Pack the Pavilion!

Growing up, every young athlete dreams of playing on the big stage. The bright lights. The cameras. The screaming fans. We want all of that. We play out fictional scenarios repeatedly where we imaging hitting the game winning shot and having thousands of fans rush the court to celebrate. Not every athlete gets the opportunity to have one of their games televised, but this week, the Saints will. This Thursday at 9 pm on Root Sports Saint Martin’s University will play the University of Alaska Fairbanks with their second ever televised game.

Three years ago SMU played on TV against Western Oregon University and cruised to an 85-54 victory. SMU alum Blake Poole led the charge with a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record 24 rebounds, while also having 26 points. I was lucky enough to not only have been a part of that team that season, but I also was given the opportunity to play that night too. Without a doubt that was one of my favorite memories that I will take away from Saint Martin’s. As a team, we were fired up to get to play in front of the cameras, but what really made it special was the crowd that night. I personally believe that we have the best fans in the conference and on that night they were great. Cheering from the minute they walked into Marcus Pavilion, until the final horn sounded and they rushed the court.

Fast forward to the game this year on TV and you can already tell there is a buzz around campus. Maybe the excitement is because of the free t-shirts? Maybe it’s because of the cameras? Or it could possibly be because this will be the first home game the men’s team has played with students on campus since November? Any way you look at it, the opportunity will be monumental for SMU. “I think it’s a great deal. It’s good to be on TV. I like it, our players like it, our students are going to have a great time and everyone who comes to the game is going to enjoy the atmosphere,” stated SMU men’s head basketball coach Michael Ostlund. To a regular viewer who just turned on the channel, this might look like to teams playing. But to someone who knows SMU, they understand the more significant impact the game could have. “This game gives us the opportunity to showcase the university, our athletic program, our facility and specifically the men’s basketball program,” noted SMU athletic director Bob Grisham. “Having a game on TV at this level adds another layer of excitement and interest. It’s a big game for us as a team to try and get a win against someone who is higher than us in the standings and move us up (in the standings),” added Ostlund.

The excitement amongst the team is at an all-time high as well. “I’m really excited to play on TV because last time we had this opportunity I was still recovering from knee surgery. I know we’re all looking forward to a great game and going to try to make it two wins in a row and get another step closer to making the conference tournament,” said Saints senior post Matt Dodson. Senior Rei Jensen wasn’t attending SMU the last time the team was on TV but this time around, he will play in vital role in the outcome of the game. “I’m excited to play in front of the cameras. It is good exposure not only for the team but for the university as well.”

But it isn’t just the coaches and players who are fired up for this game; so are the students. “I think all the students are really excited and it gets them pumped to help show support to the other athletes who go to this school. Having the opportunity to have SMU on TV promotes our school a little bit more and will help get more fans to come not only to their game, but in the long run come support Saint Martin’s Athletics in general,” said SMU women’s soccer player Sasha Dini. Dini brings up a great point about the way this game serves to not only show who SMU is on the court, but off the court as well. SMU softball player Haley Hoffman also added, “This opportunity will allow the university to make great things happen in the future.”

With less than 36 hours until tip-off, the festivities have already commenced with a number of behind the scene actions that have already taken place. Tomorrow at this time, ROOT Sports will have already set up their cameras and the bleachers will be out awaiting the arrival of the Saints faithful. So with all this in mind, it brings up one final question. What time are you showing up to the game?

Top 10 Moments of 2013

Hey everyone, hope you had a great break and are ready for the new year of some more Saints athletics. With the spring semester on the verge of starting up, that means baseball, softball, golf, and track will also be kicking it into gear. The new seasons and dreams of claiming (or reclaiming) the conference title, officially puts an end to some of the other sports seasons who were completed in the fall. Although both men's and women's basketball started in the fall, both squads will continue to work well into the new year with their sights set on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference basketball tournament being held in Lacey in early March. However, lets take a look back at what I consider to be the top 10 moments of the first half of the athletic season so far. In order to qualify for the list, the athletic contest was required to be played during the fall semester or before the beginning of the new year. What this means is that the list will be comprised of fall and winter sports, including golf which plays during both seasons. Alright, with that in mind, let's start with the 10th best moment of 2013:

10. 9/6/13 Women's Volleyball 's First Victory

• The start of the volleyball season started off with a bang! In the team's opening match of the season, the Saints were able to claim a hard fought 3-1 victory over the Academy of Art. As well as being the first win for the team, it was also the first win for first-year head coach Kara Peterson. Leading the way in the win was sophomore Kyra Davidson who tallied 16 kills and seven block assists, along with Halee Hernandez who chipped in 20 digs. The defense in the match was also stifling for the Saints as they held the Urban Knights to a .030 hitting percentage.

9.  11/23/13 Women's Basketball Puts on a Shooting Display

• Sometimes in the game of basketball can be funny. One day you feel like you can't throw it in the ocean, the next, everything that seemingly gets put up goes in. On this Saturday night, the Saints were on fire shooting. In both halves, SMU put on a shooting clinic against the Eagles, shooting .50% from three. For the game, the Saints nailed eight threes including five in the first half that ultimately blew the game wide open. Junior Angela Gelhar was the scoring leader with 14 points, but four other players recorded double-digit points in the rout. For the night, SMU was also clutch from the line, converting 24 points from the stipe in the 68-30 victory.

8. 10/28-29/13 Men's Golf Shines in Hawaii

• Ryan Baumgart fired a final round 72 to tie for the best round of the tournament in Waikoloa, Hawaii. The freshman shot a 72 and 76 the day before and finished the tournament with an overall score of 220. With the performance, Baumgart was able to finish tied for sixth in the tournament, recording his first top-ten finish of his career. As a team, SMU also faired well, finishing fifth out of 10 teams.

7. 10/28-29/13 Women's Golf Liedes the Way

• Jen Liedes carded a first round 74, followed by a second round 72. In the final round of the tournament, the sophomore from Olympia solidified her spot near the top with a score of 78. The combination of her three rounds (224) was good enough to earn her a runner-up finish and help to lead the team to a fifth place finish. This was the squads third consecutive top-five finish and final tournament of the fall season.

6. 12/5/13 Men's Basketball Conference Road Win

• After being picked to finish last in the GNAC, the Saints first conference game of the year was north of the border in Canada at Simon Fraser University. Every player who checked into the game for SMU scored and was led by the 21 points from Evan Coulter. Ryan Rogers also had 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, with Will Bond chipping in 13 points. In the win the Saints were able to shoot 51% from the floor, while also hitting 11 of 21 three-pointers. However, it was the defense in the second half that helped secure the win, holding the Clan to 38% shooting.

5. 9/19/13 Men's Soccer Thriller

• In the squads first conference game of the year at the University of Mary, 90 minutes wasn't enough to decide a winner and needed overtime to settle the thriller. However, the second time these two teams met could have been a better sequel. With the game knotted at zero to start the second half, UM got on the board first with a goal in the first five minutes to take the lead. Then moments later, they scored again. The Saints countered at got on the board following a goal by Ivan Gonzalez. The Marauders again raised their lead to two goals in the 76th minute. With only 14 minutes remaining in the match, the SMU rally began. After Dylan Gaydosh scored in the 79th minute, Jake Zimmer followed suit just two minutes later. Trailing by only one goal, SMU was able to tie the score on a header from Luke Chouinard. The game would then head to overtime and result in a tie, but it wasn't without a resounding effort by the Saints, clawing their way back down three goals to one with very little time remaining.  

4. 9/28/13 Men's Cross Country Home Race

• On a day that saw rain, rain, and more rain, Joe Berger only saw the finish line. The senior led the way not only for the Saints, but the race as well, crossing the finish line in 26:30. The time was 22 seconds ahead of second place and helped earn the Saints a second place finish for the day. Berger was dominant that rainy afternoon as he outsprinted the other competitors, earning the top spot for the day.

3. 11/5/13 Basketball Retains the Capital

• The first home games of the 2013 basketball season provided a great atmosphere and ultimately two wins for the Saints against their cross-town rival. The SMU women started things off right with an impressive 70-63 victory. Defense proved to be too much for Evergreen State as they were held to 37% shooting on the night, committed 16 turnovers, and didn't make a three point shot. The men picked up right where the women left off and cruised to an 89 to 69 win. The men shot 47% from the field, with four Saints scoring in double-figures, including Evan Coulter's 27 point explosion.

2. 9/12/13 Women's Soccer Scores Big

• In just her second career game, freshman Kelli Bannerman let the soccer world know she was for real. In the convincing 4-0 rout of Holy Names University, Bannerman led the Saints with her first career hat-trick. Scoring three goals in a game has only happened once in the history of the program, which occurred in 2008. Coming off the bench, Bannerman hit the back of the net with strikes in the 40th, 51st, and 73rd minute to secure the first win of the season for the Saints.

1. 12/7/13 Women's Basketball Upsets NNU

• Just like records are meant to be broken, streaks are meant to be snapped. The Saints hadn't defeated Northwest Nazarene University in 11 tries and hadn't beaten a ranked opponent in over two years. But these Saints could care less about those numbers, pulling off a monumental upset over 18th ranked NNU in Lacey. Following an 11-0 SMU run, the Crusaders used a 13-2 run to regain the lead mid-way through the first half. Heading to the halftime locker room down three, SMU again used a big run to retake the lead. With the game tied in the final moments, Angela Gelhar hit a clutch three-pointer from the right wing to give the Saints a 54-51 lead. Gelhar would also seal the deal from the foul line, converting all four of her attempts to preserve the win. Again, it was the fantastic defense that helped lead the way for SMU, causing NNU to commit 24 turnovers, while holding them without a three-pointer in the second half. Gelhar led the way with 27 points and two rebounds, while also being a perfect 12-12 from the line. As a team, SMU was an outstanding 25-28 from the charity stripe during the contest.

Saints Travel to Utah

Here is a little inside view of what some of the things the Saints go through when we travel. It is kind of hard to understand, but on the flight home, the plane couldn't land and as we were just a few feet off the ground, we had to try and land again. This meant passing the runway and flying in a circle to try "one more time" as the captain said. Luckily we all came out alive, however, some didn't enjoy it as much as others. Enjoy the video!

20 Questions with a Saint

Senior Gina Cardenas (Auburn, Washington) is in her final campaign in a Saints uniform. The elementary education major currently leads the team in saves (42), starts (10) and shutouts. Cardenas ranks seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in goals against (1.58 per game) and save percentage (.726), while also ranking fourth in saves per game with 4.09. The Saints are currently 3-9 on the season after falling 3-1 to nationally ranked Western Washington University on Thursday. SMU will take the field again Saturday at 1 pm when they face Simon Fraser University. The last time the two squads met, the Saints were able to snag a road win, defeating the Clan 2-0 in Canada.

1.      If you could change one rule in your sport, what would it be?

-          More defined and consistent reasons for why a player is being charged with a foul

2.      What is one item you always take with you on the road?

-          My headphones so I can listen to music before the game

3.      What is one song on your iPod that would surprise people?

-          I have a lot of alternative and screamo music that I listen to before the game

4.      Name one fear that people might not know about you.

-          I’m afraid of the dark. I hate not knowing what’s there

5.      Who is the biggest jokester/prankster on the team?

-          Nikki Roberts

6.      What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?

-          I wish I could sing or dance

7.      What is your most prized possession of no value?

-          I have a tape recording of my dad’s voice on a cassette that someone gave to me

8.      If you could eat at any fast food restaurant right now, where would it be?

-          Taco Bell

9.      When not at practice, where can you most likely to be found?

-          At home in bed watching Netflix

10.  What one TV show do you watch that would surprise others?

-          I love SpongeBob Squarepants

11.  What was your first job?

-          I worked at Sears in Lacey as seasonal help

12.  Would you rather explore outer space, or the depths of the ocean?

-          Outer space

13.  What is your favorite cereal to eat?

-          Cinnamon Toast Crunch

14.  Most embarrassing athletic moment.

-          This year against Central Washington University I went to go take a goal kick and slipped and fell right on my butt in front of their students

15.  What one major sporting event would you like to attend?

-          The World Cup

16.  What is one of your pregame rituals or routines?

-          Just recently a girl on my high school team passed away and I put her initials on my gloves that let me know she’s looking down on me

17.  Who is your favorite professor you have had at SMU?

-          Dr. Mark Haddock (Professor in Education)

18.  What is your favorite road trip to take?

-          Going up north on the Western Washington and Simon Fraser trip because we get to stop at the outlet stores for 15 minutes and everyone is running around trying to go to as many stores as they can.  It’s also cool to be in Canada because we get to play in another country.

19.  Is there any significance to your jersey number?

-          I chose 18 because that was Hope Solo’s number when she started playing.

20.  What is the reason you decided to come to SMU?

-          I like the size of the classes and getting to know people in my class was a better fit for me.

 

 

 

It's All About the Mindset

It happens in every sport, every season; to almost every player, and sometimes it’s inevitable. Sometimes there’s no escaping it; everything that happens seems to not be going your way. Lady Luck just isn’t calling your number. 


This is what it felt like last season for the Saint Martin’s University men’s soccer team when they went 3-15 overall and 2-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. “Last year our games were close, we just ended up on the wrong side of it,” senior forward Dylan Gaydosh noted. The Saints struggled to put points on the scoreboard last season, only scoring 19 goals in 18 games. This season alone the team has 11, with nine of those goals coming over the last six games. During this span, SMU is 3-2-1 with one of their losses coming to nationally ranked Simon Fraser in a 2-1 loss.

However, the Saints started out of the gates slow this season, falling in their first four games while being outscored 12-2. But something started clicking for the squad in mid-September.

“The biggest change is our mindset,” said senior midfielder CJ Chu. “We had some mental laps’ that hurt, but after we won a few games, we got the mindset we can win every game when we step on the field.”

Gaydosh added that one of the biggest differences is “Being opportunistic and taking advantage of situations we had been in before.”  

Both Gaydosh and Chu agreed on the same time frame of the team’s shift. “Our first conference win against the University of Mary in overtime was definitely our team’s turning point because it was our first win of the season and conference,” Chu said. “Being able to grind out an overtime win was huge for us,” Gaydosh added.

That match in particular was indeed a grind out match like Gaydosh stated, with both teams unable to score in the first 90 minutes. The game went into overtime with SMU down to only 10 players due to an ejection.  However, with only 2:39 on the clock, UM was issued a red card that resulted in a Saints penalty kick. On the kick, it was the senior co-captain Chu who found the back of the net to secure the victory for the Saints.

Since that game, the team has been playing its best ball of the year and riding high, “The feeling after getting that first win was so great, that we go in (to every game) with the mindset now that we can win,” Chu said.

“We’re just trying to take advantage of the situations we have had this year,” claimed the other co-captain Gaydosh.

With eight conference games remaining, the two seniors are looking to finish out their collegiate campaigns on a high note. “If we keep on playing the way we have been and keep the same mindset every time we have practice or a game, I feel like we can compete with every team in the conference and hopefully have a chance to sit at the top of the table at the end of the season,” Chu said. “We can definitely get as good as results as did we in the first half of the season,” Gaydosh added.

By looking at the recent trend of the Saints, it’s scary to think of what kind of run they could go on and how that could impact the team and the program. A couple different plays and the Saints could have upset the nation’s number one seed in Simon Fraser a few weeks ago.

Whatever happens, throughout the course of the year, both players are looking to leave the program as individuals who have had an impact and contributed to creating consistency. Either way, the program’s mindset is in a different direction that looks to be sticking around for quite a while.

Volleyball 101

Hey Saints fans, hope everyone is enjoying fall sports so far. With conference play now upon us, competition will be at an all-time high for the teams to earn a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and make it to the post season.

As for Kyle's Korner, I decided to do something completely different for this post. Rather than writing a story or doing a 20 questions post, it was time to go digital. Yes, that's right; Kyle's Korner is now using video. This is something that I have never done, or tried before, but it was time to spice things up a bit.

This particular video segment is titled "Volleyball 101." What I plan on doing is clearing up some possible confusion, or concepts within the sport. For this video, I choose to have the volleyball team explain and demonstrate some calls that a referee can make during a match.

First of all, let me just explain to you how interesting it was to create this video with these girls. They had a million ideas and they all wanted to be involved. They were so excited to be a part of the video; which also meant they were very enthusiastic (or should I say wound up). Either way, it was a great experience and the video turned out great. Thanks for all the help girls, and look for more videos in the near future.

#halosup

20 Questions with a Saint

Today, I am going to do something a little different with the interview questions; rather than asking a current Saint Martin's University student-athlete, I chose to interview new head volleyballl coach Kara Peterson. Peterson is in her first year at the helm of the volleyball program and makes her Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaching debut this Thursday when the SMU hosts Northwest Nazarene University at 7 pm in the Pavilion. So far, the Saints have battled hard in their matches, but have had a few rallies fall short, leading to their current 2-8 record. However, with key home matches this week against NNU and 24th ranked Central Washington University (Saturday), SMU looks to regroup and earn a couple of victories.

1.      What was one thing that interested you the most when you applied for this job a little less than a year ago?

•  The ability to step up to a new level of coaching and being a part of college community close to where I've invested my family was incredibly appealing. It was also the right time and things just fell into place when the opportunity arose.

2.      What was your greatest experience as a player?

•  Winning a preseason tournament at Montana State University. Our team ended up being mentioned in the (sports section) of the USA Today and my name was in there.   

3.      Where do you see your program in 3 years?

•  We want to have the chance to be able to play for a spot in the playoffs.  

4.      What one thing about SMU has surprised you the most?

•  Nothing has really surprised me. I like how easy it is to get along with everyone here and I really like how people are proud of their school and having an affiliation with Saint Martin's.

5.      What is your favorite aspect of SMU so far?

•  The welcoming nature of the people and the pride they have for this school, along with the direction the university is going.  

6.      As a player, what was your most embarrassing athletic moment?

•  We were in Hawaii playing a series of matches when I was a freshman and I pulled a serious freshman move by forgetting my knee pads and my socks. I still played, but it was emabarrassing that I forgot them.  

7.      If you could change one rule in your sport, what would it be?

•  The back-row attack rule is ridiculous. I would change that.

8.      What is one item you always take with you on the road?

•  I always take a little, lucky pig that my daughter gave me that only has three legs.

9.  What is one song on your iPod that would surprise people?

•  I have some French Christmas songs that I got from my French foreign-exchange students.

10.  Name one fear that people might not know about you.

•  I have a fear of heights.

11.  Who is the biggest jokester/prankster on the team?

•  Probably Julia (Wabinga).

12.  What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?

•  I wish I could play the piano.

13.  What is your most prized possession of no value?

• My books; I love books.  

14.  What is the hardest class you have ever taken?

•  Economics in college, I hated it.

15.  If you could eat at any fast food restaurant right now, where would it be?

•  Taco Del Mar, I really like that place.

16.  What is one of your biggest pet peeves?

•  Rudeness for no reason.

17. What one TV show do you watch that would surprise others?

•  I love Top Chef.

18. What was your first car?

•  A 1972 silver Toyota Celica.

19. What was your first job?

•  I worked at Arby's when I was 16 and I had to wear the ugliest brown uniform.

20. Would you rather explore outer space, or the depths of the ocean?

•  Probably space becasue I have a fear of drowning.