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After years of sweeping the competition at the conference championship race, BYU’s departure from the WCC has left a notable impact on the racing field. By Caledonia Buchanan American Journalism Student For five consecutive years, BYU’s women’s cross country team has swept the competition and won the
Since they were reigning champions for years, leaving the conference meant leaving the number one spot available in a way that it hasn't been in years. “There was a dramatic change not having BYU in the conference,” said St. Mary’s women’s XC coach Marty Kinsey. “Last year they placed 10 runners in the top 20. And 7 of the 15 ‘All WCC’ accolades went to BYU,” he added. “The race definitely felt more open with BYU leaving the conference, and like every school had a chance to win,” said SMC senior cross country runner Emily Field. “The focus was no longer just on how much BYU was winning by; there was a tight race between first and second, and the other team positions were up for grabs,” said Stanziano. Whereas previously, when BYU was still in the WCC; “Having that many talented runners in a team front loads the results and makes for an uneventful outcome,” said senior Molly Dreher from the St Mary’s team when asked about previous years competing with BYU. “You don't want one team to sweep every year,” Dreher added. “BYU leaving had a profound impact [in a positive way] on the student athlete experience. They used to take it out really fast and it would stretch out the field in ways that made it more of a time trial for them and a barn burner for the rest of the field.” Kinsey said. BYU competed in its first Big 12 conference championship race on October 28 of this year, and the women did in fact secure the winning spot in their debut race with the conference, finishing with five of their runners placing in the overall top ten according to the Big 12 championship recap. “The competition field without BYU created more diversity among all-conference runners.” Stanziano commented ini reference to the new competition field and the room for runners to improve and secure higher placements now that BYU is no longer in the WCC. “I’m happy they are gone, I don’t think they would have dominated the conference forever but it’s nice to have variety and give athletes a goal of winning conference as a team.” Dreher remarked in regards to how the change has impacted athletes and teams and their ability to score higher as a team. “I’m a huge supporter of not having them in the field. BYU doesn’t resemble any school or team in the WCC. They have nearly unlimited funds and tuition there is about $6,000 vs. a WCC average of about $55,000. Having them in the conference was like putting a whale in a fishbowl.” Kinsey added. In this year’s WCC championship race, Portland took home the winning title, with Gonzaga in second and our very own Saint Mary’s taking third. This is an improvement from the 2022 season’s 6th place finish, and outstanding performances from the team secured their spot. “We did great, an all around amazing performance that got us third!” Dreher said. With BYU gone, “I feel this made for a more exciting outcome, particularly our awesome third place finish.” Stanziano remarked. “Our team was able to implement a rewarding team strategy as well that normally is hard when the pace is that hard from the start. We fared well.” Kinsey remarked in regards to SMC’s team performance at the race. Overall, the departure of BYU certainly left spots open and available for teams to shuffle and claim, and made it possible for the athletes to strive to win as a team, instead of having the expectation that BYU would take the title again. “This year there was a much better representation for All-WCC awards with USF, SMC, Portland, Gonzaga, all earning multiple honors and SCU with one as well, it wasn’t a BYU takes all moment which is better for the conference and student athlete’s experience.” said Kinsey. The Saint Mary’s women had a remarkable championship race, and continued on to race at the NCAA West regionals competition on Saturday November 11th, with the team finishing 17th out of 39 teams. Stanziano led the Gaels with a 44th place finish, and achieved her second fastest ever 6k time. Followed by Sophomore Kaylee Barnes and Senior Molly Dreher, the Gaels had three athletes finish within the top 100 racers for the first time in program history. “Our team is really strong this year so it will be exciting to build on in the future.” Field remarked.
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Gaels make the AP Top 25 preseason rank  Left to right: Gaels' Alex Ducas, Aidan Mahaney, and Mitchell Saxen (Image c/o Tod Fierner) By Val Hill Sports Editor With Gaels men’s basketball season only 6 days away, the team is currently standing at 23 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Last preseason, the Gaels weren’t ranked in the preseason AP Poll. And after last year's outstanding performance, the pressure is on for another exceptional season. This is not only for the freshman but also for Alex Ducas, who has come back for a fifth year. It will be up to Ducas to lead the team, along withAidan Mahaney. Both players truly stepped up to lead the Gaels to one of their most successful seasons.
Mahaney was an amazing leader last season, rallying the team behind him. No matter the game, win or lose, Mahaney was there making sure the team was flowing as one. The question remains, will the Gaels be able to outdo themselves yet again this season? This season the Gaels might be able to finally claim first place in both the regular season as well as the WCC tournament. The Gaels first game this season will be on November 6th against California State University, Stanislaus.This game might set the tone for the season. Only time will tell for the Gaels, and prove whether the team is back and better than ever. The San Francisco 49ers start off the season well, but will the losses stay consistent?  (Image c/o Bruce Kluckhohn) By Val Hill Sports Editor The 49ers have had a fairly good season so far, only having two losses under their belt. As of their latest loss, the team sits at a five out of seven score. One of them being the Cleveland Browns, with a final score of 19-17. And the second consecutive loss to the Minnesota Vikings, with a final score of 22-17. The team seems to be off to a better start than last season, which had their earliest loss at game three to the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, this season’s preseason games against the Los Angeles Raider, Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers ended in a 1-3. With the only win being against the Broncos. So the potential that the 49ers have this season appears to be much different and one of not backing down. The team’s greatest asset right now is their star quarterback Brock Purdy, however it’s speculated that he has been on the decline this season so far. This can be concerning for how early in the season it is. Nonetheless, the team is on a losing streak and even a two game streak can make a difference this early in the season. So it will be critical for the team to pull through with a win, as to not continue the losing streak. We will see if the team continues on a losing streak for the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday October 29th. This year is showing to be more consistent right off the bat, and may prove to be a great season for the 49ers. Updates coming to the 2028 Olympics  (Image c/o Jose Auto Parts) By Oliver Collins Sports Writer The Paris Olympics are starting to gain momentum as teams across the world look to take home the gold in their respective events. 203 different countries will be competing for their respective countries, making it the highest in game history. The Olympics, which have been a staple point for unification in sports, is going on 212 years, and what better way to evolve than inserting a new variety of sports to the event list.
There have been many intriguing new sports added to the 2028 Olympic list, creating a new dream for young athletes around the world. Flag football, lacrosse, cricket, squash and baseball all bring the possibility of a new framework, adding to the tradition of including the world’s most watched sports. American football is one that has brought some hesitancy but also a lot of positive perspectives. CBS analyst Caitlyn O’Kane reported on the adage of an iconic American sport, “Football is one of the most popular sports in the U.S. Flag football, a safer variation of the sport often played by children, has never been included in the Olympics – until now. About 20 million people participate in flag football at the elite level.” It’s clear that America is welcoming the addition of the sport with open arms, but will the rest of the world be so quick to show its support? One of the biggest benefits of new events being added to the Games, will bring generational dreams to a new variety of athletes. One of the most important parts of the sports process is evolution. Bringing these sports to the Olympics could truly change the future of the Games for decades to come. It’s just a matter of whether or not the fans will support it. One thing is clear, new event athletes are as hyped as you would expect them to be.  (Image c/o ESPN) By Oliver Collins Sports Writer Year in and year out millions of “football experts” try their luck in fantasy football drafts across the United States. Finding a fantasy team owner who isn’t confident that “this year is going to be my year” or “my drafting skills are unparalleled” is hard to come by.
If you don’t know anything about fantasy football, here’s a quick rundown. It all starts with the draft. Each team picks the players they think will do well throughout the football season. Whether they get the most running back red zone touches or they’re a quarterback favorite receiver helps determine who to draft. Other factors like week-week opponent matchups, individual player highlights, or simply whether the player plays for their favorite team matter as well. High caliber players like Saquon Barkley or Travis Kelce usually go first, followed by lesser known athletes like Justin Herbert or TJ Hockenson. Each team needs a quarterback (ie. Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert), two running backs (ie. Saquon Barkley, Christian Mccafferey, Josh Jacobs), two wide receivers (ie. Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams) and a tight end (ie. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews). Depending on how well a player does determines the amount of fantasy points awarded to the players team, whoever has more points at the end of the week, wins. Competition is high, and there is always plenty of trash talk across the league. Who’s got the most bench depth, who’s got the most potential, which team is projected to have the most points. Fantasy football gets extremely competitive, so be ready to talk your talk because once the season starts, it’s all out war. Trades being made for key players left and right, injuries to stars like Nick Chubb and Cooper Kupp. That’s the fun of fantasy football, you never know what’s going to happen. By Derik Eaquinto
American Journalism Student  Image c/o Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images By Oliver Collins Sports Writer Most people counted Messi’s career out after leaving Europe amid his time at powerhouse French club, Paris St. Germain. But the end of one chapter marked the beginning of a new era in America’s Major League Soccer. Since his arrival in the MLS Messi has done nothing but impress. Game winning goals, hat tricks and the winning mentality of soccer’s G.O.A.T has brought a new found hype to the world of American soccer fans. If anyone questioned whether the Argentinian super star still has it, those questions have been answered and then some.
If you’ve missed Messi’s global media headlines throughout the last few months, here’s a summary of how things have gone. To say Messi’s debut for the Inter Miami side was successful would be an understatement. After being subbed on after the half and being given the opportunity to take the last free kick of the game, he delivered. A strike into the top corner of the net won the game for Inter Miami and provided an iconic moment for an organization hoping to make it clear that they weren’t just looking for an increase in supporters and jersey sales, they were looking to win. Messi’s success didn’t stop there. Braces (two goals in one game) in the following two league cup games, exceeded the already high expectations the soccer world had for the recent world cup winner. What the club didn’t expect, however, was Messi’s profound impact on Miami culture and the sheer espouse the city has extended to the seven time ballons d’Or winner. New York Times reporter James Wagner said it best in his July article, “He already has and likely will continue to have a substantial cultural influence on a city — and region — known as the unofficial capital of Latin America. Restaurants have changed their menus to include Messi-themed dishes. Murals and signs of Messi have popped up everywhere. Argentine culture is spreading through him.” It’s safe to say Messi’s time in Miami has been a hit, but in reality this is only the beginning. Sources: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/lionel-messi-stats-tracker-every-goal-assist-and-trophy-for-inter-miami https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/21/sports/soccer/messi-inter-miami.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=6YKV3zCdUtc Image: https://arizonasports.com/story/3528889/lionel-messi-scores-game-winning-goal-mls-inter-miami/  Image c/o https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/aaron-rodgers-injury-ban-artificial-turf-rcna104902 By Oliver Collins Sports Writer Monday night had the potential to turn a new leaf for a Jets football team that has seen its fair share of failure in the last few decades. But, a team battered by busted draft picks and lackluster coaching had finally found their duo, a successful defensive minded coach in Robert Salah and one of the great quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers.
Metlife stadium was an absolute madhouse ahead of their season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Fans were buzzing with the anticipation of seeing their new star quarterback take the field. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until just three minutes into the game, when everything changed. “Protection breaks down and time runs out, Rodgers goes down on the sack from Leonard Floyd. Loss of 10 on the play and the Jets are hoping that’s the only loss on that play.” Joe Buck commentates as Aaron Rodgers takes a tough, but seemingly harmless tackle in the Jets backfield. Rodgers swiftly got up, but eased to his backside after feeling a sharp pain in his lower leg. Team doctors were quick to come to his aid but the damage was done. Jets fans watched in horror as their hero was gingerly escorted to the sideline and placed on a facility cart before being taken to the locker room. Just mid way through the game, nightmare turned to reality for Jets fans as concerns on word about Rodgers came to fruition. An achilles tear. Which, for the Jets, would bench their $150 million man for the remainder of the season. Memes and online hate were quickly spread across social media after news broke out, but Rodgers, who has endured his fair share of disheartening injuries, was quick to respond to the critics. “The night is darkest before the dawn… And I shall rise again”. It seems like the 39 year old is more than ready to take on the rehab process and return to full health for his fans, teammates, and family. As for the Jets, they will be forced to rally around young BYU product, Zach Wilson, to carry the team and silence haters of his own. Sources: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2023/09/13/aaron-rodgers-jets-quarterback-breaks-silence-instagram-message-achilles-injury/70847760007/ - Aaron Rodgers quote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bVDfY60Q4Y - Joe Buck quote  image c/o Duane Burleson/Getty Images By Oliver Collins Sports Writer If you know anything about the San Francisco Giants it’s that they have always been underdogs. Even through their many championship spoils, the Giants were at one point or another counted out. A team without the budget that powerhouses like the Dodgers or Yankees possess, this has put the Giants into a difficult situation this season. Having lost six games straight after getting swept by the Chicago Cubs they now find themselves two games back in a very competitive wildcard race. It’s now or never for a club that has already exceeded expectations for this season but is hoping to make that final step to become a 2023 playoff team. What truly sets the Giants apart this season is their exceptional team depth and their next-man-up mentality. Manager Gabe Kapler has fostered an environment where every player feels valued and contributes to the team's success. Kapler also looks to statistics to decide lineups and matchups against various opponents, taking the unpopular statistical approach founded by mathematician Bill James (if you want to learn more, watch the film Moneyball for further explanation). Every single man on the roster is important to the team’s success which can create an epic sense of team confidence, but this has seemingly backfired in recent months. Kapler has become notorious for prioritizing matchups throughout his tenure in coaching. So why does Kapler believe so deeply in the power of lefty/righty vs. righty/lefty matchups? Mark Brooks at Applied Vision Baseball wrote on this new coaching strategy, “Conventional wisdom in baseball is that yes, a left-handed batter does better against a right-handed pitcher… Most of a right-handed pitcher’s breaking pitches will move away from a right-handed batter, making them harder to hit. A right-handed batter has to lunge after an outside pitch and has a weaker swing as a result. But those same breaking pitches will curve toward a lefty, thus making them easier to hit.” The question is whether or not this strategy is working as the Giants have found themselves in a do-or-die situation. While Kapler has certainly found some success with this Giants team they have yet to separate themselves as a perennial threat in the MLB. Fans are growing restless and many are calling on him and general manager Farhan Zaidi to pay more to bring in superstars like international Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani next season. If the Giants don’t make the postseason in 2023, it’s most certainly time to break the bank and bring a new hero to the Bay. Source: https://appliedvisionbaseball.com/batting-left-handed-vs-right-handed/ The downfall of one of the most prominent NCAA athletic conferences.  image c/o Tod Fierner / Saint Mary's Athletics By Drew Paxman Sports Writer Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) announced their departure from the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) conference on Friday, September 1. The Pac-12, marketed as the “Conference of Champions,” has now officially dwindled down to two schools: Oregon State and Washington State.
In addition to Cal and Stanford, eight other schools have left the conference: the University of Oregon, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California, and University of Washington will join the Big Ten conference; and the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado, and University of Utah will join the Big 12. The reason for these departures? A failure on the Pac-12 to secure a media rights deal that would guarantee its member schools sufficient money. “I think it is very sad for college athletics–especially on the West Coast,” said Saint Mary’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Michael Matoso. “If you look at the Pac-12 as a whole–it is the winningest conference in the country and to not have a Power 5 conference on the West Coast is pretty wild to think it will no longer be.” With the departure of these ten schools, there have been a lot of conversations on the impacts this realignment could have on the mental health of student athletes, many of whom will now have to travel over 2,000 miles to play away games. Shannon Cunningham, softball catcher for Arizona State, was one of these athletes, taking to social media back in August 2023, “I chose to play in the [Pac-12] because of the ability to play close to home and in front of family. I chose the [Pac-12] so my family didn’t have to worry about far travel or giving up all their vacation time just to come see me. This affects athletes in every sport [and] academics.” Sam DeCarlo, an infielder for the University of Washington’s baseball team, gave an example to further Cunningham’s argument, “[I]f we were to travel to a school like Rutgers in New Jersey, we might have to leave a whole day earlier to account for the time change. We always practice Thursday night after we make the [trip], but going to New Jersey we might have to leave Wednesday or very early Thursday morning in order to fit that practice in with the time change. This could lead to more missed class.” Despite this different schedule, DeCarlo remains optimistic. “I had a positive gut reaction to the news of Washington making the move to the Big Ten,” he explained. “Separating from schools like Stanford and Arizona will feel odd. However, I’m excited for the opportunity because I know it is the best option for our school and will ultimately elevate our school and athletic programs.” Other than the departure of Brigham Young University (BYU) from the West Coast Conference and some other scheduling alignments, Matoso paints Saint Mary’s as being mostly unaffected by this news. “What could impact us is our scheduling with a lot of our sports as many of the Pac-12 schools may have increased conference schedules which could impact some of our non-conference scheduling,” he explained. “On the flip side, I am sure they will want to have some more regional opportunities to schedule.” So then, what’s next for this new world of college athletics? Well, there is still one more year of Pac-12 sports to be played, and this next year has already started off as a wild one. A judge from the Whitman County Superior Court in Washington “granted a request by Oregon State and Washington State for a temporary restraining order on Monday to prevent departing Pac-12 members from meeting until it can be determined who has the right to chart the future of the disintegrating conference” (Russo, Associated Press). The logistics and outcome of this restraining order remain to be seen. In other news, the Pac-12 topped headlines with eight of its current 12 member schools making the AP Top 25 Poll for football, including Oregon State (16) and Washington State (23). But for the long-term consequences, Matoso sees these changes as completely changing the culture of college athletics. “I think the NCAA should have been more active in finding a solution to separate football out,” he began. “Bottom line on all of this is it’s about football and TV money. We talk a lot about student-athlete welfare and mental health right now and I think these moves are the direct opposite of what is best for our student-athletes.” Source: https://apnews.com/article/oregon-state-washington-state-kliavkoff-pac12-34acf803402e3c5bf99d16d7ee398c67 |
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