Long Beach is Second in Big West
Commissioner's Cup

For the third consecutive year, Long Beach State finished in second place in scoring for the annual Big West Conference Commissioner's Cup, which is awarded at the end of each calendar season to the Big West institution with the best overall finishes in the conference's 17 sponsored sports championships.

To determine the champion, total points are summed and divided by the number of championships in which each institution competes. Each sport champion is also given a 20-point bonus. UC Santa Barbara won for the fifth consecutive year.

The 49ers ended the year with 1,640 points after winning Big West titles in softball and women's tennis and second-place finishes in women's golf and baseball.


AVCA Names 49ers as
Volleyball All-Americans

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named Long Beach State men's volleyball athletes Tyler Hildebrand and Robert Tarr as first team All-Americans this spring. It was Hildebrand's second consecutive All-America honor and Tarr's first.

Hildebrand led the nation for the third straight year in assists with 1,613 for a 14.03 assist per game average, also No. 1 in the country. Tarr's 4.87 kills per game ranked No. 5 in the nation. Long Beach State finished the 2005 season with a 22-10 record.

Women's team freshman Alexis Crimes earned AVCA third team All-American honors. Crimes was named the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year, as well as a first-team all-conference selection.

The Long Beach State women's volleyball team fell to the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Women's Volleyball playoffs and ended its season at 24-7.


Green-Vargas in Volleyball
Coaches' Hall of Fame

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named 49ers' women's assistant coach Debbie Green Vargas to its 2004 Hall of Fame Class last November.

Green-Vargas, a two-time U.S. Olympic volleyball team member, is in her 20th year at CSULB. She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1995, the University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

She was a member of the U.S. Olympic volleyball team that won the silver medal at the 1984 games in Los Angeles and also participated in three world championships and two Pan-American games, where she won a silver medal in 1983. Green played for the Los Angeles Starlites of Major League Volleyball in the 1980s.

She mentored six AVCA All-America setters, including Misty May in 1997 and 1998. At Westminster High, Green-Vargas was on the Adidas Junior Team and was named an All-American at age 16, becoming the youngest player to receive the honor.

Women's Water Polo Player
Wins Silver in World Event

Wome's water polo player Drue Wawrzynski earned a place on the U.S. national team that won the silver medal in the FINA (Federation Nationale de Natation) World Championships in late July in Montreal.

After finishing the season with a No. 5 national ranking, the 49ers saw Cassie Azevedo and Wawrzynski named All-Americans by the American Water Polo Coaches Association.

Azevedo was named a second team All-American after leading the 49ers with 64 goals. Azevedo is a two-time first team All-MPSF selection, while Wawrzynski was an honorable mention.

Other current or former players training or competing with national teams include Tara Campbell, who decided to forgo her senior season to train with Canada; Marina Canetti, a member of the Brazilian national team; Roberta Stewart, training with New Zealand; and all-time leading 49er scorer Angelica Garcia, a member of Puerto Rico's national team.


Soccer Players Named
All-Big West Honorees

Allison Wiegand earned her fourth All-Big West conference honor for the 49er's women's soccer team by being named to the second team, and Natalie Messina was named an honorable mention for the second time. Wiegand finished her Long Beach State career with a record 18 goals, 10 assists and 46 points during 72 games. She earned Big West first team honors in 2002 and 2003.


Students, Professor Earn NSCA Awards

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) awarded Cal State Long Beach softball player Panita Thanatharn and men's basketball player Cody Pearson its annual All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year award this spring.

The award recognizes their dedication to strength training and athletic conditioning. This year, the NSCA recognized 251 collegiate athletes from over 100 schools.

Thanatharn undertook a surgery and rehabilitation regimen after breaking her leg two years ago, while Pearson began strength and conditioning training early in his sports career.

Last fall, NSCA presented John Garhammer, professor of kinesiology and physical education, with its 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award.