Pioneer Points
Director of Athletics Debby De Angelis.
- July 31, 2012
It’s hard to believe we’re just weeks away from our first events of the 2012-13 season but here we are already in August. The excitement for our new season is definitely building, especially with our annual golf tournament and dinner approaching and following the announcement of several academic honors for our student-athletes for their efforts during last season.
The will be held Monday, Aug. 20 at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward. The annual fundraiser tournament and dinner benefits the Richard and Susan Sherratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment which provides funding for athletic scholarships for Pioneer student-athletes. As we enter our second year as a full member in Division II, proceeds from the tournament will help the Pioneer coaches and student-athletes build on the successes of last season.
Registration will include a full day of golf with a cart, a box lunch, access to the driving range, a Hole-in-One contest, followed by a dinner and awards reception, including a raffle and silent auction, all benefiting the athletic scholarship endowment. More details about the tournament schedule, entry fees and contests, as well as an online registration form, are available on the Athletics Department . Join us for a great day of golf and fun, while supporting 麻豆传媒社区入口 Athletics and Pioneer student-athletes!
Among the many successes we’ve experienced this year are the impressive results in the classroom. During the month of July, the academic awards rolled in for our student-athletes and teams like never before. First and foremost, we had an unprecedented 43 student-athletes collect California Collegiate Athletic (CCAA) Association All-Academic honors, nearly doubling last year's total and placing representatives from 11 of our 12 CCAA-sponsored sports on the list. Eight teams had at least three student-athletes earn CCAA All-Academic recognition, led by women’s soccer’s eight honorees.
To be eligible for CCAA All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have earned a varsity letter, have competed in one of the CCAA's 13 sponsored sports and have a grade point average of 3.4 or higher while completing a minimum of 24 semester or 36 quarter units during the current academic year.
In addition to having six players collect CCAA All-Academic honors, the women’s basketball team also earned a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Academic Top 25 Honor Roll. After finishing the 2011-12 campaign with a 3.43 team grade point average, the team ranked among the best in Division II in the classroom, joining 25 other institutions on the list. Already a great honor, the team was also one of just three West Region squads to earn a spot on the honor roll and the only CCAA team to collect the honors.
The academic awards didn’t end there, either, as both women’s swimming and men’s golf were honored recently. Junior Chris Herzog, who was the Pioneer Male Athlete of the Year, was named as a Golf Coaches Association of America All-America Scholar, joining 51 other Division II athletes on the list after garnering a 3.86 GPA. Meanwhile, Rachel Knowles and Jenel Lopez, who helped the swim team earn a program-best fifth-place finish at PCSC Championships this year, both collected College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division II Scholar All-America Honorable Mention honors.
For the fifth straight year the water polo team had six players – Claire Pierce, Julia Charlesworth, Marrina Nation, Ariel Noriega, Jayme Pekarske and Meaghan Paschall – all earn Western Water Polo Association All-Academic honors for their work in the classroom. The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches also recognized Pierce, Charlesworth and Nation with All-Academic nods, marking the 10th straight year that the Pioneers have placed players on the list. All in all, our student-athletes averaged a 3.43 GPA and we can’t wait to continue that success in the upcoming season.
Things are set to get underway for the 2012-13 campaign in about four weeks. We’ll kick off the regular season when men's soccer plays host to Colorado Springs on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium. The opening weekend action continues when women's soccer kicks off the season on Friday, Aug. 31 against Pacific College, also at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium. Although the volleyball team will start the season on the road at the Nanook Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, you can also catch the cross country team’s opener on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9:30 a.m. in Golden Gate Park for the USF Invitational.
We hope to see you out on the golf course and in the stands as we start what I’m sure will be another exciting and successful fall season.
Go Pioneers!