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Mid-season
recap of LBSU spring sports
By
Matt Pearson
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
Men's
Basketball – Long Beach State won
seven out of their last eight regular season
games to finish with an overall record of
10-20, 7-11 Big West. The 49ers lost 55-49
to UC Santa Barbara in the first round of
the 2005 Big West Tournament. Junior guard
Jibril Hodges earned Honorable Mention,
All Big West Conference as he led the 49ers
in scoring at 12.7 points per game.
Women's
Basketball – The 49ers lost in a last-second
shot to Idaho in the semifinal round of
the 2005 Big West Tournament. LBSU finished
with an overall record of 19-9, 13-5 Big
West. The Beach saw five women selected
All-Conference as senior guard Aisha Hollans
earned first team honors, junior center
Petra Gläser and junior wing Crystal
McCutcheon earned second-team honors and
guard Jeannie Saunders was named to the
All-Freshman Team.
Baseball
– Despite injuries to key players
such as junior outfielder Sean Boatright,
senior third baseman Danny Mocny and junior
shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the No. 13-ranked
Dirtbags have lived up to their reputation
by playing tough and posting an overall
record of 22-10, 3-0 Big West. Junior pitcher
Cesar Ramos has thrown three complete games
in a row, compiling a 6-3 record with a
1.61 ERA on the season.
Softball
– LBSU started conference play last
weekend by sweeping Utah State and outscoring
the Aggies 29-0 over the three games. The
49ers posted an overall record of 23-12,
3-0 Big West. It has been a season of milestones
for The Beach. Senior center fielder Lauren
Johnson hit career home run No. 17, which
is the most in the program's history. Senior
pitcher Meredith Cervenka picked up her
66th career win against UC Davis, breaking
an 11-year old school record. Head Coach
Pete Manarino is just four wins away from
800 career wins.
Women's
Tennis – LBSU will play their final
two home matches this weekend against Oregon
and UC Santa Barbara. The 49ers have an
overall record of 10-8, 4-1 Big West and
are currently ranked No. 74. Senior Nicole
Bouffler is 12-6 at the No. 1 singles position,
winning seven of her last nine matches.
Freshman Stephanie Bengson was named the
Big West Female Athlete of the Week last
week, as she has won her last eight matches
at the No. 2 spot.
Track
and Field – The Long Beach State Track
and Field squad had 42 season bests at the
Stanford Invitational at the end of March.
This effort produced 66 conference qualifiers
and 10 regional qualifiers on the season.
Freshman Kim Heinz earned Big West Conference
Field Athlete of the Week as she set a school
record for the javelin event in the Long
Beach Relays back on March 5. Freshman Charles
Lewis finished in the top three in sprints
and junior Charlene Deardorff won the 100-meter
event at the Big West Challenge last weekend.
Men's
Volleyball - The No. 4-ranked 49ers jumped
from the No. 7 position this week after
beating No. 1-ranked Pepperdine and No.
15-ranked USC last week. The Beach holds
an overall record of 17-8, 11-7 MPSF. As
of March 30, the 49ers are No. 5 in the
nation in hitting percentage (.341), and
Robert Tarr ranks No. 5 in the nation in
kills per game (4.84).
Women's
Water Polo – The No. 5-ranked 49ers
are 15-4, 7-1 MPSF as they have done it
with defense this season. The 49ers rank
eighth in the nation with the least goals
allowed at 5.4 per game. Senior goalie Bri
Hawkins is the school's all-time saves leader
with 782, and is 11th in the nation with
160 saves this season.
Men's
Golf – LBSU finished 10th at the Oregon
Duck Invitational with an 886 on March 22.
Junior Ryan Panichpakdee finished tied for
fourth; it was his first top-10 finish this
spring. The Beach finished tied for fifth
as the last round of the 59th Annual Western
Intercollegiate was cancelled due to bad
weather.
Women's
Golf - Freshman Kay Hoey is ranked No. 20
in the nation according to Golfstat.com
with an average score of 73.83 after winning
the Oregon Duck Invitational. LBSU finished
fifth at the Anteater Invitational March
16.
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