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January 22, 2020
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ASLMU provides free period products across campus New menstrual hygiene products available at seven bathrooms around campus. Kennedi Hewitt News Intern @LALoyolan
Photo: Annie Kapila | Loyolan
Free period products will be offered in select bathrooms across the University as part of the beginning of ASLMU's period initiative which aims to destigmatize and normalize menstruation and menstrual products.
What to know as the impeachment trial begins As impeachment proceedings intensify, Democrats hope to introduce new evidence. Isabella Murillo News Editor @LALoyolan
President Trump faces charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of presidential power after the House of Representatives impeached him in December. Following the impeachment, the Senate will hold a trial to convict or acquit President Trump, which is scheduled to begin today, on Jan. 22. Senators, House impeachment managers and President Trump's lawyers convened yesterday to discuss the details of the trial proceeding. Here is everything you need to know before the trial starts.
Seven House impeachment managers will be acting as the prosecutors in the case while Trump's lawyers will be the defense team. Before yesterday's meeting, the White House asked for President Trump's immediate acquittal, arguing that neither of the charges were crimes or impeachable offenses and calling the impeachment process "rigged." President Trump's lawyers and Senate allies are working to keep former national security advisor John Bolton from testifying. Impeachment managers urged senators to reject the rules that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laid out. Democrats introduced eight amendments they would like to make to his draft, but the Senate voted them all down, at the time of publishing. See Impeachment | Page 2
ASLMU began the first phase of their new menstrual hygiene initiative of installing dispensaries with free period products into restrooms on campus. Seven dispensaries were added. They can be found in the library, St. Robert’s Hall, Malone, the Life Sciences Building, the Burns Recreation Center and two dispensaries can be found on the first floor of University Hall. ASLMU was inspired by other menstrual justice movements and wanted to join the ripple effect of destigmatizing and normalizing menstruation and menstrual products, according to ASLMU Vice President Emily Sinsky. “I saw them in the U-Hall bathroom before class. I thought it was really cool and I got excited," said Jasmine Sweeney, a freshman psychology major. "There’s a lot of controversy going on about menstruation and whether the products should be taxed or if there should even be a price placed on products that people need every month, so I think it's really good that they’re actually implementing [this project] on campus.” See Period Products | Page 2
LMU launches new website
via LMU Marketing and Communications
"New features, performance and content" will be the focus of LMU's new website which will launch on Thursday, Jan. 23, according to LMU Marketing and Communications. A new "Program Finder" page will allow for easy navigation of all the degrees, certificates and credentials offered by LMU.
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Congress debates impeachment trial Impeachment from Page 1
The amendments would have subpoenaed certain documents from the White House, the State Department and the Office of Management and Budget. McConnell made two changes to his proposed rules after backlash from Democrats. This comes after Republican Sen. Susan Collins argued that the rules for President Trump’s trial should not deviate too much from the last impeachment trial. One of the changes was to automatically submit evidence from the impeachment inquiry into the trial. The second change was to allow impeachment managers and defense attorneys to spread out their arguments over three days instead of two. Each group still has 24 hours to present their side of the case,
creating shorter days. Democrats insisted on the extra time for the case so that the trial would not go into the early hours of the morning. This is so Americans would be more likely to be awake to watch the trial. McConnell proposed a resolution for a “swift trial,” but Democrats argued that it is an attempt to “cover up” for Trump. Senate Democrats are still hoping for more changes to be made, such as the acceptance of new evidence they did not gather during the impeachment trial. All information was compiled from updates on the trial from the Washington Post, the New York Times and NBC News. The time of publications was 9 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Period products in seven restrooms on campus Period Products from Page 1
ASLMU began organizing this project over the summer at their leadership retreat, as well as throughout the semester. They spent a lot of time talking to facilities management about who will install the dispensaries and who will restock the products. They also had to figure out how to budget and allocate funds for the project. Currently, the funding is coming out of ASLMU’s budget, according to Sinsky. The brand being used is Aunt Flow, a brand most recognized for its gender neutral language and transparency in product ingredients.
“We wanted to create institutional change that [makes] period products accessible,” said Sinsky The founder of Aunt Flow, Claire Coder, explained in the brand’s mission statement, “I am on a mission to ensure everyone has access to quality menstrual products. For every 10 tampons and pads we sell, we donate one to a menstruator in need. I call this people helping people.” So far, Aunt Flow has donated over 350,000 menstrual products to people in need. Sinksy talked about their motivation to begin this
initiative. “We wanted to get dispensaries and not just baskets on the counter because this is mounted on the wall. You know if it’s empty. We wanted to create institutional change that [makes] period products accessible,” said Sinsky. In her first year with ASLMU, Sinsky talked about the different opportunities ASLMU has to enact change on campus. “[The menstrual hygiene initiative is] really showing what ASLMU has the power to do and I hope that it inspires people to look and say ‘I can be an agent of change. I want to run for ASLMU or get a position next year’ because you really do have the opportunity to work with these higher-ups in the University and have funding accessible to do big projects like this,” said Sinsky. Sweeney also expressed that she hopes the project will expand. “I hope they put them in dorm halls because a lot of the time, we’ll need them while we’re doing ordinary things in our rooms,” said Sweeney. Currently, the menstrual products have only been installed in seven women’s restrooms. ASLMU hopes to expand this project into gender neutral restrooms and men’s restrooms. The menstrual hygiene initiative is only one of the many projects ASLMU plans to bring to LMU. Other projects they have been working on include land acknowledgement for
indigenous communities, gender inclusive housing, Wellness Wednesdays and
the textbook initiative where students can bring in or borrow used textbooks
at Student Development.
Leadership
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MLK would not be proud of today’s divided America EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor News Intern News Intern Asst. Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editor Opinion Intern Opinion Intern Life+Arts Editor Asst. Life+Arts Editor Life+Arts Intern Life+Arts Intern Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Sports Intern Bluff Editor Bluff Intern Bluff Intern Copy Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Digital Intern Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Design Intern Cartoon Editor Cartoonist Cartoonist Cartoonist Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Photo Intern Photo Intern Video Coordinator Video Producer Video Producer Video Producer Video Intern Video Intern Video Intern Video Freelancer
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We are living in an America that is more divided than ever before. While the president and Republicans called their Democratic opponent in the 2016 election “crooked,” on the other side, liberals such as Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables.” King preached equality and inclusion, and one of his most famous quotes was “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Is there a future where we can see eye to eye, where we approach one another with understanding instead of hate? As we took the day off on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, it is important we reflect on how we uphold such values in our everyday lives, as well as in our society, politically and socially. Our recent political divisions are becoming more hostile and polarized. Just this Monday, on Martin Luther King Day, thousands of gun rights supporters gathered in Richmond, Virginia to protest gun restrictions implemented by Democratic lawmakers earlier this month. The protests, while ultimately peaceful, stoked fears of violence similar to what happened in Charlottesville in 2017, when a neo-Nazi drove into a crowd, killing one person and injuring more than two dozen. While King lived in an arguably more divided America, political violence has increased in recent years. In 2019 alone, there were 418 mass shootings — more shootings than days in one year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Facts like this can make us question where our country
“What King said should hit home for us, regardless of political sides.”
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Charity isn’t anti-democratic Cristobal Spielmann
BUSINESS STAFF
is heading. A majority of U.S. adults support stricter gun control laws, according to a 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center. If both sides can find common ground, why aren’t we actively working towards this? We have lost our ability to have constructive and proactive conversations with those across the aisle from us. Regardless of different ideologies, political divisions should not turn sociological. Instead of debating options to solve issues such as gun control, sexual assault and climate change, these topics have become partisan issues. “I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love. This principle stands at the center of the cosmos,” King said. “All humanity is involved in a single process, and all men are brothers. To the degree that I harm my brother, no matter what he is doing to me, to that extent I am harming myself.” What King said should hit home for us, regardless of political sides. Listening and engaging with one another will not cause cultural extinction—it will enrich our cultures and communities. As members of a Jesuit university that “invites men and women diverse in talents, interests and cultural backgrounds to enrich our educational community and advance our mission,” we must open our minds to those who are different from us. Maybe spend the rest of the week talking to someone you disagree with in your classes or with whom you work, and instead of what you disagree with, find what you have in common. You might surprise yourself.
Board Editorial
I
f we want to tackle inequality, we need to pick better targets than the entire existence of charity. Lately, it’s become more mainstream to knock charity, particularly big philanthropy, as anti-democratic. In response to criticisms that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) hypothetical proposal to tax Bill Gates for $100 billion dollars would hinder worthwhile charitable causes, journalist Carlos Maza tweeted out, “Americans have zero control over how billionaires choose to spend their money dramatically reshaping the world.” Plenty of books have been written with this perspective in mind, from political theorist Rob Reich’s “Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better” to former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas’ “Winners Take All.” However, a lot of these criticisms seem simultaneously self-defeatist and over-reaching, especially when it comes to charity. There are many charitable organizations that do good work, including those led by the ultrarich. These include the efforts of the Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation, two of the best examples of charities that have major positive effects on the world that would get cut off if we eliminate all charity.
There are also ordinary acts of charity that people perform on a day to day basis that don’t have any dramatic consequences against democracy. Religions like Islam or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints incorporate charity as part of their faith and no one seems up in arms about that. Outside of faith or taxes, it’s your choice on how to spend your money; whether you donate to charity or not. It’s the same for the wealthy, albeit on a larger scale. Why should they be forced to spend their post-taxed money a specific way if real, positive change is happening where it previously wasn’t? After all, a lot of high-profile politicians in Congress and state governments (barring the obvious examples like Trump) are unapologetically wealthy. This includes Sen. Bernie Sanders, who
jokingly commented in April that he “didn’t know it was a crime” to write a book that made up most of his millionaire status, as reported by CNN. Why not give a voice to those who don’t get as many dollar votes, like the over 100 members of Congress with a negative net worth, according to Roll Call. This includes former 2020 presidential candidates like Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who was racked with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt, according to Market Watch. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the only non-billionaire or millionaire presidential candidate who attended LMU for the December presidential debate, even pointed out the hypocrisy of these misdirected attacks directly to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). See Charity | Page 4
Cartoon: Harrison Klein | Loyolan
Charity has been attacked as anti-democratic, but that isn’t the best way to look at it. When done well, charity can be a useful implementation of democratic values.
OPINION
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Should background be considered when evaluating art? Information compiled by Alyssa Story, Asst. Opinion editor
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As we approach Oscar season, film fans continue to raise important questions of diversity, quality and art. Notably, Stephen King, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member, tweeted about his perspective on the “diversity issue” in the nominations: "I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality." The Academy decides and votes on the people and projects that win Oscar awards. King's comment raises a polarizing question of quality and bias in the awards industry: should background be considered when evaluating art?
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Veronica Even if King's statement was insensitive to the lack of racial and gender diversity in Hollywood, his overarching claim stands. It would be an injustice both to the current nominees and to filmmakers of underrepresented backgrounds to use diversity as a criterion for the selection of Oscar nominees and winners. There is a clear lack of representation of America's population within the Academy; 89% of Oscar voters are white and 76% are men, according to a 2016 L.A. Times article, one of the most recent statistics. However, if the best films across the nation are being produced by white men, the world should know that. And if Hollywood is ashamed of the lack of diversity in its industry, it should address that issue rather than hide behind a diverse awards ceremony designed to save face. Furthermore, if underrepresented filmmakers were to be selected because of their minority status, that would diminish the merit awarded to their craft. Imagine if Bong Joon-ho, director of "Parasite," or Alfonso Cuarón, director of "Roma," were told that their recognition was partly due to the fact that they are not white Americans. It would be insulting, demeaning and limiting to all filmmakers who want to be recognized for their art, not for an identity they were born with. If Hollywood starts creating new pathways and incentives for people of all backgrounds to enter the world of film, we can hope for a near future where diversity on the awards stage represents the entire film industry and every Oscar winner feels that their trophy is truly earned. This is the opinion of Veronica Backer-Peral, a sophomore film and television production, history and computer science triple major from Pasadena, California. Tweet comments @LALoyolan or email editor@theloyolan.com.
Opinion Intern Veronica Backer-Peral and Assistant Opinion Editor Alyssa Story go head-to-head on this issue.
Alyssa While King’s perspective is positive in its intention to judge all art equally, it disregards the deeply rooted biases (conscious or unconscious) that sit at the core of many nomination and judgement committees. When it comes to the boards and committees that decide how to dole out nominations and awards, there needs to be an acknowledgement of the implications that come from having a lack of diversity, both in race and gender. Consider the voting pool for the Academy Awards. In 2016, after a 2012 report from the L.A. Times confirmed the lack of diversity in the organization, the Academy announced efforts to double the number of people of color and women by 2020. However, today only 16% of almost 9,000 members are people of color, and only 32% are women, according to the Oscars class of 2017. The lack of diversity means stories that are not about white men are inherently not valued as much. While this may not be a malicious attack on minority or women art and stories, the truth of the matter is people prefer stories that they feel they can relate to. To a white man, stories about women or people of color may not be as appealing. While the people who are judging films and television have a keen eye and should be trusted to decide what is worthy of awards, they also need to take an active role in checking their biases and making space for diverse films. This is the opinion of Alyssa Story, a freshman film, TV and media studies and journalism double major from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tweet comments @LALoyolan or email editor@theloyolan.com.
Graphic: Michaela Galeski | Loyolan
Charity is positive Charity from 3
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Let me reiterate that I don’t believe all billionaires or millionaires have a heart of gold. There are plenty of examples of the wealthy creating inequality and chaos on college campuses through charitable means. One of the most notable examples was the charity Key Worldwide Foundation, which played a major role in the USC admissions scandal last year, according to The Denver Post. There are also conservative and fossil-fuelfriendly organizations like Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which are loaded with millions of dollars from people like the Devoses and Bradleys, and in TPUSA’s case, actively influencing college elections sans student involvement. What we college students should pay attention to is transparency. How is our time and energy being used to actually solve the issues we care about? Those are close to the same questions many of us will be asking of political candidates when we step into a voting booth in the next few weeks. It’s the antithesis of anti-democratic behavior. This is the opinion of Cristobal Spielmann, a sophmore environmental science major from Brentwood, Tennessee. Tweet comments @LALoyolan, or email editor@theloyolan.com.
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Darn Things Kids SAy
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What it’s like living life as a vegan for a day This is a plant based day on the Bluff. Going vegan for any amount of time yields an array of results. Gabi Jeakle
Can See Ultraviolet Due to Veganism
Being a vegan in L.A. isn’t too difficult. It seems on every street corner there is a plant-based option for almost everything. Tacos, soul food, burgers, pasta. If you can dream it, it can be plant-based. And while much of the country has begun to come around to the trend, it appears LMU still has some work to do. For many students, avoiding animal-based products is just a fact of life. This week, the Bluff followed sophomore environmental science major Letty Sie, who has been living a plant-based life since high school. We wanted to see the ins and outs of
her day, and how a college student can balance this lifestyle. The morning begins with fruit from the Lair. “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it tastes like styrofoam, but it is ALWAYS free of animal product and that’s what matters.” Sie makes her way to class, callously knocking burgers and turkey sandwiches out of the hands of her carnivorous peers. Upon arriving, she breaks out a hardy snack of oats and nuts. “There’s a vegan bar, but you can only eat rice and potatoes for so long, you know?” On Tuesday nights, the “Sprouted” station at the lair becomes the Malone Market, at which point Sie turns to the salad bar. She piles her plate high with lettuce and …hummus, I guess? “I’m not entirely sure it’s lettuce. It might
straight up be a leaf … like from outside. But it’s bearable.” Veganism is more than a fad. It is a sustainable way of life that promises environmental prosperity. It is pretty much the most sure-fire way an individual can help the planet. “I actually started veganism cuz I needed something to write about on my college apps,” said Sie. “I’m a free-market capitalist, so the whole ‘environment’ angle wasn’t really a hook for me. #Weld2020!”
Interested in writing for The Bluff? Email: adaze@theloyolan.com
Cartoon: Sarah Cheung | Loyolan
Eating like a vegan is one thing but living like a vegan is another. Try photosynthesizing to make up for the loss of vitamin D in your diet.
Local film kid angry his film won’t win Oscar
Move over, Scorsese. There’s a new filmmaker in town, and he’s only taken one semester of intro film classes. Connor Rose Aspiring Filmmaker, Real Life Waiter
Cartoon: Camille Bautista | Loyolan
Tuve Boll often felt like the Academy was mocking him, knowing what a genius filmmaker he is, yet rejecting him out of jealousy.
With awards season upon us, the Academy Awards nominations led to a variety of reactions and criticisms. From the snubbing of Adam Sandler to the lack of female director nominations, many responded with negativity. None, however, had more negativity than one young student who felt personally snubbed by the Academy. Meet Tuve Boll, a film student with big goals (and an even bigger ego). In his short time enrolled in LMU’s film school, Boll has gained quite a reputation for letting his opinions be known inside and outside of the classroom. “Yeah, he kinda just says a lot of hot takes,” said Phil M. Maker, a fellow classmate.
“He keeps talking about how gems like ‘La La Land’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ are unappreciated. I don’t know, I think he’s just kinda being surface level about it all.” Boll typically likes to keep everyone in his sphere well aware of every film project he’s working on, posting on social media frequently about his presence on student film sets. When not on set, Boll can be found editing his passion projects rather than focusing on his actual classwork. “Yeah, he says, ‘They just don’t get it,’ when he’s called out for shirking responsibilities,” said Nai Eve, Boll’s roommate and aspiring screenwriter. “He
keeps saying this project he’s working on is a gamechanger.” At the end of the interview, Eve was wondering if we wanted to read a screenplay he’s been working on, swearing it’s super good. Boll’s current project is the reason for his disdain toward the Academy Awards, because he emailed the Academy an early draft of the film with the subject line “For your consideration.” Shockingly, when the nomination list came out, his film was nowhere to be seen. “His reaction to the list was … passionate” said Cam Raman, his freshman year film professor. “A lot of words were said by him, calling the Academy a lot
of harsh things.” To add on, Raman claims that Boll said the Academy is “jealous of his creativity.” “He’s a good kid with a lot of talent,” continued Raman, “but he just needs to keep his mouth shut and stop acting like he has a profound knowledge about the inner workings of the film industry after one semester of film classes.” Despite the Bluff reaching out for an interview, Boll declined to take us up on it. Instead, he forwarded a link to his YouTube channel, which features various opinionated film essay videos.
The Bluff is a humorous and satirical section published in the Loyolan. All quotes attributed to real figures are completely fabricated; persons otherwise mentioned are completely fictional.
life+arts
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Del Rey Players create new show in 24 hours Magical Michael
Michael Carandang Life+Arts Intern @laloyolan
E
ight students volunteered to write and perform a 30-minute play from scratch in 24 hours. The event required the actors to fulfill a multitude of roles such as script writing, directing, stage managing, acting and more. Everything from the seat placement to lighting was managed by the performers. In the end, the finished play, called “Eat Alone,” was a romantic comedy about mobsters. The play was set in New Jersey between the Italian Russo crime family, their maid, a member of the DiCaprio crime family (who used to be rivals of the Russos) and the main love interest, Kate. The cast of “Eat Alone” started working on the play at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 and performed at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 at The Del Rey Players (DRP) theater. Senior theatre arts major Juan Bernal, who is DRP's master electrician, helped supervise the 24 hour play. “It’s an interesting exercise. The hard thing about acting and drama is that a lot of times, especially for an actor, it's hard to step back and look at the work you’re making,” Bernal said. Every hour starting from 8 p.m. on Friday to 2 a.m. on Saturday, the actors were given a random challenge to incorporate to put into their play. Two of the six tasks they received were, “use the word 'pumpernickel' three times throughout the show (but not Photo: Annie Kapila and Michael Carandang | Loyolan consecutively),” and "there must be five The Russo family shares a meal (top), goes on a long drive (bottom left), and Erica, the maid, confronts her father (bottom right). Students stayed up all night creating this original show. snaps in the show — no more, no less.”
“I don’t envy them because it’s hard. These guys have the courage to say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go in and spend 24 hours after a whole day of school and then just go for it.’ That’s crazy to me ... that they’ve got the whole process lined out," praised Bernal. The play focused on the dynamics between Salvatore Russo and his son, Dominic Russo. In "Eat Alone," there is conflict as Dominic pursues his passion for poetry and his romantic relationship with Kate, a strong, independent poet. Additionally, there’s a subplot of the maid, Erica, trying to be acknowledged as Salvatore’s illegitimate daughter. Other characters such as mobster Gina DiCaprio, who is Dominic's potential fiancée, and Tony, Dominic’s dimwitted brother, played a role in setting up interesting twists. Chloe Fehr, a freshman theatre arts major in the audience, said that “Collin’s character, Tony, had these hilarious bits in the background and added a comedic effect” to the overall romantic plot. The play ended with Salvatore accepting Dominic as a poet and Gina and Erica's romantic relationship. Erica was accepted as part of the Russo family and Dominic got together with Kate. Layla Rainosek and Lindsay Howard, both freshmen theatre arts majors, discussed the plot, stating, “I thought it was sweet [and] cute, and its message was [to be] accepting of who you are." Senior marketing major Elissa Pierce mentioned, "It has a touching message and they did a good job of balancing the play so it’s about 25 minutes." The show was well received by the audience, with lots of applause and congratulations given to the actors after the show.
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editor’s pick eSports arena opening in Burns EDQ
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Photos: JP Shannon | Loyolan
The LMU Gaming Center, a new arena in Burns Recreation Center focused on eSports (or electronic sports), will open to students this semester. The room will be on the first floor of the building, across from the basketball court and weight room. The arena has been in development since last semester, with the LMU eSports Club strongly advocating for the space.
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SPORTS
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Women’s water polo returns to action Lions open the new season ranked No. 12 in the nation. Nick Rossi
Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan
This past weekend, the LMU’s women’s water polo team kicked off their season with an appearance at the Rainbow Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. The tournament represents the first step to what will be a packed season for the team. Including this past weekend’s action, the Lions’ campaign kicks off with six tournaments on the road. The first two months of the season will be spent traveling across Southern California competing on the road. LMU will not play its first home game until March 20, when the Lions host a tournament of their own. The women enter the season ranked No. 12 in the nation as polled by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. Although the team is ranked highly, their schedule will not be easy as they compete in a stacked Golden Coast Conference (GCC). Of the eight teams in the GCC, five of them are ranked within the nation’s top 25, according to the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s
in the GCC Championship lead to a place in the competition’s all-tournament team along with Vilanova. Despite these losses to the team, the Lions are returning one of the school’s best players to their roster — Marialena Seletopoulou. Having only played two seasons of collegiate water polo so far, Seletopoulou has already compiled quite the resume. Originally from Athens, Greece, the junior attacker transferred into LMU last year from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. In her only year at Saint Francis, Seletopoulou scored 110 goals and became the school’s first ever women’s via LMU Athletics water polo All-American. The women’s water polo team huddles poolside in support of one another. The Lions began their 2020 season Seletopoulou’s first season on at the Rainbow Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii, this past weekend. the Bluff followed suit. The preseason poll. The University to Pacific’s seven. Fresno, San opponent. If this year plays out attacker scored 79 goals, the of the Pacific tops out this Diego, and Azusa Pacific were as expected, the two will meet highest figure of any player in bunch, coming into the season predicted to round out the once again to play for their the GCC. Her impressive run as the country’s No. 9 program. conference’s top five. conference’s title. of performances earned an AllFollowing them is LMU at No. The biggest hurdle standing Heading into this season, American honorable mention 12 and Fresno State University in the way of a Lion conference the Lions will be without and the GCC Newcomer of the at No. 14. Finishing this group championship will certainly be two of their star players from Year award. is San Diego State University the Tigers of the Pacific. LMU last season. All-American This year, the Lions will rely at No. 19 and Azusa Pacific has lost conference title games Hana Vilanova and honorable on Seletopoulou to replicate University at No. 25. to its Northern California mention Morgan Malloy her success of last season and The coaches’ preseason rival for the past two seasons. graduated following last season. lead their line of attack. poll of the GCC mirrors Last year’s GCC title game The decorated pair combined The team will resume the national ranking. The in Fresno came down to a to score 122 goals last season. action with a tournament University of the Pacific was matchup between the two Last year’s senior goalkeeper at Cal Baptist University predicted to finish first in the quality programs. The Tigers Sky Flores will be another this weekend, playing both conference, followed by LMU held a lead for the majority of significant loss to the squad. Pomona-Pitzer College and in second. The Lions received the match as LMU struggled Flores was a consistent starter Chapman University on one first-place vote compared to assert themselves over their in goal in 2019 and her heroics Saturday, Jan. 25.
SCORES UPDATE W. Water Polo
8-6 L
vs. Fresno State
LION
5-2 W
M. Tennis
vs. Santa Clara
M. Basketball M. Tennis
W W W. L A L O Y O L A N . C O M
61-53 L
SPORTS
SPORTS
at San Francisco 4-3 W vs. San Francisco
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January 22, 2020
Page 12
Men's tennis hopes hard work pays off Competitiveness and endurance will be crucial to the Lions' upcoming season. Alex Hutton
Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan
The 2020 LMU men’s tennis season is underway, and the players and coaches are hoping to use a strong ending to the 2019 slate as momentum going forward. “Last season, we peaked at the very end,” said junior co-captain Diego Nava. “I think if we can put more effort on the practice court, we can peak a little bit earlier and maintain that level throughout the season.” In 2019, the Lions struggled to open the year, winning just two of their first 11 matches. They were better in conference play, where they posted a 5-4 record, but ultimately finished 8-15 on the season. In an attempt to get the team off to a better start, seventh-year head coach Tom Lloyd scheduled some practices prior to the beginning of school, rather than having practices and classes start simultaneously. “That means we got to do a full week of practice with no classes,” Lloyd said. “We got to just focus on tennis and our strength and conditioning for an entire week.” Sophomore Thien Nguyen noted that the conditioning work has already paid dividends. “The things that we were working on in the fall and the beginning of the
Photo: JP Shannon | Loyolan
Thien Nguyen (left) and Diego Nava prepare to return a shot against San Francisco on Jan. 18. They have served as LMU's top doubles team thus far in the season.
year [have] helped me a lot,” he said. “Last season, I kind of struggled when [matches] went three sets.” The practice calendar is not the only thing that has changed. The roster has 13 players, a high number for a college team and an increase from 10 last year. Of those 13, five are new to the Bluff. Two of them, freshman John Bryan Otico and junior transfer Alex Rushin, will not play competitively this season per Lloyd, but all five can be important to the team whether on or off the court. “[They’re] all big additions and they all serve their own part,” Lloyd said. Out of the new players, sophomore Keenan Mayo, a transfer from the University of Illinois, has made the
biggest on-court impact thus far. As he adjusts to playing at a new school, Mayo has been placed in the top singles slot and impressed Lloyd with his performance. Mayo and the rest of the new players are helping to make up for the loss of two key players to graduation. Last season, Lukas Moenter reached the highest national ranking ever for a Lions singles player, while Nick Borchenko and his doubles partner Nava earned the alltime best ranking for an LMU doubles team. Although both were integral to Lions teams of the past, Lloyd believes he has a system that will fill the void that their absence creates. “The culture is what keeps the guys together and it keeps the team moving
forward,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to have [other players] move into those roles at the top of the lineup.” Nava has found himself adjusting without his main doubles partner from last year. In season-opening matches against San Francisco and Santa Clara on Jan. 18 and 19 respectively, he was paired with Nguyen and the two served as the top doubles team on both occasions. Nava mentioned that Nguyen plays a less aggressive style than Borchenko and praised Nguyen’s intensity. “Thien brings an energy that really helps me just compete and stay in the match,” Nava said. “It’s really helpful to have that energy.” Nguyen added that he is looking forward to a partnership with Nava. "It will take a lot of time [to build] chemistry on and off the court,” Nguyen said. “But the way we are [playing] now and the way the team is functioning, I think we’re in a good [place].” Nguyen and Nava split their two doubles contests, but the overall result was positive for the team as a whole, as the Lions won both matches. Lloyd hopes that the outcomes will remind the team about the importance of competing in every match. “You can always compete and you can always fight,” he said. “Each guy better be fighting and pulling for the guys next to him until the last ball is struck.” The Lions next play on Saturday, Feb. 1, when they host UC Santa Barbara.
Beach volleyball preps for spring season The team hopes to repeat as conference champions and qualify for Nationals. Jameson O'Neil Asst. Sports Editor @LALoyolan
Coming off their first conference title in program history, the LMU beach volleyball team will look to meet and surpass last year’s success in 2020. Last season, the Lions recorded a number of feats; in addition to defeating the No. 1 seeded Pepperdine Waves to win the West Coast Conference (WCC) Championships, the program also earned their best ever regular season record at 22-10, earning them the No. 2 seed in the seven-team tournament. Overall, the team went 9-2 versus conference opponents over the course of the season. Yet despite their success, last year’s squad was not picked by the NCAA Beach Volleyball Committee as one of the top eight teams to compete at the 2019 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
This year, the Lions hope to change that. “We want to end up at the national championships,” said senior Savannah Slattery. “Going to Gulf Shores is the next big goal. The team expects and wants to win conference again, because we’re the same— if not better—than last year. Then our ultimate goal is to get to [the national championships] and make a run.” This year, the Lions were ranked No. 8 in the nation in DiG Magazine’s preseason poll, and will need to stay within the top eight by the end of the season in order to achieve their goal of heading south for the national tournament. To qualify for the NCAA tournament, however, the team must perform strongly in latematch situations if they hope to advance to the national stage, noted Slattery. “I remember last season [there were] a lot of really big [matches] that kept us from going to Gulf Shores,” Slattery said. “We lost [some matches] by a couple points or one game, and it was a lot of close matches. That's something I think we need to improve this year —
Photo via LMU Marketing and Communications
Current senior Savannah Slattery (3) passes to senior teammate Bo Culo (23) in a 2019 match. The two will lead the team in 2020.
really closing out games, and getting those wins on those really tough teams to help our chances of going to [nationals].” The team returns all but one of its players from last season and will be led by fifthyear head coach John Mayer.
Senior Jessie Prichard credits Mayer and the coaching staff with helping her and her teammates improve significantly over the years. “Our immense success last year in winning the WCC title came from our coaches,” said
Prichard. “Their belief in the program and in us as players is unbeatable. Our team plays for each other,” she said. Slattery noted that the team’s depth and ability to work as a group was also a key factor in their success last season and contributed to their high preseason ranking this season. “Because each individual team has an importance and each win counts, having a lot of depth to our team and [having] everyone committed to one goal really [allows] us to play hard,” said Slattery. Ultimately, Prichard credits the team’s grand achievements to the culture created within the program. “Our team has a culture that we have built for many years through past seasons,” said the senior. “On our team, one person is not valued over another according to skill or age. We are all equals and work for the same goal, doing everything in our power to put us in the best position to win.” The Lions will begin their journey with their season opener on Feb. 20 at UCLA, where they will face the defending national champion Bruins.