AND MANY MORE! MARCY LEVATINO JE`NIA SEARS KYLINA

SPORTS
PREVIEW
SPRING
2015
BRENNON WILLIAMS
KIERRA WILLIS
INSIDE:
MARCY LEVATINO
TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE
JE’NIA SEARS
EYES NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
KYLINA CHALACK
RIDING FROM CANADA TO FRESNO
... AND MANY MORE!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
6
7
2
BASEBALL
TENNIS
EQUESTRIAN
Garrett Mundell:
All in the family
Aishwarya
Agrawal: From
India to Fresno
Kylina Chalack:
Oh Canada: An
Equestrian Story
6
8
Taylor Ward:
Passion at the plate
5
SOFTBALL
Brenna Moss:
Speedy senior
makes record run
LACROSSE
TRACK
Marcy Levatino:
Leading on and
off the field
From the classroom to the circle
Je'Nia Sears:
Olympic dreams
A
Z E
H
Z
T
I
P I T H ST
O
V
O
R
P
W
Lynnette Zelezny,
Provost and Vice President
for Academic Affairs
Dennis Nef,
Vice Provost
LOCATION:
University Student Union
Lounge Area (near the fireplace)
DATES & TIMES:
Thursday, February 25th
Noon to 1 p.m.
Monday, March 16th
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday, April 6th
Noon to 1 p.m.
Monday, May 4th
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Lyles Center
for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship
developing
innovators and
entrepreneurs
through applied
programs
ABOUT US:
OUR PROGRAMS:
Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
3-D Prototyping
is a nationally-ranked entrepreneurship center with
Central Valley Venture Forum
a successful track record of inspiring students,
faculty, alumni, and community leaders to act on
ideas that build a prosperous future.
Coleman Fellows Workshop Series
Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO)
Community College Entrepreneur Pathway
The Lyles Center acts as a bridge for the campus and
Clinton Global Initiative
community, linking resources of both to achieve
Entrepreneur in Residence
success in the marketplace. In an effort to achieve
Kids Invent!
these goals, the Lyles Center has a wide array of
programs aimed at four specific entrepreneurship
targets: youth, collegiate, university, & community.
Laval Entrepreneur Mentor Program (EMP)
Lyles Center Supported Entrepreneur Courses
Mini-Grants for Product Ideas
Mention this ad
and get a FREE
ice cream bar!
The Lyles Center is located on the second floor of the Student
Recreation Center, on the corner of Shaw and Woodrow.
5010 N. WOODROW AVE.
M/S WC142
FRESNO, CA 93740
559.278.3735
lylescenter.com
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
Scholarships
Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Startup Weekend
Student Hatchery
Technology Commercialization Program (TCP)
PAGE 4
THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
STATS
ERA
BASEBALL
ALL IN THE FAMILY
4.00
CAREER APPEARANCES
By Tomas Kassahun
@TomasKassahun
73
CAREER STRIKEOUTS
Matt Vieira • The Collegian
114
GARRETT MUNDELL
BATTING AVERAGE
HOME RUNS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
Garrett Mundell’s athletic prowess
has been evident since his childhood.
The Fresno State senior spent his
early days doing backflips, riding water
skis and performing tricks on bikes.
“He always had a love for athletics,” said his stepfather, Dan Noel. “He
has always been good at whatever he
touched.”
But athletics without teamwork
didn’t satisfy Mundell, so he found
baseball and took his passion to a new
level.
That passion is clear even in his family vacation photos, where a 4-year-old
Mundell is pictured with a bat and a
ball.
The little slugger is now a 6-foot-7inch pitcher who has caught the attention of big league teams.
As a freshman at Fresno State, Mundell made 18 appearances and earned
five starts.
His signature moment in that year
came during an elimination game at
the 2012 Western Athletic Conference
(WAC) Tournament, where he recorded
a season-best four strikeouts in 5 2/3
innings pitched.
“That was game six of the WAC tournament, and that is by far one of my
most special memories in baseball for
me,” Mundell said.
However, even before the tourna-
ment, Mundell gained a reputation as a
clutch player.
At El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, Mundell pitched the
final game of the season against Capo
Valley High School to lead his team to a
championship.
“That was awesome because it was
against a cross-town rival,” Mundell
said. “They were good; we were good. It
was all these Division I guys going at it.
It was more than a high-school baseball
game. It was something really special.”
In another unforgettable moment
at El Toro High School, Mundell threw
a no-hitter against Woods Cross from
Utah to secure a 10-0 win.
“He pitched a no hitter and he really didn’t realize it until after the game
when everybody was pounding him on
the back,” Noel said.
As a former sportscaster, Noel recognizes what makes Mundell successful.
“He may feel the intensity, but with
his outward persona, you would never
know it,” Noel said. “He remains calm
through everything. He doesn’t get too
high or too low.”
Unlike the past two seasons when the
Bulldogs struggled to get wins, Mundell
believes this season will be different.
“This is a special season,” Mundell said. “We have all the talent in the
world. We have guys pulling in the same
direction. We have such a close family.
When all the right ingredients come together, we have something special. We
are confident about this year.”
PASSION AT
THE PLATE
.277
By Tomas Kassahun
@TomasKassahun
9
92
Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
CAREER HITS
TAYLOR WARD
Fresno State catcher Taylor Ward
has been racking up baseball accolades
since his days at Shadow Hills High
School in Indio, California.
As a senior, Ward led the team to a
20-5 record. He shattered school records for batting average, hits, triples,
home runs and RBIs, then became the
first athlete in school history to receive
a Division I scholarship.
Following his senior season at Shadow Hills, the Tampa Bay Rays drafted
Ward in the 31st round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.
Now in his third year at Fresno State,
the catcher continues to play the game
with the passion he has had since he
was 4 years old.
“It’s actually more fun now,” Ward
said. “There’s more pressure that comes
with the Division-I atmosphere, but it’s
a good feeling to play in front of a big
crowd.”
The transition to the college game
was not easy for Ward. But he has come
a long way since.
“I came in not really knowing the
ropes,” Ward said. “I struggled a little
my freshman year.”
Things finally clicked for Ward after
he was invited to try out for the USA
Baseball Collegiate National Team in
Alaska.
“There, I learned more about myself
and how other kids play,” he said.
He also credits his growth to the
leadership of Fresno State head coach
Mike Batesole and teammates such as
Austin Wynns, who now plays with the
Baltimore Orioles.
“There were a lot of guys who helped
me,” Ward said. “The coaching staff
helped me get through hard times.”
As a sophomore, Ward was named to
the second-team All-Mountain West as
a catcher, and he was chosen as Mountain West Player of the Week in back-toback weeks.
The junior now hopes to add a conference championship for the Bulldogs.
“A Mountain West title would mean
everything,” Ward said. “After all the
hard work we put in the last two years
and then the immense amount of work
we put in this fall to get to where we are
now, it would be the icing on the cake.”
Coming into the season, Ward is
expected to step up as a leader for the
Bulldogs.
“He’s a talent you don’t see very often. He had the opportunity to play
for team USA, and he brought a lot of
knowledge with what he learned,” said
Fresno State third baseman Manny Argomaniz. “He just goes out there, does
his thing, and it rubs off on everyone
else. We’re looking for him to be a leader on the team and help us win championships.”
Ward is glad to accept the challenge.
“I love this place. It's my home,” he
said. “I can't wait to get out there this
season and do it for us.”
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
PAGE 5
THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
STATS
SOFTBALL
SPEEDY
SENIOR MAKES
RECORD RUN
By Conrad Kimball
@Conrad_Kimball
Growing up in Bakersfield, senior center fielder Brenna Moss has always known
about Fresno State softball and the tradition of success it has built throughout the
years.
She didn’t actually start paying attention to the program until she decided she
wanted to play there.
“I really didn’t go to a lot of Fresno
State softball games growing up, even
though I’d always known about the program,” Moss said.
Her favorite role model growing up
was Laura Berg, the Fresno State center
fielder and Olympic athlete. “She was
a big inspiration for me wanting to play
softball in the first place,” Moss said.
On Saturday, Moss stole her 87th base,
breaking the Fresno State career record,
one she also owns at attended Bakersfield
High. Moss has already broken the school
record for steals in a season during her
sophomore year.
It was a record Moss didn’t know she
was close to owning. When a fan asked
her how it felt to be on the close to breaking the record, she and her dad did a little
research.
Of course, it didn’t come out as a surprise for Moss.
“I am pretty fast; I’ll give myself that,”
she said. “And I’m pretty heads-up on the
bases. So anytime they make a mistake, I
try to capitalize on it, and that’s how I get
a lot of extra bases.”
It’s not hard to see why Moss is the record holder. Apart from being quick and
smart on the bases, she also gets on base
more than almost anyone in the conference. Currently sporting a .484 batting
average, Moss has always increased it every year she has been at Fresno State.
And she is showing no signs of slowing
down.
A big part of continuing to progress as
a hitter has just been adding to her “tool
set” and growing with the experience
that naturally comes after so many years
in the sport. Moss elaborates that that’s
what this senior season is about.
Entering the 2015 season, Moss has a
career .317 batting average, 177 hits and
220 total bases.
“I’m just going out there and having
fun,” she said. “I’m not so stressed about
things this year, so I kind of just let things
go which makes the game a lot easier to
play. I also get more confident every year
and that contributes a lot to my success.”
Fresno State head coach Trisha Ford
says that Moss plays the role of a senior
leader very well.
Moss has never been a vocal leader until this year, describing herself as a quiet
person who likes to lead by example. This
year, Moss has realized that being vocal
can really help her team as it heads into
the season.
“I have really taken into consideration
what the coaches said about starting to
be more of a leader (vocally and non-vocally),” Moss said. “And I believe I have
stepped up this year.”
BATTING AVERAGE
STOLEN BASE PERCENTAGE
HOME RUNS
.317
88%
110
UPCOMING EVENTS
Catch Brenda Moss in action as the Bulldogs return home
this weekend in the Fresno State Louisville Sluggers Bash
at Margie Wright Diamond.
Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
Friday vs. UC Santa Barbara 4:30 p.m.
vs. Rutgers 7 p.m.
Saturday vs. Oregon State
5:30 p.m.
BRENNA MOSS
PAGE 6
THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
WOMEN'S TENNIS
LACROSSE
From India
to Fresno
Fresno State senior
reflects on friendships
on tennis team
Fresno State senior Aishwarya Agrawal returns a serve during a weekday practice at the Wathen Tennis Center.
By Trentyn Pues
@TheCollegian
Fresno State senior tennis player
Aishwarya Agrawal is an energetic
presence, bringing an aggressive play
style, leadership qualities and, assistant
coach Melissa McQueen said, her very
own Indian dry sense of humor.
Agrawal was originally recruited to
Fresno State by former head coach Simon Thibodeau, but after her first semester, Ryan Stotland took the post.
She said that Stotland kept her from
transferring after her first season and
that he is probably the best thing that
ever happened to the program.
“When I got here, she didn’t feel
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
HELP WANTED
quite part of the team,” Stotland said.
“My challenge to her was to learn how
to lead and be more a part of the team,
and she’s developed that and is becoming a great leader. It’s not just on the
court, it’s off the court. She’s matured,
and I’m impressed with her off-thecourt demeanor. She’s really great at
being the person that she is.”
Agrawal said she felt coming from
India that there was a good representation of her ethnicity at the school. But
she was teased, and that took some getting used to.
Now, she said, everyone teases each
other on the team for their different accents and languages. It’s an understood
dynamic amongst a team with such
cultural diversity. Eleven of the 12 players on the team were born outside the
United States.
Agrawal first arrived in California
after years of research and desire to
come visit. Because of this research, she
insisted she wasn’t expecting surfers
and movie stars around every corner,
though she did mention one famous individual she had hoped to run into.
“I had hoped to run into Ashton
Kutcher,” Agrawal said. “But then I realized I’d probably have to be in L.A. to
do it.”
Agrawal said she plays tennis with
Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
an aggressive style, and her coaches
agree.
“She’s very, very quick and she’s
also really good at the net,” Stotland
said. “So those are two of the biggest
strengths that she has. We’ve completely reworked her backhand -- and she’s
got a good backhand -- but we’re just
working on the belief in it.”
Tanya Murtagh, her teammate of
three years, has plenty of experience
playing with and being around Agrawal.
She believes that her energy and leadership are some of her best assets.
“I would say she brings a lot of energy to the team,” Murtagh said. “Even
when she hasn’t been playing she’s
been vocal, loud and just supporting
us. When she plays, too, she brings a
lot of fire and just breaks down her opponents.”
From the moment she arrived on
the team to now, Agrawal said, there
has been a huge change. She said there
were certain things that you had to
learn coming in as a freshman. She feels
now that she is taking on that veteran
leadership role.
Agrawal loves being with the team,
and says the best times are on road
trips, since players rarely get to hang
out and spend time together when
they’re playing home matches.
EXIRES FEBRUARY 25, 2015
CALL 559-348-9890
Leading on
and off the
field
By Nayirah Dosu
@TheCollegian
Marcy Levatino came to Fresno State because it was the only place she could do both
of the things she loved: study nursing and play
lacrosse.
The senior attacker for the women’s lacrosse team had been turned down by other
schools who told her that there was no way
she could compete in their Division-I lacrosse
program and also study nursing. It would be
impossible.
Fresno State felt differently.
“I kept on searching for a school that would
say yes to both, and Fresno State was the only
one,” Levatino said. “I loved it here, and it was
perfect for me.”
Levatino is following in her mother Morna Levatino’s footsteps in her aim to become
a nurse. Her mother believes that coming to
Fresno State has allowed her daughter to put
the traits that will make her into a good nurse
to use in the programs offered by Fresno State.
“She is a very compassionate person, and it
really shows in all the things she’s involved in,
like the Little Heroes program,” Morna said.
“I just see in her the makings of a wonderful,
caring, conscientious nurse, and I think it will
carry her into a profession that she will love.”
Little Heroes is a program in which student-athletes are paired with a seriously ill
child whom they build relationships with
through activities.
At Fresno State, Levatino has been able to
find the perfect balance between class, lacrosse
and other things of which she is a member.
“She is the best definition of a student-athlete that I’ve ever coached,” head women’s lacrosse coach Jessica Giglio said. “She’s got the
balance down to a tee. She never makes any
excuses and tries her best to stay extremely organized and on top of everything.”
Levatino started playing lacrosse in middle
school when her brother, who was already
playing as a goalie, needed someone to shoot
on him. From there, lacrosse became her passion and would eventually open many doors
for her.
At Laguna Hills High School in Southern
California, Levatino was a talented athlete recognized with a number of awards in lacrosse,
including being named to both the U.S. Lacrosse All-America team and U.S. Lacrosse
Academic All-America team twice. She also
lettered four times in both lacrosse and basketball.
Levatino’s success on the lacrosse field followed her to college where she set and broke
records in multiple categories in her sophomore and junior seasons at Fresno State. In
just one game during her sophomore year
she broke three school records. One was most
points scored on the opposing team: seven.
With the lacrosse program still being new,
Giglio said that this is to be expected of the
stronger players, and that it shows how Levatino is growing into a player the coach knows
she can be.
“Marcy is a very instrumental player on the
field,” Giglio said. “I think she’s been looking
really strong as a leader on attack as far as
scoring and assists.”
As one of the captains, Levatino is concentrated on bringing the team’s hard work from
the offseason and preseason into the regular
season as the Bulldogs turn their focus onto
their upcoming schedule.
“I’m working on being the best that I can be
on and off the field, help my teammates in any
way that I can and ending senior season with a
bang,” she said.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
THE COLLEGIAN • FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
EQUESTRIAN
Oh Canada: An
Equestrian Story
Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian
Fresno State rider Kylina Chalack during an afternoon practice at the Student Horse Center.
By Royce Dunn
@TheCollegian
Imagine taking flight, on the back of a
powerful, and trusted creature. The excitement could seem like flying, and for Fresno
State women's equestrian rider Kylina Chalack, it does.
It’s an adrenaline rush.
The freshman rides hunt seat, an English
style, for the team. This style places the rider
in a closer position on the horse's back, giving her more direct control and contact with
the horse.
"It's intimidating, but also it's just so
much fun,” she said. “You know like in an
instant something bad could happen. But at
the same time, you're putting all of this trust
into this horse.”
Chalack was born in Alberta, Calgary,
Canada, to Rim and Catherine Chalack. The
youngest of three, she moved to Fresno on
her own in August 2014 to attend Fresno
State on a 40 percent scholarship from the
team.
With her team’s friendship, the soft-spoken Chalack adjusted to her new environment, Fresno State and the new collegiate
level of competition.
Chalack came to the United States for a
higher level of competition. At age 18, she
is considered a junior rider until age 21. She
placed sixth in the Canadian Equestrian
Team Medal Regionals in 2013, her very first
attempt at the regional level.
“I was really fortunate to have a great
horse to help get me to the top six," Chalack
said.
She plans to compete at the medal regionals again until her age takes her up to the
amateur level.
Chalack started riding at 4 years old, first
learning from her mother, who was a seasoned competitive rider herself.
"She's one of the people I look up to when
I ride," Chalack said.
Chalack didn't start competing until she
was 9, when her mother began officially
PAGE 7
coaching her. Her whole family has had a
lot of experience training horses and raising cattle on their ranch. Back home, she has
Czech warmbloods, which is a breed most
commonly trained due to their builds and
performance in obstacles courses and flat
work patterns.
Now with the team, her favorite horse to
train with is Art, one of the team's veteran
horses, and a bit of a troublemaker.
"Everyone thinks he's kind of pushy,"
Chalack said. "I just really enjoy his character. He has a smarty-pants character, one of
those kids who's always causing trouble in a
way, but he's still a saint.”
After hearing about Fresno State from
other girls she'd known from competitions
up north, Chalack decided to give it a shot
and sent high school recruitment videos to
Fresno State her junior year at Hugh Sutherland School. Fresno State assistant coach
Kimberly HewsonBudnik liked the footage
and invited Chalack and her parents down in
April 2014.
Chalack said she enjoyed the warm
weather and welcoming environment of the
campus and decided to make the move.
Even though she has traveled before, this
was an entirely new experience for her.
"At first it was a little rough because, I
mean, I was alone coming down here," she
said. "It was nice to be able to have the team
as support because I think if I came down
here, and I wasn't on the team, it would be a
lot different."
During this past year, Chalack has participated in many home and away games with
Fresno State. She has traveled to Baylor
University in Waco, Texas, where she competed against three teams. During Fresno
State's home games last year against Auburn
University and Kansas State University, she
received an award for the most outstanding
player.
“It was really exciting,” she said. “We
beat those two teams, which was awesome
because they're very highly ranked teams.
It was a really nice redemption after I lost
against South Carolina.”
SPORTS
8
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
MEN'S TRACK
From the classroom to the circle
WOMEN'S TRACK
E
R
W
O
R
H
T
55.29
METERS
PERSONAL RECORD
D
DI S C U
•
I
R
S
A tall, young man approaches
the Fresno State track and field
practice area in a suit and tie.
He is Brice Sandri, Fresno
State’s top discus thrower, who arrives to practice most days fresh
from student teaching.
Sandri, a fifth-year senior, is
also in his first semester of graduate studies. One of the components of his studies is working at
Red Bank Elementary School as a
fourth grade student teacher.
With a young team, Sandri
finds that the way he teaches in the
classroom translates into his interactions with his teammates.
“I find myself a lot more patient
with the younger guys who are five
or six years younger than me,”
Sandri said. “Having to help them
along, and understanding their
maturity level and being able to relate to it, and teach them.”
Sandri got his start in discus,
somewhat accidentally in the offseason, when his high school football coach turned him away from
baseball and into discus.
“The football coach said, ‘Brice
where are you going? I told the
throws coach you were coming out
to throw,’” Sandri said. “He kind of
“Top 5 in the nation would be pretty cool.”
With a personal-best 55.29
meters, Sandri believes
that he only needs to
throw a little over three
more meters to make
the championship
round.
With so much
on Sandri’s
plate, he turns
to his faith
and thanks
God for his
opportunities
and remembers advice
given to him
by one of his
professors
about feeling
overwhelmed.
“You have to
remember two
things,” he said.
“First of all, it’s
temporary. I have
one semester to get
through, and I have
the rest of my life to
relax. Also, there’s people
out there that’d be dying to
be in this position that I’ve been
given, and the opportunities that
have presented themselves to me
not everybody gets.”
Sears flies toward
Olympic dreams
By Nayirah Dosu
11.89
SECONDS
Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian
@TheCollegian
20'-7"
B RI C E
@TheCollegian
put me in a pickle, and I decided,
‘Well I’ll just go out there and start
throwing.’ I kind of had a knack for
it, and ever since then I’ve been doing it.”
For Sandri, the independence in
the ring is what he enjoys the most
about discus. Even though it is a
team sport, knowing that he did
well allows him to feel like he really
fulfills his role on the team.
“He always wants to do things
on his own,” Sandri’s mother, Jennifer Wells, said. “He wants to be
able to say he did it; he doesn’t
want anything given to him.”
Seen as a leader by both teammates and coaches alike, Sandri is
everything you’d want in an athlete, coach Derek Oliver said.
“He’s the epitome of a leader,”
Oliver said. “His work ethic is
through the roof. Right when he
straps on his shoes, that’s when he
starts working hard. That’s what
being a leader is all about.”
Sandri, who made the 2014 AllMountain West team and was also
an NCAA qualifier in discus, looks
to do even better this season. Not
only does he want to place first
in discus for the Mountain West
championship, but he also wants
to go to the NCAA championships.
“This year I’d like to make the
national championship and ultimately place in it,” Sandri said.
SA
N
By Nayirah Dosu
Flying high and strong, Je’Nia Sears is coming
for a spot on the national championship victory
stand.
The senior long jumper is approaching her final
season for the Fresno State track and field team and
is working hard to best last season’s ninth-place
finish at the NCAA Championships in Oregon.
With a jump of 20-4 1/2, Sears was just a little
under her best outdoor 20-7 jump that gave her the
All-Time Outdoor Long Jump Distance in Fresno
State school history. For Sears, placing ninth was
good, but not good enough.
“I want to go to nationals and place at least top
three,” Sears said. “Just go out there and compete
with the best girls in the nation, knowing that I can
compete with them, and beat some of them.”
Recruited out of local Edison High School,
Sears, the coaches at Fresno State knew early on,
was someone who had much to contribute to their
program.
“Once we saw her on the runway in high school,
there was no doubt that we wanted to try and get
her in our program,” Fresno State sprints coach
Chris Baptista said.
On the track, Sears also competes in both the
4x100 meter relay and the 4x400 meter relay.
Sears says she enjoys the relay races because that is
where the full support of her team can be felt pushing each other to do better.
“You don’t want to let them down,” she said. “So
you do the best you can every time you touch the
track when you’re with them because you have to.
It’s always that you have to compete, and you have
to do your best.”
Sears’ fellow teammates admire the way she
carries herself not only as a leader of the team but
also as a generally good person. Sophomore triplejumper Tiera Simpson says that Sears has become
a big sister to her, someone who never let her feel
like an outsider when she first arrived at Fresno
State.
“She’s a good role model, a lot of us look up to
her because she’s qualified for the NCAAs more
than once and won conference,” Simpson said.
“Everybody wants to be at a level like her.”
ALL-TIME OUTDOOR LONG JUMP DISTANCE IN
FRESNO STATE HISTORY
LONG JUMP
PERSONAL RECORD
100 METER
PERSONAL RECORD
MOUNTAIN WEST LONG JUMP CHAMPION IN
2013 & 2014