Daily 49er, April 25, 2019

BREAKING: Men’s volleyball assistant coach Scott Touzinsky steps down before the NCAA tournament - page 11

D 49

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LONG BEACH STATE UNIVERSITY | VOL. LXX, ISSUE 46 | APRIL 25, 2019

2,000 years

strong

Since American Indian Studies’ inception 50 years ago, Native Americans have had a turbulent relationship with university administration that includes battling control over the sacred land of Puvungna to reburying ancestral remains on Long Beach State grounds.

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INSIDE

ON THE COVER

THE

NINER Professors say students are lacking in financial literacy page 3 LBSU women’s tennis recruits students from all over the world page 6-7 Adam Cruz gives LBSU hip-hop with heart page 9

Ancestor poles along Puvungna are set up to honor Natives buried on campus.

RYAN GUITARE Daily 49er

Learn about the tumultuous history between American Indians and university administration in our new podcast, “Native Histories: California State University, Long Beach,” available on the Daily 49er’s Soundcloud.

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists.

The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

Answers to last issue’s crossword: Across- 2. Twitch, 3. DeFalco, 5. scooter, 6. binge, 8. wasp, 9. Rocket Down- 1. Minority, 4. poppy, 5. Seattle, 7. hammocks

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FINANCE

Money management woes among students A lack of knowledge on investing and saving means students will have less in their retirement fund than any other generation.

By Amanda Moreno Staff Writer

Daisy Ramirez, a fourth year criminal justice major, never learned how to save money, and as graduation nears, she fears it will affect her financial and personal future.

“I didn’t even know about the term ‘financial literacy’ until recently,” she said. “I have been trying really hard to catch up on my knowledge, but it’s overwhelming and I wish I would have known sooner.”

Financial literacy is the application of basic financial concepts such as purchasing a home, investing or saving for retirement. According to finance professor Laura Gonzalez, there is a lack of knowledge on financial literacy at Long Beach State.

Gonzalez said California high school financial literacy ranks at the bottom 20% in

RYAN GUITARE | Daily 49er

Financial literacy, the application of basic finance concepts, such as investing, is low among college students.

the nation and because students don’t learn financial literacy during this time, they tend to stay financially illiterate in their higher education.

Michael Gibbs, a finance professor who teaches about investments, said those who do not understand the basic tenets of financial literacy will be affected negatively for their next 40 years.

“Financial literacy is a spectrum,” Gibbs said. “But in general, it’s about understanding how to optimize your time with your money.”

Through his experience as a professor, Gibbs found LBSU students are much more frugal with their money than students at other universities. However, he worries being frugal does not equate to being financially literate. He added that many students he has spoken with have not heard about terms like mutual funds, hedge funds or 401Ks. “Students here, compared to other states,

are playing with a huge disadvantage because they don’t know the meaning of simple words like that,” he said.

According to Gibbs, students learn financial literacy through the media and from their parents. He interprets this to mean that if students invest in their future, they will likely take little to no risk because past generations have suffered through several recessions.

“If this generation does make low-risk investments because of their lack of financial literacy, then their retirement will be half as much as it should be,” Gibbs said.

Yulong Ma, the Finance Department chair, said the best time for students to invest is while they are young.

“The sooner you do it, the more money you’ll get in the long-term,” he said.

Campus administration has an online financial course, Financial Literacy 101, that is open to all students. In addition, Associat-

ed Students Inc. financial literacy workshops are also open to all students.

“In the end, it is something we need to learn about, whether for credit or not,” Gonzalez said. “It is about survival.”

Edward Munoz, a fourth year computer science major, said financial literacy among his peers is low. According to him, his peers do not know how to buy a house, do their taxes, save money or plan for retirement.

“It’s not just my peers,” he said, “I am in major debt, not just student debt, but credit card debt, all because I didn’t know anything about finances when I got a card.”

Jackeline Campos, a fifth year history major, fears for her future because she does not have basic financial education.

“I don’t consider myself financially literate,” she said. “But I do know that it’s better to invest your money than have it be sitting in a savings account doing nothing. I just have no idea how to do that.”

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Daily 49er

MEETING

ASI budget of over $18 million proposed Senate to examine funding for entirety of Associated Students Inc.

By Perry Continente Assistant News Editor perrycontinente

Associated Students Inc. Senate began its review of the organization’s $18 million proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, during Wednesday’s meeting.

The budget covers every facet of ASI including the University Student Union and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, as well as covering benefits and salaries for employees.

The 50 plus page document is broken up into smaller subsections to be reviewed by individual senators. The proposals are itemized into budget requests for things such as office supplies and the ASI Big Event.

ASI Executive Director Richard Haller in-

troduced the budget and instructed the senate on how to view it.

“It’s a complex document with a lot of information,” Haller said. “This is an over $18 million budget… There are no less than 21 seperate budget areas that we will reviewing.”

Haller explained that by splitting up the workload, each senator would tackle a comparatively small portion of the budget.

During his explanation, Haller asked if any senate members had experience with budgets..

“Do I have any accountants in here?”

Haller said. He was greeted by silence. “Finance majors?” he inquired. When no one responded Haller laughed.

He explained the budget is based on fund accounting, the idea that profits in a certain

area are funneled back into that area, rather than intermingling finances.

Following his explanation, ASI Vice President Leen Almahdi doled out the assignments and discussed the logistics of tackling a budget this complicated.

“The reason why we split it up into departments is because it was so long,” Almahdi said. “One thing that we are looking for is thoroughly diving through each department… so we can catch anything that is wonky.”

Each senator will examine their section, make proposals and ultimately vote on alterations to the budget to get it approved.

Sen. Aaron Jordan is in charge of the budget for Beach Pride Events, which included events such as the ASI Big Event, headlined

by Daniel Caesar last month. Jordan men-

tioned Beach Pride Events may have a hand in graduation, something Jordan has taken a major interest in.

“Graduation… I always think that that’s something that can be made more special,” Jordan said, citing last year’s location changes as an issue important to students.

Jordan had specific ideas for improving the ceremony, suggesting fireworks as a way to spice up proceedings. He mentioned that because graduation affects every student, it is a priority for him to make it the best it can be.

“Every student will get to experience it, unlike say, some students were unable to go to the Daniel Caesar concert,” he said.

The next ASI Senate meeting will be held May 1 at 3:30 p.m. in USU 234.

ARTS & LIFE 5

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EARTH WEEK

By Tianna Hampton Staff Writer

Warm sun rays and bright smiles filled the front of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center at the Associated Students Inc. Plant a Plant event Tuesday afternoon. In honor of Earth Day, ASI is hosting “Earth Week at the Beach,” which will be full of eco-friendly, and sustainable events and activities.

“Its Earth week, so we’re trying to be sustainable,” said Javier Gonzales, a Beach Pride Events member. This is usually a SWRC event, but today we wanted to collaborate and make it a little bigger. This is one of the biggest turnouts we’ve had for Plant a Plant, and students seem to be loving it.”

At Plant a Plant, students received a recycled two liter bottle to use as a plant pot, along with soil, rocks and seeds, all complimentary of campus green organizations such as Beach Balance, Sustain U, Grow Beach and Beach Pride. Upon checking in, attendees received snacks, a notebook made out of recycled materials and a bookmark that turns into a plant, once planted.

“This is the third time hosting this event. It’s our initiative to team up with the sustainable project on campus, Sustain U,” said Chris Torres, a SWRC employee. Every semester we

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Attendees soak in sunrays as they decorate their plants.

Beach Pride hosts its third Plant a Plant event

see it growing which is very cool. Students enjoy that they can take a plant home, and it’s something living in their apartment.”

The large assortment of seeds like basil, lettuce, rosemary, sage, cilantro, thyme and others made it hard to choose. Art materials including fabric, string, paint and duct tape of all colors and patterns were provided, so students could decorate their new plant.

Attendees gathered on both sides of the U-shaped table set up, making the event all the more social and open. The tye dye table covers were soon covered in acrylic paint as students passed around supplies and diligently decked out their recycled plant holders. Some channeled their inner Picasso, and painted their DIY pots.

Other students just stuck to the American flag, tribal and cheetah print duct tape while the more creative students played around with fabric and string. There was also a tutorial on how to create a plant hanger out of yarn for those who are more into aesthetics.

Earth Week at the Beach will conclude Friday.

6 SPORTS

SPORTS 7

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TENNIS

Casting an international net Long Beach’s recruiting has paid dividends in Hilt Costello’s 21 years as head coach of the women’s tennis team.

Dominique Meyer Freshman Aarau, Switzerland

Wikitoria Rutowska Freshman Puszczykowo, Poland

Sadaf Sadeghvaziri Sophomore Tehran, Iran Emma Bardet Freshman Vichy, France

By Manuel Valladares and Kevin Colindres Staff Writers

A

Lalita Devarakonda Sophomore Hyderabad, India Natalia Munoz Junior Santa Clarita, California

Carlota Casasampere Sophomore Sabadell, Spain Zara Lennon Freshman Grand Bay, Mauritius

Photos courtesy of LBSU Athletics Graphic by Claudia Mehranbod

s the only American player on the tennis team, Natalia Munoz has become something of a tour guide for her teammates. She’s helped her teammates find books at the bookstore, navigate their classes and has given them tips on good places to eat and study.

“I asked [Emma Bardet], ‘can you tell me your I.D. number?,’” Munoz said laughing.

“She was literally like ‘un deux trois.’”

In the last 10 years, the Long Beach State women’s tennis team has only filled five roster spots with American born players. This year, the team features eight players, all from different countries aiming for one goal — to win the Big West tournament, which begins Friday.

Long Beach (14-5, 6-2 Big West) has seen 11 Big West titles and 11 NCAA tournament appearances in Jenny Hilt-Costello’s 21 years as head coach of the women’s tennis team.

Munoz said it’s an honor to be one of only five Americans to make the cut in the last 10 years. Even with Long Beach Poly and Woodrow Wilson, two local high schools with impressive programs, Hilt-Costello is highly selective when choosing who makes the team.

“Occasionally a local school will reach out, but to be honest none of those players would be able to make our lineup,” Hilt-Costello said.

For top tennis players coming out of American high schools, Hilt-Costello believes that they have an idea of where they want to go early on and that usually isn’t LBSU. “At the end of the day, I’m just looking at whatever is best available for our program,” Hilt-Costello said.

Long Beach’s global search for players is not pretty. The coaching staff doesn’t travel overseas and scout players on-location, while enjoying the weather of foreign lands. In reality, Hilt-Costello and coaching assistant Ashleigh Antal sit in a room watching footage of tournaments, picking out candidates to add on their

list of possible recruits.

Even with the strenuous process, convincing prospects to join LBSU’s program is not one of the more difficult tasks. The school itself offers players the opportunity to play in a successful Division l program whose academics are almost as enticing as California weather.

All of these elements combined make Long Beach look better than the average mid-major program, with half of its prospect pool coming from players who have reached out to the team as opposed to being traditionally recruited.

This form of recruiting has led to the signing of many notable prospects. Two of the team’s best players, sophomore Lalita Devarakonda and junior Natalia Munoz, were brought in through this process and have been key to the team’s success this season.

“This was one of the first colleges I contacted and it was so overwhelming,” Devarakonda said. “When I confirmed with Jenny [Hilt-Costello] that I was coming here, she sent me the email: ‘Welcome To The Beach.’ I swear I didn’t sleep for two days.”

A big part of the team’s success has been Costello’s intensive international recruiting process which includes months of phone calls, video chat sessions and analyzing game footage.

“We’re scouting year round...we’re looking for the best available players and students who want to be here at Long Beach State,” Hilt-Costello said.

College tennis consists of 300 Division I schools, but there isn’t enough talent in the nation to fill most of those spots, according to Hilt-Costello. This puts mid-major programs, or less popular Division I schools, in a position that requires a lot of scouting. It’s common practice among the Big West Conference, as all nine teams consist mostly of international players.

“For us, it’s the best option for us and a necessary option,” Hilt-Costello said.

Long Beach’s scouting department consists of only Hilt-Costello and Antal, who spend three to four hours a week watching footage of possible recruits. Once the duo finds a player they feel fits the program, a four to five month

transition period begins.

Hilt-Costello uses a database of recruiting services that helps her narrow down possible recruits, making the process a bit easier. Gone are the days of flipping through a rolodex to reach out to international athletes.

“We make the offer and if they accept then we work on the eligibility center, getting all the transcripts, working on admissions and getting all the paperwork together,” Hilt-Costello said.

Similar to the coaches, recruits base their decisions on Skype calls and texts with people who they are interested in working with. Despite having these interactions online, the conversations are productive enough that a player like Devarakonda was convinced to leave her home in Hyderabad, India for a place that she’d only seen through a screen.

Despite Devarakonda’s individual success in India, she was not even sure she wanted to attend a university, let alone one that was over 8,000 miles away. Long Beach had a lot to offer her, so much, that she was nervous when she first sent her workout tape in. Devarakonda had no idea what Hilt-Costello expected.

Alternately, freshman Zara Lennon knew exactly what would be in her video and the different types of shots she would execute. “[Coach] didn’t want to see just the good parts...I didn’t really even update [or redo] anything that was in my video,” Lennon said.

The confidence Lennon showed in the recruiting process was warranted, with the Mauritian having known the game of tennis virtually her entire life. She was born into a family of tennis players and began playing at 4 years old. Starting at an early age gave her plenty of time to work on her game and helped her build confidence in her first tournament at the age of 7. Her dedication to the sport only grew from there as she continued to craft her game and play in competitions as much as she could.

Her growing game and interest left a major predicament for a 15-year-old Lennon since she lived in Mauritius, an island nation

see TENNIS, page 11

8 ARTS & LIFE

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THEATER

An operatic spin on the condemned California Repertory and Long Beach Opera came together to provide a new perspective on prison life.

By Rachel Hanna Staff Writer

C

alifornia Repertory Company and the Long Beach Opera are putting on the short story, “In The Penal Colony,” which features the torture and execution of a character called the condemned person.

American composer Philip Glass read Franz Kafka’s “In The Penal Colony” and transformed it into an opera. Formerly incarcerated students at Long Beach State have collaborated with staff to perform in this piece.

The fascination with the unempathetic judicial system is one of the main focuses in this opera. Humanity is questioned in this chilling story as the commandant expects the explorer to witness the execution of the condemned man.

“In The Penal Colony” involves four main characters: the officer, the explorer, the soldier and the condemned man. As the explorer questions if this cruel, heartless act should even take place, the officer continues to share his infatuation with the apparatus.

Director Jeffrey Janisheski conducted interviews with the previously imprisoned students to put their own spin on this opera.

“I really wanted to take a larger view and show that America is a type of penal colony

really marginalizing people, not solving problems, but hiding people,” Janisheski said.

California Repertory According to Janisheski, the “In the Penal Coloney” is set to premiere on Thursbiggest struggle about putting on day night at 7:30 p.m. this opera is that it is an ambitious piece. He said this show is less about capital punishment, but in“I think it’s a really cool collab between stead about the mark that prisons leave on professors and students and to hear the the prisoners. His hope is for people to see voices of other students in a theatrical and the two stories alongside each other, and the powerful way,” Johnson said. tension between them.

Kevin Johnson, director of marketing for The sold-out show premieres April 25 at the Cal Rep performing wing, said that the 7:30 p.m. in the LBSU studio theater and transition for these students from being bewill run until May 5. hind bars to being free is hard due to the way they were treated in prison.

ARTS & LIFE 9

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Adrianna Barbosa danced alongside Adam Cruz with her silk veils at this weeks noontime event.

SAAD KAZI | Daily 49er

PERFORMANCE

By Saad Kazi Staff Writer

Inspirational hip-hop Adam Cruz shares his music and his message with the students of LBSU.

T

he sounds of hip-hop music blasted through the University Student Union’s Southwest Terrace during Wednesday’s Noontime Event.

Long Beach rapper Adam Cruz used his one hour session to perform his debut EP, “Firstborn,” along with about nine other tracks in front of a crowd of students.

“Sometimes we think success isn’t for us,” Cruz said. “I believe success is for everybody. We just have to continue to pursue that.”

Cruz was Associated Student Inc.’s last Noontime performance for the month of April, following the previous weeks’ Mike Schiavo and the Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration Kickoff.

Under the warm sun, students who were studying, eating, or passing by the performance treated themselves with cold mango iced tea as they watched the show.

Midway through the set, Adrianna Barbosa, a student who was in attendance, asked Cruz if she could do a display of her own. She then started to twirl her pair of silk veils to the beat of the music.

“I was like, ‘oh, someone’s performing, let me just go up there and attract some attention to it,’” Barbosa said.

And this was especially pleasing for Cruz, who said that his goal for his music is to inspire.

His brand name, “Firstborn,” means something more

than just a label to spread on his merchandise.

“I’m really trying to take the brand even bigger than the project,” Cruz said. “I believe that we all, whether you’re the first born in your family or not, are called to make a difference in people’s lives … to be successful in whatever it is you’re trying to do.”

Despite having grown in up in Southgate, Long Beach has always been a second home to Cruz. For the past decade, the 26-year-old has serviced a youth group at Revive Church on Seventh Street and Obispo Avenue. His song, “Role Modelz Wanted,” is inspired by some of the kids that he has helped who have absent fathers.

“I can tell that they want a role model in their lives,” Cruz said. “They want someone to guide them.”

At the age of 16, Cruz started rapping with his twin brother, Justin, a business major at LBSU, as part of a duo called Sage and Reason. Cruz began making music independently three years ago and now records in a professional studio.

Cruz raps on beats that are produced by a friend. Though faith is always an underlying message in his songs, he tries to keep his music geared towards every hip-hop fan.

“I try to keep it not overly preachy,” Cruz said. “I don’t want people to think that it’s just church music.”

Cruz normally performs at church events and conferences. Locally, he has a consistent following, as most of the 5,000 Spotify plays for “Firstborn” has come from the Long Beach area.

“It was really exciting to be here,” Cruz said. “Something different.”

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NIKKI NELSEN | Daily 49er

ASI Sustain U member Cindy Tseng teaches students Tuesday about the benefits of composting in support of Earth Week.

ENVIRONMENT

ASI teaches students about the benefits of composting Sustain U helps students sustain the planet at their Composting 101 event.

By Nikki Nelsen Staff Writer

To celebrate Earth Week, Associated Students Inc. and Sustain U offered a presentation on the benefits of composting Tuesday.

Composting 101 was presented in the University Student Union and taught students about how the campus composts, the benefits of composting and how it can be done at home.

At the event, students learned about living a more sustainable life and decreasing their ecological footprint.

“Composting is part of being more

sustainable,” said Cindy Tseng, a member of Sustain U. “You’re not only looking at the environment but also the plants growth and the human interest as well.”

The presentation also taught LBSU students who do not have access to their own garden how they can compost and decrease their ecological footprint on campus. Sustain U has a variety of compost bins in the university dining hall and in front of the bookstore.

All three modules were created with students in mind and could be completed in about 40 minutes with each individual module lasting about 10 to 15 minutes.

Students that attended all three modules were entered into a contest to win their own composting bin. Students also received stainless steel reusable straws and cardboard pens to those who stayed the whole time.

While some students were already active recyclers and composters that were interested in learning more, other students were just getting started.

“I am trying to learn more. I tried to do composting but my landlord is not okay with it, so I try to save my food waste, egg shells, banana peels and all that stuff and then I would just blend it in the blender to add it to the soil,” Venus Chen said. She brings her own stainless steel drinking straws along

with stainless steel forks and knives in a pouch she sewed herself to school daily.

Sustain U was formed by ASI to improve environmental sustainability on campus by raising awareness and adopting the best sustainability practices. One goal of Sustain U is to switch all “back of house” composting that happens on campus and convert it to a “front of house” program that would allow students to compost their waste. “‘Front of house’ composting starts with you guys, just like composting and Sustain U started on campus,” Daniel Pierce USU Sustainability Assistant said.

SPORTS 11

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Touzinsky coached at Long Beach State for two years, but leaves the program weeks before the NCAA tournament.

PAULA KILEY | Daily 49er

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Touzinsky resigns as assistant coach

By Bryan Aparicio

Assistant Sports Editor BryanAparicio_

Long Beach State assistant coach Scott Touzinsky announced his departure from the men’s volleyball program Wednesday evening. It was announced Tuesday that Touzinsky was under investigation for sexual misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and was public on USA Volleyball’s website

since fall 2018, according to the Press Telegram. The probe involved improper communication with an underage female volleyball player in 2013 or 2014 from a volleyball training program in Canada. Hawai’i men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade is also being investigated by the same organization. In a statement from Long Beach State Athletics, Touzinsky explained his departure from the program amid the ongoing investigation.

“I feel that my continued presence on the coaching staff would be a distraction during what is a critical time for the team,” Touzin-

sky said. “I do not make this decision lightly, but I believe this is the best course of action for the benefit of Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball. I am so proud of this team and I am so honored to have been part of this amazing program. This has been a remarkable journey.”

Head coach Alan Knipe and the rest of the staff could not be reached for comment on the matter. Touzinsky is a former Long Beach State All-American and a 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist.

He made his return to Long Beach in 2017

where he made his presence known on the coaching staff, helping lead the team to a 28-1 record and its second ever national championship.

Under Touzinsky, Long Beach produced five All-America selections and six Big West All-Conference accolades, including senior setter Josh Tuaniga, who was named the 2018 AVCA National Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament MVP. According to Long Beach State Athletics, an interim replacement for Touzinsky will be named soon.

didn’t want to go to a place that was snowing or very cold.”

Mauritius is known for its uncomfortably warm weather and humidity, aspects that Lennon is happy to get away from. Wiktoria Rutkowska was also happy with the weather change coming from the cold winters of Puszczykowo, Poland.

“I wanted to come to California, so I just started looking for schools [here].” Rutkowska said. “I didn’t have many options because I really liked Long Beach.”

When Rutkowska was going through the scouting process, Hilt-Costello had serious interest in bringing her to Long Beach. The

fit benefitted both sides, with Rutkowska sitting at the top of a competitive roster that was willing to work with her and improve her game.

Adaptation to a new city, let alone a new country has been a process for each international athlete. Santa Clarita native Natalia Munoz has acted as sort of a tour guide for international recruits the last three years, teaching them about American culture and helping them navigate through everyday activities.

“They talk a lot of shit about America,” Munoz said laughing. “There’s a lot of culture shock, they love it here and whenever

they have a question they always ask me.”

They think it’s cool that I know so much.”

Munoz has taken the role of helping the international athletes become comfortable in their situation. But while Munoz helps her teammates off the court, her teammates help her improve her game, teaching her different play styles from each country.

“In Europe, they play on a clay surface so Dominique [Meyer] is used to sliding on clay, which makes the game a lot more creative because the ball moves slower,” Munoz said. “Because I’m not as fast as my other teammates, I’ve picked up from skills from them to help me control the game.”

TENNIS

continued from page 7

surrounded by the salty waters of the Indian Ocean whose most well-known neighbor is Madagascar. Her home country’s lack of competition led her to move to America, where she competed in tournaments and found the exposure she desired. Two years later, she decided to move back to Mauritius to prepare for her next move.

It was at this point that she made contact with Hilt-Costello and LBSU, having been pitched on the same ideas that Devarakonda found so life changing.

“The first thing I wanted was the sun, and that’s why I came here,” Lennon said. “I

12 SPORTS

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TENNIS

Long Beach heads to Big West tournament

By Manuel Valladares Staff Writer

PAULA KILEY | Daily 49er

Freshman Ryley Fick races in the women’s 800 meter run at Jack Rose Track Saturday for the 25th annual Beach Invitational.

TRACK AND FIELD

49ers travel to last regular season meet The Steve Scott Invitational is last opportunity to qualify for Big West Conference.

By Max Perez Staff Writer

The Long Beach State track and field athletes will have their last opportunity to qualify for the Big West Championship this weekend at the UC Irvine Steve Scott Invitational.

Going into the weekend, the 49ers have qualified 30 men and 29 women for the conference event.

Each program is limited to compete 32 men and women athletes each. If the team were to qualify more than that, they would have to make the decision about who to bring to compete.

“If we do qualify more than 32, which I would expect that we would, then we have to make some tough decisions on readiness and preparation,” head coach Andy Sythe said To qualify for the conference, players must meet the qualifying mark issued by the conference for each event.

This event has appeared on the team’s

schedule every year and works as a tune-up for the Big West championships.

“It’s just the right place to go to prepare our team for the conference championship,” Sythe said. “The level of competition is solid [and] we’re trying to tune-up and get everything sharp.”

One area the team will be focusing on is the relay teams. So far this season, both the men and women’s relay teams have had different lineups for each event.

“We’re just trying to find that right fit and that right person,” Sythe said. “And frankly we’ve found those people, but injuries and things have kind of changed things. The nice part is we’ve run pretty consistent with everybody.”

Despite the order and athletes changing from each event, the men hold second place in the conference in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, while the women are first in 4x100m and second in the 4x400m.

In the 4x100m the women lead the conference with a time of 44.94, making it the only sub 45 second mark in the conference.

“Our women’s team leads the conference

by .71 seconds,” Sythe said. “That’s nearly a second, so we definitely have the strongest team.”

The men are close second in the 4x100m relay with a time of 40.35, just .02 seconds out of first place. The men and women hold second in the 4x400m with times of 3:11.72 and 3:45.47, respectively.

“It’s not always the fastest person that’s the best for the relay,” Sythe said. “The ability to move that baton around that track quickly and have the handoffs be accurate are the things I know the coaches are trying to find to get the right balance.”

Some athletes are working to claim regional marks in order to qualify for the NCAA regionals, while others will just be fine tuning their events.

“It’s a little different for each person individually...where they stand and what they are trying to do,” Sythe said. “The approach of the meet is to try and meet the specific needs of each individual.”

The UC Irvine Steve Scott Invitational takes place Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at Anteater Stadium.

Long Beach State women’s tennis begin their journey in the Big West Conference tournament against Cal Poly, a favorable matchup that can add plenty of momentum to a potential run this weekend.

Long Beach (14-5, 6-2 Big West) got the best of Cal Poly (7-11, 3-5 Big West) in their previous meeting, with the 49ers coming away with a 6-1 victory over the Mustangs.

The game was no fluke as the 49ers showcased their overwhelming talent, something they’ll need to repeat this weekend.

“We think we’re the better team,” head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello said. “[With that in mind] we need to take Cal Poly seriously.”

Despite a noticeable talent discrepancy, the Mustangs can still win if they’re able to get in the heads of their opponents. This was a tactic they used against the 49ers last meeting, with players being overtly loud in each of their matches.

The tactic definitely bothered Long Beach at the start of the game, with the team losing the doubles point after two close matches.

This could’ve easily hurt the 49ers further in singles but that was not the case.

The loud celebrating by Cal Poly was getting under the skin of Long Beach players, but the 49ers responded well by winning five of their singles matches.

Two players whose performances will be most crucial are freshmen Wiktoria Rutkowska and Emma Bardet. The players sit at the top of the team’s roster and will be entering their first Big West Conference tournament.

Rutkowska and Bardet have been in a slump as of late, holding sub.500 singles records in their last 10 games. The players also have a tendency of allowing minor mistakes to hurt their performances.

Fortunately for them, they now have an entire regular season under their belt, with many previous performances they can pick apart and improve upon. The 49ers have had a week to prepare for the tournament, giving them plenty of time to clean up prior mistakes.

The 49ers will be participating in the Big West Conference tournament at Indian Wells, California April 26-28.