More Builders Among Bears

CONTENTS
SPORTS
QUARTERLY
Summer 2013
ON THE COVER
Dog-Tired Achiever
8
Lauren Hein has a dog back home named “Cholida,” which in
Korean means “I am tired.” But the term just as easily could have
applied to her. In addition to being a goalie on the Bears’ women’s
soccer team, Hein recently graduated with honors in molecular
and cell biology and worked at a nearby pet hospital. Now, she
plans to attend vet school as the next step in her education.
FEATURES
Triple Threat
10
When Hammed Suleman, Cal’s leading triple
jumper, prepares to perform at a track & field meet,
everyone in attendance seems to notice. Standing
6 feet, 3 inches tall, he simply commands the attention. Now after several injury-plagued seasons,
including a redshirt year in 2011 that kept him on
the sidelines for nine months, the rest of the track
& field world should start to take notice, as well.
Species Preservation
The second of a three-part series on Builders of
Berkeley recognizes three families whose commitments to Cal Athletics are made as testaments to a
future vision of Golden Bear excellence. Across the
board, these families understand the importance of
the student-athlete experience for the well-rounded individual and the vital role Intercollegiate
Athletics plays in the spirit of the University of
California.
28
You can describe Isaac Howell as a “morning person.” After four years of training as a swimmer at
Spieker Aquatics Complex at 6 a.m., Howell traded
his swimsuit for an oar and, as a fifth-year senior,
made the trek from Berkeley to Briones Reservoir
in Orinda for 7 a.m. men’s crew practice this past
academic year.
14
The hard-working, do-it-all mentality that served
Kyle Marsh so well on the pitch has translated well
to the classroom. The soccer player has parlayed
his academic success into a Pac-12 Postgraduate
Scholarship that he hopes will give him, and in turn
others, a deeper understanding of the environment
in order to protect and preserve endangered species.
Builders Among Bears
Early Riser
The Base Paths Less Traveled
30
Strolling across campus in a flowing tank top,
high-wasted cutoff shorts and a pair of Chuck Taylors with her long, blond locks falling from a hippie headband across her forehead, Britt Vonk looks
less like a softball player and more like she came
straight out of a late-1960s Berkeley postcard. For
the Netherlands native and Golden Bear infielder,
Cal has been a perfect fit.
22
DEPARTMENTS
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS.................................. 2
SIDELINE REPORT............................................................................... 4
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?................................................................. 16
SEASON REVIEWS............................................................................ 18
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT................................................................ 22
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT............................................................... 34
SUMMER 2013
1
LETTER
from Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour
Dear Friend of Cal Athletics:
ith the summer months upon us, many of our student-athletes are taking well-deserved breaks from the rigors of the academic and competitive year. Yet, despite
the fact that collegiate competitions are on hiatus until late August, training and
preparation for the fall and beyond continue for most of our Golden Bears in
order to remain in top condition and be ready for what the upcoming seasons will bring.
W
Inside our offices at Cal Athletics, the hard work endures, as well. For us to grow as a department, we must
constantly assess all facets of our operations to foster
continuous improvement and look at what’s next. How
can we do things differently? How can we do things better? This exercise is not for change sake, but for us to become more effective and efficient in everything we do.
And in so many ways, we are doing just that. Over the
past year, we opened a beautifully renovated Memorial
Stadium to the entire Cal community; helped launch the
Pac-12 Networks; entered into a partnership with UREL
around our Annual Fund solicitations; instituted our Gold
Standard sales and service model; installed lights and a
scoreboard at Evans Diamond, which helped attendance
and ticket income double from 2012; revamped our facilities financing plan for Memorial
Stadium and the Simpson Center into a more diversified strategy that takes advantage of
new revenue streams; launched a facilities master plan; and so much more.
All of these actions are intended with one objective in mind – to provide our student-athletes with the resources and conditions they need to excel in every aspect of
their collegiate experience. In 2012-13, we extended our streak of having at least one
national champion to 40 years in a row with a title at the Collegiate Rugby Championship
7s tournament, a victory by our women’s varsity eight at the NCAA rowing regatta, and a
combined six individual NCAA crowns in men’s golf and men’s and women’s swimming
& diving. On the academic front, our women’s golf team achieved the highest team gradepoint average in our recorded history when it posted a 3.46 GPA for the fall semester.
More stories about the aspirations and accomplishments of our student-athletes can be
found in the following pages of this issue of the Cal Sports Quarterly.
Since its founding nearly 150 years ago, our campus has been a leader in innovation, and Cal Athletics should be no different. It is something we must search out every
day. For only as we improve our service and support to our
student-athletes and the entire Cal community will we meet
the challenges that lie ahead.
I hope you have a great summer, and I’m looking forward to
seeing you on campus when our teams return to the playing
field this fall.
SPORTS
QUARTERLY
Issue 44 – Summer 2013
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS:
Sandy Barbour
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/CHIEF OF STAFF:
Teresa Kuehn Gould
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/COO:
Solly Fulp
EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE AD/
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT:
Phil Esten
SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/INTERCOLLEGIATE SERVICES:
Foti Mellis
SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/CFO:
David Secor
EDITORIAL STAFF
349 Haas Pavilion
Berkeley, CA 94720
EDITOR:
Herb Benenson
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Scott Ball, Dean Caparaz, Doug Drabik, Miquel Jacobs,
Anton Malko, Kyle McRae, Tim Miguel, Jonathan
Okanes, Mara Rudolph
DESIGN:
Evan Kerr
PHOTOGRAPHY:
John Todd (GoldenBearSports.com), Michael Pimentel,
Michael Burns, Richard Ersted, Tim Binning, Joel Capra,
Kelley Cox, Todd Drexler/SE Sports Media, John Dunbar,
Doug Drabik, Evan Kerr, Don Feria, Patrick Merrill, Nathan
Phillips, Casey Valentine, and Russ Wright among others
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
195 Haas Pavilion
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-2427
[email protected]
ATHLETIC TICKET OFFICE
(800) GO BEARS
For daily updates on Cal Athletics, including schedules,
press releases and player profiles, visit the department’s official website at CalBears.com.
ON THE COVER
A member of the Cal women’s soccer team, Lauren
Hein plans to go to veterinary school after graduating
earlier this year with a 3.98 GPA in molecular and cell
biology and earning an Oscar Geballe Postgraduate
Scholarship (photo by John Todd,
GoldenBearSports.com).
Go Bears,
Sandy Barbour
Director of Athletics
General Manager:
Mike Kohler
(510) 643-4825
[email protected]
The Cal Sports Quarterly is published four times per
year by the University of California Athletic Department.
2
cal sports quarterly
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Bears Run National Championship
Streak to 40 Years in a Row
G
olden Bear teams and student-athletes added
to Cal’s long list of national championships
in 2012-13, capped on June by a triumph by
rugby at the National College Championship 7s tournament and a one-second victory by the women’s
varsity eight at the NCAA rowing regatta.
The first Bears to step to the top of the victory
Rachel Bootsma
platform this year were swimmers, who wrapped up
their seasons in late March. Caitlin Leverenz (200yard individual medley), Rachel Bootsma (100 backstroke) and Elizabeth Pelton
(200 backstroke) won in the women’s races, while Tom Shields captured both the
100 and 200 butterfly in the NCAA men’s meet.
In golf, Max Homa finished three shots clear of the field at 9-under par to become
the first Cal male to win medalist honors at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships.
Overall, Golden Bears have secured 85 national team titles in 15 different sports
in their history, as well as a combined 264 crowns in swimming and track & field
relays, tennis doubles, rowing boats and individual events.
Max Homa
Games are More
Fun with a Group
T
here’s nothing like hearing the
Victory Cannon fire, watching the
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cheering your Cal football team onto victory with your best friends at beautifully
renovated Memorial Stadium.
Now you can make new memories
and save money at the same time while
sitting together with your friends, family or co-workers. The Cal football group
tickets program is great for any event
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Groups of 20 or more receive a discounted ticket price, a video board welcome and other benefits. For pricing information and to book your group today,
call our Gold Standard Sales and Service
team at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) and
press 3 or visit CalBears.com/tickets.
4
cal sports quarterly
Cal Athletic Hall of Fame Growing by 8 Members
E
ight distinguished Golden Bears have been
selected for enshrinement into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, a list that
includes Olympic medalists, NCAA champions,
All-Americans, school-record
holders and a conference player
of the year.
Formal induction ceremonies are
scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, at the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Greek
Orthodox Church Conference Center in
Oakland, and the new inductees will be
introduced at halftime of Cal’s Oct. 19
football game vs. Oregon State at Memorial Stadium. Information on tickets to
the banquet, which is open to all Cal fans,
can be found online at bigcsociety.org.
Joining the Hall as the 28th induction
class are:
Rick Brown (men’s track & field,
1971-74) – four-time Pac-8 champion
still holds school record in 800 meters
after 41 years
Candace Harper (softball, 19992002) – All-American third baseman was
key contributor to 2002 NCAA
championship
Sean Lampley (men’s
basketball, 1998-2001) – a
2001 Pac-10 Player of the
Year who was also voted
MVP of the 1999 NIT when
he led the Bears to the title
Heather Petri (women’s water polo, 1997-99, 2001) – the only
athlete in school history to win a medal
in four different Olympics
Trisha Stafford-Odom (women’s
basketball, 1989-92) – a two-time
first-team All-Pac-10 selection who
led the Bears to their first two NCAA
Tournament berths
Todd Steussie (football, 1990-93) –
1993 first-team All-American offensive
tackle enjoyed 14-year NFL career
Staciana Stitts (women’s swimming, 2000-03) – 14-time All-American
won a gold medal in the 400 medley relay at the 2000 Olympics
T. Gary Rogers ’63 (Hall of Fame Service Award) – former Cal rower has been
long-time contributor to the Golden Bear
crew program
More Water Closer to Becoming a Reality
O
n May 15, the UC Board of Regents approved a plan to
build a new aquatics facility on campus, a project that
will benefit Cal’s swimming & diving and water polo
programs, as well as the entire campus and area swimming
communities that currently use Spieker Aquatics Complex.
Fundraising for the $15 million center is well underway and
work will begin once the entire amount has been committed.
The pool will be located in a parking lot west of the Tang Center
between Bancroft Way and Durant Avenue on a site approved
by the campus Capital Projects Committee.
As one of only three NCAA schools to sponsor four aquatics
teams – men’s and women’s swimming & diving and men’s and
women’s water polo – the Bears are constrained by a lack of water some competitions, which will free up time for recreational, PE
with only the current Spieker pool available. Once the new facility and master’s swimming at Spieker. The majority of Cal’s meets
opens, it will host the majority of the teams’ practices, as well as and matches will remain at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
2013 Football Home Schedule
Aug. 31
Sat Northwestern
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2
Sept. 7
Sat Portland State
2:00 p.m.
Pac-12 Networks
4:00 p.m.
FOX
Sept. 14 Sat Ohio State
Oct. 5
Sat Washington State* TBA
TBA
Oct. 19
Sat Oregon State
TBA
TBA
Nov. 2
Sat Arizona
TBA
TBA
Nov. 9
Sat USC#
TBA
TBA
*Homecoming
#Joe Roth Memorial Game
Kickoff times and television selections for TBA dates
will be announced either 12 or six days prior to each game
Single-Game Ticket
On-Sale Dates
Cal
Tuesday, July 23 at 9 a.m.
ESP participants and 2013 season-ticket
Community Encouraged to Buy Tickets Early
holders
(MBB/WBB/FB/VB) who are dos the Cal football season approach- Stadium,” said Rob Kristiniak, Cal’s direcnors
at
the
$10K+ level
es, tickets are expected to be in tor of ticket sales.
A
high demand for the 2013 season,
specifically for the season opener against
Northwestern, Ohio State two weeks later
and the match-up with USC. Cal fans are
encouraged to buy single-game tickets as
early as possible to beat the rush.
“With limited inventory, we’re calling
on our donors and season-ticket holders
to use their benefits and buy additional
single-game tickets during their presale
dates so we can own our turf and create
a true home field advantage at Memorial
Current season-ticket holders, donors
to Cal Athletics and letterwinners will
receive priority access to buy single-game
tickets before the general public. In addition, these groups will enjoy “locked in”
pricing that will not fluctuate. Single-game
tickets for the general public will be
subject to dynamic pricing that will
increase based on a variety of factors.
For more information on single-game
tickets, pricing and seating, visit
CalBears.com/tickets.
Wednesday, July 24 at 9 a.m.
2013 season-ticket holders (MBB/
WBB/FB/VB) who are donors at the
$1,200+ level
Thursday, July 25 at 9 a.m.
2013 season-ticket holders (MBB/
WBB/FB/VB), Cal Athletic letterwinners
and donors at the $5,000 level who are
not season-ticket holders
Friday, July 26 at 9 a.m.
Donors to Cal Athletics at $4,999 and
under, e-newsletter subscribers, social
media fans, CAA member presale (via
promo code subject to dynamic pricing)
Tuesday, July 30 at 9 a.m.
General Public (if available)
SUMMER 2013
5
SIDELINE
REPORT
Golden Bear Team Award
Highest cumulative GPA
Women’s Golf – 3.46 GPA
Big C Most Improved Team Award
Most improved team GPA
Softball
Cal’s Golden Bear Award winners for having the highest GPA on their respective teams in 2012-13.
Golden Bears Saluted at Honors Luncheon
C
al Athletics recognized the best
and brightest of its nearly 850
student-athletes with a host of
awards and postgraduate scholarships
at the annual Academic Honors Luncheon held May 7 at Haas Pavilion. The
event is co-sponsored by the Big C Society and the Athletic Study Center.
The Tom Hansen Conference Medal,
presented to the top male and female
senior student-athletes at each Pac-12
school, went to men’s swimmer Tom
Shields and Layshia Clarendon of women’s basketball. Shields was a multitime NCAA champion during his career,
including victories in the 100- and 200yard butterfly this year, while Clarendon led the Golden Bears to the Final
Four for the first time in school history
and earned the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete
of the Year award for
women’s basketball
this past season.
Lindsey
Ziegenhirt, a senior softball
player, provided the
student-athlete address to the crowd
Lindsey Ziegenhirt
and spoke about the
unique experiences she has had at Cal
over the past four years.
“From the rigorous academic workload to the intense competition of
the Pac-12 Conference, Berkeley student-athletes are continuously challenged,” Ziegenhirt said. “But challenges define us, and overcoming them gives
us the courage to take on more. It’s this
courage that separates Cal athletes from
all the others.”
Summer in the Country for Several Golden Bear Teams
S
everal Cal teams
are spending parts
of their summer
break traveling, training
and competing internationally, including the
Bears’ women’s water
polo squad that will represent the United States
at the World University
Games in Russia.
The first team to take to the air was
women’s soccer, which left Berkeley immediately after spring final exams to visit Costa Rica May 20-29. Later this summer, the Cal women’s basketball team
will travel to China Aug. 17-25.
Perhaps the most significant trip will
be the one taken by women’s water polo,
which will be in Kazan, Russia, from July
6-17. The Bears will send a team of 13
and compete under the USA banner at
6
cal sports quarterly
Tom Hansen Conference Medal
Outstanding senior
male and female student-athlete
Male – Tom Shields
(men’s swimming)
Female – Layshia Clarendon
(women’s basketball)
Neufeld Scholar-Athlete Awards
Highest GPA among graduating student-athletes
Male – Michael Perretta (men’s crew)
Female – Lauren Hein (women’s soccer)
Pac-12 Postgraduate
Scholarships
$3,000 awards for graduate work
Isaac Howell (men’s swimming)
Caitlin Leverenz (women’s swimming)
Kyle Marsh (men’s soccer)
Robin Rostratter (volleyball)
Oscar Geballe
Postgraduate Scholarships
$5,000 awards for graduate work
Lauren Hein (women’s soccer)
Sara Isakovic (women’s swimming)
Lindsey Ziegenhirt (softball)
Jake Gimbel Prize and
Anna Espenschade Award
Exemplifying Golden Bear spirit
Male (Gimbel) –
Marin Balarin (men’s water polo)
Female (Espenschade) –
Caitlin Leverenz (women’s swimming)
Joseph McDonnell Kavanagh
Award
Exception improvement in
academic pursuits
Tierra Rogers
(women’s basketball)
the World University Games against
squads from seven other countries.
“To represent your country is a huge
deal,” Cal coach Richard Corso said. “It’s
not only a great trip for training and
competition, but it gives a chance for the
young players to play at a very important
tournament.”
Under NCAA rules, teams can take an
international tour once every four years,
and each of these trips were privately
funded.
Walter A. Haas Jr.
Community Service Award
Contribution to community service
Leilani Alferos (women’s gymnastics)
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Dog-Tired Achiever
Aspiring Veterinarian Lauren Hein Worked, Studied and Played Around the Clock at Cal
By Jonathan Okanes
L
auren Hein has a dog back home
named “Cholida,” which in Korean
means “I am tired.”
Looks like the residents at the Hein household may have
been misidentified.
Hein recently completed an impressive and exhausting career at Cal. In addition to being a goalie on the Bears’ women’s soccer team, Hein took a rigorous academic workload and
graduated with honors with a degree in molecular and cell biology. In addition, she worked nearby an emergency pet hospital, oftentimes working late shifts and then showing up to
soccer practice the next morning.
8
cal sports quarterly
“I’d have practice in the morning, go straight from practice to
class, and then go straight from class to work. I was exhausted,”
Hein said. “I took a lot of naps. Naps were the best thing ever.”
Oh, and by the way, Hein also found time to study – a lot.
She completed her degree with a 3.982 GPA, which earned her
the Neufeld Scholar Athlete Award for having the highest GPA
of any graduating female student-athlete on campus. Hein was
also the recipient of an Oscar Geballe Postgraduate Scholarship, which recognizes devotion to Cal and the combination of
scholarship and athletic competition.
“Every athlete at Cal deserves recognition,” women’s soccer coach Neil McGuire said. “But as far as the combination of
academic standards and character, I don’t think I’ve coached a
finer athlete than Lauren. She’s the unsung hero of Cal women’s soccer.”
Hein fondly refers to her childhood home in Tustin, Calif., as
“The Zoo.” She grew up with dogs, cats, turtles, snakes and rats,
among others creatures. Hein said as early as age 7, she was
telling people she wanted to be a veterinarian.
One thing was for sure: Hein seemed destined to wind up
in the medical field in some capacity. Her mother, Susan, is a
nurse and her father, Mike, is an x-ray technician. Hein said
she considered going to medical school when she was in high
school, but when she got to Cal and started volunteering at the
Berkeley Animal Shelter, it reinforced her childhood dream to
become a vet.
“I was surrounded by the health practice,” Hein said. “I knew
I loved science and math, so medicine it was. I didn’t know if
I wanted humans or animals. My mom always told me I was
going to end up with animals. She could tell that I had a special
passion for the animals.”
During winter break of her freshman year, Hein got the opportunity to shadow a vet in Newport Beach, Calif., who was a
friend of the family. That motivated her even more to get more
experience. She joined the Cal Pre-Vet Club, and it was there
she met another student working at PETS, an emergency animal hospital in Berkeley. Hein contacted the clinic and got a job
as a tech assistant.
Hein would either work from 4-midnight or 6 p.m.-2 a.m.,
making for some bleary-eyed 8 a.m. soccer practices.
“I had people telling me I was incredibly crazy,” Hein said. “I
would take one- or two-hour naps on the days I had work so
those nights I wasn’t too exhausted. But there were sometimes
I was so exhausted and they could see it. I lost a little bit of
focus. It wasn’t something that concerned them because I always had the right attitude at practice. I busted my butt. Even
if I only got four or five hours of sleep the night before, I was
trying my hardest during conditioning.”
Hein started seven games as a sophomore in 2010, but when
Emily Kruger won the No. 1 job the following season, it became
apparent her playing time was diminishing. Hein was the maid
of honor at her sister’s wedding in September of last year, and
with the preparations for that, along with her strenuous academic obligations, Hein decided not to play her senior season.
“I think toward the middle of my junior year, I started to realize that soccer wasn’t my end-all,” Hein said. “Making sure I
could get the grades I wanted and get the experience in order
to continue as a vet was what was important. Soccer wasn’t
stopping me from that. So soccer became fun. Not that it wasn’t
fun before, but when the pressure was off that I don’t need to
play to have fun, it was actually really nice.”
Hein’s
retirement
lasted until the second
day of fall camp. Backup
goalie Kat Messinger, a
former club teammate
of Hein’s, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Hein had already decided she was going to go
visit the team that day.
It ended up being a more
permanent return.
“I was talking to the
“Every athlete at
team, trying to figure out
Cal deserves recog- how we were going to
move forward. I rememnition. But as far
ber thinking that I wish
as the combination
Lauren were still here,”
of academic stanMcGuire said. “Then I
dards and characsaw her walking through
ter, I don’t think
the gate.”
Hein agreed to come
I’ve coached a
back
for her senior year.
finer athlete than
She started one game
Lauren. She’s the
and shut out Nevada on
unsung hero of Cal
Sept. 23. It meant anwomen’s soccer”
other season of juggling
soccer, schoolwork and
– head coach
animals.
Neil McGuire
“I don’t understand
how she did it,” Messinger said. “Not only was she saving animals, she would come to practice every morning and had the
highest GPA in one of the toughest majors. Just from a personal
standpoint, Lauren Hein is a person I aspire to be like academically and athletically. It’s inspiring to look at someone who
worked so hard. For a number of us, she was a person to look
up to.”
Like her teammates, Hein made an impression on her co-workers as well. In the short time she volunteered at the Berkeley
Animal Shelter, Hein was put in charge of mentoring new volunteers. She also got involved with the “Bad Rap” program, which
focused on socializing pit bulls.
Despite no professional experience, Hein immediately started performing a variety of duties as soon as she started her
job at PETS. She restrained animals, placed catheters, administered injections and took X-Rays.
“I hate to gush, but I thought she was really one of the most
mature pre-vets I’ve worked with,” said PETS head registered
vet technician Lisa Phoenix. “What she brought to us was just an
amazing sense of teamwork. She was so easy to work with and
so truly helpful. She was there to support the team. I was always
disappointed when she had a soccer game and couldn’t work.”
And Hein saw the team concept at PETS as well, comparing
the dynamic at the animal hospital to the one she regularly saw
on the soccer field.
“It’s a team. There’s the receptionist, the techs and the doctor – and they all have to work together for a set goal of winning, which is saving the animal’s life,” Hein said. “I feel like
the doctors are the goalies. As a goalie, I was always the one
directing people where to go. I was the final end-all.”
SUMMER 2013
9
Triple¯
Threat
Hammed Suleman Has Overcome
Injuries to Become One of the
Best Jumpers in Cal History
By Herb Benenson
w
healthy Suleman could become a figure on the triple jump scene for many
years down the road. And after several
frustrating seasons, including a redshirt
year that kept him on the sidelines for
nine months in 2011, Suleman appears
headed towards such accolades.
Suleman arrived at Cal after capturing the state high school
triple jump title in 2009, and as a freshman in Berkeley, he was
a conference finalist in both the triple jump and long jump. The
following year, he captured the MPSF indoor title in the triple
jump with a then-lifetime-best effort of 52-10.75. He later
placed 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships and expected
much more out of himself once he turned his attention outdoors.
However, a hard-to-diagnose ailment put Suleman on the
shelf by mid-March 2011 with pain in his lower leg. After initially believing the injury was a stress fracture, then a muscle
problem, Cal’s medical staff determined Suleman had nerve
entrapment and soft tissue compression, which put pressure
on a nerve and resulted in painful takeoffs.
Although Suleman had success in the interim – he returned
to become the 2012 Pac-12 runner-up in the long jump and
also qualified for NCAA regionals in the triple jump – he just
started coming around in 2013 after undergoing several surgical procedures to relieve tension in his leg.
When Hammed Suleman, Cal’s leading triple jumper, prepares to
perform at a track & field meet, everyone in attendance seems to
notice. Standing 6 feet, 3 inches tall, he simply commands the attention.
And when he raises his arms and encourages others to start rhythmically
clapping before he starts down the runway on his way to the sand pit, fans and
competitors alike heed his wishes.
Suleman returns their participation
with a smile, and the support appears to
drive him to hop, skip and jump as far as
he is able. He is engaged with the fans, and
they with him.
Through three competitive seasons at
Cal, Suleman ranks as one of the best in
school history in the triple jump, and for
Hammed Suleman
much of the 2013 season, he was No. 2
in the country in the event having leapt 53-4.50 at the Texas
Relays in March. Yet that distance provides only a glimpse at
what is possible for the junior out of Deer Valley High School
in Antioch.
“He has a great combination of speed and power,” director
of track & field Tony Sandoval said. “If you look at triple jumpers, they get better with age. I see him as an elite international
triple jumper down the road. I think the fact that we finally got
him healthy is going to bode well for his future.”
Given the inner drive he possesses to reach his potential, a
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Continued on page 13
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P OPE D ENTAL
“I love talking to kids
and giving them my
experiences and try
to make it easier for
them so they don’t
make the same
mistakes I did. I try
to help them get the
most of this position
in their life, especially
underprivileged kids.
There are certain
distractions in the
community that can
sidetrack you from
what you need to do.”
One of the top jumpers in school history,
Hammed Suleman believes he will only
get better with time.
“I’ll give them encouragement
and try to be a younger coach and
kind of relate to them,” Suleman
– Hammed Suleman
said. “I have a good relationship
with the teachers and the principal. It’s always a good feeling when
I go back and feel welcome.”
While a student at Deer Valley
Continued from page 10
HS, Suleman took up track & field
Suleman still has good and bad days, but overall, he believes because his older sister ran for the team. At first he tried a litthe disappointment of the past two years is behind him.
tle bit of everything before an assistant coach encouraged him
“It’s been a winding road, up and down,” Suleman said. “But to become a jumper. His first year, he managed only 16 feet in
I’m still blessed to be here and trying to stay positive and live the long jump (“Nothing impressive,” he said). He improved to
out every day the best that I can.”
22-6 in the long jump and 46 feet in the triple jump by the end
In particular, Suleman’s 53-foot jump at the Texas Relays of his junior year, but he still wasn’t where he wanted to be.
earlier this year assured him that he can do so much more.
“I was so motivated to be the best that I can, that whole sum“It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that on that particu- mer I got on a regimen,” Suleman said. “I was on the track by
lar jump, I put my hand back (on the landing), which took more myself running stairs. I couldn’t be on the bottom like I was the
away from the jump,” Suleman said. “To have done that tells me year before. It really motivated me to see what I could do, to see
I’m on the right track. I’m just staying positive.”
how much work I could put in and see what the effects were.”
Suleman continued his upward trajectory at the Pac-12
Adding to the incentive was a conversation Suleman had
Championships. On the opening day, he captured the confer- with Cal associate head coach Ed Miller. Suleman asked if Cal
ence title in the long jump with a distance of 25-11.50, and a would recruit him, and Miller replied that the Bears would
day later, he was runner-up in the triple jump. In June, Suleman take a look once he reached 49-50 feet.
qualified for the NCAA meet in the long jump, as well.
In Sandoval’s words, Suleman “exploded” his senior seaSuleman’s natural upbeat attitude translates very well to his son, picking up an extra five feet in the triple jump and regsocial welfare major and intended career path. Although he istering a best of 51-2. Although Cal was late to get into the
would like to train and compete after he graduates next year, a recruiting mix, Suleman eventually chose to become a Goldmaster’s degree in social work is a clear goal.
en Bear and is taking advantage of his time in Berkeley. Not
“I love talking to kids and giving them my experiences and only is he relishing the teaching he receives from his event
try to make it easier for them so they don’t make the same coaches, but he constantly scours the internet for videos of
mistakes I did,” Suleman said. “I try to help them understand triple jumpers to pick up as many tips as he can.
certain things that they’re going through. I try to help them
“Is it going to work for me? How does it work for them? I try
get the most of this position in their life, especially under- to diagnose everything about it,” Suleman said. “What muscles
privileged kids. How are you going to help yourself? How are are they using, are their arms parallel to their legs, how much
you going to get better? What if this doesn’t work out? I try speed, what is their strength-to-weight ratio? I just try to break
to give them the best advice that I can. There are certain dis- everything down. The triple jump is a very technical event. Do
tractions in the community that can sidetrack you from what one little wrong thing and you feel so much pain. When everyyou need to do.”
thing goes right, it feels very good.”
Suleman speaks from the experience of regularly returning
With one more season at Cal and hopefully many more comto his high school in Antioch and talking with members of the petitive years after that, Suleman hopes that the triple jump
current track & field team about the challenges that lie ahead. feels good to him for a long time.
SUMMER 2013
13
Species
Preservation
T
Kyle Marsh Hopes
to Make the World a
Safer Place by Better
Understanding the
Environment
By Dean Caparaz ’90
he hard-working, do-it-all mentality that served Kyle Marsh so well
on the pitch has translated well to the classroom. The soccer
player has parlayed his academic success into a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship that he hopes will give him, and in turn others, a
deeper understanding of the environment in order to protect and preserve
endangered species.
A product of Santa Rosa High School,
Marsh played for three seasons – and
redshirted one year due to injury – on
the Golden Bear team. He graduated
with his degree in conservation and resource sciences this past May.
Marsh came to Cal completely focused
on soccer. He dreamed of someday playing professionally, as head coach Kevin
Grimes’ lauded program has produced
several players who are still active at
the next level. Over the years, Marsh
watched as many of his former teammates, including A.J. Soares, Servando
Carrasco and Hector Jimenez, left Cal to
become pros.
A speedy midfielder/defender,
Marsh appeared in a
total of 38 games for
the Bears and started 20 times. An injury sidelined him in
2010, forcing him to
Kyle Marsh
the sidelines when
Cal produced arguably its best season
in program history with a berth into the
NCAA quarterfinals. Personally, Marsh
had his most outstanding year in 2011,
when he started 11 games and scored
the first two goals of his career. This
past fall, he started in nine of 15 games
played and scored twice more – in a 4-1
win over Central Florida and a 5-0 rout
of Houston Baptist.
But over the years, his focus changed.
Despite seeing many of his teammates
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Kyle Marsh (center) celebrates on Goldman
Field with Cal teammates Tony Salciccia (10)
and Kyle Lunt (23).
advance to the next level, Marsh realized
that reaching the pro ranks was going to
be a long shot.
“That was my aspiration in the beginning,” Marsh said, “and obviously it shifted to a more realistic future for myself
and something that I can control a little bit better with schoolwork and hard
work than I could with soccer. Once I
got here I found another passion. That’s
when it started to shift a little bit more
towards education and my classes.
“Actually, it was a big shift,” Marsh admitted. “I was always super passionate
about soccer, and that’s what pushes any
athlete to be their best. And then when
you find a passion in school, it’s pretty
similar, and you work as hard in both.
Athletes are usually pretty competitive,
so doing the best you can always is just
kind of a mindset you’re stuck in.”
Marsh worked in two different research positions as a senior. One entailed analyzing data about coyote
activity over the previous four years.
The other position was part of the
Undergraduate Research Apprentice
Program (URAP), in which he assessed
the quality and catalogued the sound
recordings of East African Sunbirds for
the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology as
well as for the Ph.D. student he worked
with.
Marsh’s emphasis on his schoolwork
resulted in him claiming Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention notice in 2011
and 2012. He also earned the conference
scholarship, along with swimming’s
Caitlin Leverenz, volleyball’s Robin Rostratter and Isaac Howell, who competed
in swimming and crew. In collecting his
Pac-12 award, Marsh rubbed shoulders
with other high achievers in both the academic and athletic realms.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Marsh said. “It
makes me pretty proud to be part of this
group of people.”
Like many newcomers in Berkeley, Marsh became aware of academic
pursuits he didn’t know existed before arriving on campus. And a class he
took as a freshman not only piqued his
interests, but sent him in a direction that
will shape his post-Cal career and inspired
him to try to do his part of make the world
a better place to live, a sentiment shared
by so many others on campus.
“In my freshman year I had a seminar class that was on environmental
issues and green energy, and that kind
of sparked my interest because I didn’t
know that was an actual area of study
until I got to college,” Marsh said. “And
then that led to taking Biology 1B. My
GSI (graduate student instructor) was
a conservation biologist from Madagascar, and he was talking to me about his
research and everything that he’d been
doing. That definitely opened my eyes to
a possibility that I didn’t know existed. It
was definitely something that I was very
interested in, and that’s shot me on this
path.”
With conservation biology serving as
Marsh’s favorite area of concentration
within his major, his “path” has led him
towards protecting wildlife and the environment.
“To be able to prevent a species from
going extinct is a dream of mine that
I will always strive for, and with the
education I received here I know that it
is possible,” he said.
Now a young Cal alumnus, Marsh
is spending his summer in Yosemite
National Park, though he’s not sight-seeing, at least not in the conventional
sense. He is assisting a Cal graduate student in her research of Dark-eyed Juncos,
“which are these tiny birds,” March said.
“We’ll be catching them, taking DNA samples, banding them and watching them.
[We’re] doing a study on how clutch size
(the number of eggs that a bird lays in
one nesting) goes down or how clutch
size changes as elevation changes.”
Marsh hopes to take at least one year
off from school to do research, prepare
for the GREs and decide what he wants
to pursue in graduate school before renewing his studies.
“My ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D. in biology or ecology,” he said. “After graduate
school all I know is that I want to be using my knowledge to better our society’s
understanding of our natural world and
prevent species from going extinct.”
SUMMER 2013
15
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Roy Jackson
Loving His Role
By Kyle McRae
W
hen Roy Jackson was a high school senior at nearby St.
Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, he was a standout
linebacker on the school’s football team. By the time he
had graduated from Cal in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in
American studies, Jackson was a three-year letterwinner who had seen
action at linebacker, safety, rush end and fullback.
But those are far from the only roles
the one-time walk-on has played.
“When I came to Cal I always knew I
wanted to do something in entertainment,” said Jackson, who eventually
earned a football scholarship.
It didn’t take long for Jackson to figure
out that he wanted to become an actor.
“The bug bit me,” Jackson said. “I found
my calling and I knew what I wanted to do.”
Although Jackson never officially
changed his major to theater, dance and
performance at Cal, it wasn’t long until
he was taking drama classes and quickly
immersed in the field. Jackson not only
studied the craft on the Berkeley campus, but he also trained at the American
Conservatory Theater and performed
with the African-American Shakespeare
Company in San Francisco.
Now, Jackson can draw parallels between football and acting.
“Playing football at Cal prepared me
for getting on stage and going into an
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cal sports quarterly
audition,” Jackson said. “When you’re
on the field, you know there are 70,000
people in the stands, but you don’t see
them or hear them because you’re just so
tuned in to what you’re doing. Walking
into an audition or being on stage or on
set is similar.”
Roy Jackson in an episode of It’s Always Sunny
in Philadelphia
The multiple roles Jackson played
while at Cal were just a beginning.
After spending five months teaching
English and doing some modeling work
in Santiago, Chile, following graduation, the aspiring actor returned to the
United States and moved to the Los
Angeles area in 2002.
While he was there, like most aspiring actors, he did lots of jobs to make ends meet.
“I’ve never gone to my tax lady with less
than 6 or 7 W-2’s, ever,” said Jackson, who
admitted that many of those were for jobs
not in the acting profession. “Many days I
looked at it and said ‘I have a degree from
Berkeley and I’m doing this.’ But you do
what you have to do to survive.”
Finally in 2007, Jackson got his big
break when he landed a role in the Ice
Cube movie First Sunday and then did a
series of television shows and movies.
“At one point, people were telling me
that it seemed like they were seeing me
on TV every week,” Jackson said.
There have been ups and downs but
a mostly steady stream of work since,
including a recent gig earlier this year
on Law & Order: SVU, which films in
the New York City area where Jackson
moved recently.
Jackson has more projects in the works
and is positive about his future.
“I always say choose something that
you’re into and everything else will fall in
place,” Jackson said. “Do what you love.”
That’s something Jackson has been
doing for a long time.
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Baseball
Men’s Crew
Women’s Cross Country
al baseball, with up to five freshmen in its starting
line-up, won five extra inning games and had six
walk-off wins in 2013. The Bears, (23-31, 10-20), were
led offensively by junior catcher Andrew Knapp, who batted .350 with a team-leading 16 doubles, eight home
runs and 41 RBI. Knapp, a third-team All-American and
second round draft pick, also paced Cal with 22 multiple
hit games and 11 multiple RBI games. Two Bears who
have bright futures are 6-7 freshman right-hander Ryan
Mason, Cal’s No. 1 starter (5-3, 3.76 ERA), and freshman center fielder Devin Pearson (.302, eight doubles,
two home runs, 17 RBI, seven stolen bases). Evans
Diamond saw some major upgrades in 2013, as well,
with the installations of lights and a new video scoreboard.
young Cal men’s crew program overcame several
challenges throughout the season to earn podium
finishes in four of the five grand finals and place third
overall at the IRA National Championships in Lake
Natoma in early June. Cal’s varsity eight finished fifth,
while the Bears placed second in the varsity four, and
third in the second varsity eight, freshman eight and
open four. Earlier, Cal captured the Copley Cup at the
San Diego Crew Classic and posted victories against
Wisconsin and Oregon State in dual action. The Bears
secured a Pac-12 title in the varsity four and finished
second as a team at the conference championships
in May. For 2014, Cal returns the entire varsity eight
crew, including All-Pac-12 selections Cole Reiser and
Jovan Jovanivic, and all but two in the second varsity
eight boat. al’s young squad, which featured only one senior
and one junior in the regular lineup, showed great
promise with top finishes in several races in the fall.
Among their races, the Bears won the USF Invitational
and the Hornet Jamboree, placed fourth at the Panorama Farms Invitational in Virginia, 10th at the Wisconsin
Invitational, and eighth in the Pac-12 Championships.
Sophomore Kelsey Santisteban represented Cal at the
NCAA Championships in Louisville, Ky., after posting a
season-best time of 19:15 in the 6,000-meter course
in the NCAA Regionals. The second-year standout
placed 70th overall at NCAAs. Santisteban earned AllPac-12 second-team honors after finishing ninth overall
at the conference meet.
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2012-2013
sports
reviews
Cole Reiser
Kara Kohler
Andrew Knapp
Allen Crabbe
Layshia Clarendon
Chris Walden
Kelsey Santisteban
Lara Kruggel
Men’s Basketball
Women’s Crew
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Field Hockey
nder the direction of Mike Montgomery, Cal completed its winningest five-year stretch in more than
50 years with a 21-12 record. A top-two finish in the
Pac-12 for the second consecutive season culminated
with a third-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
After opening with a victory over UNLV, Cal was eliminated by Final Four participant Syracuse, 66-60. Junior
Allen Crabbe became Cal’s third Pac-12 Player of the
Year in the last four seasons. A third-team NABC and
Sporting News All-American, he averaged 18.4 points
and 6.1 rebounds to also earn first-team All-Pac-12
honors. Crabbe declared for the NBA Draft following
the season, ending his decorated collegiate career.
The Bears welcome back four of five starters in 201314, including two-time All-Pac-12 guard Justin Cobbs,
along with the addition of a top-20 recruiting class.
Montgomery enters his 32nd year of collegiate coaching as the NCAA’s ninth-winningest active Division I
coach with 656 victories. he Bears capped another stellar season with an
NCAA championship in the varsity eight in early June
in Indianapolis. Coupled with a second-place finish by
the second varsity eight and petite final win by the varsity four, Cal placed second overall as a team in the
NCAAs – just two points shy of a team title. The Bears
continued a remarkable run of six straight top-three
finishes at the NCAAs and nine of the last 10. Guided by wins in the second varsity eight and varsity four,
Cal earned its sixth consecutive Pac-12 team crown.
Juniors Kara Kohler and Agatha Nowinski collected allleague honors for the second season in a row, while seniors Lynn Anderson and Maggie Simpson were named
coaches’ association National Scholar-Athletes. al finished third at the NorPac Tournament under
18th-year head coach Shellie Onsted and went
8-12 on the year. Sophomore Lara Kruggel was named
to the NFHCA All-West first team and was tabbed the
NorPac West Offensive Player of the Year after leading
the Bears with 18 goals and 44 points. Kruggel finished 11th in the nation in points per game at 2.20 and
already holds down the 10th position on Cal’s all-time
points list at 67 with two seasons remaining. Junior
Shannon Elmitt earned second-team All-West honors
after tallying nine assists on the season, and senior
Rachelle Comeau was named to the NorPac All-Tournament team. The Bears also featured nine players on
the NFHCA National Academic Squad.
Men’s Cross Country
Football
al’s young roster was comprised of several firstyear Golden Bears, including seven freshmen.
Among their results during the fall, the Bears placed
ninth at the Pac-12 Championships and 13th at NCAA
West Regionals. Sophomore Chris Walden paced the
team in two of the four events he competed in, placing
23rd overall in Virginia and 62nd overall at the NCAA
Regionals. With top returner Collin Jarvis redshirting,
Cal received contributions from freshmen Leland Later
and Matt Carpowich, as well as first-year Bear in junior
transfer Agustin Alva. The senior trio of Matt Petersen,
Renaud Poizat (paced Cal with second-place finish in
Sacramento) and Simon Schmidt also contributed to
Cal’s lineup throughout the season.
espite a 3-9 final mark, Cal’s 2012 season was not
without highlights as the Golden Bears returned to
a renovated Memorial Stadium with much fanfare. Cal
drew a sellout crowd of 63,186 to its first game back in
Strawberry Canyon on Sept. 1, and although the Bears
dropped a 31-24 decision to Nevada, there was tremendous enthusiasm about the arrival of football back
in Berkeley. The highlight of the season came against
UCLA when the Bears put together their best game
with a 43-17 dismantling of eventual Pac-12 South Division champion Bruins on a night in which Memorial
Stadium was rededicated. The most notable individual
highlights included Keenan Allen becoming the school’s
all-time leader in receptions and Brendan Bigelow’s
81-yard touchdown run in a hard-fought 35-28 loss at
Ohio State that was the longest by an opponent in the
stadium’s history.
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Women’s Basketball
T
he 2012-13 season turned into a record-breaking one
that culminated in Cal winning the first Pac-12 regular-season title in program history and advancing to the
NCAA Final Four with a 32-4 record. Head coach Lindsay
Gottlieb was named a finalist for the Naismith National
Coach of the Year award in addition to being named the
Pac-12 Coach of the Year by the media after leading her
team to a 17-1 conference record that included a 67-55
win at Stanford to end the Cardinal’s 81-game conference winning streak. The Bears earned a No. 2 seed in
the NCAA Tournament behind the play of senior Layshia
Clarendon’s 16.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game
that ultimately led to her being selected No. 9 by the
Indiana Fever in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Clarendon, as
well as junior Gennifer Brandon, earned All-America
honorable mention honors.
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Women’s Gymnastics
Men’s Soccer
al completed a historic season in 2012-13, so
strong that despite falling in the NCAA Championships’ match-play semifinals, the Bears were still the
nation’s No. 1 team according to final rankings by Golfweek and Golfstat. Cal set a modern-era NCAA record by
winning 12 of 14 stroke-play events, including the strokeplay portion of the NCAA Championships. Michael Kim
earned National Player of the Year honors and was joined
as a first-team All-American by Max Homa and Michael
Weaver. Joël Stalter and Brandon Hagy also earned second-team All-American recognition. Homa became Cal’s
first-ever individual medalist at the NCAA Championships and added a Pac-12 individual title. Five players
– Homa, Kim, Weaver, Stalter and Hagy – were individual
medalists at least once during the season and earned
All-Pac-12 honors. Head coach Steve Desimone was the
National Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
he Golden Bears opened the season with their highest score in two seasons, a result that propelled
them into the national top 25 for nearly half the year. Cal
finished the regular season by setting the second-highest team score in program history in Haas Pavilion on
Senior Night, a 196.525. At the Pac-12 Championships,
where the Bears finished seventh, first-year head coach
Justin Howell was honored with the Pac-12 Gymnastics
Coach of the Year award, and freshman Serena Leong
received the program’s first-ever Freshman/Newcomer
of the Year title. Senior Mariesah Pierce and junior Alicia Asturias were named to the All-Pac-12 second team,
while seven Bears earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors.
The squad capped off its most successful season in recent history with its first team berth to NCAA Regionals
since 2007, where Howell was recognized by his peers
as the West Region Coach of the Year.
al ended the year with a winning record at 8-7-3 and
with several Pac-12 accolades for performances on
and off the pitch. Senior Tony Salciccia garnered an AllPac-12 first-team selection, while junior defender Ryan
Neil, sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Peach and sophomore midfielder Seth Casiple collected second-team
placement. Cal’s midfield general, Salciccia led the
Bears in points (16), tied for first in goals (5) and
ranked second in assists (6) – setting career highs in
each category. Senior defender Ted Jones, sophomore
defender Christian Dean and sophomore forward Stefano Bonomo earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
Sophomore midfielder Omid Jalali (3.90 GPA) earned
a Pac-12 All-Academic first-team spot, with Salciccia
taking a position on the second team with six others
gaining honorable mention status.
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Keenan Allen
Max Homa
Nicola Rossler
Takahiro Kawada
Serena Leong
Megan Takacs
Seamus Kelly
Tony Salciccia
Ifeoma Onumonu
Jolene Henderson
Women’s Golf
Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
ead coach Nancy McDaniel’s team earned its 14th
consecutive bid to the NCAA Regionals in 2013,
where the Bears finished 18th with a youthful lineup
that will return four of five regulars next season. Junior
Nicola Rössler paced Cal with a top-25 finish at the Pac12 Championships and a top-40 showing at the NCAA
Regional, finishing with a team-best 75.0 stroke average. Freshman Hannah Suh had a team-high six rounds
of par or better and shot 75.3 in her first collegiate
season that included a round at the NCAA West Regional where she shot a one-under 70. Suh led the Bears
with two top-five finishes on the year, and her 69 at the
Spartan Invite was the lowest round of the year for the
Bears. Cal also had another freshman, Carly Childs, in
the lineup as well as sophomore Morgan Thompson,
who earned one top-five finish on the season.
enior attacker Megan Takacs ended her Cal career
with another outstanding season, winning the MPSF
Player of the Year award for the second straight year, as
well as being named to the West All-Region first team
for the second consecutive season. In the Bears’ final
game, the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, Takacs
became Cal’s all-time leader in career goals, wrapping
up her tenure with 148 goals. Fellow senior Melissa
Humphrey paced the Bears with 29 assists, which
ranked 24th nationally, and she wound up her career
No. 2 on Cal’s all-time list with 74. Junior goalie Megan
McGinnis, a first-team All-MPSF selection and ended
the campaign sixth in the country in save percentage
and 10th in total saves. Under the tutelage of head
coach Ginger Miles, the Bears enjoyed a stretch of six
straight games without allowing more than 10 goals,
finishing the season with a record of 9-7 and 6-2 in
conference play.
al garnered a slew of accolades – including forward
Ifeoma Onumonu’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
award and spot on the All-Pac-12 first team – during a
season that concluded with a run to the second round
of the NCAA Tournament. The Bears won at Pepperdine,
1-0, in the NCAA first round before falling at San Diego
State, 2-1, to finish 16-6 overall. Onumonu led Cal in
points (28), goals (11), assists (6) and game-winning
goals, also pacing all Pac-12 freshmen in points, goals
and gamewinners. Senior midfielder Betsy Hassett
joined Onumonu on the all-conference first team after
totaling points (17), goals (6) and assists (5). Hassett
also earned a spot on the NSCAA Scholar All-America
first team. Four Bears claimed All-Pacific Region status:
Onumonu (first team), Hassett (first team), junior defender Emi Lawson (second team) and junior midfielder
Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick (third team).
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Men’s Gymnastics
T
he young 2013 Cal men’s gymnastics squad finished the season ranked seventh in the country
following a trip to the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship’s 12-team Qualifier. Six Golden Bears advanced
to the individual event preliminaries, with freshman
Takahiro Kawada and sophomore Jonathan Liu earning
spots in the finals and receiving All-American status.
Earlier in the season, Cal took down defending national
champion Illinois, 427.00-425.650, at home in Haas
Pavilion in the final contest of the regular season. At
the MPSF Championships, the Bears finished third, and
junior Matthew del Junco and sophomore Jonathan Liu
were recognized as MPSF All-Academic selections.
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Rugby
T
he Bears capped head coach Jack Clark’s 30th
year at the helm and the team’s return to Witter
Rugby Field after a two-year absence with their first
7s title at the 2013 Collegiate Rugby Championship,
which followed an undefeated regular season in spring
15s. Cal won the inaugural season of the PAC Rugby
Conference, took its eighth straight UCLA Tournament
and swept UBC for its seventh straight “World Cup”
series. In the spring postseason, Cal defeated Navy in
the semifinals of the Varsity Cup National Championships, then fell just three points short to BYU in the
final for an overall spring 15s record of 21-1. In June,
the team won the program’s first 7s championship in
its fourth trip to the CRC, where teams showcased
the Olympic code of the game heading back into the\
Summer Games in Rio for 2016.
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Softball
F
ollowing a 2-2 start in opening weekend, the Cal
softball team tore through its schedule and produced a 22-game winning streak before opening Pac12 play with a sweep of Utah. Against the Utes, senior
ace Jolene Henderson became the winningest pitcher
in program history after notching her 120th victory. The
Golden Bears went on to win conference series against
Arizona and Oregon State and earned their 28th consecutive postseason bid – the longest active streak in
the country. The Bears fell to hosting Michigan at the
Ann Arbor Regional, finishing 38-19 overall, but were
recognized with numerous awards. Henderson was
lauded as a Top 10 finalist for USA Softball Player of
the Year and the Senior CLASS Award, while Lindsey
Ziegenhirt was named Capital One Academic All-American and the Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
summer2013
2011
SUMMER
19
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Women’s Tennis
Volleyball
he Cal men’s swimming and diving team, under the
direction of 2013 Pac-12 Coach of the Year David
Durden, placed second at the NCAA Championships,
falling just shy of a third consecutive national title.
Senior standout Tom Shields won 2013 NCAA crowns
in the 100 and 200 butterfly to conclude his career
with 11 national titles and 17 Pac-12 championship
victories. The Bears captured the 2013 Pac-12 meet,
upending Stanford’s streak of 31 straight conference
team titles, and also finished the 2012-13 dual meet
season a perfect 7-0, including a dual-meet win over
the Cardinal for the first time since 2005. Freshman
Josh Prenot, who won the conference title and set a
new school record in the 400 individual medley, was
named the 2013 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year.
al, seeded eighth, reached the quarterfinals of the
NCAA Championships after winning three straight
postseason matches. The Golden Bears ended the
season with a 19-6 record, after posting a 9-1 (second place) Pac-12 mark. Fifth-ranked sophomore Zsofi
Susanyi, eighth-ranked junior Anett Schutting and
43rd-ranked freshman Klara Fabikova all competed in the NCAA singles championship, with Susanyi
reaching the round of 16. Both Susanyi and Schutting
earned All-America honors in singles, along with AllPac-12 first-team status. Amanda Augustus earned
the Wilson/ITA Northwest Coach of the Year award,
while Tayler Davis was named the Senior of the Year
and Fabikova claimed the Player to Watch honor for
the ITA Northwest region.
he Bears set a program-record by making their 11th
straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they
lost in the first round to North Carolina. Cal finished
an injury-plagued season 15-16 with a handful of landmark moments. The biggest came in November when
the Bears went on the road and defeated No. 2 Oregon
in a five-set thriller. Cal also knocked off No. 8 Hawaii
in Honolulu during a preseason tournament. Individually, senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari emerged as
one of the top players in the Pac-12, earning All-Pac-12
first team honors after ranking fourth in the conference
with a .370 hitting percentage and tied for ninth with
1.20 blocks per game. She also ended her career as
Cal’s all-time leader with a .367 hitting percentage. Senior middle hitter Kat Brown, meanwhile, became the
Bears’ all-time leading blocker with 509 in her career.
T
C
T
Tom Shields
Caitlin Leverenz
Ben McLachlan
Zsofi Susanyi
Ray Stewart
Amanda Hunter
Shannon Hawari
Collin Smith
Emily Csikos
Oski
Women’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Track & Field
Men’s Water Polo
al posted its eighth consecutive top-five finish at
the NCAA Championships by taking second place
at the national meet in Indianapolis. The Bears collected three individual titles at NCAAs – Caitlin Leverenz
won the 200 individual medley, freshman Rachel
Bootsma claimed the 100 backstroke and freshman
Elizabeth Pelton broke her own American record to win
the 200 backstroke. Pelton took home the Swimmer of
the Meet award for her exploits, which included seven
All-America honors. At the Pac-12 Championships, the
Bears compiled victories in the 200 breaststroke (Leverenz), 200 backstroke (Pelton), 200 IM (Pelton), 100
backstroke (Bootsma), 200 butterfly (Bootsma), 200
freestyle (freshman Rachael Acker) and 400free relay.
Pelton also claimed the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Meet
honor. The Bears ended the regular season with a 7-2
dual-meet record, capped off by a win over Stanford in
the Big Meet.
he Golden Bears produced a pair of Pac-12 champions during the 2013 season in Ray Stewart and
Hammed Suleman. Stewart captured the 110-meter
hurdles crown in a personal-best 13.43 seconds to
keep him as the No. 2 performer in school history. He
also won the 2011 title before missing all of the next
season due to knee surgery. Suleman, meanwhile, won
the long jump with a lifetime-best 25-11.50 while he
was also runner-up in the triple jump. Earlier in the year,
Ethan Cochran set a Cal freshman record in the discus
with a throw of 188-8. As a team, the Bears defeated
Stanford in the annual Big Meet and took first place a
home triangular meet against Virginia and Michigan. On
the conference level, Cal was third at the MPSF Championships and eighth at the Pac-12 outdoor meet.
ead coach Kirk Everist’s squad finished the 2012
campaign 17-8, winning seven of its last eight
matches, including upending No. 2-ranked UCLA, 12-9,
in the MPSF tournament semifinal. The Golden Bears
had six players named All-Americans, led by first-team
selection Collin Smith. As a junior, Smith led the Bears
in scoring with 61 goals and had a team-high 31 assists. He was twice named MPSF Player of the Week
during the regular season, including Oct. 20 after scoring six goals in a 14-8 Big Splash victory over Stanford.
Sophomore Aleksa Saponjic, who won a bronze medal
competing for Serbia at the 2012 London Olympics,
was a second-team All-American, while senior Marin
Balarin earned third-team honors. The Bears also
had three honorable mention All-Americans – Hunter
Gettelfinger, Jon Sibley and Colin Mulcahy – and 10
players who were ACWPC All-Academic honorees.
C
Men’s Tennis
C
al reached the NCAA Championship round of 16 for
the third consecutive season, but for the second
straight year, Virginia ended the Golden Bears’ postseason run. The Bears wound up with a 16-10 overall
record and finished at 5-1 (third) in the Pac-12. Juniors
Ben McLachlan and Campbell Johnson competed in
the NCAA singles tournament, falling in the round of
64, while Johnson and senior co-captain Christoffer Konigsfeldt fell in the round of 32 in the NCAA doubles
championship. Konigsfeldt and Johnson claimed the
Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year award. Johnson – a
transfer from Georgia – earned the Pac-12 Newcomer
of the Year honor and the regional ITA Norwest Player
to Watch accolade. Senior co-captain Riki McLachlan,
who sat out much of the spring with an injury, made an
inspirational return to the court at the start of NCAAs.
20
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sports quarterly
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T
Women’s Track & Field
T
wo Bears qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in long jumper Malaina Payton and triple
jumper Amanda Hunter. Payton placed 10th in the competition with a mark of 20-7, while Hunter established a
personal best with her distance of 43-3.25 to take 12th.
Both athletes finished third in their respective events
at the Pac-12 meet. During the Big Meet at Stanford,
Shelby Ashe set a Cal freshman record with a throw of
201-10 in the hammer. Among other highlights, Kelsey
Santisteban ran the No. 3 5000-meter time in school
history when she was clocked in 15:50.18 at the Payton Jordan Invitational, and Charnell Price moved into
Cal’s all-time top five in both the 100 meters (11.46)
and 200 meters (23.55). During the indoor campaign,
the Bears were eighth at the MPSF meet, and they took
ninth at the Pac-12 outdoor meet.
H
Women’s Water Polo
T
he Bears had another successful season under
head coach Richard Corso, compiling a 17-7 record
and ending the year ranked No. 5 in the country. Senior
All-American Emily Csikos returned from a one-year hiatus to train with the Canadian National Team and led
her Cal squad with 49 goals, giving her a 2.04 average
which ranked seventh in the MPSF. Csikos also finished
her career with 216 goals, making her the all-time
scoring leader in school history. Junior Ashley Young,
who was a third-team All-American as a freshman, had
another strong campaign with 36 goals. Sophomore
Savanna Smith averaged 6.16 saves per game in her
first season as the Bears’ starting goalie, and Pippa
Saunders was one of the top freshmen in the MPSF
with 13 goals. Cal defeated 11 ranked teams during
the season. The Bears also hosted the MPSF Championships, in which the Bears finished fifth.
It’s perfectly clear
that
University
of California
Eye Center
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is the better team.
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510.642.2020
More Builders
Among Bears
Within Legions of Bear Backers Are Builders of Berkeley
By Anton Malko
I
n this, the second of a three-part series, we continue to
recognize crucial members of the campus community who
have made Cal Athletics a significant part of their giving
history. These Builders of Berkeley, so called for their total gifts
to the University in excess of $1 million, are among the names
etched in granite on a monument outside of Doe Library for their
comprehensive commitments to California.
Stu and Florianne Gordon
Stu Gordon received his bachelor’s
degree in political science in 1962 and
Juris Doctor from Berkeley Law in 1965.
A senior partner at Gordon & Rees LLP,
he put his Cal education to perhaps the
ultimate test when he undertook the
22
cal sports quarterly
challenge of saving Cal
baseball from elimination
in 2010-11.
Gordon and the Friends
of Cal Baseball have since
done even more than
come to its financial rescue; in 2013, the team
played night games for
the first time under the
lights at Evans Diamond
with a new scoreboard
showing balls, strikes
and high-definition replays, thanks to this forward-thinking group.
“I am really proud of
that,” Gordon said. “I can’t tell you how
rewarding that is for me. The difference
is amazing, the abundance of kids after
the game shaking hands and talking with
the players and coaches. What inspires
me is the feeling that I’m contributing
and knowing that I’m doing the best I
can at everything I do.”
Gordon, who became a Builder of
Berkeley in 2003, is first and foremost
an alumnus of the University. But his
devotion to Cal baseball has also earned
him an enshrinement in the Cal Athletic
Hall of Fame as a Service Award recipient in recognition of his lasting and vital
support of Cal Athletics.
A founder of the Bear Backers program
and member of the Athletic Director’s
Advisory Board, Gordon also received
the Chancellor’s Citation for Leadership
and Contributions to the University of
California in 2012. Three years earlier,
his law school awarded him the Boalt
Alumni Association’s Citation Award.
Cliff Higgerson came west from Illinois to the No. 1 public university in the
world and was in Berkeley for less than
a day when he decided he would stay.
He called enrolling at Cal for his MBA,
which he received in 1966, “the best
decision I ever made. I was in Berkeley
about nine hours and I said, ‘I’m never
going to live east of Grizzly Peak Ridge
again.’ That was in 1965 and I’ve lived
up to it.”
Higgerson arrived thanks to the inspiration of his wife, Judith, who herself
had fallen in love with the area after
visiting with her father from the East
Coast. “She was the prime mover and I
thank my lucky stars that she wanted
to live in the Bay Area,” he said. Together they went on to become Builders of
Berkeley in 2005.
Cliff and Judith Higgerson
While it was the weather that initially captured Higgerson, the academic vitality of Berkeley was the second blow
that left him smitten. “Cal’s intellectual
commitment, its open-mindedness, was
the second reason that I never wanted to
leave,” Higgerson said.
A no-nonsense individual who works
as a venture capitalist partner at Palo
Alto’s Walden International and lives in
Menlo Park, Higgerson contends with a
lot of pride from friends and colleagues
who root for a rival institution located
closer to his daily life on the peninsula. That proximity to Stanford only reinforces his belief in the importance
of the flagship campus for the public
universities in the state of California,
among whose merits are Intercollegiate
Athletics.
“Athletics represents people and
teaches discipline,” Higgerson said. “To
succeed you have to be disciplined and
get organized, which everyone at Cal has
demonstrated to become part of that
community. In the long term of life, that
discipline is ultimately important.”
The Higgersons maintain season tickets to both men’s basketball and football, and were significant donors to the
Simpson Center for Student-Athlete
High Performance. Higgerson is bullish
on Golden Bear football entering 2013
because head coach Sonny Dykes strikes
him as “the kind of leader that can be
successful,” while down at Haas Pavilion,
he views men’s basketball head coach supports people of all economic backMike Montgomery as “a very sound grounds,” he said. “Cal got more charitable contributions last year than any year
investment.”
Higgerson supports Cal Athletics for in history, and that was great.”
The Steinys have committed long-term
uncomplicated reasons. “I give to Athletics because I enjoy it and think it worth- support to Athletics through the Endowwhile,” he said. “I want to ment Seating Program. “I consider it an
help do what it can on the honor to be a part of the ESP program
athletics side to be suc- for the next 40 years,” said Steiny, who
cessful. I’m going to keep also sits on The Cal Parents Board, is a
contributing and I’m glad CAA Cal Advocate and a member of multhe athletic department is tiple committees with the UC Berkeley
working so hard to drive Foundation.
Steiny echoed a common refrain that
new donors.”
The
first
in
his the true and ongoing builders of excelthree-generation
Stan- lence at this University are its students
ford family to attend Cal, who strive to achieve on a daily basis
Richard Steiny received with amazing results. “Those are the
his bachelor’s degree kind of kids you want to hire and put to
in political economy in work in your company, because they’re
1979. Three years later, going to be so driven,” he said. “Cal is so
his wife, Lisa, received impactful on these young people and
her degree in mass com- that’s what makes me so excited about
munication and in doing giving. I love to donate to help people
so, joined her parents and sisters as Cal purpose their own path to success.”
Each year another “class” of inductees
graduates.
The Steinys’ gifts to Cal Athletics has its names etched in granite outside
have been tremendous, but that sup- of Doe Library to recognize them as the
port does not constitute the majority newest Builders of Berkeley. They will
of their giving to the University, which join the ranks of other cherished donors
made them Builders of Berkeley in 2008. whose goal remains the same: to provide
While that honor goes
to Social Sciences, the
Steinys’ ongoing love affair with the Golden Bears
makes it crystal clear the
importance Cal Athletics
holds in their lives.
“The funding of Athletics is the spirit behind
our giving to academics,”
explained Steiny, who is a
co-chairman of Genworth
Financial Wealth Management. “Without the camaraderie of Athletics, we
would have a hard time
getting gifts to the aca- Lisa and Richard Steiny
demics side. If it weren’t
for my ties to Cal through Athletics, I just support to the mission of the University
wouldn’t be as engaged with the school.” in its pursuit of excellence.
To learn more about the BuildOnce engaged as donors, the Steinys
have never wavered in their role to main- ers of Berkeley, please contact Nancy
tain Cal’s reputation, and they are heart- McKinney, Director of Donor Stewardened to see more people take on that ship for University Relations, at (510)
same responsibility. “People are starting 643-7664 or nlmckinney@berkeley.
to understand that the state is not our edu. To deepen your commitment to Cal
primary source of revenue any longer Athletics, contact the Office of Athletic
and that we need to keep our public mis- Development at (510) 642-2427 or email
sion of being a fantastic University that [email protected].
SUMMER 2013
23
R
unning through the bedrock of support for the University are the Builders of Berkeley, who have in each case donated $1 million or more to
Cal. Many of these generous donors support Cal athletics in a significant
way. Listed below are those who have given at least $50,000 of their University
lifetime contributions to Intercollegiate Athletics. Across the board, these individuals and families recognize the importance of the student-athlete experience
for the well-rounded individual, the merits of Athletics as a pillar in pursuit of
excellence and the vital role Intercollegiate Athletics plays in the spirit of the
University of California. We thank these donors, listed here alphabetically, for
their vital support and apologize for the incomplete list that accompanied Part I
of this three-part story in the spring issue of Cal Sports Quarterly.
CALIFORNIA ATHLETICS BUILDERS OF BERKELEY
The Ralph E. and
Marla H. Andersen Family
Trudy L. and William F. Ausfahl
Mel and Vera Bacharach
Barbara and Gerson Bakar
Dado and Maria Banatao
Dwight and Nancy Barker
Kathy and Frank Baxter
Richard H. and Carolyn P. Beahrs
Stephen D. Bechtel Jr.
Kenneth E. and Patricia R. Behring
Robert B. Beim and Nancy C. Beim
Richard C. Blum and Dianne Feinstein
William E. Brown and
Sharon Bonner-Brown
Robert L. and Alice M. Bridges
Barbara Burnham
Bryan Cameron
Beverly B. and Arlington C. Charter
Alice V. and Michael N. Chetkovich
Natalie Cohen
John E. Cook Jr. and Sandra G. Cook
Kathleen G. Correia and
Stephen A. Evans
Paul and Judith Cortese
Janet M. and William F. Cronk
Frithjof Jon and Ellen Giusti Dale
Milt and Carol David
Frederick J. and Kathi De Grosz
The J. DeBenedetti Family
Wiiliam S. and Mary Jane Detwiler
Patricia L. and James W. Dieterich Jr.
James K. and Jean S. Dobey
Shannon M. Drew and
Marilyn Shehan Drew
Roger C. Dunn and Lou Curtice Dunn
Marji and Phil Dunn
David R. Eckles and Allene H. Wong
David J. and Jane Epstein
Robert J. and Christine Feibusch
Doris and Donald G. Fisher
The William S. Floyd Jr. Family
William F. and Grace H. Ford
Donna and Gary Freedman
David A. Friedman and
Paulette J. Meyer
Phyllis K. and Howard A. Friedman
John Burdette Gage and
Linda Schacht Gage
Theodore H. and Frances K. Geballe
Douglas E. and Lisa M. Goldman
24
cal sports quarterly
Richard N. and Rhoda H. Goldman
John L. and Margaret B. Gompertz
Elizabeth Marsteller Gordon
Stuart M. Gordon
Frederick L. and Roberta O. Greenlee
Glenn and Robin W. Gulvin
Evelyn D. and Walter A. Haas Jr.
Peter E. and Mimi Haas
Colleen and Robert D. Haas
Elise S. and Walter A. Haas
Michelle and Cyrus Hadidi
The William W. Halford Jr. Family
Jean H. and Will C. Hall
The Harry and Betsy Hathaway Family
Clarence E. Heller
The Hellman Family
The Leo and Florence Helzel Family
William A. and Sally M. Hewlett
Clifford H. and Judith D. Higgerson
Ken and Jean Hofmann
Russell D. and Lydia P. Hogan
Thomas R. and Ruth Ann Hornaday
Preston B. and
Maurine M. Hotchkis
James V. and Betty R. Huhn
Grant and Suanne Inman
Judith Woolsey Isaac
Stacy and Paul Jacobs
Jeffrey A. and Deni D. Jacobs
The Stephen F. Keller and
Sarah Mage Keller Family
Dolorous and Kenneth C. Knight
Mary Dee Artal Karp
Daniel E. and Yvonne C. Koshland
James M. and Catherine P. Koshland
The Marian E. and
Daniel E. Koshland Jr. Family
Robert J. Lalanne and
Millicent C. Lalanne
Doris S. and Theodore B. Lee
Georgia Lee
Edward H. and Lynn B. Little
Irving and Shirley Loube
William and Iona Main
Ora Main-Geyer
Brian L. and Jennifer A. Maxwell
Ross and Irma G. McCollum
Jeffrey and Ashley McDermott
Janet A. McKinley
George A. Miller
Laurie Cockburn Morrison
Richard H. Morrison
Clara B. and Daniel B. Mulholland
Noel W. and Penelope B. Nellis
S. Victor and Leta H. Nelson
Kent and Patricia Newmark
Robert G. and
Sue Douthit O’donnell
David H. and Phyrne M. Osborne
Lisle and Roslyn Payne
Lawrence E. and Mary Peirano
The Edward H. and
Barbara B. Peterson Family
William V. Power
Kenneth B. Rawlings
Linda Erickson Rawlings
David L. Redo and Judy L. Redo
In Sik and Isabel Rhee
The Tahir Family
Helen Wills Roark
T. Gary and Kathleen Rogers
Richard V. and Ellen Sandler
Frank J. and Mary Schlessinger
Betty H. and Eugene A. Shurtleff
Nat Simons and
Laura Baxter-Simons
Barclay and Sharon Simpson
Nadine M. Tang and Bruce L. Smith
Barbara C. and Larry W. Sonsini
Carol and Warren E. Spieker Jr.
Catherine and Tod Spieker
Richard and Lisa Steiny
Paul H. Stephens and
Elle Mcadam Stephens
John P. Stock
Cleo C. and Robert A. Stoker
The Katharine Wallace
Thompson Family
John L. and Margaret P. Tormey
Michael and Nancy Torres
Charles N. and Elizabeth H. Travers
Charles T. and Louise H. Travers
Catherine M. and
Eugene E. Trefethen Jr.
Tomas S. Vanasek
Paul and Linda White
Jan and Buzz Wiesenfeld
H. Michael and Jeanne Williams
Robert W. Witter and
Marilyn A. Witter
The Witter Family
Douglas H. and Jane E. Wolf
faces in the crowd
Jim French
Former Drum Major Loves Cal’s Tempo
J
im French was unflustered when he
arrived at Cal in 1965 from his hometown of Garberville, Calif. (population
913 in the 2010 U.S. Census). He joined the
the University of California Marching Band
that fall and became its Drum Major in
1968. In 1969 he received his Bachelor of
Arts in Political Science as a Phi Beta Kappa and then earned his Juris Doctor from
Berkeley Law in 1972.
French knew the lay of the land in Berkeley because it was already ingrained in his
family tree, with Cal degrees also held by
his mother, father, uncle, his uncle’s wife
and both of Jim’s brothers. Once enrolled,
French displayed much of the resolve toward accountability that defines the student-athlete experience, striving for
excellence without shirking challenges. He seized opportunities to travel with the band, including its 1968 tour of California and its 1970 tour of Japan as well as its bicentennial
tour in 1976.
Beyond the circle on his calendar around Sept. 14, when
The Ohio State University Marching Band is scheduled to join
the Buckeyes as they play the Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium, French is generally excited about the direction of Cal
Athletics under the leadership of Director Sandy Barbour.
“I have just have nothing but admiration for Sandy Barbour
and what she’s done for the program in terms of bringing excellent coaches to the Athletic Department, people that understand
how to motivate kids and get results while at the same time balancing academics,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a very exciting football season because we could see things we haven’t seen
before including, hopefully, a Rose Bowl on the horizon.”
Early Riser
After Four Years as a Swimmer, Isaac Howell Makes the Transition to Rowing
By Doug Drabik
Y
ou can describe Isaac Howell as a “morning person.”
After four years of training as a swim- world. He grew up with a deep interest in architecture, but
mer at Spieker Aquatics Complex at 6 a.m., athletics captured his focus for much of his childhood and
Howell traded his swimsuit for an oar and, extended into college. That changed with his collegiate
as a fifth-year senior, made the trek from swimming career complete, and he ventured to Harvard,
Berkeley to Briones Reservoir in Orinda enrolling in a six-week architecture introductory summer
for 7 a.m. men’s crew practice this past program.
academic year.
“I realized last year I wanted to do architecture … I remem“Rowing workouts were almost like bered I liked it,” Howell explained. “The Harvard program was
Isaac Howell
sleeping in relation to swimming,” Howell a simulation of what first semester of grad school was like and
joked. “I woke up at 6 a.m. instead of 5:20 a.m. It was nice to get I loved it. After I finished that program, I created a portfolio
a little late start to the day.”
and applied to the top architecture programs in the country to
Howell played an important role in Cal’s two national see what would happen.”
championships in his four seasons in
Howell, who is a multiple Pac-12
the pool. After his NCAA eligibility in
All-Academic honoree, designed a
swimming expired in March 2012, he
creative portfolio in a short period to
headed for a new chapter in his life.
submit along with his graduate school
Howell had planned to spend his
application. In just weeks, he was offifth year of school as a regular student
fered enrollment in the highly-regardwithout the daily grind of practices,
ed Taubman College graduate program
but his competitive drive needed a
at the University of Michigan.
new challenge. He chose to exercise an
“I am so excited for this opportunity,”
NCAA rule that gives student-athletes
said Howell, a Long Beach, Calif., naa five-year window to compete with a
tive. “I made my first trip there in April
maximum of four years allowed in each
and got to meet with some of the archisport. With his swimming career comtects. It is very similar and at the same
pleted, Howell decided to move from
time very different from Berkeley. I am
racing in a pool to racing on a much
looking forward to the challenge.”
larger body of water.
This spring, Howell was one of four
“Being an athlete has developed into
Cal student-athletes to receive a prestia lifestyle for me,” Howell said. “I enjoy
gious Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship,
training and enjoy competing, and I
which awards him $3,000 towards his
wasn’t ready to give that up. I felt I still
graduate studies at Michigan.
had room to grow athletically.”
Howell, who graduated from Cal
Howell’s transition from swimming
in May, plans to utilize his bachelor’s
to rowing didn’t occur overnight. He With his swimming eligibility complete, Isaac Howell
degree in political economy in his artook up rowing for his final year at Cal.
entertained the idea after a number of
chitectural work, having focused on
friends suggested he would succeed in crew and introduced economic development in his major.
the sport to him.
“It is really interesting how you can use architecture to af“I was interested in rowing at the beginning of last summer, fect economic growth,” Howell said. “By designing different
but I wasn’t sure if I would feel the same way at end of the sum- landscapes, you can create environments that have positive efmer,” Howell explained.
fects on urban areas. I want to concentrate my work on largeWith his future plans on the water undecided at the time, scale projects in urban environments that affect the greatest
Howell’s focused on learning more about the architecture number of people.”
28
cal sports quarterly
Applying his educational background and skills from political economy to architecture should come easy after completing a seamless transition from swimming to rowing at an elite
level. A two-time NCAA qualifier and conference finalist in
multiple events as a swimmer, Howell made one of Cal’s top
three boats in less than a year rowing.
“I think what helped me was the concepts of the sports are
very similar,” Howell said. “You are moving something through
water, either your own body or a boat. You need length, you
need connection to the water, and you need to have power
and drive. There is a recovery motion in both swimming and
crew. While the concepts are similar, the application of those concepts is very different. Rowing is
such a unique motion that is not really applicable anywhere else. I felt
very humbled my first time on the
water.”
After beginning some light training on the erg throughout the
summer to stay in shape, Howell contacted the coaches and expressed his interest in trying out
for the crew program when classes
resumed last fall.
“I figured ‘let’s try it out.’
There is nothing to lose,” Howell said. “I was very appreciative to the coaches for letting me try out and have an
opportunity.”
Howell has been a member of the novice eight this season,
winning all but one race entering the Pac-12 Championships.
“He did a really good job and improved every week,” men’s
crew coach Mike Teti said. “He is exactly what we want, a model student, a model citizen and a really good rower. We were
really happy to have him on the team.”
Associate head coach Luke Agnini, who oversees the novice
eight boat, sees a lot of potential for Howell in the sport.
“I think it was an easy transition for him because he was welltrained,” Agnini said. “Isaac had a ton of core strength coming
in which helped him on the erg. A lot of people have a hard
time with the erg right away and Isaac didn’t, which helped his
confidence and caught our attention.
“I’m trying to convince him to keep rowing,” Agnini added. “He is
strong enough physiologically and his numbers are good enough
to be on the national team. It will take a couple years for him to
figure it out rowing-wise, but I think someone that is as diligent
and consistent as him will figure it out. I think he is limitless.”
Howell’s Cal rowing career ended at the IRA national cham-
“Being an athlete
has developed
into a lifestyle
for me. I enjoy
training and
enjoy competing,
and I wasn’t
ready to give
that up. I felt
I still had
room to grow
athletically.”
– Isaac Howell
pionships on June 2, but he didn’t have much time to reflect on
his latest athletic challenge with orientation at Michigan June
25 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“My experience at Cal was not how I planned it to be, but
it couldn’t have been any better,” Howell said. “What learned
in the pool, in the classroom, in the weight room, and in the
boathouse helped me grow and had a tremendous impact on
the person I am today.”
His time at Cal also impacted his internal alarm clock, which
is now set for sometime between 5:20 and 6 a.m.
SUMMER 2013
29
The Base
Path Less
Traveled
Softball’s Britt Vonk Finds
Berkeley the Perfect Place to Be
By Mara Rudolph
S
trolling across campus in a flowing tank
top, high-waisted cutoff shorts and a pair
of Chuck Taylors with her long, blond
locks falling from a hippie headband
across her forehead, Britt Vonk looks less like a
softball player and more like she came straight
out of a late-1960s Berkeley postcard. It’s easier to imagine her lying in the sun on Memorial
Glade reading a book than picture her speeding
along the base paths around a softball diamond.
The Netherlands transplant moved halfway across the world
for her athletic scholarship after turning heads in Europe for
her impressive performances with her club team and the 2008
Dutch Olympic squad. Instead of meeting Berkeley’s eccentricities with culture shock, she welcomed them. It was perfect fit
when you consider that Vonk’s journey has been less about
“finding herself,” and more about embracing it.
“There are so many different types of people here,” Vonk
said. “It was very different, very new, and I liked it from the beginning. I’ve always been free-spirited, but it grew more when
I got here. I’ve met so many new people – so many great people
– that are on the same page and feel the same way about having a free spirit and inner peace. Berkeley’s the perfect place.”
Vonk loves the surrounding nature, which is perfect for
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cal sports quarterly
meditating, and especially loves meeting new people at area
food-truck gatherings.
“It’s something that reminds me of home,” Vonk said. “There’s
a bunch of people that I don’t even know, and we all come together and eat food. Everyone is welcome.”
Now preparing for her senior year, Vonk has settled in to her
American home and gets to play the sport that she describes
as her life every day while getting a world-class education. But
it didn’t always seem that Vonk would be able to play softball
and attend a university simultaneously. It took a journey from
Holland to the U.S. and China to make it happen.
Vonk’s global expedition began at age 10, when she tagged
along to a friend’s softball practice with the Tex Town Tigers
in her hometown of Enschede, a city nearly 100 miles from
Continued on page 33
THAT’S GOOD
32
cal sports quarterly
Continued from page 30
Amsterdam on the German border. Growing up, Vonk’s life was team yet. People were still getting cut, and everyone was feelsurrounded with sports. Her father, Theo, was a professional ing the pressure. I didn’t think I would even get a chance. It
soccer player and is now a head coach; her mother, Tanja, was helped me play really well. I hit crazy numbers, played really
a professional water polo player; and her brother, Kaj, and two well on the field.”
half-brothers played soccer.
Scheduled to play with the Dutch junior squad in the 2008
“My parents never pushed me into a sport, they just allowed European Championships in Germany, Vonk assumed that
me to pursue whatever I wanted to do,” Vonk said.
when she landed in Holland, it would be the end of her run
Softball caught on, as did track & field in high school. But with the national team.
unlike the American youth sport
“The next day, I got the call to
culture, sports weren’t included in
join the Olympic team. I cried,”
Vonk’s daily curriculum.
she said.
“Here in the U.S., you play so
Vonk was one of 15 softball
many different sports in school,”
players named to the Dutch OlymVonk said. “Back home, the school
pic delegation at the 2008 Beijing
system is very different. We don’t
Games. At 17, she was the younginclude sports in school, so I used
est of the 240 Dutch athletes in
to go to school and then play for
China.
my club team in my spare time. It
“I wasn’t truly aware of the scale
was always kind of a struggle beof what I was doing,” Vonk said.
cause I was playing at a pretty high
“My teammates practiced for it for
level, sometimes traveling, and
four years. I came in three months
they didn’t have a combination of
before the Olympics, and I didn’t
both. They treated me the same as
have that same dream. Going to
every other student while I put so
the Olympics was a far-off goal,
much other time into sports.”
but it all happened so fast that I
By 2006, Vonk was playing
came back and I don’t think I fully
with the Dutch Junior Team. She
realized the magnitude of it. You
loved softball, and when she
can’t compare that experience to
heard about combining school
anything.”
and sports as student-athlete in
Though she hadn’t grasped the
the United States, she was excited
magnitude of her accomplishbut unsure if it was an option for
ment, others did. Linda Wells, one
her. She only knew of a handful of
of Vonk’s coaches with the nationDutch players who were recruited Britt Vonk has been a fixture in the Cal infield during her first three al team and head coach at Arizoseasons in Berkeley.
by American universities.
na State from 1989-2005, recom“When I look at all of my teammended Vonk to Cal head coach
mates here, they had probably already committed when I was Diane Ninemire. In the fall of 2009, Ninemire sent assistant
just learning about the possibility of being a collegiate athlete,” coach John Reeves to scout Vonk in Huntington Beach, Calif.,
Vonk said. “It wasn’t something I had dreamed about my whole where Vonk’s team traveled for a weekend showcase.
life. It was something I wanted to do but didn’t know if it was
“Coach John was the only coach from all the schools who
possible for me.”
approached me personally,” Vonk said. “I connected with him
Her athletic prowess proved it was possible. Vonk was 16 right away, so that first impression of Cal was already really
when coaches approached her to ask if she would be interest- good.”
ed in stepping up to practice with the Dutch National Team afShe signed in the spring of 2010, hopped on a plane and arter she was awarded “Best Hitter” following the MastenBroek rived in the Bay Area a day before classes started in August.
Tournament.
Though initially she was homesick, once softball practice
With just a week before the national team was set to leave for started she embraced her new life, finishing the season with a
a month-long training session in the United States, one of the .415 batting average, which was good for fourth in the Cal seaathletes injured herself. Coaches asked Vonk if she’d like to fill son record book. Vonk was also tabbed Pac-10 All-Freshman,
in for the injured player. Most of the team members had trained all-region and second-team all-conference. She has since cartogether for four years to try to make the Olympic squad, but ried that success into subsequent seasons, and along the way
when Vonk stepped onto the diamond for the team’s American has found plenty of moments of “inner peace.”
tour, she was the one turning heads. She made her debut in the
“Part of my free spiritedness is about living in the now,”
opening game against the Philadelphia Force as a pinch-hitter. Vonk said. “Experiencing everything we have at this moment
As pinch-hit in the following day’s game, she collected her first and just being present in the present. One day, I walked up to
base hit and scored her first run. By the third game, Vonk was the C painted on the hill overlooking the stadium. On that walk
a starter in the middle infield, reaching base three times and up there, you can see everything. There’s a swing on a super
scoring once.
big tree, and you can swing and feel like you’re swinging into
“I played in a way where I had no pressure,” Vonk said. “All Berkeley. You see the whole Bay Area. It’s beautiful. How could
those girls, they were nervous. They still hadn’t finalized the I not feel blessed and happy with my life?”
SUMMER 2013
33
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Sara Isakovic
Takes Advantage
of the ‘Privilege’
of Attending Cal
By Miquel Jacobs
“Education is a privilege.”
Those aren’t exactly the words you expect to hear from a
24-year-old NCAA champion who also happens to be the first
person from Slovenia to win a medal in swimming at the Olympic Games. More likely, you might expect something along the
lines of “competing is a privilege” or “representing your country is a privilege.” Yet those first four words are something that
Sara Isakovic has lived by her entire life.
Isakovic grew up as a world traveler,
learning four languages while living in Indonesia, Malaysia, Dubai and Slovenia. As
a child, she didn’t fully comprehend that
the reason her family moved around so
much was a result of the Yugoslav wars
that prevented her Serbian father from entering her mother’s home country of SloSara Isakovic
venia due to the lack of a passport. All that
mattered to the young girl was swimming
in the hotel pools and the vast seas that make up the Indian
Ocean while her pilot father shuttled her brother, mother and
herself across Europe and Asia.
Traveling the world also had other effects, as she saw and
learned things that would alter her outlook on life.
“As a little kid, it struck me to see the poverty in some countries and how the children were in the streets,” Isakovic said.
“It was always built in me to not take school for granted and
that you get to learn (compared to what others had the opportunity to do). It was also an influence from my parents, but to
be in those environments and able to see it for myself as a little
girl, I always thought that I am so lucky that I get to go to school
to learn.”
The family eventually left Dubai after five years and returned
to Slovenia where Isakovic could have an actual swimming
coach and team after learning under her mother. Despite her
great successes in the pool, she knew from the start that her
endgame was to use the sport as an opportunity to come to the
United States and continue her education. A pair of friends on
the California swim team made Berkeley the runaway choice
and sole option as a place of higher learning.
“I decided to come to the U.S. because this is the only place
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cal sports quarterly
in the world where you can combine athletics and academics,” said Isakovic, who won an Olympic silver medal in the
200-meter freestyle in 2008 and an NCAA title in the 100-yard
butterfly in 2012. “It doesn’t exist in Europe. It doesn’t exist
anywhere else with a campus environment where you swim
here, live here and go to school here. In Slovenia, you either
decide to be a professional athlete or a student. A lot of very
good athletes across this globe never finish school. It breaks
my heart because I feel like as an athlete, we’re capable people
in all fields.
“That whole concept just shaped me into really believing
that education is the biggest privilege,” Isakovic continued. “No
one can take your education away from you. I know no one can
ever take my swimming successes away from me, but it’s not
ever-lasting. It’s ‘I’ve done what I’ve done,’ but the other 60 or
70 years in my life I want to do something that I’m also really
passionate about.”
Isakovic credits the U.S. system not only for giving athletes
the opportunity to study and compete concurrently, but also
for the passion that professors display to students that encourages the learning process and makes it “easier” than the
Sara Isakovic is
leaving Cal as an
Olympic medalist,
NCAA champion and
recipient of an Oscar
Geballe Postgraduate
Scholarship.
authoritarian type of
learning that exists in
Europe.
“The European stereotype is that school
in the States is ‘easier,’” Isakovic said, “but it’s ‘easier’ because
we are the luckiest students in the world to have such awesome relationships with professors who are approachable and
willing to help. In Europe, students don’t enjoy the process of
learning as much or engage in the material because there is no
relationship between professors and students.”
That relationship factor, as well as the ability to take classes
and learn what it is that interests you – as opposed to the European method of declaring an area of study right out of high
school – is something that has allowed Isakovic to discover her
thirst for psychology. As a freshman at Cal, Isakovic took the
breadth of her core requirements while also signing up for and
falling in love with psychology. She credits professor Kaiping
Peng with jumpstarting her interest in the field, and further
work in Dr. Silvia Bunge’s neuropsychology class, “The Developing Brain,” in the fall 2012 semester solidified her career
goal of discovering more about the intricate workings of the
human brain as it relates to successful athletes.
Isakovic regularly attended Bunge’s office
hours and spoke of obtaining research experience
before going to graduate school, a conversation
that led to joining Bunge’s research lab beginning
with the January 2013 semester.
Another stroke of luck came during a holiday
break when she got in contact with accomplished
neuroscientist Justin Feinstein, who loved Isakovic’s idea of finding out what makes some athletes
resilient while others crash in the face of adversity. Feinstein put her in touch with Dr. Martin
Paulus at UC San Diego, whose “Opti-Brain” research is in the process of conducting studies on
elite performances in stressful situations with an
emphasis on Olympic athletes, U.S. Navy SEALS
and U.S. Marines. The goal is to discover whether
there is something in the brain that allows some
people to push to extreme limits, a subject that hit
close to home with Isakovic, who herself has competed at the highest levels.
“It always fascinated me that no matter what
rank you are in the world, there is always a point
where some people just drop off and they aren’t
able to cope with the stress and pressure at all,”
Isakovic said. “It’s all mental, and I’m fascinated
about this connection of mind and body. A single
thought of doubt could choke up and freeze your
body. Some athletes dedicate their whole life to
their sport, but one tiny mental breakdown or
doubt, even something subconsciously from previous experiences, doesn’t allow you to perform. I
want to solve that. It is my dream of trying.”
Isakovic’s primary goal is to find out whether
there is an area of the brain that helps define this
resilience so that it can be trained, much like the
resilience training that Cal swimmers endure under head coach Teri McKeever. Isakovic credits the
success of the program on this brand of training at
the outdoor Spieker Aquatics Complex compared
to the controlled, indoor pools that most athletes
in the country use.
Isakovic’s dedication to athletic and academic excellence has led to her being honored with an Oscar Geballe Postgraduate Scholarship, an award given to three seniors at Cal each
year that recognizes devotion to Cal and the belief in the value of
combining scholarship and intercollegiate athletic competition.
After studying under Dr. Paulus in La Jolla and hopefully
helping to uncover how the brain works in elite performers,
Isakovic will use the Geballe Scholarship to pursue clinical psychology with a focus on neuropsychology. And as she’s done
her entire life, she will take every advantage of the privilege
that is education.
“I’m beyond grateful for my scholarship at Cal,” Isakovic said.
“For me, that is the biggest reward through swimming that I
could have possibly imagined. I wouldn’t change my scholarship education at Cal for 50 gold medals. I tell that to everybody. Without coming to Berkeley, none of this would have
happened.”
SUMMER 2013
35
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Hard Work
Pays Off
in the End
F
By Scott Ball
or senior water polo player Marin Balarin, the old adage “hard work
plays off” certainly rings true in the summation of his career at Cal.
Considered the heart and soul of the 2012 squad by head coach
Kirk Everist, Balarin earned the 2013 Jake Gimbel Prize as the best example of the true Golden Bear spirit among this year’s class.
High, Balarin had to work his way up the
ranks on the Bears’ water polo team to see
any playing time. After scoring two goals as
a redshirt freshman and competing in 11
matches as a sophomore, he had a breakout year as a junior, totaling 19 goals with
Perhaps making the award more special 28 ejections earned and was the recipient of the Peter J. Cutino
is the fact that Balarin’s nomination came Award as the team’s most improved player.
from freshman teammate Colin MulcaThen as a senior captain, Balarin became one of the top playhy, a rare instance when the vast majori- ers in the MPSF and a third-team All-American. He was selectty of recommendations are submitted by ed to the MPSF All-Tournament Team after helping Cal win sevcoaches or academic advisors. The Gimbel en of its last eight matches, including upending No. 2-ranked
Prize, which has been presented since the UCLA, 12-9, in the conference tournament semifinal. Balarin
1930s, recognizes a graduating male stu- finished the 2012 campaign leading the team with 51 ejecMarin Balarin
dent-athlete for successful integration of tions earned and third in goals with 41. He concluded his Cal
academic and athletic pursuits.
career with 68 goals, and was selected national and conference
“The Jake Gimbel Award is just a fantastic honor for Marin,” All-Academic three straight years.
Everist said. “He tried every position except goalie and was
“It was wonderful to be recognized by my team,” said Balarin.
always been willing to battle for a spot and learn. For him to “I knew coming to Cal that I didn’t have as much experience as
become a starting player and
the other guys who had played
team captain as a senior was
for the U.S. National Team or in
so great to watch. He is a leader
Europe, but I knew that Cal had
and someone whom I am very
a great combination of athletic
proud to have coached.”
and academic excellence that
Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Balarwould help me grow. There
in moved to Berkeley as a onewere moments when I felt like
year-old when his father, Felice,
giving up because water polo is
was earning his doctorate at
an ultra-competitive sport, but
Cal. After attending Berkeley
I kept on pushing and working
High School, where he was one
on making sure the coaches
of the Yellow Jackets all-time
knew that I wanted this more
top water polo players with a
than anything. And the coaches
school-record 210 goals, Balarkept their promise that if I kept
in chose to attend Cal and major
on working hard I would get an
in applied mathematics.
opportunity. It all worked out
The Balarin family on Senior Day (from left): father, Felice; Marin;
Despite being a star at Berkeley sister, Zanna; and mother, Vera
well for me.”
36
cal sports quarterly
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