ATHLETICS NEWS
Warriors Make an Impact on NCAAA DII Competition
Men’s Soccer Captures First PacWest Championship
In the first year of NCAA Division II postseason eligibility, Head Coach Morgan Cathey led the men’s soccer team to the playoffs. On Nov. 16, the Warriors competed in the school’s first-ever PacWest Championship game. Down 2-0 with less than 30 minutes remaining, senior Landon Amaral scored two goals to tie the game. In the 89th minute, senior Connor Lynch delivered the game-winning goal, securing Westmont’s first PacWest Championship and first berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Lynch, Amaral, Erik Guerrero, Serkan Durna, Barrett Goodman, Daniel Tuscano and Cash Anderholt all made the All-PacWest team.
Warrior Swimmer Breaks Two Records
The Warriors stayed busy throughout the fall, competing in six meets before December. During the La Verne Winter Invitational at the end of November, first-year student Kate Spraul announced her presence by breaking two program records, one in the 500-yard freestyle (5:04.76), and another in the 200-yard butterfly (2:12.13). In mid-October, a handful of bold Warriors also took part in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Open Water Championships. In a race that took place in the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, Spraul finished 23rd overall.
Warrior's Soccer Qualifies for PacWest Tournament
The Warriors turned their season around on Sept. 28, when an 89th- minute goal from senior Amarys Machado propelled the Warriors past Biola. The team then earned a PacWest record of 9-2, allowing them to qualify for the PacWest Tournament for the first time. Machado, Amelia Villa, Ellie Gilbert, Sierra Martin, Shayna Stock and Alyssa Zahiralis made the All-PacWest team.
Men’s and Women’s Golf Win the Westmont Invitational
Head coach Leo Maes led the Warriors to a clean sweep at the Westmont Invitational in October, which both the men’s and women’s teams won. Freshman Nico Rocha individually won the tournament with a two-round score of 141 (-3). Hannah Camara led the women with a two-round score of 155 to finish in third place. The men narrowly beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by three strokes while the women edged rival Point Loma by only four strokes.
Meet the New Head Baseball Coach
During the summer, the Warriors introduced Paul Svagdis as the col- lege’s 16th head coach for the baseball team. The longtime head coach at Azusa Pacific (APU), Svagdis has coached for 29 years, spending 19 years guiding the APU Cougars before serving as head coach at his alma mater, Tufts University in Massachusetts, during the last three seasons. Major League Baseball clubs have drafted nearly three-dozen of Svagdis’ players, including Steven Vogt, the 2024 American League Manager of the Year for the Cleveland Guardians. The Warriors begin their first NCAA DII season eligible for the playoffs for the first time since win- ning the NAIA World Series in 2023. Stalwarts of that team who remain on the 2025 roster include seniors Bryan Peck, Bryce McFeely, Daniel Patterson, Shane Hofstadler and Zach Yates.
Celebrating the Inaugural WESPYs This Spring
In the fall, Westmont Athletics announced plans for the college’s first-ever student-athlete awards show, the WESPYs. The name draws inspiration from the famous ESPYs on ESPN, which celebrates “excellence in sports performance yearly.” The inaugural WESPYs will take place in Murchison Gym at the end of the spring semester, with awards celebrating Players of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year, Moments of the Year and more. Westmont student-athletes will dress-up and gather with their peers for a first-of-its-kind evening. The inaugural WESPY winners will address their peers as they accept their awards.
Podcast Elevates Sports Commentary
Listen to Elevate, a new athletics podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. Jacob Norling ’20 hosts the show, which began streaming in September, and he’ll also produce the WESPYs. Athletics Director Robert Ruiz joined Norling for the first installment to discuss Westmont’s transition to the NCAA and provide a preview of the 2024-25 season. Subsequent episodes have featured 2013 Women’s Basketball National Champion Jill Heckman, student-broad- caster Lucy Behringer ’27, and student-athlete Owen Vander Ark ’25 previewing the WESPYs. Look for new episodes throughout the year.