The 2011-12 campaign will mark the 50th anniversary of Pioneer Athletics at Cal State East Bay. In the fall, the campus community will celebrate this milestone with a 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend, Sept. 23-26, 2011. The weekend will include Pioneer soccer games, a swim meet, alumni games and several events for Pioneer Alumni, including a reception, party and recognition, and will be capped with our 15th annual Cal State East Bay Golf Classic on Monday, Sept. 26. More information on all of these events, including registration information and schedules is available here.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, we're gathering the best stories and memories from the past 50 years in Pioneer Athletics and sharing them with you. Beginning on July 20, each weekday we'll be bringing you some of the greatest moments in Cal State East Bay Athletics history on this page. You'll be able to relive the top achievements of all the amazing student-athletes who have come through the Pioneer programs that have combined to win seven national championships and more than 80 conference titles and have produced more than 420 All-Americans and Academic All-Americans.
2010After a long process, the Pioneers were finally in their final year of the probationary period in the move back to NCAA Division II in 2010-11. As if in preparation for the next campaign when it would be eligible for CCAA and NCAA championships, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team put together a campaign for the record books.
After going 20-7 overall and 15-7 in CCAA play, the Pioneer volleyball team tied with UC San Diego for second place in the conference. For the 14th time in 15 seasons, Head Coach
Jim Spagle guided his team to at least 20 victories and saw his squad spend several weeks ranked among the AVCA Division II Top 25. The Pioneers opened the season with eight consecutive wins, including a 3-2 victory over then-No. 11 UC San Diego. Cal State East Bay also was the only team in the CCAA to top eventual league champ Cal State San Bernardino, notching a five-set win over the then-No. 4 Coyotes at home on Oct. 9.
With a season that would surely have been good enough to reach the NCAA playoffs, had the program not been in the final year of transition to Division II, the Pioneers reeled in honors on all fronts after the campaign. Spagle collected CCAA Coach of the Year honors, while
Roxanne Neely, Jit Athwal and
Lauren Massa each earned All-CCAA recognition. Neely, who was a first-team selection, was named CCAA Player of the Week twice during the season. Athwal earned Cal State East Bay Female Athlete of the Year honors, while Neely and Massa were named as the recipients of the CCAA's Dr. Hal Charnofsky Scholar-Athlete Award, which recognizes two CCAA student-athletes from each member school who have distinguished themselves in the classroom and in their sport.
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2009For the fifth time in program history, the Pioneer men's basketball team competed in the NAIA Championships in 2009. The 2008-09 team reached the NAIA postseason after capturing its first-ever California Pacific Conference regular season championship. The Pioneers finished the campaign with a 19-8 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark at Pioneer Gym.
Though the season ended for Cal State East Bay with a 62-58 loss at the hands of No. 5 Black Hills State in the first round of the NAIA Division II Championships on Mar. 12, the team's efforts didn't go unnoticed by the conference or national awards voters. Junior guard Tauran Moore collected Cal Pac Conference Player of the Year honors and was named a 2009 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Honorable Mention All-American. Moore led the team throughout the campaign, averaging 16 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while shooting better than 49 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore
Will Freedman joined Moore on the All-Cal Pac First Team. Freedman would go on to finish his career with the Pioneers in 2011 ranked among the career top 10 in points, field goal percentage and rebounds.
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2008Although it took 20 years, the Pioneers inevitable return to the national championship spotlight came in 2008, when the water polo team captured its first ever national title at the Collegiate III Women's Water Polo Championships. The Pioneers defeated Cal Lutheran, 7-6, in four overtimes to take home the first national championship since women's soccer's NCAA Division II title in 1988.
The May 4th championship match saw neither team lead by more than a goal throughout regulation, with Cal Lu leading 3-2 at the half. The Pioneers scored a pair of unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead through three quarters before ending regulation tied 5-5. The Regals take a 6-5 lead in the first overtime but the two teams headed to sudden death tied 6-6 after the second extra period. After a scoreless third overtime, East Bay's Ashley Vieira scores the game winner at the end of the fourth overtime to give the program its first-ever national title.
Lisa Cooper was named Collegiate III Coach of the Year while goalie Elise Wilhelmsen was selected Most Valuable Player and first-team all-tournament. Lauren Binner, with 12 goals in the championships, also earns first-team all-tournament honors. Laura Demeneces joined Wilhelmsen and Binner, collecting all-tournament second team honors.
The Pioneers also landed five players on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Women's All-American Teams. Wilhelmsen and Vieira are named to the first team, while Demences earned a second team selection and Mary Rosa and Lauren Binner collected honorable mention recognition.
Demences finished the 2008 campaign with 48 assists, then-ranking second among the top 10 season marks at Cal State East Bay. Vieira's 93 steals and Wilhelmsen's 356 saves also remain ranked among the best season totals in program history. Demences finished her two-year career at East Bay with 98 goals and 98 assists, ranking eighth and second, respectively, on the current all-time lists. Wilhelmsen capped her two years in the cage for the Pioneers with 657 saves which still rank second all-time.
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2007Thanks to a pair of tremendous overall performances in 2007, the Cal State East Bay men's and women's cross country teams swept the Cal Pac Conference Championships. For the fifth consecutive year, the women hoisted the Cal Pac trophy, finishing with a team score of 57 points to top second-place Simpson by 12 points. On the men's side, the Pioneers took home their second conference title, distancing themselves from runner up William Jessup by 25 points to earn the victory.
Adilene Sanchez led the women with a fifth place performance, covering the 2.95-mile course in 19:59. Jin-Mee Leal followed Sanchez in seventh place with a time of 20:13, while Yesenia Esparza and Annie Sien finish 13th and 14th, respectively. Sanchez, Leal, Esparza, and Sien all collected All-Cal Pac recognition for their efforts.
For the men, Marcos Gomez and Landry Daniels finished third and fourth, respectively, with times of 28:26 and 29:09. Elliott Nicholson recorded a time of 29:47 to finish sixth while Andrew Welch placed ninth at 30:26. Russ Burkholder came across in 30:32 to take 11th, while
John Erlandson finished 13th with a time of 30:42 All six Cal State East Bay runners earn All-Cal Pac honors and went on to lead the Pioneers to a 10th-place showing at NAIA West Regionals.
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2006For the third time in six years, the Pioneer baseball team earned a berth in the NCAA Division III West Regional in 2006. After posting a 21-9 record against Division III opponents, the Pioneers finished the campaign with a 1-2 mark in the West Regional Tournament and a 25-12 overall record. During the season, the team tied a program record with 11 straight wins and set a new standard with eight stolen bases in a game against Patten University.
Ray Stokes and Lamonte Toney collected first-team All-West Region honors while Sean O'Dowd was a third team selection. Stokes also earned Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Year recognition and is drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round in the Major League Baseball Draft. He finished the season, second in the nation with 55 runs scored, averaging of 1.49 runs a game, and broke a school record with 29 stolen bases in a season. Toney hit .379 and topped the Pioneers with nine home runs and 47 RBI, including nine in a game against Whitman which tied the Pioneer record. O'Dowd posted an 8-2 record while Aaron Anderson followed with a 7-3 performance on the mound. Jake Luna, who hit .393 for the season, joined Stokes, Toney and O'Dowd on the AD3I All-Independent First Team.
Stokes and Toney finished would finish their careers in the Cal State East Bay uniform as two of the top hitters in Pioneer history. Toney remains among the career top 10 in runs, hits, RBI, homeruns and walks, ranking third in hits (175), RBI (122) and homeruns (23). Meanwhile, Stokes capped his career that season and is still in the top 10 in seven offensive categories and remains the Pioneers' all-time stolen bases leader with 59. Stokes also went on to play baseball in the German Bundesliga First Division, helping guide Heidenheim to a league title in 2009.
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2005The university's name changed but the success of the Athletics Department didn't in 2005, when the Pioneer softball finished the season with a 26-6-1 record and an .803 winning percentage. The team goes 19-5-1 against Division III opponents and comes out victorious in 16 of its final 19 games.
Sara Stas is selected to the 2005 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Division III All-West Region First Team. Angela Gonzales and Robin Thistle joined Stas on the All-Region Team, garnering second team honors, while Jen King received third team recognition.
A sophomore that season, Stas began an epic Pioneer career that year, starting what would later become a program record 32-game hitting streak. Stas finished her career two years later as one of the best hitters and pitchers to ever come through the Pioneer program. Today, she remains ranked in the career top 10 in hits, runs, RBI, doubles, homeruns, batting average, innings pitched, wins and strikeouts.
The Pioneer women's water polo team also found success in 2005, becoming the first Northern California team since 1998 to reach the title match of the Collegiate III National Championships. Though the Pioneers ended the season with a 6-5 loss to Pomona-Pitzer in the title game, they finished the campaign with 20 matches for the second straight year.
Gabriella Keri led Cal State East Bay and NCAA Division III with 106 goals scored, earning first-team All-America honors. Keri's 106 goals that season are still the most by a Pioneer in program history. Goalie Kim Johnson joined Keri as an All-American, garnering second team recognition after posting 422 saves, which also remains the highest total in program history. The next year, Johnson finished her career with 1,427 career saves, which today ranks first in Pioneer history – nearly 800 more saves than the next highest total. Keri also earned a spot on the Collegiate III National Championships All-Tournament First Team, while Johnson and Elaine Mashburn are second team picks.
Continuing the tradition of academic honors for Pioneer water polo, Johnson, Keri, Lisa Fuellenbach and Catherine Kohs are named ACWPC All-Academic honorees and Cal State East Bay earns All-Academic Team recognition for the third straight season.
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2004Pioneer baseball and volleyball both experienced great success in 2004. The baseball team finished off a great year with a 29-13 record, setting a program record for wining percentage at .690. The team's 29 victories ranked second all time at Cal State Hayward and the Pioneers went 24-11 against Division III competition, breaking four school records along the way.
Led by Caleb Cooper, Ray Stokes and Pioneer Athletic Hall of Famer Archie Gilbert, the Pioneers compete in NCAA Division III postseason competition for the second time in four years. Gilbert is the Pioneers' top hitter with a .409 batting average and breaks the school record with a 36-game hitting streak. A third-team ABCA All-American, Cooper is selected in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
The next fall, the Pioneer volleyball team posts a 31-3 record and finished the season ranked seventh in the final CSTV/AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Pioneers won 30 games for the third straight season and reaches the postseason for the seventh consecutive year.
Nicole Brandt-Young collected Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Volleyball Player of the Year honors after breaking the program record with a .383 hitting percentage for the season. Petra Martinez, Christy Daley and Jackie Randolph joined Brandt-Young on the AD3I All-Independent Team, while Head Coach
Jim Spagle earned AD3I and Hayward Daily Review Coach of the Year honors.
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2003Pioneer women's basketball capped a banner campaign in 2003 with a 21-8 record. The team established a new program record for wins in a season and appeared in the postseason for the second time. Cal State Hayward defeated Dominican University in the semifinal of the Cal Pac Conference playoffs to earn a berth in the NAIA Championships and won 17 of its last 23 games. The Pioneers' success came thanks in part to a tenacious defense that held opponents to 52.2 points per game, which ranked third in the NAIA.
Pioneer Athletics Hall of Famer Leah Thornton led the team, averaging 13.1 points per game, and earned an All-Cal Pac selection.
Beth Murdock collects the 2002-03 Cal Pac Conference A.O. Duer Scholastic Award for her academic success. Julie White joins Murdock on the 2003 Daktronics NAIA Division II Academic All-America Team.
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2002Just four years after reaching the NCAA Division III West Regional for the first time, the Pioneer volleyball team captured its first-ever West Region championship in 2002. The team would go on to reach the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals after a come-from-behind victory over Puget Sound in the regional semifinal and a sweep of host Whitworth College in the regional championship game. Cal State Hayward finished the 2002 season with a 32-2 record, while establishing seven program records.
During a season that the Pioneers were ranked in the No. 1 spot in the AVCA Division III poll, it was no surprise that individual and team records were falling all over the place. The 2002 team set new season records for wins with 32, winning percentage at .941, service aces with 275 and longest winning streak with 21 straight victories. The dominant Pioneers also set single-match records for kills (83 vs. Puget Sound) and blocks (28 vs. Cal State Monterey Bay). Cal State Hayward also tied the season record for hitting percentage (.256) and the single-match record for assists (72 vs. Puget Sound) along the way. The team was perfect at home that season, going 10-0, and won 24 matches by way of the sweep.
On the heels of the West Region title, Ivone Aleman and Angela Herrera became the first Pioneer volleyball players to collect All-America honors, with Aleman earning AVCA Division III All-America First Team recognition and Herrera earning a spot on the third team. The pair also joined Liz Hazell on the AVCA All-West Region Team. Setter Kari Van Fleet set a match record for assists with 67 in the regional semifinal against Puget Sound, while Toni-Ann Merendino set a then-program record with 489 digs that year. Then in his seventh year at the helm, Head Coach
Jim Spagle takes home AVCA Division III West Region Coach of the Year honors as well.
That season marked the end of Aleman's two-year career in which she set a then-program record with a .303 hitting percentage which still ranks second in the Pioneer record books. Also a senior that season, Van Fleet dished out 2,103 assists in her two-year career, which remains fourth all-time in Pioneer history. Meanwhile, Hazell was just getting started. In her two seasons at Cal State Hayward, Hazell would post 594 kills, 636 digs and 94 aces, all of which remain among the career top 10 today.
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2001The Pioneer baseball team made history in 2001, breaking a 24-year drought to reach the NCAA postseason for the first time since 1977. The Pioneers finished 4-2 at the NCAA Division III West Regional, reaching the regional championship game for the second time in program history. Cal State Hayward finished the campaign with a 27-18 overall record and a 23-10 mark against Division III opponents.
Marcus Silveira led the Pioneers with nine homeruns and 18 doubles, collecting NCAA Division III All-West Region Honorable Mention recognition, while Jake Hold broke a program record, hitting safely in 26 straight games and paced the team with a .414 batting average, a .609 slugging percentage and 48 RBI. PJ Bunyard led the pitching staff with eight wins, 78 innings pitched, 71 strikeouts and a pair of shutouts and Andrew Pasquinelli posts a 2-0 record in the postseason while leading the team with a 3.70 earned run average.
Silveira finished his two-year career that season with 31 doubles, a mark that still ranks among the all-time top 10. Eric Barron caps his senior season with 68 career walks, which ranked second in the record books at the time and today remains the fourth-highest total.
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2000Y2K didn't scare off the Pioneer softball team in 2000, when they posted one of the most successful campaigns in program history. The Pioneers captured their first conference crown in eight years, taking the California Pacific Conference championship with a perfect league record of 15-0. Under Head Coach Karen Matteson, the team went 31-13-1 and set several new records which still stand today. Cal State Hayward went on to post two wins in the NAIA Region II Playoffs before losing to Azusa Pacific in the championship game 1-0 in 11 innings.
The 2000 edition of the softball team established a new mark for runs in a game, scoring 30 against Bethany College and played the longest game in team history, going 18 innings against Menlo College that year. Jan Yukumoto set a new standard for runs scored in a season with 48, while Cheryl Hrstich tied the record for runs in a game with five against Bethany.
The Pioneers nearly swept the Cal Pac Conference postseason awards, with Rachel Abrams collecting Player of the Year honors, Christy Smith picking up Pitcher of the Year recognition and Matteson earning the Coach of the Year award. Smith and Abrams joined seven other Pioneers on the All-Cal Pac Teams. Abrams would go on to finish her two-year career in 2001 as one of Cal State Hayward's best players of all time and still ranks in the career top 10 in five offensive categories. Meanwhile, Smith capped her own two-year career that season with a 1.53 earned run average and 25 wins, which remain the second- and seventh-ranked career marks in Pioneer history.
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1999The winning continued in 1999, as the Pioneer men's basketball team finished its first season in the California Pacific Conference with a share of the title, en route to an appearance in the NAIA Division II Championships. The team also set a new program record with an 18-2 mark in league play and reached the second round of the championship tournament.
In just their second season under Head Coach Will Biggs, the Pioneers ranked fourth in the NAIA in victory margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of 16.3 points per game. In addition to establishing the program record for league wins, the team also set a new standard for season winning percentage at .785 with a 22-6 record, a mark that still stands today.
Pioneer Athletic Hall of Famer Michael Dean leads the team and the Cal Pac Conference in scoring with 23.4 points per game. A second-team NAIA All-American that season, Dean joined Josh Jackson and Darryl Walker as All-Cal Pac selections.
Dean was also responsible for setting new program records for points in a game (45 vs. Menlo College), points in a season (656), scoring average, field goals made (243), steals in a game (9 vs. Menlo), steals in a season (120) and free throw attempts (165) during the 1998-99 campaign. Dean finished his three-year career that season as the Pioneers' all-time steals leader with 225, a record he still holds to this day. He also remains ranked among the career top 10 in both points and three-point baskets.
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1998The Pioneer volleyball team didn't let the move to Division III stop it from having its most successful campaign in program history in 1998, capping the season with a trip to the NCAA Division III West Regional. The Pioneers won 20 or more matches for the third straight campaign under Head Coach
Jim Spagle, posting a 31-7 mark to break the school record for winning percentage (.815) across all sports. The 31 wins and 14-match winning streak both set new program records at the time. The Pioneers weren't just producing wins, they were dominating, notching 23 of those 31 victories in a three-set sweep.
Though other Spagle-led squads would later eclipse all of the season records set in 1998, by the end of the campaign, the team held the school records for most kills, digs and assists in a season. Leading the way were Whitney Uhl, Marion Champion and Pioneer Female Athlete of the Year Annie Shrieve. Uhl tied the school record for kills in a match with 28, while Champion paced Cal State Hayward with 335 kills and a .253 hitting percentage. Shrieve set the school records for assists in a match and a season, as well as the pre-libero record for digs with 421 that year.
Shrieve went on to break her own season record for assists the next year, but remains the Pioneers' all-time assists leader and ranks fifth in career digs in just two seasons at Cal State Hayward. Champion, who also played just two seasons for the Pioneers, still ranks among the career top 10 in digs, aces and kills.
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1997Not to be outdone, just a few months after volleyball won 20 matches the Cal State Hayward men's basketball team made its own mark during the 1996-97 campaign, earning a share of the NorCal Athletic Conference title. In a record-breaking season, the Pioneers post 11 conference victories for the first time, finishing with an 18-10 overall record and its first league championship in 10 years. Under Head Coach Gary Stewart, the team finished over .500 in the NCAC for the first time since 1988-89, earning Stewart NCAC Co-Coach of the Year honors.
The Pioneers sported the third-best defense in Division II that season, allowing opponents just 62 points per game to nearly tie the program record of 61.1. NorCal Athletic Conference Player of the Year Lance Broderson, who averaged 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game that season, led the team. Jared Gibson, who led the conference in every three-point shooting category, joined Broderson on the All-NCAC First Team, while Darrnaryl Stamps finished the campaign with 42 blocks, which still ranks 10th on the Pioneers' all-time list.
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1996In just his first season at the helm, Pioneer women's volleyball Head Coach
Jim Spagle guided the team to a record-setting season in 1996. Cal State Hayward broke the program record for wins with 20 and finished over .500 for the first time in the program's 20-year history. Spagle's first squad finished in a tie for second in the NorCal Athletic Conference, the team's best-ever finish in league play, going 8-4 against conference opponents.
Cal State Hayward led the NCAC with a .246 attack percentage and ranked second with 236 service aces during the campaign. Leading the way for the Pioneers were a pair of future Hall of Famers in Angel Alcorcha, who ranked second in the conference, hitting at a .299 clip, and Jennifer Cioma, who finished with 48 aces to lead the team and ranked second on the squad in kills, digs and blocks. Alcorcha grabbed All-NCAC First Team honors, while both Cioma and Valeria Jenkins were second-team all-conference picks.
Both juniors in 1996, Alcorcha and Cioma would go on to finish their Pioneer careers ranked among the best in program history. Still the record-holder for kills in a match with 29 in 1995, Cioma remains second on the all-time kills list and ranks among the top 10 in four other career categories. Meanwhile, Alcorcha, who joined the Hall of Fame in 2010, is still in the career top 10 in kills, hitting percentage and digs, and played two seasons of softball for the Pioneers as well, collected All-West Region honors as a pitcher.
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1995In 1995, the Pioneer baseball team posted its highest win total in three years, going 24-30 overall and finishing fifth in the NorCal Athletic Conference. In just its second season under Head Coach Dirk Morrison, the team collected 14 wins during the league campaign for the fourth straight season, setting a few program records along the way.
Chris Marsden set a new record with 13 fielding assists in a game, while Chris Romero has four stolen bases in one contest to establish another Pioneer mark which stood until 2010. The Pioneers also set a new standard for triples in a season with 18, while pitcher David Ordahl struck out 89 batters to establish a single-season mark that still stands today.
Ordahl and Matt Morgan collected first-team All-NCAC honors for their work that season, while Romero earned a spot on the all-conference second team. Marsden, Bob Duckworth, Larry Platz and Bernard Caston all received honorable mention recognition. Ordahl, Caston, Morgan and Romero also remain in the Pioneer record books, each ranking among the top 10 in at least one career statistics category.
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1994After placing no higher than sixth in the conference in the four previous seasons, the Pioneer men's soccer team tied for second in the NorCal Athletic Conference in 1994. Following an 0-7 start to the campaign, the team proceeded to win nine of its last 13 matches, outscoring opponents 23-16 during those games. Cal State Hayward finished the conference slate with a 9-5 mark, including a road win over NCAC champion Humboldt State.
Mike Descombaz led the team with 12 goals, including six game-winning strikes, and earned All-NCAC First Team honors for his efforts. Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper Jared Hattaway, midfielder A.J. Ferreira and defender Gerald Kervin collect second-team All-NCAC accolades. Descombaz would go on to finish his career two years later with 63 points and 28 career goals, both of which still rank among the program's top 10.
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1993Five seasons after capturing the NCAA Division II title, the Pioneer women's soccer team produced 10 victories on the year, its highest total since 1989. First-year Head Coach Sandy Asiomos led the Pioneers to their best finish in the Northern California Athletic Conference since 1989, earning NCAC Coach of the Year honors.
Leading scorer Jennifer Travis finished with seven goals and five assists, while Stacey Nadol is second with 15 points on two goals and 11 assists. Keeper Jennifer Declercq finished the year with a miniscule 1.80 goals against average and eight shutouts, while making 107 saves. Declercq's 510 career saves remain the all-time record for Pioneer women's soccer, while Travis finished her two-year stint at Cal State Hayward with 17 career goals and 41 career points, both of which still rank in the top 10 in program history.
Both Travis and Nadol collected first-team All-NCAC honors that season, while Tracy Lowe and Stacey Macias were named to the all-conference second team. Declercq also received All-NCAC Honorable Mention accolades.
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1992A multitude of firsts were on hand for Pioneer softball in 1992, as the team concluded a fantastic season with a 49-12 record and the NCAC championship. For the first time in program history, Cal State Hayward reached the NCAA Division II playoffs, breaking 10 school records along the way. Head Coach Fred Williams collects NCAC Coach of the Year honors for his efforts at the helm.
The Pioneers went 21-3 in NCAC play, en route to the conference title and the first NCAA postseason berth in their history. With three wins, the team takes home the West Regional championship to advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four in Shawnee, Kan. Though the Pioneers lost their opening game at the Final Four, they bounce back to top Saginaw Valley State and Bloomsburg University to reach the national semifinals. The season came to an end, however, when eventual national champion Missouri Southern blanks the Pioneers, 1-0.
Following the impressive season, the Pioneers reeled in numerous individual accolades. For the first time in school history, the team had a pair of NCAA Division II All-Americans in Charlotte Wiley and Amy Circo. Wiley and Circo, along with Pioneer Hall of Famer Robyn Crispi, were also named first team All-West Region, while Diane Ferrero is selected to the all-region second team. After leading the team with 77 hits, 56 runs batted in and nine homeruns, Wiley is named NCAC Player of the Year. Wiley remains the season record holder in each of the three categories and still ranks in the Pioneer career top 10 in both homeruns and stolen bases.
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1991The Pioneer men's tennis team regained the spotlight in 1991, as it stunned No. 1-ranked UC Davis to earn a share of the Northern California Athletic Conference title. Cal State Hayward finished the season with a 14-10 overall record in dual match play, including a 7-1 mark in league play.
Four All-NCAC performers – Alex Hohendorf, Aaron Downey, Joe Bauers and Jeremy DeFalco – led the Pioneers to the championship. Following the conference accolades, Hohendorf went on to represent the team at the NCAA Division II Individual Championships. Behind the scenes, Head Coach Mike Edles guided the Pioneers to the title, collecting NCAC Coach of the Year honors for his efforts.
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1990The Pioneer women's cross country team finished second in the Nor Cal Athletic Conference and sixth at the NCAA Division II West Regionals in 1990. Cal State Hayward went on to finish the season ranked 13th in the Division II national poll. Jenny Cubillas collects All-West Region and All-NCAC honors for the Pioneers.
On the men's side, the Pioneers take third at NCAC Championships before finishing sixth at the NCAA Division II West Regionals. The team caps the season ranked 18th in the final Division II poll.
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1989A year after taking the women's soccer team to its first national championship, Head Coach Colin Lindores nearly made it a repeat with the Pioneer men in 1989, when he took the team to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Cal State Hayward takes home its third straight Northern California Athletic Conference title after going 17-6-1 overall and 12-2 in league play.
The road to the national semifinal went through both Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly in the Division II West Regional. The Pioneers knocked off both the Matadors and Mustangs as part of their 17 wins in the final 21 matches of the season, while booking themselves a spot in the Final Four. The squad is edged by top-ranked New Hampshire, 2-0, in the semifinal to end the furthest run into the NCAA playoffs in program history.
Following the Final Four appearance, the accolades rolled in for the Pioneers. Leading scorer Ignacio Navarette collects NSCAA first-team All-America honors and is joined by Craig Huft and goalkeeper Mark Lehnert as first-team All-West Region selections. The trio also collected first-team All-NCAC honors, while Brad McClanahan and Dan Orcutt were second-team all-league picks. Navarette still holds the program record for career assists with 32, while Lehnert's 27.5 career shutouts and 1.07 career goals against average both remain Pioneer records.
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1988Just seven years after its last national title, Cal State Hayward was at it again in 1988, when women's soccer took home the NCAA Division II Championship. Under the watchful eye of Head Coach and Athletic Hall of Famer Colin Lindores, the Pioneers won their fifth straight NCAC title, recorded victories in each of their last 14 matches and finished the season with a 20-1 overall mark, including a perfect 18-0 record against Division II opponents.
The road to the first women's soccer title in school history began with the Pioneers' fifth straight Northern California Athletic Conference championship, captured with an undefeated 8-0 record in league play. As part of a string of six consecutive shutouts to end the season, Cal State Hayward blanked Mercyhurst, 6-0, in the national semifinal to earn a meeting with top-ranked Barry University in the championship match.
NCAA Tournament Offensive MVP Denise Butticci put away the lone goal the Pioneers would need in the 22nd minute, leaving tournament Defensive MVP Denise Regas and the rest of the defense to hold off Barry to lead the team to the 1-0 victory and the title. Tonya Armstrong, Suzanne Roberts and Hall of Famer Kim Johnson join Butticci and Regas on the All-Tournament Team and Lindores earns his 100th career victory with the win.
With the championship came further honors for the Pioneers. Both Johnson and Regas are named Division II All-Americans, while Lindores collects NSCAA Division II and NCAA West Region Coach of the Year honors. Johnson also collected first-team All-NCAC and All-West Region honors following the run to the title.
A senior on the national championship team, Johnson graduated in 1989 and was a member of the 2000 Athletic Hall of Fame induction class. More than 20 years later, she also remains atop the Pioneers' offensive all-time top 10 lists with 141 career points and 55 career goals.
A 2010 Hall of Fame inductee, Lindores finished his career as both the men's and women's coach at Cal State Hayward with over 250 combined victories, the best winning percentage in Pioneer women's soccer coaching history (.672) and 14 total NCAC titles. After his time with the Pioneers, Lindores went on to lead the Stanford men's team to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's National Team at the Pan-Am Games in 1991 and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
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1987Though track and field and men's basketball had held the spotlight in the early 1980s, the Pioneer men's tennis team was building a dynasty of its own, culminating in its 12th conference championship in 13 years in 1987. Under the watchful eye of Head Coach John Nelson, the Pioneers topped UC Davis, 6-3, in the NorCal Athletic Conference championship match before going on to finish third at the NCAA Division II Championships.
After Nelson collected conference Coach of the Year honors and Mauricio Achondo was named NCAC Player of the Year, the Pioneers stormed into the NCAA quarterfinals where they knocked off Cal State Bakersfield, 5-1. Though the team fell to eventual champion Chapman in the semifinal, it rebounded in the third-place match to edge Rollins College, 5-4, and match its best-ever finish at NCAA Championships. Achondo went on to earn All-America honors in singles, while Kim Sohl and Manoj Kashyap were named doubles All-Americans.
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1986The men's basketball was at the forefront for Pioneer Athletics again in 1986, when it captured its second straight NCAA Division II West Regional title. The team won 21 of its final 25 games and posted a program-best 24-8 overall record, setting six school records along the way. Head Coach and Athletic Hall of Fame member Gary Hulst earned Northern California Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors, while fellow Hall of Famer Jim Moran was named to the All-NCAC First Team and Cye Adams earned NCAC MVP honors.
The Pioneers won their second consecutive NCAC championship, toppling Humboldt State and UC Davis again in the conference playoffs to earn the NCAA regional berth. Once there, Cal State Hayward knocked off Alaska-Anchorage in front of a capacity crowd of 4,500 at Pioneer Gym. The team's leading scorer, Adams, is named West Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player and collected All-West Region as well. Moran joined Adams on the All-West Regional Tournament Team. Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer and senior Michael Harris dished out 150 assists during the season, setting a record that still stands.
Harris finished his career as the all-time assists leader with 287 and still ranks fourth on the top-10 career assists list today. Moran ranks second all-time in field-goal percentage at 56.7 percent, while Adams still ranks among the top 10 Pioneers in career points, rebounds, field-goal percentage and steals.
To mark its 25th anniversary in 1986, the Athletics Department honored several Pioneer coaches and student-athletes at the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The inaugural class included 10 former student-athletes: Kermit Bayless (track), Greg Blankenship (track), Edward Ray Clark (track), Pat Costello (softball, basketball, volleyball), Dianne Kalliam (track, basketball), Marilyn King (track), Don Murray (basketball), Bernard Oliver (football), Barbara Pickel (track) and Cis Schafer (track, softball). Former Director of Athletics Lew Comer and Team Physician Dr. Jack Lutt were also honored for their services to the department. All told, the group of student-athletes collected three individual national titles, 15 All-America certificates and two team national championships, as well as countless conference titles. The initial class was comprised of some of the crucial individuals who laid the foundation for Pioneer Athletics in the first quarter-century of its history.
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1985The Pioneer men's basketball team won its first ever NCAA II West Regional Championship in 1985 and finished the campaign with a program-best 21-8 record. Under the direction of Head Coach Gary Hulst, the team established six school records including most wins in a season (21), best winning percentage (.700), most victories in conference play (10), consecutive wins (nine), most points in a game (114), and assists in a game (28).
The path to the Pioneers' regional title began with a 69-62 victory over UC Davis in the NorCal Athletic Conference playoffs. Led by Pioneer Athletic Hall of Famer Jim Moran, who scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds, Cal State Hayward posted a 50-45 victory over Humboldt State in the conference championship game to take the title and earned a spot in the NCAA playoffs.
The Pioneers went on to knock off 16th-ranked Norfolk State before capturing the NCAA II West Regional title with a 51-48 victory over Cal State Northridge. Hall of Famer Michael Harris, who scored 40 points in the two West Regional games, is named the tournament's most valuable player.
Also in 1985, the women's softball team made a name for itself, capturing its first ever Northern California Athletic Conference title. The Pioneers went 19-1 in league play and finished season with a 38-16 overall record. Meanwhile, women's soccer concludes its most successful season so far, winning the NCAC with a perfect 8-0 mark and finishing 18-1 overall.
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1984The track and field program at Cal State Hayward continued to solidify itself as a Pioneer dynasty in 1984 when the women took home their eighth straight conference crown. The Pioneers tally 248 points to take the title, more than doubling runner up Sacramento State's total of 118. The conference championship was just a stop en route to the team finishing fourth overall at NCAA Division II National Championships, where it produced eight All-Americans. The Pioneers finished just seven points out of second place and 37.5 points behind national champion Cal Poly, while marking their third straight top-10 showing.
Athletic Hall of Famers Diane Oswalt and Delphina Banks lead the way at both events, with Oswalt capturing her second and the Pioneers' third straight Division II title in the discus. That season, Oswalt led Division II with a pair of 178-4 tosses at the Johnny Mathis Invitational and NorCal Meet, a distance that still ranks sixth all-time in the Division II record books. Oswalt also went on to compete at the NCAA Division I Championships that year, finishing eighth.
Running in her final championships as a Pioneer, Banks collected an All-America certificate in the 400-meters. Banks finished her career with three All-America honors in the sprints and her prelim time of 52.74 in the 400 at national championships in 1983 remains among the all-time top 20 in Division II to this day.
Joining Banks and Oswalt were Chris Manning and Roianne Byrd, who each earned a pair of All-America certificates. A middle-distant runner, Manning collected the honors in the 800- and 1500-meters, while Byrd earned the status in the 200-meters and 100-meter high hurdles.
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1983Another year brought another conference title for the Pioneer men's tennis team, which took home its eighth consecutive crown in 1983. After extending its dual-match winning streak to 56 victories in conference play, the team finished 19-4 on the season and advanced the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Pioneers made it as far as national championships, where they reached the Final Four and tied their best-ever showing at the event with a third-place finish.
Cal State Hayward was led by the No. 1 doubles tandem of Athletics Hall of Famer Rolf Wiedenmeyer and Jeff Southwick, who both also earned All-America status in singles. Wiedenmeyer went 22-10 in singles matches, topped only by fellow Hall of Famer Brian Mehmedbasich, whose 21-8 mark in singles play paced the Pioneers that season.
The women's track and field team was also a power in Division II in 1983, finishing third at the NCAA Championship meet to top all the non-scholarship programs competing at the event. A year after Diane Oswalt captured the discus national title, Glenda Ford made it two in a row for the Pioneers taking the discus crown with a throw of 162-1. The pair would help make Cal State Hayward a throws powerhouse in the early years of NCAA women's competition, capturing each of the Division II discus championships from 1982-85.
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1982A banner year across the board for Cal State Hayward, 1982 saw both track and field teams and men's soccer turn in impressive performances. On the heels of its eighth straight conference championship, Pioneer men's track finished 10th overall at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. The team was led by Hall of Famer Jim Moran, who captured the individual title in the high jump, Sandy LeBeaux, a Hall of Fame inductee and All-American in the 400 intermediate hurdles, and Dave Debus, who earned an All-America certificate in the hammer. On the women's side, Hall of Famer Diane Oswalt took home the first of three national titles in the hammer at the first-ever NCAA Division II Championship meet.
On the pitch, the Pioneer men's soccer team reached the NCAA playoffs under Hall of Fame Head Coach Colin Lindores. The Pioneers were led in scoring by George Fernandez with 23 points, whose performance earned him both NCAA and NSCAA All-America and All-West Region honors. He also joined Grant Gollnick and Angelo Garcia on the All-NorCal Athletic Conference (NCAC) First Team. Lindores, the NCAC Coach of the Year, guided the Pioneers to the first of their three straight 10-win seasons and a tie for first-place in the NCAC. The 2010 Hall of Fame inductee would go on to lead the women's team to the 1988 national title and the Stanford men's team to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.
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1981Just a year after capturing its second straight women's cross country national title, Cal State Hayward was at it again in 1981, when the women's track and field team took home its second AIAW National Championship. Scoring a total of 93 points, the Pioneers won the first-ever Division III crown just two years before the NCAA took over the administration of women's championships.
The host Pioneers relied on their 11 All-Americans to lead the way to the national title after already taking the team's fifth consecutive Golden Gate Conference championship. Two-time cross country All-American and Athletics Hall of Famer Michele Aubuchon finished her senior season with a bang, taking both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races and completing the 1980-81 academic year with a pair of team national titles. Meanwhile, freshman Delphina Banks earned All-America status in the 400-meter, kicking off a Hall of Fame career that saw her earn three All-America certificates. Frannie Castro joined Aubuchon as an individual champion, taking the 800-meter title, while Glenda Ford was another All-American in the discus.
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1980A new decade brought with it even more success for the Pioneers on the verge of their 20th anniversary, as the women's cross country team captured its second straight AIAW Division II national title in 1980. Under Athletic Hall of Fame coach Bob McGuire, Cal State Hayward tallied 54 points to take home the championship. All-Americans Michele Aubuchon and Stefani Stoutt, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 5k, led the Pioneers for the second year. The championship came on the heels of both the Region 8 and Golden State Conference titles.
A member of the 1996 Hall of Fame induction class, McGuire led the Pioneer track and cross country teams from 1978-82. During his time at the helm, McGuire led his teams to three national titles, with the women's cross country team capturing back-to-back championships and the women's track and field squad collecting its second national crown in program history.
The first year of the new decade was also kind to the men's tennis team, which captured its sixth straight Far Western Conference title en route to its best-ever finish at NCAA Division II Championships. The team advanced to the national semifinals for the second time in as many seasons, this time finishing third in Division II. The team was led by a pair of impressive seasons from the doubles tandems of Wayne Marks and Jim Gorman and Eric Berg and Jack Galloway. All four received All-America honors, including the second straight for Marks and Gorman, while Galloway and Berg posted a 27-3 record together.
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1979In only its second year of competition, the Pioneer women's cross country team captured its first national title, taking home the 1979 AIAW Division III championship. Three runners – Michele Aubuchon, Connie Hester and Stefani Stoutt collected All-America honors in helping the team to Cal State Hayward's third national title.
A member of the 1988 Hall of Fame induction class, Aubuchon was a two-time All-American for the Pioneers and won a national title in the 10,000 meters for the women's track team. Aubuchon graduated with honors in biology in 1982 before qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon.
Women's cross country was not the only team to find success in 1979. Women's gymnastics, men's track and field and men's tennis also made their mark that year. The gymnastics team took home the Golden State Conference title and placed fifth at the AIAW Region 8 championship. Pioneer men's track and field finished fourth at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships, led by Pioneer Athletic Hall of Famer Doug Garner's second triple jump title. Meanwhile, the men's tennis team collected its fifth straight Far Western Conference title and reached the NCAA Division II national semifinals, finishing third under Hall of Fame Head Coach Stan Clark.
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1978During the fall of 1978, the Pioneer football team enjoyed its best campaign since 1971, finishing 8-2 overall and placing second in the Far Western Conference with a 4-1 record.
The Pioneers topped the conference in total defense, yielding just 226.9 yards a game. On the other side of the ball, Pioneer quarterback Chuck Stevenson, running back Ron Green and wide receiver Tom Ferguson helped the squad average a league-leading 365.6 yards per game. Stevenson finished the season with 1,943 yards, 14 touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 57 percent. On the ground, Green ran for over 700 yards, while in the air Ferguson caught 55 passes for 698 yards, all of which put the trio among the league leaders in passing, rushing and receiving.
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1977The Pioneers marked another banner year in 1977, capturing their second national championship in program history just 15 years into the department's existence. Just five years after the Pioneer women's track and field team captured the first national title, the men continued to grow the program's impressive legacy with not only the first NCAA Division II national championship but also another Far Western Conference title. Behind the efforts of 11 All-Americans and two individual national champions, the Pioneers became the second Cal State Hayward team to win a national title.
Led by Hall of Famers Dave Haber, Ray Clark, Darryl Robinson and Mark Sawyer, the Pioneers toppled defending champion UC Irvine by eight points on the North Dakota State campus. Haber, already a two-time individual champion in the high jump, captured his third straight crown, while John LeGrande took home the triple jump title. Meanwhile, Robinson earned his second runner-up finish in the pole vault after taking home his second Far Western Conference championship in the event. A sprinter, Clark earned points in the 100 meter dash, picking up his fourth straight All-America certificate, while Sawyer collected his second All-America honors in the hammer throw.
The title came under the watch of legendary Head Coach Jim Santos, who collected his second national championship as the coach of both the men and women's programs from 1970-79. During his Hall of Fame career with the Pioneers, Santos mentored over 25 All-Americans and helped 11 student-athletes to individual national titles. After collecting a pair of Far Western Conference Coach of the Year awards, Santos went on to serve as an Olympic coach for the United States in 1980 and helped coach the 1983 U.S. Pan-America Games squad.
Not to be forgotten, 1977 was also a banner year for the Pioneer baseball team, as it took home its second Far Western Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional title game. Paced by pitchers Tony Rubino and Randy Rambis, the squad finished with 32 victories, a program record that still stands today, and took home the conference crown with a near-perfect 16-2 mark in FWC play.
A member of the 1996 Hall of Fame induction class, Rubino led the staff with 10 complete games, going 8-6 on the year with a 1.85 earned run average. Rubino was at his best during conference play, collecting five wins in six decisions and nearly shutting out his opponents with a 0.50 ERA. Meanwhile, Rambis had a banner 1977 campaign, posting a 9-1 mark with 85 strikeouts and a school record 1.22 ERA. Rambis also set a program record that went untouched by any Pioneer pitcher for 30 years, striking out 15 batters against University of the Pacific. He also tossed one of two no-hitters in Pioneer history against Portland that season.
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1976The Pioneers' championship streak continued in 1976, when the men's tennis team won its first of seven Far Western Conference titles under Head Coach Stan Clark. The team went 14-2 in dual matches that season, helped by a pair of Hall of Famers in Doug Ditmer and Wendell Pierce. The doubles tandem compiled a record of 49-3 in two seasons together, while Pierce finished his two-year Pioneer career with 45 wins and just eight losses in singles play. Pierce collected All-America honors and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. A two-time Far Western Conference Player of the Year, Ditmer was no slouch, going 63-6 in singles play during a four-year span and joining the Hall of Fame in 1996.
A Hall of Famer himself, Clark guided the Pioneers from 1976-1982 and is considered one of the best coaches in Cal State Hayward tennis history. In addition to leading the team to seven conference titles, Clark helped the Pioneers to a fourth-place showing at NCAA Division II nationals in 1979 and was named International Tennis Association Coach of the Year in 1982. Following his impressive coaching career, Clark went on to chair the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Cal State Hayward.
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1975It only took seven seasons for the Pioneer men's soccer team to go from brand new program in 1969 to Far Western Conference champions in 1975. For the first time in its history, the program took home the conference title and made an appearance in the NCAA postseason. Still a year away from Hall of Famer Colin Lindores taking over as head coach, the Pioneers captured the first of two straight Far Western Conference championships in 1975 after posting a pair of runner up finishes in the league in their first six years in existence.
Guiding the Pioneers to that first title was Hall of Fame player Frank Fudenna, who played for Cal State Hayward from 1974-76. Considered one of the program's best players of the 1970s, Fudenna collected All-Far Western Conference honors in each of his three seasons, helping the Pioneers to consecutive championships and postseason berths. A participant in the college East-West All-Star Game, Fudenna was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League in 1976. Fudenna also earned a tryout for the U.S. Olympic team before going on to work for a produce company in Salinas, where he remains involved in the local youth soccer system, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the 2008 class.
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1974Another year marked yet another championship for the Pioneers in 1974. This time, the Pioneer women's basketball team became a repeat winner for the first time, taking home its second straight Golden State Conference championship. Hall of Fame Head Coach Marge Martin capped her career at the helm for Cal State Hayward with her second title in as many years, getting help from seniors Dianne Kalliam and Marilyn King, both of whom were members of the inaugural Hall of Fame induction class.
A three-sport athlete for the Pioneers, Kalliam would go on to play professional softball with the San Jose Sunbirds, helping them capture the 1976 Women's Professional Softball Association Western Division title. Meanwhile, King – another multi-sport athlete – competed in the 1976 Olympic Games, where she finished 17th overall in the pentathlon, and is now a respected motivational speaker.
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1973Having captured its first national championship a year earlier, the Athletics Department needed another outstanding performance in order to avoid a "sophomore slump" in 1973. An outstanding performance is exactly what the Pioneers got, as the women's basketball team took home its first Golden State Conference title after completing a perfect season at 12-0. After a decade of building the program, Head Coach Marge Martin posted her second undefeated campaign and helped the Pioneers pick up the department's fifth conference title.
A 1988 inductee into the Athletics Hall of Fame, Martin guided the Pioneers from their outset in 1965 until 1974. Martin was also the first women's tennis coach at Cal State Hayward and coached several of Hall of Famers including basketball players Pat Costello, Marilyn King and Diane Kalliam, each of whom was a multi-sport athlete in the early years of women's athletics for the Pioneers.
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1972After a decade of hard work and growth, along with conference titles and all-conference honors, the Pioneer Athletics Department reached the ultimate goal – a national championship – in 1972. The first-ever national title came when the Pioneers captured the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) women's track and field championship in 1972. A landmark achievement for any athletics department, the title was particularly impressive for the Pioneers, who were still newcomers to the national intercollegiate athletics scene. Just 11 years into its existence and eight years into its sponsorship of women's sports, Cal State Hayward had captured the first AIAW outdoor track and field championship. Competing against schools of all sizes on the University of Tennessee campus in May 1972, the Pioneers ran away with the title, topping Texas Woman's University by 33 points.
The Pioneers were led to their first title by legendary Head Coach Jim Santos, who ran both the men's and women's track and field programs from 1970-79. During his Hall of Fame career with the Pioneers, Santos helped both programs to a national championship, mentored over 25 All-Americans and helped 11 student-athletes to individual national titles. A two-time Far Western Conference Coach of the Year, Santos went on to serve as an Olympic coach for the United States in 1980 and helped coach the 1983 U.S. Pan-America Games squad.
Santos also coached 12 future Hall of Famers including Debi "Cis" Schafer, Marilyn King and Barbara Pickel from the 1972 championship squad. A three-time All-American in the pentathlon, King competed for the Pioneers from 1971-74 and was a member of the first Hall of Fame class in 1986. King captured the 1971 200 meter low hurdles title and went on to compete in the 1976 Olympic Games, where she finished 17th overall in the pentathlon, and is now a respected motivational speaker.
During and impressive four-year Pioneer career, Schafer ranked among the top 10 all-time scorers at the AIAW track and field championship, which ran from 1972-83. A two-time national champion in the 800 meters, Schafer helped the Pioneers to the title with her second straight 800 crown in 1972 and was a scorer in the event at nationals in each of her four seasons at Cal State Hayward. Schafer joined King as an inductee in the first Hall of Fame class.
A three-sport athlete who competed in volleyball, basketball and track and field for the Pioneers, Pickel was a four-year letterwinner and was also inducted in the initial Hall of Fame class.
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1971Since the beginning of the program, Pioneer baseball has maintained a mission of pursuing excellence both on and off the field. From the outset, Hall of Fame Coach Al Mathews set the tone for the program's future, guiding the team to its first-ever Far Western Conference Championship in 1971; just seven years after the program got its start. Mathews would not only help lead the team to another conference title during his tenure, but also go on to become Director of Athletics for the Pioneers from 1972-1991, overseeing the department for six of its seven national championships.
Two other Pioneer Hall of Famers – Mel Yearby and Jay Kleven – played crucial roles on that first championship team as well. A rookie in 1971, Yearby went on to become a Pioneer legend. His presence can still be felt in the record books, where he ranks among the top 10 in nearly every career offensive category for the Pioneers and still holds the record for triples in a season. As a senior, Kleven led the team to the title, garnering his second first-team All-Far Western Conference honors. Kleven also went on to play professionally, including one season in the big leagues with the New York Mets in 1976.
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1970After a near-perfect season in 1960, when Pioneer football had an impressive record of 9-1 and won their first Far Western Conference championship with an undefeated record of 5-0, the team captured its second straight title in 1970. Although that year was Hall of Fame Coach Les Davis' final season with Cal State Hayward, the team continued to find success on the field throughout the program's 30-year history. Davis, who was just 29 when he became head coach in 1966, went on to take over coaching duties at New Mexico Highlands University before spending two seasons as an assistant at Cal. He also coached two years at Newark High School before founding a successful real estate business with former Pioneer player and assistant coach Jerry Hardy.
The 1970 title marked the third conference championship in the first 10 years of Pioneer history, which laid the foundation for the athletics department to go on to capture seven national championships and produce more than 100 All-Americans and Academic All-Americans, while winning 77 conference championships in NCAA Divisions II and III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
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1969Under the leadership of Hall of Fame Coach Les Davis, Pioneer football achieved its second major milestone in 1969. Just two years after recording its first-ever winning season, the team collected its initial Far Western Conference championship in 1969. The Pioneers finished the historic season with a 9-1 overall record and went undefeated in conference play at 5-0. The 1969 team's achievements were just the beginning, as they came back in 1970 to capture back-to-back titles under Davis, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.
The 1969 campaign and conference championship were not only great early milestones for Pioneer football, but also marked the start of Hall of Famer Monty Consani's career. As a rookie in 1969, Consani helped the Pioneers to the title and went on to earn a pair of All-Far Western Conference selections. A 1971 graduate, Consani was also named to the Coaches Little All-America Team during an impressive three-year career.
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1968As the athletics department began to grow, Cal State Hayward began to get noticed both on the conference and national levels, and in 1968 that recognition came to fruition as the Pioneers played host to their first major event. The 1968 Small College Track and Field Championships were held at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, giving the university a chance to make a name for itself as a destination for major sporting events. The campus has gone on to host numerous conference and regional tournaments – including the Cal Pac and CCAA Basketball Tournaments – as well as high school league and section championships.
That year was also a crucial moment in the history of the men's tennis team, as it captured its first Far Western Conference championship in 1968. As one of the first three intercollegiate teams on the Cal State Hayward campus, the men's tennis team quickly built a lasting legacy thanks to its nine conference titles and five Hall of Fame members, including Doug Ditmer, a two-time Far West Conference Player of the Year, and his doubles partner, Wendell Pierce, an All-American.
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1967Three years after taking to the field for the first time, the Pioneer football team posted its first-ever winning record in 1967. After going 7-3-1, the team finished third in the Far Western Conference all while playing their home games at the two-year old Pioneer Stadium. Just two years later, the team would make its way up the conference standings to take home its first title.
The 1967 team produced a pair of Athletics Hall of Famers as well, in Head Coach Les Davis, and running back Bernard Oliver. Davis was the Pioneers' second coach and the first to take them to league titles, guiding the team to both the 1969 and 1970 Far Western Conference championship. Oliver was among the greatest running backs to ever play for the Pioneers and played his rookie season in 1967. During his four year career, Oliver led the team to the two league titles while rushing for 1,000 yards twice. He was a Division II All-American, completing his career with 4,135 rushing yards and joined the Hall of Fame in the initial induction class in 1986.
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1966It took just two years for the Pioneer baseball team to make a name for itself both on campus and in the Far Western Conference. After beginning intercollegiate competition in 1964, the Pioneers laid the first pieces of the foundation for what has become a successful baseball program at Cal State East Bay by posting their first winning record in 1966. The team finished the season at 18-13 overall, besting the previous year's team by three wins and more than doubling the inaugural squad's eight victories. The Pioneers also went 8-4 in league play, good for their second straight runner up finish in the Far Western Conference.
All of the Pioneer baseball team's early success came under the watch of Athletics Hall of Famer Al Mathews, who would later go on to become the Director of Athletics for 20 years. During his tenure as baseball coach, Mathews would guide the Pioneers to a pair of Far Western Conference titles, compiling a record of 147-161 over the first nine seasons of competition. As Director of Athletics, Mathews saw six Pioneer teams and individuals capture national championships.
The Pioneer baseball program has produced six other Hall of Famers, including Rich Sherratt, who went on to become a successful entrepreneur and, along with his wife, funded the Richard and Susan Sherratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment in 2009. The endowment provides funds for student-athletes who might not otherwise have been able to attend Cal State East Bay while competing for the Pioneers. In addition, the Pioneers have had eight players selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft and had several other former student-athletes sign contracts and play in both the minors and majors, including 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Archie Gilbert, who currently plays for the Washington Nationals' AA affiliate in Harrisburg, Pa.
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1965Though both basketball teams had already begun intercollegiate competition, both were without a true home on campus until 1965, when construction began on a 5,000-seat gymnasium that the Pioneers still call home. In the 46 years since construction was completed, the Pioneers have hosted some important events at Pioneer Gym, including the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball West Regional, the California Pacific Conference Tournament and, most recently, the California Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament in 2011. Plenty of milestones have also been reached in the gym including several men's and women's conference titles, the men's first West Regional championship in 1986 and current Head Coach Will Biggs' landmark 200th victory as the men's basketball coach at Cal State East Bay in 2010.
That year was also key for the future of the Pioneer swimming and water polo teams, as construction also began on two swimming pools next to the gymnasium. The two pools have been put to good use by the two teams over the years, producing numerous All-Americans in swimming and capturing the 2008 Collegiate III National Championship in water polo. The two programs have produced four Athletics Hall of Fame athletes and coaches, including three-time Division II All-American diver Lori Stilson and diving and water polo coach
Dr. Calvin Caplan, who led the water polo team to two Far Western Conference titles and remains an assistant for the water polo team today.
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1964 Another early milestone in Pioneer history came in 1964, as the football team made its debut. While the 10,000-seat stadium was in the process of being built, the team played its four home games that first season at Hayward High School. It would take just two seasons for the team to post a winning record and by 1969, Pioneer football was the Far Western Conference champion.
The football team wasn't the only program to get its start that year, as the women's basketball team began intercollegiate competition. The Pioneers quickly became a conference powerhouse, needing just nine seasons before going undefeated and capturing their first Golden State Conference title.
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1963Though the Pioneers had teams taking part in intercollegiate competition in 1961 and 1962, the university made the decision to get serious about their athletic teams in 1963, when it chose to hire James "Lew" Comer as its first ever Director of Athletics. Comer, a 1948 graduate of Fort Hays State University, served as the Pioneers' leader for seven years, helping to build a program that would go on to win four national championships in the decade after his service. Comer oversaw a number of key developments in the early years of Pioneer Athletics, including the construction of a football stadium and gymnasium, establishment of both a football team and women's athletics programs, and the first national championship Cal State Hayward hosted. During that time, Comer also saw the Pioneer teams win their first ever Far West Conference titles.
Comer, who later earned a doctorate, went on to serve as Athletics Director at Long Beach State for four years from 1971-74, helping the university through the NCAA probationary period and overseeing the development of the 49ers men's basketball team as a national power and guiding a burgeoning women's athletics program. After his time as Athletics Director, Comer served as a faculty member in the Department of Physical Education at Long Beach State for a number of years.
A member of Cal State East Bay's original 1986 Athletics Hall of Fame class, Comer was inducted into Long Beach State's Hall of Fame in 2000 and was also a 1982 recipient of the Fort Hays State Alumni Achievement Award for his contributions to his community and the athletics field.
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1962The spring of 1962 was a crucial moment in the history of Pioneer Athletics, as both the men's track and field and tennis teams began competition. That spring was a fateful moment for Cal State Hayward as those two teams would lay the foundation of championships on which the Pioneer Athletics tradition has been built. Pioneer men's track and field captured the next 10 straight Far Western Conference titles and went on to win the 1977 NCAA Division II National Championship. Meanwhile, men's tennis collected nine straight conference titles and placed as high as third at the NCAA Division II Championships.
Among the many Athletics Hall of Famers to come from the first two decades of the men's tennis program were Doug Ditmer, a two-time Far West Conference Player of the Year, and his doubles partner, Wendell Pierce, and All-American. Men's track accounts for the largest number of Hall of Fame members at Cal State East Bay, a number of which were from those first teams, including Doug Garner, a two-time national champion in the triple jump, Dave Haber, who collected three NCAA titles in the high jump, and Kermit Bayless, a three-time All-American in the 400 meters. The teams also had some great coaches, including Hall of Famer Stan Clark, who guided men's tennis to seven championships and was named Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1982, and Assistant Coach Don Chu, who coached eight national champions and 25 All-Americans in the jumps between 1972-83.
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1961 On Dec. 1, 1961, Cal State Hayward's intercollegiate athletics program officially began with a men's basketball game against Sacramento State. Though the Pioneers lost to the Hornets that fateful night, the team came back the next night to defeat Oregon's Pacific University, recording the first win in the history of Pioneer Athletics. The 1961 team not only made history, but also finished the season with a 14-12 overall record and tied Nevada for second place in the Far Western Conference with an 8-4 mark in league play.
Athletics Hall of Famer Bill Vandenburgh was the coach of the original Pioneer squad and later became the first chair of Cal State Hayward's Physical Education Department. Vandenburgh went on to lead the Pioneers to back-to-back 14-win seasons in the their first two years in existence and finished a five-year career as head coach with 43 career victories, which ranks fourth in program history. In Vandenburgh's second season, the team held opponents to an average of 61.1 points per game, a record which still stands nearly 50 years later.
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