Monday Morning Quarterback: Second Team?

If there’s one thing I’m known for amongst my group of friends, is that I like to complain about sports. Not debate, not brag, but complain. Why? Because there’s just so much to whine about, and because it’s just kind of fun.

My fantasy baseball team‘s current standing (10th of 12)? Sucks.

That pitch that Brett Lawrie got called out on the other night? Freakin’ absurd.

The fact that I always have to guard 6’1″ and 215 lbs Casey Harms in pickup basketball even though I’m 5’8″ on a good day and was forced to quit playing rec league when I was a kid because I was so bad? Total crap.

But this week on MMQ, I’m moving my usually-off-the-blog rants onto the Tiger Talk public forum because I am just so damn frustrated with the SCIAC for its baseball and women’s water polo All-Conference selections.

Why are Pedro Aldape and Tessa Bailey-Findley only second-team all-conference, and where is Brent Wunner on the baseball list?

Let’s start with baseball.

Pedro Aldape deserved better than second team all conference this year. Photo by Lisa Gilliand

As had been well-documented throughout the season, this was a great year for the Diamond Tigers. 23 wins in total, a .643 winning percentage in conference, and a late playoff push– this was truly a breakout year for a team that many expected to finish towards the bottom of the conference standings. And leading the charge on the field was none other than young Pedro Aldape: an unassuming 6-foot-tall junior from Sherman Oaks with a heart of gold and ridiculously quick hands at the plate. The kid had a monster year: a .390 average, 53 hits, 10 double, 8 home runs, 45 RBIs, and even 6 stolen bases just because. He finished in the top six in the league in four categories (including second in home runs and RBIs) after having missed six games entirely with a thumb injury. He was the offensive heart and soul of this team, and certainly All-SCIAC material.

But second team? Come on. I know that Pomona-Pitzer’s James Campbell had the lock down at the first team 1B position (Campbell one-upped Aldape in nearly every category), but was CalTech’s Brian Penserini really a better option at DH? I mean, sure the kid hit .430 and it’s nice to give the hapless Beavers a little recognition every now and then, but Aldape was significantly better in nearly every other category: he collected 13 more hits, 6 more home runs, 26 more RBIs, and 39 more total bases. And, more significantly, he did it against other teams’ Friday guys, not a bunch of misfit relievers like myself who CalTech rarely teed off on (ya, I’ll wear that insult for this argument). So my conclusion here is that these two should be switched: Aldape should have been placed on the first team as DH, while Penserini should have been voted onto the second where there are no positions.

The All-SCIAC list was also missing Tiger catcher Brent Wunner.

To that point, Brent Wunner also deserved a nod to the second team. If you look at the all-conference roster, you’ll notice that there are four shortstops on that list: Claremont’s Brian Gose, La Verne’s George Hanna, Redlands’ Chase Tucker, and Oxy’s Logan Allen. Now, I understand why Tucker and Allen were selected (Chase hit .304 with 31 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, while Logy Bear finished at .325 with 3 home runs, 28 RBIs and 24 steals), but Gose and Hanna are suspect. Just look at the numbers: In 45 more at-bats, Gose only hit .15 points higher than Wunner, only had one more extra base hit, only had two more stolen bases, and finished with 4 fewer RBIs than the Tiger’s catcher. Similarly, while Hanna collected 8 more extra base hits and 10 more RBIs than Brent, he finished with a lower average (.278), lower OBP (.375 vs. .402), and the same amount of steals–and had 63 more opportunities to go to bat. Plus, none of this takes into account that Wunner was perhaps the best defensive catcher in the league. Other teams just did not want to run on him: he allowed only 22 steals on the season, the majority of which came when notoriously slow-to-the-plate lefty Tyler Eyrich was pitching (including in the March 23rd game against Cal Lu when the Kingsmen stole 7 bags in a double-steal clinic against Eyrich), and did a phenomenal job of blocking– allowing only six past balls all year. So, yes, Wunner, Gose, and Hanna finished the season with very similar stat lines, but I still think Brent should have gotten the nod here because of his defense.

Ok, and now onto water polo.

Tessa Bailey-Findley (2) had a huge year both on offense and defense. Image from Occidental Water Polo

It’s harder to argue this one because not all water polo teams keep stats, but I’m going to try it anyway. Tessa Bailey-Findley deserves a first-team bid, not a second. Why? Because  the girl absolutely shut down her competition on defense, and had one of the best offensive years in all of college water polo.

Now, it’s difficult to quantify defensive ability; I mean, you can’t just look at the numbers and say, “wow, this girl shut down the girls she was guarding all year.” But by most accounts and by the fact that she finished 6th in all of college water polo in steals and set an Oxy record in that category, I think it’s safe to say that she was a defensive force in the SCIAC this season. Furthermore, Tessa also produced on offense: her 74 goals ranked second on the team, third in conference, and 7th in all of the nation (Division I and Division III reported stats) and her 102 points put her at 8th in the country. So second team material? I think she was a little better than that. Should have been first team, without a question.

Admittedly, I’m not exactly sure how the SCIAC picks its all-conference teams. I asked around in the athletics department and some said the SIDs get to influence the results, and others said it’s just all the coaches. But what I do know is that the selectors messed up. Pedro, Brent, and Tessa all got screwed, and I don’t like it.

Monday Morning Quarterback: Reflections on Oxy’s Athletic Culture

Jack Kemp was one of the many notable Oxy alumns who found success as a Tiger

On the morning of the Occidental’s 125th anniversary, as work crews hang banners on buildings and string lights from trees on the quad in preparation for this evening’s celebration, it’s hard not to consider Oxy’s long and proud history of academic excellence. The college has given rise to 10 Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, and hundreds of Fullbright Scholars over the years, while consistently ranking among the top 10 percent of liberal arts instututions nationwide whose graduates earn Ph.D.s. Oxy’s list of notable alumni includes the likes of Jack Kemp, Steve Coll, Patt Morrison, and Robinson Jeffers, and even President Obama spent two years as a student on the Eagle Rock campus. Clearly, in terms of academics, the college has much to celebrate this weekend. But what about athletics? Isn’t that a major part of the college experience, too?

Oxy and Pomona share one of the longest rivalries in all of college football. They play each year for rights to the coveted drum.

As the Oxy Weekly pointed out in this week’s paper, Occidental’s contribution to the Southern Californian collegiate athletics landscape has been significant: Oxy and Pomona share one of the longest rivalries in all of college sports; four track and field world records have been broken on campus; the school was once the sight of a national football broadcast; and in 2000, the Women’s Water Polo team won a national championship.

However, as many students have discussed over the past couple of days, it seems that Occidental as a whole just doesn’t care. So what if our school has given rise to dozens of decorated professional athletes, or is currently having what could be its most successful athletic year in decades? Why does any of it matter?

Here’s why: Taking pride in the athletic success of one’s school creates a winning atmosphere that can become infused in the culture of the college.

Jack McHenry wrote about it in an interesting piece for Wednesday’s Weekly in which he compared the SCIAC to the elite New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). He touched on the winning culture that schools like Williams and Amherst create, and how Oxy doesn’t quite have this.

Take east coast liberal arts colleges like Williams and Amherst. These schools perennially stand at the very top of the liberal arts college rankings. Whether or not they pulled a CMS and spent a lot of money to achieve those rankings is beside the point—these are well known, very well respected schools that select from an elite pool of students.

Williams and Amherst are also continuously very successful in athletics. Williams has won the NACDA Directors Cup, which is awarded to the school with the most overall success in athletics, for Division III 15 out of the 16 years the award has been in existence. Williams also ranks first in Division III for money spent per athlete.

Amherst, while not quite comparable with Williams, has finished in the top ten for the NACD directors cup seven times and has won multiple national championships over the last decade in sports including men’s and women’s basketball, women’s ice hockey and women’s lacrosse. Indeed, just as elite students are attracted to these schools, so are elite athletes.

In addition to the facilities, its emphasis on sports, the well-respected, efficiently run New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), creates a culture that both seeks out top tier athletes and attracts them on its own.

At Occidental, the admissions process does an excellent job of admitting a diverse class every year. There is a strong balance between academics, athletics and a variety of other student activities. This balance creates an awesome academic atmosphere, one that is conducive to growing as a scholar and a human being.

But this is a sports column, and the overall administrative strategy of Occidental and lack of institutional priority given to the success of athletics means that sometimes Occidental will have successful teams and sometimes it will not. But as the school continues to grow and become more selective in the admissions process, athletics will not be consistently successful at Occidental like they are at CMS or distant Williams and Amherst unless the college as an institution makes a conscious decision to prioritize athletics and integrate them into the fundamental, cultural fabric of the school.

Admittedly, Jack’s article was taking aim more at Oxy’s admissions process than the 125th anniversary celebration, but I still see a connection here. Schools like Williams and Amherst have a winning atmosphere where students arrive expecting to succeed in every facet of college life– in their academics, athletics, and beyond. Here, because sports are not supported or celebrated to the degree that they are at the NESCAC schools (which, by the way, SCIAC colleges like Pomona and Claremont often compare themselves with), there isn’t the same winning culture that I believe Occidental needs to truly claim rank as a top liberal arts institution.

We need to show up in force at soccer and lacrosse games. We need to get excited and cheer when an Oxy running back gains a first down. We need to hold pep rallies at noon on the quad so that everyone can participate, and tailgate whatever there’s a big Friday or Saturday home game for basketball, baseball, or water polo. We need to come together to support our student-athletes. And, more importantly, we need to take time this weekend to recognize that Oxy 125 means more than just 125 years of academic success.

Athletics have been a huge part of our college’s history for over a century. Yet, in many ways, Oxy’s athletic success has yet to be woven into the cultural fabric of our school. It’s not too late, though, for students and alumni to begin taking pride in that Tiger tradition. Softball plays at home today, and I’m sure they would love the support.

Monday Morning Quarterback: WINNING!

The women's lacrosse team wasn't the only club on campus picking up some Ws for the Tigers this past week. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

Like all people who are bothered by things (which means, I hope, everyone), I have a mental list of phrases and words that annoy me stored away somewhere in my brain’s filing cabinets. It used to look like this:

1)  “Winning!”

2) “Got heeeeeem!”

3) Any phrase that involves the word “totes”

4) “It’s a small world, after all.”

5) “K. Thx. Bai”

7) “What you talkin’ about, Willis?”

8) “Yankees suck.” (And I’m even a Red Sox fan and I hate this last one. It’s rediculous: I once went to a Boston/Kansas City game and the crowd started cheering it. The Yankees weren’t even playing that day.)

However, after last week, I think I’m going to have to amend that list, because “Winning!” is suddenly in. Here’s why:

Pedro Aldape and the Oxy baseball team picked up two more wins this weekend against SCIAC competition. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

The last seven days have added up to perhaps the greatest week I’ve ever witnessed during my four years at Occidental. First of all, baseball took two from Pomona-Pitzer for the first time in who-knows-how-long to move into second place in the SCIAC thanks in part to a win in the first game on Saturday by Jake (good stuff). Secondly, men’s tennis won four of its six matches over the week to improve to 7-2 on the season, which means they now have one more win than they had through all of last year. Thirdly, women’s lacrosse just kept on winning, picking up wins over Whittier and Fort Lewis (CO) to run their win streak to an impressive 5 games (which means that they now only need one more victory to even their season total from 2011). Fourthly, Oxy soccer goalie-turned-golfer Andrew Larkin shot a 5-over 76 to finish 14th overall at the third SCIAC golf tournament of the year on Thursday. And finally, women’s water polo picked up four wins– including its biggest victory in program history with that stunning defeat of nationally-ranked Division-I UCSB that Jake wrote about–over the weekend.

Plus, all of this doesn’t even take into account the awesome new landing page put up last week to celebrate Oxy women’s basketball’s 5-straight SCIAC championship, which I keep seeing whenever I go to check the scores on oxyathletics.com. 

Could the week have been any better? Doubtful.

Is “WINNING” back in? Yes.

 

Monday Morning Quarterback: Men’s Tennis, Oxy’s Best Kept Secret

Men's tennis has come out of the gates swinging, picking up 3 wins in its first three matches. Image from oxyathletics.com

Hey. Over here. I have a secret. But you can’t tell anyone, okay? Especially all of those other teams in the conference.

Oxy men’s tennis is good. Real good. And no one else seems to know about it.

A year after going 6-14 overall and 2-7 in SCIAC play, the men’s team appears back with a vengence, winning their first three matches of the season to sneak into the national rankings.

Coach Newhall called it a “program on the move.” And now we see why.

In the first match of the season, Oxy handily dispersed of pesky Glendale Community College by a final count of 7-2. Sophomore Jeremy Shapiro (#2) and junior Jordan Brown (#3) led the charge, winning their singles matches 6-4, 6-4 and 6-0, 6-0, respectively, while their teammates Stephen Perkins and Spencer Choy picked up a big victory in their doubles match to lock up a win for the Tigers.

The tennis team picked up a big victory last week, downing no. 24 Brandeis 7-2. Image from oxyathletics.com

In their second matchup of the season, Occidental stunned no. 24 Brandeis with an impressive 7-2 victory. In this one, the Tigers swept their three doubles matches, as #1 pair Shapiro/Brown, #2 pair Perkins/Choy, and #3 pair Ben Herrington-Gilmore/Jaime Grossman all downed their opponents in dominant fashion to set the tone early in Oxy’s signature early-season win.

And finally last Friday, in match three of the season against NAIA Biola University, the Tigers made a shocking comeback to win 5-4. Down 4-1 after the three doubles and first two singles matches, Oxy strung together four straight singles victories to pick up the W and keep the Tiger’s undefeated season alive.

Should Oxy continue its winning ways, starting with this weekend’s scheduled matchup with Pomona-Pitzer, it could post its first winning season since before 2005 (sadly, the Oxy record book only goes back that far for men’s tennis).

So like the guy from who gets hit with a tennis ball while chatting to a pretty girl on the sidelines in the very-much-related scene in Mr. Deeds, the SCIAC better look out. Because Tiger tennis can compete. And no one saw it coming.

Quick Hits:

The women's water polo team haven't been the only winners this spring. Image from Oxy Water Polo's Facebook page

This might be the kiss of death, but so far this has been an extremely successful spring season for the Tigers: women’s lacrosse currently sits at 3-1 (meaning they’ve won half as many games already as they did last year), baseball is at 9-3 and in second place in the SCIAC, women’s water polo already has 6 wins after going a perfect 4 for 4 last weekend, and Oxy track and field has been making headlines every weekend its competed thus far. Not a bad start; not bad at all…

If you’re on campus the next couple of weeks and notice the members of the Tigers baseball team looking a little scruffy, please don’t be alarmed: they’ll be growing out their beards and later shaping them into mustaches as means to create awareness about a fundraiser for cancer they will be holding later in the month. Be on the lookout for more details soon to follow…

And finally, I just want to post a shout out to Oxy athletics contributor Jack McHenry, who has done a phenomenal job in bringing Tiger athletics to the public through both his work at the Oxy Weekly, and his efforts as a commentator on the Oxy Stretch Network. You can read some of Jack’s articles here, and to listen to his broadcasts, please check the games schedule here. Keep up the great work, Jack!

Monday Morning Quarterback: All My Fault

Last week, it was almost all celebrating for Tiger fans on campus. Tonight, though, it's a different story, and it's all my fault for jinxing it

This week’s Monday Morning Quarterback comes to you late as usual…but this time on purpose. I have to say, though, I wish I hadn’t waited.

Joe Kling and the baseball Tigers weren't the only ones posting big victories for Oxy this weekend. Image by Cassie Young

Originally, this post was entitled “Best Week Ever.” I wrote it on Monday after what looked then as the best three days of Tiger sports I’ve seen in my four years at Oxy: baseball swept the 2011 SCIAC champion and number 20 ranked University of Redlands Bulldogs in a three game series, women’s basketball locked up the regular season SCIAC crown with a win against Cal Lutheran on Saturday, Nicole Hannasch and the Tigers softball team walked off twice in two big wins against the Regals over the weekend, and Caroline Chang, Jessica Robson, and Steven Van Deventer each set Oxy records at the SCIAC dual swim meet. 

But then the Tigers kept on winning.

Monday, the men’s tennis team upset no. 24 Brandeis University to pick up its second win of the season. And on Wednesday, the women’s lacrosse team shocked no. 19 and four-time defending conference champion CMS 14-9 for their first win over a ranked team in program history.

So I thought: “I can’t post this yet. There are still big games to be won this week.”

Wrong. The kiss of death. I jinxed it all.

Crystal Goodwin and the Tigers did all they could, but were ultimately upset by Cal Lu tonight at Rush Gymnasium. Image by Cassie Young

As the old saying goes, “when you assume, you make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.'” Well, I assumed there would be more good news to write about with the women’s basketball team hosting Cal Lu in the first round of the SCIAC post season tournament today, and now, I look like…yes, an ass. The Regals stunned the heavily-favored Tigers by banking in a layup at the buzzer to silence the rowdy Rush Gymnasium crowd, eliminate Oxy from the conference tournament, and make me severely regret not posting this column sooner.

So even though the Lady Tigers played their hearts out tonight (they erased a 15 point lead to go ahead in the final minutes before Cal Lu clutched up), I gotta say that this loss is on me.

It’s all my fault. I held off too long–procrastinated recklessly even–and now I’m taking the blame.

So best week ever? Maybe not quite. But it’s still a pretty darn good one, nonetheless.

Quick Hits:

Remember freshman phenom Cole Williams from the men’s cross country team? Well, he’s running track this semester, and so far has been equally successful. Last weekend in the Tigers’ first meet at Pomona Pitzer, Williams finished less than one second behind U.S. National Team runner Charles Jock in the 1,000 meter race– an astounding feat for anyone, let alone someone in their first collegiate performance. We’ll keep an eye on Williams and the rest of his teammates as the season progresses; next up: a meet at CMS this coming Saturday…

Varsity teams weren’t the only ones grabbing wins for the good guys last week: the Occidental rugby team beat UNLV 24-14 last weekend in Vegas to improve to 3-0 on the season. This is a squad that won the national championship last year, so they should be getting more attention. We’ve taken note of this fact, so be on the lookout for something rugby-related to appear on Tiger Talk in the coming weeks…

Tiger Talk was getting some press last week. Our good friends at the Occidental Weekly wrote a nice little article on us, which can be read online through this link: Tiger Talk Puts Athletics on Air…

And speaking of Tiger Talk being on air, you might have noticed the lack of Podcast Posts over the last couple of weeks. Well, to be honest, Jake, Ryan and I have been struggling to find a time when our schedules match, so things have been a bit difficult. That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning the podcast completely, but look for us to include more videos and pictures on the blog as a way to supplement our spotty podcasting schedule…

Monday Morning Quarterback: Spring Semester, Week 2

Sitting in the Marketplace this afternoon with my computer and a bowl of Cocoa Krispies cereal drafting up this week’s edition of Monday Morning Quarterback, I realized something: I write too much. Maybe it was the fact that I looked down to the bottom of the screen and saw the word count meter read four-digits or maybe it was Jake standing over my shoulder telling me that no one wants to read my eight-paragraph post about Oxy sports, but something tells me that my last MMQB was just way too long. So, to fix that, I’m going to follow Jake’s lead and write less…in list form…with more pictures.

Here is my list (in no particular order) of awesome things that happened this weekend in relation to Tiger athletics:

1. 

   Caroline Chang's record-setting 200 yard backstroke time is certainly awesome enough to make the list

   Oxy swimmer Caroline Chang set a school record in the 200 yard backstroke on Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer with a time of 2:10.57– over a second faster than the previous mark. While the Tigers ultimately fell to the Sagehens on the day, Chang’s record time is still pretty awesome, and therefore makes the list.

2. 

   Victor Munoz loading up to hit one over the fence

   Freshman pitcher Joe Kling picked up his second win in as many tries on Saturday against the Whitworth Pirates, the only game the Oxy baseball team won in last weekend’s three game set. I do not have a picture of Joe from the weekend, so instead am including one of catcher Victor Munoz, who hit his first home run on a swing that was…yes, awesome.

3. The women’s basketball team won a couple of games the past weekend, crushing Cal Tech 74-40 on Saturday before sneaking by Chapman in double overtime 63-61 on Super Bowl Sunday. With the victories, the Lady Tigers sit atop the SCIAC at 9-1 in conference and 18-3 overall. In my book, that qualifies as awesome.
4. Sticking with women’s basketball, Annika Awbrey and Crystal Goodwin both posted career highs in scoring during the team’s game against Cal Tech. For the record,  Awbrey finished with 15 and Goodwin with 12. Double awesome.
5. 

   What's Shane looking at? Could it be the women's water polo team in their intrasquad last weekend?

   While the women’s water polo season doesn’t officially start until this coming Saturday, the team did play their annual alumni game last weekend in front of exactly one fan: my roommate Shane. Props to him for being the first to support the team in its quest to return to– and this time hopefully win– the national championship. His dedication is quite awesome.

6. To that point, the women’s water polo team is now one week closer to opening their highly anticipated season with games against Azusa Pacific and Cal State San Bernardino. I know Jake’s excited: he’s dedicating this semester’s Mascot Match-Ups entirely to the spring season’s most aquatic Tiger athletes (no offense, baseball team). Me? I’m just as happy as Jake is, which is why the fact that we now no longer have to wait to see women’s water polo play makes the list. Their season should be…awesome.
7. Turning back to the hardwood, the men’s basketball team beat Cal Tech last weekend 62-54 on the road, thus successfully silencing the critics who were still skeptical of the Tigers after last year’s loss to the Beavers. Per usual, Deshun McCoy led Oxy in scoring with 15 points. Putting to rest the “Cal Tech beat Oxy” talks: awesome.
8. 

   The Tigers baseball team made its presence known at the Oxy-Cal Tech men's basketball game

   And finally, not to be forgotten is the effort of the members of the Occidental baseball team, who traveled to Cal Tech to cheer on the Tigers basketball team as they took down the Beavers. At several times, the baseball team challenged the Cal Tech fans with chants of “O-O-O-to the X” and “Defense.” The room buzzed with nothing short of a playoff atmosphere. Particularly impressive, too, were the signs created for the event by the baseball team: outfielder Joey Massari drew a Tiger devouring a Beaver, pitcher Tyler Steimel held a “Math Sucks” sign which garnered a number of cheers from visiting fans, while Tiger Talk’s own Jake Blodgett held one reading “ESPN” with two arrows pointing downward. The whole spectacle was truly awesome. Below are the few pictures I was able to gather (sorry for the quality– they were all taken with a cell phone):

For a Cal Tech basketball game, there sure was a heavy turnout. So many fans were there that the Tigers baseball team had to stand against the wall behind the Oxy bench

The baseball team huddles together to plan their next cheer during a timeout

Oddly enough, the "Math Sucks" poster elicited a few cheers from Beaver fans, including one from a Cal Tech professor who came over and said to the Tigers baseball team: "I even teach math and I hate it"

Jake and Kevin Ozaki show off two of the posters brought to the game by the Oxy baseball team

So, there it is: the highlights of the weekend in list form with pictures. And it all comes in well below the 1000 word mark. Yep, I think writing less just might be better.

Do you like the list format? Tell us what you think by leaving us a note in the comment section.

Monday Morning Quarterback: Better Late than Never?

Let’s be honest here: I’ve been neglecting some of my responsibilities lately. Homework? Barely happening. Keeping my room clean? Not at all. Posting to Tiger Talk? Also a huge fail.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been so busy with baseball, or maybe it’s the realization that I’m finally in my senior spring and shouldn’t have to do too much work (which, for anyone reading this who hasn’t finished colleges, is a complete lie). Whatever the case, though, one thing is for certain: if I don’t get on my stuff soon, I’m going to crash and burn come April when my comps paper is due and I have to start studying for finals.

So, in an effort to prevent that, I’ve made a checklist of stuff to get done. And lucky for all of you (2 people who actually see this), Tiger Talk is number 1.

What have you missed since the last edition of Monday Morning Quarterback? Well, a lot actually. Let me fill you in:

• 

  Conrad Liebowitz and the men's basketball team has been hanging in there in the SCIAC standings. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

  As of today, men’s basketball sits at 7-11 overall and 3-5 in SCIAC play, good for  fifth place in the conference. After beginning the season with a surprisingly close loss to Division-I Pepperdine, the Tigers played rather mediocre basketball for about a month and a half up until the start of their SCIAC schedule. Then, almost suddenly, they turned it around to knock off La Verne in their conference opener before getting revenge against Cal Tech in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s debacle. After that, though, the men’s team came back down to earth, dropping four in a row before upsetting then-second-place Pomona Pitzer at home last weekend. Oxy’s biggest contributers thus far have been junior Deshun McCoy (15.6 PPG: good for 5th in SCIAC), senior Jack Hanley (13.6 PPG: 12th in SCIAC), and sophomore Conrad Liebowitz (whose 9.4 RPG puts him at second in the conference). Also to note: Tigers’ senior Jake Copithorne was awarded the SCIAC Athlete of the Week Award back on December 20 after he posted 14 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in against Widener University.

• 

  Makenzie Brandon and the women's basketball team have dominated the SCIAC all season. Image from the Occidental College Tigers'' Facebook page

  Women’s basketball, on the other hand, has continued their winning ways throughout the season. After a 52-40 win over the Leopards last night, the Lady Tigers now stand at 16-3 overall, and 8-1 in conference play. A huge 61-58 victory over the then-first-place U of R Bulldogs on January 26 bolted Oxy into first place, and the team hasn’t looked back since, winning their last three games by commanding margins. Leading the charge has been junior Makenzie Brandon, whose 18.1 PPG ranks first in the SCIAC and 33rd nationally. Brandon, a 2011 All-Conference pick, has four times been selected as the SCIAC Player of the Week this year– an astounding total for an entire college career, let alone one season. On the other side of the ball, junior Katelyn Rowe has been been a force for Oxy defensively: her 2.3 blocked shots per game leads the conference, while her 7.7 RPG puts her at 6th in the league. With only six games left on the schedule including two this weekend, the Lady Tigers seem poised to lock up their fifth straight SCIAC title in a row.

• 

  The women's swimming team has impressed all season long and should post solid numbers at SCIACs

  Turning towards the pool, the Tigers’ men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have followed a similar pattern to their hardwood counterparts, as the men have struggled a bit and the women have excelled. Currently sitting at 2-5 overall and 1-5 in conference, the men’s team by record appears to have been floundering for much of the season, but in a recent Tiger Talk interview, senior co-captain Zach Condon warned that his club is ready to compete in SCIACs. Condon, co-captain Riley Kimball, and freshman Stephen Van Deventer have paced the men in lap times, and could all put up some big points for the team come championship time. For the women, things have gone a bit differently, as the team has won five of its six meets, losing only to SCIAC powerhouse CMS. Caroline Chang, Mallory Ryan, and Juliet Suess have consistently impressed for the lady swimmers, and are surely among the ones to watch for the upcoming SCIAC championships in a week and a half.

• And finally, the spring sports season has officially begun, as the Tigers’ baseball team won its first two games last weekend before dropping one today to Whitworth at home. Juniors Pedro Aldape and Logan Allen each have two home runs for the Tigers, who plated 30 runs in a Sunday doubleheader against La Sierra before losing 4-2 this afternoon. I will be covering the baseball team in a weekly video column called “Conflict of Interest,” and should have the first post up tomorrow.

Clearly, there has been a lot going on. And with the other spring season teams (women’s water polo, softball, women’s lacrosse, track and field) set to open soon, more is on the way. With that, I think it’s time for me to kick into gear and start getting stuff done. So about that homework…

Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 13

At this time of each semester, I always feel like I’m behind– behind in sleep, behind in schoolwork, behind in knowing what’s going on in the world outside of my library cubicle, and now, behind on Tiger Talk.

Shamefully, it’s been almost a month since we’ve done a podcast and several weeks since I’ve been able to post on the blog consistently. But while I’ve been holed up working on papers and research projects, the rest of the world has continued on as usual. And now I finally have a minute to write about it.

To my credit, the Oxy sports schedule over the last couple of weeks has been slow. With only four teams really in action during the winter season (men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and swimming and diving), there isn’t a whole lot to write about in the first place. Plus, given that we’re slowly creeping towards winter break–which, thank goodness, starts on Friday–there haven’t been many games on the schedule.

Men’s basketball has been off since last Monday, when they smoked the American Sports University 98-70 to improve to 4-4 on the season. With finals this week, Coach Newhall saved them the trouble of having to balance papers and tests with practices and games, so they’re off until Sunday the 18th.

Marquisha Corley and the women's basketball team hasn't played since the end of November. They will be in action again next Monday. Image from the Occidental College Tigers Facebook page

Similarly, the women’s team has been inactive since November 27th, when they downed UC Santa Cruz 64-55 at home. They have been been scrimmaging over the last couple of weeks, but still haven’t played in an official game in over two weeks and won’t until next Monday. After that, though, they will play four games in six days, so there will be something to report on then.

Swimming and diving, on the other hand, has competed twice in the past week and a half, first against Cal Lutheran at home, and then versus Redlands on the road. In both meets, the men’s team lost but the women won. I have to say, though, I was on hand for the matchup against Cal Lu, and I really came away impressed by both squads.

The meet started off well for Oxy when the women’s 200 yard relay team beat Cal Lu by over five seconds. Caroline Chang set the pace for the Tigers by putting Oxy ahead by over a second in the first heap, and the team never looked back. The lady swimmers dominated the Reagals in the 1000 yard freestyle, the 200 yard freestyle, the 50 yard freestyle, the 200 yard IM, the 200 yard butterfly, the 100 yard freestyle, and the 200 yard breaststroke– which was pretty much the whole meet. Particularly impressive, was Emily Watkins in the 200 yard breaststroke (1rst);  Mallory Ryan in the 200 yard free (1st), 200 yard butterfly (1st), and her section of the relay (around 25 seconds, which was fastest during the heap); Juliet Suess in the 200 free (2nd), 100 free (1st), and 50 free (1st); Noel Hemphill in the 1000 yard freestyle (she finished 1st after passing the leading Cal Lu swimmer on the final turn of the race…and by the way, I’m pretty sure I would drown in this event from exhaustion, so extra props to her); and Caroline Chang in the 200 yard backstroke (2nd) and the 200 yard IM (1st). I’ve included a video of the women’s 200 IM below, so you can see just how well Chang did in this event (also swimming for the Tigers in the video is Abby Bailey and Aviva Alvarez-Zakson).

On the men’s side, I have to admit, that I was a little shocked by how well they swam. In talking to some of the guys on their team, I was expecting a ton of last place finishes, but I guess they must just be a bunch of pessimists because really, there were plenty of bright spots for the men’s squad on that particular day. For one, the Tigers have found a potential All-SCIAC swimmer in Stephen Ratkovich— this kid can swim. In his first event of the day, the 200 yard relay, he brought his team back from a one-second deficit to beat Cal Lu in the final length to pick up six points for Oxy. And while the men’s team ultimately lost on the day, Stephen shone throughout the day for his club, placing first in the men’s 50 free and second in the 100 free behind only Grant East, who was All-SCIAC in 2010. Also of note for the men’s team were the performances of Kevin Kuwata in the 200 yard free, Ben Sullivan in the 200 yard butterfly, and Stephen van Deventerin the 200 yard breaststroke– all three of which finished first, respectively, in those events.

Spencer Whalen and the men's team swam very well last week against Cal Lutheran. Image from the Occidental College Tigers Facebook page

All in all, this looked like a team with a lot of promise that was just lacking numbers (in the swimming and diving portion, they lost valuable points for not having anyone compete, which I don’t understand; they could have just had three guys go out there and do pencil dives and still have gotten points). Clearly, they are poised to do much more on the season than I expected, so I guess I should be a bit more optimistic, too.

But anyways, with that, I feel at least a little more caught up. And now, what’s best, is that with the three teams all inactive the rest of the week, I will be able to make up some lost time with the other things I missed–specifically sleep and last week’s Community special (though I should probably get all my schoolwork before I get to that one).

Quick Hits:

In a rarity in SCIAC sports, two teams are teaming up to work for the same cause: the Occidental and Cal Tech women’s basketball teams are hosting a basketball tournament next weekend that will also serve as a food drive. For more info on you can help, check out the Oxy Athletics article on the event here…

Speaking of community service, the Tigers baseball team held its annual holiday gift exchange last Friday, this time gathering presents to give to the Toys for Tots program. And while the event went relatively unpublicized, the baseball team did get some ink this past week when Mike Wells released his season preview…

While last week’s podcast clearly didn’t happen, there is still a chance we might get in one more before break. Check our Facebook page for updates…

 

Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 12

Across the nation, almost all competitive NCAA collegiate athletic programs have their own version of a fight song. Florida State has its war chant, Alabama fans yell the Rammer Jammer, Boston University has The Song (and for clarification, it’s “puck ’em up” for hockey, “eat ’em up” for football), Ole Miss baseball does its Love is Gone dugout dance, and even little-known Rochester Institute of Technology has an awesome “E to the X”cheer.

Here at Oxy? Well, we can’t claim Io Triumphe to be ours, because we’re not the only school to use it: the chant originated and is still yelled by those at Albion College in Michigan (even the Occidental website admits that). So then what is it?

I have two suggestions.

First, the classic “O to the X” chant.

It’s loud, it’s proud, it could potentially involve hand gestures (think YMCA), and it’s simple—all things that the average inebriated college sports fan looks for in a cheer.

Another suggestion: how about the ever-catchy “Tigers in the Front” cheer? It’s popular, provocative, and unique to Oxy.

So for this week’s edition of Monday Morning Quarterback, I ask: what say you, Oxy? What should be our school’s fight song? Should we keep Io Triumphe or adopt a new chant? I’ve provided a poll below in order to tally votes.

And as always, if you have any other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment for us to consider.

Quick Hits:

I know I’ve gotten a little off topic this week (I thank homework and the windstorm for that), but there were some Tiger teams in action over the week. Men’s basketball dropped a tough one at home on Tuesday to West Coast Baptist in a game that they really could have won. Down by 10 at the half, Oxy opened the second with a 20-4 run to take the lead, but lost it in the final minutes when the Eagles’ offense decided to wake up. I was on hand for this one and it was frustrating to watch; the Tigers gave up 11 three-pointers, many of which were uncontested. On the bright side, though Jack Hanley and Deshun McCoy led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points each, while Conrad Liebowitz paced the home team in rebounds with 12. Next up on the schedule for the men’s basketball team is showdown with The American Sports University on Monday at home…

Also in action last week were the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, which hosted Cal Lu in a leaves-filled Taylor Pool following the windstorm on Friday, and then traveled to Redlands to take on the Bulldogs on Saturday. I will go more in depth about their performances next week, but both teams swam very well. The men’s team, though, lost both of their meets, while the women’s team won both of theirs…

As expected, the SCIAC released its annual list of All-Conference football teams this week, and six Tiger players were honored with selections. Quarterback Luke Collis, his wide receiver Matt Tuckness, and defensive back Ayrton Bates all placed on the First Team; while wideout Ryan Rodriguez, linebacker Greg Holsworth, and defensive lineman Casey Shibuya each were selected to the Second Team. For the complete All-SCIAC list, click here…

And finally, the Athlete of the Week accolades keep coming for the 2011 Tigers, as Occidental women’s basketball forward Makenzie Brandon won the award last week after averaging  over 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game from November 22-29. Brandon, who was a 2010 All-SCIAC First-Team selectee, is currently first on the team in scoring for the 3-1 Tigers. The women’s basketball team will get the next two weeks off before taking on Willamette on December 19…

Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 11

While the rest of campus is off eating turkey, the men's and women's basketball teams will play a full schedule over Thanksgiving break. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

Well, it’s that time of the year again: Thanksgiving break. Off to the far reaches of the country go hordes of students for five days of eating, watching football, spending time with family, and inevitably procrastinating on all the homework that is due next week.

But while this may be the norm for college students nationwide, not everyone gets to go home for the holiday. No, the members of the Occidental men’s and women’s basketball teams will remain on campus for the long weekend, instead playing out the early part of their 2011-2012 schedules.

The men’s team—which enters the break 1-2 on the season after a 78-72 loss to Division I Pepperdine, an 81-73 win over the American Sports University, and a tough 82-61 defeat at the hands of the defending D-III champs, St. Thomas Minnesota—will play three games on the week. The first will be against Pacifica, while the other two will be against the University of Dallas (TX) and the Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ), respectively, as part of the annual Oxy/Caltech Thanksgiving Classic.

Similarly, the women’s team—which is 1-0 on the year after downing Trinity (TX) 70-58 in their season opener—will face Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday, MIT on Saturday, and UC-Santa Cruz on Sunday. Look for the game against GA to be a close one, as the Gusties finished 15-7 last year in conference and return a strong team.

So, if you’re stuck on campus this weekend and need a place to go while your turkey digests or even a break from all of that Thanksgiving week football, head down to the Rush gym where there will certainly be some action.

As for Tiger Talk, though, we’ll be taking a short hiatus to fill up on some grub and get some much needed R and R. Please check back next week, though, for another week’s edition of Monday Morning Quarterback and hopefully a new episode of the podcast.

Quick Hits:

Men’s and women’s swimming and diving was active last week at the Orange County Invite and swam pretty well. Depleted by injuries and a team-wide case of the flu, the Tigers still put forth a solid effort: most notably, on the women’s side, Caroline Chang finished first in the 200 yard breastroke, Mallory Ryan placed third in the 200 yard butterfly, and Noel Hemphill came in fourth in the 1000 yard free; while for the men, Zachary Condon took fifth in the 200 yard Backstroke and sixth in the 500 yard freestyle, and Kevin Kuwata finished eigth in the 100-yard Breastroke. The Oxy swimmers and divers will be off until December 2, when they will host their first SCIAC dual meet of the season against Cal Lu…

The SCIAC football All-League selections should be coming out early next week, so be sure to check the conference website on Monday or Tuesday for those…

Really, really cool thing out of Athletics last week: an Oxy sports interactive newsletter. Props again to new SID Mike Wells and his staff, who continue to impress with stuff like this. Can’t wait to see what he puts forth next week after the busy basketball schedules…

And finally, just a note on the Tiger Talk podcast: because of some scheduling conflicts with the overloaded basketball schedule and broadcasts, we have been unable to grab some airtime in the last two weeks, but hope to return soon after the break. But still, apologies for being MIA with the podcasts. We should have communicated this earlier…