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CONTENTS
SPORTS
QUARTERLY
WINTER 2010-11 FEATURES
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Globe Trotter
There are many words to describe Rama N’diaye, a fifth-year senior on the California Golden Bears women’s basketball team: athletic, talented, adventurous. But one you would never use, though, is homebody. Ever since she was a little girl, Adji Ramatoulaye N’diaye has lived away from home, a journey that has taken her from her native Senegal to Japan to Berkeley.
14
The Eyes Have It
Once he puts on his uniform, Jorge Gutierrez, with his pony-tailed locks and piercing eyes, seems to transform his quiet, off-the-court persona into a tenacious competitor who firmly stamps his imprint on every game. He has crafted his enthusiasm for basketball into a style that exudes ferocity and an overall competitiveness that has no choice but to rub off on his teammates.
24
Bear Falls for Point Guard in Paris
Marc and Barbara Desoer first met as 11th graders at the American School of Paris, she a point guard originally from Detroit and soon to become the first in her family to attend college, and he a Belgian-American on a one-year stay in the City of Lights. Both eventually earned MBAs from Cal and forged successful careers with Bank of America.
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on the cover
The United Nations of Swimming
Of all the successful relays Cal showcased at the 2010 NCAA championship meet, the 200 medley relay might be head coach David Durden’s favorite and a metaphor for the make-up and heart and soul of the Bears’ men’s swimming program. The quartet included swimmers from four countries, both the tallest and shorted members of the team and a walk-on.
28
Cal’s Deep Thinker
When she isn’t creating a better world for California in the water, Liv Jensen is working to improve the campus community on dry land. Last spring, the junior captured the NCAA title in the 50 freestyle. Away from the pool, she is an active member of the Cal Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and avid participant in its community service activities.
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International Traveler
Like many Cal students, Glen Ishino selected political economy of industrial societies as his major. But unlike a lot of his classmates, Ishino’s passport includes stamps from more than a few of the places discussed in his textbooks, including Germany, Guatemala, Japan and Mexico Like many things in his life, Ishino owes it all to one factor: gymnastics.
DEPARTMENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS...........................................2 SIDELINE REPORT...............................4 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?..........................................................16 FALL SEASON PREVIEWS..........................................................18 ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT.........................................................20 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT........................................................34 HOME EVENTS CALENDAR.......................................................36
winter 2010-11
1
LETTER
from
Director
of
Athletics Sandy Barbour
Dear Friend of Cal Athletics: No doubt, this past year has been one of our most challenging ever as we find a way to cope with the impact of the ongoing recession. Here on campus, the financial realities have had a profound effect throughout the Cal community, from higher tuition fees for students to deferred building maintenance to faculty hiring reductions. As you are all well aware, Cal Athletics has not been immune from these consequences either, as we move ahead with our plan to create a financial sustainable model. The decisions made to reduce the scope of our department were the most complex and painful I have ever been involved with. Once the Chancellor announced over the summer that he would reduce the university’s investment in our department to $5 million annually (a $5-7 million reduction), we faced some extremely difficult choices that we knew would not be easy to accept. If you haven’t had a chance to already, I highly encourage you to read through our updated FAQ and other information outlining the analysis behind these decisions. All of them can be found under “The Future of Cal Athletics” link on CalBears.com. While so much of our focus has understandably been on the financial aspects of our department in recent months, let us not lose sight of the most important reason for your support – Cal’s student-athletes. Ultimately, our mission is to provide them with the best combination of athletic and academic experience possible, and this fall they have clearly achieved some lofty accolades that deserve our attention. Our volleyball team captured its first Pac-10 title and reached the NCAA championship match behind Player of the Year Carli Lloyd and Coach of the Year Rich Feller. Men’s cross country gained its third NCAA berth in four seasons, while women’s soccer earned another NCAA tournament spot. And, of course, men’s water polo came within an eyelash of a national title competing in the NCAA Championships, hosted by Cal at the Spieker Aquatics Complex. Among those honored for their individual accomplishments; linebacker Mike Mohamed was named the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for football and a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, and Alex Morgan distinguished herself on the soccer field as a member of the U.S. National team, helping the squad qualify for the next World Cup. Last, but certainly not least, I want to extend my hearty congratulations to Teri McKeever, who was named head coach of the U.S Olympic women’s swimming team for the 2012 Games in London – a most deserving recognition for her outstanding efforts. As the seasons turn to winter and spring and back to fall as critical as ever to help ensure that we continue to offer the opportunities for our student-athletes to succeed. Only by working together can we ensure the healthy, long-term future of Cal Athletics and affirm our commitment to the campus’ objective of comprehensive excellence. Thank you for your generous and passionate support of the most important aspect of our program – our student-athletes! Best wishes for a happy holiday and prospects for a healthful and successful 2011! Go Bears,
Sandy Barbour Director of Athletics
2
cal sports quarterly
again, your support is
ISSUE 34 - WINTER 2010-11 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 HIGH PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR: Keith Power EDITORIAL STAFF 349 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA 94720 EDITOR: Herb Benenson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Scott Ball, Dean Caparaz, Melissa Dudek, Anton Malko, Kyle McRae, Tim Miguel, Anna Oleson-Wheeler, Jeremy Wu DESIGN: Evan Kerr PHOTOGRAPHY: John Todd (goldenbearsports.com), Michael Pimentel, Kelley Cox, Richard Ersted, John Dunbar, Evan Kerr, Peter Bick, Tim Binning, Don Feria, Allie Rowe, Scott Ball, Mollie McClure, and Harrison Stubbs 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 CalBears.com. ON THE COVER Returning national champions from Cal’s 2010 NCAA runner-up team (clockwise from top) – Tom Shields, Guy Barnea, Damir Dugonjic, Graeme Moore, Josh Daniels and Nathan Adrian. Photo by Kelley Cox (goldenbearsports.
com). General Manager: Damon Dukakis (510) 643-4825 ddukakis@ispsports.com
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SIDELINE REPORT Donation Deposits Accepted for 2011 Football Games at AT&T Park
McKeever Chosen to Lead U.S. Olympic Team
C
al women’s swimming coach Teri McKeever earned the latest distinction in a storied career when she was named head coach of the 2012 U.S. women’s Olympic swimming team that will compete in the London Games. This is the third Olympic stint for McKeever, who served as a U.S. assistant coach in the 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. “I’m incredibly honored to have been selected for the women’s head Olympic coach,” McKeever said, “Not only do I want to thank USA Swimming and its leadership for this honor, but I also have to thank the athletic administration Teri McKeever here at Cal. They continued to allow me the opportunity to serve with USA Swimming in addition to my responsibilities in Berkeley, and I’m most appreciative.” In addition to her Olympic duties, McKeever has led several other U.S. contingents, including as head coach of the women’s team at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, this December. McKeever becomes the seventh Cal coach to lead a U.S. team at the Olympic Games and first since Erv Hunt was the men’s track & field head coach in Atlanta in 1996. The others to earn the honor are: Walter Christie (track & field, 1924), Ky Ebright (rowing, 1928, ’32 and ’48), Brutus Hamilton (track & field, 1952), Pete Newell (basketball, 1960) and Mike Teti (rowing, 2008).
G
olden Bear fans can secure their opportunity to purchase season tickets for Cal football games at AT&T Park next fall by placing a minimum $50 donation deposit by Jan. 31, 2011. Current season-ticket holders and participants in the Endowment Seating Program (ESP) do not need to act at this time as they are already guaranteed the right to buy tickets for the 2011 campaign. However, they may improve their priority-points level by increasing their gifts. A special website – CalFootballSF.com – has been launched that contains complete information about games at AT&T Park, including the ticket pricing and donation structure, views from seat locations, and answers to other frequently asked questions. The site also allows those who want to become new season ticket holders to make an immediate donation deposit to register them for the ticket selection process. Donation deposits count as a tax-deductible donation to Cal Athletics through the Bear Backer Office. They are non-refundable and cannot be applied toward the cost of tickets. Fans will be able to choose their season seat location through an on-line selection process in February 2011 and will be assigned a time to select their location based on priority points accumulated through donations, season-ticket history, and alumni and letterwinner status. 4
cal sports quarterly
Women’s Basketball Cal Kids’ Days are Back
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al Kids’ Days presented by Outback Steakhouse are back for the 2011 season. Youth tickets (grades 12 and under) are just $1 for every weekend Pac-10 women’s basketball game at Haas Pavilion. Other youth-oriented activities include face painting, poster making, bounce houses, giveaways and more! In addition, the Cal women’s basketball team will host a postgame autograph session at after each Cal Kids’ Day game. For tickets visit CalBears.com or call (800) GO BEARS.
Cal Kids’ Day Schedule Jan 2........................... Stanford...... 12:30 p.m. Jan 8..............................Arizona........ 2:00 p.m. Jan 22..............................UCLA........ 2:00 p.m. Feb 12............ Washington State........ 7:30 p.m. Feb 26...................Oregon State........ 7:30 p.m.
Volleyball Wins First Pac-10 Title
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al’s volleyball team, guided by Pac-10 Coach of the Year Rich Feller, captured its first conference championship, finishing the league campaign with a 15-3 mark during the fall. The Bears tied with Stanford atop the standings, but received the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament based on its season sweep of the Cardinal. Cal rose to as high as No. 2 in the national rankings – the team’s best ever – and entered NCAA championship play ranked fourth and seeded seventh in the 64-team field. Three members of the squad earned All-
Pac-10 recognition – senior setter Carli Lloyd, junior outside attacker Tarah Murrey and sophomore outside attacker Corey Johnson – to mark the first time that Rich Feller three Cal players have been on the team in the same year. In addition, freshman outside hitter Adrienne Gehan was named to the Pac10 All-Freshman team to give the Bears 10 straight seasons with representation on the rookie squad.
Catch the Bears in Defense of their Pac-10 Title
T
he Cal men’s basketball team is set to defend its Pac-10 title, with conference action starting this January. Tickets for the upcoming league season are now on sale and are offered for as low as $15 for most games. Current Bear Backers at select giving levels have access to premium bench and chairback seats, if available. To place your ticket order, visit the tickets link at CalBears.com or call (800) GO BEARS. For more information regarding premium bench and chairback seats, call the Bear Backers office at (510) 642-2427.
Group Tickets
Thinking about bringing a group to a Cal men’s basketball game? Tickets for groups of 15 or more are just $15 each (not available for UCLA or Stanford games). Group tickets are a great way to reward employees for their hard work, entertain clients or enjoy an outing with your family, alumni chapter, scout troop, religious organization and more. For information on group tickets, contact (510) 642-8131 or ticketsales@berkeley.edu.
Cal’s 2011 Pac-10 Schedule Jan 13.............Washington State........ 7:30 p.m. Jan 16......................Washington........ 7:00 p.m. Jan 27................... Oregon State........ 8:00 p.m. Jan 29............................ Oregon........ 3:00 p.m. Feb 3..................... Arizona State........ 8:00 p.m. Feb 5.............................. Arizona........ 5:00 p.m. Feb 17................................ USC........ 7:30 p.m. Feb 20.............................. UCLA........ 7:00 p.m. March 5.......................Stanford..............TBA* *time will be announced 2 weeks prior to the game after television selections are made winter 2010-11 Winter
5
SIDELINE
REPORT Mohamed Named NFF Scholar-Athlete
Fall NCAA Round-up
F
or his excellence both in the classroom and on the football field, Cal senior linebacker Mike Mohamed was selected as a recipient of a National Football Foundation ScholarAthlete Award, an honor that includes an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Only 16 players nationwide received the recognition. Cal’s leading tackler his final two years in a Golden Bear uniform, Mohamed registered 95 stops, including five for loss and two quarterback sacks, this past season. He finished his career with 340 total tackles to rank fourth on Cal’s alltime list. In the classroom, Mohamed has a better than 3.4 GPA and graduated in December with his degree in business administration. He is a four-time member of the Pac-10 All-Academic team. In addition, Mohamed was chosen as the 2010 Pac-10 Football ScholarAthlete of the Year, as presented by Toyo Tires. He is the second Bear to receive the award in three years, following former center Alex Mack in 2008.
6
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ive Golden Bear teams earned berths in NCAA postseason action during the fall, including three programs that finished among the nation’s top 10. Men’s water polo hosted the NCAA Championships at the Spieker Aquatics Complex. Although the Bears wound up on the short end of a 12-10 overtime decision to USC in the final, they finished the year 24-4 and will return all but two seniors for next year – Zach White and Brian Dudley. Men’s soccer claimed the 2010 Pac-10 title to earn the No. 6 seed in the NCAA TournaDavis Paul ment and defeated both
UC Santa Barbara (2-1 OT) and Brown (2-0) to reach the national quarterfinals. After sending their match at Akron into overtime tied at 3-3, they fell in penalty kicks, 3-2. Still, Cal matched its best national finish in school history. Volleyball earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced all the way to the championship match before falling to Penn State. Carli Lloyd was named the National Player of the Year, and Rich Feller earned National Coach of the Year honors. Women’s soccer also received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, where the Bears lost to Duke, 2-1, in the first round while the men’s cross country team placed 31st at the NCAA meet in Indiana. Deborah Maier represented the women as an individual at the cross country national championships and came home with AllAmerica honors after finishing 30th overall.
Grad Rates at All-Time High for Cal Student-Athletes
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al’s student-athletes achieved an all-time high in their Graduation Success Rates for the fourth consecutive year with a score of 81 percent in figures released by the NCAA in mid-November. The Graduation Success Rate or GSR includes student-athletes who began their careers at Cal as freshmen or incoming transfers on athletic aid and is based on a six-year window for graduating. The most recent statistics include studentathletes who entered school between 2000-03, reflecting a four-year average. Cal’s GSR has risen steadily since the NCAA released its initial set of data in 2005. The Golden Bears’ rate stood at 73 percent the first year and reached 80 percent for the first
cal sports quarterly
time in 2009 before stepping up to 81 percent this fall. A pair of Golden Bear teams – women’s golf and women’s swimming & diving – recorded perfect 100 percent GSRs, while 11 others were at or above 85 percent. Men’s track & field and men’s tennis recorded the largest gains from last year, with both rising 18 percent.
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10/21/10 5:26:30 PM
FEATURE
The United Nations of Swimming Coach David Durden Molds Eclectic Group into National Championship Contenders By Scott Ball
T
he momentum might have started the minute ESPN announcer Rowdy Gaines questioned Cal coach David Durden’s picks to swim in the 200 medley relay at the start of the second day of the 2010 NCAA Championships. From there, the Golden Bears not only surprised the experts by winning the event without their two top sprinters in the line-up, but they went on to finish second in the team competition, their best showing in almost 25 years.
Shields won the 100 butterfly in his first season as a Bear. Of all the successful relays Cal showcased at the NCAA meet, it was the 200 medley relay that might be Durden’s favorite and a metaphor for This season, Durden’s troops include all year’s NCAA Championship just to see the make-up and heart and soul of the Bears’ men’s swimming program. six 2010 national champions – seniors Na- what Cal can do.” “Our 200 medley relay didn’t have two Indeed, the Bears were impressive on the than Adrian, Damir Dugonjic, Guy Barnea, Graeme Moore, Josh Daniels and sopho- national stage in 2010. They won the most of our individual national champions, Namore Tom Shields – plus several others relays of any Cal squad in its illustrious than and Tom, who were our fastest in the who dazzled the swimming world at last NCAA history, capturing four of the meet’s 100 free and 100 fly.” explained Durden. five relays – the 200 and 400 free, and 200 “On paper it looked like I should use those year’s NCAA meet in Columbus, Ohio. “Cal has the talent, the pedigree, and and 400 medley relays – behind the as- swimmers, but in the context of what we most importantly the desire to win the na- sorted efforts of Adrian, Dugonjic, Shields, were trying to do, to get the most points tional championship this year,” said Jeff Daniels, Barnea and Moore. Additionally, and manage our energy level, the four best Commings of Swimming World Magazine. Adrian and Dugonjic were repeat champi- were Guy, Damir, Graeme and Josh. “The diversity in those four is a snap shot “They look like they have all the pieces to- ons from 2009 in the 100 freestyle and 100 gether to win it all. I am excited for this breaststroke, respectively, and newcomer of our team. We had one of the shortest on our team (5-9 Barnea) swimming the backstroke, followed by the "The diversity in those four is a snap shot tallest on our team (6-7 Dugonjic) swimming the breaststroke. We had of our team .... Each had taken a completefour different nations represented. ly different path to get to that point of their We had an Israeli (Barnea), a Sloswimming careers and to that relay." vakian (Dugonjic), a South African - head coach David Durden, on Cal's (Moore) and an American (DanNCAA champion 200 medley relay iels). Each had taken a completely different path to get to that point of their swimming careers and to David Durden, Coaching Engineer that relay. Their unique paths interSo when ESPN’s Gaines asked, “What is the Molding this eclectic group of Cal athletes twined.” into a cohesive unit took an engineer’s ap- world is David Durden thinking?” when Durden In fact, all six of Cal’s champroach, and that is exactly what David Durden, chose not to swim Adrian or Shields in the 200 pions took distinctive routes to an electrical engineering major at UC Irvine, medley relay … well, apparently the Cal coach accomplished. As a result, he was named the did know. He was leading an extraordinary Berkeley and have all kept their 2010 NCAA Coach of the Meet and the Pac-10 group of individuals to do some extraordinary individuality within the Bears’ systhings in the pool. Coach of the Year. tem to thrive at the highest level of collegiate swimming. 8
cal sports quarterly
Nathan Adrian, Superstar As great a swimmer Adrian is, he might be an even better role model. He has earned a 4.0 GPA each of his last four semesters at Cal, majoring in public health, and was named a 2010 first-team Academic All-American. In the pool, he is among the world’s elite, winning the 50- and 100-meter free at the prestigious Pan Pacific Championships last summer while also being a member of the U.S. gold medal-winning 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays. On the college stage, Adrian is approaching Matt Biondi-like status as a two-time defending national champion in the 100 free and a member of the 2010 NCAA champion 200 free, 400 free and 400 medley relays. In 2009, he was the Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year, as well as NCAA champ in both the 50 and 100 free – after earning a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 400 free relay at the Beijing Olympics.
Tom Shields, New Standout Shields came to Cal as the 2009 National High School Swimmer of the Year after setting a national high school record in the 200 free. At Cal, Shields has continued to improve. He was named the 2010 Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year after earning a national title in the 100 fly. Shields also made an impact on the relays as part of the 400 free and 400 medley events. In one of the most impressive performances at the NCAA meet, Shields, immediately after winning the 100 fly, turned around and swam the 200 free with no rest, earning a point for the Bears by finishing 16th.
Damir Dugonjic, Gentle Giant A 6-7 breaststroker who can nearly glide the length of the pool underwater, Dugonjic is the two-time NCAA champion in the 100 breaststroke and helped propel the Bears to national titles in the 200 and 400 medley relays. According to Durden, the native of Ravne na Koroskem, Slovenia, still doesn’t know how good he is. “Damir first came to Cal just to see what the U.S. college experience was like,” said Durden. “Everyone at home thought he would be back in six weeks. Now he is winning national championships and averaging between a 3.2-3.4 GPA in conservation and resource studies.”
Guy Barnea, Big Personality from Israel To call Barnea diminutive is not getting to the gist of his personality, because although he stands only 5-9, the senior from Omer, Israel, projects one of the biggest personalities on the team with his confidence and work ethic. He led off the 200 and 400 medley relays with his backstroke, and anchored the 200 free relay. Also impressive academically, he was recently accepted into Cal’s Haas School of Business. “When I look for an athlete I can count on, I look no further than Guy,” said Durden. “I never hesitate in putting huge responsibilities on his shoulders.”
Graeme Moore, Unassuming Sprinter from South Africa It is easy to get overshadowed when competing in practice against one of the world’s best sprinters in Nathan Adrian. Yet Moore, an integrative biology major from Johannesburg, South Africa, was a key figure in three of the Bears’ four champion relays, swimming the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay, the second leg of the 200 free relay and lead-off on the 400 free relay. “Graeme might not get the same sort of recognition as the other guys, but he doesn’t draw attention to himself either,” said Durden. “When you look at the photos of our national championship relays, he is in the background. That is a visional reminder of his character ... in the background doing a tremendous job.”
Josh Daniels, from Walk-on to Relay Star For Daniels, the path to the top of the national championship podium might have been the longest of the Bears. He came to Cal as a walk-on from Fresno and redshirted his first year. Through hard work and dedication, he has emerged as one of the team’s top sprinters, swimming on the national championship 200 and 400 free relays and anchoring the 200 medley relay. “Josh has worked himself into this position,” said Durden. “The relay mentality is almost like a barroom brawl and that fits Josh. He loves to compete and loves to win.” winter FALL 2010-11 2010
9
FEATURE
T
here are many words to describe Rama N’diaye, a fifthyear senior on the California Golden Bears women’s basketball team: athletic, talented, adventurous. But one you would never use, though, is homebody. Ever since she was a very little girl, Adji Ramatoulaye N’diaye has lived away from home. As a young child, she moved in with her grandmother in Dakar, Senegal, 45-minutes away from her parents’ village. “I was really attached to my grandmother,” the 6-5 center recalled. “I would go all the time to go visit. Then one day she asked ‘How Rama N’diaye about you stay here and go to school here so we can see each other every day?’ So, I ended up living with her.” N’diaye (pronounced en-JIE) spent 10 years with her grandmother, but remained very close to her nuclear family despite the physical separation. Her father, Ousmane N’diaye, worked nearby and she would often see him. She also saw him, her mother, Marieme Samb, and her siblings – four sisters and two brothers – every weekend when she would go back home. As a young girl, she “wasn’t much of a sport person,” but one of her uncles gave her a basketball as a present, encouraging her to try the sport. The then-12-year old resisted at first, not even looking at the ball. One day, she decided to go to the club down the street and give the game a try. The coaches and players at the club immediately accepted her and she started to play. With her newfound enjoyment of the sport, she started bringing her basketball home with her on the weekends when she visited her family. She didn’t find the same open invitation to the court at home that she did at the club. “My older brother and other people would always play on the playground outside, but they would never let me play,” N’diaye said. “Then I would take my ball and tell them that they were going to have to let me play or else I was going to take my ball back. Just like that, I started playing with them. But they still wouldn’t pass me the ball.” 10
cal sports quarterly
Globe Trotter Rama N’diaye Takes Her Basketball Skills around the Globe
By Melissa Dudek
Plenty of other people began passing her the ball. N’diaye, with her above-average height, morphed into an accomplished player, earning a spot on a Senegal national team as a young player. Her skills on the court were getting her noticed, but it was her skills in the classroom that really sealed her destiny. (Continued on page 13)
N'diaye and her Cal teammates traveled to Tunisia and Senegal during the summer of 2008, playing against the Tunisian national team and hosting several clinics for local youth.
(Continued from page 10)
“I took a test at school and passed, qualifying me for international study,” N’diaye said. “I could pick which country I wanted to go to: Japan, England and other places. I had always wanted to go somewhere in Asia, and so I picked Japan.” Just like that, N’diaye, then a high school sophomore, was packing her bags for the Orient. She had never been to Japan and though she spoke two languages, French and Wolof (the native language of Senegal), she did not speak a word of Japanese. “The first time I heard Japanese was at the embassy,” N’diaye said. “When I got to the embassy, the ambassador taught me how to say ‘hello’ in Japanese. There were all these magazines in Japanese. When I saw all of those, I was like ‘Oh my goodness. How am I going to do all of this?’ But it was fun!” The first six months she was in Japan, N’diaye lived in the dorms at Keisei High School in Kumamoto, just like a regular student, but the entirety of her academic pursuits were centered on learning Japanese. She admits the first few months were difficult. “Everyone (the girls in the dorms, my teammates) used a Japanese to French dictionary so they could communicate with me,” said N’diaye. “Mine was French to Japanese. Whatever I wanted, I had to open the dictionary and find it in there somewhere. My first few weeks in Japan, everything I wanted to ask or say, I would go through the dictionary and point it out. That was how we communicated.” Eventually communication became easier. She transitioned to math and hands-on classes like cooking while still working with Japanese tutors. In her second year, she started taking science and other classes that required more reading and lecturing. About the time she began feeling comfortable in Japan, it was time to start thinking about her future and what she wanted to do after high school. N’diaye considered turning pro, but she would have had to become a Japanese citizen, something she was not sure she wanted to do. Some friends and coaches told her about the prospects of playing at a university in the United States, an opportunity to learn more about basketball while getting an education. Some friends helped her make a highlight reel and the recruiting process began.
She got a stack of interest letters, but she still was not sure what she wanted to do. There was one recruiter, however, who helped her make her decision. Cal head coach Joanne Boyle. Boyle flew to Japan to watch N’diaye play, the only coach to make the jaunt over the Pacific, and later had N’daiye come stateside for an official visit. N’diaye was hooked, but this time it would take a little more work than her move to Japan. She would have to pass two tests to make it to Cal: the SAT (proctored in English) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). “I knew some English,” N’diaye said. “I had studied it a little in Senegal, but it was very basic. My Japanese school had one English teacher. After I decided I wanted to go to Cal, my principal assigned me to that teacher so she could to tutor me.” N’diaye passed both tests and headed to Berkeley. This time, there was no sixmonth transition. She jumped right into life at the University. “Coming here was a pain,” N’diaye said. “First, the transition of living here was really tough because I was so used to Japanese style of living. And by that time I already had three languages and learning English was something I really didn’t want to do.” But she did it. Once again armed with dictionaries, N’diaye would tape her classes, go back to her dorm and meticulously look up the words in the lectures she didn’t know. Each progressive year, things got easier for her. Now in her fifth year at Cal and majoring in interdisciplinary studies, N’diaye still brings her tape recorder to class, but things are coming to her much more naturally. When asked about her favorite moments of her Cal career, she will rattle off the three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, especially the trip to the Sweet 16 against UConn two years ago, but her eyes really light up when recounting the trip the team took in the summer of 2008 when they all went to Senegal. The final day of the trip was N’diaye’s favorite when the Bears went to a beach and visited her mother’s house. For an all too brief moment, the free-spirited globe trotter was home. She may return home to Senegal for good some day, but N’diaye has much more she still wants to accomplish before then. She wants to play professionally next year. She is thinking about getting a graduate degree. Eventually, she would like to return to Senegal and open up her own orphanage. But the first item on Rama N’diaye’s future to-do list is a return trip with the Bears to the Sweet 16. That is where she really wants to feel at home. winter 2010-11
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FEATURE
The
Eyes o By Tim Miguel
Have It
Jorge Gutierrez’s Intensity Allows Him to Lead by Example
One look from Jorge Gutierrez is
all it takes to see the competitive fire that burns within Cal’s junior point guard. Once he puts on his uniform, Gutierrez, with his pony-tailed locks and piercing eyes, seems to transform his quiet, off-thecourt persona into a tenacious competitor who firmly stamps his imprint on every game. He has crafted his enthusiasm for basketball into a style that exudes ferocity, particularly on defense, and an overall competitiveness that has no choice but to rub off on his teammates. Having had the luxury the past two seasons of sharing the backcourt with former Cal standouts Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher, Gutierrez benefitted from his Jorge Gutierrez teammates shouldering the leadership, which allowed him to singularly focus on his approach to the game. Now a junior, Gutierrez has matured into the backcourt veteran, with his teammates turning to him to carry much of the load. “During my freshman and sophomore 14
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years, I had to take a role of a defensive player because we had people who could score,” Gutierrez said. “Plus, I like playing defense, but that’s just me. This year, I’m going to have to be more aggressive on offense, as well, but I’m not going to lose my aggressiveness on defense.” In his first two years in the program, Gutierrez swiped 55 Jorge Gutierrez, a member of the 2010 Pac-10 All-Defensive steals, including a team-best team, had 28 steals last season. 27 takeaways in his freshman campaign. more than willing to revel in the adoration Those accomplishments helped him earn of fans following such a tremendous pera place on the coaches’ 2010 Pac-10 All- formance against an arch rival, Gutierrez Defensive team. was reluctant to even make an appearance Gutierrez’s defensive capabilities burst in the postgame interview room. All he told into the spotlight on the Haas Pavilion hard- the media was that he was just happy to go wood against Stanford in Cal’s 22-point, out there and compete with his teammates. come-from-behind victory in 2009. Down “Jorge is a very quiet leader,” head coach 47-25 with 4:33 remaining in the first half, Mike Montgomery said. “He’s very intense Gutierrez came off the bench to lead the and doesn’t put up with a lot of nonsense. He spirited comeback. Not only did he tally does his job and plays hard. He’s quiet and five steals – most by a Golden Bear in four doesn’t say a lot, but players know where years – and notch a career-high eight re- he’s coming from. He’s a tremendous leader bounds, he also drained a shot in the final for these younger perimeter guys because minutes to help seal the victory. of how hard he plays. His interest is just in While many student-athletes would be winning games and being a team guy.”
"Jorge is a very quiet leader. He's very intense and doesn't put up with a lot of nonsense. He does his job and plays hard." - head coach Mike Montgomery While junior forward Harper Kamp admits that he has seen Gutierrez come out of his shell in the past two years, it is Gutierrez drive to succeed that really makes him stand out among the rest of the Bears. “His work ethic has rubbed off on me and it’s helped fuel my fire,” Kamp said. “I see the young guys really looking to him and trying to mimic him. A lot of the new guys are guards, so they’re going to look to Jorge. They try to keep up with him, but they’re learning that Jorge doesn’t deal with any nonsense, and he doesn’t back down. They’re learning how to act the same way and get some toughness.” Montgomery shared Kamp’s sentiment. “He gets in and works hard and is a no nonsense guy,” Cal’s third-year head coach said. “He spends extra time in the gym and is generally the first one there and will always shoot later. He’s not a guy that wants or cares if anybody sees him because that’s what he likes to do. He is not a ‘hey look at me’ kind of guy. He just gets it done.” A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Gutierrez developed his love for basketball as a child when he used to watch his father, Fernando, play in community leagues. He credits his fierce spirit on the court to his father, who played the game in a similar fashion to the way his son does now. Gutierrez said what captivated him about basketball was the intensity and aggressiveness that he saw on the court from all the players, not just his father. When Gutierrez first arrived in Berkeley, he experienced some difficulty communicating with his teammates. Part of this was due to the language barrier, but it wasn’t helped by his quiet disposition. Being more vocal is something that Gutierrez knows he has to work on as the primary point guard this season. Montgomery said Gutierrez will have to become accustomed to communicating with his teammates on the floor in order to excel at the position. The ever-modest Gutierrez said when people look back on his career at Cal after he graduates, he hopes Bear fans remember him more for the kind of person he is rather
than just what he did on the court. “I hope they say I’m a friend, a good person and that I became a good man,” said Gutierrez, in interdisciplinary studies major who gained a place on the Pac-10 AllAcademic second team last season. “I don’t really want them to see me as a basketball player. I would prefer that they see me as a friend and a good man.” A self-professed “chill guy” off the court, Gutierrez loves to spend time with his teammates, friends and family. One of his favorite hobbies is drawing. Unlike his former teammate, Jamal Boykin, who cre-
ated a series of drawings of Barack Obama he hopes present to the president some day, Gutierrez’s interest in drawing mirrors his personality – relaxed. Gutierrez said drawing is just a way for him to help clear his head. He never has anything in particular in mind when he starts drawing; he just puts down on paper whatever he sees that grabs his attention. But when back on the floor, Gutierrez certainly has a way of grabbing the opponent’s attention and finding a way to impact the game the best way he knows how – with passion. winter 2010-11
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Steussie Sticks with It Former Cal Offensive Lineman Earns His Degree 17 Years after Playing for the Bears By Kyle McRae
T
odd Steussie was never one to quit. When the former Cal offensive lineman’s football career finally came to an end after the 2007 NFL season, his list of accomplishments and achievements was long and impressive. He had played 213 games of professional a senior in 1993 when he was also one of football over 14 seasons, starting 185 of the team’s captains. During the four years those contests with the Minnesota Vikings, he was on the field for the Bears from Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1990-93, Cal won three bowl games and and St. Louis Rams. compiled a 30-17-1 record. His sophomore He had been a first-round NFL Draft team in 1991 finished the season ranked choice, selected to a couple of Pro Bowls, No. 8 in the country, while his senior squad played in a Super Bowl, as well as three in 1993 was No. 25. NFC Championship games, and many NFL That’s a pretty impressive resume. But playoff contests. Heck, he even recovered there was still something missing, someseven fumbles. thing that he had to return to Berkeley for – a college degree. “It was something that I didn’t give enough attention to the first time around,” Steussie said with a laugh. By the fall of 2009, Steussie found himself back on campus with a goal of finishing his bachelor’s degree by May 2010. “I was very serious about school this time,” he said. There wasn’t time for much else but school when he was back in Berkeley. He Todd Steussie was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 choice and would hit the books around Morris Trophy winner at Cal. the clock during the week. One night, it was literally During his collegiate career at Cal, Ste- around the clock. ussie was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 “I remember one time I was with a group pick and won the Morris Trophy given to of young college students trying to get a the conference’s top offensive lineman as project finished for the next day,” he remem16
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bered fondly. “We were having some trouble getting it done, and we end up working on it until about 5 in the morning. That was something I hadn’t had to do in a while.” When he wasn’t studying in Berkeley, Steussie was flying back to St. Louis on the weekends to spend time with his wife, Erica, and their two sons, Jack (11) and Will (9). “I wanted to get everything done with school while I was out there so I could spend as much time with them as possible,” he explained. Steussie credits Erica, whom he met Todd Steussie during his first stint at Cal, for encouraging him to go back and get his degree. “In a way, it was a really selfish move on my part but she was so supportive,” he said. “It would have been very difficult to accomplish otherwise.” Her support and his dedication paid off and by the time last May rolled around, Steussie added that missing piece to his resume. Now a recent college graduate who just turned 40, Steussie is back at home in St. Louis, back in the NFL as a newly hired consultant with the Rams, and will soon be back in school after recently being accepted to the Executive MBA program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
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sports Previews
Winter 2010-11 2010-11 Outlook
The 2010 Pac-10 champion Golden Bears must replace five graduated seniors – four of whom started and earned All-Pac-10 honors. To help fill the void, Cal signed a top 25 recruiting class that includes 2010 California Gatorade Player of the Year Allen Crabbe and Gary Franklin, considered one of the country’s top 75 incoming freshmen. Only guard Jorge Gutierrez (13) and forward Markhuri Sanders-Frison (10) are back with starting experience from last season. Gutierrez was a member of the Pac-10 All-Defensive team in 2009-10, while Sanders-Frison has lost more than 20 pounds and is in the best shape of his career. The Bears will also be bolstered by the return of junior forward Harper Kamp, who missed all of this past year while he rehabilitated from knee surgery.
Important Home Dates
Wednesday, Dec. 22 vs. Kansas 2008 NCAA Champion Kansas visits Berkeley for the first time since 1956 Sunday, Jan. 16 vs. Washington Cal welcomes the Pac-10 favorite Huskies to Haas Pavilion
mEN’S basketball 2010-11 Outlook
The 2010 WNIT champion Golden Bears return four starters from last year’s lineup and have added a pair of high school All-Americans to the roster. Sophomore forward DeNesha Stallworth, an honorable mention All-Pac-10 choice as a freshman, is the top returning offensive and defensive presence after averaging 12.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg during her rookie campaign. Sophomore guard Eliza Pierre, the only freshman on last year Pac-10 All-Defensive team, led the Cal squad with 71 steals. The Bears will also benefit from a veteran post presence with a healthy senior center Rama N’diaye returning to the court after missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries. Look for freshmen guards Lindsay Sherbert and Afure Jemerigbe to make an immediate impact on the scoreboard.
Important Home Dates
Sunday, Jan. 2 vs. Stanford Cal opens the Pac-10 season at home in the Battle of the Bay Saturday, Jan. 22 vs. UCLA Bruins entered national top 10 early in the season
WOmEN’S basketball 2011 Outlook
With a new head coach in five-time national champion and former Golden Bear Tim McNeill and a veteran roster full of accomplished gymnasts, Cal looks poised for a successful year. Senior Bryan del Castillo and junior Glen Ishino earned places on the U.S. Senior National team last summer and will compete as all-arounders. Also returning are junior Jim Kerry, as well as sophomores Donathon Bailey and Christian Monteclaro – each an All-American from the 2010 NCAA Championships. Cal did not lose anyone to graduation last year and returns last year’s captain Daniel Geri. With an experienced squad of 17 – just two freshmen – the Bears will have depth and talent on every event.
Important Home Dates
mEN’S mEN’S gymnastics Gymnastics 18 18
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Saturday, March 12 vs. Stanford Bears host last season’s national runner-up Cardinal Friday, March 25 vs. Iowa Senior night against perennial powerhouse Hawkeyes
2011 Outlook
Head coach Cari DuBois is confident about her talented 2011 squad, stating that they will be a “team that will definitely surprise some people” this year. The Golden Bears will be anchored by Avery Gee, a senior with a strong floor routine and an NCAA Regional appearance on her resume. Junior Alex Leggitt is coming off a 2010 season where she really began to shine, finishing the season with Cal’s top mark on the beam (9.825). Sophomore Mariesah Pierce also ended the year with her best performances and looks to carry the momentum forward. Pierce didn’t score below a 9.800 on her floor routines the final month of the season and was at a 9.700 or higher on the beam in that same span.
Important Home Dates
Friday, January 14 vs. UC Davis, San Jose State Bears host two Northern California schools in season opener Sunday, March 6 vs. Oregon State, Denver, Stanford Quad meet closes out regular season in Haas Pavilion
WOmEN’S gymnastics 2010-11 Outlook
In finishing as the national runner-up last year, Cal had three individual national champions (Nathan Adrian, 100 free, Damir Dugonjic, 100 breast and Tom Shields, 100 butterfly) and four relay wins (200 and 400 free, 200 and 400 medley). The Bears return nearly everyone for the 2010-11 campaign, losing only three seniors, and are poised to challenge for their first NCAA title since 1980. Head coach David Durden, now in his fourth year in Berkeley, was tabbed the 2010 NCAA and Pac-10 Coach of the Year. The Bears’ roster not only includes returning champions in seniors Adrian and Dugonjic, and sophomore Shields, but seniors Guy Barnea, Josh Daniels and Graeme Moore were members of NCAA champion relays. Junior Martin Liivamagi is the defending 2010 Pac-10 champion in the 200 IM, as well.
Important Home Dates
Friday, Feb. 4 vs. USC Cal hosts long-time Pac-10 rival Trojans Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. Stanford Golden Bears look to upend Cardinal in final home dual meet
mEN’S swimming & Diving 2010-11 Outlook
Head coach Teri McKeever brings a balanced team into the 2010-11 season. Junior Liv Jensen, who won the 50-yard freestyle at the 2010 NCAA Championships, senior Amanda Sims, who won the 100-yard butterfly in the 2009 NCAA Championships, and senior Hannah Wilson, a 2008 Hong Kong Olympian and five-time 2010 All-American, are among the many veterans returning from the squad that took third place at NCAAs last spring. Sophomore Caitlin Leverenz, the 2010 Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, had a busy offseason in which she swam for U.S. coach McKeever in the Pan Pacific Championships. Cindy Tran, Melissa Bates, Deborah Roth and Samantha Shellem are among the many highly touted freshmen swimmers looking to contribute to the Bears right away.
Important Home Dates
Friday, Jan. 28 vs. USC Trojans upset Cal last season in Los Angeles Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Stanford Bears battle their rival in the home finale
womEN’S swimming & Diving winter 2010-11 winter 2010-11
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Athletic Development Bear Backer Spotlight
Bear Falls for Point Guard in
Paris
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Marc and Barbara Desoer Went around the World and Back to Berkeley
By Anton Malko
M
arc and Barbara Desoer are both MBA graduates of Haas Business School, he in 1976 in applied economics and finance after earning his economics BS in 1974 from Cal, and she in 1977 in finance.
They first met as 11th graders at the American School of Paris, she a point guard originally from Detroit and soon to become the first in her family to attend college, and he a Belgian-American on a one-year stay in the City of Lights, with his father on the faculty at Cal. Rekindling their relationship four years later without the help of today’s technology (rather, it was their friend Ken Sokoloff, the late professor of economics at UCLA, who helped them reconnect), they eventually settled together in Berkeley, supported each other through their graduate studies, married between their graduations and, over the course of their careers at Bank of America, have remained committed to the business school, the Department of Athletics and the University. “The college experience involves a myriad of things – academics, professors who change your vision and influence you, as well as a social aura around the college experience of which athletics is an integral part,” said Marc, a trustee for the UC Berkeley Foundation, a former member of the Haas School Development Council and a past president of the Haas Alumni Network. “Whether participating or observing, sports are an important part of the college experience. Athletics provides an enrichment and college just wouldn’t be the same without it.” Nor would Cal be the same without Marc’s family. His father, Charles, joined the faculty in 1958 and was an emeritus professor in the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department after his retirement in 1991. He passed away on Nov. 1, 2010. Marc’s mother, Claudine Torfs, was a doctor in Belgium and did post-doctorate work at Harvard, then had three children before returning to school at Berkeley to earn her MS in 1978 and PhD in Epidemiology in 1983. Marc’s sister, Michele, earned a BA in business from Cal in 1981 and her JD from the Boalt School of Law in 1985. His brother, Craig, bucked the family trend, although he stayed true to the UC system with an MD from UCLA. 24
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Barbara and Marc Desoer have followed the Golden Bears from near and far.
After they dated in Paris as teenagers, Marc and Barbara parted without plans for the future. Paris was a pit stop for Marc between stints in Brazil and Chile. But Barbara spent three years playing basketball at ASP, where she continued to develop the kind of character she says cannot be duplicated outside of the studentathlete experience. “What basketball did for me was really critical, being a very competitive person, in learning to be a member of the team and learning to value the team’s results as opposed to individual results,” Barbara said. “The relationships that I formed with the coach and the other team members, and the way we learned to play off each other's strengths and balance each other’s weaknesses, was really very formative for me in high school.” Barbara continued playing basketball as an undergraduate at Mt. Holyoke College, while Marc studied at Cal. When they both found themselves back in Paris during the summer between their sophomore and junior years of college, a list of ASP alumni held onto by their friend Ken allowed them to get back in touch, fall in love and embark on their lives together. A member of the Haas Dean’s Advisory Board who has been honored by the school as its Business Leader of the Year, Barbara has continued to witness the value of her hardwood experience in the workplace. “As I analyzed the traits of top performers in just about any aspect of business, there was a common recurring theme of sports, (Continued on page 27)
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Bear Backer Spotlight Athletic Development (Continued from page 24)
of being members of sports teams and having competed in sports at some points in those top performers’ histories,” she said. “It was formative for me and the way I was able to apply lessons learned and what I learned about myself.” Marc cites the first Joe Roth Memorial Game, eight months after Roth’s death on Oct. 29, 1977, as inspiration for Barbara and him to become bigger supporters of Intercollegiate Athletics. “It was just a fascinating thing to watch our team against USC that day. The Cal players were just on a different level,” he said of the Bears’ 17-14 victory over the No. 10 Trojans. “That’s when we first started getting involved.” Basketball at Cal was also a major rallying point for the Desoers when they lived in Alameda and both had embarked on their Bank of America careers. Harmon Gym became Haas Pavilion, and Jason Kidd became another important point guard in the Desoers’ lives. They later moved to Charlotte, N.C., where they remained devoted Bear Backers while raising their daughter, Catherine. Marc still made it to every Big Game during a decade on the East Coast, keeping tabs on teams through CalBears.com and driving an hour north to support rugby when it won the national championship at Virginia Beach in 2001 and 2002. They moved back to California in 2008 and resettled in Thousand Oaks, from which Marc, who retired from Bank of America as a senior vice president, continues to fly up for football games. Their season basketball seats bear their name, and their two Stadium Level seats they’ve committed to through the Endowment Seating Program to give them a physical presence in the renovated Memorial Stadium that will endure for student-athletes and fans still to come. “Supporting athletics makes sure that the college experience is maintained for future generations,” said Marc, adding, “I’m a big believer in physical plant. One of the things you can do to improve the student-athlete experience is to provide better facilities. The Student-
Paul Jones (above) scores against then-No. 10 USC at a sold-out Memorial Stadium in 1977 in the first Joe Roth Memorial Game. Marc Desoer said Cal was on "a different level" than the Trojans in the Bears' 17-14 win. The Desoers also followed basketball closely during the Jason Kidd era at Cal (left).
Athlete High Performance Center and a renovated Memorial Stadium – one of the most beautiful in the country – can together comprise a physical plant that lasts for years and years, and you can build on that for the next generation.” Barbara, as the president of Bank of America’s mortgage, home equity and insurance services, can relate to the pressures facing Intercollegiate Athletics and across the UC system. She and Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour have both been tasked to see their respective communities through a difficult chapter in the current economic cycle. “Each takes a strong foundation of leadership,” said Barbara in comparing the challenges. “Being able to adapt and lead through change, I think, is one of my strengths, and clearly this is a time of tremendous change. The ability and willingness to go to where the challenge is the greatest, as opposed to shying away from the challenges, is something that I’ve worked hard to do and with my team to do, to leverage all of the resources that we have available and to keep the team focused on the long term.” Cal Athletics is also focused on the long term, and it will be the vision and resolve of dedicated supporters like Marc and Barbara Desoer that ensure the excellence of the Golden Bears is here to stay. winter 2010-11
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FEATURE
Cal’s Deep Thinker Swimmer Liv Jensen Takes a World View to Life
By Dean Caparaz ’90
W
When she isn’t creating a better world for California in the water, Liv Jensen is working to improve the campus community on dry land.
The junior swimmer is one of the most decorated athletes on Cal’s acclaimed squad. She captured the title in the 50-yard freestyle at last spring’s NCAA Championships a year after she helped secure national crowns in the 400 free and 800 free relays during the Golden Bears’ run to the NCAA team title in 2009. In addition, Jensen garnered the 2009 Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year award for a stellar season that included second-place finishes in the 50 free, 200 free relay and 200 medley relay en route to Cal’s first Pac-10 team Liv Jensen championship. “It’s fair to say that she’s had a huge part of our recent success,” head coach Teri McKeever said. “She’s won an individual title, a number of relay titles and she has high expectations for herself and those around her. She raises the bar of people around her. That’s what you’re expecting from a leader on your team. She has a strong presence around her. That was one of the things that was attractive about her joining the program.” Besides making a name as a national champion, the 6-foot-3 Jensen, whose name is pronounced Leaf Yensen, is notable as the tallest woman McKeever has coached in Berkeley. She is the product of a tall family, as her father is also 6-3 and her brother stands between 6-4 and 6-5. An intended molecular and cell biology major, Jensen is also one of the team’s “deep thinkers,” according to McKeever. “The main thing is her intellect,” Cal’s 19th-year head coach said. “When something happens, she is very thoughtful in her response to it. We play ‘Scategories’ as a team, and she’s always pushing the envelope of a word or content and always has a great explanation for it. Liv is very bright and articulate. “She definitely has very strong beliefs. She wrote a letter to a Liv Jensen, with women's swimming coach Teri McKeever 28
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Liv Jensen has had a big impact at Cal in the water, including at the 2009 NCAA Championships (with Cal's winning 400 free relay in 2009, second from bottom), and on dry land, such as at Jog for Jill (bottom, with teammates).
grocery store about this chicken noodle soup that had just one piece of chicken in it, pointing out that it was false advertising and wasn’t right. We traveled on an airline and had a problem with a reservation, and she wrote the airline a letter. She’s righting the wrongs of society but in a thoughtful way. She’s thinking about more than just herself, looking at a bigger picture. She’s looking at what she’s doing and how it affects other people.” “When I’m not happy about something I’ll let the person know and let the company know,” Jensen explained. “If you talk to my teammates, if during practice they’re not doing something right, I’ll be a little sharp with them. I’m not afraid to be sharp with people.” Away from the pool, Jensen is an active member of the Cal StudentAthlete Advisory Committee or Bear SAAC, a group that helps create relationships between student-athletes and the campus by organizing community service efforts and raising funds for various causes. The Palo Alto, Calif., product took part in a variety of community service activities during the 2009-10 academic year, including the Bearfoot for Barefeet event that raised over $1,200 for those affected by the Haiti earthquake of early 2010. She also helped to collect more than 1,500 food items for the Alameda County Community Food Bank and spoke several times to local school children about the importance of balancing athletics and academics.
In this current academic year, Jensen has raised money and participated in the Jog for Jill, a 5-kilometer run for the Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer foundation created in honor of Cal coxswain Jill Costello who passed away last summer from lung cancer. She also took part in College Sports Day at Cal in which athletes from various sports gave one-on-one instruction to and led interactive games for children. Her latest SAAC endeavor is to make the campus cleaner and more environmentally sound via a campus greening project that she is trying to get off the ground. Jensen hopes that the Bears can influence the Cal athletic community and the rest of the campus to take even bigger roles in recycling. “We wanted to develop a project that would allow student-athletes to do something with the rest of campus and community,” she said. “The campus greening project resonated with us as athletes.” The well-rounded student-athlete also competed with Bears from other sports last spring in the Oberlin Dance Company’s Toe to Toe fundraiser, which pitted professional dancers versus collegiate athletes in a test of dance routines and athletic events. Jensen did her share of community service while at Palo Alto High School, from participating in canned food drives to making room for naturally existing plant species in the surrounding hills. Growing up, Jensen swam for Paly as well as for Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics. Her youth success culminated in swimming at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles. When it came time to move on to the next stage of her career, she decided to matriculate in the East Bay despite having a nationally prominent program down the street. “It ended up being too close to home for me,” she said of Stanford. “I grew up so close that I knew the culture of the campus already. What really appealed to me about Cal was the diversity. I love California and the Bay Area and the vibrant humanity that’s here, but I also love that Cal is just so different than anything that I had ever experienced growing up in Palo Alto.” Both the Cal team and the campus community can be thankful for that. winter 2010-11
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FEATURE
International Traveler Gymnastics Opens Multiple Doors for Glen Ishino
By Anna Oleson-Wheeler
Like many Cal students, junior Glen Ishino selected political economy of industrial societies as his major. But unlike a lot of his classmates, Ishino’s passport includes stamps from more than a few of the places discussed in his textbooks. Germany, Guatemala, Japan and Mexico are just some of his international Glen Ishino pursuits, and there are more to come. Like many things in his life, Ishino owes it all to one factor: gymnastics. A long-time staple of the U.S. junior national team and a newly minted member of the senior squad, Ishino has competed all over the world – most recently in Guadalajara, Mexico. On that early September 2010 trip, Ishino and current Golden Bear teammate
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Bryan del Castillo led the American delegation to team gold, with Ishino bringing home a gold medal of his own in the all-around competition. While Ishino enjoys all of his travels, they also serve a productive purpose in making him a better gymnast. Last November, Ishino and Kyle Bunthuwong traveled to an individual competition in Germany with some of the world’s best gymnasts. Ishino found himself star-struck over the sheer perfection his competitors exuded on the floor. The Sana Ana, Calif., native uses his competition’s flawless execution as inspiration to work even harder in the gym. (Continued on page 33)
(Continued from page 30)
“I see the best, and I know I’m behind them in terms of skills so it makes me want to come back and go all out,” Ishino said. “It’s nice to have a slap in the face every now and then. Once you think you’re peaking and then you realize that there is so much more that you can learn.” It is that self-imposed drive to succeed that makes Ishino easy to coach and an excellent role model for his fellow Cal teammates. “Glen is a machine,” Cal head coach Tim McNeill said. “He is one of the hardest working people that I have ever seen. He is very driven and motivated. He doesn’t need extra pushing. He pushes himself to the limit every day.” While Ishino is the picture of determination and concentration, he also brings a sense of humor and a carefree disposition to the gym, lightening the mood for the benefit of all involved. It is this balance of the two extremes – concentration and relaxation – that keeps Ishino coming back for more gymnastics. Little time will pass without Ishino making noises that he describes as squawks when he makes mistakes in his routines. “I don’t try and make the noises; they just happen,” Ishino said. “We’re training hard because it’s a sport, but it’s okay to have fun. You have to have fun or you’re going to burn out. It also takes away part of the stress for some people if you’re having fun. Hopefully, it elevates practice for everyone.” In addition to a light-hearted nature, what McNeill called Ishino’s “goofy” personality comes out in his performances, as well. Never one to shy away from difficult tricks, or skills as they are known in the gymnastics world, Ishino has mastered high-flying release moves that thrill the crowds. It has worked out nicely for Ishino, who lives for the oohs and aahs that challenging skills elicit. “The feeling, performing for a crowd, it makes you feel so good,” Ishino said. “People don’t always think that, but when you nail a routine and really stick it and the crowd gets into it, it’s unbelievable. I love gymnastics itself. Defying gravity, which is cliché to say, it’s really fun. There’s no greater feeling than working hard and mastering a skill and showing it off.” There was a time, however, when Ishino did not enjoy gymnastics. From about seventh grade though ninth, he went through a self-described rebellious phase when he did not want to pursue the sport. His father encouraged him to stick with it because it could help him get into college. Ishino’s sister, Janine, nine years his senior, took that path herself, lettering in gymnastics at Cal. “Although I was a lot younger than her when she was applying to colleges, I still learned a lot from her,” Ishino said. “She showed me what it took and how I could go about getting into college.” When he went on his recruiting trips, Cal was an easy choice for him. He had already trained with some of the Bears and knew he wanted to stay in California. “It felt like a home,” Ishino noted of his first visit to Berkeley and the Golden Bear Recreation Center, which overlooks the entire Bay Area. “There was an automatic connection, and I just knew.” Not only has Ishino found a home with the Bears, his gymnastics routines have improved in his two years in Berkeley. This past August, he took sixth in the all-around at the VISA Championships, which is the most prestigious yearly event for the United States. His finish earned him a spot on the senior national team as well as a place on the squad for the Pan-American games in September. With each day and each year, it is clear to see the Ishino has the ability to compete with anyone.
Ishino's most recent trip was to Mexico, shown in photos above. He led the American delegation to a team gold medal and took home an individual gold in the all-around competition.
“He doesn’t have a weak event, which is rare these days,” McNeill said. “He is solid all-around, and that has really developed over time. When he was a junior gymnast, he had some holes, but they have filled in. I can definitely see World Championships and the Olympics in his future.” Ishino, on the other hand, prefers not to look too far ahead. “Olympics are the goal, but where I stand in terms of making that team is unclear at the moment,” Ishino said. “I’m going to put my heart and soul into practice and see what happens.” Ishino is readily enjoying his political economics major, which combines the fields of economics, political science and international relations into one well-rounded package. Macroeconomics, not micro as Ishino is quick to point out, and international relations are the favorite aspects of his studies. Following graduation and the conclusion of his gymnastics days, he plans to remain in the international realm for work. In the meantime as he heads into his junior campaign, Ishino and his squad have one goal in mind: the NCAA championship. The Golden Bears did not lose any members from the 2010 team to graduation and have added two talented newcomers, a recipe that could prove fruitful for national titles. After competing with the best gymnasts on the planet in gyms all over the world, Ishino should have no difficulty with another successful season in blue and gold. winter 2010-11
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ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Shot Putter Patrick Kowalsky Relishes Cal’s Competitive Environment By Herb Benenson
W
hen Patrick Kowalsky sought advice to help him decide which university to attend, he turned to his high school training partner. Kowalsky and Chris tunity to match wits in the classroom with Guarnero, teammates some of the top collegiate minds around, along the offensive comparing it to his regular clashes in the line on the Mullen track & field arena. High School football “Being an athlete, you always put things Patrick Kowalsky team in Denver, Colo., in terms of some kind of competition,” had provided the up-front blocking that led Kowalsky said. “Or at least I do. It’s like to a state football championship and an a competing in the Pac-10 because you’re runner-up finish their junior and seniors competing against top people every day. seasons. That’s something that helps push you more Guarnero was considered one of the top and focus more on your academics.” linemen in the country and had already given his commitment to play for Jeff Tedford and the Golden Bears. Kowalsky was perhaps more noted for his abilities in track & field, where he became a two-time regional champion in the shot put. All it took was a little urging from Guarnero for Kowalsky to opt for the trip to the West Coast. “It worked out well for both of us,” said Kowalsky, the top shot putter for the Bears who now rooms with Guarnero, Cal starting center. In the end, though, Kowalsky didn’t need much convincing at all to move to Berkeley. “Being able to compete in the Pac-10 while getting one of the top educations in the country is something that’s hard to turn down,” Kowalsky said. A two-time academic all-conference selection at Cal, Kowalsky is double-majoring in media studies and political science A double major in media studies and political and has his eyes on law school after he science, Patrick Kowalsky would like to attend graduates in May. He relishes the oppor- law school after graduating this year. 34
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Kowalsky carried his competitive edge back to Washington, D.C., two summers ago when he took classes as a student at Georgetown and interned with the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, where he worked on government policy, including meetings with members of Congress on Capitol Hill. In his first day on the job, Kowalsky received a quick introduction to some of the movers and shakers who often occupy the nation’s capital during an SGMA Board of Directors meeting. Among the attendees were leadership from such iconic companies as Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Nike founder Phil Knight even commended Kowalsky for attending a “Nike school.” Now back in Berkeley for his final two terms, Kowalsky has set a goal to add AllAmerican honors on the track to the list of academic accomplishments he has already achieved. Last February, he captured the MPSF indoor shot put title with a heave of 59-0.75, passing Stanford’s Geoffrey Tabor on the fifth of his sixth throws. He later finished sixth in the shot at the outdoor Pac10 championship meet held in May at Cal’s Edwards Stadium. Kowalsky underwent hip surgery over the summer and hopes that the procedure will help him reach his goals for his final season as a collegian. “I’ll be back at indoors, maybe not at my peak,” Kowalsky said. “I want to defend my title and I want to be an All-American and push myself as far as I can indoors and outdoors.”
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
From Home School to Big School Gymnast Mariesah Pierce Loves the Team Aspect of the Golden Bears
By Melissa Dudek
G
etting accepted to the University of California is a challenging but rewarding experience that thousands of students experience each year. For sophomore gymnast Mariesah Pierce, it was even more challenging than for most. When Pierce was dent edition and then he would just sort of eight years old, one follow along with me,” Pierce said. Fred Pierce continued to home school of her gymnastics Mariesah Pierce coaches believed she Mariesah through the ninth grade, but an had Olympic potential. injury she sustained in the eighth grade The coach suggested to the Pierce family changed her outlook and her goals. “I was originally on the Olympic path for that they look into sending their protégé to a gym in San Jose where she could spend gym and then I broke my elbow,” Pierce more time nurturing that talent. The gym was over an hour’s commute from the family’s home in Aptos, an impossible time commitment for a young third-grader to take on in addition to her school work. So it was decided that Pierce would begin a home schooling program. Pierce had a two-tiered level of educational support. She enrolled in a charter school where she met with a teacher once a week to get her assignments. She also received daily instruction from her grandfather, Fred Pierce. “I would start at 8 a.m. and then go until 1:00 or so,” Pierce recalled. “Then I would go to the gym, train, and then come back. If I didn’t get all of my work done, then I would have to finish when I got back. Kind of like a normal student.” Pierce’s childhood home was “about 20 steps” away from her grandparents’ house, making it very convenient to get to “school.” After being home-schooled for many years, “My granddaddy would buy the teach- Mariesah Pierce has adjusted well to the rigors er’s edition of the book while I had the stu- of Cal.
said. “After that, I felt that I wanted to go to college and wanted a normal life. I looked at my older sister and I wanted the same social life as her. I convinced my parents that the Olympics weren’t going to happen, that college and public school were more my dream.” Pierce still continued to train, taking independent study courses as well as traditional on-campus classes at Scotts Valley High School to make it all fit into her schedule. She had decided to go to Cal and was well on her way there when she received a message from Golden Bear head coach Cari DuBois about her admission application, specifically her transcript. She was going to need to find extra credits to get into Cal. A determined competitor who refused to go down without a fight, Pierce doubled up her senior year, retaking her freshmen classes online while juggling her normal senior course load and continuing her rigorous gymnastics training schedule. She got all the credits she needed and was able to reach her dream of attending Cal. Last year, Pierce had a strong rookie season at Cal in the classroom and in the gym. She discovered she has a strong affinity for sociology, while in the gym, she showed that talent that was discovered long ago, becoming one of the Bears’ top performers in both the all-around and the floor. “I love the team aspect now, especially being at Cal,” Pierce said. “It is more of a team sport and I love the support and all that I get from my teammates.” winter 2010-11
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home events
2010-11 winter calendar
BAS..................................................................................Baseball (Evans Diamond) MBB........................................................................Men’s Basketball (Haas Pavilion) WBB................................................................. Women’s Basketball (Haas Pavilion) MGYM................................................................. Men’s Gymnastics (Haas Pavilion) WGYM............................................................Women’s Gymnastics (Haas Pavilion) LAX..............................................................................Lacrosse (Witter Rugby Field) RUG..................................................................................... Rugby (Treasure Island) SB................................................................................. Softball (Levine-Fricke Field) MSD...........................................................Men’s Swimming & Diving (Spieker Pool) WSD.................................................... Women’s Swimming & Diving (Spieker Pool) MTEN........................................................................Men’s Tennis (Hellman Courts) WTEN.................................................................. Women’s Tennis (Hellman Courts) T&F........................................................................ Track & Field (Edwards Stadium) WWP.................................................................Women’s Water Polo (Spieker Pool)
De c emb er 18
28
19
18
WTEN vs. North Texas WSD vs. USC
BAS vs. Utah LAX vs. Saint Mary’s MSD vs. Stanford RUG vs. British Columbia
BAS vs. Ohio State
MBB vs. Cal Poly
29 22 MBB vs. Kansas
28 MBB vs. Hartford
J anuar y 2 WBB vs. Stanford
6 WBB vs. Arizona State
8 WBB vs. Arizona RUG vs. Humboldt State
WSD vs. UCLA MBB vs. Oregon WTEN vs. TCU or Saint Mary's
30
BAS vs. Ohio State WWP vs. Harvard
20 MTEN vs. UCSB BAS vs. Utah MBB vs. UCLA
WGYM vs. Alaska
F ebruary
19
20 BAS vs. Ohio State WWP vs. UC Davis WWP vs. George Washington
24 WBB vs. Oregon
21 BAS vs. Nevada
25
3 MBB vs. Arizona State
WTEN vs. Washington State
4
26
22 WTEN vs. Hawaii
WTEN vs. Oregon WBB vs. Oregon State
MSD vs. USC WTEN vs. UCLA
Mar c h
5
23 T&F in Cal Multis
24 T&F in Cal Multis
4
MBB vs. Washington State
MSD vs. CS Bakersfield MBB vs. Arizona
WTEN vs. Sacramento State
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14
6
5
WGYM vs. UC Davis, San Jose State
WGYM vs. Sacramento State
MTEN vs. UCLA MGYM vs. Stanford BAS vs. Washington State
16
9
13
MBB vs. Washington
MTEN vs. Utah
MBB vs. Stanford T&F in Cal Outdoor Opener WWP vs. USC T&F in Cal Outdoor Opener
20
10
6
WBB vs. USC
WBB vs. Washington
21
11
WGYM vs. Stanford, Oregon State, Denver
LAX vs. Notre Dame
22
WSD vs. Stanford MTEN vs. Stanford WBB vs. Washington State WWP vs. Arizona State
BAS vs. Washington State
12 MGYM vs. Iowa
15 WTEN vs. Harvard LAX vs. Lafayette
LAX vs. UC Davis
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23 WTEN in Cal Winter Invitational
27 MBB vs. Oregon State
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27
BAS vs. Santa Clara
12
13
BAS vs. Washington State MTEN vs. USC
8
WTEN in Cal Winter Invitational WWP vs. Cal Baptist
RUG vs. Chico State WBB vs. UCLA WTEN in Cal Winter Invitational WWP vs. Cal State East Bay, Cal State Bakersfield, Sonoma State
26
MBB vs. USC
MTEN vs. Texas A&M BAS vs. San Francisco
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17
17
BAS vs. Utah
cal sports quarterly
LAX vs. Navy For a complete schedule, pick up a Cal schedule card at any home event or visit the official Cal website at www.CalBears.com.
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