the historic links at St. Rama N’daiye (left) and Devanei Hampton with the Bopp Boys and Girls Club in Dakar, Senegal Andrews. “Taking the team to Scotland has been a dream of ours for years, as it’s the homeland for three key players in our program’s history - Anne Walker, Vikki Laing and Roseanne Niven,” head coach Nancy McDaniel said. “Giving the players the opportunity to play a different kind of golf and to play in the country where the sport Men’s Soccer originated was a fantastic experience.” Finally, the men’s and women’s tennis teams spent May 29 through June 5 touring China, where they visited Beijing and Shanghai and played several matches against local universities. Under NCAA rules, teams are allowed to take a foreign trip every four years, and all of Women’s Golf Cal’s trips were privately funded.

gymnastics (1989-92); Derek Van Rheenen, men’s soccer (1983-86); and Joan Parker, who served the University as a student-athlete, coach and administrator for almost 40 years. Mayo was a four-year starter for the Bears as an outfielder who earned all-conference honors three times and was named to the all-tournament team at the 1988 College World Series. Hendrick, also a three-time All-Pac-10 choice, was the 1990 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and ended his career with more than 1,500 points and nearly 900 rebounds. Onstead, now Cal’s field hockey coach, led the Bears to a runner-up finish in the national tournament in 1980 and became the program’s first All-American in 1982, while Ortega, an All-Pac10 linebacker, rates as Cal’s all-time leading tackler. A three-time All-American, Smyth helped the women’s gymnastics team to its highest finish in school history, eighth place at the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Van Rheenen was a three-time all-conference choice in soccer, including league MVP honors in 1986, before eventually earning three degrees from Cal. He currently serves as director of the Athletic Study Center. Finally, Parker played three sports, coached for 13 years in the sports of women’s basketball, softball, tennis, badminton and volleyball, and served as a department fundraiser from 1978 until her retirement in 2001.

David Ortega

Todd Mayo

Shellie Onstead

summer 2008

SIDELINE

REPORT Gladstone Steps Down as Men’s Crew Coach

teve Gladstone, who led the Cal men’s crew program to six IRA championships during two coaching stints with the Golden Bears and served as the school’s director of athletics from 2001-04, announced June 20 that he is leaving his coaching position to accept a post with the California Rowing Club. Steve Gladstone Moving on to what he called a new and intriguing challenge, Gladstone will work with California Rowing Club director Tim McClaren, training postgraduate rowers who are striving for the World Championships and Olympic competition. Gladstone’s Cal crews medaled at the IRA regatta 11 times in his 12 seasons since 1997 – five gold and six bronze

Honors Luncheon Recognizes Golden Bear Accomplishments

al Athletics paid tribute to the academic, athletic and community service achievements of Golden Bear student-athletes at the annual Academic Honors Luncheon May 14 in an event cosponsored by the Athletic Study Center and the Big C Society. The list of attendees included studentathletes who have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, or have earned conference, regional or national academic honors, or have served the community as leaders or mentors. Volleyball All-American Angie Pressey and five-time NCAA gymnastics champion Tim McNeill received the Pac-10 Medal, while Kelly Stravers of women’s swimming (3.78 GPA in political science) and Justin Pollard from men’s swimming (3.93 GPA in economics) were named the Neufeld Scholar-Athletes for having the highest GPA among graduating studentathletes.

Sandoval Named Director of Track & Field

ony Sandoval, a fixture on the Cal staff for more than a quarter century, was named director of track & field and cross country for the Golden Bears on May 28. Sandoval, who will Tony Sandoval oversee both the men’s and women’s teams, served as interim track &

cal sports quarterly

– an unprecedented achievement in the 113-year history of the championship. Over that same period, he directed the Bears to seven of 12 Pac-10 championships. Gladstone’s career total of 11 IRA titles, which includes five while he was head coach at Brown from 1981-94, ties him with Charles “Pop” Courtney of Cornell (1901-15) for the most varsity eight titles in the history of collegiate rowing.

A Quick

with

Q & A

Mike Montgomery

Susie Babos, Women’s Tennis Jernej Godec, Men’s Swimming & Diving Courtney Hooker, Women’s Soccer Justin Pollard, Men’s Swimming & Diving

ince being introduced as head men’s basketball coach on April 5, Mike Montgomery has been hard at work recruiting, assembling a quality staff, getting to know the Golden Bear players and making plans for the upcoming season. He recently sat down with the Cal Sports Quarterly to offer some thoughts on his first few weeks at Cal.

Oscar Geballe Postgraduate Scholarships

Does the season seem to be creeping up fast?

Pac-10 Postgraduate Scholarships

Paul Hernandez, Men’s Swimming & Diving Summer Ohlendorf, Women’s Crew Rebecca Yau, Women’s Cross Country

Golden Bear Team Award

Men’s Tennis (highest GPA, 3.31)

Big C Most Improved Team Award

Women’s Golf (improvement in team GPA)

Neufeld Scholar-Athlete Awards

(senior with highest GPA) Justin Pollard, Men’s Swimming & DIving Kelly Stravers, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Pac-10 Medal

(outstanding senior student-athlete) Tim McNeill, Men’s Gymnastics Angie Pressey, Volleyball

Jake Gimbel Award (Golden Bear Spirit) Justin Forsett, Football

Anna Espenschade Award

(Golden Bear spirit) Rebecca Yau, Women’s Cross Country

Joseph McDonnell Kavanagh Award (most improved student) Jacob Wilson, Men’s Soccer

Walter A. Haas Jr. Community Service Award

Justin Pollard, Men’s Swimming & Diving

field director this past year after 15 seasons as an assistant with the combined men’s and women’s program and 10 years as head women’s coach. He has been Cal’s men’s and women’s cross country coach since 1992.

You always look at the calendar and say we’ve got all this time, and the next thing you know, it’s right on you. So I can’t afford to let too much time go by before we start getting to the basketball portion of what we need to do. I’ve got to start mapping out schedules and what we’re going to do, what we’re going to teach. You don’t want to get caught with little time, you want to prepare yourself. So we’ve got to pretty much stay after it.

Does the recent success of the football team have any effect on men’s basketball?

Football’s success means there’s an expectation of what we’re going to do, and we don’t want to let anyone down. I thought the University of California had a good basketball team last year, but the reality of it was they did finish ninth, so we’ve got some work to do. It’s not something that you just turn a dial and things change. It takes hard work, it takes a little luck, and it takes everybody being on the same page, so that’s what we’re trying to do.

What’s the mood of your new team?

We’ve got some good kids, and I think they’re hungry. They’re excited about something new. They lost a lot of close games last year, and it’s hard. That’s something we’d like to turn around.

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summer 2008

FEATURE

W Dana Vollmer

cal sports quarterly

hen Dana Vollmer stood on the blocks for the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials eight summers ago, she did so as the youngest competitor in the field with only a blurry vision of her potential in the pool.

Although she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the U.S. team that traveled to Sydney for the 2000 Games, she has since developed her extraordinary talents to a level that places her among the elite representatives of her sport. Now 20 and a senior-to-be for the Golden Bears, Vollmer has plans to continue at the top for years to come. Her list of accomplishments includes world records, NCAA titles and medals at the Goodwill Games, World Championships and Pan American Games, in addition to a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. With a better understanding of herself and the nuances of swimming, she has her sights on more glory in Beijing and beyond, with a goal to race at least through the 2012 London Games. It is a path that Vollmer almost never considered growing up in Granbury, Texas, a community of about 8,000 located approximately 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Instead, she envisioned a basketball career.

Exceptional Dreamer An Olympic Gold Medalist at 16, Dana Vollmer Foresees a Long Future in the Pool

By Herb Benenson

“I knew I would play in the WNBA and wear No. 22,” Vollmer said. “That was always my dream.” Vollmer, a budding star in both basketball and swimming, was even expected the make the varsity as a high school freshman. But just before ninth grade, she tore the ACL in her knee, which forced her to postpone any stardom on the court. Basketball’s loss was clearly swimming’s gain. Shortly after undergoing surgery, Vollmer returned to the pool, where she was able to work on developing her upper-body strength as she rehabbed her knee. “I was always one to push the limits of what I could do,” Vollmer said. “I was only out of the water for about a month and a half. My legs have always been strong, and that’s kind of what fueled me through the water. I tried to look at it as a positive and that was my way of doing it. This was my last chance to get some arms on me.” Even before the injury, Vollmer was an accomplished swimmer for FAST, the Fort Worth Area Swim Team. Not only had she already set numerous age-group records and competed at the 2000 Olympic Trials, but she had also earned a spot on the U.S. team for the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. At 13, she was the youngest member of the squad and won her

first international race, the 50 fly, when the United States faced off against the World All-Stars. By coincidence, the Goodwill Games also marked the first international trip as a coach for Cal head women’s swimming coach Teri McKeever. Vollmer, who was still years away from choosing a college, saw rapid improvement in her times once her knee finally healed. At age 16, she secured her spot on the 2004 Olympic team when she surprisingly outkicked former world record-holder Lindsay

return home, she was back on the road training in preparation for Athens. At the Games, Vollmer entered the pool on Day 3 of the swimming competition. She won her opening heat and placed second in her semifinal to earn a spot in the championship race. In the final a day later, she finished in 1:58.98, good for sixth place and a mere 0.53 seconds from a medal. With one more shot in the pool, Vollmer struck gold as a member of the 4x200 free relay. With former Bear Natalie Coughlin swimming leadoff and Vollmer on the third

“I see a young lady who is very far beyond her peer group in understanding her strengths and her limitations and willing to work on them, not just as an athlete, but as a leader and as a friend.” – head coach Teri McKeever Benko in the 200 free, finishing the race in 1:59.20 at the trials in Long Beach, Calif. “When I first touched the wall, I looked around in shock,” Vollmer recalled. “I had won and I didn’t expect to win. I remember just sitting there staring at the clock, wondering if it was real.” The victory started a whirlwind tour for Vollmer – “I was in kind of a daze,” she remembered – and after a brief, three-day

leg, Team USA sprinted to a more than two-second victory in a world-record time of 7:53.42. “I knew that we got a world record, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant,” Vollmer said. “Looking back at the tapes, there’s a delay between what Natalie does, then I’ll do the same thing. I didn’t know how I was supposed to act. I felt really overwhelmed. Then standing on the summer 2008

Vollmer shows off her gold medal from the 2004 Olympics during a parade through her hometown of Granbury, Texas.

Vollmer won the 200 freestyle at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the Athens Games.

cal sports quarterly

podium, I looked over the pool with the crowd on both sides and saw the flag go up. I see it crystal clear every time I hear the National Anthem.” The other vision that stands out for Vollmer was spotting her parents and brother in the stands during the medal ceremony. “It was one of those surreal moments,” she said. “I remember being on the podium and looking up, and everybody was a blur but my family. It was a huge crowd. I was really grateful that I could see them and make eye contact.” Once swimming ended, Vollmer returned home to Texas, where the celebration resumed in earnest, especially in Granbury. Just about the entire town turned out for a parade through the central square in honor of its newest star. Vollmer hasn’t slowed down at all over the succeeding years. In fact, it seems her pace has picked up quite a bit. Vollmer claimed gold in the free relay at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships and again at the 2007 World Championships, when the U.S. retook the world record from Germany in the event. “When we got the world record again, I felt this time it was more true to me,” Vollmer said. “I wanted it so much more. It had been taken away from me. Afterwards, I was celebrating. I didn’t think about what I was supposed to do. I was so proud to get the record back.” Since arriving in Berkeley in the fall of 2006 – she spent her freshman year at Florida before deciding to move to the West Coast – Vollmer has thrived as a Golden Bear under coach McKeever. As a sophomore, she captured the 100 fly at the 2007 NCAA meet, and she repeated as Pac-10 champ in the 100 fly this past spring. Perhaps more importantly, Vollmer has gained

a greater awareness and insight on how to be successful. “I’m very much impressed with her understanding of herself,” McKeever said. “I think the more you understand yourself, the better coach you are, the better swimmer you’re going to be. I just see a young lady who is very far beyond her peer group in understanding her strengths and her limitations and willing to work on them, not just as an athlete, but as a leader and as a friend.” Given the vast experience and knowledge she has accumulated, Vollmer still doesn’t consider herself a veteran, noting that “I’ve always been the baby.” She approaches her events with the same focus that has served her so well over the years – concentrating only on herself and her capabilities, and not worrying about anyone else who may be alongside. That tactic worked to her advantage at the 2004 trials when she lined up beside Benko for the start of the 200 free. “I knew I couldn’t acknowledge that because I’d get nervous,” Vollmer said. “I didn’t want to know who was next to me. I just wanted my own lane and my own time. When I was little, I was good at going out and doing my own thing, doing what I know best and not focusing on people that were there and were twice my age and more experienced.” This time around, however, Vollmer has developed a higher confidence level and a keener appreciation of the intricacies of the sport. Much of it stems from McKeever’s distinctive training approach that includes such activities as yoga, spin class and dance, without relying solely on swimming thousands of yards per day. In addition, there is an emphasis on specific work, such as turns, starts and overall fitness. “I feel like I’m a more all-around athlete,

Vollmer is a two-time Pac-10 champion in the 100 butterfly.

so I feel that a lot more can be thrown at Boyle of New Zealand, and the number of For her major, Vollmer selected medical me,” Vollmer said. “If things go wrong or Bears swimming in Beijing this summer anthropology, which links social sciences I’m feeling different, then I can handle it could approach double figures. and medicine and will aid her in studying better now. Before, I might have been a little Vollmer, who has one more season left different cultures around the world and freaked out. I feel a lot more controlled in my at Cal, expects to ride the trend of older their medical systems. Unique among Cal races, and I have more strategy for them.” swimmers continuing their careers af- student-athletes, the choice was natural for All swimmers who train under McKeever ter college and aim for at least the 2012 someone who possesses her own set of unreceive the same workout structure, whether Olympics. More and more, the top swim- usual medical concerns. it’s Coughlin, the five-time Olympic medal- mers are not retiring once they reach the As a young teen, Vollmer showed signs ist, or an incoming freshman. As they build postgraduate stage of their lives. Coughlin of Long QT Syndrome, a heart rhythm on their experiences, they are better able to is showing no signs of slowing down at disorder than can cause irregular heartmaximize their talent. beats. Had she been fully The unorthodox methods diagnosed, it would have have clearly paid off, espeended her career right imcially in recent years, with mediately. Instead, after more McKeever-trained being cleared to compete, athletes earning their places she developed an interest on the international scene. in medical research. Whereas Coughlin was head “I still work with kids and shoulders the best swimwho have been diagnosed, mer on the team during her and I talk to a lot of partenure from 2001-04, now ents,” Vollmer said. “Mine McKeever believes there was just rare symptoms of is more depth and a better it; I didn’t actually have overall team in place. the syndrome. If you have “A lot more people unit, you’re not allowed to do derstand, respect and apany athletic activity. That’s preciate what we’re doing,” the hardest thing working McKeever said. “I really with kids.” believe that if you’re a feAs she encourages male swimmer in the United Vollmer captured four titles at the 2007 NCAA championships, three relays and one those who are unable to individual. At left, she poses with teammates from Cal’s winning 400 medley relay States and you have aspira- (from left, Emily Silver, Vollmer, Lauren Rogers and Jessica Hardy), while at right, reach her level of athletic tions of achieving national she shows off her first-place award for the 100 butterfly. achievement, Vollmer has and international success, her own array of friends, this is a pretty darn good place to be.” age 25, and Dara Torres, who won a gold family and coaches who have helped put Among those who have profited from medal on a relay at age 33 in Sydney, cap- her in position for long-term success. McKeever’s methods, besides Coughlin tured a U.S. title in the 100 free at age 40 Said McKeever: “I think she’s benefited and Vollmer, are Staciana Stitts, Haley last summer. from being in an environment that extends Cope, Jessica Hardy and Emily Silver, each “Dana has definite goals about what she beyond swimming, with people supporting of whom has made an Olympic or World wants to do after swimming,” McKeever her and encouraging her to achieve excepChampionships squad. Add in international said. “I just think that swimming can allow tional dreams.” competitors such as Hannah Wilson and her to make a greater impact on the next It is a vision that comes more into focus Sherry Tsai from Hong Kong and Lauren phase of her life.” every day. summer 2008

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cal sports quarterly

summer 2008

A Culture of Excellence Cal’s Atmosphere Helps StudentAthletes Realize Olympic Dreams

By John Sudsbury

cal sports quarterly

erseverance. Hard work. Discipline. Intelligence. Ambition.

All are traits required in order to succeed at a challenging and demanding school such as the University of California. Those same characteristics are also necessary to compete on the highest of international sports stages – the Olympics. Not coincidentally, many young men and women who test themselves daily as students at Cal, the No. 1 public university in the nation, are also vying to represent their home countries at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The attitudes and personalities necessary to be successful in all aspects of life are molded and developed by the Cal Athletics Department, which has a mission to teach, serve, compete and excel – perhaps not the same as the Olympic motto of faster, higher, stronger, but still noble ideals which contribute to success on an Olympic level. “It takes a special kind of student-athlete to succeed at the University of California,” Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. “Our culture at Cal is one of striving for greatness in all aspects of your life. I believe the attitudes of excellence that our student-athletes display athletically, academically, socially and in the community are all part of developing into the type of individual that can compete with the best athletes in the world.” For the fifth time in the last six years, Cal finished in the top 10 in the nation in the Directors’ Cup standings, which measure overall excellence in an athletic program. Since the beginning of the 2006-07 seasons, the Golden Bears have earned 16 top-10 finishes nationally, including five national team championships. Thirteen individuals have captured national titles and 73 student-athletes were recognized as AllAmericans in their respective sports in 2006-07 alone. As an institution, Cal is recognized as one of the premier universities in the world. Fulbright Scholars, Guggenheim Fellows and Nobel Prize winners dot a faculty that educates elite students who advance to great success in the fields of business, entertainment and politics – as well as athletics. While excellence is demanded from a student body filled with lofty goals and aspirations, the school is designed to assist its students in how to reach those levels of greatness; and the Athletic Department strives to assist its pupils in their quest for sporting splendor. A sampling of Cal’s Olympians through the years surrounds these two pages. From top, left to right on page 14, they are (Olympic years in parentheses): Sebastian Bea (2000), Ann Curtis Cuneo (1948), Bart Kizierowski (1996, 2000, 04), Ramon Jimenez-Gaona (1992, 96), 1948 Men’s Crew, Archie Williams (1936), Darrall Imhoff (1960), Dave Steen (1980, 84), Gillian Boxx (1996), Lon Spurrier (1956), Helen Wills Moody Roark (1924), Martin Biles (1948), Graham Smith (1976), Sheryl Johnson (1980, 84, 88), Owen Guinn Smith (1948), Sheila Hudson (1996), Mary T. Meagher (1980, 84, 88), Leamon King (1952), Don Bowden (1956), Chris Oeding (1996), Anthony Ervin (2000), Grace Upshaw (2004), Lindsay James (2004), James Robinson (1976, 80), Jake Wetzel (2000, 04), Kirk Everist (1992, 96), Jack Merchant (1920, 24).

“It takes a special kind of student-athlete to succeed at the University of California. I believe the attitudes of excellence that our student-athletes display athletically, academically, socially and in the community are all part of developing into the type of individual that can compete with the best athletes in the world.”

“Here at Cal, you are really reach that much further to folpushed to succeed; they don’t low in those footsteps of great– Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour try to make you fail,” said Sean ness. Mahoney, a Cal swimmer spe“It really is motivating to cializing in breaststroke. “It’s one of the best things about walk into Spieker Aquatics Complex and walk past that Cal; everyone’s trying to help you. Everyone you talk to, your board with all the Olympians posted,” said Cal swimmer coaches, the trainers, your professors, everyone is there for Dominik Meichtry, who will represent Switzerland in his you. I think that’s one of the reasons Cal is so great in academ- second Olympics this summer. “It motivates you, makes you ics and in sports.” realize why you put in that effort. I know I want to be on the “You’re surrounded by excellence,” Golden Bear women’s board again!’” water polo coach Rich Corso said. “One of your professors Men’s crew coach Steve Gladstone sees Cal’s studentmight have a Nobel Prize, one of your fellow students might athletes as possessing many of the characteristics needed to be doing something incredible in science or politics or the become elite-level athletes, while also pointing to the past as arts. Then you go to the pool, the track, the gym, the weight motivation for the current Golden Bears – Cal’s varsity eight, room, you see these people vying to not only make an Olym- as a unit, achieved legendary status in Olympic lore, winning pic squad, but to medal. They make you learn here; they make gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1948. you go the extra mile. A lot of people talk about how heavy “When you see pictures on the walls of the boat house and that degree weighs, but I look at it as not so much the product, you see that these people that you know, your peers, are dobut the process and the education you get.” ing these things, it makes it a reality for yourself and I think Corso’s opinions on the potential of student-athletes com- clearly that’s a stimulant,” Gladstone said. “My guess would peting for the Olympics come from experience. He coached be that no other university has the academic rigor and the the U.S. men’s water polo team at both the 1992 and 1996 level of athletic performance that we have here. I would asOlympics; the ’96 squad listed five former Golden Bears on sume the characteristics to do both would be the same.” the roster, including current Cal men’s water polo coach Kirk While Cal’s success as a university is on display around Everist. the world through the accomplishments of its alumni, the ev“This University is going to show you how to get up,” Cor- idence of the effectiveness of the school as a proving ground so added. “But nobody’s going to do it for you; you have to for elite athletes will be on display this August in Beijing. learn to do that yourself. Of the five Cal guys in 1996, we Eighty-six different (current, former and incoming) Cal athcould have easily gone with kids from other universities, but letes are competing to qualify for this year’s Olympiad. As there’s something about the kids from Cal; I think they are a of mid-June, 31 Golden Bears had already locked down trips lot tougher mentally.” to China for the event, putting the school into position to Throughout its history, Cal representatives have made 336 perhaps exceed an impressive statistic from the 2004 Athens appearances in the Olympic Games and Golden Bears have Olympics, when Cal representatives tallied 15 medals – a captured 143 medals. That tradition of excellence continues to total that would have ranked No. 18 overall on the medal push current Cal student-athletes to strive that much harder, to counts for entire countries. From top left to right: Kirstin Heaston (2004), 1932 Men’s Crew, Bolota Asmeron (2000), Brick Muller (1920), Par Arvidsson (1976, 80), Bob Clark (1936), Duje Draganja (2004), Joy Fawcett (1996, 2000, 04), Eddie Hart (1972), Natalie Coughlin (2004), Peter Rocca (1976, 80), Barry Weitzenberg (1968, 72), Bruce Kennedy (1972, 76, 80), Liz Miles (1984), Heather Petri (2000, 04), Pete Cipollone (1996, 2000, 04), Sid Freudenstein (1968), 1928 Men’s Crew, Matt Biondi (1984, 88, 92).

summer 2008

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Ready to Represent Vicky Galindo ’06 and USA Softball Vie for Olympic Gold By Anton Malko

Vicky Galindo batted .455 and led USA Softball in RBI at the World Cup in 2005, her first year on the national team.

olden Bear fans know not to count out Vicky Galindo.

A valuable, three-year letterwinner for play, but I’ll be the bat girl if we can get a gold medal. I’ll do whatCalifornia softball from 2003-05 after car- ever I can to help this team win.” rying the Olympic torch as a 12-year-old in Galindo went to West Valley Junior College for a year when she Winters, Calif., Galindo has continued her wasn’t recruited hard out of James Logan High School in Union softball career as a professional player, an as- City, Calif. Determined to play Pac-10 softball, she earned her spot sistant coach and, now, a three-year member at Cal as a walk-on. Known for an unpredictable approach at the of the U.S. National team on the cusp of her plate with footwork that has opponents guessing whether she’ll Olympic dream. slap a line drive of lay down a bunt, she is simply not intimidated Vicky Galindo But Galindo was served the biggest chal- by the challenge of being ready for Beijing. lenge yet in her quest five months after “My whole life, if I set a goal, I’ve making the Olympic squad, when she always been able to reach it,” she said. stepped into the batter’s box against Ari“But it always seems like I’ve taken the zona in February and broke her left arm roundabout way to get there. It’s crazy during her first at-bat in USA Softball’s but I know I’ve always had to work hard “Bound for Beijing” tour. to get what I want. I’m not scared of The high curveball ricocheted off getting hit again.” Galindo’s ulna, just above her wrist. “It The toughest opposition for Team USA didn’t hit me that hard but it broke my figures to be Japan, Canada and Australia, arm,” she said. “Not the way I wanted to in addition to the host country. start my tour. “We put aside our differences and get “Just imagine, the opportunity to reach on the world stage to compete against your dream, something that you’ve had each other in athletics,” said Galindo, for so long and wanted for so long, and As a senior third baseman in 2005, Vicky Galindo who visited China previously for the it’s practically taken away from you in an batted .342 for the Bears, earning first-team All2006 World Championships. “That’s instant. The thought of not being able to America and Pac-10 honors. what it’s about: representing my counachieve that dream is just so devastating to try through sport.” me, just really, really emotional.” Once the Olympics are over, in addiAs she bears down to rehabilitate her tion continuing her pro softball career, arm and play her way back into the lineup, Galindo has another job waiting as an Galindo is relying on the same wellspring assistant coach at San Jose State. of excitement and anchored attitude that “Part of the reason that I’ve been has always defined her. She is determined successful is because of a positive attito make a positive difference in what will tude that I bring,” Galindo said. “Every be the final Summer Games to include game that I get out there, I’m excited to softball, which joined the Olympiad the be there. And that’s the kind of thing I same year she carried the torch, 1996. try to pull out of my athletes as well. If “I’m just really happy to be a part of this Galindo, also an assistant coach at San Jose State, you’re excited to play, it just makes you team,” said Galindo. “Obviously I want to with Spartan catcher Brittany McConnell better at what you’re doing.”

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the team behind your team. As the exclusive wireless provider of UC Berkeley Athletics, AT&T shares your passion for the Cal Bears.

1.866.MOBILIT Y – ATT.COM/WIRELESS – VISIT A STORE Service provided by AT&T Mobility. ©2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.

sports reviews

2007-2008

Ashley Glosz Rebecca Yau

Josh Satin

Baseball Record: 33-21-2 Pac-10 Finish: 12-12/T4th NCAA Finish: Regional

Ryan Anderson

Ashley Walker

Marko Knezevic

Mara Allen

David Torrence

Ranked among the nation’s Top 25 for almost the entire season, Cal qualified for NCAA postseason for the first time since 2001, earning a berth in a regional at Long Beach State. The Bears were led by a pair of All-Americans – senior second baseman Josh Satin, who batted .379 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI, and junior first baseman David Cooper, who hit .359 with 19 home runs and 55 RBI. Junior right-hander Tyson Ross, who finished 7-4, was chosen first-team All-Pac-10 for the second year in a row. Cooper was picked in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft by Toronto, while Ross went in the second round to Oakland.

Men’s Basketball Record: 17-16 Pac-10 Finish: 6-12/8th

Cal earned its 20th postseason berth in school history and reached the second round of the National Invitation Tournament win an opening night 68-66 victory over New Mexico. Ryan Anderson, a second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-10 selection, became Cal’s seventh Pac-10 scoring champion in the last 15 years after averaging 21.1 ppg. Center DeVon Hardin completed his career ranked No. 2 on the school blocked shot list with 132 to his credit, while Eric Vierneisel set personal bests with 20 points and seven rebounds in his final home Pac-10 game vs. Washington March 1. On April 5, Mike Montgomery was introduced as Cal’s new head coach.

Women’s Basketball Record: 27-7 Pac-10 Finish: 15-3/2nd NCAA Finish: 2nd Round

Cal finished the season with a 27-7 record, breaking the school record for wins in a season. The Bears received their third straight NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in school history, defeating San Diego in the first round (77-60) for the program’s first NCAA victory in 15 years. Cal was also ranked in the Top 10 in the nation for 12 straight weeks, and the Bears placed an all-time best of second in the Pac-10 with a 15-3 mark. Devanei Hampton became Cal’s first three-time first-team All-Pac-10 selec-

cal sports quarterly

tion, and Ashley Walker earned her second first-team All-Pac-10 accolade. Joanne Boyle was chosen WBCA Region 8 Coach of the Year.

Men’s Crew Pac-10 Finish: 2nd IRA Finish: 3rd

Coach Steve Gladstone’s Golden Bears finished the season strong, taking second place in the Pac-10 championships and coming away with a third-place finish in the Varsity Challenge Cup at the IRA Regatta. The freshman eight won its second straight IRA crown, its fourth national title in the last five years. Senior rowers Marko Knezevic and Charlie Smith, members of Cal’s varsity eight that also finished second at Pac-10s, earned AllPac-10 honors.

Women’s Crew Pac-10 Finish: 1st NCAA Finish: 3rd

Powered by first-team All-Americans Mara Allen and Taryn O’Connell, Cal improved four spots on its 2007 finish when it claimed third place in the team standings at the 2008 NCAA championships held on Lake Natoma outside Sacramento. The Bears’ varsity eight held the No. 1 ranking in the coaches’ poll most of the year and placed fourth at NCAAs. Pac10 and CRCA West Region Coach of the Year Dave O’Neill guided his Bears to the Pac-10 title and to conference titles in the varsity eight, second varsity eight and novice eight.

Men’s Cross Country Pac-10 Finish: 3rd NCAA Regional Finish: 4th NCAA Finish: 16th

Led by the core group of senior David Torrence and juniors Yosef Ghebray and Mark Matusak, Cal had its best season in the history of the program in 2007, earning a team invitation to the NCAA championships for the first time. Ranked as high as eighth in the country during the year, the Bears finished in the top five in every race until nationals, where they were 16th. Torrence, Ghebray and Matusak were all selected to the NCAA All-West region team, while Ghebray claimed first-team All-Pac-10 honors and Torrence and Matusak were chosen to the second unit.

Justin Forsett

Women’s Cross Country Pac-10 Finish: 9th NCAA Regional Finish: 9th

Senior Rebecca Yau and freshman Chelsea Reilly led Cal to a strong season in 2007, with one of the two runners pacing the Bears in five of their six races. Reilly took second place at the USF Invitational and was Cal’s top finisher at the Pac-10 meet, finishing 28th, while Yau was first among the Bears at the Stanford Invitational and the Pre-NCAA meet. Cal placed in the top 10 four times, including two second-place finishes. The Bears also came in ninth out of 31 teams at the NCAA West Regional.

Field Hockey Record: 12-6 NorPac Finish: 5-1/T1st

Cal captured the NorPac Conference title for the ninth year in a row, finishing with a 12-6 overall record and a 5-1 league mark. During the course of the season, the Bears upset No. 4 Michigan, 1-0, for their first win over a top-five opponent in head coach Shellie Onstead’s 13-year tenure. Cal also defeated Stanford twice during the regular season, but fell to the Cardinal in the NorPac Tournament final. Junior forward Ashley Glosz (8 goals) earned All-America honors and was joined on the first-team All-NorPac squad by teammates Jennifer Crane (12 goals) and Andrea Lo (5 goals).

Football Record: 7-6 Pac-10 Finish: 3-6/T7th

Cal posted its sixth straight winning season and advanced to a fifth consecutive bowl game for the first time in program history in 2007. The year culminated with a 42-36 come-from-behind victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Bears had a pair of first-team All-Americans as center Alex Mack and return man DeSean Jackson were honored by The Sporting News and the AFCA, respectively. Mack was also a finalist for the Rimington Trophy as the top center in the nation. Twelve different players were recognized by the Pac-10 as all-conference selections, with senior Justin Forsett (running back) and freshman Jahvid Best (special teams) joining Mack on the first-team list.

Oski

Stephen Hale

Men’s Golf Pac-10 Finish: 3rd NCAA Finish: 20th at Regional

A young Golden Bear team had a strong spring season, tallying eight top-eight finishes. The highlight was an impressive effort at the Pac-10 championships at the Meadow Club in Fairfax when Cal tied for third place, just two strokes out of the top slot. Junior George Gandranata and freshman Stephen Hale paced the program with stroke averages of 72.5. Gandranata was Cal’s top finisher in eight tournaments on the year, while Hale claimed medalist honors at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii. Gandranata, Hale and sophomore Evan Derian all earned all-conference recognition.

Women’s Golf Pac-10 Finish: T4th NCAA Finish: 12th at Regional

Cal finished in the top five in eight of 11 tournaments, highlighted by first-place finishes at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic and the Spartan Invitational. The Bears concluded the season with their ninth straight invitational to an NCAA regional. Freshman Pia Halbig paced Cal with a 74.5 scoring average, breaking the Bears’ freshman record of 75.6. Halbig was named second-team All-Pac-10 after leading Cal in four tournaments, and juniors Allison Goodman and Shannon Yocum received honorable mention notice. Goodman held Cal’s top honors at three events, while Yocum won the Ram Fall Classic for her first collegiate title.

Men’s Gymnastics Record: 13-12 MPSF Finish: 3rd NCAA Finish: 5th

Led by senior Tim McNeill, the Bears claimed fifth place at the NCAA championships for Cal’s 12th top-10 finish in the past 13 years. McNeill defended his national titles on both pommel horse and parallel bars to become the most decorated gymnast in school history with a total of five NCAA crowns to his credit – three on pommel hose and two on parallel bars. In addition, senior Colin Christ earned All-America honors with an eightplace showing on parallel bars. The regular season highlight for the Bears came March 15 when Cal upset No. 2 Penn State at home, 360.400-351.300.

Pia Halbig

Women’s Gymnastics Record: 8-16 Pac-10 Finish: 5th

The 2008 season marked the third consecutive year that Cal had representation in the NCAA West Regional, as four Golden Bears – senior Siobhan Luce, juniors Bridgette Glass and Jessica Kelley, and sophomore Sophia Hocini – competed. Kelley came in 13th in the all-around with a final mark of 38.175, while Luce, in her final performance, collected an all-around score of 37.475 to take 15th overall. Cal, which placed fifth at the Pac-10 championships, greatly improved as the season advanced, earning its three highest team scores of the season in the month of March.

Lacrosse Record: 9-9 MPSF Finish: 4-1/2nd

Cal produced a strong effort under firstyear head coach Theresa Sherry, who was named the 2008 MPSF Coach of the Year. The Bears won their first four conference games, including a 12-8 upset of then-No. 19 Oregon in Eugene and an 11-9 win over Stanford in Berkeley. Three players – senior attacker Danni Zuralow, senior attacker Brittany Aungier and sophomore midfielder Alyse Kennedy – earned All-MPSF honors. In addition, Bears senior midfielder Cristen Andrews earned a spot on the MPSF All-Tournament team for her play in the league championship hosted by Cal at Memorial Stadium.

Rugby Record: 24-1 National Finish: 1st

Following Cal’s 59-7 national championship win over BYU, the fifth in a row and 24th overall for the program, nine team members were tabbed All-Americans by American Rugby News. Senior captain Rikus Pretorius was named MVP of the national championship weekend. He and Louis Stanfill were honored as the only collegians selected to the U.S. National Team Elite Player Camp. Other highlights in 2008 included winning a third straight UCLA Tournament, prevailing in battles for both the Scrum Axe against Stanford and the “World Cup” against UBC, defeating 2006 RSL champ Old Mission Beach Athletic Club and the naming of 12 players as Scholar Athletes.

Tim McNeill

Men’s Soccer Record: 12-6-2 Pac-10 Finish: 6-3-1/1st NCAA Finish: 2nd round

In a banner 2007 campaign, Cal captured its second straight Pac-10 title and earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh year in a row. Head coach Kevin Grimes was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the fourth time, and senior Andrew Jacobson was voted Co-Pac-10 Player of the Year. Seniors Javier Ayala-Hil and Luke Sassano, as well as sophomore goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who posted nine shutouts guarding the net, were also chosen first-team all-conference. Freshman Andrew Wiedeman, a second-team All-Pac-10 pick, paced the Bears in scoring with seven goals and six assists.

Women’s Soccer Record: 15-5-1 Pac-10 Finish: 6-3/T3rd NCAA Finish: 2nd Round

After posting a 7-0-1 mark over the final eight games of the regular season, Cal finished with a 15-5-1 record. Under the direction of first-year head coach Neil McGuire, the Bears made their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth in the last 10 years, advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight time with a 2-0 shutout of Santa Clara. Freshman forward Alex Morgan led Cal in points (18) and goals (8). Senior defender Courtney Hooker was named first-team All-Pac-10, and senior midfielder Caitlin Hannegan received secondteam honors. Hooker was also tabbed a second-team All-American, and defender Megan Jesolva and Morgan were voted second-team freshman All-Americans.

Softball Record: 43-27 Pac-10 Finish: 7-14/T5th NCAA Finish: Super Regional

Cal reached the 40-win plateau for the ninth time in the last 10 years and advanced to the NCAA postseason for the 23rd straight time. The Bears won the Fresno Regional, with a dramatic 7-6 victory over Fresno State in nine innings in the deciding game. At the Super Regional, Cal dropped a pair of 4-2 decision to No. 1 Florida. Freshman Valerie Arioto led the team in batting average (.324), runs (55), hits (71) and doubles (17), while sophomore hurler Marissa Drewey won 29 games in the circle with 312 strikeouts.

Siobhan Luce

Cristen Andrews

Rikus Pretorius

Drew Jacobson

Courtney Hooker

Valerie Arioto

summer 2008

Angie Pressey

William Copeland

Both players earned All-Pac-10 and AllPacific Region honors.

Men’s Swimming & Diving Record: 5-2 Pac-10 Finish: 2nd NCAA Finish: 4th Lauren Rogers

Kallim Stewart

Under the direction of first-year head coach David Durden and head coach emeritus Nort Thornton, Cal placed fourth nationally at the NCAA meet after entering competition ranked 11th. The Bears posted six top-five finishes at nationals, setting school records in both the 200 (1:24.50) and 400 (3:05.38) medley relays. Two individual Cal marks also fell with David Russell swimming the 100 backstroke in 45.42 and Damir Dugonjic touching the wall in 52.50 in the 100 breaststroke. William Copeland won both 50 and 100 freestyle and David Russell took the 200 back at the Pac10 championships, leading the Bears to a second-place standing.

Women’s Swimming & Diving Record: 5-2 Pac-10 Finish: 3rd NCAA Finish: 5th

Susie Babos

Martin Maric

Alysia Johnson

Placing among the nation’s top five for the third consecutive year, Cal came home with a fifth-place standing at the NCAA championships with a total of 10 Bears collecting All-America honors. Juniors Dana Vollmer and Lauren Rogers both repeated as Pac-10 champions in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, respectively. Rogers also claimed the top spot in the 200-yard back at the conference meet, while sophomore Lauren Boyle broke a 20-year-old school record in winning the 1650 free. Cal continued its dominance in the 800 free relays at Pac-10s, winning the event for a fifth consecutive year.

Men’s Tennis Record: 13-11 Pac-10 Finish: 4-3/4th NCAA Finish: 2nd Round

Cal reached postseason play for a school-record ninth consecutive year and the 14th time in head coach Peter Wright’s 15 seasons at the helm. In the NCAA Tournament, the Bears downed Boise State in the first round before falling to USC. Along the way, Cal upset several top-ranked teams, including No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Arizona State. Bozhidar Katsarov set a school

cal sports quarterly

Michael Sharf

Heather Stuart

freshman record by recording a teamleading 35 singles wins against only 11 losses. Fellow frosh Pedro Zerbini compiled a 28-11 mark, going 18-4 in dual matches, including a stretch in which he won 12 straight.

fully defended her NCAA West Regional and Pac-10 800-meter titles, breaking her own meet records in both races. In addition, Johnson (800) and Garrett (60) both captured conference indoor championships.

Women’s Tennis Record: 21-6 Pac-10 Finish: 6-2/3rd NCAA Finish: 2nd

Volleyball Record: 26-8 Pac-10 Finish: 12-6/4th NCAA Finish: T3rd

The Bears advanced to the NCAA championship match for the first time in school history, upsetting No. 1 seed Northwestern and No. 5 Baylor along the way. However, the eighth-seeded Bears fell to UCLA in pursuit of their first national title. Senior Susie Babos earned the fifth AllAmerica selection of her career and was named the ITA Northwest Region Senior Player of the Year. Freshman Marina Cossou also claimed All-America status with a 32-10 singles record, completing the season with the No. 9 ranking. Junior Claire Ilcinkas, who was 35-9, was an All-American in singles, while senior Stephanie Kusano was named AllAmerican in doubles.

The Bears completed the most successful season in program history with an appearance in the NCAA championship semifinal match. Cal advanced with a victory over No. 2-ranked Nebraska in the regional final. The Bears also earned a historic 3-2 win against a No. 7-ranked UCLA squad at Pauley Pavilion, another first for Cal. The team set school records for most blocks in a season and hitting percentage in a match. Outside hitters senior Angie Pressey and sophomore Hana Cutura were each named to the AVCA All-America team, while head coach Rich Feller received National Coach of the Year honors from Volleyball Magazine.

Men’s Track & Field Pac-10 Finish: 4th NCAA Finish: 71st

Men’s Water Polo Record: 28-4 MPSF Finish: 7-1/1st NCAA Finish: 1st

Junior Martin Maric led the way for Cal at the NCAA outdoor championships, earning All-America honors with an eighthplace finish in the discus, while senior Ed Wright, a three-time All-American, repeated as Pac-10 champion in the high jump. Cal was also strong on the track, with senior David Torrence and junior Mark Matusak representing the Bears at the NCAA meet in the 1500 meters. In April, Torrence became the first Cal athlete in school history to record two subfour-minute miles, clocking 3:59.10 at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. During the indoor season, Wright (high jump) and Michael Coe (3000) won league titles.

Women’s Track & Field Pac-10 Finish: T6th NCAA Finish: 22nd

In a record-setting year, junior Katie Morgan broke the Cal mark in the pole vault four times and capped off the season with an NCAA title in the event when she cleared 13-9 1/4. Sophomore Kimyon Brown also snapped the school record in the 100 hurdles, covering the distance in 13.17, while Cherrelle Garrett set a Cal freshman standard in the 100 meters with a time of 11.41. Six-time All-American Alysia Johnson success-

Cal won its second straight NCAA title with a championship-match victory over USC, this time by a score of 8-6 on Dec. 2 behind two goals apiece from Adam Haley and Zac Monsees. The Bears, who also defeated the Trojans, 7-6, in the 2006 final, have captured more national crowns (13) than any school in the country. Seniors Michael Sharf, Monsees and goalie Mark Sheredy were tabbed first-team All-Americans, while senior Haley was named to the second team. Sharf, the NCAA Tournament MVP, paced Cal with 98 goals, and senior Jeff Tyrrell, a third-team All-American, added another 50 goals for the Bears.

Women’s Water Polo Record: 18-11 MPSF Finish: 6-6/7th

The Cal women’s water polo program placed sixth in the MPSF Tournament, concluding its season with a 12-11 overtime loss to host San Diego State. Sophomore Grace Reynolds and senior Molly Hayes were named second-team All-MPSF, and senior Heather Stuart was an honorable mention selection. Reynolds, the March 25 MPSF Player of the Week, paced the squad with 52 goals, while Hayes contributed 48 scores.

Athletic Development Bear Backer News

2007 7,792

2006 7,539

2002

2004

7,352

2003

2005

6,408

hen Executive Director of Bear Backers Tod Banister joined the Office of Athletic Development at the University of California, he took on the challenge of growing the number of Bear Backers to a new record number of 15,000 members. To do so, he has reached out to the legion of existing Bear Backers to articulate their mission, which is to assist the Athletic Department in providing a world-class setting with world-class resources for student-athletes and staff without imparting any financial strain on the University. In performing its mission, the Bear Backer organization is the primary fundraising arm for the entire Athletic Department. Funding scholarships, academic achievement programs and operational expenses are three of its most important goals. It may sound ambitious to bring the Bear Backer family into 15,000-member territory from its 2007 level just under 7,800, but aren’t all the goals set by the Golden Bears ambitious? The hundreds of thousands of Cal alumni and supporters at large who aren’t yet Bear Backers can take a similar approach to ratchet their participation up to a high-performance level, the same way the student-athletes, coaches and support staff raise their games to make the greatness of Cal Athletics possible. Existing Bear Backers understand better than anyone the benefits associated with their membership, and they’re taking on a vital role in the membership drive as captains and officers. Bear Backer representatives in every zip code in the state of California are being anointed to help close the gap between those supporters who have already made the commitment and the many friends, family and associates who are ready to join the drive to 15,000.

5,584

Growing the Bear Backer Alliance with a High-Performance Model

Bear backers since 2002

4,962

Pointing the Way to 15K

15,000

Target

A subscription to Cal Sports Quarterly is just one of the great benefits associated with being a Bear Backer. These great supporters of Cal Athletics also get invitations to events with Bears coaches, pre-game hospitalities, priority seats and parking at Cal athletic events. Bannister is joined two colleagues from the Office of Athletic Development as main points of contact for reaching out to potential Bear Backers around the state. While Bannister focuses primarily on the Valley, Barbara Oseroff will direct her energies to outreach in the Bay Area while Mark Long has been tabbed the primary contact for Southern California. Bear Backers who are designated as captains are eligible to receive credits for every new Bear Backer they recruit. With one priority point awarded per recruited Bear Backer, captains have the opportunity to receive special gifts while ensuring that their beloved Golden Bears will be amply funded for their endeavors as student-athletes. For more information on becoming a Bear Backer and how you can recruit more members into the Bear Backer family, go online to http://calbears.cstv.com/bear-backers/home.html, e-mail bearback@berkeley.edu or call the Office of Athletic Development at (510) 642-2427.

Cal’s First NFL Reunion Weekend a Hit

wide range of football alumni who capitalized on their Cal years with careers in the NFL joined their friends and classmates, many of whom were reuniting for the first time since leaving the University, at Cal’s first NFL Reunion Weekend held April 12-13. Golden Bear football alumni currently in the NFL, such as Todd Steussie (OT, St. Louis), Chris Manderino (RB, Kansas City) and Nick Harris (P, Detroit), joined Mick Luckhurst, Hardy Nickerson and many more former pro players for a series of events to get reacquainted, including a round of golf at Lakeside Golf Course at

Left to right: Todd Steussie, Dave Barr, Russell White and Kevin Daft

Blackhawk in Danville and a mixer at the home of head football coach Jeff Tedford. “It was great to be able to get together with some of the Cal guys from the NFL,” said Tedford. “One of our goals as a program is for all of our former players to know that they are a vital part of Cal football. The number of players we have in the NFL shows the tradition that is growing here. “We hope to continue with events like this so all of these guys feel comfortable that this is their college home. It’s a great event; we all had a good time and look forward to next year,” Tedford said. summer 2008

Athletic Development Bear Backer News

Coaches Tour Kindles Craze for 2008-09

ew men’s basketball coach Mike Montgomery joined football coach Jeff Tedford, volleyball’s Rich Feller and Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour on a seven-stop statewide Coaches Tour in May and June to meet Cal supporters as preparations continue to make 2008-09 the year of the Golden Bears. All four leaders of the Athletic Department spent time thanking current Bear Backers and stumping for more supporters to join the ranks in the effort to break the 15,000-member Bear Backer mark. “There’s just a ton of enthusiasm. Cal people are fired up and I’ve really enjoyed that,” said Montgomery. “People are passionate about their university. They like having gone to Cal, they like what it represents, and like most people, they’d like to have something to hang on athletically to brag about.” Special thanks go out to all the sponsors who hosted stops on the tour. Gordon Biersch welcomed the festivities at its brewery in San

Jose and restaurants in San Francisco, Pasadena and San Diego; while additional stops were hosted by Back Forty BBQ in Pleasant Hill, The Firehouse in Sacramento and FOX Sports Grill in Irvine.

Cal Thanks Donors at Endowed Scholarship Dinner

ndowed scholarships fund the way to teach, to serve, to compete and to excel, for one-third of all Golden Bear and we do that with integrity, passion, rescholarship student-athletes to tap spect, teamwork, diversity and professioninto the Cal experience, earning returns alism,” said Barbour. The success of Cal’s that continue the growth of both the young endowed scholarship program is “not posmen and women who receive them and the sible,” she told the audience, “without your vision and your generosity.” financial entities that make them possible. The Bear Backers who make the comOn May 12, many of those student-athletes joined Director of Athletics mitment to create endowed Sandy Barbour, faculty and scholarships are not the only staff at the Claremont Homembers of the Cal comtel for a dinner to thank the munity who get to enjoy the special Bear Backers who unfolding thrill of seeing stuhave created these vital dent-athletes capitalize on the investments. opportunity they are provided. “Nothing is more imporSam Mchombo, an associate tant than our scholarship professor of linguistics, spoke endowment,” Barbour said of the pride in forging friendof the model for the selfships with these eager students Lauren Rogers in the classroom. “It’s not perpetuating funds, first Swimmer and Barbara Stark Jordan what they’ve learned from me, instituted at Cal in 1929 by the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Every student- but more what I’ve learned from them,” he athlete arrives at Cal hoping to be challenged said. “It’s been a mutual benefit.” “Endowments are a wonderful way to academically and athletically, and endowed scholarships allow 125 of them to take on personalize your experience by giving,” these challenges each year without adding said Buzz Wiesenfeld ’71, founding donor any burden to the Athletic Department’s of the Wiesenfeld Women’s Swimming Scholarship. “There’s a sense of pride and bottom line. “Our mission as an athletic program is ownership to what’s happening out there.”

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From the classroom to the athletic field, the University “cannot sustain consistent programs without sustainable funding,” Wiesenfeld said. “We all want to make a difference. We all want to leave our footprints somewhere. This is a really great place to leave them.” The way endowed scholarships are structured – earning returns that continue to grow after portions from each are used to fund scholarships – “is critical to our success as an athletic department” and con-

John and Cynthia Lovewell with basketballer Jamal Boykin

sistent with “the comprehensive excellence that we have here at Cal,” Barbour said. Tod Banister, executive director of Bear Backers, agreed: “We could not compete at this level without donors, student-athletes and coaches who believe, as we all do, in doing things the right way.” – Anton Malko

summer 2008

Athletic Development Bear Backer Spotlight

You Can Call Him... Stu Gordon is Always on his Game By Anton Malko

aw partner, restaurateur, marathoner, longtime Cal supporter and Bear Backers co-founder Stu Gordon, BA ’62 JD ’65, has a recipe for success that includes one part passion, two parts dedication and about a billion parts get-’er-done.

The football program also has great fondness for Gordon and his wife, Florianne. “We’ve really enjoyed our strong relationship with them,” said head coach Jeff Tedford. “Over There are plenty of places to admire Gordon’s handiwork, from the years, they’ve been instrumental in assisting with our facilthe courtrooms where he works his trade as a founding partner ity needs. Not only are they great supporters, but they’re quality of Gordon & Rees law firm, to people and good friends of the dining rooms of some of the Cal football family.” the finest restaurants in the reHelping Cal Athletics gion, to the swelling ranks of reach ever-higher obviBear Backers who ensure the ously makes Gordon happy. excellence of Cal Athletics, to Maybe it reminds him of ballgames at Evans Diamond home. where Golden Bear pitchers When his father, Jack, hone their stuff in the Stu Gorwasn’t at his desk or his don Bullpens before taking the sons’ athletic events, he mound to face the best hitters played sandlot baseball for the NCAA has to offer. his office team, and the “His middle name should be younger Gordon would of‘Cal,’ he’s done so much for so ten attend. “We’d always many different sports,” said Bob manage to get home before Milano, the former baseball dark to pitch-and-catch and coach who was a college teamplay H.O.R.S.E.,” he said. mate of Gordon at Cal. “He’s At his boyhood home in not just a baseball buff or a foot- Stu Gordon (left) poses with teammates Mike Noakes ’61, a good-hitting cenWest Los Angeles, Gordon ter fielder; Bob Milano ’61, a catcher before becoming Cal’s head coach; and ball buff or a basketball guy.” developed his hoops game starting pitcher Bill Oakley ’62. Gordon has been named the around the rim in their Carl Van Heuit Cal Baseball Alumnus of the Year twice in recent backyard and honed his pitching control in their driveway with his years, and Dave Esquer, head coach since 2000, called him “as dad as the catcher. valuable a backer and supporter of our program as there is. The “As long as I could remember, he would catch me and make beauty of Stu is he’s got such vision for where he wants program me throw to the target,” Gordon said of his daily balls-and-strikes to go and what he wants us to have. He leads us a little bit. He asks exchange with his dad. “That’s why I had such outstanding control us what we want and need, but he has vision, too.” as a pitcher.” Gordon’s vision, which has helped baseball upgrade its irrigaIn the homestretch of three successful years as a student-athlete tion and replant its field, among other improvements, led to his at Fairfax High School, Gordon considered USC, UCLA and Stan2008 appointment to the Athletic Director’s Advisory Board, join- ford, in addition to Cal, for his undergrad experience. ing his membership in the Big C Society and presidency of Boalt Gordon arrived in Berkeley for the fall of 1958 and joined the Hall Alumni Association. freshman baseball and basketball teams hot on the heels of var24

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sity baseball’s 1957 College World Series championship and on the precipice of varsity basketball’s 1959 NCAA title. For good measure, Cal’s 1958 football season ended with the Pacific Coast championship and a trip to the ’59 Rose Bowl. The superlatives spill out when Gordon describes the coaches he had the privilege to play for at Cal. “George Wolfman was just a lovely man, Pete Newell was an institution, and Rene Herrerias, our freshman basketball coach, was a wonderful guy,” Gordon said. Gordon also had terrific teammates, including Milano, a catcher who played with him in 1960 and ’61, served as a graduate assistant in ’62 and served as the Bears’

A founding partner of Gordon & Rees law firm, Gordon has invested in successful regional restaurants, such as Home in San Francisco (above), and completed 49 marathons. His wife, Florianne (left), has won both the Dipsea and Double Dispsea trail races.

head coach from 1978-99. “Stu had tremendous command of his fastball, which had a little movement,” remembered Milano of his battery mate. “That curveball of his sometimes fooled gravity. It could come flat, like a slider, then go 12-to-6.” Did Gordon ever shake off a sign from his catcher? “Did he ever? Maybe, but I didn’t listen to him,” Milano said. “I knew what pitch Stu’s best pitch was that day. We’d argue about this pitch or that pitch, and I’d say, ‘You’re up there praying it does something, but I know.’” After struggling with his grades as a freshman while playing both basketball and baseball, Gordon left the hardwood to devote more time to his studies and a more focused effort on baseball. The choice paid off, as he logged 18 credits in the classroom and a 7-0 record on the mound with a low ERA to complement his higher GPA in his junior year. One of Gordon’s fans in the stands happened to be the dean of admissions at Boalt Hall, who urged him to consider law school. Gordon, determined to ensure options beyond his Major League dreams, took his advice and was accepted to Boalt,

becoming president of his first-year class and eventually, the student body. Nine years after receiving his JD, Gordon founded his law firm with an unlikely partner, Stanford graduate Donald Rees. “It’s a good-natured rivalry in which Cal people want to always come out on top. My partner and I feel the same way,” said Gordon, who was recognized in 2001 as California’s Litigation Lawyer of the Year. Excelling as a lawyer would not be enough for Gordon. He has also been an investor in some highly acclaimed restaurants in San Francisco, including Home, Palmetto and, most recently, Gary Danko. “I’m really proud of the work we’ve done there, but I’m really excited about everything I do and everything I’m involved with,” said Gordon. Cal supporters know how fortunate they’ve been as a result of Gordon’s excitement to support the Bears. Milano said, “He does so many things, you don’t even know he’s doing them. His loyalty to the University is way up there and he doesn’t want the recognition.” One of those many things is the Bear Backers organization, which Gordon helped to start in 1971. As Gordon explained, “It has grown beyond my wildest dreams, but my dreams keep getting bigger and better.” “He was the one who started it. He put up the money,” Milano said. “Without Bear

Backers, we wouldn’t have some of the sports we have.” “He really takes his alumni status very similar to a parent with his kids,” said Esquer. “He wants those after him to live a better life than he lived. He takes that ownership.” “Giving back is so important for all the benefits of getting a Cal education. In caring about what we do in any of our programs, we have to contribute,” was Gordon’s reply. Gordon also draws inspiration from his family: his wife, the former Florianne Harp, overall winner in 1981 of the Dipsea, the oldest trail run in the nation, and fivetime winner of the Double Dipsea; oldest son, Tom, who has been to almost every football and basketball game at Cal with his dad since he was five years old; and son John, who holds the prestigious position of Assistant Curator of American Decorative Arts at Yale University. It’d be easy to say thank you to Gordon for all he’s done, but you’d have to catch him to do it. He has somehow found the time to take up running. Gordon is four years past the 50,000-mile mark and has completed 49 marathons to date, from Paris to New York, having knocked off the Big Apple’s course 18 times alone. Stu, if you slow down long enough to read this, Cal Athletics has a message for you: Thanks. summer 2008

ISP REPORT Seat Exchange New Secondary Ticket Partner

eat Exchange will join with Cal Athletics this summer to be the department’s official secondary ticket partner. The partnership will provide convenient, secure and fair access to sold-out games for Cal fans, providing an avenue to buy and sell tickets. In addition to the on-line service, Seat Exchange offers a guarantee for all buyers who will be attending the event for the tickets they selected. Seat Exchange, through their highly efficient management team and customer service, will play an important supporting role to the Cal Athletic Ticket Office. Seat Exchange will have further exposure through CalBears.com, in-venue signage, print, radio and direct mail. For more information on exclusive Cal tickets, visit CalBears.com or SeatExchange.com.

CytoSport Renews Sponsorship Agreement through 2012-13

enicia-based CytoSport, Inc. has signed a five-year extension with Cal Athletics and ISP Sports for its Muscle Milk brand to be “The Official Performance Protein of Cal Athletics” through the 2012-13 academic year. The multi-year contract provides financial support for Cal Athletics, as well as an allotment of Muscle Milk collegiate products for Golden Bear student-athletes to use in conjunction with their strength & conditioning program. In exchange, Muscle Milk receives significant exposure, including highly visible in-venue signage. In addition, Muscle Milk will continue to sponsor the “Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week” each week on CalBears.com.

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“We couldn’t be more pleased with our involvement with Cal Athletics,” said Chris Kildow, CytoSport’s Director of Sports Marketing. “Being a Bay Area-based company, we are proud of the partnership we’ve developed with the Golden Bears over the past two years, and we are looking forward to this relationship continuing well into the future. We are honored to be a small part of the success for Cal and its student-athletes.”  CytoSport was founded in 1998 by the father/son team of Greg and Mike Pickett. Since then, it has grown into a premier manufacturer of sports-oriented nutritional supplements that addresses the needs of athletes and active-lifestyle individuals at every level, including Muscle Milk and Cytomax-branded products.

ISP REPORT Cal, ISP Sports Extend Partnership

Cal’s on-campus athletic facilities. In addition, ISP manages the athletic website, CalBears. com, produces the Cal Sports Report weekly television show, and hosts corporate hospitality events surrounding athletic events at Cal throughout the year. “We are extremely pleased to extend our partnership with Cal Athletics, which, under Sandy Barbour’s leadership, is recognized as one of the country’s premier athletic programs,” Sutton said. “The fact that the University and our company were comfortable with this extended agreement is evidence that both of us are confident our relationship will continue to develop and prosper for years to come.” Based in WinstonSalem, N.C., ISP is the multi-media rights holder for more than 50 major college athletic programs, conferences, events and venues across the country. That group includes two other Pac-10 institutions – UCLA and Washington. Since 2003, the company has more that doubled in size and now is the largest and fastest growing multimedia rights holder in collegiate athletics.

al Athletics and ISP Sports, the exclusive multi-media and advertising rights holder for the Golden Bears since 2005, have reached an agreement to extend their relationship through 2017.

The announcement was jointly made in late April by Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour and Ben Sutton, chairman and CEO of ISP, America’s Home for College Sports. “Our relationship with ISP continues to get stronger,” said Barbour. “They are doing an outstanding job representing our program. Having a long-term relationship with ISP bodes well for our future in obtaining corporate partnerships and showcasing Cal Athletics through radio, television, internet and other multi-media venues that ISP provides.” The agreement guarantees the department an annual rights fee and additional considerations based upon revenue generated by ISP over the course of the partnership. ISP exclusively develops, produces and sells a variety of marketing opportunities involving Cal Athletics, including live playby-play football and men’s basketball game broadcasts on the Cal/ISP Sports Radio Network. The company also is the exclusive sales representative for the Cal Sports Quarterly magazine, athletic event display and exposure opportunities, and all signage in

summer 2008

Running for Her Country After Becoming a U.S. Citizen on 9/11, Magdalena Lewy Will Represent America in the Beijing Olympics

m Lewy with her husband, five-time All-American Richie Boulet, and their son, Owen.

cal sports quarterly

By Debbie Rosenfeld-Caparaz

Magdalena Lewy became a United States citizen on one of the most infamous days in this country’s history. Now, seven years later, she will proudly represent her adopted homeland at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Lewy emigrated with her family from Poland when she was a teenager and concluded the citizenship process on Sept. 11, 2001. Despite only beginning her running career as a high school senior, she will don red, white and blue this summer as one of three women on the U.S. Olympic marathon team. Currently an assistant track & field coach at Cal and former star athlete for the Golden Bears, Lewy sees a connection between her U.S. citizenship and Olympic achievements. “I feel a lot more responsibility because of it,” said Lewy, who will turn 35 just prior to the Aug. 17 Olympic marathon. “I am honored that I can dedicate this [Olympic] race to those who lost their lives [on Sept. 11].” Lewy was not highly recruited to compete as a runner in college after getting just a brief introduction to the sport in 1992 while attending Lakewood High School near Los Angeles. A swimmer for most of her life, she only joined her school’s track & field team because she was bored at the conclusion of swimming season and was looking for something else to fill her day. Following two years at Long Beach City College, Cal director of track & field Tony Sandoval recognized Lewy’s potential and brought her on board in 1994-95. “When I came to Cal, some people didn’t think I could be competitive at the Division I level,” Lewy said. “Tony saw something in me that other people didn’t. I was given the chance, and I was third at NCAAs before I left Cal.” In 1997, Lewy capped her collegiate career with a human biodynamics degree and a third-place finish in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The All-American’s time of 16:04.86 in that race still ranks second in school

history, and her 3000-meter best of 9:25.93 stands third in the Bears’ record books. “I knew she could be good,” Sandoval said. “You never know how good. You have to stay healthy, and you have to stay in the sport long enough. That’s the key for any athlete – to maintain that level of commitment not for a year but for multiple years.” Dedication to the sport has fueled Lewy’s postgraduate success. In 2000, Lewy decided to switch gears and become a marathoner. She knew she needed to participate in a longer event to optimize her talent and drive for running. A third-place finish in 2:44:57 in her first marathon in Cleveland in 2001 was an indication that Lewy’s intuition about her running future was correct. “When I started training for the marathon, I realized this is exactly where I belong,” Lewy said. “I love the training, the endurance, the mileage and the long repeats. It suits my personality and lifestyle much better. That’s when my Olympic dream started to become real.” Under the guidance of veteran Arizona-based coach Jack Daniels

calls were going to pay off. At the April 20 race, Lewy led for the first 24 miles and placed second in a personal-best time of 2:30:12, bettering her fifth-place showing at the 2004 trials. “I think it hit me a couple of miles before the finish line,” Lewy said. “I had such a big gap on the girls behind me. I was wearing sunglasses so nobody could tell I was crying. I was thinking about all of the sacrifices that I made in my life paying off.” Boulet, Daniels and former Cal runner Bridget Duffy were eyewitnesses to Lewy’s accomplishment, and Sandoval woke up at 5 a.m. Pacific Time just to watch a live webcast of the race. “We figured Magdalena could run 2:30, so that’s the pace she ran,” Daniels said. “The right three people made the team (Deanna Kastor first and Blake Russell third).” Daniels withheld predictions regarding Lewy’s performance outlook in Beijing because of variables such as hot weather that could impact runners’ times. He mentioned that Lewy is “well designed” to run marathons because she doesn’t weigh much, is strong and has a tremendous motivation to run well. “Those things together will always bring out champions,” Daniels said. Lewy acknowledged that there is a chance that she could medal, putting her in the company of Kastor (bronze in 2004) and Joan Benoit Samuelson (gold in 1984) as the only American women to win Olympic medals in the marathon. As much as she wants to be on the medal stand, Lewy also wants to soak in the since 2002, Lewy has become Olympic experience. more focused. She periodically “I’ve always watched the trains in person with Daniels Olympics on television and but mainly relies on feedback have seen the athletes from from e-mails and phone calls. all over the world competShe also credits her husband, ing for the same goal,” Lewy Richie Boulet, a five-time said. “People are being unitAll-American distance runner ed and competing after all at Cal (1992-96), for her sucof this hard work. We have cess in juggling her roles as all worked towards this one Olympic qualifier, coach, wife goal to be an Olympian. It’s a and mother to three-year-old mixture of wonderful experiOwen. ences I can’t wait to see.” Lewy logs between 80 and Lewy already has big plans 120 miles per week, includfor after the Olympics. She ing 18 to 25 miles at a time on enjoys climbing high peaks weekends. A typical weekday and has already tackled Mt. begins before 7 a.m. with a 10- Lewy finished second overall with a time of 2:30:12 at the Olympic Trials to Whitney (14,179 feet) and mile run in the Oakland Hills. qualify for the marathon at the Beijing Games. Mt. Shasta (14,505 feet) The former Cal volunteer coach and current first-year full-time several times with her husband, and she wants to scale Aconcagua staff member then spends the day in Berkeley. She squeezes in ad- in Argentina (22,841 feet), the highest peak in South America. ditional runs at lunch time or with the Cal athletes. In the evening, Additionally, before Lewy ever qualified for her first Olympics, Lewy works out on her treadmill at home. she realized she didn’t want this to be her last trip to her sport’s “I probably run more than I drive,” said Lewy, who says she uti- pinnacle of success. lizes the hours of alone time to think. “Some people stop for coffee “The day before the race, I was walking with my husband in in the morning. I stop for a 10-mile run on my way to work.” Boston,” Lewy said. “I told him, ‘I’m just starting to figure this From the moment Lewy left for the 2008 Olympic Marathon all out. I want to try for another four years.’ He said, ‘You should Trials in Boston, she knew that all of the early morning wakeup train for as long as you want to.’”

“I probably run more than I drive. Some people stop for coffee in the morning. I stop for a 10-mile run on my way to work.” – Magdalena Lewy

summer 2008

FEATURE

n o i t a Destin g n i j i e B

For Many Athletes from Around the World, the Road to the Olympics Begins in Berkeley

By Dean Caparaz ’90

he road to Beijing started in Berkeley for many Olympic hopefuls.

Whether current or former student-athletes, they developed their skills in the water or on the fields in and around the University of California campus. Entering the summer, more then 60 Golden Bears were vying for their place in the Games. Some, such as current assistant track & field coach and former Cal runner Magdalena Lewy (marathon), have already secured their spot, while many others will realize their fate at Olympic trials. Cal has a long tradition of sending large groups of Bears to the Summer Games – 34 athletes and coaches from Cal participated in the 2004 Olympics alone – and more of the same is expected this year. With athletes wearing the colors of such countries as New

Dominik Meichtry

Hannah Wilson

Zealand, Croatia, Israel, Switzerland, Canada and Brazil, in addition to the United States, the school’s representation reflects the international flavor of the worldwide event. For Cal freshman Hannah Wilson, a butterfly/freestyle specialist who will swim for her native Hong Kong, reaching Beijing would be extra special. While she has been an Olympian before – she competed in the 2004 Olympics – she has reason to look forward to this year’s experience. “Being in China and growing up there, it’s close to my heart,” said Wilson, who has studied Mandarin for 10 years. “I know that they’re going to put on such a show. They’re going to want to 30

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outdo everybody else. Being able to somehow relate to them just makes things a little bit easier.” Cal has a few ’04 veterans who boast rather interesting memories of Athens. Senior swimmer Dominik Meichtry, who hails from Switzerland, noted that “shaking hands with [tennis star] Roger Federer was quite the experience. Something that stands out from 2004 was going to the opening ceremony and as we walked in, everybody was cheering for us. And not because I am Swiss and not because you’re from Iraq or from the United States, but because you are an athlete and there are certain sacrifices that you had to make in order to reach that level.” For many athletes, including Cal freshman swimmer Martti Aljand, dreaming about going to the Olympics is just part of being

Martti Aljand

Alysia Johnson

a high-caliber athlete. “I think that is the ultimate goal every athlete has,” said Aljand, who will represent Estonia. “My grandmother was an Olympian; she competed in backstroke. My sister, Trin, went to Athens.” Most of the Bears would be making their first trip to China, including Alysia Johnson, the 2007 U.S. and NCAA champion in the 800-meter run. The senior is looking to cap 2008 with a serious Olympic run. “Hearing the word Olympian by my name sounds great in itself,” Johnson said. “Along with that, I’d like to win a medal; that’d be awesome. I’m looking forward to the competition and

Lauren Boyle

Martin Maric

seeing the Olympic Games for myself. You always see it on TV, but to witness it for myself, to be in it and feel proud to wear the USA uniform as an Olympian is totally different.” Johnson, who hails from Canyon Country in Southern California, has thrived in Berkeley, and all the Bears striving for the Olympics have taken advantage of Cal’s world-class training environment. Martin Maric, for example, has performed well since entering the fold at Cal. A transfer from Georgia, he will compete in the discus for his native Croatia. “In Georgia, I had two rough years,” Maric said. “I came here, and my first semester, my first month, I felt like home because the environment Berkeley has reminds me of being back home. I felt more comfortable and the coaches helped me a lot. My first year here I PRed by 12 feet. It was amazing.”

Columbus, Ohio, to Auckland, New Zealand,” she said. “Then I had to compete the day after I arrived in New Zealand. I was really tired and really jet-lagged.” Despite the stress, Boyle nevertheless qualified to go to Beijing with her country’s 800-meter freestyle relay. As with Boyle and Maric, some of Cal’s Olympic hopefuls have had to train far from home and from their country’s coaches but have managed well. That’s the case for senior rower Marko Marjanovic, who, along with freshmen teammates Jovan Popovic and Goran Todorovic, hopes to qualify for Beijing in Serbia’s coxless four. “We use every chance here, on Sundays or other times we don’t have practices with Cal, to go out in a four or even in pairs to just train,” Marjanovic said. “We talk every day with our coaches in Serbia by phone, so we know exactly what we need to do. I think

Ed Wright

Lauren Boyle

William Copeland

Maric’s teammate, Ed Wright, a senior hoping to become an Olympian in the high jump, praises Cal’s coaching staff and specifically assistant coach Ed Miller. “He’s been the root of a lot of my success at Cal,” Wright said. “He’s not only helped me on the track, but off the track as well. He’s helped me grow and mature and learn lessons while staying humble and being professional.” Sophomore swimmer Lauren Boyle has likewise flourished since joining the Bears. She spoke about the challenges of fulfilling her Cal obligations and competing in New Zealand’s Olympic Trials. “I flew straight from the NCAA championships, which were in

Marko Marjanovic

we should qualify, because the boat did well last year at World Championships and the two young guys have learned a lot this past season.” The tradition of excellence at Cal continues to inspire Bears athletes in every sport to accomplish their ultimate goal of competing in the Summer Games. “There are Olympians on my team,” said senior swimmer William Copeland, who’s vying to reach Beijing in the freestyle events. “I’ve trained with silver medalists and gold medalists over the years. Being here at Cal, there’s a winning attitude. You’re almost expected to do great things.” summer 2008

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Summer Ohlendorf Tackles a Changing World By Tim Miguel

ike the Earth she studies, Summer Ohlendorf’s time at Cal was ever changing, accepting new challenges and experiences throughout her Golden Bear career.

the orientation for new Cal students interested in the physical sciences. “One of the things I enjoy about earth science is that it is so accessible; the world is, literally, Ohlendorf came to Berkeley intending to at your fingertips,” Ohlendorf said. “There are a great variety of major in astrophysics and had been an acmethods that can be applied to answer any question.” complished swimmer in high school. By the Along with her passion for geophysics, Ohlendorf took on the time her freshman year was over, she was Summer Ohlendorf task of finding her place in crew. The lack of experience wasn’t majoring in geophysics and participating in the only struggle for Ohlendorf as the unfortunate setbacks of women’s crew, a sport in which she had virtually no experience stress fractures in her back, followed before arriving on campus. by a case of mononucleosis, forced After deciding she was burned out her to sit out much of her freshman with swimming, Ohlendorf looked season. for something fresh and elected to Once good health allowed her to walk onto the rowing team. She return, Ohlendorf worked her way up tackled her new endeavor with gusto the varsity four her junior year, finto, and through her perseverance, ishing in third place at the 2007 NCAA was the only walk-on to remain with championships. Cal head coach Dave the squad throughout the year. O’Neill was so proud of his rowers that Now having graduated in May, he awarded the five athletes in the boat Ohlendorf, who was recently honored (four rowers and a coxswain) varsity letwith an Oscar Geballe Postgraduate ters for their tremendous effort that day. Scholarship, plans to begin graduate “I was so nervous before the grand school next fall, pursuing a Ph.D. final that I was literally in tears,” in geophysics at the University of Ohlendorf said. “It came down to just Wisconsin. Ohlendorf has earned an Oscar Geballe Scholarship to trusting myself, my teammates and all “It’s a great honor to finish my pursue a Ph.D. in geophysics. the work we had put in all year. Our time at Cal with this scholarship,” success more than made up for the frustration and obstacles I’d Ohlendorf said. “It’s nice to be recognized for all the hard work faced along the way. It was an experience I’ll cherish forever.” I’ve put into both rowing and my major. This scholarship will offer Ohlendorf’s achievements at Cal in the water and in the classme a little bit more flexibility in planning my graduate program, room are only the beginning, as her postgraduate aspirations inand will likely allow me to travel to certain scientific workshops and clude being part of a regional study of the Katmai volcano in Alasprofessional meetings that may not be covered by the department.” ka and a drilling project on the Alpine Fault in New Zealand. Earth and planetary science captured Ohlendorf’s attention alAfter her experiences at Cal, Ohlendorf appears to be ready to most immediately at Cal. A member of the Earth and Planetary welcome new exploits on an international level. Science Club, she was also a student speaker at “Launch Day,” 32

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ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Swimmer Jernej Godec Both a Scholar and an Olympian By Anna Oleson-Wheeler

nbeknownst to many molecular and cell biology students at the University of California, each day they attended class the past four years, they rubbed elbows with an internationally acclaimed athlete.

In addition to his athletic accolades – he co-captained this year’s team to a fourth-place finish at NCAA championships; was a member of Cal’s 2008 Pac-10 champion To them, he’s just Jernej (pronounced 200 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relays; and earned 15 AllYER-nay) Godec. But when he’s not in class, American nods – Godec has excelled out of the pool. interning in the immunology department, tuHe was honored with a tutor achievement award for his work Jernej Godec toring fellow student-athletes or studying to with Cal students in molecular and cell biology classes, and he earn his 3.32 cumulative GPA and Pacspent one summer interning at a bio10 Postgraduate Scholarship, Godec is technology research facility. In additraining in the pool, looking ahead to tion, he was recently named one of four this summer’s Olympics. Cal student-athletes to earn a Pac-10 Godec qualified to swim the 50 freePostgraduate Scholarship. style in Beijing for his native Slovenia His summer internship so stimulated after meeting a time set forth by the his interest in the applications of science country’s swimming director. This sumthat Godec began working under an asmer will be Godec’s second trip to the sistant professor of immunology. AddOlympics after anchoring Slovenia’s ing 20 hours of research a week to the 400-medley relay at the 2004 Games hectic academic and athletic schedule in Athens. The 6-2 senior is especially of a Cal student-athlete was difficult, looking forward to the atmosphere and Godec noted. But it was his passion for notes that his time as a Golden Bear has swimming and science, in addition to been instrumental in his training. his mastery of time management, that “I liked living in the Olympic Village allowed him to succeed. and the experience of being around the “I have been interested in natural scibest athletes of each country,” Godec ences ever since I can remember and remarked. “Training at Cal has helped it still fascinates me,” Godec related. prepare me – the facilities, the coach“I’m currently conducting research in a ing staff, the swimming, the weight lab on campus where I get to experience room are the top you can get.” and utilize the university’s state-of-theGodec selected Cal because of its art equipment and techniques, which are high-level athletics as well as the opnot even available even to grad students A Pac-10 Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Godec portunity to pursue his academic inter- aspires to a career in biotechnology. and professors in Slovenia. The experiests. A few peopled warned him not to ence has been incredibly rewarding” major in molecular and cell biology due to the demands of being a After concluding his undergraduate studies, Godec plans on student-athlete and the limitations of his English. However, Godec working as a research assistant before applying to Ph.D. profollowed his instincts and, while he admits the language barrier grams with hopes of becoming a professor or starting a career in and classes have been challenging, he has no regrets. biotechnology. summer 2008

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Baseball’s Michael Capbarat Sets Himself Apart By Scott Ball

pril was a good month for Michael Capbarat.

And if the old adage that good things off the field that sets him apart,” said Cal assistant coach Jon Zuhappen to good people is true, all the positive ber, a member of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and the person things that have happened to Cal’s junior out- who spearheaded the sportsmanship nomination of Capbarat. “He fielder and team captain this past spring are is one of the most well-rounded people I have ever met. Michael has been a four-year member of Cal’s Student-Athlete Advisory well deserved. On Monday, April 21, Capbarat was Council, has led our team in community service by heading projselected as the recipient of the 2008 Pac-10 ects for the Pittsburg (Calif.) Little League with free clinics at EvSportsmanship Award. The Saturday before ans Diamond, and has participated in a Breast Cancer walk. He has Michael Capbarat been the spokesperson for anti-hazing receiving the policies in college athletics as well. honor, he was 2-for-3 with a twoThis award is perfect for him.” run homer in the Golden Bears’ Capbarat even saved a man’s life in 5-4 victory over Washington. The December of 2006. He was walking on day after receiving the award, campus after a weight training workCapbarat not only went 2-for-5 out and saw a man collapse near Dwiwith an RBI versus Cal Poly, he nelle Hall. Capbarat began CPR while also made a spectacular play by also phoning the Cal training staff and catching a ball that deflected off of paramedics. He kept the man alive left fielder Charlie Cutler’s glove. until trainers Brian Schulman, Barry Later that same day, he made an Parsons and Ann Caslin arrived with over-the-head, Willie Mays-style a defibrillator. The paramedics arrived catch to double up Cal Poly base about five minutes later and said withrunners in the Bears’ 10-8 comeout Capbarat’s efforts the man would from-behind win. not have survived. The man turned out Yet there is a whole lot more to to be former University of California Michael Capbarat than what he Chancellor Albert Bowker. does on the baseball field. A testi“I feel honored and was pretty surmony to Capbarat’s value to Cal’s prised to have won the sportsmanship nationally ranked baseball team is award,” said Capbarat, who is interthat even though he did not start ested in creative writing and possibly full-time, he was selected one of working as a screenwriter after earnthe Bears’ 2008 team captains. ing his degree. “It really meant a lot An outstanding student, Capbarat earned the Golden Bear Award for An English major with a 3.78 GPA, Capbarat is a two-time to me that coach Zuber wrote such nice things that were personal and the baseball player with the high- Pac-10 All-Academic choice. heartfelt. He has taught me so much. He is like a baseball father est GPA, holding down a 3.78 as an English major. “It is not just what Michael does on the field, but what he does figure to me.” 36

cal sports quarterly

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