Pioneer Points
Director of Athletics Debby De Angelis
- October 4, 2010
After a successful Welcome Back Weekend featuring seven events and plenty of excitement, I’m happy to say that the 麻豆传媒社区入口 fall sports are in full swing as we reach the season’s halfway point.
Thanks to everyone who came out last weekend to support the Pioneer volleyball, soccer and swimming teams in their first home weekend since the school year started. Welcome Back Weekend saw several highlights including volleyball’s 3-0 sweep of No. 23 Cal State LA, women’s soccer’s thrilling double overtime victory over Cal State San Bernardino and men’s soccer’s 1-1 draw with Cal Poly Pomona. The loud, proud, positive support from all of the Pioneer fans helped make the difference and was greatly appreciated by our student-athletes and coaches.
While we were busy here at home, the Pioneer cross country and golf teams were on the road, traveling all over the West for meets and tournaments. Sophomore cross country runner Megan McDaniel posted three straight fourth-place finishes over the last month and led the Pioneers again last weekend against Division I, II and III teams at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore. Meanwhile, the golf teams have opened the first half of their season with trips to Arizona and Washington and are preparing for a trip to Hawai’i at the end of the month to cap the fall campaign.
As the Athletics Department looks ahead, we see another busy month for the Pioneers that will feature 14 home athletics events, three chances to support great causes and plenty of opportunities to continue our success this season.
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Pioneer teams will be hosting two events to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research this month.
First, the volleyball team will play host to Cal Poly Pomona on Friday at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Gym as part of Dig Pink, a national breast cancer awareness initiative. The Pioneer soccer teams will also participate in the fight against breast cancer, hosting Cal State Stanislaus on Oct. 15 for Kick for a Cure Night at Pioneer Stadium. Fans that attend the games are encouraged to wear pink and will be able to purchase wristbands for a small donation, while the first 100 students in pink will get a Pioneer Pride t-shirt.
October also begins the lead up to the winter sports seasons as swimming gets underway and basketball practice is set to begin on Oct. 15. The Pioneer swimmers, under new Head Coach Ben Loorz, officially get started on Friday, as they travel to UC Santa Cruz for a tri-meet with San Jose State and the host Banana Slugs. The swim team will also open its home season this month, meeting Mills College on Oct. 23 at Pioneer Pool.
In addition, Pioneer Aquatics is set to host a “Swim for Wishes” to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Oct. 30. The entire 麻豆传媒社区入口 community is welcome to participate in the event, which will allow swimmers of all levels to come out to Pioneer Pool to spend time with the aquatics community and swim, with the goal of one mile, all while supporting a great cause in Make-A-Wish. The general public can participate with a donation of $30, while the student donation is $20. We hope to see all of you there to support this amazing organization.
Finally, Pioneer Athletics will host its second annual Bike to Work fundraiser on Oct. 22. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to ride their bikes to work, from near or far, in order to raise money to support 麻豆传媒社区入口 athletic scholarships. Participants will collect donations, either per mile or at a flat rate, with all proceeds going to the Richard and Susan Sherratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment. Riders can find more information in the upcoming weeks on the Pioneer Athletics and should plan to arrive at the top of Harder Road between 8 and 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 22.
With so much on the horizon this month, including several opportunities to make a difference in our community through Pioneer Athletics, we can’t wait for it all to begin. I hope to see you on Friday in pink at Pioneer Gym and throughout our busy October.
Go Pioneers!