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(Riverside, CA) The Big West
Conference honored 156 athletes, 19 from UC Riverside, as the Academic
All-Big West teams for Fall 2002 were announced. To be eligible
for the All Academic team, student-athletes have to maintain a 3.2
cumulative grade point average, have attained a sophomore standing
academically and competed in at least 50 percent of their team’s
contests.
W.
Volleyball
Tiffany Brooks Sophomore Business
Anaheim, CA
Lindsay Drennen Sophomore Undeclared
Hermosa Beach, CA
Rosanna Parizek Junior Psychology
Sebastopol, CA
Amy Sperry Senior Sociology
Twain Harte, CA
W.
Soccer
Erika Bligh Sophomore Biological
Science Alta Loma, CA
Kristin Cocks Senior Psychology
Plano, TX
Kerri Fahres Junior
Sociology Alta Loma, CA
Tracy Schuster Sophomore Undeclared
Lancaster, CA
Katie Small Senior Mathematics
Redlands, CA
Colleen Sweeney Senior English
Ontario, CA
M.
Soccer
Ben Davies Sophomore Undeclared
Alta Loma, CA
Jeff Pusey Sophomore Business
Alta Loma, CA
Steven Vasquez Sophomore Mathematics
Corona, CA
Men’s
Cross Country
Ryan Allen Senior Economics
Temecula, CA
Israel Gonzales Junior
Business Chino, CA
Josh Gonzales Junior Business
Chino, CA
Paul Hansen Sophomore Computer
Science Rialto, CA
Noe Romo Senior Biology
Perris, CA
Women’s
Cross Country
Dena Witthaus Junior
Mathematics Rancho Mirage, CA
(Feb. 24, 2003) - Junior thrower Syreeta
Waller and sophomore distance runner Carlos Handler were chosen
as UCR Student-Athletes of the Month for February by the Student-Athlete
Advisory Council (SAAC). Waller and Handler were chosen by SAAC
due to their tremendous hard work and accomplishments.
Waller broke her own school record in the
women's weight throw at the NAU Invitational in Flagstaff, Arizona
on February 2. Her throw of 55'8" broke the old mark of 57'11".
Carlos Handler was honored for his performance
in the 5k run at the NAU Invitational, in which he completed the
race in a time of 15:00.
Student Athlete of the Month is chosen by
the members of SAAC who are also UCR student-athletes. The award
is given to the athletes to recognize overall competitiveness,
prolonged hard work, and match results.
(Riverside, CA) - A three
team field begins play Friday in the annual Riverside Baseball
Invitational Tournament. All games will be played at the Riverside
Sports Complex at the corner of Blaine and Rustin in Riverside.
On Friday, Oral Roberts University
defeated St. Mary's, 4-3 to open the tournament. It continues
on Saturday at noon as St. Mary's again faces Oral Roberts. The
Highlanders will play the first of their two games at approximately
4 PM against Oral Roberts.
The tournament concludes
on Sunday at noon as the Highlanders play St. Mary's.
 (Mar.
10, 2003) - The Big West Conference announced its 18th Annual Big
West Conference Scholar-Athlete recipients on Monday, and UC Riverside
was well represented with sophomore pitcher AJ Shappi, and senior
goalie Kristin Cocks among the honorees.
Shappi, a starting pitcher
for the UC Riverside baseball team, earned freshman All-American
honors last season, and is off to a good start in his sophomore
campaign, with a 5-0 record. Shappi is a chemistry major at UCR
and a Rhodes Scholar candidate.
Cocks is the starting goalkeeper
for the women’s soccer team and posted five consecutive shutouts
en route to leading the Big West Conference in goals against average.
She is a psychology major and a member of the Psychology National
Honors society.
Shappi and Cocks will be honored
on Thursday, March 13, as two of 20 athletes at the 18th Annual
Big West Scholarship-Athlete Recognition Breakfast.
(Mar. 19, 2003) - Freshman long jumper Amy
Walton and junior men's basketball player Mark Peters were chosen
as UCR Student-Athletes of the Month for March by the Student-Athlete
Advisory Council (SAAC).
Amy Walton (Track & Field) beat her personal
school record on March 1st. at UCR's track meet. Walton beat her
personal record at the triple jump to finish at 38ft.
Mark Peters (Men's basketball) came to UCR
as a walk on and through is hard work has earned him a spot on
the team. Peter's hard work has shined through as he finished
second in assists behind Kevin Butler .
Student Athlete of the Month is chosen by
the members of SAAC who are also UCR student-athletes. The award
is given to the athletes to recognize overall competitiveness,
prolonged hard work, and match results.
(Mar. 11, 2003) - The UC Riverside
Highlanders have qualified for the Big West Conference Tournament
for the second straight year and face second-seeded University of
the Pacific in the quarterfinals at 2:30 PM on Wednesday at the
Anaheim Convention Center. The semifinals are on Friday and the
championship game is on Saturday at 1:00 PM (Fox Sports West 2).
The Highlanders finished the
regular season with an overall record of 8-19 and 5-11 in the Big
West Conference, tied for seventh with Cal State Fullerton. However,
the Highlanders received the No. 7 seed for the Big West Tournament
by virtue of a season sweep over the Titans.
The Tigers (14-13, 11-5 BWC)
swept the Highlanders this season, winning at home in double overtime
87-83 on January 30th and at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside
on March 1st, UOP cruised to a 79-52 win. Other first-round pairings
are No. 3 Long Beach State vs. No. 6 Cal Poly at 12:00 p.m., No.
1 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 8 Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. and No.
4 UC Irvine vs. No. 5 Idaho at 8:30 p.m.
The Highlanders made their
first ever appearance in the Big West Tournament last season as
the No. 2 seed. Riverside defeated UC Irvine 63-53 in the quarterfinals
but fell to the University of the Pacific in the semifinals 64-47.
On Monday,
sophomore guard Casandra Reeves was named Big West First Team All-Conference
and junior forward Crystal Harris was named to the Honorable Mention
team. Reeves leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game,
assists at 3.2 per game and steals at 2.6 per game. Harris was Honorable
Mention, averaging 13.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg.
(April. 15, 2003) - UC Riverside
senior sprinter and long jumper Nate Irvin has been named
the 2003 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year by Black
Issues in Higher Education, the magazine announced.
Irvin was selected for the
honor by "best exemplifying the standards of scholarship, athleticism
and humanitarianism," according to a press release from the
magazine. He is featured on the cover and in a feature story in
the April 10, 2003 edition of the magazine.
Irvin boasts a 3.8 cumulative
grade point average, including a 4.0 in the Fall of 2002. He has
been named to the Dean's List 10 times and to the Chancellor's Honor
list on two occasions. He plans on attending medical school following
his graduation and has been accepted by Harvard, Yale and Cornell.
On the track, Irvin is the
team's top sprinter and long jumper.
Irvin is also involved in the
African Americans United in Science, serving as the president for
two years, and is a member of UCR's Rhodes Scholar Team, which groom
student-athletes for the program. He has also volunteered with WOAR,
working with disadvantaged youth in the Riverside community and
has served as Bio-Med peer mentor to help ease new student's transitions
into the university's medical science program.
The Sports Scholars Award was
established in 1992 to honor undergraduate students of color who
exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe, Jr. To
be included, student-athletes have to maintain a GPA of at least
3.2 and be active on their campuses or in their communities. This
year approximately 600 male and female student-athletes from across
the country were nominated for the award.
(April 22, 2003) - The April 2003 issue of
Track and Field News erroneously reported that UC Riverside
was planning to drop track and field following the 2002-03 school
year. The article has sparked a flurry of phone calls from concerned
supporters of the program. However, there are no plans to drop
the track and field program at UCR.
“We are not dropping the track and
field program at UC Riverside,” Director of Athletics Stan
Morrison said. “It is a shame that a publication would print
something like this without having the facts. I don’t know
where they got the information from, but it is simply wrong.”
The editor of Track and Field News
has stated that the magazine will be printing a correction to
the error in the May issue.
(June 7, 2003) - UC Riverside
Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach Chris Rinne’s
contract will not be renewed for the 2003-04 school year, UCR
Athletics Director Stan Morrison announced Friday.
“We are grateful to
Coach Rinne for over 30 years of service to UC Riverside, however
I have determined that there is a need to go a different direction
with the program,” Morrison said.
Morrison said that he plans
to retain the current assistant track and field coaches, Mark
Moyer, Frederica Bush, Ed Luna and Ken Simons.
“I look forward to
speaking with each of the assistant coaches as we work to chart
the future of the UCR track and field program,” Morrison
said, adding that a search for a new head coach will commence
shortly. “We continue to be committed to building a winning
program.”
Rinne has been on staff at
UCR since 1969 and served as UCR athletic director for five years
(1982-87). Rinne did some of his undergraduate work at UCR before
transferring to Long Beach State in 1968, where he went on to
get a master's degree in physical education in 1970.
The UC Riverside Athletics Department announced the
winners of it's 2002-03 Season Ending Awards at the Braveheart
Auction and Food Festival on June 5.
The event featured the presentation of
seven awards - The Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year,
the Scholar Athlete Award, the Lindy Award, and the Braveheart
Award.
The winners of the awards for 2002-03,
are:
Brian Wahlbrink
• Co-Male Athlete of the Year
Senior baseball player Brian Wahlbrink has been named the University
of California, Riverside Co-Male Athlete of the Year for the
2002-2003 academic year, sharing the award with teammate Randy
Blood.
Wahlbrink was a three-year starter for the Highlanders, posting
a career batting average of .328 in 164 games. In his senior
campaign, Wahlbrink was among the top hitters in the Big West,
was named first team All-Big West and led the Highlanders to
their first-ever Division I championship appearance.
As a senior, the Anaheim, CA native adjusted his approach to
the game, adding power to his already impressive speed. Starting
every game as the Highlanders’ lead off hitter, he posted
career highs in batting average (.368), runs (68), hits (95),
doubles (19), triples (4), homers (12), total bases (158) and
RBI (41) for the Highlanders.
"Brian Wahlbrink has been an exceptional player for this
team," Coach Jack Smitheran said. "He took his role
very seriously and worked hard in the off-season to raise the
level of not only his game, but the game of his teammates."
His name appears in several UCR career top 10’s, including
being tied for seventh in runs scored (159), tied for ninth
in doubles (45), second in hit by pitches (22), and seventh
in stolen bases (49).
“As a coach you are always looking for leaders, the kind
of individual who brings the team together, helps them gel as
a group,” Smitheran said. “Brian did that and more
in his three years here. He not only developed into a star in
the Big West, but helped secure himself a spot in professional
baseball with the San Diego Padres’ organization.”
Wahlbrink is scheduled to graduate in 2003 with a degree in
Business
"Brian Wahlbrink is an outstanding student-athlete and
leader. The skills that he has learned on the field will serve
him long after his days of athletic competition are through."
UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison said. "Seeing his
effort, watching him raise his performance to an All-American
level has been a pleasure to behold. We wish him nothing but
luck in the future.”
Randy
Blood • Co-Male Athlete of the Year
Riverside, CA -- Senior baseball player Randy Blood has been
named the University of California, Riverside Co-Male Athlete
of the Year for the 2002-2003 academic year, sharing the award
with teammate Brian Wahlbrink.
Blood was a four-year letterwinner for the Highlanders, posting
a career batting average of .317 in 221 games for the Highlanders.
As a senior, the Costa Mesa, CA native had his best season,
posting career highs in average (.368), hits (82), doubles (17),
triples (3), homers (5), RBI (51) and total bases (120). He
was named first team All-Big West and led the Highlanders to
their first-ever Division I championship appearance.
As a senior, Blood was asked to make a pair of major adjustments.
First he was moved from second in the batting order to fifth,
a move that took him from being a “table setter”
and asked him to become a big RBI man. He succeeded beyond the
wildest imaginations of his coaches, finishing second on the
team in RBI and third in runs scored (44).
The second move was perhaps more challenging, and in the end,
more important to the success of the team. In the middle of
2003, Blood was shifted from second base, where he had played
the majority of his career, to shortstop in hopes of solidifying
a trouble spot for the club.”
"Switching positions in mid-season is a difficult chore
for a player, but when Randy moved to shortstop it improved
our club in many ways, " Coach Jack Smitheran said. "He
could have complained, sulked, or not given 100% out there,
but he never did any of those things. He just kept working hard
and got better and better."
Blood leaves UCR with his name in several career top 10 categories,
including fourth in at bats (805), first in games played (221),
first in games started (218), sixth in runs scored (162), fifth
in hits (255), sixth in doubles (53), ninth in RBI (140), ninth
in total bases (365), first in walks (150), sixth in hit by
pitches (18), and first in assists (645).
“Those records are a credit to Randy’s longevity.
He came here as a starter and never lost his position,”
Smitheran said. “The record that stands out most to me,
however, is the walks. It is can be difficult for a young player
to show the patience to draw walks, but Randy leaves here with
a total of 150 career walks and just 135 career strikeouts.
That is outstanding.”
Blood is scheduled to graduate in 2003 with a degree in Business.
He was selected in the sixth round of the 2003 Major League
Draft by the Colorado Rockies and will pursue a career in professional
baseball.
"Randy Blood has shown himself to be a strong student-athlete,
and a quality and caring individual who put the team first,”
UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison said. "I look forward
to seeing what this man can achieve in the future, whether it
is on the baseball field or in the business world.”
Casandra
Reeves • Co-Female Athlete of the Year
Riverside, CA -- Sophomore basketball player Casandra Reeves
has been named the University of California, Riverside Co-Female
Athlete of the Year for the 2002-2003 academic year. Reeves
shared the honor with track and field athlete Zikarra Beverly.
The award was announced at the Third Annual Braveheart Auction
and Food Festival on June 5.
Despite being just a sophomore, Reeves led her team in scoring
at 15.7 points per game and set school records in three pointers
with 68 and minutes played with 1,108. Her 440 total points
were fourth highest all time, her 82.9% free throw percentage
sixth highest all time and her 75 steals ninth highest all-time.
Following the 2002-03 season, Reeves was named first team All-Big
West, the only sophomore and point guard to make first team.
In her career she is third all-time with 116 three pointers,
fifth in three point percentage at 36.3% and first in free throw
percentage at 81.8%.
"Casandra had some pretty big shoes to fill, but she has
done all that and more, " Head Coach Jennifer Young said.
"Her skills and quiet confidence are those of an older,
more experienced player. She is a remarkable athlete."
In 2002-03, Reeves proved that fact, playing in 1,108 of a possible
1,130 minutes for the Highlanders
"Casandra has just one speed, and that is ‘go’,"
Young added. ”She doesn’t want to come out of the
game, she wants to be doing her part on the floor.
"Casandra Reeves is continuing the great tradition of UCR
point guards," UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison said.
"She is setting a standard that athletes will be attempting
to match for years to come. It is remarkable that she has achieved
all that she has in just two short years. The sky is the limit
for this outstanding young athlete."
Zikarra
Beverly • Co-Female Athlete of the Year
Sophomore long jumper and sprinter Zikarra Beverly has been
named the University of California, Riverside Co-Female Athlete
of the Year for the 2002-2003 academic year. Beverly shared
the honor with basketball player Casandra Reeves.
Beverly had a record breaking season in 2003, posting new UCR
marks in three events and capping her regular season by winning
the Big West Championship in the long jump.
The San Diego, CA native entered 2002 already owning the UCR
record in the 100 meters at 12.16, but lost the mark to teammate
Angela Lindsey at midseason, as Lindsey posted a 12.15. But
Beverly bounced right back to reclaim the mark, posting a time
of 12.03 at the Big West Championships on May 16.
“To break any school record is a tremendous accomplishment,
but to break a 100 meter record by more than a tenth of a second
is a remarkable achievement,” UCR Head Track and Field
Coach Christopher Rinne said.
The record in 100 was not her only accomplishment, however.
Running as the anchor leg on the 4x100 relay, she helped the
team to a school record time of 45.70, for a second place finish
at the Big West Championships and a qualifying spot in the NCAA
West Regional Championships
Beverly set another UCR record with a leap of 19’5 1/2”
in the long jump to win the Big West Championship, the first
in UCR history. Beverly’s jump was a NCAA West Regional
qualifying mark as she beat her nearest competitor by 2 3/4”.
"Zikarra has proven to be an exceptional athlete in her
first two years at UCR, and there is more to come,” Rinne
said. ”I would be surprised if Zikarra doesn’t continue
to rewrite the record book over the next two years.”
"Zikarra Beverly has ‘raised the bar’ for future
athletes at UCR by working to improve herself on a daily basis,"
UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison said. "The championship
and the records that she has broken are a by-product of the
work that this remarkable young woman has put in. With her drive
and determination, the next two years should be just as exciting
as the first two."
Rosanna
Parizek • Lindy Award
Riverside, CA – Junior volleyball player Rosanna Parizek
was named winner of the Lindy Award for the 2002-2003 academic
year.
The Lindy Award is presented annually to the student-athlete
or service group member who has demonstrated exceptional dedication
by participating in extracurricular activities in the community
and at the university, and who is in satisfactory academic standing.
Parizek is described by Head Coach Sue Gozansky as a quiet leader
who has developed both on and off the floor. A three-year starter
who was a captain in 2002-03, she led all hitters with a .216
hitting percentage and was second on the team with 231 kills.
In the classroom, Parizek has a 3.632 GPA for the Highlanders,
and earned Big West Academic All-Conference honors.”
"Rosanna is extremely coachable and has a great work ethic,”
Head Coach Sue Gozansky said. "She seems to enjoy hard
work and giving her time to others.”
Away from the court, Parizek has remained involved in a number
of activities. She is a two-year member of the Student-Athlete
Advisory Council and served as the Big West Representative in
01-02. While with SAAC, she helped the annual Adopt-a-Family
drive during the holiday season.
Parizek also was a representative of Student Athlete Mentors
(SAMS) and worked to promote health and safety issues on campus,
serving on the HIV and AIDS committee She is an active participant
in the UCR Rhodes Scholar Team and is involved with Gamma Beta
Phi, the honors and community service society. Finally, she
served as a tutor during the winter quarter of 2003.
"Frank Lindeburg created this award to recognize a young
person who can is willing to give themselves to the community,"
UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison said. "Rosanna Parizek
is a perfect example of what a young person can do within her
community if they put their mind to it."
Nathan
Irvin • Harper Award as UCR Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Senior track and field athlete Nathan Irvin has been named
the Harper Award winner as the University of California, Riverside
Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2002-2003.
The award is selected by a committee of scholars and is presented
annually to a student-athlete whose athletic and scholarly achievements
are deemed most outstanding.
Irvin, a native of Riverside, CA, was honored earlier in 2003
by being selected as the Arthur Ashe Jr., Male Scholar Athlete
of the Year by Black Issues in Higher Education magazine. The
magazine pictured Irvin on the cover and ran a feature on his
UCR academic and athletic careers.
A Pre-Med/Biology major with a 3.796 GPA, Irvin has been named
to the Dean’s Honor List in 11 of 12 quarters at UCR and
to the Chancellors’ Honor List in 99-00, 00-01 and 02-03.
He scored in the 90th percentile on the MCAT and will attend
Harvard Medical School.
"Nathan Irvin is a coach’s dream, bright, personable,
athletically gifted, with a great work ethic," Coach Christopher
Rinne said. "We are proud of all that Nate has accomplished
during his four years at UCR and pleased that he will be attending
one of the finest medical schools in the country, Harvard."
"Nathan teaches us that hard work does not go unrewarded,"
UCR Director of Athletics Stan Morrison said. "But what
is most satisfying is the fact that he did not strive for these
goals in hopes of achieving national recognition, but rather
worked to fulfill his dreams. For his efforts, we are proud
to honor him with the 2002-03 Harper Award."
Sarah Compton • Braveheart
Award
Freshman women’s soccer player Sarah Compton was named
winner of the Braveheart Award for the 2002-2003 academic year.
The Braveheart Award is presented to a student-athlete, coach
or staff member who has shown exemplary courage.
A midfielder on the Highlander soccer team, Compton appeared
in just three matches for the Highlanders, though she “made
the most of her minutes and continued to work hard in practice,”
according to Head Coach Veronica O’Brien. But it was her
success through impossibly trying circumstances off the field
that earned her this recognition.
The native of Redwood City, CA, earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall
despite the fact that her mother, Melinda, was battling cancer.
Compton made several trips back to Northern California to provide
care for her mother while continuing with her schoolwork and
never revealing her burden to her teammates. In addition, Sarah’s
father, Philip, had also succumbed to cancer some years earlier.
In January 2003, Melinda Compton passed away. Sarah took winter
quarter off to prepare the funeral and to deal with matters
at home. She then returned to UC Riverside with two weeks left
in the quarter to assist her coaches and teammates and re-entered
school in the spring quarter, continuing her outstanding academic
progress.
Midway through the quarter, Sarah’s maternal grandmother,
Glessner Bissell, passed away. Once again Sarah returned home
and took care of the arrangements for the funeral.
“Sarah has been a pillar of strength in this amazingly
trying situation,” O’Brien said. “She has
demonstrated great strength and courage to all of us.”
"No human being should have to undergo what Sarah Compton
has experienced in the last few months," UCR Athletics
Director Stan Morrison said. "However, she has not merely
survived these experiences but has come away as a better, stronger
person. I admire Sarah Compton for what she is achieving as
much as for what she has had to endure."
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