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• Wildcat Illustrated • Fall 2015

Fall 2015 • Wildcat Illustrated •

Wildcat Illustrated is published threetimes a year – August, November andFebruary – by the Athletic Department ofChico State, which is solely responsiblefor its content. To place an advertisementin Wildcat Illustrated, call the marketingoffice at 898-5179.

Chico State Athletics is funded in part

by student Instructionally Related

Activities fees.

EditorMitch Cox

PhotographerSkip Reager

Graphic DesignSkip Reager

MarketingJeff Kragel

WritersMitch CoxRory Miller

Skip ReagerLuke Reid

Jonathan Wanderstock

On the coverWorking in a team atmosphere at Chico State has created many

successes, warm relationships and life-long friendships while the ath-letes have created a family-type setting. Now Wildcat fans are beinginvited to get involved with their favorite teams and athletes so theytoo can be part of the Wildcat Family.

“50” will be the operativenumber for the Chico Statemen’s golf team.

Women’s cross countryteam seeking 12th CCAA

championship.

See Page 15

Having 19 freshmen onthe team should make for a

very interesting women’ssoccer season.

See Page 9

The women’s golf teamwill have a lot moreoptions this season.

See Page 5See Page 4

Inside Wildcat Illustrated

Big changes coming to Acker Gym sound, concessions.

Also in Wildcat Illustrated6

Jonathan Wanderstock talks about fundraising.

The true story behind the Gambino Award.7

14

New school, many changes for CCAA this year.

SAAC organization will grant another wish. 29

10

See Page 16

Athletic Hall of Fame plansmonster night of inductionsSaturday, Oct. 10.

See Page 11

Chico State’s volleyballteam hoping to make runinto postseason.

See Page 13

The men’s soccer teamhopes experience can help itclimb atop CCAA standings.

See Page 21

The men’s cross countryteam is eyeing a 14th straight

CCAA championship.

In a sport where figures in the high 60s and low 70s aredesirable, the number “50” will play a dominant role forthe Chico State men’s golf team during the 2015-16

school year. Spring of 2016 marks the 50th anniversary ofChico State’s only golf national championship – which waswon at Chico’s own Butte Creek Country Club – and coach T.L.

Brown is capitalizing onthat anniversary to helpbuild on his team’s lega-cy. The coach feels thereis no better way to cele-brate that specialanniversary than withnational title for the2015-16 ‘Cats – a goalthat he feels is verymuch in reach.

The Wildcats havereached the match playportion (final four) of thenational championship

tournament three of the last four years. Last year, they lost toeventual national champion Nova Southeastern 3-1-1 in amatch that went down to the final three holes. Four playersreturn from that team including three who have drawn All-American accolades each of the past two years.

While the national title is the team’s ultimate goal for the

coming school year, Brown is also using the anniversary of thenational title to launch his “50-for-50” campaign to raise$50,000 for golf scholarships.

“It’s time to narrow the gap between Division I and CCAAmembers by increasing what we offer to potential student-ath-letes. With that in mind, a $10,000 per year increase over thenext five years will make a huge impact in growing our DIIdominance,” said Brown.

He expects to launch his campaign after Labor Day toinvolve alumni and boosters. In conjunction, he will havemorning sessions called “Coffee with the ‘Cats” throughoutthe year.

Brown believes that team unity is one of the “intangibles”that leads to a successful program and creating a familyatmosphere is important.

“We look at the golf program as a family where we all lookout for each other and grow together, win together and losetogether. These experiences through competition bring uscloser together. Parents of student athletes, as well as pastplayers, bond and travel to watch the team,” explained thecoach.

“Golf is such an individual game. Many players have neverbeen a part of a winning team but have had individual suc-cesses. It's important to understand that when you are amember of the Chico State golf program, you are playing and


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’Cat golfers look to repeat feat of 50 years ago

Lee Gearhart

2015-16 Wildcat Men's Golf ScheduleFall 2015

Sept. 21‐22 – DII National Preview at Denver, Colo.Sept. 28‐29 – DII W/SC Regional Preview at Las Cruces, NM.Oct. 5-6 – InterWest Insurance Wildcat Classic (BCCC).Oct 19‐20 – Otter Invitational at Seaside.

Spring 2016Feb. 8‐9 – San Marcos Invitational at VistaFeb. 29‐Mar. 1 – DII S./SE Regional Preview at Howey‐InMar. 7‐8 – NDNU Argonaut Invitational at LivermoreMar. 21‐22 – Triton Invitational at San DiegoApr. 11‐12 – Hanny Stanislaus Invitational at TurlockApr. 18‐20 – CCAA Championship, TBAMay 2‐4 – NCAA W/SC Regional at Las CrucesMay 17‐21 ‐‐ NCAA Championship at Denver, Colo.

See REPEAT/Page 30

It’s always good to have options but Chico Statewomen’s golf coach Nick Green found himself with-out any last year.

When his roster dwindled toonly five players – thenumber he can take to atournament – he wasforced to go with what he

had. At one point, he was leftwith only three players and

could not even field ateam (it takes four toscore for the team)and his trio

was forced to play as individ-uals.

That won’t be the casethis year. After hours spenton the recruiting trail, he hasthree new players who he

will blend with fourreturnees.

“Recruiting went very wellfor our program. All the incoming players have been com-peting a lot this summer and have been shooting good

scores. I feel they will be ready once the season starts,”said Green. “Joining with the returning players, I believewill give us the most balanced and deepest team that wehave had.”

The coach went on to say that the ultimate goal is tocompete at the national championships but that there area lot of things the team needs to do well in order to getthere.

“We need to stay committed to that ultimate goal and ifwe can continue to improve and play for each other, I

think we have a great opportunity to get there,” saidGreen.

Chico State has a solid group of experienced play-ers in Dani O’Keefe, Abbey McGrew, Bianca Armanini

and Sydney Zink returning.Zink and McGrew are juniors while O’Keefe and

Armanini are seniors.O’Keefe led the Wildcats with a 76.6 average. Her best

individual finish was a third place and she also had a cou-ple fourths.

McGrew was next in line with a 78.4 and a fifth placefinish while Armanini was at 79.4 with a second place fin-ish. Zink averaged 89.1

The three newcomers include junior April Chang fromSierra College, Brittany O’Bryant from Pleasant Grove Highin Elk Grove and Emily Rotter from Fremont High in San

Jose.Chang was an accomplished golfer at Sierra College

where she won back-to-back All-State honors and wasnamed the Big 8 Conference MVP twice. She had a sec-ond place finish in the state JC championships and led theBig 8 with a 77.6 stroke average, two shots better thanher nearest rival. She also won or shared first place ineight conference tournaments.

O’Bryant is a four-time All-Delta River League selectionand carries an impressive 2.1 handicap. In addition toearning Division and Masters Medalist honors, O'Bryant

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Women’s golf team will have more options2015-16 Wildcat Women’s Golf Schedule

Fall 2015Sept 21‐22 – New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate at Goodyear, Az.Oct. 5‐6 – Dixie State Invitational at St. George, Ut.Oct. 19‐20 – Sonoma State Fall Invitational at Rohnert Park

Spring 2016Feb. 8‐9 ‐‐ at San Diego Women’s ChampionshipsFeb. 15‐16 – Lady Rattler Invitational at San Antonio, Tx.Mar. 7‐8 – CS East Bay Tierney Shootout at VallejoMar. 14‐15 – InterWest Wildcat Invitational (Butte Creek)Mar. 21‐22 – at CS Monterey Bay Otter InvitationalApr. 5‐6 – Sonoma State Spring Invitational at Rohnert ParkMay 2‐4 – NCAA Super Regional at StocktonMay 18‐21 – NCAA Championships at Aurora, Co.

See OPTIONS/Page 30

Dani O’Keefe

Fall 2015 • Wildcat Illustrated • Page 7

The true story behind the ‘Gambino Award’Student-athletes at Chico State

vie for a variety of honors andawards every year—from athleticto academic honors, to regional ornational accolades—the competi-tion is fierce.

But there’s a new award thatmight become the most covetedone of all.

It’s called the “GambinoAward” and this is the story ofhow it came to be.

From 2005 to 2007, AndrewGambino was a member of theChico State track and field team.He competed in various eventsincluding the javelin and “thoughtabout the decathlon but nevertried one.” Andrew tried his best,but wasn’t quite talented enoughto compete when the coaches hadto pare their list down for anupcoming meet.

But Andrew was a great team-mate and everyone loved havinghim on the squad.

“I consider him a great emulsi-

fier,” saidheadmen’strack andfieldcoach—andrecentcooking afi-cionado,Oliver Hanf.“An emulsi-fier helpsblends foodstogether. Certain ingredients areneeded for a recipe, but theydon’t always mix together—like oiland water. But a splash of lemonjuice brings those two together.Andrew was our lemon juice!”

While Andrew was a memberof the track and field team, hewas also a member of the ChicoState Student-Athlete AdvisoryCommittee, better known asSAAC. SAAC’s purpose is to pro-vide a conduit for student-athletesto communicate with athletic

administra-tion, butalso to getout into thecommunityand giveback to thefolks whogive somuch sup-port to allthe Wildcat

teams. Andrew always considered his

time as a member of SAAC a keycomponent in his development.After graduation, Andrew wouldstay abreast of SAAC activities byfollowing their Facebook page orTwitter feed.

So imagine the surprise a fewyears ago when SAAC was con-ducting one of their annualcanned food drives when severalboxes from Amazon arrived in theoffice of Associate Director ofAthletics and SAAC advisor Mitch

Cox.“These were big heavy boxes

and I had no idea what they werebecause I certainly hadn’t orderedanything from Amazon,” he said.Not wanting to open a box thatperhaps was shipped in error, Coxmade a quick phone call over tothe campus Shipping andReceiving department to see ifthey could shed some light on thematter.

“The guy over in shipping doesa little research and then calls meback and says, ‘looks like it’s froma guy named Gambino.’” Coxrecalls opening the first box andseeing several cases of cannedvegetables and saying to himself,“you gotta be kidding me!” In all,there were over 125 cans of foodin those boxes.

“There was a simple note fromAndrew in the box saying that hehoped this would help us with our

Andrew Gambino Haley Kroll

See GAMBINO/Page 14


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The 19 freshmen on Chico State women’s soc-cer coach Kim Sutton’s roster have her talkinglike she did when she was a youngster.

“Gee whiz. Wow. This group really is young,”Sutton said.

But golly gee willikers if she isn’t excitedabout her Wildcats.

“It’s been a really fun start,” Sutton said. “Alongwith having a superb returning staff, we have playerswho have a high soccer IQ. We are at an acceleratedstarting point because of that. That’s fun becausewe’ve been able to start at a faster pace and moveforward faster than we have in the past.”

The Wildcats feature just 11 letterwinners fromlast season’s squad, which finished 12-5-2and just missed out on an NCAAChampionships berth. While the 11 may not look like much in the way ofquantity, the quality is certainly there.

“Our returning group is so solid,” Sutton said. “It’s a small group thatI’m expecting to do big things.”

Sutton should know. The two-time California Collegiate AthleticAssociation (CCAA) Coach of the Year is entering her 21st season in the

NCAA and 16th at Chico State. Sutton is only fourwins shy of 200 and ranked 34th in NCAA

Division II history in wins. “Our mantra this year has been ‘Prepare to

Shine.’ Hashtag P2S,” Sutton said with a hugesmile. “It’s about always being prepared to be

your best. It’s kind of all over everythingwe’re doing this year.”

Then, she added with a smile: “Now itis time to shine.”

Sutton has leaned heavily on her returning groupto set the tone off the field.

“A lot of our focus is on inclusivity – that webecome a unified team and that we’re all on thesame page together,” said Sutton. “Last year, having a

good run at the end of the year and just missing theNCAAs, is a big drive for the returners. They under-

stand that the foundation of a successful season is built on a strong,healthy team culture.

Cassi Scroggins and JoJo Smyth, one half of the four-woman senior


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Sept. 3 – at St. Martin’sSept. 5 – at Seattle PacificSept. 10 – Concordia, 7 p.m.Sept. 12 – Dixie State, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 – California Baptist, 7 p.m.Sept. 19 – Dominican, 7 p.m.Sept 25 – at Humboldt StateSept. 27 – at Sonoma StateOct. 2 – Cal State East Bay, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 4 – Cal State Stanislaus, 11:30 a.m.Oct. 9 – at Cal State Dominguez HillsOct. 11 – at Cal State LA

Oct. 16 – at Cal Poly PonomaOct. 18 – at Cal State San BernardinoOct. 23 – UC San Diego, 7 p.m.Oct. 25 – Cal State San Marcos, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 – CS Monterey Bay, 4:30 p.m.Oct 31 – San Francisco State, 2 p.m.Nov. 3 – CCAA Tournament, TBANov. 6‐8—CCAA Tournament, TBANov. 12‐15 – NCAA West Regional, TBANov. 19‐22 – NCAA Regional FinalsDec. 3‐5 NCAA Tourney, Pensacola, Fla.

19 freshmen help give’Cats bright future

2015 Chico State Women’s Soccer Schedule

See SHINING/Page 25

Pooja Patel

JoJo Smyth


220 West 4th Street Downtown Chico (530) 893-3100

Addition of San Marcos prompts changes within CCAAThere’s a song from many

years ago by REO Speedwagonentitled “Roll with the Changes.”

It’s certainly something that allChico State coaches, stu-dent-athletes and fans willneed to do as they enterthe 2015-16 season.

For basketballcoaches and play-ers, there arechanges to severalrules that takeeffect this year (see“Major rule Changes coming tobasketball this season” – Page19). For the fans of basketballand volleyball, there are lots ofchanges heading their way at theconcession stand (see “”Bettersound, better food” Page 6).

The sport of softball, as well,has several rule changes on theimmediate horizon.

But the one change that all ofthe 13 sports will have to “rollwith” is the addition of a new

member to the CaliforniaCollegiate Athletic Association,and the impact that has onscheduling for some sports this

season.For many years, the 12

CCAA schools had beenhearing that Cal State

San Marcos wouldbe joining the confer-ence “very soon.”But then one thingor another wouldcome up and the

process would be delayed. Finally,in 2014-15, San Marcos complet-ed all the requirements that wereneeded to make the move toDivision II and will now be a fullconference member for the2015-16 season.

There will be some limitationsto what San Marcos is eligible forin their first year of competition(for example, no team champi-onships), but they will be oneveryone’s schedule for all the

CCAA sports they sponsor.Cal State San Marcos is one of

the newest schools in the 23-campus California StateUniversity system. Established in1989, San Marcos is located innorthern San Diego County andboasts an enrollment of morethan 12,000 students. TheCougars have been a force at theNAIA level, finishing 10th in the2014-15 NAIA Learfield SportsDirectors’ Cup competition, andwill provide strong competition inthe CCAA.

While it’s exciting to welcomea new member to the conference,the addition did not come withoutsome predictable difficulties.Most notably, with 13 teams nowin the fold, scheduling became areal challenge. For example, bas-ketball, as a sport, is limited byNCAA rules to 26 regular seasoncontests. When the CCAA had 12teams, the schedule was a dou-ble round-robin, so each school

would play each other twice for atotal of 22 conference contests.The other four “open” contestscould then be scheduled howevereach school wanted to. So forexample, with men’s basketballat Chico State, two of thoseremaining four dates would beused during the annual MacMartin tournament.

But with 13 schools, a double-round robin would mean a totalof 24 conference games, leavingonly two opportunities to play out-side of the CCAA. This can haveserious implications when itcomes to regional rankings and

post-season play where playingopponents out of conference canbe an important criteria for post-season consideration.

Because of that, the schedulethat most folks have been accus-tomed to will be changing in2015-16.

To be more specific, in volley-ball and basketball, the “doubleround-robin” format has beenaltered so there will be someopponents Chico will play onlyonce per year instead of twice. Inthe sport of baseball, the tradi-

2014-15 2015-16Sport NCAA limit CCAA contests CCAA contestsSoccer 18 games 11 12 Volleyball 26 dates 22 20Basketball 26 games 22 20Baseball 50 games 40 38

Changes to CCAA scheduling in 2015-16

See CHANGES/Page 23


Athletic Hall of Fame plans star-studded nightThe Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame

committee has unveiled its class of 2015,which features eleven of the department’sall-time greats and two honoraryinductees. Legendary prep wrestling coachWayne Branstetter will be honored as thefirst recipient of the re-created Mac MartinAward, presented to a former Chico Stateathlete who has brought distinction to theUniversity, community and his or her voca-tion following college.

The 2003 NCAA Championship finalistmen’s soccer team will also be honored.

Tickets – $45 or $340 for a table ofeight – for the Oct. 10 gala can be pur-chased by calling the Chico State AthleticDepartment at (530) 898-6470. The dead-line to RSVP is Sept. 25. The event willbegin with a social hour at 5:30, dinnerwill be served at 7, and the induction cere-mony will begin at 7:30.

The inducteesPaul (Dennis) ChaseGymnastics 1975-80

Chase went by his middle name, Dennis,while competing at Chico State. He is alsoknown as one of the greatest gymnasts in theUniversity’s history. Bright, his former coachand an honorary inductee to this Hall of Fameclass, considers him the program’s best everall-around gymnast.

Chase won NCAA Championships in thevault in 1977 and 1978, and finished third atthe 1978 Division I Championships. Chase wasa 13-time All-American at Chico State. His 1978score in the vault, a 9.7, was an NCAA record.

Chase helped lead the Wildcats to a second-place finish at the 1980 NCAA Championshipsand three more top-six efforts.

Marissa (Bradley) WinkBasketball 1997-2001

The Chico State women’s basketball recordbook was never the same after Marissa(Bradley) Wink gotthrough with it. Forher, making positivechanges is the rule,not the exception.

Still the University’scareer leader inpoints, steals and freethrows, Bradley alsoholds the single-gamescoring record of 37points, set during herfreshman year.

Wink was the firstfemale to be honored as the ChicoSportsperson of the Year in 2001, and as amember of the Dean’s List and National Honor

Society for four consecutive seasons, an easychoice for the Richard Dahl Scholar Athlete ofthe Year Award that same year.

After the Wildcats went 13-14 during herfreshman season, they were 52-28 over thenext three.

J.J. JakovacGolf 2002-04

From 2002-2004 there was not a bettergolfer at the Division II level, and perhaps at anycollegiate level. The NCAA Individual medalist in2002 and 2004 and three-time first team All-American, Jakovac was the face of a Wildcatgolf program that was evolving into one of thenation’s finest.

The two-time winner of the Arnold PalmerAward, given to the Division II Player of the Year,Jakovac was the recipient of the 2004 JackNicklaus Award, given annually to the most out-standing collegiate golfer in the nation, regard-less of division.

Jakovac went on to play the professionallybefore shifting his focus to caddying. He’s cur-rently on the bag for Ryan Moore, ranked 39thin the official World Golf Rankings.

Ben PollockSoccer 1985-89

Legendary Head Coach Don Batie callsPollock “without a doubt the greatest goal scor-er that I ever had the pleasure of coaching.”The Chico State men’s soccer record book con-firms that fact. Pollock is the program’s careerleader in goals (44), assists (29) and points(117).

Pollock led the Northern California AthleticConference in scoring, assists and points ineach of his final three years in a Chico Stateuniform. He’s one of only two players to earntwo All-America honors in the history of the pro-gram. And he’s the only one to be named FirstTeam All-West Region four times.

Pollock played professionally after beingselected 21st overall in the 1989 Major IndoorSoccer League draft by the Dallas Sidekickswhere he scored 60 professional goals.

Margaret PridgenCross Country 2002-03, T&F 2003-04

Pridgen was, in her words, “just an averagerunner” in high school. By the time she graduat-ed from Chico State, she was anything but aver-age. Pridgen led Chico State’s women’s crosscountry program to its first conference champi-onship, first West Regional title, and first trophyfinish at the NCAA Championships.

Pridgen was as dominating a distance run-ner as Chico State has seen. A two-time All-CCAA and an All-West Region pick in crosscountry, Pridgen also made her mark on thetrack, breaking school records in the 800 and1,500 meters and earning All-CCAA honors bothyears. She captured the CCAA’s 1,500-metertitle and earned All-America honors in that

same event, finishing seventh in the nation.

Robb ShultzGolf 1965-67

A two-time First Team All-American, Shultzled the Wildcats to the 1966 National CollegeDivision Championship. He finished second inthe tournament, hosted by Bidwell Park GolfCourse and Butte Creek Country Club in Chico,and qualified for the NCAA University DivisionGolf Championship Tournament at Stanford.

There, Shultz took on and beat the leg-endary Johnny Miller in the match-play formaton his home Stanford course.

Shultz boasted an astounding six hole-in-ones during his college years and fired courserecords at Indian Valley Golf Club, Rohnert ParkGolf Club and Fallon Golf Club.

David TittleSwimming 1975-78

Tittle is one of those guys folks are alwayslooking up to. Not just because he’s a pilot forAmerican Airlines. He’s married with three kids(including one who graduated from Chico State)and also plays in a band with his best friends.

Before all that, Tittle created a legacy in theChico State pool by winning 10 NCAA titles. Hewon individual titles in the 100- and 200-meterfreestyle in 1977 and the 50- and 200-yardfreestyle in 1978. He was also part of six NCAAChampion relay teams while leading theWildcats to the 1976 NCAA Championship andtwo more top-three finishes. During that three-year run, the Wildcats also won three straightFar Western Conference Championships.

He racked up 17 All-America honors, out ofa possible 18, and ranks third among ChicoState swimmers and divers in points scored atthe NCAA Championships while competing asan individual (129). He also set four NCAADivision II records and six school records.

Christopher WebbSwimming 1973-76

Four years. Four NCAA Championship teams.Six NCAA Championship relay golds. One indi-vidual NCAA title. It all added up to one heck ofa collegiate swimming career for Webb.

One of three swimmers to be on four NCAAChampionship teams at Chico State, Webb wonthe NCAA Championship in the 100-meterfreestyle as a freshman. He also contributed tothe team’s 800-meter freestyle relay nationaltitle while leading the Wildcats to their firstteam national title.

Webb swam to three national relay titles asa sophomore, two as a junior, and capped hisillustrious career as a member of the NCAAChampion 400-meter relay team as a senior.

A 21-time All-American, Webb earned thehonor 11 times as an individual and 10 timesas a member of relay teams. He ranks fourth inthe program’s history in individual points scored

at the National Championships and brokeschool records 11 times along the way.

Chris WondolowskiSoccer 2001-05

Wondolowski is perhaps the most decoratedNCAA Division II athlete ever. His list of accom-plishments is voluminous.

A frequent member of the U.S. Men’sNational Team, with 31 career appearances,Wondolowski ranks 20th all-time in goalsscored for the National Team with 10.

As a member of Major League Soccer’s SanJose Earthquakes,Wondolowski is a two-time Golden Bootwinner as theleague’s leading scor-er. He set the leaguerecord for goals in aseason with 27 in2012 and ranks sev-enth in MLS historywith 102 career tal-lies. He ranks thirdall-time with 35game-winning goals.

WhenWondolowski was named Most Valuable Playerof MLS after his historic 2012 season, hebecame the first Division II athlete to be namedthe MVP of any major professional league.

At Chico State, Wondolowski helped lead the’Cats to the 2003 NCAA Division II Men’sSoccer Championship title match. During hisstellar collegiate career, he was Second TeamAll-American, First Team All-West Region, and afour-time First Team All-CCAA player.

Honorary InducteesRay (Lorenz) Bright

Bright was known nationwide for the suc-cess and recognition he brought to Chico Statethrough during his tenure as head gymnasticscoach from 1968 to 1985. Beginning his tenureby recruiting P.E. students, Bright built theWildcats into a national powerhouse. His teamswon eight Far Western Conference champi-onships – the first in 1972 – and consistentlyplaced among the top six teams at the NCAAChampionships.

Numerous Wildcats won NCAA individualtitles, more than 40 earned All-America honors,and six qualified for the NCAA Division IChampionships, with two earning All-Americahonors there.

Under Bright’s direction, Chico State consis-tently hosted world-class gymnasts and teamsfor exhibitions and competitions. Meanwhile,the nation’s top collegiate programs were regu-lar visitors to Acker Gym, where events would

See FAME/Page 18

Induction dinner Saturday, Oct. 10

When a team loses several pro-ductive players to graduation, itmore or less suggests that arebuilding year is in the offing.Such is not the case with theChico State volleyball team head-ing into the 2015 season – theWildcats, with Head Coach CodyHein in his 13th year at the helm,are optimistic that their blend ofreturning lettermen and talentednew players will result in the pro-gram’s first postseason appear-ance in seven years.

The ’Cats are coming off a2014 campaign that saw the teamgo 13-13 overall and 11-11 in theultra-competitive CaliforniaCollegiate Athletic Association(CCAA).

Hein feels the ups and downsof last season will serve as a foun-dation for the team’s success in2015. Hein is confident he hasthe firepower to fill the huge holeleft by the departures.Outside hit-ter Shannon Boling enters hersenior year on the heels of acareer-best 2014 season, collect-ing 243 kills, while sophomoreOlivia Mediano contributed 157kills, 182 digs and 17 serviceaces as a true freshman.

Outside hitter Anna Baytosh fig-

ures to see more playing timethan she did her freshman sea-son.

Newcomer Shelby Frank, a FirstTeam All-Southwest YosemiteLeague selection last season atBakersfield’s Frontier High School,rounds out the ’Cats’ talentedbatch of outside hitters.

Junior Natalie Nordahl (139kills, 83 blocks in two seasons) is

one of several options Hein andthe Wildcats have to anchor theopposite hitter slot.

Senior Hannah Wilkins (234

career kills, 56 blocks) will alsosee some time on the outsidewhen she isn’t in her customarymiddle hitter position.

Junior Ashton Kershner (147kills, 56 blocks in two seasons)will also set up in the middle, andhas the potential for being a keycomponent towards the Wildcats’success in 2015.

Junior Janai Johnson, a 6-1transfer from Cal State MontereyBay (where she racked up 152kills and 75 blocks last season forthe Otters), and 6-2 freshmanKaitlyn Jochum (San Francisco’sSacred Heart Cathedreal HighSchool) provide the ’Cats with thetype of height at the net thatshould help the team both offen-sively and defensively.

One new recruit that Hein isparticularly high on is freshmanmiddle hitter Kim Wright, whocomes to Chico following a stand-out prep career at San Diego’sPatrick Henry High School. “Kimplays the game huge due toexceptionally long arms and hugehands,” Hein said.

Junior setter Torey Thompsonwill once again be asked to effec-tively feed Chico State’s talentedarray of hitters. The freshman All-American had another outstand-ing season in 2014, leading theCCAA with 1,100 assists and aper-set average of 11.46 dishes.“No question, Torey’s the personwe’re relying on most,” Hein said.“We will only be as good as Toreyis. She’s the best setter in theconference and one of the best inthe country.” Providing qualitybackup and depth at the setterslot are returner McKenna Carroll(“she runs a good offense, andwe’d like to get her more experi-ence this season,” Hein said) and


Sept. 4‐5 ‐‐ Route 92 Classic(at Hayward)

Sept. 4 – vs. DominicanSept. 4 – vs. Holy NamesSept. 5 – vs. California BaptistSept. 5 – vs. Academy of Art

Sept. 7 – at SimpsonSept. 7 – William Jessup at Redding

Sept. 11‐12 – W. Oregon Tournament(at Monmouth, Ore.)

Sept. 11 – vs. Notre Dame de NamurSept. 11 – Western OregonSept. 12 – vs. Concordia (Oregon)Sept. 12 – vs. Wisconsin‐Parkside

Sept. 15 – Cal State East Bay, 7 p.m.Sept. 18 – at Cal State Dominguez HillsSept. 19 – at Cal State LASept. 22 – at SF state

Sept. 25 – Sonoma State, 7 p.m.Sept. 26 – Humboldt State, 7 p.m.Sept. 29 – at Cal State East BayOct. 3 – Cal State Stanislaus, 7 p.m.Oct. 6 – at Cal State StanislausOct. 9 – Cal Poly Pomona, 7 p.m.Oct. 10 – Cal State Monterey Bay 7 p.m.Oct. 17 – at Cal State San MarcosOct. 23 – at UC San DiegoOct. 24 – at Cal State San BernardinoOct. 29 – Cal State San Marcos, 7 p.m.Nov. 6 – CS San Bernardino, 7 p.m.Nov. 7 – UC San Diego, 7 p.m.Nov. 10 – San Francisco State, 7 p.m.Nov. 12 – at Humboldt StateNov. 14 – at Sonoma StateNov. 19‐21 – CCAA Championship, TBADec. 3‐5 – NCAA West Regional, TBADec. 10‐12 – NCAA Tourney at Tampa. Fla.

See POSTSEASON/Page 27

Shannon Cotton

Torey Thompson

2015 Chico State Volleyball Schedule

’Cats look tomake run atpostseason


Leadership gifts a focus for 2015-16 fundraisingThis past fiscal year was one of

the best fundraising years to datefor Chico State Athletics. Total giv-ing rose by 42 percent. This signifi-cant increase is largely attributableto the closer relationships that weare establishing with both new andlongtime supporters, largelythrough sport program reunionsand personal visits.

Throughout the 2014-15 men’sbasketball season, Chico StateAthletics recognized the 100thanniversary of the sport of men’s basketball at our insti-tution. The celebration culminated in late February witha halftime event at Acker Gym where former players rep-resenting eight decades of Wildcat basketball were rec-ognized in front of nearly 2,000 appreciative fans.

During the first weekend of May, Chico State men’ssoccer celebrated its 50th anniversary. Over 125 formerWildcat soccer players and their guests honored the her-

itage of the program at a dinner held in Sierra Nevada’sBig Room.

One of the most gratifying aspects of my job is meet-ing with donors and prospective contributors to WildcatAthletics. Through these face-to-face meetings, I learnabout the positive impact and importance of each of ourWildcat teams. In the process, I get to know the individ-ual passions of our generous donors. This academicyear, I will be ramping up my travel to seek annual lead-ership gifts of $1,500 or more and major gifts of$25,000 and above.

Growing scholarship support will be a chief priority.The Wildcats must reach a new level in scholarshipfunding in order to catch up with the competition fromour NCAA Division II foes in the CCAA and other confer-ences. Currently, we provide approximately $600,000 inscholarship support, only 34 percent of what the NCAAwould allow us to give annually. Securing at least $1Min scholarship support will be a necessity to thrive at thelevel we’ve enjoyed recently.

Converting a portion of the men’s locker room into a

Strength and Conditioning Center for our better than300 student-athletes is a major priority on the facilityfront. Athletics currently shares a weight room locatedon the second floor of Acker Gym with the Departmentof Kinesiology. Due to structural deficiencies in thebuilding, high impact lifting was prohibited last year,which forced Athletics to create an area within the firstfloor climbing wall room. This “new” arrangement is atemporary fix as the space is inadequate for the needsof both Athletics and Kinesiology.

You will hear more about this capital project in thecoming weeks. In the meantime, I want to thank every-one who has made a donation to Wildcat Athletics overthe summer and encourage anyone else who wishes tomake a contribution to do so. Let’s keep the strongmomentum going through June 30, 2016—the end ofour fiscal year—and beyond.

Go Wildcats!Jonathan WanderstockDirector of Advancement530-898-4884

JonathanWanderstock

canned food drive and if there wasanything else he could do, just lethim know,” said Cox.

This was a few years ago. Sincethat time, Andrew has never failedto send several boxes of cannedfood items for the SAAC food drives.Some of these cans have beendonated to the Jesus Center intown, while the majority has beendonated to the Hungry WildcatFund, which helps students inneed.

This past spring, SAAC held aused shoe drive where shoes arecollected and then distributedthroughout the world by ShoeboxRecycling. Again, a large Amazonbox appeared in the AthleticDepartment office.

“I seriously had no idea whatthis could be because we weren’tdoing a canned food drive,” relatedCox. “So I open it up, and there are12 brand new pairs of tennis shoescourtesy of Andrew.”

Over the years, as a way ofshowing thanks, Cox would sendGambino various pieces of Wildcat

clothing — tee-shirts, sweatshirts,etc., just to show SAAC’s apprecia-tion. “After the shoes showed up, Isent Andrew a note and told himthat I had simply run out of ways tosay thank you, and run out of“swag” to send him. That’s whenthe idea of the “Gambino Award”hit me.”

The “Gambino Award” wasdesigned to not only honor Andrewand all that he has done, but alsoto inspire current student-athletesas they move through their collegecareers and then into the “realworld.” The award is given “For out-standing leadership, dedicationand participation in the Chico StateStudent-Athlete Advisory Committeenow and in the future.”

The inaugural “Gambino Award”was presented last spring towomen’s track and field athlete,and SAAC co-President, Haley Kroll,and Gambino was as honored tosee the award given out, as Krollwas to receive it.

“To see the smile on yours andHaley faces when she accepted theaward has given me so much inspi-ration, pride and joy,” Gambino

wrote Cox later. “I personally don'tknow Haley; however I would like itif you would let her know that sheis a true inspiration to me.”

An inspiration indeed! Gambino,who does fitness training, decidedto hold a fitness class for somefriends who were getting ready fora wedding. He told them all to invitetheir families, friends, kids,—whomever they wanted. The cost toattend?

A canned good.Since then, he has collected

nearly 200 cans of food, donatedan additional 40 jars of peanut but-ter to a children’s charity in L.A.,and collected numerous items forthree underprivileged children inhis neighborhood including babyformula and toys.

“I believe wholeheartedly thatevery person wants to help changeor impact the world in a positivemanner,” said Gambino. “Somepeople have the ability to do sowith one action; while the majorityof us have to do so incrementally.My hope and goal is to continue toincrementally help change theworld for the better.”

From Page 7

GAMBINO: Ex-Wildcat continues to helpFrom Page 6chicken club wrap that fans welcomed. Expect to see a varietyof freshly made wraps this year including BBQ Chicken, ChickenCaesar and the aforementioned Chicken Club.

Also on the healthy side, the concession stand will now beoffering “salad cups”, fruit parfaits that feature fruit, yogurt andgranola toppings as well as Blue Diamond almonds.

Still like your popcorn, but want to change it up a bit? Theconcession stand will offer some “Wildcat shakers” includingTangy Ranch, Smokey BBQ and Cheddar Cheese. And finally, theconcession stand will offer some great “Wildcat Combos” thatwill fill you up and save you some money at the same time!

“There will be a new pricing structure that AS Concessions isimplementing that might throw some folks for a loop at the start,but once they get used to it, and see the wider selection of itemsavailable, I think it will be fine,” he said.

A couple other big improvements are also on the way for con-cessions. Starting this year, the concession stand will be accept-ing debit and credit cards. “This will be a huge convenience forour fans who might want to purchase something but don’t havethe cash on them,” said Cox.

And remember that one long line that would stretch from theconcession stand all the way to the south entrance? A simpleadjustment and some well-placed stanchions will open the lobbyup more and with the concession stand using improved signageand running an extra cash register, the line should move quickerand more efficiently.

Of course with all of the improvements that we have plannedfor this year at Acker Gym, one thing will stay the same – thefun, excitement and value of attending Chico State volleyball andbasketball at Acker Gym!

IMPROVEMENTS:

The 2014 season was shapingup to be another memorableone for the Chico State

women’s cross country team. The pro-gram had successfully captured its

seventh straight CaliforniaCollegiate Athletic Association(CCAA) title and placed a solidsecond at the NCAA West

Regionals heading into the NCAAChampionships, but a muddyLouisville, Ky. course resulted in anunderwhelming 13th place finish, snap-

ping the Wildcats’ string of 12 straightnational Top 10 finishes.

The 2015 edition of the Wildcatwomen’s cross country team plans toput last season’s disappointing conclu-sion well into the rear view mirror. GaryTowne, entering his 20th season as

Head Coach of the ’Cats, is confi-dent he’s got the harriers that will

vault Chico State back into the upper reach-es of the national rankings.

All but two runners of last year’s squadare expected to return in 2015, and com-bined with a generous handful of blue-chiprecruits, Chico State has assembled anothertalent-laden roster with plenty of depth.

The Wildcats will be led by senior QuettaPeinado, junior Sadie Gastelum and sopho-mores Alex Burkhart and Camila Turati, all ofwhom earned All-CCAA and All-West Regionhonors last season. Senior Bekha Bahra,who posted a third All-CCAA performance in2014 to go along with her two All-WestRegion efforts, is also expected to be a keycontributor this season.

Senior Olivia Watt is looking to carry themomentum of winning All-America honors intrack & field last spring into the 2015 crosscountry season. Among the other returnersplanning to make their mark this fall are sen-iors Lora James and Katie Coleman, juniors

McCall Habermehl and Jacquie Adams andsophomore Hannah Dorman.

Junior Madison Grenier and sophomoreJulie Finn raced sparingly in 2014, but hopeto be regular contributors to the ’Cats’ 2015fortunes. Junior Haley Kroll and sophomoreMontana Loveday return after sitting out lastseason, as will redshirt freshmen NicoleAnthony, Yajaira Zarate, Veronica Garcia andElyssa Schall. Two track & field distance run-ners, junior Morgan McFadden and sopho-

Fall 2015 • Wildcat Illustrated • Page 17Page 16 • Wildcat Illustrated • Fall 2015

Chico State’s looking to add 25th, 26th CCAA crowns to resumeWomen harriers have won 11 titles Men working on string of 13 straight2015 Wildcat

Cross Country ScheduleSept. 11 – Ash Creek Invitational at Monmouth, Ore.

Sept. 26 – at Stanford Invitational

Sept. 26 – Garrrin Park Challenge at Hayward

Oct. 9 – at San Francisco Invitational

Oct. 25 – CCAA Championships at San Francisco

Nov. 7 – NCAA West Regionals at Monmouth, Ore.

Nov. 7 – Doc Adams Invitational at Davis

Nov. 21 – at NCAA Championships at Joplin, Mo.

See SOLID/Page 27

The California Collegiate Athletic Association has been around for a longtime. Long enough to make it difficult to count all of the CCAA Coach ofthe Year awards on Chico State Cross Country Coach Gary Towne’s

resume. It’s been around far longer than Towne has, in fact. Since 1939, the conference boasting more NCAA Division II titles than any

other, has been churning out champions. But only one program in the confer-ence’s history has won as many consecutive conference titles as Towne’s men’scross country corps. The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s cross country teamwon 13 straight CCAA titles from 1981-93.

Towne’s team won its first conference crown in 2002. The Wildcats have wonevery one since. And at the CCAA Championships in San Francisco’s Golden GatePark on Oct. 25, they have a chance to cross over into their own special clubwith their 14th straight conference crown.

“That would be really special,” Towne said. “We’ve worked hard to accomplishwhat we have up to this point. I feel like we’ve been very fortunate. It takes acombination of a lot of things to be that consistently good for so long. It’s neat tothink about the possibilities. But I also recognize it could put a little weight onour shoulders.”

The Wildcats hope to get by with a little help from their friends.“It will be an exciting conference race,” Towne said. “I’m sure we’ll be well

supported. We’re going to try to pack the park out there at Golden Gate.Hopefully our alumni and supporters will come out in big numbers to cheer us

on.”Towne’s 2015 team features just

one senior – Brandon Taylor. JuniorsNick Grubiss and Aaron Mora andsophomores Kyle Medina and NickValenzuela are the only other return-ers who made a postseason rosterlast season. Juniors Ryan Rampoldiand Andrew Cobourn also return,along with sophomore FalcoDiGiallonardo. Those three were ham-pered by injuries last fall.

Will Reyes and Steven Martinez, bothcommunity college transfers who redshirted lastseason, are expected to make an immediate impact.Eight redshirt freshman and a host of talented new-comers make up the rest of the squad.

“We are just really, really deep,” Towne said. “We aregoing to do our best to keep everyone healthy, but if we need to, wehave a lot of talented guys who can

See SPECIAL/Page 27Quetta Peinado Bekha Bahra (Left to right) Brandon Taylor,

Kyle Medina and Aaron Mora.


From Page11where events would often sell out.

The Wildcats were also the only men’s collegiate gymnastics program toinclude women.

Bright’s former athletes remember him most for his dedication and devotion tohis team and the sport. He created a gymnastics family at Chico State, which ishis true legacy.

Mike O’MalleyO’Malley’s 117 wins at Chico State are the second most in the program’s his-

tory and he retired with a 15-year collegiate coaching record of 155-129-16. Heled the Wildcats to the greatest season in the program's history in 2003, earningNational Coach of the Year and West Region Coach of the Year honors.

As a player at Chico State, O’Malley helped lead the Wildcats to consecutiveWest Region titles in 1971 and 1972. In his senior season, the Wildcats madetheir first ever appearance in the Final Four, finishing third.

In short, the Chico State men’s soccer program and Mike O’Malley were syn-onymous for almost 40 years.

Hall of Famer Don Batie said. "In my opinion, his contribution to Chico StateSoccer is unsurpassed. As a player, he led his team to championships. As acoach, he led his 2003 team to the best season in Chico State history. As a col-league, he is a trusted friend. I can think of no one who deserves more to be inthe Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame."

Mac Martin Award winnerWayne Branstetter

The powaywrestling.com website features a list of Branstetter’s quotes. One ofthem is very apropos.

“You don't have to talk,” he says. “When you're good, people will do the talkingfor you.” The Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame Board is grateful to shed somelight on just how good Branstetter has been.

Branstetter will be the first to be honored with the re-imagined version of theMac Martin Award, created to honor former Chico State athletes who have distin-guished themselves in their post-collegiate career by bringing distinction to theUniversity, community and their vocation.

After spending two successful seasons as a wrestler for the Wildcats,Branstetter embarked on a legendary high school coaching journey that may beunrivaled in state history.

A member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame, NationalWrestling Hall of Fame, Ventura Junior College Hall of Fame, and CaliforniaWrestling Hall of Fame, Branstetter is a three-time National Coach of the Year.

Branstetter began his coaching career at Channel Island High School inOxnard, tasked with starting a brand new program. He quick transformed it into apowerhouse. Channel Island had won 49 consecutive dual matches when hedeparted to take over the program at Poway High School in 1978. At Poway,Branstetter’s teams have racked up four state titles, 32 section titles and a dual-match winning streak of 157 and counting.

The 2003 Men’s Soccer TeamThe Wildcats advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship title match and

finished the season 21-5-1. It marked an 11.5-game turnaround from 2002, atthe time the greatest single-season improvement in D-II history.

With 11 different players registering at least four goals and/or assists, theWildcats scored a school-record 63 goals, led by the Second Team All-AmericanWondolowski’s 12 goals and eight helpers. Meanwhile, goalkeeper DominikJakubek earned First Team All-America honors with a sparkling .811 saves per-centage and 11 shutouts. Jesse Grigg, Dustin Tong and Robbie Busick joinedJakubek and Wondolowski on the All-CCAA team.

Other members of the team were:Keegan Fraschieri, Enrique Tadeo, Jordan Bryant, Jake Stauffer, Michael Esser,

Matthew Doty, Kevin Kuiper, Ryan Grange, Jason Phillips, Jaime Rodriguez,Spencer Stanton, Rusty Phillips, Brian Phillips, Brett Williams, Gavin Edgell, TonyMinnitti, Sebastian Jimenez and Scott Doty

Head Coach: Mike O’Malley, Assistant Coach: Larry Nees, Graduate AssistantAthletic Trainer: Elesban Garcia.

FAME: Champions abound


3 units in 3 weeks

REGISTRATION OPENS NOVEMBER 2

Major rule changes coming to basketball this seasonAnother story in this issue of Wildcat

Illustrated talks about all the changes fansof Chico State basketball can expect at theconcession stand.

But there are some other changes—bigchanges—happening on the court as wellthis season.

The biggest changes lie with thewomen’s game. The NCAA Playing RulesOversight Panel approved moving thegame away from the traditional 20-minutehalves to a game that is structured aroundfour 10-minute quarters.

The NCAA Women’s Basketball RulesCommittee, which initially recommendedthe rule change, believes the four-quarterformat will enhance the flow of the game.The Women’s Basketball CoachesAssociation Board of Directors alsoendorsed the change.

Another big change to the women’sgame will be at the foul line. In the past, ateam would shoot “one-and-one” freethrows on the seventh team foul of eachhalf, and then reach “double-bonus”—twoshots—when the 10th team foul of the halfwas recorded. In the new format, teams

will now reach thebonus and shoot twofree throws on the fifthteam foul in each quar-ter, with the team foulcount reset to zero atthe start of each newquarter.

Chico Statewomen’s basketballcoach Brian Fogel thinks these changesare going to have a significant effect onthe game.

“This will change strategy in a variety ofways and I think it will take coaches sometime to figure it all out,” he said. “I’m suremany of us will make mistakes along theway.”

One other rule that will go into effect ismaybe not as big in the overall scheme ofthings, but might prove to be the differ-ence in close games. The panel approveda rule that allows teams to advance theball to the frontcourt following a timeoutimmediately after a made basket in thelast 59.9 seconds of the fourth quarter

and any overtime peri-od.

“This might providesome extra excitementat the end of a game,and it means execut-ing your in-bounds playwill be critical,” said

Fogel. “Guess I’m goingto have to buy that

“Sideline Plays for Dummies” book I sawrecently,” he joked.

Fogel sees some other ramifications ofthe new rules. “The ability to shoot freethrows successfully just increased in valueeven more,” he said, “but by eliminatingthe one-and-one, I think you’re taking a“skill” away from a player—the ability to hitthat first free throw under extreme pres-sure.”

Fogel also mentioned how sometimeswhen a team is trailing, they are forced tofoul to get the opposing player to hit thefront end of that pressure-packed “one-and-one.” “With two free throws comingafter only the fifth team foul, that strategy

might not be as effective now,” he said.There are also some changes within the

men’s game, but not nearly as dramatic asthey are with the women’s game.

A big concern at the Division I level isthat scoring dipped to an average of 67.6points per game last year, near the historiclow for the sport. With an eye on reducinginaction, the panel approved several pro-posals to improve the pace of play. Themost significant is reducing the shot clockfrom 35 to 30 seconds. The shot clock waslast reduced for the 1993-94 season whenit went from 45 to 35 seconds.

“It’s hard to say without experiencing itfirst, but my inclination is to think reducingthe shot clock will actually give thedefense a bigger advantage,” said ChicoState men’s coach Greg Clink. “Offenseswill need to get into their play earlier, and Iwould expect that defensively, you’ll see alot more three-quarter court press andzone defenses to slow that pace down. I’mnot sold that it will increase scoring likethey’re hoping, but we’ll just have to see

Greg Clink Brian Fogel

See BASKETBALL/Page 23

The Castle Crags tower above Interstate 5 as it meanders along next to theSacramento River. The exposed granite spires are visible to every driver and passenger.But very few of them ever actually experience life at the top of that mountain.

This August, the Chico State men’s soccer team did. As part of their annual mountaincamp pilgrimage, the Wildcats hiked to the top. Head Coach Felipe Restrepo is hoping

that the trip provided a bit of a roadmap for his team as it attempts toascend to the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)and beyond.

The Wildcats were extremely young and extremely talented lastseason. They finished 8-6-3 while allowing only 14 goals.

“We’ve never had that many freshmen play,” said Restrepo.“Last year we threw those guys in the fire and they did fantas-

tic. We had some heartbreakers but we were in every match.”Five freshmen started for the Wildcats, and it’s likely that

the growing pains they all experienced made the differencebetween a good and great season.

“Those guys have a fullseason and great springunder their belt and they’re

a lot better,” said Restrepo.“Now that group is thatmuch more prepared.Some of those little mis-takes and things they

were experiencing for the first time – that’s longgone now. They’ve seen what it takes to succeed.”

Since last fall, Restrepo’s aim has been teach that

group, now sophomores, how to grind out wins.“You do that by having a strong sense of team,” said Restrepo. “The veterans in the

program are leading the team in that direction. The seniors have seen it. They have hadthe success. They know what it takes to get to the mountaintop. They’re working hard onand off the field, which is exciting.”

Midfielder Russell Ellyson, forward Matt Hurlow and defenders JustinWalmsley and Sean Gallagher all enter their senior season with four tofive years in the program under their belt. Midfielders NickRadosavljevic and Octavio Murillo are junior college transfers enter-ing their final campaign.

“Between the senior and sophomore groups, we’re in reallygood shape in terms of talent and the program’s culture,” saidRestrepo.

The senior group makes up nearly half of the returners. Lastyear’s starting goalkeeper, freshman Luke Dennison, will redshirtthis season. Defender Isaiah Dargan and midfielder Sean Bowker

return for their junior season.Sophomores Dylan Wakefield, CarterJohnson, Frankie Palmer, MatthewTarr and Sasha Peranteau are alsoback.

The addition of a strongfreshman class, CommunityCollege All-Americans Rajaee Delane and Omar Nuno, andsophomore midfielder Jesus Ramos from Juarez, Mexico,


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Men’s soccer team looking to climb atop CCAA

Sept. 5 – at Seattle PacificSept. 7 – at Saint Martin’sSept. 10 – at Academy of ArtSept. 12 – at DominicanSept. 18 – Holy Names, 7 p.m.Sept. 25 – at Humboldt StateSept. 27 – at Sonoma StateOct. 2 – CS East Bay, 7 p.m.Oct. 4 – CS Stanislaus, 2 p.m.Oct. 9 – at CS Dominguez HillsOct. 11 – at Cal State LA

Oct. 16 – at Cal Poly PomonaOct. 18 – at CS San BernardinoOct. 23 – UC San Diego, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 25 – CS San Marcos, 11:30 a.m.Oct, 29 – CS Monterey Bay 7 p.m.Oct. 31 – SF State, 4:30 p.m.Nov. 3 – CCAA Tournament, TBANov. 6‐8—CCAA Tournament, TBANov. 12‐15 – NCAA West RegionalNov. 19‐22 – NCAA Regional FinalDec. 3‐5 NCAA Finals, Pensacola, Fla. See CLIMB/Page 25

2015 Wildcat Men’s Soccer Schedule

Matt HurlowJustin Walmsley


From Page10tional four-game series will be main-tained for opponents in the same region,but out-of-region series’ will be a three-game format.

So while the addition of San Marcoshas certainly created some challenges,one major benefit of the Cougars joiningthe league is that they sponsor women’sgolf. Of Chico State’s 13 sports, onlywomen’s golf is not considered a confer-ence sport because a minimum of sixschools must sponsor the sport for it toqualify. The arrival of San Marcos bringsthe current total of schools in the confer-ence that sponsor women’s golf to five.There is a now strong possibility that onemore school will add the sport, bringingthe total to six and thus making women’sgolf eligible for a CCAA championship.

Chico State Athletics is happy to wel-come Cal State San Marcos to the CCAAfamily of schools and look forward tocompeting against the Cougars for manyyears to come.

CHANGES:From Page 19how things unfold.”

Two other key rules go into effect this sea-son. Teams will now have one fewer teamtimeout in the second half,and coaches will not beallowed to call a time outwhile the ball is live.

“I like reducing the num-ber of timeouts personally,”said Clink. “With the mediatimeouts as well as the reg-ular allotted timeouts, Ithink the game stops toomuch. Now as far as therule about a coach notbeing able to call time outwhile the ball is live—I’m notsure what the point of thatis.”

One rule that won’t takeeffect until next year is theexpansion of the restricted-area arc from three feet tofour feet. This rule will take effect at theDivision I level this year, but is postponed until

2016-17 for Division II. Moving the arc a footfarther from the basket is part of a continuedfocus on reducing the number of collisions atthe basket.

The Chico Statewomen’s basketballteam tips off their sea-son on Thursday,October 29 with a homeexhibition contestagainst William JessupUniversity. The regularseason opener is slatedfor Friday, November 13as Chico State hosts theCCAA/PacWestChallenge-Coslet Classic.

The Chico Statemen’s basketball teamopens their season onSunday, November 8with an exhibition gameat Division I University ofArizona. They open theregular season the fol-

lowing Friday against Montana State-Billings atthe Cal State East Bay tournament.

BASKETBALL: Big changes taking place

“I like reducing thenumber of timeouts per-sonally. With the mediatimeouts as well as theregular allotted timeouts,I think the game stopstoo much. Now as far asthe rule about a coachnot being able to calltime out while the ball islive—I’m not sure whatthe point of that is.”

– Greg Clink


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From Page 21has Restrepo excited.

“You add Jesus and the two JCAll-Americans and you’re goingwoah, this is a different group,”said Restrepo.

Every season has its peaks andvalleys. Restrepo believes that histeam’s experience in the moun-tains will help them navigate both.

“I’ve been impressed at howthis team has done everything as ateam in the truest sense,” saidRestrepo. “The hike up to the top

of Castle Crags was a huge changein elevation. The guys did someexercises on the way up and all gotto the point of wondering if theycould do it. But they looked to eachother, worked together, andlearned how to trust and rely oneach other to get the job done. Atthe end, they all stood at the topfeeling extremely satisfied.

“The program’s just a lot of funright now. The kids are great andthey’re working hard. It’s very bluecollar and I’m proud of that.”

And so the climb begins.

CLIMB: Program is a lot of fun

From Page 9class, will anchor the defensivethird. Freshman Erin Woods, forcedto redshirt last season due toinjury, has come back very strong.Sutton expects freshmen DevonMorones and Abby Huizenga toplay key roles in the back as well.

University of San Diego transferMackenzie Boulton, a redshirtfreshman, has won the startinggoalkeeper job.

Midfielders Nicole Roberts andElla Fries make up the other half ofthe senior class. Lindsey Dias,Katie Brown and Emily Shleppyalso return to the midfield, andfreshman Cailin Keenan has alsomade a strong impression.

Dias led the team with six goalslast season, including a trio ofgame-winners. She linked up withnow-sophomore forwards ShelbyLanksbury and Pooja Patel to form

a dangerous attacking trio as lastseason wore on.

Lanksbury contributed fourgoals and Patel posted two goalsand five assists.

Sutton expects another sopho-more, Brooke Coelho, to make abig contribution up top as well.Coelho stepped into a defender’srole when the need arose due toinjuries last season. But late in theseason Sutton moved her up topand decided that her future wasthere.

The coach is also excited aboutwhat freshmen Carlie Reader,Brielynn Tovani and BriannaBengivengo add to the front line.

“We want to pursue excellence,”said Sutton. “That is the other corevalue that we’re talking about. Wewant to be one percent betterevery day. So far, we’re accom-plishing that. The future is bright.”

So far, the Wildcats are shining.

SHINING: Good returnees


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Last year, WildcatIllustrated began a newfeature called “TheCoach’s Top 10” wherereaders learned some-thing new about a mem-ber of the Wildcat coach-ing staff. In those previ-ous issues, we receiveda musical educationfrom men’s track and field coach OliverHanf who bestowed to us his “Top 10Albums/CD’s he would take to a desert-ed island.” In the winter issue, we heardfrom baseball coach Dave Taylor and his“Top 10 Sports Movies.” And in thespring, women’s soccer coach KimSutton provided her “Top 10 FavoriteVacation Spots.”

For our first issue of 2015-16, weturned to the resident “techno-geek” ofthe department, women’s basketballcoach Brian Fogel. Coach Fogel prideshimself on three things: his flip-flops, hisDollar Store reading glasses, and his cellphone. With that in mind, WildcatIllustrated is somewhat proud, but mostlyembarrassed, to present…

“Coach Fogel’s Top 10 Reasons whyhis Flip-Phone Rocks!”

1. You can receive and make calls.2. Identity protection--- you can use

any finger to push the green button andit turns on!!

3. Invisible Theft Shield --- no onewill ever steal it. No one wants it.

4. Sweet ring tones.5. No lame apps like Snap Chat or

Candy Crush.6. Beautiful screen saver picture of

a pond or lake. Can’t really tell since thescreen is pretty small.

7. Can’t receive pictures so I don’thave to respond back pretending the pic-ture is funny or cool.

8. Comes with a clock.9. T-9 for texting.10. Size of the phone…and yes, size

matters!!!

Coach’s Top 10 List

Reasons whyflip phone rocks!

Brian Fogel

From Page 17step in and keep things rolling.”

Medina enjoyed a remarkable fresh-man year, finishing fourth at the CCAAChampions, fifth at the NCAAChampionship West Regionals, and fifthin the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Trackand Field Championships.

“Kyle was a real pleasant surprise,”Towne said. “More so because he had agreat mid-distance background. It’s a realdifference to be out there suffering for30 minutes instead of three and a half.He’s done an amazing job of acceptingthe mental challenge of embracing thelonger distance.”

Grubiss was seventh at the CCAAChampionships, Valenzuela ninth andMora 11th.

Taylor started the season with animpressive team-best 14th-place showingat the Stanford Invitational, but neverquite returned to that level, finishing his

campaign with a 22nd-place showing atthe CCAA Championships.

“Brandon has a lot of talent and he’sa real tough racer, but his body is just amystery,” Towne said. “I have to do a realgood job of making sure we aren’t over-working him and keep him fresh for thelength of the season.”

Reyes ran unattached last season andfinished third at the Charles BowlesInvitational, outracing every University ofOregon athlete in the process. Martinezfinished 12th.

“I don’t think many programs wouldhave the patience to redshirt two guys oftheir caliber, but we wanted to invest inthe future,” Towne said. “The future isnow.

“Will is going to be really good. I wouldrank him in the top three of four distancerunners I’ve worked with as far as hispotential. He’s going to be one to watchfor the next two years for sure.”

Towne expects Cuesta Community

College transfer Connor Fisher to make abig impact as well. Fisher spent his fresh-man season redshirting at Cal Poly SanLuis Obispo before transferring to Cuesta,where he finished third in the state lastyear.

Together, the Wildcats are on a questto not only set the conference’s consecu-tive championships record, but also tobounce back from last season’s disap-pointing NCAA Championships finish.After winning the NCAA West Regionaltitle for the 11th time in the past 13 sea-sons, the Wildcats finished 14th overallat nationals, snapping a streak of 15 top-10 finishes in a row.

“That was a really tough race to swal-low,” Towne said. “It still is. It stings think-ing about it.

“I definitely think that everyone whowas involved was pretty devastated. Butit’s going to serve as motivation in everyway. We want to go out there and showthat was just a blip on the radar.”

From Page 16-more Seychelle Kaufman, also figure to be part of the competi-tive cross country mix this fall.

Towne has brought in several new runners to the programthat bolster the Wildcats’ 2015 roster even further. SophomoreKody Atkins – one of the North Section’s biggest talents duringher days at Chico High School – joins the ’Cats after beginningher college career at University of Mary (N.D.). Three freshmenwho could make an immediate impact are Desirae Jones (amember of Simi Valley High School’s Division II state champi-onship team), Kayden Carpenter (one of the top distance run-ners in the San Diego Section out of El Capitan High School)and Jenny Giguere (a First Team All-Ventura County runner from

Westlake High School).Also joining the ’Cats in 2015 are transfers Courtney

Morning (El Camino College), Karlie Garcia (Southern UtahState) and Olivia Fisher (San Francisco State), as well as truefreshmen Jessica Fernandez (San Benito HS), Brianna Jasso(Corona HS), Emily Nolen (Brea-Olinda HS), Emily Freed (SanRafael HS) and Kaitlyn Eklem (San Ramon Valley HS).

The Chico State women’s cross country team has four regu-lar season meets on its 2015 schedule, beginning Sept. 11 inMonmouth, Ore. as part of the Western Oregon-hosted AshCreek Invitational. The Wildcats will attempt to defend their con-ference crown Oct. 25 at the CCAA Championships in SanFrancisco, with the NCAA West Regionals slated for Nov. 7 inOregon. The NCAA finals take place Nov. 21 in Joplin, Mo.

SPECIAL: ’Cats set sights on CCAA record

SOLID: Women’s team stocked with veterans

POSTSEASON: Eight-team CCAA tourneyFrom Page 13freshman Nikki Desrochers, a proven win-ner late of Oakdale High School.

Chico State’s back line features tworeturners, sophomores Shannon Cottonand Anu Munkhtur, junior college transferJacki Kreymborg (San Diego City College)and freshman standout NataliaBetancourt (Santiago High School).

Cotton (234 digs and 22 aces in2014) is penciled in as Duran’s replace-ment at libero. Munkhtur played someimportant minutes late in the 2014 sea-

son and will be expected to contributeeven more this year. “Anu is the bestserver of (our defensive specialists), soshe provides a point-scoring option forus,” Hein said. Kremborg should start theseason as a DS (“she’s been absolutelyphenomenal defensively,” said Hein) butcould very easily see playing time atlibero in 2015.Betancourt will competefor the right back position as a freshman,with minutes at the libero positionplanned for her future.

The CCAA remains as competitive as

ever, but with an eight-team conferencetournament (the first ever for volleyball inthe CCAA) slated for mid-November, ChicoState could earn a much sought-afterpostseason bid if the team plays any-where close to its potential.

“The girls don’t need a whole lot ofmotivation. They’re fired up about (thechance to play in the postseason),” Heinsaid. “Hopefully it plays out that we getsome wins early on and we’re going inthat (postseason) direction as opposed tofeeling like we have to play catch-up.”


Local youngsters benefit from SAAC Make-A-Wish giftsPart of being a student-athlete at Chico

State is being able to compete in the sportyou love against some of the top competi-tion in the United States.

Another part of being a student-athleteat Chico Stateis the cama-raderie thatyou feel withyour team-mates and asa member ofthe Wildcatfamily.

But anoth-er part ofbeing a stu-dent-athlete atChico State isthe opportuni-

ty to understand and appreciate that notall young men and women enjoy thosesame benefits – benefits that might gettaken for granted.

One of the ways that this message getsacross is through the participation of theChico State Student-Athlete Advisory

Committee (SAAC) and the NCAA Division IIcommitment to the Make-A-WishFoundation®. Over the years that DivisionII schools nationwide have partnered upwith Make-A-Wish®, student-athletes haveraised millions of dollars to help make thedreams come true for boys and girls bat-tling a life-threatening illness.

Four years ago, the Chico State SAACdecided that rather than send all of theirfundraised dollars off to the NCAA to helpthe national effort, they would send a por-tion of it, but keep the majority to grant awish to a local child through the localMake-A-Wish Foundation® office.

In February of 2011, the Chico StateSAAC donated $5,000 so that nine-yearold Mason Fontana could fulfill his wish ofappearing on the children’s TV show “YoGabba Gabba.” Fontana was battling X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy, one of therare forms of Muscular Dystrophy.

Three years later, the Chico State SAACwas able to grant their second wish to alocal child. This time, it was 15-year oldMarcus Tice, a young man who washealthy and active one day, and then went

through sudden kidney failure putting hislife in jeopardy.

With SAAC planning on granting anoth-er wish in 2015-16, we thought this wouldbe a good time to catch up with the fami-lies of Mason and Marcus to see how theyare doing.

Mason – Mason’s amazing story is fartoo long to tell here, but when he wasborn, his parents Scott and Staceyannewere told the prognosis wasn’t good andthat he might not reach his first birthday.But Mason is a fighter and at the age ofnine, was SAAC’s first “wish child.”

As mentioned, Mason’s wish was toappear on the children’s TV show “YoGabba Gabba” – a show that features agroup of very colorful characters with suchnames as Muno, Foofa and Brobee andhosted by DJ Lance Rock. Thanks to thepeople at the Make-A-Wish Foundation®,that dream became a reality and it’s beensomething that the Fontana family hasnever forgotten.

“Mason absolutely LOVED his wish,”said Staceyanne. “I think being in the real

Yo Gabba Gabba world was his dreamcome true. It was truly the most amazingexperience. The cast and crew were all sofriendly, interacting on Mason’s level,including us in their activities and shower-ing us with gifts for him.”

Staceyannewent on to talkabout how theconnection hascontinued tothis day. “Wehave beenblessed to bemade part ofthe Gabba fam-ily. Not onlyhave we beeninvited to betheir personalguests at every single concert, but DJLance sends Mason birthday gifts everyyear!”

“It’s hard to believe it’s been four years,it still seems like yesterday,” recalled

Marcus TiceMason Fontana

See WISH/Page 30


From Page 29Staceyanne. “Mason continues to amaze us with his strength,determination and tenacity. None of us ever thought he wouldreach 14 years, but once again, he has proven himself to be atrue warrior.”

Mason continues to face his challenges with a positive atti-tude and courageous spirit, says Staceyanne. “He is holdinghis own, but has deteriorated significantly in the last few years.He has become almost entirely bedridden, and his little bodyhas begun to fail. But he will always be our perfect miracle andtrue hero.”

Staceyanne concluded her thoughts with some emotionalwords about the student-athletes at Chico State. “We cannotexpress how thankful we are for the once-in-a-lifetime experi-ences that we were able to enjoy as a family. We will be forevergrateful to Chico State Athletics for sponsoring this opportunityto fulfill our little boy’s greatest wish!”

Marcus – The nature of Marcus’ wish was what really madegranting his wish a special treat for the Chico State SAAC. Hiswish was a simple one – to go to college and study medicineso that someday, he might be able to help others goingthrough similar circumstances.

To that end, SAAC raised $5,000 to start a 529 CollegePlan for Marcus. There were some additional goodies provided,including a 2012 Pro Bowl jersey signed by NFL Most ValuablePlayer, and Chico native, Aaron Rodgers inscribed “Marcus –Dream Big!”

Marcus was a healthy young boy until suddenly thingschanged very quickly. Doctors determined that his kidneyswere shutting down and his life was in the balance. The ChicoState SAAC granted Marcus’ wish in late January of 2014 andhe underwent kidney transplant surgery at Stanford UniversityHospital the following month. For the first ninety days aftersurgery, Marcus and his family hung close to Stanford so hecould be checked on a regular basis. He now is checked oncea month, and according to his dad Mark, “He is happy and liv-ing the life a young man of 16 should live.”

Marcus still would like to enter the medical field so hisfocus right now is getting his academics in order and applyingto schools. As expected, the past year has been a challengewith much of his time being spent visiting doctors, but accord-ing to Mark, “the teachers at Chico High School have bent overbackwards to help him throughout all of this.”

Marcus is now off dialysis—he used to be hooked up nearly10 hours a day. While he would like to compete in wrestlingand football as he did previously, those types of contact sportscan be very risky, so he is considering other sports like volley-ball. While there are a few other restrictions, “overall, he is liv-ing and managing an enjoyable life.”

Finally, Mark Tice had some closing thoughts about all thathas happened over the past couple of years. “First, God blessthe family that lost their child. We don’t know if the donor wasa male or female, but we are forever indebted to the family.Second, I can’t say enough how proud I am to be a Chico Stategraduate, and how close to my heart the student-athletes whowere a part of this effort are. You all are truly great ambassa-dors of our fine University.”

WISH: 3rd wish on way

From Page 4practicing for each other. All decisions made away fromthe team, during practice and in competition drasticallyaffect what the team can and will accomplish. Ourteam goals and what's best for the group always comebefore the individual goals and aspirations. All goalsare important and all are interrelated, but we learn tofocus a large percentage on team outcomes and howto improve the group as a whole.”

“With the match play format the only way to winnow is to be loaded with depth from No. 1 to No. 7,”said the coach.

Depth will be one of the keys to achieving the goal ofa national championship and while the Wildcats havefour proven returnees, it takes more than that to getthe job done.

Chico State’s team starts with three of the top play-ers in the country in Lee Gearhart, Alistair Dochertyand Justin Wiles who were all honored by the GolfCoaches of America and PING by being named to theirAll-America team. Gearhart was first team, Dochertysecond team and Wiles honorable mention. All threeplayers were also named to the All-West Region teamfor the second straight year.

Gearhart and Docherty tied for the team lead with a72.55 stroke average while Wiles was at 73.9. ColbyDean, who was a freshman last year and the fourth

returnee, averaged 78.1.In an effort to add much needed depth, Brown has

brought in seven new players to the Wildcat family whowill be competing for spots.

The list includes: Matt Hutchins from Sudbury, Mass;Henning Hogmoen, a Norway native who transferredfrom Rogers University; Jordan Oliver of HuntingtonBeach, Kelley Sullivan from Sammamish, Wash; SergeKiriluk from Sonora; and Cooper Kolofsky and ColeChavez from Chico.

Hutchins and Hogmoen have the most experienceand have been playing well of late. Hutchins has hadan active summer where he was the medalist in theMassachusetts Amateur Qualifier and medalist at theLiberty National Junior Invitational. He even journeyedacross the country earlier in the summer to play in theAJGA Bishops Gate Junior Open to finish seventh (73-75-75) at Butte Creek Country Club, his future homecourse. Hogmoen has two years of college experienceat Rogers State University in Oklahoma and will be ajunior at Chico State. He averaged 74.8 as a sopho-more and had four top 10 tournament finishes.

Kiriluk won Oak Valley & MLL MVP honors twice. Headvanced to the California Masters Golf Tournament asan individual twice. He also led Sonora's golf team to a12-0 season as a senior.

Both Kolofsky and Chavez are Chico born andraised.

REPEAT: Seven newcomers competing

From Page 5competed in the 2014 Nature ValleyFirst Tee Open at Pebble Beach.She is also heavily involved with pro-moting youth golf, starting theJunior Golf Club 4 Kids program aswell as winning the Women's GolfAssociation of Northern California'sOutstanding Achievement Award foradvancement of girl's junior golfand The First Tee Award for commu-nity service.

Rotter starred at Fremont'sMission San Jose High School,where she captained the Warriorsand enjoyed an outstanding seniorseason, averaging 78 strokes around while earning individualmedalist honors at Poppy Ridge andShadow Lakes. Named team MVPand nominated for the school'sAthlete of the Year award, Rotterrecently reached the Final 8 at theSan Francisco City GolfChampionship.

Being such a small team andplaying for the entire school year, it

is important that the players learnto work together in order to create afamily atmosphere.

“Our team is absolutely a family.I think we all care for each otherand support each other. Being sucha small group and having a yearround schedule we spend a lot oftime with one another. We gothrough all the emotions a familydoes, there are ups and downs, butat the end of the day we always playfor each other, and we are all thereto pick each other up, “ explainedthe coach.

“The three incoming playerswon't have a problem blending inwith returners. They all have greatcharacter and are very team orient-ed. The returning players are verywelcoming and once practice getsgoing they will start feeling a part ofthe family here.“

Green says there is nothing toounusual on the schedule, but thehighlight will be Chico State’s homeInterWest Wildcat Invitational atButte Creek Country Club March 14-

15 where he expects a strong fieldto compete.

Although it doesn’t make a dif-ference this year, the addition of CalState San Marcos to the CCAA thisyear may have an effect down theroad. With the addition of theCougars, there are now five CCAAschools sponsoring women’s golf. Ifone more school adds women’sgolf, and that is a distinct possibility,it would result in women’s golfbecoming an official conferencesport and thus, create the first con-ference championship opportunityfor women’s golf.

“I think everyone is excited toget started,” concluded Green. “Iknow I can’t wait for the first event.It is a long season though and it willbe important for all of to be commit-ted to what we can control.”

The Wildcats open the seasonSept. 21-22 at the Western NewMexico Fall Intercollegiate inGoodyear, Ariz.

OPTIONS:Added depth should help ’Cats

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Chico State Athletics - The "Gambino" Award

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Transcript of Chico State Athletics - The "Gambino" Award