CR: You guys are coming off a pretty successful season with a good doubles run. You were able to get deep in the WCC before falling to a good team, Pepperdine. What are your thoughts on the season?

WS: This has been the most successful team effort in my career at USF. I think everyone had the right attitude from the beginning of the season. We all worked hard and really came together as a team, especially in the last few matches. We definitely had some chances to beat some highly ranked teams throughout the year and it was great to finally get that breakthrough win against Santa Clara in the conference tournament.

CR: Did you have any personal goals on the season that you accomplished? I know some people put their goals on the bathroom mirror or somewhere they always can see it. Do you do that?

WS: I personally did not have many “tangible result” kind of goals. I didn’t really approach the season with a certain number of wins I wanted, or an individual ranking. I was more concerned with trying to enjoy my last season and trying to have fun with it all before it was over.

CR: You walk off the court for good after 4 years at USF. Any plans to continue tennis in some shape or form beyond college?

WS: As far as competitive tennis goes, I think I am done, at least for a while. I don’t really have plans to play except for fun. I will be coaching and teaching some tennis this summer, but after that I am looking forward to doing something different, away from the tennis court.

CR: So I was curious as to how solo sports, such as golf and tennis, work as I’ve only played the majority team sports. Do you feed off of other peoples’ wins and losses or do you guys simply focused on your own match?

WS: I definitely think about my teammates and how they are doing during the match. It’s hard not to. Since we all play at the same time and four people have to win their individual match to get the team win, I am always hoping that they will win. With that said, it is a very different feeling than many team sports. It’s not like other sports where each person has a role as a goal scorer or defender or something like that. For each of us our role is to win our individual match. That can add some pressure especially when it comes down to your match and you are the last guy on the court and the outcome of your match decides if the team wins or loses.

CR: What’s the most fun you’ve had in your four years in the City? 

WS: I have always enjoyed the nightlife in SF. Its always fun to go out with the guys on the team and friends especially after a good win.

CR: What is your biggest regret?

WS: I think my biggest regret is with tennis. In my first couple of years I think I was often so overly concerned with winning and losing that I let that take away from actually enjoying the sport. There were times when this would lead to a lack of motivation and make me not want to play. If I could do it again I would try to approach it with the aim of enjoying the sport and not be so concerned with trying to win to keep a scholarship or please teammates or coaches.

CR: Some athletes will not even touch the humanities or sciences. Why as an athlete did you pick up a major that could take time away from tennis?

WS: I have always enjoyed history. It has been something I have found fascinating from a very young age. I first tried to do something with film and media studies, but I was not enjoying it so I went back to the subject that I had enjoyed forever. As far as it taking away time from tennis, that was never a really big concern. I knew that there was always going to be a practice time everyday and was more concerned about choosing a major that I liked and something I could excel in.

CR: What are the future plans?  

WS: I will be heading back home to New Orleans this summer to teach tennis. After that I am excited to be working with FEMA in disaster relief. I will be relocating to Vinton, Iowa to start the position in August. It is a very exciting opportunity to do something that I think will help a lot of people and give me a chance to create a new identity away from the tennis court, which had been such a big part of me for a long time.

CR: What do you want to say to people?

WS: I guess I want people to think of me as someone who played tennis, but not a tennis player. I want people to think tennis is a part of who I am, but not the whole thing. I want people to say that I tried to do the right things. I tried to be a good teammate and tried to help as many people I could. That’s really all I want people to talk about. As far as tennis I couldn’t care less if someone would say he was a good player or a bad player or anything in-between. I want people to talk about me for my deeds off the court.

At colleges around the country, there are thousands of talented soccer players who are not given a chance to play for their school’s team. Intramural soccer is always an option, but those who have a passion for the sport and the competition may find it too relaxed and unorganized. For people like this, club soccer is an ideal alternative, and at USF, it has been a way for many soccer enthusiasts to continue playing the sport at a high level.

Each semester, the USF club soccer team plays a 5-game season against schools such as Stanford, San Jose State, Cal Poly, UC Santa Cruz, and others. During the fall semester of 2012, the USF team was successful and finished with a 3-2 record. This semester, however, things did not go quite as smoothly, as many of the strongest players left the team comprised of mostly freshmen. As a result, the team struggled, managing one tie along with four losses on the season. Still, it was an enjoyable experience for the players, and they cherished the opportunity to have fun and play competitive soccer at the same time.

“I just love soccer; it’s my favorite sport,” freshman midfielder/striker Nick Barbarino said. “It was really good to play on a team, and we really bonded because it was mostly freshmen.”

One of the highlights of the fall semester for the team was a convincing 4-0 victory against San Jose State. Also, although the spring semester season could have gone better for the team, it was not without its own certain standout moments. In a recent matchup with Cal Poly, USF fought back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a draw on a goal from Barbarino in the final minutes.

“When we played San Jose State, it was probably the best game we’ve played as a team,” Barbarino said. “It was just pretty soccer, and it reminded me of the games back in high school. And then two weeks ago, we played Cal Poly with only ten men, and we were down 2-0 but we rallied to tie it with a few minutes to go. We really banded together as a team, and that was pretty impressive.”

The Cal Poly game was also a highlight for other members of the team. Freshman goalie/defender Sean Powell said that scoring the tying goal in that contest was his “most memorable moment” of the year.

While sports seasons are usually judged by wins and losses, records do not do justice to the fun that can be had by a team and the relationships that can be formed among teammates. For the USF team, there were many positive aspects of club soccer that did not involve the outcome of the games.

“The opportunity to travel around made it pretty fun,” Powell said. “It was just cool to travel and play against other schools.”

Along with traveling, there were many other notable in-game and practice moments that made club soccer worthwhile for the players.

“In the Cal Poly game, the ref was giving the other team constant calls,” Barbarino said. “My teammate didn’t understand why they were getting all the calls, so I told him, ‘because they’re the home team,’ and then the ref gave me a yellow card! He even came up to me and said, ‘I›ll make you a spectator.’”

When the players weren’t laughing over questionable yellow cards during games, they were spending time fooling around and getting to know each other better.

“All of the guys are really nice,” Powell said. “Practices were fun because we would always just hang out and joke around.”

Now that club soccer is done for the year, many of the players will go back to participating in recreational games and refining their skills for the next season. Although they will try to put the past season’s poor record out of their memory, there are plenty of shared experiences and overall good times on the soccer field that they won’t want to forget anytime soon. While it might not be as serious as Division 1 soccer, or as lighthearted as at the intramural level, club soccer is a great way for passionate soccer players to stay active, make new friends, and compete against skilled players from other schools. And, with a team mostly made up of promising freshmen, the USF club soccer team should be looking forward to a noticeable improvement next fall, as the players grow more accustomed to playing with each other and form bonds that will last through many eventful and exciting seasons in the years to come.

Setting the pace early in the doubles matches, Santa Clara’s John Lamble and Ilya Osintsev were able to break Bernardo Saraiva and Nils Skajaa’s five game match streak and defeat them 8-3 in the initial doubles match, pushing them to 15-3 in that category. At No. 2, the tandem of Santa Clara’s Matt Kecki and Tom Pham overpowered USF’s Thai Tu and Germain Bahri, winning 8-6 and wrapping up the doubles point for Santa Clara. In a cruel reversal of fortunes, the Broncos saw their five game doubles streak snap, while the Dons bid adieu to their 14 match win streak.

Finding themselves in a hole, the Dons slowly crept out with Bernardo Saraiva’s 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Ilya Osintsev, Germain Bahri’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 defeat of Eugene Muchynski and William Schumacher’s 6-4, 7-6 defeat of Tomasz Soltyka. The Dons were able to rally behind these singles victory and eventually evened the series at 3-3.  Saraiva’s straight set victory over Ilya Osintsev pushed his record to 14-2 in dual matches and helped set the tone for a much needed rally cry.

Coming down to the No. 3 singles match between USF’s Nils Skajaa and SCU’s Matt Kecki, the Broncos were able to hold on to the 4-3 final as Kecki defeat Skajaa 7-5, 4-6, and 6-4. Despite the loss to the No. 64 Broncos, the 10-7 Dons will have a chance to close the gap in the WCC race as they host the Portland Pilots and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Olympic Club on April 19 and 20.

After hundreds of punches were thrown, countless fights were completed, and resilient champions were crowned, the three long days of boxing at USF had come to an end, and regardless of the results, the university was proud to host this historic event.

On April 11, 12, and 13 the United States Intercollegiate Boxing (USIBA) First Annual National Championship took place at the Koret Center and War Memorial Gym. Schools from all around the country participated in the tournament, including Georgetown, North Carolina, Syracuse, Michigan, Miami (FL), West Virginia and more. The past weekend marked first time in history that a collegiate boxing tournament included championship fights for female boxers.

The first USIBA National Championship was fought by men and women aged 17 to 34. All contestants entered a specific weight class division, with the classes ranging from 106-201 pounds for men, and 106-178 for women. If more than eight contestants entered a division, the top eight competed in the National Championship Tournament Bracket, while the others placed into the National Invitational Tournament Bracket. All bouts, or fights, included three two-minute rounds. The boxers received a score for each individual round, and whoever had the highest score after three rounds won the bout.

Participating in the National Championship was the USF Boxing Team, which enjoyed an advantage in fan size and support.

“It is a great honor, especially since this is the first UNIBA tournament,” USF co-head coach Jay Gonzalez said of hosting the boxing event. “It shows that USF is trusted in a situation like this, and so far we’ve heard a lot of good feedback from people.”

On the women’s side of the tournament, the bouts were dominated by the United States Military Academy (USMA). The school from West Point, New York boasted champions in four different divisions and had so many contestants that multiple matches found USMA boxers fighting against each other. However, they would have had even more success if it was not for USF’s own  Adriana Bousalian, who defeated USMA’s Jocelyn Lewis to win the championship for the 119 weight class. Also winning a championship was North Carolina’s Michelle Kern, who beat Victoria Rao from USMA in the 125 weight class. Overall, it was a groundbreaking tournament for women’s boxing, as female boxers moved closer to achieving equal opportunity in the sport.

“The London Olympics last year were the first time that women’s boxing was recognized as an Olympic sport,” Gonzalez said. “So now, the next step is to recognize it at a college and club level, which is exactly what we are doing here.”

In the men’s championship, the winners were more evenly divided as boxers from many different schools took home titles. In the 125 weight class, UC Davis’ Mac Pham bested Shawn Sullivan of Virginia Military Institute, and Maryland’s Konrad Ptaszynski was victorious in a closely contested bout against Drew Chin from UC Davis. Other winners included Courtney Jackson of Miami over USC’s Aaron Goldwyn, in a physical bout filled with aggressive attacks.

For the USF Boxing Team, the USIBA National Championship offered a valuable learning experience. While Bousalian was the champion in her weight class and other USF boxers Jack Ryan, Connor Morgan, and Sebastian Doerner reached the championship for their class in the Novice, NIT, and Open Divisions, even the boxers who had less success left the tournament wiser and stronger. The National Championships gave the team a chance to compete against some of the best collegiate boxers in the country, and showed them what they needed to do to reach the top and develop their image as a winning program.

“Like any coach, I had very high expectations for my team going in,” Gonzalez said. “Some have risen to these expectations and some have fallen short, but that just means that there is room for improvement. I am still very proud that we had five different boxers who won fights and advanced.”

Now that the inaugural USIBA National Championship is over, the boxers will return to their respective schools, some with championship titles and some without. Either way, these three days of boxing set in place a new standard for collegiate boxing — one where participants from a diverse group of schools are given the chance to win at a national level, and one where women’s and men’s boxing are both viewed as equal.

It wasn’t easy, but the Dons pulled off a hard-fought, three-game sweep of the Santa Clara Broncos with all three wins coming in extra innings at Stephen Schott Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

With the sweep, USF improved to 20-15 overall (8-4 in the WCC) while Santa Clara fell to 9-24 (0-12 in the WCC). The Dons are tied for second place with Pepperdine (8-4), 1.5 games behind conference leader Gonzaga (11-4).

Sophomore outfielder Bradley Zimmer earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors thanks to his efforts against Santa Clara, in which he went 7-for-12 with two home runs, five RBI, five runs, five walks, a double, a stolen base, and an outfield assist. Zimmer is hitting .331 on the season with seven home runs and nine stolen bases.

Game One

USF came into the series with a three-game winning streak, their third such streak of the season. In two previous attempts, however, the Dons came up short in an effort to win their fourth straight.

That all changed on Friday. The Dons clawed back after falling behind 2-0 early. In the top of the sixth, USF loaded the bases with one out. Junior catcher Zachary Turner delivered a game-tying RBI single that notched the score at 2-2. After a strikeout from freshman outfielder Harrison Bruce, sophomore infielder Bob Cruikshank nearly broke the game open as he crushed the ball to center, but senior outfielder Matt Ozanne ran it down on the warning track with his back turned to the infield.

The score remained tied until the Dons pulled through in the 12^th inning. Following two hit batsmen, senior infielder Jason Mahood hit a two-out ground ball to shortstop that should have ended the inning. But Santa Clara senior infielder Justin Viele botched the throw, allowing sophomore pinch runner Jourdan Weiks to score from second, senior outfielder Justin Maffei to advance to third, and Mahood to advance to second. After Zimmer was intentionally walked to load the bases, Turner drew a walk that scored Maffei and gave the Dons a 4-2 lead.

Although he allowed a run in the bottom of the 10^th inning, senior right-hander Adam Cimber (2-1) sealed the win for the Dons. Cimber pitched the final 4.1 innings for the Dons, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out eight.

Redshirt junior right-hander Kenny Treadwell (1-1) took the loss for Santa Clara.

Redshirt junior right-hander Abe Bobb started the game for the Dons and pitched well, surrendering two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks over 7.1 innings.

“It was a hard-earned win tonight,” Head Coach Nino Giarratano said to USFDons.com. “We expected them to play well and they did. We made some mistakes early, and when we tied it their center fielder made a great play on the ball to center field.”

“We’ll take the win, they’re not easy to come by.”

Game Two

With a four-game winning streak finally in hand, the Dons sought to make it five in a row.

USF tallied 17 hits in the game, yet they were just 4-for-20 (.200) with runners in scoring position. Eventually, the Dons broke through and won the game 5-3 in extra innings.

Following one-out singles by Mahood and Zimmer in the top of the 13^th inning, Turner delivered a clutch RBI hit that gave the Dons a 4-3 lead. Cruikshank then delivered a doubled to left field that scored Zimmer and gave the Dons a 5-3 edge.

Senior pitcher Haden Hinkle (7-1) earned the win and finished off a strong 2.2 innings of work with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 13^th inning to seal the victory. Hinkle also worked out of a bases loaded, one-out situation in the bottom of the 12^th inning that kept the Dons alive.

In the third inning, Zimmer clubbed an opposite field home run that gave the Dons a 2-0 lead. The home run was Zimmer’s sixth of the season, good for second in the WCC. Zimmer also notched his fourth outfield assist in the game, cutting down Viele as he tried to advance from first to third on a single to right field in the fifth inning.

Junior right-hander Alex Balog started the game for the Dons and allowed three earned runs on 10 hits and two walks over 7+ innings. He hit a batter to open the eighth inning and was pulled for senior right-hander Andrew Pulido, who escaped a first and third, one out situation to keep the score tied.

With the win, the Dons improved to 8-3 in one-run games and 4-1 in extra innings.

Game Three

USF completed the three-game sweep with a 7-5, 10-inning victory over the Broncos on Sunday afternoon.

With the scored tied at five in the top of the tenth inning, the Dons looked poised to take the lead when they had runners on second and third with nobody out. But Treadwell, on the mound again for Santa Clara, had other ideas, striking out two batters. With the rally seeming squandered, junior infielder Josh Miller delivered a two-run double down the left field line that gave the Dons a 7-5 edge and an eventual sweep of the Broncos.

Redshirt senior left-hander Bob Mott (2-1) earned the win and finished off Santa Clara in the bottom of the tenth inning. Mott pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and two walks.

In the top of the first inning, after two quick outs, USF scored three runs on consecutive hits by Zimmer, Turner, senior outfielder Mitchell Rowan, and Miller.

In the top of the seventh inning, Zimmer blasted his seventh home run of the season (good for second in the WCC), which gave the Dons a 5-1 lead.

After two straight extra inning games, however, the USF bullpen looked taxed and could not hold the lead. Santa Clara tied the score with two runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth.

Luckily for USF, Miller’s tenth inning two-run double gave USF the lead and eventually the sweep.

Sophomore left-hander Christian Cecilio started for the Dons and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings.

“I thought Christian Cecilio was great, our bullpen was a little tired but we did what we needed to,” Giarratano said to USFDons.com. “Maybe we’re a little worn out, but all-in-all it’s a great win. Santa Clara is the best 0-12 conference team we’ve ever played, their will and desire to come back and fight is great, but you have to give a little credit to our guys. Zach, Bradley, and Josh came up with big hits late in the game and you have to be happy with our result.”

With the win, the Dons have won nine of their last ten games and are 10-0 in games started by Cecilio this season.

USF opens a three-game series against Loyola Marymount at 3 P.M. this Friday at Benedetti Diamond.

Michigan came out of the gate with a bang in the first half. Riding the hot hand of freshman guard Spike Albrecht, the Wolverines held a 12-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. Albrecht had 17 points and was 4-5 from three point land in the first half alone. However, with Michigan’s Player Of The Year sophomore guard Trey Burke on the sideline with foul trouble, the Cardinals came storming back and ended the half on a 14-2 run lead by junior forward Luke Hancock who hit four three pointers in a row.

The game remained close for much of the second half until another Hancock three pointer gave Louisville a ten point lead with three minutes to go. Michigan’s star studded backcourt of sophomore Tim Hardaway Jr. and Burke did their best to keep their team in the game but the Louisville defense held their ground. Despite shooting 52% for the game and 45% from behind the arc, Michigan could not overcome their deficit as the Cardinals made some key defensive stops down the stretch.  The Cardinals out rebounded the Wolverines 31-28 and shot an impressive 50% from the three-point line.

Louisville seemed on a mission after losing junior guard Kevin Ware to a horrific leg injury in the regional finals game versus Duke. Social media and brands everywhere took off with slogans such as “Win For Ware.” Ware’s replacement, Luke Hancock, stepped in admirably as he finished with 22 points while hitting all five of his three point shots. Hancock was named player of the tournament and a fitting ending came when Ware was the last person to cut the nets off, capping a fantastic and emotional season.

Women’s Game

The UConn Huskies blew out the Louisville Cardinals 93-60 to win their eighth national championship. The Huskies were lead by freshman Breanna Stewart who had 23 points, 18 of which were in the second half, to go along with nine rebounds.  The championship gave UConn head coach, Geno Auriemma, his eighth championship in eight tries, which tied him with legendary women’s coach Pat Summitt.

“The only person I compare myself to is Pat Summitt and to be there in that spot with her means a lot to me,” Auriemma said. “The fact that I tied Pat Summitt’s record puts you in the category of the greatest women’s basketball coach that ever lived.” – via ESPN

UConn has been known as a powerhouse over the past decade putting out players such as WNBA All-stars Dianna Turasi and Maya Moore. UConn had been facing stiff competition in recent years from programs such as Baylor, which boasted the best player in the NCAA in Brittany Griner, and Stanford, which snapped UConn’s 108 game winning streak. The win gave UConn their fifth championship in 10 years.

UConn trailed early but a 19-0 run put them up 29-16 and the lady Huskies never looked back. The huskies held the Cardinals to 31% shooting and outrebounded them 43-22. Meanwhile, the Huskies shot an impressive 53% from the field and 50% from the three-point line.

The Huskies simply outplayed the Cardinals who were looking to become the second team to win both the Men and Women’s Basketball National Championships in the same year. The only other team to accomplish this feat was their opponent, the UConn Huskies back in 2004. The Huskies hope to carry their momentum into the next season and should be favorites to win the tournament again as long as Geno Auriemma is coaching.

Gold isn’t just a color that shows spirit for our Dons and our 49ers here in SF, it’s also The City’s Bike Friendly Award level—that’s right, San Francisco is the gold standard in cycling camaraderie, according to The League of American Bicyclists. Five USF seniors are working towards furthering the cycling culture of San Francisco through their brand new Upward Bound Cycling Class for local high school students.

For their environmental studies capstone class project, seniors Tessa Farbstein, Tyler Doo, Alycia Cox, Sara Cortese and Daniel Dayani are collaborating with Upward Bound, a support program for low-income, first generation college bound students, and the SF Bike Coalition, a local non-profit promoting bicycle transportation, to teach the four-week-long class. At the end of the four weeks, each of the nine students will receive a free, freshly repaired bicycle, donated by the SF Bike Coalition.

“It’s a pretty neat bringing together of Upward Bound, USF students, and the SF Bike Coalition — it’s just this incredible mesh of groups that are coming together to make this course happen,” Farbstein said.

A big focus of the course, which runs from 9:30-12:30 on Saturday mornings, is on bicycle safety, but the curriculum is fairly interdisciplinary. Along with safety, the students will learn about the history of bicycling, bike parts, basic repair skills, economic aspects of cycling, environmental impacts, and more.

“It’s a very broad spectrum of bicycling,” Farbstein said.

To put it simply, the main idea is to convey the benefits of cycling to the 15-18-year-old young adults. The students are allowed to enroll in the cycling course, rather than a more academically focused course, due to their high achievement levels in school. The instructors want to help the students find the joy in cycling and maybe even inspire a lifelong dedication to the sport slash mode of transportation.

“Two years ago when I moved to the city, that’s when I started riding a lot. And I remember how scary and intimidating it can be riding in the city and that can definitely be a deterrent for people. I just want to tell people how fun it is and how useful it can be,” Dayani said.

“We ultimately want to empower them through biking and hope that they pick up a new lifelong habit of bicycling,” Farbstein explained. Several of the instructors are cyclists themselves, and have found that, just as they hope the students are, they are learning a great deal and becoming inspired by the class.

“We’re learning along with them. It’s an inclusive experience,” Dayani said.

“This class has helped re-inspire me to bike again. It’s been really nice, it’s a great way to get my day started. I’m a bit of a fitness nut…it’s really invigorating, especially going past cars,” Farbstein said.

The class will run through the rest of the semester, with the possibly of additional classes being added on to the end. If it continues to go well, the class could become a regular project for USF students as cycling education continues to spread.

After dropping Friday’s match 6-1 to WCC foes No. 6 Pepperdine, the Dons men’s tennis team brought some vengeance to the courts on Saturday, crushing Loyal Marymount in a 5-2 victory.

San Francisco won four out of six singles matches. In an unorthodox twist, singles matches took place before the doubles matches — NCAA standard tennis format is to play doubles first.

The two teams were tied 2-2 after the first four singles matches. Freshman Nils Skajaa’s 6-0, 6-1 defeat of LMU’s freshman Cristobal Rivera was the first match to be completed. LMU took the second completed match, as the Lions’ junior Sebastian Baustamante defeated junior Germain Bahri, 6-3, 6-3.

The Dons No.1 singles man, senior Thai Tu, took his match 6-2, 6-3, followed by another LMU victory in the No. 6 matchup between USF senior Richard Bucalem and the Lions’ sophomore Felix Van Kann. USF’s No. 3 senior William Schumacher and No. 2 sophomore Bernardo Saraiva came through for the Dons with 6-7, 7-6 and 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victories respectively to win the singles portion for USF.

Two more victories on the doubles side were just icing on the cake for San Francisco, who took home their first WCC win of the season.

“It was good to see the guys close a match out today with opportunities on the line,” said USF coach Peter Bartlett to usfdons.com. “The WCC conference is definitely a dog fight right now and we’ll take any win we can get.”

The Dons will face San Diego on Friday, April 5 at 1:30 p.m. in San Diego.They will not return home until they face Portland on April 19, followed by Gonzaga on April 20.

Sometimes a pretty performance is not enough. Entering a packed crowd at the US Intercollegiate, the USF men’s golf team put on a solid performance with a team total of 841 before eventually finishing fourth in a tournament behind No. 24 Saint Mary’s, No. 11 Texas Christian University and the eventual winner No. 9 Stanford.  Heading into the second round with a total of 275, the Dons were able to keep pace with the top three finishers — they went into the second round only five shots off the Cardinals who finished with a team total of 270.

Looking impatient, the Dons made critical mistakes that would eventually solidify their place behind the top three finishers. San Francisco hit 284 and 282 in the second and third rounds, enough to fend off UC Davis for fourth place. Rough starts and the harder setup for rounds two and three contributed to the higher scores, putting the Dons in an uphill battle.

Featuring four teams ranked on the top-25 list, the U.S. Intercollegiate was hosted by the Stanford Cardinal at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, whose performance as hosts did not disappoint spectators. The beautiful weather and scenery provided a nice backdrop to TCU’s Paul Barjon’s performance, shooting 199 (-11) and coming away with a medalist honor. Three Dons would enter the individual Top Ten as freshman Sebastian Crookall-Nixon, senior Taylor Travis and junior Cory McElya would share places among the leaderboard. Freshman sensation Crookall-Nixon finished sixth with a pleasing 207 that featured three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole, cementing his status as a person of interest to watch in the upcoming competitions.

“There were sometimes that he could have easily let the round get away from him but he kept calm and stuck to the game plan,” Assistant Head Coach Matt Miller said.

With the end of the season nearing, the Dons now turn to Bremerton, Washington, April 15-17 where they will compete in the 2013 West Coast Conference Championships. With seemingly only St. Mary’s in their way, senior Dash Lindsell and Taylor looked to finish on top and fulfill preseason expectations by winning the elusive West Coast Conference title.

When the tournament began, few college basketball fans could have correctly predicted the Final Four that now stands before them. Possibly the only team that isn’t making a surprise appearance is Louisville, the No. 1 overall seed entering the tournament. The Cardinals dominated the first two rounds, and then handily beat Oregon 77-69 in the Sweet Sixteen. They followed that up with a convincing 85-63 victory over Duke in the Elite 8, although the win was overshadowed by a gruesome injury sustained by Louisville sophomore guard Kevin Ware. Late in the first half, Ware jumped to contest a shot and landed awkwardly, breaking his leg in two places. Both Louisville and Duke players were clearly shaken upon seeing the damage done to Ware’s leg, and the game was stopped for almost 10 minutes as athletic trainers addressed the injury. After play resumed and a close first half was wrapped up, Louisville took control in the second half to secure their second consecutive trip to the Final Four.

Nearly ever year, there is a team that seemingly came out of nowhere to find unexpected March Madness success. In a tournament full of these teams, Wichita State has ridden their unexpected success the farthest. After dismantling Pittsburgh and upsetting No. 1 seed Gonzaga, the aptly-named Shockers took care of business against No. 13 seed La Salle in the Sweet Sixteen and then held on to defeat No. 2 seed Ohio State by a score of 70-66 in the Elite Eight. Now, they look to take down Louisville, the ultimate Goliath, on Saturday and get one step closer to the championship that almost no one gave them a chance to win.

Rounding out the Final Four are Michigan and Syracuse, both well-known basketball schools with storied histories. While the two teams’ paths will meet in Atlanta on Saturday, they have each traveled very different roads throughout the tournament to get there. Syracuse has breezed through its competition, winning three of its four games by double digits and using its tantalizing zone defense to suffocate opponents. After beating California 66-60, the fourth-seeded Orangemen knocked off No. 1 seed Indiana 61-50 in the Sweet Sixteen. They pulled off another upset in the Elite Eight, using their top-notch defense to overcome third seeded Marquette 55-39.

In contrast, Michigan has been pushed to the brink of elimination, and barring an extraordinary comeback would not have survived to face Syracuse. The Wolverines had their way in their first two games against South Dakota St. and VCU, but ran into a wall against No. 1 seed Kansas, finding themselves down by 10 late in the second half. They battled back to trail by three with under 10 seconds left, and star point guard sophomore Trey Burke sent the game into overtime with a clutch three-pointer. Burke then dominated the overtime period to lead Michigan to an improbable win over the stunned Jayhawks.

While the teams that reached the Final Four stole the spotlight, there were a few other noteworthy stories from the tournament action last weekend. No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast had their Cinderella run ended by Florida in the round of 16. FGCU became the first 15 seed ever to make the Sweet Sixteen after they upset Georgetown and San Diego State. Elsewhere, Ohio State bested Arizona 73-70 in the Sweet Sixteen on a three-pointer by sophomore forward LaQuinton Ross. In the East region, Miami’s impressive season was ended by Marquette, who beat the Hurricanes 71-61 before falling to Syracuse in the Elite Eight.

With only three more games left to be played, the 2013 NCAA Tournament is coming to an end. Whether it is Louisville, Wichita State, Michigan or Syracuse, a champion will be crowned on Monday. Judging by all the mayhem that has occurred in the past two weeks, it will be all too suiting if the three final games come down to the final seconds and earn their place in March Madness history. When examining the stories that have brought these four teams together, it becomes clear that the champions will be deserving of their incredible achievement, and will headline the talk of an outstanding NCAA Tournament for years to come.

This past Easter weekend, the USF Dons played host to rivals in the WCC, the Saint Mary’s Gaels, at Benedetti Diamond. The series ran from Thursday to Saturday, and resulted in the Diamond Dons taking two out of three from the visiting Gaels. With the series win, USF improved to a season record of 13-14 and 5-4 in the WCC.

The three game set did not start out well for the Dons, with them dropping the first game to the Gaels 6-0. Saint Mary’s starter Ben Griset was dominant, allowing just four hits and striking out 10 en route to a complete game shutout. Sophomore outfielder Bradley Zimmer went 2-for-3 of the day while sophomore third baseman Bob Cruikshank and redshirt senior outfielder Bob Mott contributed one hit each. Other than the lack of offensive spark, the Dons’ poor defense played the biggest role in the upsetting loss. USF committed a season-high five errors, leading to three unearned runs by the Gaels, and ultimately the loss.

On Friday afternoon, the Dons turned it around and showed extreme resilience on the field, earning the win in extra innings. Just a day after their disappointing loss, USF displayed stellar defense behind junior starting pitcher Alex Balog and senior reliever Haden Hinkle, robbing the Gaels of a handful of hits and keeping the game close. The Dons jumped ahead early, pushing two runs across in the first inning and padding their lead with a double from Cruikshank that drove in a run in the third. Though Saint Mary’s came back to score two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, USF managed to limit the damage to send the game into extra innings. With the score tied at three in the top of the ninth, senior center fielder Justin Maffei made a spectacular diving catch that robbed the Gaels’ leadoff hitter of extra bases.

Zimmer led off the bottom of the tenth with a walk. Pinch-hitter freshman Harrison Bruce immediately followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance Zimmer to second. With two outs and a runner on second, Mott drew a walk, leading to a two out, two on situation for sophomore first baseman Brendan Hendriks. Hendriks drove the first pitch he saw up the middle to score Zimmer and give the Dons the walk-off victory, besting the Gaels 4-3 in 10 innings.

After the game, Hendriks credited the two Dons pitchers, Balog and Hinkle, for keeping them in the game and giving the team the chance to win. He also acknowledged the team’s offensive strength at the end of the game.

“I was just glad to have the opportunity. They put together good at-bats ahead of me, Bob Mott had a great walk there, gave me the chance, and I got lucky. The ball got through, and I’ll take it,” Hendriks said of his game winning hit.

Riding on the momentum of game two, USF took the victory in the last game of the series 2-1. Through four innings, the Dons’ bats stayed relatively quiet. In the bottom of the fifth with one out, senior left fielder Mitchell Rowan and Hendriks ignited the offense with back-to-back singles before junior shortstop Josh Miller connected with a long home run into left field, tying the game at four apiece. In the sixth inning, Zimmer proceeded to seal the win with a line-drive home run to right field, and the Dons eventually defeated the Gaels 5-4.

The Diamond Dons will head for a nine game road trip and return to play a three game series at Benedetti Diamond against Loyola Marymount on April 19.

One of the most notable changes that will begin next season is the installation of a new WCC Basketball Tournament format. In this previous system, a double-bye was given to the top two teams in the conference in the tournament semifinals. This year, with the addition of University of the Pacific, the WCC becomes a 10-team basketball league, meaning that the double-bye will no longer be necessary. Although this may be seen as a disadvantage for the conference’s top teams, it will certainly increase competition and ensure that the WCC champion will have to earn their trophy and fight for their place in the NCAA Tournament.

With the 10-team basketball league in place and the tournament format established, there have still been rumors that a shakeup may occur and that current WCC teams could end up leaving the conference. Due to their consistent basketball dominance and the national attention that they receive, Gonzaga seems to be the school most likely to part with the WCC. The Bulldogs currently have one of the top basketball teams in the country, and in December ESPN’s Andy Katz reported that the Zags “would love to” leave the WCC and join a more nationally recognized conference. As the rumors continue to swirl, the Big East has been brought up as the front-runner to potentially welcome Gonzaga next season. For the 2014-15 season, seven Big East schools (Georgetown, St. John’s, Villanova, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall and Providence) will be leaving the conference due to their lack of a major football program. These seven teams are hoping to break from the Big East by 2014 and establish a more basketball-based conference, and their departure opens the door for many solid small-market schools looking to gain national recognition and appreciation. Along with schools such as Creighton, Butler St. Louis, Dayton, St. Joseph’s, and Richmond, both Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have been mentioned as candidates to join the Big East. However, Gonzaga coach Mark Few has remained relatively neutral on his stance towards the issue.

“We’re happy with where we’re at but we’re going to continue to monitor everything that’s going on,” Few told SWX Right Now, a television station based in eastern Washington. “We built ourselves into a national program and we’re going to do what’s best for Gonzaga through all this. Because of our success we put ourselves in a position to where we’re attractive to other entities out there. But again, we’re going to do what’s best for Gonzaga.”

In the midst of all the possible changes for basketball teams in the WCC, a new sport is being introduced into the conference. Voted in by WCC presidents, softball will be added as a sport for the 2013-14 season, as the conference has recruited enough teams to form a complete league. Along with current WCC teams at Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and San Diego, Pacific, Brigham Young, Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley State will be joining the WCC for softball.

Around the conference, coaches and teams are all excited to play a role in the establishment of softball as an official sport. Also, with the talent that some of the teams have, the 2013-14 softball season promises to be an eventful one.

“I’m glad the WCC has made a commitment to the sport, because they have programs that have a ton of potential,” Pacific coach Brian Kolze told Jagdip Dhillon of Recordnet.com. “It looks like it will be a very good conference because this year’s RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) numbers paralleled the Big West.”

With all of these new teams and sports becoming a part of the WCC, USF athletes and students have a lot to look forward to in upcoming years. Although games against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are always entertaining, Dons sports teams would certainly enjoy not having to face the two powerhouses multiple times each season. And with Pacific entering the WCC, fans will surely see many fierce, competitive battles between the two Bay-Area schools in the near future. To top it off, maybe the next step for the Dons is developing a softball team to join the new league. Either way, the changes taking place in the WCC ensure that the upcoming seasons will be exciting one for USF athletics, as well as for other programs throughout the conference.

The San Francisco Dons Basketball team overcame a large second half deficit to defeat the Pepperdine Waves in a highly contested match last Saturday, Feb 23. The Dons came out slow as they shot 4-14 in the first ten minutes of the game. Meanwhile, the Waves came out riding on the hot play of freshman forward Stacy Davis, who had seven points and three assists in the first ten minutes and helped put the Waves up 19-10. Momentum started to swing in favor of the Dons after a technical foul was called right after USF junior forward Cole Dickerson drained a three pointer. The Dons ended the first half on a 17-5 run and took a 27-25 lead into halftime.

San Francisco fans would have liked to see the Dons momentum carry over into the second half, but they came out just as slow and ended up trailing the Waves once again. After a three pointer by Waves’ junior guard Nikolas Skoulen, Dons head coach Rex Walters called for a time out with USF trailing by nine with ten minutes left in the half. The Dons returned to the court after that timeout with a fire lit under them  as they went on a 16-3 run behind the excellent play of redshirt freshman forward Mark Tollefsen. The 6’9” California native carried the team for the rest of the game, hitting two big three pointers along with four crucial free throws.

Pepperdine’s Skoulen hit two free throws after a technical foul was called on Dickerson, bringing the Waves within two at 60-58. However, that is as close as the Waves would get as they missed their next four shots. The Dons would held on for a 68-54 victory in their home finale of conference play.

Tollefsen finished with 18 points, five rebounds, one steal and one block to lead the Dons. He contributed a pair of huge three pointers to help the Dons claim a lead.

Tollefsen was all smiles after the game.

“It felt great. I had great rotation on my shot. [my teammates] were hitting me and I just felt it. Coach always says find the open man and if you’re open [then] you’re the best option.” he said when asked about his two big shots.

Junior point guard Cody Doolin chipped in 13 points, four assists and three rebounds and Dickerson had 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Dons (13-15, 6-9 West Coast). The Pepperdine Waves were led by Davis, who finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Skoulen added 19 points for the Waves (12-15, 4-10 West Coast).

The Dons take on San Diego on Thursday in what will be their last game of conference play before the West Coast Conference Tournament. USF has won six out of their last ten and are currently on a two game winning streak.

“Our momentum is great. We gotta get on more next Thursday at San Diego. That’ll be a tough one but right now our momentum is great,” Tollefsen said.

Game 1 of the series saw USF’s starting pitcher redshirt junior Abe Bobb in his fifth and best start of the season. The right-hander contained the Pilots’ offense, only allowing five hits, just one walk and striking out six through 7.2 innings. Bobb was stellar in his outing and held on to a shutout into the eighth inning, which eventually earned him his first win. While Portland’s sophomore starting pitcher Travis Radke pitched well too, the Don’s timely hitting gave them just enough to claim the victory in this low scoring game. Freshman catcher Kyle Anderson started the first rally when he smacked a double to left-center in the bottom of the fifth, his first hit of the season. He eventually came around to score on senior second baseman Jason Mahood’s groundout to give USF a 1-0 lead. Mahood also drove in another run with a two-out single to right field in the seventh that plated senior center fielder Justin Maffei. The California native went 4-for-4 and combined with Mahood to produce six hits at the top of the lineup. Senior closer Adam Cimber then came into the game and successfully completed his fourth save of the season. The Dons took the first game of the series 2-1.

The second game was held at AT&T Park as part of the Dante Benedetti Classic, The Dons lost 5-1, snapping their three game winning streak. Before the game, USF head coach Nino Giarratano was recognized for his 400^th win since becoming a part of the baseball program on the Hilltop.

The Pilots broke open the scoring in the third inning with four runs off USF junior starting pitcher Alex Balog. The Dons were unable to retaliate and were held scoreless through seven, scattering five hits. USF’s only run came in the eighth inning with two outs, when Maffei singled to third base and scored on Mahood’s double to left field. Maffei continued his hot hitting and went 2-for-4 that day. Portland outhit the Dons 10 to 6 to ultimately take the win.

After splitting the first two games of the series, USF proceeded to win the series on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Pilots in 10 innings at home. Sophomore starting pitcher Christian Cecilio was exceptional for the Dons again as he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning for the second time in his three starts. Cecilio pitched 5.1 innings before senior reliever Haden Hinkle took over to complete the game. Hinkle earned the win, improving to 5-0 for the season. The top of the Dons’ lineup provided the offensive spark for the team again, with the leadoff batter Maffei going 3-for-5 and Mahood going 2-for-3. USF jumped ahead in the third inning with a RBI from Mahood and the Pilots responded with one run in the fifth. Though the Dons managed to log 11 hits on the day, 11 runners were left on base, which resulted in the game being tied at one run apiece after nine innings. During the bottom of the 10^th, with two outs and runners on second and third, junior shortstop Josh Miller hit a slow chopper towards the Pilots’ third baseman. With the third baseman charging, he attempted to bare-hand it but failed to do so. The runner on third, sophomore third baseman Bob Cruikshank, crossed home plate easily to give the Dons the 2-1 victory.

USF will face Saint Mary’s of Moraga, Calif. in a three game series this Thursday through Saturday.

From left to right: Laticia Lonon, Hillary Davis, and Kamilah Davis

Hillary Harris

Saturday, March 2 was a day of “firsts” for sophomore middle distance runner Hillary Harris, the proud new owner of the USF school record in the 400 meter race. Harris, an environmental studies major from Hillsboro, Ore., not only collected her first collegiate record, but did so in her first time running the event at the college level. Typically an 800m runner, she was using the 400m race as a training tool to prepare for her primary event.

“I didn’t use blocks or anything, and everyone else was, and I kind of showed up to the track a little bit late so I was in a hurry and stressed out. But it just made me run faster I guess,” Harris said.

The 20-year-old crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 57.30 seconds, defeating the previous record of 58.76s (set by Aly Drake in 2010) by more than a second.

“I was viewing it more like training,” Harris said. “I wasn’t actually that nervous — I get a lot more nervous for the 800, because it’s like, my baby.”

Having had little experience with the 400m open and none at the college level, Harris, although already a record-holder, has yet to find her true “stride” in terms of strategy for the one-lap race.

“It [the Stanford race] was the fastest 400 I’ve ever run, but I can run faster. I don’t really know the best strategy for the 400 yet.”

While it is a new experience to be a collegiate record holder, Harris is used to finding her name at the top of the record lists — she holds the fastest times for the 400m and 800m at Glencoe High School in Oregon. She hopes to add that 800m record to her accomplishments here at USF, and considering that her personal best is a mere 0.5 seconds away from the current record of 2.06.13, it seems likely that she will soon fill the top slot in the record books for both events.

Aside from conquering the 800m record, Harris has another goal for this season, and an even more ambitious one set for her career at USF.

“I want to make it to Regionals in the 800,” Harris said. “And hopefully by the time I graduate, yes, I will make it to Nationals.”

The WCC  Tournament 

The San Francisco men’s basketball team lost a nail-biter in overtime to the Loyola Marymount Lions in the second round of the West Coast Conference tournament on March 7 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. San Francisco had a first round bye. LMU was able to pull off the win even under the pressure of 23 points and 18 rebounds from Dons junior forward Cole Dickerson. Dickerson was the lone bright spot for the Dons – redshirt freshman forward Mark Tollefsen was the only other Don to reach double digits in scoring.

“Cole was fantastic…it was fun to watch. He’s an all-league player and if he has a great spring and summer, he can be the player of the year in this conference next year,” Head Coach Rex Walters said to usfdons.com.

The Dons shot just 38% from the field and were ice cold from the free throw line, shooting a mere 8-19 from the charity stripe. The Dons were out-rebounded 42-36 and managed to score only four points in overtime. Overall, the Dons were out-hustled and couldn’t match the intensity or effort of the Lions.

“I thought Loyola Marymount wanted it a little more than we did. You have to go through the battles. They made more plays down the stretch,” Walters said to usfdons.com.

The Final Game

The Dons were able to quickly rebound and build some momentum for next season as they defeated the Northern Kentucky Norse 73-68 in the final scheduled game of the season March 14 at War Memorial Gym. Dickerson starred once again as he posted his 13^th double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Tollefsen led the team in scoring with 22 points and chipped in six rebounds. The Dons were red hot from the field, shooting 49% from the field and 40% from three-point land. With ten three pointers, USF set a new school record for three pointers made in a single season with 249. The Dons struggled from the free throw line once again, making only 13 of 21 attempts, but they beat the Norse on the glass, out-rebounding them 36-25.

The Dons finished the season winning four out of their last five games and finished fifth in a highly competitive West Coast Conference that featured Gonzaga, the number-one ranked team in the nation.

The Dons started the season strong back in November and December, winning five of their first six games including a big win over St. John’s, a traditional basketball powerhouse from the Big East Conference.  However, the team lacked senior leadership and struggled with inexperience, leading them to lose their next five in a row. San Francisco recovered later in the season and ended strong. The team did not feature a single senior and has a bright future with junior stars Dickerson and guard Cody Doolin returning for their final seasons next year. The team also has a plethora of talented young players returning next year such as Tollefsen and sophomore guard Chris Adams. The Dons hope to build off of their more impressive play at the end of the season and carry it over into the 2013-14 season.

On the Women’s Side

The San Francisco women’s basketball team had a strong showing at the West Coast Conference tournament with a win in the first round over Pepperdine, while falling just short to Loyola Marymount in the second round. The win was the first postseason victory for the Dons since 2007. The team has made strides over the past couple seasons and is hoping to carry momentum into next year. The Dons finished 4-12 in conference play, with many of the losses coming from very close games that could have gone their way with some minor adjustments. Senior guard Mel Khlok and senior forwards Bailey Barbour and Whitney Daniels are graduating this spring, leaving open spots for the young talent that is ready and waiting to step in to fill new roles. San Francisco will definitely miss Khlok, the Dons’ current leading scorer. However, freshman guard Zhané Dikes has made strides in her first season and has even led the team in scoring in a few games. The team will also return their leading rebounder, sophomore forward Alicia Scafidi. Overall, the Dons will continue to strive toward being a competitive team in the West Coast Conference next season and in seasons to come.

For those unfamiliar with this year’s tournament format, the teams are assigned to one of four regions (West, East, Midwest, and South), and each region has teams ranked from 1 to 16. Each region has a play-in game in which the winner earns a spot in the tournament, creating a field of 68 total teams.

The Top 8

This year, the four number one seeds are Indiana, Kansas, Louisville (the overall number one seed), and Gonzaga, USF’s West Coast Conference foe. Although these teams are considered the most dominant in college basketball, none of them have been invincible throughout the season. It has been a uncommon year in that no team has truly proven to be ahead of the rest, as five different teams have been ranked number one in the nation in the AP poll and lots of fluctuation has occurred within the conferences.

Indiana spent much of the year as the number one team but lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. Gonzaga has an impressive record of 31-2 and earned a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history, but their schedule was only the 72nd most difficult out of the 347 Division 1 teams, which qualifies as the weakest schedule among the four teams with a No. 1 seed.  Finally, there is not a noticeable drop off from the No. 1 to the No. 2 seeds (Duke, Georgetown, Miami (FL), and Ohio State). Duke is currently the number one ranked team in the RPI Rankings, and Miami is the first team ever to win an ACC regular season and tournament title yet not receive a No. 1 seed.

Bracketology

As is the case with the NCAA Tournament every year, there is much speculation as to which teams have the best chance to win the championship and which upsets will occur. Also, there are usually debates concerning the possible unfair seeding of certain teams, as well as complaints that teams that deserved to be selected in the tournament field were left out. ESPN.com’s Tournament Challenge, a game in which people submit their brackets in hopes of correctly predicting the outcomes of games and winning prizes, offers insight into what people are anticipating to happen in the tournament. So far, Louisville has been picked to win the championship in 19.9% of the brackets, a higher percentage than any other team. Indiana is second at 16.3%, followed by Miami, Kansas, and Duke.

As far as predictions for the Final Four, Louisville leads again, with 49.7% of brackets picking the Cardinals to be one of the last four remaining teams. Interestingly, Ohio State has only been chosen to win the tournament in 5.9 percent of the brackets, but 39.9% think the Buckeyes will reach the Final Four. In another curious trend, at 25% Duke is the eighth most popular choice to make the Final Four, but has been selected by 8.6% of the brackets to win the championship, good for fifth place.

At this point, the most popular upset pick has been No. 9 seed Missouri beating No. 8 seed Colorado State. The most common choice for a more drastic upset has been No. 11 seed Minnesota prevailing against the No. 6 seed UCLA.

An Imperfect System

A common argument among bracket experts has been that No. 12 seed Oregon should have been seeded higher, considering that they won the Pac-12 Tournament, and also that UCLA, the team they beat in the Pac-12 Championship, received a No. 6 seed. There has also been talk that Middle Tennessee State did not deserve a place in the field of 68 due to the fact that it has not won a game over an RPI top 100 team all year.

Despite possible slip-ups by the selection committee and inconsistencies in seeding, the general energy surrounding this NCAA Tournament suggests that it will be one of the most exciting and unforgettable tournaments in a long time. The lack of an obvious frontrunner has created much uncertainty and led to many different teams being given a chance to compete for the championship.

“I don’t think there’s any consensus favorite. I just don’t think there’s a team that has distinguished itself,” CBS basketball analyst Clark Kellogg said.

Later this week, the games will begin, and along the way each team will look to find its identity and make a run for the title. As the surprise upsets and outstanding individual performances arrive, a small quantity of teams will emerge as elite contenders, and opinions will continue to change until the championship game is over. No matter what happens, the intriguing premise of the 2013 NCAA Tournament ensures that this month will bring plenty of “madness” for fans to enjoy.

Why are you here in SF?
I just came back for the week to hang out, see old friends and work out. We had the Cracked Crab Kickoff Dinner that we do every year. It’s a fundraiser for the baseball team.

Where are you headed after this?
Back to Arizona for Spring Training. It starts in two weeks.

Previously you played for a Minor League team? Which team?
It was the Kane County Cougars, about 45 minutes outside Chicago.

How was that?
I had a lot of fun. It was fun to start pro ball in a cool place like that, we had like 15,000 fans or so a game. It was a good experience.

So I know you had elbow surgery…
Yep, and a scar to prove it!

I heard it was pretty minor. Did you have any problems with it afterward?
No, it was really easy. They just cut it open, took the bone chips out and that was that.

And you felt like you came back to full strength?
Yeah, I’ve been throwing and everything feels normal now.

What are you most excited about about heading to Spring Training?
Just getting back on the field, playing every day and competing.

How long have you been off?
Since the beginning of September. It’s been a long offseason. Since like my freshman year at USF, I’d probably been home for three months total in three years. So it was nice to be home for an extended period of time for the first time in a while.
Did you pitch at all in high school?
I threw 20 innings my senior year. I did well, but I didn’t like it that much.

When did you start considering pitching? Did you ever?
I was never really for it but the coaches here had me throw a couple bullpens, throw in some inter-squad games and I did, and I started doing well. So they said I was going to focus on pitching.

Now how do you feel about it?
I feel like it was the right decision.

Do you miss infielding?
Yeah. I miss hitting a lot, don’t get to do that anymore. But I’ve grown to love pitching. It’s a newfound love.

When did you start thinking that pitching was going to take you beyond college baseball?
My sophomore year here I thought, ‘well I’m starting to get the hang of it, starting to get better and better, if I keep working at it I’ll have then I’ll have a shot to play professionally or after college.’

Had that dream always been there?
Yeah, ever since I was a little kid as long as I can remember I’ve dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but I always thought it would be as a third basemen. So it’s a little strange, but I’m loving it.

Where did this dream come from? Your family?
Yeah, my dad played baseball in college and my mom ran track in college. My mom ran the one hundred meter hurdles at San Diego state, she was actually going to the Olympics and she was favored, but she tore her hamstring in the Olympic trials.

Who are you most excited to pitch against in the majors?
Probably Derek Jeter, I’ve watched him since I was a little kid.

So you really want to strike him out?
Well yeah, I really want to strike him out. But I think it would just be pretty surreal to actually face him. And he’s been one of the greatest hitters of all time. It would be awesome to face him.

Is there anyone you idolized as a kid?
Umm…Nomar Garciaparra was one of my favorite players. I was a shortstop and he was a shortstop.

You were a shortstop? When?
Yeah, growing up I was shortstop and second baseman.

So you played all around the board?
Yeah, I was all over the place.

You played outfield too right?
Yeah, and first base.

So…you never caught?
I did catch actually. I guess now I’ve played every position on the field! I’ve covered them all ha-ha.

Did you ever think you would be drafted as high as you were? What were your expectations?
I guess going in to my junior year, after my junior summer. I played in the Cape Cod League, which is know as the most elite college baseball summer league. There were a bunch of scouts there and I was thinking then, playing against supposedly the best talent in college baseball, ‘I can do this.’ So I sort of set my sights from there, set goals for myself to get drafted in the first round. So I put my head down and started working from there.

Do you ever plan to go back to school?
I do. I only have six classes left to finish my degree.

What is your major?
Business Administration. I definitely want to finish in the near future.

Do you ever want to use your degree?
Nah. I’d love to play baseball forever. Obviously, if my arm blows up, I’d use it. I was always planning on going to law school or graduate school after, but we’ll see.

So does going to Spring Training mean that you have a roster spot?
I’ll break camp on April first, that’s when the teams all break up.I’m probably going to start in either high A or double A, and then like any other job, you get promoted within according to how you are doing and what the team’s needs are. It’s just a matter of how fast they want to move me. Best case scenario would be getting called up to the big league team in September. But more realistically it’ll probably be the start of next year that I’ll be fighting for a spot.

So you grew up in San Diego area, what made you decide to come to San Francisco?
I was actually born here. I was born at UCSF, but I only lived here for the first 14 months of my life and then I grew up in San Diego. The coaching staff here for the baseball team is unbelievable. I loved every minute I spent with them. I like the school a lot and I love the city, I felt like it was a good mix of academics and baseball. And being able to experience the great city for at least a few years.

Do you set goals for yourself?
Last year we had weekly goals. At the beginning of last year, my junior year, I made a goal sheet with future goals for the entire year. I accomplished most of them, one was to get drafted in the first round, another was to win the WCC which we didn’t do. We were close.

Have you met anyone that you’ve been starstruck by yet? Who is the coolest person you have met so far?
I think right when I signed, when I went to Kansas City to sign my contract and do my press conference there, I got to walk through the locker room and all the big leaguers were there and just walking around shaking everyone’s hand was pretty crazy, seeing everyone that I’ve watched on TV for years and know who they are. Hopefully I’ll be a part of that team in the next year or so, so that was pretty crazy. But you get a little bit more numb to it because you meet the guys and realize they are just like me, just other baseball players that like to laugh and make jokes and be stupid.

“I am very pleased with how Jana performed. She was very impressive and ran solo from 800 meters and posted a personal record and easy win,” Head Coach Helen Lehman-Winters said to usfdons.com.
“These performances are great early season reads as we approach the outdoor season.”
The Friday night race was one of the first running events of the Husky Classic meet at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, Wash.

Soethout’s record bests the previous record, set by junior Laura Suur last season, by over 12 seconds. Soethout’s time ended up being the fastest time of all the open heats of the night, which totaled 84 runners.

Other notable performances for the Dons included a first place finish in the 3,000 meter run by redshirt junior Sophie Curl and an eighth place finish by redshirt junior Alice Baker in the 5,000 meter.
Curl’s 9:27.59 finish in the 1.9 mile race was a personal best for the Bellingham, Wash native.

“Sophie was outstanding in her race execution this afternoon,” Lehman-Winters said to
usfdons.com.

“She was patient in her positioning and very competitive in the last phase of the race.”
The Dons run another indoor meet before beginning the outdoor season at the Cal All Comers meet on Feb. 16 in Berkeley, Calif.

The San Francisco women’s basketball team lost its fourth consecutive game Saturday, falling 69-64 to Santa Clara in front of 489 at War Memorial Gym. San Francisco also lost 84-46 at home last Thursday against Gonzaga. With Saturday’s loss, the Dons dropped to 9-15 overall (2-9 in Conference play) while Santa Clara improved to 13-11 on the season (5-6 in the WCC).

Despite a strong second half, the Dons could not dig themselves out of an early hole. San Francisco trailed 11-2 four minutes into the game and 23-5 later in the first half.

“Digging ourselves a hole like that does hurt us,” senior guard Mel Khlok said after the game. She led the Dons with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

A three-pointer by freshman forward Taylor Proctor reduced Santa Clara’s lead to 38-24 with 4:29 left in the half and capped an 8-0 run for the Dons.

With 3:33 remaining before halftime, Proctor appeared to make a layup and draw a foul, but she was called for an offensive foul instead. Many in the San Francisco crowd booed and some directed harsh insults at the referee.

Just before the end of the half, Santa Clara turned the ball over and Khlok fired from beyond the arc at the buzzer. She missed the shot but drew a foul, and was awarded three free throws. Khlok sunk two of three, and the Dons went into the locker room trailing 44-32.

Led by redshirt junior center Ruta Zurauskyte’s 12 points on 6-7 shooting, Santa Clara shot 62.5% in the half. Twenty-one of Santa Clara’s 44 first half points (47.7%) came off of San Francisco turnovers.

“Every team has converted on our turnovers,” Khlok said.

“Once we take care of the ball and rebound, we will be all right.”

When play resumed, the Dons immediately lived up their reputation as a second half team. A block of 6’4’’ Zurauskyte resulted in a three-pointer by sophomore guard Taj Winston just seconds into the half.

Soon after, a strong defensive stop and rebound by the Dons led to the second of four three-point baskets by junior guard Alexa Hardick, which made the score 46-40 Broncos with 17:31 remaining.

About four minutes later, a San Francisco steal resulted in a three-point play for Khlok that trimmed Santa Clara’s lead to two (51-49).

“Our defense is always, always what brings us back,” Khlok said.

The crowd at War Memorial Gym erupted when Hardick hit another three-pointer that gave the Dons the lead on their next possession.

The Broncos answered when Proctor fouled Santa Clara freshman guard Brooke Gallaway as she attempted a three-pointer, putting her at the line for three shots. Gallaway hit two of three free throws, opening a 7-0 run for the Broncos.

Santa Clara maintained a one-possession lead for much of the second half, until Zurauskyte hit a jumper that made it 65-61 Broncos with 1:20 remaining.

Hardick answered with a three-pointer that trimmed Santa Clara’s lead to one (65-64) with 51.1 seconds to go.

The Broncos made a field goal, however, followed by a missed three-pointer on the other end by freshman guard Zhané Dikes. Two Santa Clara free throws later, the Broncos defeated the Dons 69-64.

Despite the loss, San Francisco outscored the Broncos 32-25 in the second half, and Santa Clara collected just two of its 23 points off of turnovers during that span.

“The first half was a little rough for us,” Proctor said after the game.

“I think in the second half we wanted it more than them. We are a second half team.” Proctor notched 14 points and five rebounds in the loss.

“We don’t want to give up. We’re fighters. Even though we get down, we always fight back. We’re the kind of team that will never give up,” she said.

Khlok suggested a simple way the Dons might turn close losses like this one into victories.

“We’ve got to come out in the first half with the same fire we have in the second half,” she said.

Khlok, a senior, also acknowledged that this team’s future is bright.

“The program is going in the right direction, and it’s been amazing. We came from getting beat by every team by 30-40 [points], then Coach Azzi came in and we started losing by smaller margins. Now look at us, we’re right in games. Once we fix the little things…we will be all right. We will win.”

The San Francisco women’s basketball team nearly completed a 19-point comeback, but ultimately fell 63-61 to San Diego Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym. The Dons dropped to 9-13 on the season (2-7 in the WCC), while the Toreros improved to 15-7 overall (7-3 in the WCC).

Four Toreros scored in double-digits and three had as many as nine rebounds. San Diego out-rebounded the Dons 44-34 overall and 18-7 on offense.

Sophomore forward Alicia Scafidi notched her second career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

“It’s my job to rebound,” Scafidi said with a smile after the game.

“I just try to be consistent and do that every night.”

The Dons trailed 12-3, 23-4, and 30-11 at various points in the first half. Led by Scafidi, however, San Francisco rallied back to cut San Diego’s lead to 35-27 at halftime. Scafidi collected 11 of her 12 points in the half.

“It all starts with defense,” Scafidi said after the game.

“You get your energy from the defensive end and that transitions to offense.”

Speaking of converting defense to offense, San Diego forced 14 turnovers and collected six blocks and five steals by halftime, and 14 of San Diego’s 35 points (40%) at the half came off of San Francisco turnovers.

The Toreros opened the second half with a 16-5 run over more than six minutes of play. The Dons finally answered when senior guard Mel Khlok hit a three-pointer that reduced San Diego’s lead to 12 (54-42) with 10:14 remaining. Freshman guard Zhané Dikes hit another big three-pointer that made the score 55-47 San Diego with 8:33 to play. Khlok then connected from behind the arc again, bringing the Dons within five points of the lead (55-50) with 7:25 remaining.

San Francisco played the remainder of the second half with ferocious intensity. Sophomore guard Taj Winston embodied that spirit when she slammed into San Diego’s bench to keep the ball inbounds during a Dons rally.

Khlok continued to play well down the stretch. With 4:42 remaining, she stole the ball, drove to the basket, made a layup, and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but her field goal cut San Diego’s lead to 58-54.

Dikes hit a teardrop layup that made it 60-58 with 2:21 to play, but San Diego senior forward Klara Wischer answered with a layup that widened the Toreros lead to 63-58 with 1:05 remaining.

With 52 seconds left on the clock, Khlok again drove to the basket, scored, and was fouled. This time she hit the free throw, bringing the Dons within two points of the lead with less than one minute to play. Khlok, USF’s leading scorer, collected 15 of her 16 points in the second half.

San Francisco held strong on the defensive end, forcing San Diego to miss a contested shot as the shot clock expired. The Dons then called a timeout, trailing 63-61, with possession of the ball and 13.7 seconds remaining.

San Francisco’s comeback effort came up short, however, as Winston missed a contested jumper moments before the game clock expired.

Down 19 points in each half, the Dons lost by only two.

“It was a rough way to end, but I think we came out and we fought back,” Scafidi said after the game.

San Francisco outscored the Toreros 34-28 in the second half and turned the ball over only three times in that span.

However, the Dons made just 38.5% (5-13) of their second half free throws, 50% (10-20) overall.

“We have been [struggling] the whole season,” Scafidi said of her team’s free throw woes.

“I think it’s just a mentality. People get nervous. You go to the line and everyone’s looking at you. It’s kind of like a pressure situation, but we really we need to look at it and just say, hey, I shoot these everyday. It’s a free shot. I’m going to hit this, and it’ll go in,” she said.

Free throws aside, the Dons showed heart coming back against a quality opponent.

“We got ourselves in a big hole and we didn’t stop playing hard,” Scafidi said.

“We didn’t stop moving the ball or staying together. I think it’s a big step for us because it’s easy to give up. To challenge yourself to come back, that’s hard.”

After returning from a 22-point deficit to within two points of the lead, the San Francisco 49ers couldn’t pull off the comeback victory last Sunday in Super Bowl XLVII. The Baltimore Ravens took home the Lombardi Trophy with a 34-31 win for their second Super Bowl victory in the team’s history.

The game took place in the Superdome of New Orleans, Lou., in front of over 71,000 fans. Baltimore scored first, with a touchdown five minutes into the first quarter, and from there the Ravens rode their momentum all the way through the half and beyond. San Francisco scored around the three-minute mark in the first quarter on a 36-yard field goal by kicker David Akers. They finished the first quarter behind 7-3.

With the exception of a solid 49ers defensive play on a Ravens fake field goal attempt, Baltimore dominated the second quarter as well. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes for a combined total of 57 yards, and Ravens safety Ed Reed picked up the lone interception of the game—also the first interception ever thrown by a San Francisco quarterback in the Super Bowl. The 49ers once again came away from the quarter with just a field goal, a 27-yard kick by Akers with no time left on the clock. The score at halftime was a daunting 21-6.

On the first play after halftime, Baltimore destroyed the 49ers’ hope for a shift in momentum as the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones returned the kickoff for a 108-yard touchdown, the longest play in Super Bowl history. Shortly after the touchdown, a power outage in the Superdome caused half the stadium’s lights to go out and delayed the game for 34 minutes. The extra break renewed San Francisco’s energy, and as power slowly returned to the lights and electronic sideline equipment, the 49ers prepared to come back from the biggest point deficit to ever be conquered in a Super Bowl game.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick brought San Francisco back into the game with a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree at the 7:20 mark in the third quarter. Less than three minutes later, San Francisco scored again on running back Frank Gore’s six-yard run. A 34-yard field goal by Akers completed the 49ers explosive third quarter scoring run, leaving them down by just five points (28-23) going into the fourth quarter.

After a scoreless post-power outage third quarter, the Ravens were on the board once again in the beginning of the fourth with a 19-yard field goal by kicker Justin Tucker. San Francisco answered with a 15-yard touchdown run by Kaepernick, the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. In an effort to tie up the score at 31-31, the 49ers attempted a two-point conversion, but were thwarted by a well-timed blitz by Reed that forced a hurried throw, resulting in an incomplete pass. Baltimore pulled further away from San Francisco’s reach with a 38-yard field goal by Tucker with four minutes remaining.

Down 34-29, the 49ers drove all the way down the field and got to the Ravens five-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game. San Francisco had four chances to convert a five-yard touchdown, but came up short. Crabtree appeared to be held on the fourth down pass from Kaepernick, but no flag was thrown. Baltimore regained possession of the ball at their own five-yard line and ran three straight running plays to take time off the clock. San Francisco used its third and final timeout following the first down run. The 49ers burned their first two timeouts of the half at questionable moments — one was called on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Kaepernick and 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh called the 49ers’ second timeout on the previous series when the play clock was about to expire for a penalty.

On fourth down, the Ravens snapped the ball to punter Sam Koch with less than 15 seconds remaining, but instead of punting the ball away, Koch dodged around the end zone for as long as possible to take time off the clock before finally being forced out of bounds for a safety with four seconds remaining. Koch punted the ball away from Baltimore’s 20-yard line, and running back LaMichael James’ return came up short as time expired. The game was over, and Super Bowl XLVII went to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31.

Things did not start well for the Dons. St. Mary’s, led by Queensland native Jorden Page (19 pts), opened up a nine point lead just five minutes into the contest. Much like USF’s previous game against Gonzaga, the Dons struggled to find their shot early, as the home side shot 2-10 from the field to start the game. The two successful shots came from behind the arc by the hand of the struggling junior guard Cody Doolin. The usually dynamic point guard had been rather quiet in San Francisco’s past four games, averaging just six points per contest. Doolin, however, found his stroke  Wednesday and paced all USF players with 16 points.

Despite the reinvigorated Doolin, USF struggled to get production on offense, particularly in the paint. The Gaels were more physical down low in the first half, offering no quarter to any Don trying to in close on the rim. The lack of a strong post game allowed St. Mary’s to strengthen their defensive game against the Dons shooters in the half court, smothering them in the corners and forcing USF to settle for contested jump shots. With the Dons recent shooting struggles, St. Mary’s was able to open up a comfortable 37-23 halftime lead.

The first portion of the second half was essentially a continuation of the first half. USF struggled to shoot the ball effectively and St. Mary’s bullied the Dons down low, as evidenced by their 44 rebounds compared to San Francisco’s 22. Despite a quieting crowd and a slumping offense, The Dons would not go quietly into the fog ridden night. Down by 16 at the six minute mark, USF willed themselves to a 10-2 run to cut the lead to eight with just over four minutes to play. After another three by Page, USF had to come up with an answer, and fast. Freshman guard Avry Holmes (10 pts) and Doolin netted a quick four points for USF, cutting the Gaels lead to 62-55 with 90 seconds remaining.

Needing to save time and limit the St. Mary’s offensive, the Don’s fouled Gael’s point guard Matthew Dellavedova on the inbound, sending him to the line. He missed one of his two free throws, giving USF the ball back at the bargain cost of a single point. Grabbing the rebound off the missed free throw, junior guard De’End Parker pushed the ball down the court, drew a foul, and with USF in the bonus, headed to the line where he sank two pressure free throws. USF fouled again on the inbound pass, which sent Gael’s guard Stephen Holt to the free throw line. Don’s fans and players watched gleefully as he clanked both off the rim. Pulling down the defensive rebound, Cole Dickerson got to ball to Doolin who found Parker for a deep three pointer with 00:27 left in the contest. Parker’s free throws and jumper closed the scoring gap to three, with USF trailing 63-60. St. Mary’s, however, was able to net a swift two points off a lay-in by guard James Walker, giving them a five point advantage with 16 seconds left to play. With the clock running, San Francisco’s freshman guard Tim Derksen (10 pts) headed straight for the bucket and put up an acrobatic two points, while simultaneously drawing a foul, earning him a chance at a three point play. Derksen netted the free throw but with only ten sconds left on the clock, USF had to foul immediately. Sadly for the Dons, who were down just two points with four seconds left, Page sunk both attempts and sealed the game for St. Mary’s. A meaningless desperation three by Holmes hit harmlessly off the rim as time expired.

The loss dropped USF to 2-7 in the WCC and 9-13 overall, but USF had little time to dwell on what could have been. Three nights later the Dons were in Malibu, again down at the half to the Waves of Pepperdine. The Dons, now well versed in second half comebacks and their fickle nature, shot the Waves out of their own gym. Connecting on 14 of their 24 three point attempts, the Dons were able to fight back from a seven point second half deficit to claim their third WCC win of 2013 by a mark of 86-78. Junior forward Cole Dickerson dropped a game high 27 points.

USF now travels to Utah to take on BYU on Saturday night.

Although no longer affiliated with college basketball or the NBA, former USF basketball star Bill Cartwright continues to be a part of the sport in a unique way, continuing to show his dedication and love for the game. On January 22, Cartwright was hired as head coach for Osaka Evessa, a professional team in Japan’s BJ (Basketball Japan) league. The 55 year old will now be responsible for returning the once-elite Japanese franchise to relevancy, and proving that he can make a home for himself and build a reputation as a top-notch coach, all in a foreign country.

Cartwright arrived at USF in 1976 and immediately had a positive impact on the basketball team. After putting up solid numbers as a freshman, the 7’1” center developed into a standout player as a sophomore, leading the Dons to a 29-2 record. In 1978 and 1979, his last 2 years at USF, the team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and as a senior Cartwright averaged 24.5 points and 15.7 rebounds while leading the team to a record of 22-7.

After completing his decorated collegiate career, Cartwright was selected with the third overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft. He went on to have a memorable 16-year NBA career, highlighted by the three championships that he won as a member of the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls from 1991–1993. He retired in 1995, but was not ready to say goodbye to the game of basketball, and it wouldn’t be too long until he was back in the Bulls locker room as an assistant coach. In the middle of the 2001-02 NBA season, Cartwright was named head coach of his former team. He maintained that position until the 2002-03 season, when he was fired after the team got off to a 4-10 start.

Upon being dismissed by the Bulls, Cartwright spent many years serving as an NBA assistant coach, first for the New Jersey Nets and later the Phoenix Suns. However, until accepting the job for Osaka Evessa, he had not assumed the position of head coach since his days in Chicago. Becoming a coach for a team in a Japanese league is somewhat unorthodox by the standards of former NBA players and coaches, but Cartwright views this new chapter in his life as one of opportunity and possibility, and, as told to Ed Odeven of The Japan Times, one that brings  “great challenge and fun…personally, I love a challenge.”

This challenge that Cartwright speaks of will be no small one. Osaka Evessa stood at a dismal 5-19 when Cartwright took over as coach, good for ninth place in the 10-team Western Conference. In order to make the playoffs, the team will have to reach sixth place in the conference by the end of their 52-game season. Despite the odds stacked against them, there have been recent signs of hope. In the games that Cartwright has coached since his arrival, Osaka Evessa has gone 2-0. Although their back-to-back victories were 89-79 and 83-73 wins that both came against the last-place Miyazaki Shining Suns, Cartwright is optimistic about the team’s future.

“The team has, I believe, played well in meaningful situations,” Cartwright said to Odeven.

“In close games, we’re really not that far away. The goal for this season is to develop our team into the best team we can be.”

If Cartwright is able to inject a shot of energy into Osaka Evessa, the results certainly have the potential to be exciting. The team is not without talent, as it has recruited both former NBA and collegiate players from the United States. Forward Rick Rickert played college basketball at Minnesota, and was taken as the 55th pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Guard Dwayne Lathan was a standout at Indiana State. If Osaka Evessa can put the pieces together and rally around their new coach, they have an outside shot to make the playoffs. For a franchise that won three championships in a row after its inception in 2004, this may seem like a somewhat meaningless accomplishment, but for the current team that has seen three coaches in the past two seasons, it would be a promising step forward.

By taking the job as head coach in Japan, Cartwright rejoins the group of USF basketball alums who are still involved with the sport. KC Jones, who won a pair of NCAA championships with the Dons in 1955 and 1956, is presently a color commentator for Hartford University’s men’s basketball team. Bill Russell, who played with Jones during the most successful stretch in USF basketball history, has remained involved with NBA basketball throughout his life. He has maintained close relationships with players on the Boston Celtics, and in 2009 the NBA Finals MVP was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award.

Although immediate prosperity may not be the most likely outcome of Cartwright’s new coaching role, he is ultimately eager to become immersed in a new culture and learn the ways of basketball in a country that he had previously been unfamiliar with.

“I’ve always wanted to come here (to Japan),” Cartwright told Odeven.

And, while getting used to a new life and a new team to monitor and teach, the former Don will surely use the knowledge he gained from his years in San Francisco and Chicago to bring better days to a struggling team.

“Basketball is a great sport,” he said. “And we are hoping to teach the people of Japan that it’s a very exciting sport. Every kid has a chance to do it and do well. Hopefully with our style of play, people will want to come out and watch a very exciting team.”

The Dons were led by two of their youngest players: freshman guard Zhané Dikes and freshman forward Taylor Proctor. Dikes had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Proctor added 17 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of assists, blocks, and steals.

Senior guard Mel Khlok also notched 14 points and five assists in the win.

Saturday’s victory was surprising, given that BYU pummeled the Dons to an 80-58 victory Jan. 5 in Utah.

“Last game [against BYU], it didn’t seem like we wanted it, and we didn’t really get after it,” Dikes said after Saturday’s win.

“But this game, you saw it in our eyes. I saw fire in my teammates’ eyes. We really just wanted it. We went hard every possession,” she said.

The Dons jumped out to an early 12-5 advantage and led 33-17 at halftime following an 11-0 run to close out the half.

Despite the big lead, Head Coach Jennifer Azzi did not want her players feeling too comfortable.

“We went in the locker room and wrote up ‘0-0’”, Azzi said after the game.

“We [couldn’t] think about the first half. However, [we had] confidence from the first half because our defense was outstanding.”

Indeed, San Francisco held BYU to 24.1% shooting through the first 20 minutes of play.

BYU scored seven unanswered points to open the second half, however, trimming the Dons’ lead to 33-24. BYU graduate guard Haley Steed, who lead the NCAA as of Jan. 24 with 8.0 assists per game, hit a deep three that reduced USF’s lead to 49-45 with 7:58 remaining. Another three-pointer from Steed and a BYU layup made it 58-53 Dons with 2:16 left to play. Steed collected 13 of her 19 points, two of her three assists, and all five of her steals in the second half.

“I didn’t get nervous. I knew we’d shake it off. We didn’t let that rattle us at all,” Dikes said of BYU’s comeback efforts.

Dikes hit a key jumper that made it 60-53 Dons with 1:39 remaining, and San Francisco made five free throws in the final minute to wrap up the 65-56 victory.

Azzi spoke highly of both teams after the game.

“BYU is such a good program, so for us to beat that caliber of a team…was pretty outstanding. I’m really proud of our players,” she said.

She also complimented her emerging freshmen.

“[Proctor] had a tremendous game. I think she’s getting better at reading what the defense is giving her…She’s becoming more of a complete player and she wants it,” Azzi said.

“Both [Dikes and Proctor] are so open to getting better. They’ll stay after practice, they’ll work on anything they need to work on, they’ll come in and watch film…They’re into it, and that’s what’s exciting because…the big change [when becoming a successful program] is when the players really start to own the program,” Azzi said.

With the win, San Francisco improved to 7-3 overall (2-1 in Conference play) at War Memorial Gym this season.

“We had a really good crowd today…that helps our energy a lot,” Azzi said.

“[Playing at home] just brings a whole new energy. Once we get that same intensity away, we’ll be a great team,” Dikes said after the game.

San Francisco hosts WCC opponent San Diego this Saturday, February 2nd, at 2 p.m.

Things started out well enough for USF as Dickerson, who put up 15 points, netted the game’s first basket, giving USF a 2-0 lead two minutes into the game. Portland, however, had an answer for everything and traded buckets with the Dons until junior guard Korey Theileke hit a deep three with 11:40 left in the first half, giving the Pilots an 8-point lead. For a team struggling to find its shot, being down early on the road is treacherous territory. The Dons shot a combined 32.6% percent from the floor in their two pervious games, losing both by a combined 40 points. Instead of forcing low percentage shots, San Francisco started its comeback on the defensive end of the floor, forcing five turnovers during a 10-3 run that gave the Dons a one point advantage with 7:00 left in the first. That lead would not last, as Derrick Rodgers put Portland back on top 15 seconds later. The half would end in ironic fashion as senior guard Oskars Reinfields hit a deep three with 0.01 left in the first, giving the home team a four point edge at the break.

The second half started with an outburst of scoring from the Pilots, highlighted by 15 point half from junior forward Ryan Nicholas, who scored a game high 26 points. Things looked dire at the nine minute mark, as Portland held a commanding 11 point lead and showed no signs of slowing down. The Dons, however, were saving their best defense for the final act, as they forced Portland to settle for contested, long range jump shots for the remainder of the half. USF kept Portland from making a single shot for over seven minutes, from the time they took the 11-point lead until the 2:20 mark. During that stretch, the Pilots were hard pressed to get a clean look at the basket and when they did, the Dons fouled the shooter, forcing the Pilots to make pressure free-throws and stopping the clock, giving USF ample time to tie it up. With a minute left in the contest, senior guard Cody Doolin sank a clutch three, tied the game, and set the stage for a USF win.

After the Doolin three, Portland used up 30 seconds of the allotted 35 second shot clock and had nothing to show for it as Reinfield’s missed a challenged three pointer. With the miss giving USF the last possession of the game, the Dons slowed down their offense and looked for an open shot. With time running out, Doolin spotted Dickerson in the left corner and sent his seventh assist of the night into the hands of the junior forward.
The last second win was short lived for the Dons, as they were slated to tip-off in Spokane on Saturday night against the 10th ranked Zags, a game which they lost 66-52.

While the prospect of a new arena is certainly elating for fans, perhaps the most promising aspect of the Warriors’ eventual move to San Francisco is the team’s recent rise to relevance. At this point in the current NBA season, Golden State boasts a 26-17 record and is looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season. This week, Warriors power forward David Lee was named to the All-Star game for the second time in his career, and in doing so became the first Golden State player to be elected as an All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. Along with Lee, the Warriors have a budding star in point guard Stephen Curry, a crop of promising young players such as Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, and a solid bench unit highlighted by Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry. The success of this Warriors squad bodes well for its future tenure in San Francisco, and has many students at the University of San Francisco eagerly awaiting the team’s arrival.

“It’s exciting because every time a team moves into a new stadium, you really want them to be good,” USF freshman Tyler Lym said.
“For instance, take the Miami Marlins. They moved into a new ballpark, but they still suck, and they haven’t really brought any hope. So having a good team that can actually play well come here is a big bonus. It makes things a lot more entertaining.”

Despite the hopefulness and enthusiasm surrounding the Warriors’ relocation, it is rare that such a drastic change occurs seamlessly. While the time of the team’s move to San Francisco has been confirmed, there is still much debate and negotiation concerning the construction of the arena and the management of city space.

One issue is that it will be difficult to provide sufficient parking, due to the density of the city’s downtown and waterfront areas, and also because the stadiums that the 49ers and Giants call home cover a considerable amount of land. On top of the parking problem, the new arena will have to be much smaller than Oracle Arena, as the proposed capacity is 17,500 compared to the 19,596 that Oracle houses. As fans await the announcement of the architects that will be building the arena between piers 30 and 32, they have expressed concern over the amount of traffic, overcrowding, and lack of recreational space.
Although the means by which the arena will be built are far from set in stone, Warriors owner Joe Lacob has remained faithful and continues to advocate for his team’s relocation.
“We do believe that it’s the right thing to do for the Warriors,” Lacob told Sam Amick of USA Today Sports.
“It’s going to [change] the capabilities of our franchise in so many ways. It’s the right thing to do for the Bay Area. It’s the right thing to do for the city of San Francisco to have a facility like that that will be useful not only for basketball games but so many other events. The city doesn’t have that.”
As a whole, the Warriors fan base has echoed Lacob’s sentiments and has remained confident that the team will arrive in San Francisco without too many bumps on the road. Residents to the west of the Bay Bridge not only have a new basketball team and arena to look forward to, but also an area of entertainment that will likely host many events outside of basketball. This advantage, along with Golden State’s current success and the bright future that lies ahead of them, indicates that the Warriors will become a welcome addition to the diverse, decorated, and sports-crazy city of San Francisco.

“It’s definitely going to bring another aspect to San Francisco,” Lym said. “I mean, San Francisco is already fun enough as it is, but the stadium will bring more good restaurants and new shops, and it’ll make it even more fun to explore the city.”

The NHL came to a standstill this fall during a lock out over a labour dispute between the NHL and the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players’ Association). The two parties failed to reach a consensus on the terms of their CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) by the date of the previous CBA’s expiration on Sept 16, 2012.

Negotiations over the CBA surrounded issues of player shares of hockey-related revenue, player contract regulations, free agent restrictions, and signing bonuses. The season that was scheduled to begin on Oct. 11, 2012 was postponed until Jan. 19, 2013, while these issues were discussed.

“I tried to figure out what they were struggling to negotiate. On NHL.com they didn’t have a lot of details,” sophomore Bryce Costley, an avid Los Angeles Kings fan, said.

The two parties came to an agreement on Jan. 6, after about 16 hours of continuous negotiations. Six days later, the CBA was officially ratified, and just 8 days later the previously locked out players were competing in the first games of the season.

“It [the lock out] was horrible. Especially because the Kings are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, and I was so excited for the start of the season but they prolonged it for three months,” Costley said.
“All I knew is that it was gone, and now it’s back. I just wondered where hockey went,” sophomore Kari Olk said. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Olk grew up playing pond hockey and sometimes watching the NHL. I like watching the games. The Minnesota Wild, man. Can’t go wrong with good old MN.”

The season opened with the presentation of championship rings and the  raising of the championship banner at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Before the puck hit the ice for the game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions paraded out on the ice to hold up the Cup in front of their fans. The Kings went on to lose 5-2.  Also opening the season was a matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburg Penguins, which the Penguins won 3-1.

The condensed 2013 season will contain just 48 games per team, and will end after just four months of play on April 27. A typical season is 82 games, some of which are inter-conference–these matchups have been excluded from the 2013 schedule. Bay Area hockey is dominated by the local San Jose Sharks, who are currently 5-0-0. Their next game is tonight, Jan. 31, at HP Pavilion in San Jose. The Sharks take on the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 p.m., broadcast live on CSN-CA.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have looked to their smothering defense, led by linebacker Patrick Willis, and the surprisingly excellent play of second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick to defeat the Falcons, who boasted the best record in the NFL, in the NFC Championship Game.
Jim Harbaugh has always been known to take risks. His latest, starting second year Kaepernick over veteran quarterback Alex Smith, is making him look like the smartest coach in the NFL. The 49ers have gone 7-2 in Kaepernick’s nine starts during which he has thrown for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Kaepernick has been even more impressive in the playoffs, boasting a 94.1 out of 100 QBR (Quarter Back Rating) and setting a playoff record for quarterback rushing yards with 181 against the Green Bay Packers. While Kaepernick’s play has been impressive, it is truly the 49ers defense that is the reason they are in the Super Bowl. Led by linebackers Navarro Bowman and Willis, as well as defensive lineman Justin Smith, the 49ers claim a top four defense in both opponent rushing and passing yards. If the 49ers are to beat the Ravens in the Super Bowl, the defense must shut down Flacco at quarterback as well as running back Ray Rice.
Just like his brother, John Harbaugh has had to make some tough decisions regarding his quarterback. Flacco has been criticized for years for his inability to win the big game, as he has lost in the AFC championship game two times before. However, John never gave up on his quarterback and has backed up Flacco since day one. Flacco has been exceptional this postseason, throwing for 853 yards, 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, just like their opponents, the Ravens have turned to their defense to close out games. Led by linebackers Lewis and Terrell Suggs and safety Ed Reed, the Ravens defense held a New England Patriot’s offense, considered the best in the league, to only 13 points.
Both defenses will undoubtedly come out to play, but the dual threat of San Francisco’s Kaepernick along with running back Frank Gore should turn out to be too much for Baltimore’s defense to contain. In only two years, Jim Harbaugh will help the 49ers complete their quest for their sixth Superbowl.
Nick’s Final Score: San Francisco 34 – Baltimore 31.

As most everyone in San Francisco knows, the Giants won the World Series championship earlier this fall. But the Giants brought home a second victory, as well: the California Prize for Service and the Common Good.

The California Prize is an award presented by the University to an individual or organization who contributes greatly to the needs of the local community. Over the last year, the Giants organization has spent as much time doing good in their community as on the baseball field—and this year, it showed. USF took note of the great contributions from the Giants Community Fund and the Junior Giants Program, determining back in March that San Francisco’s own Major League Baseball team would be the 2012 recipients of the prize.

Thus, the California Prize awards event this past Nov. 12 gleamed orange and black.

The theme of the fifth annual dinner night was the connection between “doing good and doing well,” the reciprocity between positive actions in the community and the success of such an organization within that community, said President Stephen Privett, S.J. and Giants President and CEO Larry Baer.

“Doing good and doing well are mutually enforcing in achieving life’s goals. The Giants are about more than winning baseball games,” Father Privett said during the presentation of the award on Welsh Field.  Baer echoed the sentiment in his acceptance speech. “The reality is that the road for doing well is doing good in a society,” he said.

Since 1991, the Giants have followed that road with the Giants Community Fund. A non-profit organization, the Fund has donated over $14 million to community efforts throughout its 21 years. According to its mission statement, “the Giants Community Fund collaborates with the San Francisco Giants by using baseball as a forum to encourage underserved youth and their families to live healthy, productive lives.”

One such way the Giants goes about this is through the Junior Giants, a non-competitive youth baseball program for at-risk children ages 5–18. The program means to provide a sense of community, an alternative to drugs and violence, and a chance to learn the sport of baseball without the typical expenses. The Fund provides all of the equipment and training necessary to run the leagues, as well as free tickets to certain Giants games. Aside from education in baseball, the Junior Giants also aims to teach the children life skills by focusing on the ideas of confidence, integrity, leadership and teamwork.

The Giants Community Fund also supports public awareness campaigns at AT&T park, and annually provides grants to other charitable organizations who benefit the community through health services, violence prevention and educational programs.

Baer, who received the award for the Giants, revealed a strong connection between the type of service that USF encourages and the services of the Giants Community Fund. “USF and the Giants have a symbiotic relationship,” he said. “Both of us wear SF across our chests and take seriously our utility as more than a business or university.”

The University and the Giants share more than a passion for community service—they also share a workspace. According to Baer, there are USF graduates employed with the Giants in every department. “It’s not just because USF’s proximity to AT&T Park….we share a common vision of the community,” he said.

Evidence of such shared vision can be seen from the collaboration between Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and USF professor David Batstone on the non-profit organization Not For Sale (NFS). Batstone is the co-founder of the organization, which fights human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Affeldt became involved with NFS after he was traded to the Giants in 2009, and has been supporting the initiative ever since. This season he pledged to donate $250 for every strikeout, hold, save and win. In the 67 games he pitched for the Giants, that money built up into a significant donation for the Not For Sale organization.

Of course, Affeldt also contributed in another way by helping to pitch the Giants into the World Series Championship. “USF and I take full credit for knowing that the Giants would be the World Series Champions at the time of this dinner back in March,” Privett joked during the award ceremony.

The night’s connections between providing service to one’s community and finding success in the rest of life’s endeavors were strong, sending a powerful message to both the USF affiliated guests and the members of the Giants organization.

In short, Privett concluded in his speech that the Giants won the World Series because they are good people, not just good baseball players. They are good because they do good for their community, for the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area.