At CSULB, we've got game

By Michael Haubrich
Special to Summer Forty-Niner

Cal State Long Beach Athletic Director Bill Shumard is excited, not only about the 49er sports programs this year, but for future years as well.

"When the Student Referendum passed, it gave all 18 of our varsity sports the full complement of scholarships," Shumard said. "We won't see the full benefit of that this year, but we will begin to see more improvement in the future. It will help make some of our lesser-funded sports more competitive."

Even without the student referendum, several of CSULB's teams thrived last season. The men and women's basketball teams both won more than 20 games and qualified for postseason play, the women's volleyball team reached the Final Four for the third straight year, and the men's golf team qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the first time in 18 years.

When the full impact of the student referendum is felt in a couple of years, CSULB could have some of the strongest teams in the nation.

"Long Beach State is one of the best major college programs without football in the country," Shumard said. "I think the student referendum will only help solidify that. We've had several good years back-to-back and the upcoming year could be as good as any year that we've had."

Here is a look at the upcoming fall and winter sports:

Men's Basketball: The team had one of its best seasons in recent memory. CSULB finished with a 24-6 overall record last season (the third-highest victory total in the team's history), won the Big West Western Division title with a 15-1 record, had a 15-game regular-season winning streak, and was invited to play in the NIT, the team's first postseason appearance in five years.

Fifth-year head coach Wayne Morgan, who recently signed a three-year contract extension, has helped build the 49ers back into a winner.

Key returnees for the 49ers include senior guard Ramel Lloyd, who was second on the team in scoring, senior center James Williams, who led the team in rebounding and was third in scoring, and senior forward Grant Stone, who had some big games off the bench last season and provided leadership for the 49ers.

Along with transfer Travis Reed from UCLA and a bumper recruiting crop, LBSU looks to be one of the top teams in the nation this season.

"The men's team really turned a major corner last year," Shumard said. "They've set the table to help bring the program along even further this year. We had one of the top recruiting classes in the country, we've upgraded their schedule, and we've signed Coach Morgan to a contract extension, so we're expecting more good things from the men's basketball."

The 49ers open their season Nov. 17 at Southern Illinois.

Women's Basketball: While it was the 49ers men's team that may have gotten all the press last season, it was actually the 49ers women's team that had a more successful playoff run, advancing to the third round of the Women's NIT before falling to Colorado State, 65-63, to finish the season with a 22-11 record.

To make another playoff appearance this season, the 49ers will have to overcome the loss of All-Big West center Rhonda Smith, who led the team in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. The team will count on the veteran leadership of seniors Charel Bailey, who was second on the team in rebounding, Jackie Moore, who averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season, and Reta Sula, who hit 64 3-pointers last season and led the team in assists.

Along with senior Marina Sanchez and juniors Crystal Givens, Tamara Inoue and junior college transfer Ekuah Ramsey, this will be an experienced team. Sixth-year coach Dallas Boychuk-Bolla has guided the team to 40 wins over the last two years, and the 49ers hope to keep the winning ways going.

"This team was playing as well as anyone at the end of last season," Shumard said. "Coach Boychuk-Bolla lost some key seniors, including Rhonda Smith, but she recruited well and she has some great players back. Like men's basketball, they've now set the tone for the program, and they're a highly respected team around the country.

"They played their best basketball at the end of the year, which is what any good team will do, and I think they're going to have a great year."

The 49ers open the season Nov. 17 at the University of San Diego.

Women's Volleyball: One of the most highly regarded programs in the nation, the 49ers finished with a 31-4 record last season and advanced to their third straight Final Four.   Despite the losses of four key players from that team, Coach Brian Gimmillaro, in his 16th year as coach, will have another strong team that will contend for the national championship.

The team will be young, with only two seniors (Mariah Marquis and Melissa Ohta) on the squad. The players to watch will be juniors Cheryl Weaver and Tayyiba Haneef, who finished 1-2 in kills last season and tied for the team lead in blocks.

Another key returnee is junior Keri Nishimoto, whose 1,443 sets helped Weaver and Haneef record all those kills.

"The standards that have been set are extremely high," Shumard said. "They have the momentum of going to the last three Final Fours and going undefeated two years ago, there's a strong nucleus of talent back from last year, and Brian Gimmarillo is absolutely the best coach in the business.

"But having such high expectations is a double-edged sword. You know you're going to be good, but just how good. I fully expect them to be that good."

The 49ers open the season Sept. 1 at The Pyramid against St. Mary's of Moraga.

Women's Soccer: The team finished its second season with a 7-13 record and capped the year with a stunning 1-0 upset over Mountain West co-champion Utah in Utah.    Midfielder Jennifer Reott, last season's leading scorer and a second-team All-Big West selection, returns for the 49ers, who add nine freshman.

Also returning for the 49ers are sophomore midfielder Sarah Aguilar, who was the second-leading scorer on the team, and goalkeeper Jihan Elgazzr, who started all 20 games for LBSU.

"[Third-year coach] Julie Cocharan has done a great job of building the program from the ground up," Shumard said. "What she's been able to accomplish in her first two years is nothing short of amazing. She seems to attract a better caliber of student-athlete each year, and she's setting the tone for a successful program. I think this third year will be even better."

The 49ers open the season in Connecticut, playing Fairfield Aug. 25.

Men's Water Polo: The 49ers hope to overcome some key losses and improve on its 13-14 record of last season. Three players scored 50 points each last season for the 49ers, but only one returns--junior Chris Segesman, who scored 44 goals and was named second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

CSULB also returns senior goalie Robert Smith, who had 223 saves last season, including a season-high 18 versus Stanford.

Second-year coach Rick Azevado hopes to have the same success with at the collegiate level as he did with Long Beach Wilson, a team he helped guide to numerous high school championships.

"From all indications, Rick had a great recruiting year and returns some key veterans," Shumard said. "He feels in the next couple of years the team will be able to crack the top-five and compete for a national championship, and that's what we're excited about."

The 49ers open its season Sept. 9 at USC.

Men and Women's Cross Country: Both teams suffered big losses with the graduations of Johann Appell and Monica MacManus. Seniors Larry Henderson and Derek DeCicco both competed for Long Beach in the NCAA Region XIII meet last year and return for the men's team, while sophomore Molly Roche', who finished 42nd at the Big West Championships last year, returns for the women's team.

"[Cross Country] has always been competitive within the Big West conference despite its limited resources," Shumard said. "They're going to get a lot more scholarship help, but I don't know if that will pay immediate dividends this year. I know that coach [Andy] Sythe is looking to improve this year, and we're hoping for great things."

The teams' first meet is the Titan Invitational on Sept. 2  in Fullerton.

Men's Golf: The 49ers return four seniors from a team that qualified for the NCAA West Regional for the first time since 1982. Senior John Mallinger, who was named first-team All-Big West last season, returns, along with fellow seniors Brian Merrick, Kevin Wurtz and Perry Dickey. Coach Bob Livingstone was named Big West Coach of the Year last season and returns for his seventh season as the 49ers top man.

"The team is coming off an excellent year and [Livingstone's] got a strong nucleus of players coming back," Shumard said. "He's put a lot of time and effort into the team, so logic would dictate that they will be very good. I think we can look for that this year."

The 49ers begin play Sept. 11-12 at the Northwest Collegiate Classic in Corvallis, Ore.

Women's Golf: The team loses only two seniors from last year's squad. Sophomore Carla Legaspi, who was named second-team All Big West, and junior Shelbie Jasper, who finished in seventh at the Big West Championships in April, return, as does fifth-year coach Sue Ewart.

"[Ewart's] brought in some good young golfers and is trying to bring the experience level up to major college golf," Shumard said. "She doesn't have the same level of experience returning that the men's team has, but she does have some good returnees and we look for them to compete."

The 49ers begin play Sept. 15-16 at the Oregon State Invitational in Corvallis, Ore.