SPRING 2011-Spring Update

-Track & Field Qualifiers List

-Softball Cougar Clash Recap

-Full Season Scoreboard

-Message from the AD

Message from the Athletic Director

Spring Season in Full SwingBaseball, Softball, Golf, Track & Field Preparing for Post-Season

After a fall season highlighted by women’s cross-country bringing the University its second-straight national title, the spring has already provided its share of memorable moments.

The success actually began in the winter season, with Coach Steve Scott’s Indoor Track & Field team making its presence felt at Nationals. As the only member of the men’s team competing, senior Brett Campfield carried the load by himself,

individual title at that event, highlighting a great season for her thus far. The #16-ranked Cougars most recently finished 11th in an almost-exclusively NCAA field of 22 teams at the Lady Otter Invitational, and will look to carry that momentum to the post-season.

Staying on the links, Coach Greg Hutton’s men’s golf team has found its way back into the rankings and is poised for a post-season run of

taking third in the 1,000-meter run, then staging a furious comeback in the final few hundred meters of the mile to place second in that event. Campfield earned All-American status in both, and remarkably earned the CSUSM men’s team 17th place.

As for the outdoor season, Coach Scott’s squad already has 14 athletes qualified for May’s National Championships. Headlining the list are

its own. The squad debuted at #23 in the rankings this spring on the strength of some strong finishes, including second place at the Cougar Invitational, fourth at Bakersfield, and most recently seventh at the CBU Spring Break Intercollegiate in Primm, NV. The squad is now preparing for the regional championships in Houston.

Finally, despite having only five

distance runners Suzanne Cornwell (ranked #2 in the 5K) and Jen Albright (ranked #2 in the 10K), hurdler Amber Rosario (ranked #4 in both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles), and Campfield (ranked #2 in the 800-meter run).

A year after CSUSM Softball Field opened, it was baseball’s turn in 2011. On January 29,

returning players from last season’s conference championship-winning team, CSUSM Softball has not missed a beat. Coach Dave Williams’ young and fast team debuted in the spring rankings at a program-best #4 in the nation, and has accumulated a 28-5 record thus far that includes wins over defending NCAA Division II national champion Hawaii Pacific and current NAIA #1 Cal Baptist. All-American pitcher Brenna Sandberg (24-4, 1.09 ERA, 233K and 24 BB in 167 IP) is the backbone, as always, but an offense that’s collectively batting .336 with 95 stolen bases makes this year’s team uniquely dangerous.

This year, Cougar fans will have a chance to watch post-season softball in person, as Cal State San Marcos will play host to the A.I.I. Championship starting May 5.

Be sure to follow your favorite teams online at www.csusmcougars.com!

Ways to follow your CSUSM Cougars

Website: www.csusmcougars.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/csusmcougarsFacebook: Search Facebook for “CSUSM Cougars”

2011, CSUSM Baseball Field officially opened, providing the team with an on-campus home. Coach Dennis Pugh’s Cougars won that opening game in dramatic walk-off fashion, and has an 18-12 record so far, led by a pitching staff that’s currently posting the best team ERA in the program’s five-year history.

Coach Cindy Naval’s women’s golf team has had a fantastic spring, and is now preparing for the A.I.I. Championship Tournament in Houston. The squad won its first tournament title since 2008, finishing first at its home tournament, the Lady Cougar Invitational. Linnel DeVilla won the

March Madness – what a great time of the year!

A year from now will be even better, as CSUSM will be part of March Madness with the Men’s & Women’s Basketball programs beginning play for the first time next season, competing as NAIA independents.

It is exciting to think about these two programs, and Women’s Volleyball , starting play next year. The coaches are recruiting some great players, schedules are almost complete and preparations for a home venue are being finalized. We can’t wait to hit the floor!

In the meantime, our current spring programs are once again having outstanding seasons. Right now, our Softball team is ranked #4 in the nation, the Men’s Golf team is ranked #23 and the Women’s Golf team is ranked #16 . The Baseball team is 18-12 and also receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. Both track teams continue to have outstanding performances in numerous events.

These teams’ conference and national championships will be occurring soon. While many teams will have to hit the road, CSUSM will play host to the A.I.I. Softball Tournament on campus May 5-7. The winner of this tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Softball Championship. I hope you will be able to attend this event at our new softball field.

Also, mark your calendar for April 28 for the 2nd Annual Student Athlete Awards & Hall of Fame Banquet. For the first time, we will be inducting members into the new CSUSM Athletic Hall of Fame. For ticket information call the Athletics’ office.

This is truly an exciting time for Cougar Athletics. And it will only get better as we move forward.

Tom SeitzDirector of Athletics

by Kyle Trembley

BaseballOverall: 18-12

1/28 Vanguard 8-7 W 1/29 @Vanguard 1-2 L, 7-2 W 2/1 Point Loma 7-0 W 2/4 @SD Christian 13-4 W 2/5 SD Christian 5-3 W, 8-7 W 2/11 Cal Baptist 0-2 L 2/12 @Cal Baptist 3-4 L, 9-10 L 2/15 @Point Loma 1-4 L 2/18 Azusa Pacific 3-1 W 2/21 @Azusa Pacific 2-3 L 2/25 La Sierra 13-3 W, 9-1 W 2/28 Biola 2-8 L 3/1 @ SD Christian 6-5 W 3/5 @CSUSB 6-5 W, 3-8 L 3/7 Concordia 3-6 L 3/8 SD Christian 7-2 W 3/11 La Sierra 6-1 W 3/14 @Biola 12-11 W 3/19 Sioux Falls 13-7 W, 2-6 L 3/23 Sioux Falls 6-7 L 3/26 AZ Christian 1-6 L, 11-2 W, 15-9 W 3/28 Concordia 13-9 W

SoftballOverall: 28-5, Ranked #4

1/28 @Vanguard 4-0 W2/5 CSU Stanislaus 1-0 W 2/5 Dominican 15-1 W 2/6 San Francisco State 5-1 W 2/6 Sonoma State 0-8 L2/9 @Hawaii Pacific 0-1 L, 4-3 W 2/12 @Chaminade 1-0 W 2/19 @Redlands 2-5 L, 19-15 W 2/21 Mayville State 10-0 W, 17-1 W3/1 Cal Baptist 1-0 W, 0-7 L 3/5 @Biola 11-0 W, 6-2 W 3/6 @La Sierra 10-0 W, 6-1 W3/8 Bethany 11-3 W, 9-0 W 3/9 La Verne 8-0 W, 4-1 W

CSUSM Cougar Clash (March 11 - 17 @ CSUSM) www.csusmcougars.com/cougarclash

www.csusmcougars.comFor the most up-to-date news and results for all your Cougar teams

Thank you to our sponsors:

All-American pitcher Brenna Sandberg (left) has keyed softball’s rise to a program-best #4 national ranking, while golfer Linnel DeVilla (right) won the Lady Cougar Invitational and helped her team take home the title.

Track & Field Nationals QualifiersPlenty of CSUSM track & field athletes have already met the qualifying standards to earn a trip to May’s NAIA National Championships. Meeting the “A” stan-dard guarantees an athlete a spot in the field, while the “B” standard leaves it to the coaches’ discretion. Below are athletes who have already qualified:

CSUSM Baseball Field OpensJanuary 29, 2011 marked the opening of CSUSM Baseball Field, and it was a day that neither the players or the over-1,000 fans in attendance will forget. As if the festivities and beautiful field were not enough, the day was capped off with a four-run ninth inning comeback by the home team, with senior Johnny Omahen delivering the game-winning base hit with two outs in the ninth.

Cougar Clash Tournament RecapCal State San Marcos served host to its first-ever on-campus softball tournament in March, with teams coming in from New York, British Columbia, and North Dakota to compete at the first annual Cougar Clash. CSUSM put on a show on the field, going 10-1 in its games. The event serves as a warm-up to the A.I.I. Conference Championship, which CSUSM will host from May 5-May 7.

Amber Rosario (100H, 400H, 4x400)Suzanne Cornwell (5K)Jessica Sandoval (5K, 10K)Brett Campfield (1500, 800) Jen Albright (Marathon, 10K)Cassidy Reich (Marathon) Claire Hauo (Marathon)Michelle Cruz (4x400)Brianna Gibas (4x400)

Kelly Skvarna (Heptathlon)*Dan Lyon (Steeplechase - B)Jonathan Alpizar (Steeplechase - B)Western Nelson (5K - B)Yachi Fails (Long Jump - B)

*The top-16 Heptathlon perform-ers at the end of the season go to Nationals.

Women’s GolfRanked #16

2/21 - 2/22 @ Pala Mesa Invitational-Team: 3rd place (8 teams); Individual: Lisa Copeland (7th)

2/28 - 3/1 @ Lady Cougar Invitational-Team: 1st place (8 teams); Individual: Linnel DeVilla (1st)

3/21 - 3/22 @ CBU Spring Break Intercollegiate-Team: 8th place (12 teams); Individual: Linnel DeVilla (T8th)

3/24 - 3/25 @ Lamkin Grip/Cal Poly Challenge-Team: 7th place (9 teams); Individual: Lisa Copeland (T21st)

3/28 - 3/29 @ Lady Otter Spring Invitational-Team: 11th place (22 teams); Individual: Linnel DeVilla (T11th)

Men’s GolfRanked #23

2/7 - 2/8 @ Cougar Invitational-Team: 2nd place (15 teams); Individual: Adam Loran (T4th)

2/14 - 2/15 @ Bakersfield Invitational-Team: 4th place (11 teams); Individual: Adam Loran (T15th)

3/7 - 3/8 @ SMEE Builders Invitational-Team: T6th place (15 teams); Individual: Kevin Ruby (T11th)

3/14 - 3/15 @ San Diego Intercollegiate Classic-Team: 11th place (12 teams); Individual: Robert Nicanor (T34th)

3/21 - 3/22 @ CBU Spring Break Intercollegiate-Team: 7th place (16 teams); Individual: Adam Loran/Robert Nicanor (T24th)

Track & Field2/5 NAU Indoor Invitational2/12 APU Indoor Invitational2/19 NAU Indoor Invitational2/19 APU Indoor Invitational2/28 Rossi Relays3/3-3/5 NAIA Indoor National Championships3/5 City Invitational3/11 Occidental Distance Carnival3/12 Point Loma Invitational3/19 Point Loma Invitational3/26-27 Cal/Nevada Invitational

Records Set: Yachi Fails (Long Jump), Marissa Daly (High Jump), Heptathlon (Kelly Skvarna)

(See left bar for a list of Nationals Qualifiers)