February 25 sport preview2015

SPORTS PREVIEW

SPRING

2015

BRENNON WILLIAMS

KIERRA WILLIS

INSIDE:

MARCY LEVATINO TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE

JE’NIA SEARS

EYES NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

KYLINA CHALACK

RIDING FROM CANADA TO FRESNO

... AND MANY MORE!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

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7

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BASEBALL

TENNIS

EQUESTRIAN

Garrett Mundell: All in the family

Aishwarya Agrawal: From India to Fresno

Kylina Chalack: Oh Canada: An Equestrian Story

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8

Taylor Ward:

Passion at the plate

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SOFTBALL Brenna Moss: Speedy senior makes record run

LACROSSE

TRACK

Marcy Levatino: Leading on and off the field

From the classroom to the circle Je'Nia Sears:

Olympic dreams

A Z E

H Z T I P I T H ST

O V O R P

W

Lynnette Zelezny, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dennis Nef, Vice Provost

LOCATION:

University Student Union Lounge Area (near the fireplace)

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Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Scholarships Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Startup Weekend Student Hatchery Technology Commercialization Program (TCP)

PAGE 4

THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

STATS ERA

BASEBALL

ALL IN THE FAMILY

4.00

CAREER APPEARANCES

By Tomas Kassahun @TomasKassahun

73

CAREER STRIKEOUTS

Matt Vieira • The Collegian

114

GARRETT MUNDELL BATTING AVERAGE

HOME RUNS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

Garrett Mundell’s athletic prowess has been evident since his childhood.

The Fresno State senior spent his early days doing backflips, riding water skis and performing tricks on bikes.

“He always had a love for athletics,” said his stepfather, Dan Noel. “He has always been good at whatever he touched.”

But athletics without teamwork didn’t satisfy Mundell, so he found baseball and took his passion to a new level.

That passion is clear even in his family vacation photos, where a 4-year-old Mundell is pictured with a bat and a ball.

The little slugger is now a 6-foot-7inch pitcher who has caught the attention of big league teams.

As a freshman at Fresno State, Mundell made 18 appearances and earned five starts.

His signature moment in that year came during an elimination game at the 2012 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament, where he recorded a season-best four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings pitched.

“That was game six of the WAC tournament, and that is by far one of my most special memories in baseball for me,” Mundell said.

However, even before the tourna-

ment, Mundell gained a reputation as a clutch player.

At El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, Mundell pitched the final game of the season against Capo Valley High School to lead his team to a championship.

“That was awesome because it was against a cross-town rival,” Mundell said. “They were good; we were good. It was all these Division I guys going at it.

It was more than a high-school baseball game. It was something really special.”

In another unforgettable moment at El Toro High School, Mundell threw a no-hitter against Woods Cross from Utah to secure a 10-0 win.

“He pitched a no hitter and he really didn’t realize it until after the game when everybody was pounding him on the back,” Noel said.

As a former sportscaster, Noel recognizes what makes Mundell successful.

“He may feel the intensity, but with his outward persona, you would never know it,” Noel said. “He remains calm through everything. He doesn’t get too high or too low.”

Unlike the past two seasons when the Bulldogs struggled to get wins, Mundell believes this season will be different.

“This is a special season,” Mundell said. “We have all the talent in the world. We have guys pulling in the same direction. We have such a close family.

When all the right ingredients come together, we have something special. We are confident about this year.”

PASSION AT THE PLATE

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By Tomas Kassahun @TomasKassahun

9 92 Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

CAREER HITS

TAYLOR WARD

Fresno State catcher Taylor Ward has been racking up baseball accolades since his days at Shadow Hills High School in Indio, California.

As a senior, Ward led the team to a 20-5 record. He shattered school records for batting average, hits, triples, home runs and RBIs, then became the first athlete in school history to receive a Division I scholarship.

Following his senior season at Shadow Hills, the Tampa Bay Rays drafted Ward in the 31st round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.

Now in his third year at Fresno State, the catcher continues to play the game with the passion he has had since he was 4 years old.

“It’s actually more fun now,” Ward said. “There’s more pressure that comes with the Division-I atmosphere, but it’s a good feeling to play in front of a big crowd.”

The transition to the college game was not easy for Ward. But he has come a long way since.

“I came in not really knowing the ropes,” Ward said. “I struggled a little my freshman year.”

Things finally clicked for Ward after he was invited to try out for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in Alaska.

“There, I learned more about myself and how other kids play,” he said.

He also credits his growth to the leadership of Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole and teammates such as Austin Wynns, who now plays with the Baltimore Orioles.

“There were a lot of guys who helped me,” Ward said. “The coaching staff helped me get through hard times.”

As a sophomore, Ward was named to the second-team All-Mountain West as a catcher, and he was chosen as Mountain West Player of the Week in back-toback weeks.

The junior now hopes to add a conference championship for the Bulldogs.

“A Mountain West title would mean everything,” Ward said. “After all the hard work we put in the last two years and then the immense amount of work we put in this fall to get to where we are now, it would be the icing on the cake.”

Coming into the season, Ward is expected to step up as a leader for the Bulldogs.

“He’s a talent you don’t see very often. He had the opportunity to play for team USA, and he brought a lot of knowledge with what he learned,” said Fresno State third baseman Manny Argomaniz. “He just goes out there, does his thing, and it rubs off on everyone else. We’re looking for him to be a leader on the team and help us win championships.”

Ward is glad to accept the challenge.

“I love this place. It's my home,” he said. “I can't wait to get out there this season and do it for us.”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

PAGE 5

THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

STATS

SOFTBALL

SPEEDY SENIOR MAKES RECORD RUN

By Conrad Kimball @Conrad_Kimball

Growing up in Bakersfield, senior center fielder Brenna Moss has always known about Fresno State softball and the tradition of success it has built throughout the years.

She didn’t actually start paying attention to the program until she decided she wanted to play there.

“I really didn’t go to a lot of Fresno State softball games growing up, even though I’d always known about the program,” Moss said.

Her favorite role model growing up was Laura Berg, the Fresno State center fielder and Olympic athlete. “She was a big inspiration for me wanting to play softball in the first place,” Moss said.

On Saturday, Moss stole her 87th base, breaking the Fresno State career record, one she also owns at attended Bakersfield High. Moss has already broken the school record for steals in a season during her sophomore year.

It was a record Moss didn’t know she was close to owning. When a fan asked her how it felt to be on the close to breaking the record, she and her dad did a little research.

Of course, it didn’t come out as a surprise for Moss.

“I am pretty fast; I’ll give myself that,” she said. “And I’m pretty heads-up on the bases. So anytime they make a mistake, I try to capitalize on it, and that’s how I get a lot of extra bases.”

It’s not hard to see why Moss is the record holder. Apart from being quick and smart on the bases, she also gets on base more than almost anyone in the conference. Currently sporting a .484 batting average, Moss has always increased it every year she has been at Fresno State.

And she is showing no signs of slowing down.

A big part of continuing to progress as a hitter has just been adding to her “tool set” and growing with the experience that naturally comes after so many years in the sport. Moss elaborates that that’s what this senior season is about.

Entering the 2015 season, Moss has a career .317 batting average, 177 hits and 220 total bases.

“I’m just going out there and having fun,” she said. “I’m not so stressed about things this year, so I kind of just let things go which makes the game a lot easier to play. I also get more confident every year and that contributes a lot to my success.”

Fresno State head coach Trisha Ford says that Moss plays the role of a senior leader very well.

Moss has never been a vocal leader until this year, describing herself as a quiet person who likes to lead by example. This year, Moss has realized that being vocal can really help her team as it heads into the season.

“I have really taken into consideration what the coaches said about starting to be more of a leader (vocally and non-vocally),” Moss said. “And I believe I have stepped up this year.”

BATTING AVERAGE

STOLEN BASE PERCENTAGE

HOME RUNS

.317 88% 110

UPCOMING EVENTS Catch Brenda Moss in action as the Bulldogs return home this weekend in the Fresno State Louisville Sluggers Bash at Margie Wright Diamond.

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Friday vs. UC Santa Barbara 4:30 p.m. vs. Rutgers 7 p.m.

Saturday vs. Oregon State 5:30 p.m.

BRENNA MOSS

PAGE 6

THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

WOMEN'S TENNIS

LACROSSE

From India to Fresno Fresno State senior reflects on friendships on tennis team

Fresno State senior Aishwarya Agrawal returns a serve during a weekday practice at the Wathen Tennis Center.

By Trentyn Pues @TheCollegian

Fresno State senior tennis player Aishwarya Agrawal is an energetic presence, bringing an aggressive play style, leadership qualities and, assistant coach Melissa McQueen said, her very own Indian dry sense of humor.

Agrawal was originally recruited to Fresno State by former head coach Simon Thibodeau, but after her first semester, Ryan Stotland took the post.

She said that Stotland kept her from transferring after her first season and that he is probably the best thing that ever happened to the program.

“When I got here, she didn’t feel

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

HELP WANTED

quite part of the team,” Stotland said.

“My challenge to her was to learn how to lead and be more a part of the team, and she’s developed that and is becoming a great leader. It’s not just on the court, it’s off the court. She’s matured, and I’m impressed with her off-thecourt demeanor. She’s really great at being the person that she is.”

Agrawal said she felt coming from India that there was a good representation of her ethnicity at the school. But she was teased, and that took some getting used to.

Now, she said, everyone teases each other on the team for their different accents and languages. It’s an understood dynamic amongst a team with such cultural diversity. Eleven of the 12 players on the team were born outside the United States.

Agrawal first arrived in California after years of research and desire to come visit. Because of this research, she insisted she wasn’t expecting surfers and movie stars around every corner, though she did mention one famous individual she had hoped to run into.

“I had hoped to run into Ashton Kutcher,” Agrawal said. “But then I realized I’d probably have to be in L.A. to do it.”

Agrawal said she plays tennis with

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

an aggressive style, and her coaches agree.

“She’s very, very quick and she’s also really good at the net,” Stotland said. “So those are two of the biggest strengths that she has. We’ve completely reworked her backhand -- and she’s got a good backhand -- but we’re just working on the belief in it.”

Tanya Murtagh, her teammate of three years, has plenty of experience playing with and being around Agrawal.

She believes that her energy and leadership are some of her best assets.

“I would say she brings a lot of energy to the team,” Murtagh said. “Even when she hasn’t been playing she’s been vocal, loud and just supporting us. When she plays, too, she brings a lot of fire and just breaks down her opponents.”

From the moment she arrived on the team to now, Agrawal said, there has been a huge change. She said there were certain things that you had to learn coming in as a freshman. She feels now that she is taking on that veteran leadership role.

Agrawal loves being with the team, and says the best times are on road trips, since players rarely get to hang out and spend time together when they’re playing home matches.

EXIRES FEBRUARY 25, 2015

CALL 559-348-9890

Leading on and off the field

By Nayirah Dosu @TheCollegian

Marcy Levatino came to Fresno State because it was the only place she could do both of the things she loved: study nursing and play lacrosse.

The senior attacker for the women’s lacrosse team had been turned down by other schools who told her that there was no way she could compete in their Division-I lacrosse program and also study nursing. It would be impossible.

Fresno State felt differently.

“I kept on searching for a school that would say yes to both, and Fresno State was the only one,” Levatino said. “I loved it here, and it was perfect for me.”

Levatino is following in her mother Morna Levatino’s footsteps in her aim to become a nurse. Her mother believes that coming to Fresno State has allowed her daughter to put the traits that will make her into a good nurse to use in the programs offered by Fresno State.

“She is a very compassionate person, and it really shows in all the things she’s involved in, like the Little Heroes program,” Morna said.

“I just see in her the makings of a wonderful, caring, conscientious nurse, and I think it will carry her into a profession that she will love.”

Little Heroes is a program in which student-athletes are paired with a seriously ill child whom they build relationships with through activities.

At Fresno State, Levatino has been able to find the perfect balance between class, lacrosse and other things of which she is a member.

“She is the best definition of a student-athlete that I’ve ever coached,” head women’s lacrosse coach Jessica Giglio said. “She’s got the balance down to a tee. She never makes any excuses and tries her best to stay extremely organized and on top of everything.”

Levatino started playing lacrosse in middle school when her brother, who was already playing as a goalie, needed someone to shoot on him. From there, lacrosse became her passion and would eventually open many doors for her.

At Laguna Hills High School in Southern California, Levatino was a talented athlete recognized with a number of awards in lacrosse, including being named to both the U.S. Lacrosse All-America team and U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-America team twice. She also lettered four times in both lacrosse and basketball.

Levatino’s success on the lacrosse field followed her to college where she set and broke records in multiple categories in her sophomore and junior seasons at Fresno State. In just one game during her sophomore year she broke three school records. One was most points scored on the opposing team: seven.

With the lacrosse program still being new, Giglio said that this is to be expected of the stronger players, and that it shows how Levatino is growing into a player the coach knows she can be.

“Marcy is a very instrumental player on the field,” Giglio said. “I think she’s been looking really strong as a leader on attack as far as scoring and assists.”

As one of the captains, Levatino is concentrated on bringing the team’s hard work from the offseason and preseason into the regular season as the Bulldogs turn their focus onto their upcoming schedule.

“I’m working on being the best that I can be on and off the field, help my teammates in any way that I can and ending senior season with a bang,” she said.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

EQUESTRIAN

Oh Canada: An Equestrian Story

Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian

Fresno State rider Kylina Chalack during an afternoon practice at the Student Horse Center.

By Royce Dunn @TheCollegian

Imagine taking flight, on the back of a powerful, and trusted creature. The excitement could seem like flying, and for Fresno State women's equestrian rider Kylina Chalack, it does.

It’s an adrenaline rush.

The freshman rides hunt seat, an English style, for the team. This style places the rider in a closer position on the horse's back, giving her more direct control and contact with the horse.

"It's intimidating, but also it's just so much fun,” she said. “You know like in an instant something bad could happen. But at the same time, you're putting all of this trust into this horse.”

Chalack was born in Alberta, Calgary, Canada, to Rim and Catherine Chalack. The youngest of three, she moved to Fresno on her own in August 2014 to attend Fresno State on a 40 percent scholarship from the team.

With her team’s friendship, the soft-spoken Chalack adjusted to her new environment, Fresno State and the new collegiate level of competition.

Chalack came to the United States for a higher level of competition. At age 18, she is considered a junior rider until age 21. She placed sixth in the Canadian Equestrian Team Medal Regionals in 2013, her very first attempt at the regional level.

“I was really fortunate to have a great horse to help get me to the top six," Chalack said.

She plans to compete at the medal regionals again until her age takes her up to the amateur level.

Chalack started riding at 4 years old, first learning from her mother, who was a seasoned competitive rider herself.

"She's one of the people I look up to when I ride," Chalack said.

Chalack didn't start competing until she was 9, when her mother began officially

PAGE 7 coaching her. Her whole family has had a lot of experience training horses and raising cattle on their ranch. Back home, she has Czech warmbloods, which is a breed most commonly trained due to their builds and performance in obstacles courses and flat work patterns.

Now with the team, her favorite horse to train with is Art, one of the team's veteran horses, and a bit of a troublemaker.

"Everyone thinks he's kind of pushy," Chalack said. "I just really enjoy his character. He has a smarty-pants character, one of those kids who's always causing trouble in a way, but he's still a saint.”

After hearing about Fresno State from other girls she'd known from competitions up north, Chalack decided to give it a shot and sent high school recruitment videos to Fresno State her junior year at Hugh Sutherland School. Fresno State assistant coach Kimberly HewsonBudnik liked the footage and invited Chalack and her parents down in April 2014.

Chalack said she enjoyed the warm weather and welcoming environment of the campus and decided to make the move.

Even though she has traveled before, this was an entirely new experience for her.

"At first it was a little rough because, I mean, I was alone coming down here," she said. "It was nice to be able to have the team as support because I think if I came down here, and I wasn't on the team, it would be a lot different."

During this past year, Chalack has participated in many home and away games with Fresno State. She has traveled to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she competed against three teams. During Fresno State's home games last year against Auburn University and Kansas State University, she received an award for the most outstanding player.

“It was really exciting,” she said. “We beat those two teams, which was awesome because they're very highly ranked teams.

It was a really nice redemption after I lost against South Carolina.”

SPORTS

8

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

MEN'S TRACK

From the classroom to the circle

WOMEN'S TRACK

E R W O R H T 55.29 METERS

PERSONAL RECORD

D

DI S C U • I R S

A tall, young man approaches the Fresno State track and field practice area in a suit and tie.

He is Brice Sandri, Fresno State’s top discus thrower, who arrives to practice most days fresh from student teaching.

Sandri, a fifth-year senior, is also in his first semester of graduate studies. One of the components of his studies is working at Red Bank Elementary School as a fourth grade student teacher.

With a young team, Sandri finds that the way he teaches in the classroom translates into his interactions with his teammates.

“I find myself a lot more patient with the younger guys who are five or six years younger than me,” Sandri said. “Having to help them along, and understanding their maturity level and being able to relate to it, and teach them.”

Sandri got his start in discus, somewhat accidentally in the offseason, when his high school football coach turned him away from baseball and into discus.

“The football coach said, ‘Brice where are you going? I told the throws coach you were coming out to throw,’” Sandri said. “He kind of

“Top 5 in the nation would be pretty cool.”

With a personal-best 55.29 meters, Sandri believes that he only needs to throw a little over three more meters to make the championship round.

With so much on Sandri’s plate, he turns to his faith and thanks God for his opportunities and remembers advice given to him by one of his professors about feeling overwhelmed.

“You have to remember two things,” he said.

“First of all, it’s temporary. I have one semester to get through, and I have the rest of my life to relax. Also, there’s people out there that’d be dying to be in this position that I’ve been given, and the opportunities that have presented themselves to me not everybody gets.”

Sears flies toward Olympic dreams

By Nayirah Dosu

11.89 SECONDS

Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian

@TheCollegian

20'-7"

B RI C E

@TheCollegian

put me in a pickle, and I decided, ‘Well I’ll just go out there and start throwing.’ I kind of had a knack for it, and ever since then I’ve been doing it.”

For Sandri, the independence in the ring is what he enjoys the most about discus. Even though it is a team sport, knowing that he did well allows him to feel like he really fulfills his role on the team.

“He always wants to do things on his own,” Sandri’s mother, Jennifer Wells, said. “He wants to be able to say he did it; he doesn’t want anything given to him.”

Seen as a leader by both teammates and coaches alike, Sandri is everything you’d want in an athlete, coach Derek Oliver said.

“He’s the epitome of a leader,” Oliver said. “His work ethic is through the roof. Right when he straps on his shoes, that’s when he starts working hard. That’s what being a leader is all about.”

Sandri, who made the 2014 AllMountain West team and was also an NCAA qualifier in discus, looks to do even better this season. Not only does he want to place first in discus for the Mountain West championship, but he also wants to go to the NCAA championships.

“This year I’d like to make the national championship and ultimately place in it,” Sandri said.

SA N

By Nayirah Dosu

Flying high and strong, Je’Nia Sears is coming for a spot on the national championship victory stand.

The senior long jumper is approaching her final season for the Fresno State track and field team and is working hard to best last season’s ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Oregon.

With a jump of 20-4 1/2, Sears was just a little under her best outdoor 20-7 jump that gave her the All-Time Outdoor Long Jump Distance in Fresno State school history. For Sears, placing ninth was good, but not good enough.

“I want to go to nationals and place at least top three,” Sears said. “Just go out there and compete with the best girls in the nation, knowing that I can compete with them, and beat some of them.”

Recruited out of local Edison High School, Sears, the coaches at Fresno State knew early on, was someone who had much to contribute to their program.

“Once we saw her on the runway in high school, there was no doubt that we wanted to try and get her in our program,” Fresno State sprints coach Chris Baptista said.

On the track, Sears also competes in both the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x400 meter relay.

Sears says she enjoys the relay races because that is where the full support of her team can be felt pushing each other to do better.

“You don’t want to let them down,” she said. “So you do the best you can every time you touch the track when you’re with them because you have to.

It’s always that you have to compete, and you have to do your best.”

Sears’ fellow teammates admire the way she carries herself not only as a leader of the team but also as a generally good person. Sophomore triplejumper Tiera Simpson says that Sears has become a big sister to her, someone who never let her feel like an outsider when she first arrived at Fresno State.

“She’s a good role model, a lot of us look up to her because she’s qualified for the NCAAs more than once and won conference,” Simpson said.

“Everybody wants to be at a level like her.”

ALL-TIME OUTDOOR LONG JUMP DISTANCE IN FRESNO STATE HISTORY LONG JUMP PERSONAL RECORD

100 METER PERSONAL RECORD

MOUNTAIN WEST LONG JUMP CHAMPION IN 2013 & 2014