Cross Country
Evie Borchard and Tyler Hoyt represented the Slugs in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively. In the women’s 6k race, sophomore runner Borchard took 121st with a time of 22:54.8, while senior runner Hoyt finished 139th in the men’s 8k race in 25:56.5. Both men’s and women’s cross country will graduate three seniors this year.
Golf
The women’s golf team is currently ranked 18th for Division III nationally, but have already beaten four teams with higher rankings this season. The team has finished in the top three of all three tournaments they’ve played in, including a victory at the Lady Bulldog Classic in Seguin, Texas on Sept. 11. Coach Paulette Pera is ecstatic about her team’s results.
“This is the best golf team I’ve ever had and we’re only halfway through the season,” Pera said. “All my players could be a number one player.”
The team will resume their season against Rhodes College in Santa Cruz on March 13.
Swimming
Men’s swimmer Daniel Hurst performed well for the team’s recent showing at the Finis Winter Invite held in Salinas, CA Nov. 30–Dec. 2. Hurst finished second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.96 seconds and swam the second best preliminary round time of 22.35. He also finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and first in 100-yard backstroke preliminaries and finals.
At the same invite, women’s swimmer Josanne Van Der Wilk finished first in both the 1,650-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle, with times of 17:55.88 and 5:12.46 for each respective event. Van Der Wilk also placed seventh in the 200-yard freestyle, winning her final heat with a time of 2:04.55.
At the competition, the final scores for the women swimmers were UC Santa Cruz 3,130 points, Cal Lutheran 1,679 points and La Verne 1,172 points. For the men swimmers, UCSC scored 2,852 to Cal Lutheran’s 1,720 and LaVerne’s 1,164. Their next meet will be on Jan. 12 of next year against Cal State East Bay at the Office of Physical Education, Recreation and Sports (OPERS).
Volleyball
Women’s volleyball finished with a 13–14 season. Coach Todd Hollenbeck said the injuries the team sustained this season led to a weaker campaign. Returning team captain Kat Grow had to sit out eight games after sustaining an injury in the first game of this season’s Trinity National Invitational before returning for women’s volleyball’s senior night on Oct. 16. Hollenbeck acknowledged Elisabeth Trambley, Helen Milne, Jaime Weber and Kim Rabii’s contributions during the period that Grow was out. The team will graduate six seniors this season.
The UCSC men’s volleyball team finished last season ranked third in the country, according to the AVCA Coaches poll. Coach Hollenbeck singled out returning starters Salvatore La Cavera III, Kevin Crosby, Mauro Salinas, Harland Frost and Jory Hollander as having a big role in the Slugs hopes to return to Nationals. Hollenbeck expects a special performance out of La Caverra this season.
“Sal returns as two-time, all-American, our conference player of the year, and this will be his third year as team captain,” Hollenbeck said.
The team’s first game will be at Concordia on Jan. 4.
Basketball
Women’s basketball currently has a 4–3 record with their recent three-game win streak coming to an end. Forward Sarah Mackey continues her assault on UCSC record books, as she is currently ranked eighth in blocked shots per game in Division III, with 3.57 per game. The team will play at Caltech and Whittier on Dec. 7 and 8, respectively.
Men’s basketball currently has a 2–5 record in Coach Ron DuBois’ first season. The team is in the middle of their season, with an upcoming game at Redlands on Dec. 7.
Soccer
Men’s soccer finished with a 7–9–2 record. After a scandal-packed season, with several players being barred from playing due to a hazing incident, according to an email sent out from UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal on Oct. 4, the team quickly returned to play. Zach Hummel, Sean Sprague and DJ Fuller were named to the Division III Independents’ first team.
Women’s soccer finished with a 10–7–1 record, ending their season by outscoring opponents 30–0 in their final three games. The Slugs narrowly missed the playoffs this season.
Tennis
The men’s tennis team is currently ranked eighth in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls. The team will open their season on Jan. 19 against Santa Clara, before returning for their home debut against Bates College on Feb. 18.
Women’s tennis will begin their season on Jan. 13 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Their first home games will be on Feb. 16 and 17 against Chapman, Cal Tech and Mills. The team features seven returning players from last season’s nationally ranked squad.
