Westmont Magazine A Warrior Wrap-Up

Despite 17 freshmen and sophomores on the roster, the baseball team finished 20-18 and won 11 of their last 15 games. Highlights included a 12-8 victory over cross-town rival UC Santa Barbara and a come-from-behind triumph over Pt. Loma. Trailing 8-2 in the final inning with two outs, the Warriors rallied with 8 runs to win 10-8. The team finished 10-14 in the GSAC, tied for fifth place. Freshman Joe Howard hit .402, just missing the school record of .404. Senior catcher Chris Champlin hit .358 and threw out 20 base runners. Both Howard and Champlin were named to the All-GSAC team.

Last year’s NAIA national singles champion, Riva DaSilva, coached the men’s tennis team and led them to an 8-10 overall record and a No. 22 national ranking. Westmont started out 0-4, then won five straight matches and six of the next eight. The team finished fifth in the GSAC, which boasted four teams in the national rankings. Junior Brain Kettler set a 13-7 record at No. 1 singles, reached the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, and was named to the All-GSAC team. He teamed with John-Ryan Schlobohm at No. 1 doubles and finished 11-7.

The women’s tennis team regained the GSAC title after two years, winning a sudden-death playoff with Pt. Loma at the tournament. They set a perfect 10-0 record in conference play and earned a No. 13 NAIA ranking. Brynn Abby ’98 compiled a 19-6 No. 1 singles record and won the district and conference title. She and Kara Gochnour ’99 posted a 15-8 mark at No.1 doubles. Gochnour went 19-3 at No. 2 singles, while Kristy Smith ’00 was 18-5 at No. 3.  All three were named to the All-GSAC team. The squad tied for 10th place at the national tournament.

Men’s track finished fourth in the GSAC. Steven Oliver ’98 won the GSAC discus competition (160’ 9”) and qualified for the NAIA championships where he finished 20th. Dusty Hamlin ’01 placed second in the 800 (1:55.30) and also went to the nationals.

The women’s track team finished third in the GSAC. Lisa Sartoris ’98 placed in four events: she won the heptathlon (4,034 ) for the second straight year, placed fourth in the shot put (37’ 11”), and ran on two relays. Rebekah Reynolds ’01 won the shot put (41’ 10”) and placed fourth in the high jump (4’ 10”). Amy Bergenske ’98 finished second in the 5,000 (18:11.32) and third in the 10,000 (38:10.7). Hannah Miller ’01 was third in the 1,500 (4:39.85) and fourth in the 800 (2:21.10). At the national meet, Bergenske placed fourth in the marathon and Miller was 11th in the 1,500. Sartoris competed in the heptathlon and Reynolds in the shot put. In addition, Autumn Glynn ’01 ran the 3,000, and Katherine Azar competed in the pole vault. The 4 x 800 relay also qualified for the championships.