The Cougars Online -- Cal State San Marcos Athletics

Month

Award Recipient

April 2008

Austin Way: "[Austin Way, Terry Moritz, and Tristan Gale] have led the Cougars for the last two years. They lead the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI. All of them are seniors in 2008."
-Coach Dennis Pugh

On the season, Austin Way hit .351 with a team-leading 16 HR, 49 runs, and 41 RBI.

Terry Moritz: "[Austin Way, Terry Moritz, and Tristan Gale] have led the Cougars for the last two years. They lead the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI. All of them are seniors in 2008."
-Coach Dennis Pugh

On the season, Terry Moritz hit a team-leading .420 with 13 doubles, 10 home runs, 39 runs scored, 40 RBI, and a .509 on-base percentage.

Tristan Gale: "[Austin Way, Terry Moritz, and Tristan Gale] have led the Cougars for the last two years. They lead the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI. All of them are seniors in 2008."
-Coach Dennis Pugh

On the season, Tristan Gale batted .374 with 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 38 runs scored and 32 RBI.

March 2008

Austin Way: March was a month to remember for outfielder Austin Way. In 15 games, the senior slugged an unbelievable 13 home runs, all of which came over a 13-day stretch from March 16th to the 29th. He drove in 26 runs during the month, scored 24 himself, and raised his season batting average from .291 to .357. Way had a pair of three home run games during the month, one 8-RBI game, and two games in which he scored four runs.

Melissa Lerno: "Melissa Lerno is dominating on the mound and in the batter's box. She's batting an impressive .350 on the season, and on the mound she boasts a 1.18 ERA with a commanding 87 strikeouts. One of her many highlights this month was a no-hitter she threw in the Sun West tournament versus Avila."
-Coach Kelly Warren

Erica Coelho: "As starting second baseman, Erica Coelho pounded two back-to-back homeruns to power the Cougar offense past #5 Nationally ranked Division III opponent St. Thomas. Coelho is batting .303 on the season and leads the team with 23 runs and 30 hits, and is second on the team with 16 RBI." -Coach Kelly Warren

Morgan Sjogren: “Morgan set 2 school records this month and qualified for Nationals in both! She won the Occidental Invitational 10,000 meters with a time of 35:29, and won the 5,000 meters at the Cal-Nev Invitaional with a time of 17:10. “ -Coach Steve Scott

Dallon Williams: “Dallon set a school record and qualified for Nationals in winning the steeplechase at the Cal-Nevada Invitational with a super time of 10:45.” -Coach Steve Scott

Billy Walker: “Billy won the 100 and 200 at the UCSD Invitational, qualified for the final at the Cal-Nevada Invitational, and set a school record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.73” -Coach Steve Scott

Sergio Gonzalez: “Sergio set a school record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 30:25 at the Occidental Invitational. He also won the 5,000 meters at the Cal-Nevada Invitational“ -Coach Steve Scott

February 2008

Leo Elorza: “On Feb 3rd, Leo competed in the Surf City Classic Half Marathon in Huntington Beach. If running 13.1 miles isn’t hard enough, try running it in driving wind and rain and still holding a 5:33 per mile pace throughout ! That is precisely what Leo did completing the race in a NAIA Nationals Qualifying time of 1:12:38. With this performance, Leo is now qualified to run the Marathon at May’s NAIA National Championship in St. Louis.” - Coach Steve Scott

Sin Carrano: "Sin ran in the Palm Springs Half Marathon on Feb 17th and finished with a time of 1:32:13. This performance qualified her to run the Marathon this May at Nationals in St. Louis."
- Coach Steve Scott

Scott Conway: “In a field of over 100 players at the 2008 CSU San Marcos Invitational, Scott Conway tied for 5th, shooting 71-77-69. The senior All-American was also the Cougars’ top finisher at the Carlton Oaks Invitational.” -Coach Fred Hanover

Carly Ludwig: “Carly Ludwig got her senior season off to a great start, finishing 2nd at the 2008 Cougar Invitational by shooting 78-76. She also tied for 17th at the UC Riverside Braveheart Invitational.”
-Coach Fred Hanover

Jared Suwyn: An outstanding two-way player, Jared Suwyn has made a big impact on the mound and at the plate. As a pitcher, Suywn has compiled a 1.08 ERA. In 16 2/3 innings pitched, Suwyn is 1-0 with 16 strikeouts and just 4 walks. But that only tells half the story. When he's not towing the rubber, Suwyn plays right field, and is hitting .319 with a home run and a pair of doubles on the season.

Shanti Poston: “Starting shortstop Shanti Poston has been both a defensive leader and offensive power for the Cougars. Starting all 16 games for the Cougar softball team, Shanti has a .357 batting average and an on-base percentage of .400. She is second on the team with 8 RBI, tied for first on the team with 3 stolen bases, and currently has a 5-game hitting streak. Shanti has only struck out once in 42 at-bats.”
-Coach Kelly Warren

November 2007

Sergio Gonzalez: “Sergio Gonzalez, in his final cross country season here at Cal St San Marcos, finally achieved what he has been pursuing his entire career: All American Status! Coming off a great 4th place finish at Regionals, Sergio ran the race of his life at Kenosha, Wisconsin in 35 degree weather, finishing 15th at the National Championships with a time of 25:14.” -Coach Steve Scott

Whitney Patton: “Whitney had the best and most consistent season of her life! She was a top 3 Cougar all season long, getting a lifetime best of 18:04 at the Riverside Invitational. However, Whitney saved her best for last, running 18:18 at Regionals, placing 2nd on the team; then coming back at Nationals and placing as the # 2 runner for the Cougars.” -Coach Steve Scott

October 2007

Sean Brosnan: “ Sean came to CSUSM from Concordia University, our bitter rival. Unfortunately, Sean sustained a serious stress fracture in his lower leg mid summer that kept him from training for 12 weeks. He started training again in early October and had only one hard workout before his first race. In the inaugural Cougar Invitational, Sean placed 8th with a respectable 26:01. The real triumph came in the NAIA Regional Championships where the Cougars faced Concordia for the first time this season and came away victorious! The key performance came from Sean who placed 11th with an impressive time of 25:31, just 10 seconds off his lifetime best!”
-Coach Steve Scott

Jessica Sandoval: “Jessica is just a freshman and her first season has been truly spectacular! She has been the #2 runner on the team 4 times and #3 once! Consistency is Jessica’s middle name; her times this year range from 18:07 at Riverside to 19:05 at a tough Aztec course. The highlight of Jessica’s season came at the NAIA Regional Championships where she finished 1st on the team and 8th overall with an impressive time of 18:17! This was a 65 second improvement over her state meet time from last year. Jess already ranks 7th on the All Time Cougar list!”
-Coach Steve Scott

September 2007

Sergio Gonzalez: “Even though Sergio has been the #2 Cougar consistently this season behind Juan Mejia, he would win the most improved and leadership awards! Sergio has provided much needed leadership to this young Cougar team and has backed it up with tremendous performances! He ran 24:25 at the Riverside Invitational, which would have been a school record if not for Juan Mejia who ran a 24:15 in the same race!” -Coach Steve Scott

Morgan Sjogren: "Morgan has been the #1 Cougar in every race this season. Most recently, she placed 2nd overall in the Vanguard Invitational with a time of 18:13. The highlight of the season so far would be her 17:49 at the Riverside Invitational, a personal best by over 1:20! That time also places her #5 on the All-Time Cougar list!”
-Coach Steve Scott

Felix Gonzalez-Dalmas: "Despite being banged up from physical tactics by opposing defenders and missing two matches due to injuries, Felix has been our most dangerous player. He is a threat almost every time he possesses the soccer ball. His statistics have not reflected the impact he has had in our team. Nonetheless, he had a goal and an assist against #2 ranked Azusa Pacific and a goal against UCSD. As he regains his fitness, he is truly becoming a key feature on this team."
- Coach Ron Pulvers

Annica Perez: "As a defender, Annica has played a tremendous role on our women’s team and in helping the team to 3 quality results in September. She is a gritty, hard working, selfless player who sacrifices herself for the good of the team. She is great at committing to go forward and link up with the attack. She is co-captain, and is the emotional and spiritual leader of our team. " -Coach Ron Pulvers

April 2007

Danielle Tucker: As co-captain of the Cougar softball team, Danielle Tucker is the catalyst of the squad's offense and anchor of its defense. The centerfielder has played in 38 of the team's 39 games, totaling 40 hits, 23 runs scored, and 10 RBI's. She is hitting a team-best .325, has an on-base percentage of .357, and is 7-of-8 in stolen base attempts.

Markus Wendel: In his first season in Cougar blue, Markus Wendel has been tremendous for the men's golf team. This month, he tied for 3rd place at the NAIA Region II Championships at Terra Lago Golf Course, leading the team to a championship at the event. Following the tournament, he was named to the 2007 NAIA All-Region team.

Ellyse Siu: Sophomore Ellyse Siu had a sensational spring for the women's golf team. Her latest accomplishment came at the NAIA Region II Championships at Palm Desert Country Club, where Siu tied for 1st place, helping the team to a big win at the event. She has been named to the 2007 NAIA All-Region team as well.

March 2007

Erica Coelho: Batting .306; Hit 1st collegiate homerun on March 18 vs. Doane University; Slugging percentage is .449, on base percentage is .382; Extremely valuable defensively; pitcher with 2 wins, 2nd base, 1st base, can play anywhere on field.

Scott Conway: Playing in tournaments featuring primarily D-1 teams, finished 6th at the Drake Invitational and 10th at Cal Poly Invite.

Juan Mejia: Outstanding performance in the 10,000 meter run at the Occidental Invitational on March 16 with a time of 31:07.21; Qualified for Nationals; Set new school record, bettering old record by 5 seconds; Placed 2nd in race

Ashleigh Davis: Qualified for Nationals in 3 different events (100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles, 4X100 meter relay); Set school record in 100 meter hurdles with mark of 14.34, bettering her old mark by .01 seconds

February 2007

In the softball team's first season of competition, Elizabeth Bush has emerged as the squad's first bona fide hitting star. She's batting a whopping .423 so far this season, and went 11-for-26 with 4 RBI in the month of February. Bush is slugging .462 on the year with a .444 on-base percentage; and if that's not enough, she's yet to make an error in the outfield.

Though it's still early in the season, Matt Determan appears to be taking his golf game to the next level. Competing against many Division I golfers, Determan placed a very solid 19th at the Pala Mesa Invitational to open up the spring. The junior then took 2nd in the Cal State San Marcos Invitational, losing only to a golfer from UCLA.

Jennell French, a senior, has gotten off to a terrific start in her final season as a Cougar. She won the Cal State San Marcos Invitational in early February, giving her a very impressive three career individual titles. French also finished 18th at the UCR Invitational, where she was competing against a large field composed primarily of Division I golfers.

October 2006

While he had a stellar September, Juan Mejia outdid himself in October. The senior cross country runner started off the month by winning the Vanguard Invitational, leading the Cougars to a team victory and setting the course record (25:24) in the process. He followed that up by obliterating the CSUSM school record at Riverside, topping the old mark by 35 seconds. A week later, he won the Fullerton Invitational, crossing the finish line 33 seconds before his closest challenger. Mejia's momentum didn't slow down as the calendar turned, either; he kicked off the month of November with a 4th-place finish at Regionals, posting a time just one second shy of his own school record.

After a bit of a slow start to the season, senior runner Bonghabih (Bee Bee) Shey hit her stride in October, leaving her competition in the dust. At Riverside, she posted a lifetime best time of 18:29 - the fifth fastest in school history. A couple weeks later at Fullerton, Shey was back at it again, placing 9th at the event with a time of 18:39. Finally, in the first week of November, she shattered her own personal record by running 18:10, leading the Cougars to a 5th-place finish and invitation to Nationals. Shey herself took 4th - and in fact has finished in the top-10 in each of her last four events.