Spring 2010

-Spring Season Preview

-Message from the AD

-Academic Update

Message from the Athletic Director

Tom SeitzDirector of Athletics

With the recent passage of the Athletic Fee Referendum, we will start the process of adding men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball to the CSUSM athletic program. Many questions have been asked about these additions, so in this article I will attempt to answer some of them.

The fee, which will be spread out over the next three years, will start the fall of 2010. At that same time we will begin the hiring process for Head Coaches of the three new sports. We would like to get Head Coaches aboard next year so they have time to recruit and organize their programs throughout 2010-11. In the summer of 2011, assistant coaches will be brought on so that we will be ready to start play in volleyball during the fall of 2011, and men’s and women’s basketball in the winter of 2011-12.

We will apply to the NCAA for Division II membership status this summer. If and when we are approved by the NCAA we will then apply for membership in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). From the time our application is accepted by the NCAA, we will go through a three year transition process from our current membership in the NAIA. The NCAA requires two candidacy years and one provisional year during this transition. During the first candidacy year we will still be eligible for NAIA post-season play, while we will not be eligible for post season play in either association during the second and third year of the transition (as the rules stand now). However, the CCAA will begin scheduling all our teams within conference play starting with the second candidacy year, so we will have a much stronger schedule in all our sports. After the third year we will be full members of the NCAA and CCAA and eligible for all post season play, honors, etc.

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Cougars Open Spring SeasonCSUSM Sports Teams Off to a Quick Start this SpringComing off a fall season that featured four Cougar teams making post-season appearances, three winning conference titles, and one winning the first-ever team National Championship in the history of CSUSM Athletics, Cougar Athletics’ spring sports entered this season with a tough act to follow. However, if the first month is any indication, the spring of 2010 has a chance to be just as historic for CSUSM Athletics.

impressive tie against #2 Point Loma, and has played its way to an 8-5-1 record this season that includes wins over #21 Madonna University and GSAC teams Cal Baptist, Vanguard, and San Diego Christian.

On the track, Coach Steve Scott’s women’s indoor track & field team is gearing up for the National Championships, starting on March 4th.

It all starts with softball, who on January 30th played the first-ever on-campus softball game in the history of Cal State San Marcos. A crowd of hundreds came out to beautiful new CSUSM Softball Field, and they were treated to a performance that lived up to the field it took place on. The Cougars were nearly flawless in a sweep of the University Redlands, and are currently 8-5 this

Five Cougar athletes will be making the trip, including the 4x400-meter relay team of Monika Valenzuela, Krystle Osby, Tiffany West, and Lucia Asbury along with alternate Ruth Spitsbergen.

The outdoor track & field season will begin on February 27th at the Rossi Relays, but CSUSM already has multiple athletes headed for Nationals. At the Surf City Marathon, three Cougar athletes posted qualifying marks for the

season and ranked 20th in the NAIA.

While the Cougar baseball team doesn’t have a field of its own, construction has begun and is expected to be completed in time for next season. In the meantime, the team is more than holding its own against fierce competition in 2010. The squad started off the year with an

National Championships in May.

Finally, Cougar golf is getting its season underway as well. Coach Fred Hanover’s men’s golf team has gradually improved through its first three tournaments this year, culminating in a fourth place finish in a tough field at the very challenging Carlton Oaks Golf Course.

Meanwhile, the women’s golf team will play in and host its first tournament of the season on February 27th at Lake San Marcos.

It’s shaping up to be an excellent spring for Cougar athletics - you can follow all the teams online through www.csusmcougars.com!Ways to follow your CSUSM Cougars

Website: www.csusmcougars.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/csusmcougarsLive Video: www.livestream.com/csusmcougarsFacebook: Search Facebook for “CSUSM Cougars”

BaseballOverall: 8-5-1

1/27 at #2 Point Loma 1-1 T1/31 vs. Oregon Tech 6-3 W1/31 vs. Oregon Tech 5-2 W2/5 vs. Patten 0-12 L2/7 vs. Patten 9-0 W2/7 vs. Patten 6-0 W2/10 at Azusa Pacific 5-11 L2/12 at Cal Baptist 0-9 L2/13 at Cal Baptist 1-8 L2/13 at Cal Baptist 12-10 W2/16 at Concordia 5-9 L2/17 at Vanguard 3-2 W2/19 vs. San Diego Christian 4-3 W2/21 vs. #21 Madonna 8-4 W

SoftballOverall: 8-6, ranked #21

1/30 vs. Redlands 6-1 W1/30 vs. Redlands 4-3 W2/5 vs. Southern Oregon 11-5 W2/5 vs. Southern Oregon 4-2 W2/11 at Azusa Pacific 7-8 L2/11 at Azusa Pacific 9-3 W2/13 vs. #11 Concordia 1-4 L2/13 vs. #11 Concordia 1-2 L

So-Cal Smash Tournament2/19 vs. Holy Names 8-2 W2/19 vs. #1 Cal Baptist 1-12 L2/20 vs. Holy Names 14-0 W2/20 vs. #1 Cal Baptist 3-7 L3/2 vs. Vanguard 3-0 W3/2 vs. Vanguard 0-2 L

Men’s GolfFebruary 2 @ Rancho Santa Fe C.C.-Team: 5th; Individual: Jeon Se Myung- T13th

February 7-9 @ San Luis Rey Downs C.C.-Team: 6th; Individual: Shezad Lakdawala- T14th

February 14-16 @ Carlton Oaks G.C.-Team: 4th; Individual: Robert Nicanor- T10th

March 1-2 @ Steele Canyon G.C.-Team: 4th; Individual: Tyler Hurst - T6th

Women’s GolfFebruary 26-28 @ Lake San Marcos C.C.-Team: 2nd; Individual: Linnel DeVilla - T2nd

Track and FieldFebruary 7 @ Surf City Marathon-Western Nelson, Chris Capeau, and Lindsey McKown qualify for Outdoor Nationals

February 13 @ APU Indoor Qualifier-See results at www.csusmcougars.com

February 20 @ APU Indoor Qualifier-See results at www.csusmcougars.com-Five Cougars are headed to NAIA Indoor National Championships from March 4-6

February 28 @ Rossi Relays-Men’s 4x800-meter relay qualifies for Nationals-Women’s 4x1600 and Men’s 4x1600-meter teams set school records.

Message from the Athletic Director (cont.)

Academic Update

5900 Pasteur Court, Suite 200 Carlsbad, CA 92008www.grandpacificresorts.com

(760) 431 8500www.csusmcougars.com

For the most up-to-date news and results for all your Cougar teams

Cougar aces Brett Miller and Travis McCracken (left) are a combined 4-1 this season. The SDSU transfers were featured in a North County Times article on Tuesday, February 23rd.

Coming off an excellent fall, sophomore Stephanie Cole enters the spring as the #1 golfer for Cougar women’s golf. The squad will play its first spring event on its home course at Lake San Marcos.

The other area regarding this growth and transition will be the development of on-campus athletic facilities. We have just completed Phase I of the new softball field and are beginning Phase I of the new baseball field. Both teams should be practicing and playing on campus by next year. The final piece of this puzzle will be to build a multi-purpose arena to house M&W Basketball and W Volleyball and to host concerts, graduation, lectures, etc. While we may have to start play off campus we are currently working with several companies to form a public-private partnership to have this facility in place as soon as possible.

This is certainly an exciting time for Cougar athletics. It is also a time when the support of many will be a necessity. The growth of the program cannot be supported solely by student fee increases. External support from contributions through the Cougar Athletic Club must also rise dramatically. Please let us know if you would like to help lay the foundation for the future of CSUSM athletics. Thank you.

In the fall of 2009, 42% of the 236 student-athletes at Cal State San Marcos achieved a grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, with seven earning a perfect 4.0.

“This statistic proves that we are meeting our primary goal of achieving excellence in both athletics and academics,” said CSUSM Director of Athletics Tom Seitz. “This is a tribute to our coaches, staff and student-athletes.”

Since CSUSM Athletics started tracking GPAs in the spring of 2006, at least 40% of student-athletes every semester have reached a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Those earning a 4.0 in the fall include cross-country and track runner Jessica Sandoval, baseball player Geoff Landry, soccer midfielder Martin Suarez and forward Clarissa Hidalgo, and golfers Jennifer Conway and Annelise Fredericksen.

As a whole, student-athletes at CSUSM achieved a collective GPA of 2.83.

Hundreds of Cougar fans cheered on the Softball team at the opening of CSUSM Softball Field on January 30th.