Student-athletes must also have a grade-point average of 3.40 or high in a minimum of 24 semester/36 quarter units completed at the certifying institution. Non-graded units may be included in the 24/36 unit total. Four of HSU’s award-winners were participants in two sports programs, bringing the total number of awards to 32.

In June, the conference announced the selection of its top individual male and female scholar-athletes, both of them representing Humboldt State. Men’s basketball player Grayson Moyer and women’s track & field athlete Audrey Oswald were named CCAA Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively.

CCAA All-Academic — Humboldt State University

Softball
Christine Motzny
Jenna Anderson
Vanessa Shernock
Katlyn Mannatt
Heather Bingisser

Women’s Cross Country
Megan Rolland
Heather Moulton
Irene Graham
Tess Dahlgren
Clare Nowel

Women’s Track & Field
Megan Rolland
Brittany Athing
Heather Moulton
Irene Graham
Audrey Oswald
Molly Todd

Men’s Cross Country
Travor Carlson
Eric Malain
Shaun Peterson

Men’s Track and FIeld
Nicholas Bawden
Eric Malain
Derek Lacaoen
Brent Smith

Women’s Basketball
Kristina O’Keefe
Jessica Haayer

Women’s Soccer
Michela Hernandez
Tamlyn Tsubota

Men’s Soccer
Zachary Herbst
Daniel Adamski

Men’s Basketball
Grayson Moyer
Cy Vandermeer

Volleyball
Toni Kroeker

For more HSU athletics, visit the HSU Jacks’ homepage.

Humboldt State head volleyball coach Sue Woodstra, who has served as first assistant with the USA team for the past year, will depart for Beijing, China, and the Summer Olympic Games along with the rest of the staff and players on Aug. 1. The USA enters the competition ranked No. 4 in the world, with high hopes of advancing to the medals round.

Woodstra was a key player on the 1984 USA team that earned a silver medal at the Los Angeles games. Defeating the USA for the gold was the team from China, which included 2008 USA head coach “Jenny” Lang Ping.

Tickets for Thursday’s match are $5, and will be available for purchase an hour before scheduled match time. Following the scrimmage, Team USA players will sign autographs.

Humboldt State assistant coach James Kealalio had directed the Lumberjacks’ program during Woodstra’s assignment with the national team. He’ll continue that role when the Jacks report for fall practice on Aug. 10, serving as head coach until Woodstra’s return from China.

For more Athletics at HSU, click on the HSU Jacks homepage.

Cheek’s Lumberjacks got it done Saturday, earning the NCAA Division II Softball Championship with a 1-0 victory over Emporia State in the event finale. The victory completed an unbeaten march through the nationals winner’s bracket, and capped a 10-game winning streak that began with the Jacks emergence from the loser’s bracket at the regional tournament.

“One high point isn’t better than any other, but I believe in living in the present,” Cheek said. “Right now, this one is best. When we won before, it was best. And I had some great wins in wrestling that were up there.”

Many stars shined for the Jacks again, none brighter than senior pitcher Lizzy Prescott, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Toiling again one night after throwing a record-setting 17-inning one-hitter, Prescott shut out the Hornets on five hits, striking out 10 and walking none.

“Why not win? Why not us?” Prescott said, following the final game of her collegiate career. “We worked just as hard and we deserved it.”

Humboldt State’s All-American pitcher Lizzy Prescott took HSU to a 1-0 win over Emporia State. Photo Credit: HSU Athletics

Her simple approach to the game belies the complete domination that Prescott displayed while taking on the best in the country. For the week, Prescott posted a 4-0 record, pitching 41 innings and allowing only one earned run for a 0.17 earned run average. She also struck out 52 batters, while walking none.

“Seven innings, you knowm I asked my team for seven and they got it done,” Prescott said. “It felt like a quick game and I was happy about that.”

Prescott had help, to be sure, including heroics from Chrissy Motzny and Natalie Galletly again, both of whom were rewarded by being named to the all-tournament team. Catcher Marissa Slattery was also honored with selection.

Galletly provided the only offensive support Prescott needed with her first-inning blast. With two outs, the junior first baseman drove a Samantha Sheeley pitch over the left field fence for an opposite field home run.

Motzny came up big defensively once again, making another run-saving catch just as she did during Friday’s semifinal contest. This time, Motzny raced in for a diving grab of Angela Mahan’s sinking fly ball, ending the third inning and stranding a runner in scoring position.

“Natalie and Chrissy helped me out a lot,” Prescott said. Thank God they were born. I tell them that all the time, too.”

The big win finished the Jacks season with a 57-18 record that included the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season championships and West Region title. After finishing off their championship week at the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival Closing Ceremonies, they’ll make their way back to Arcata on Sunday,with an approximate 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. arrival at the airport.

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Athletes will be selected in three separate categories — male, female and veterans. Veteran athletes are those who have been eligible for the Hall of Fame for 10 years or more. Athletes who participated after 1985 must have graduated.

All nominations should be sent to Dan Pambianco, Assistant Athletic Director, 1 Harpst St., Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521. They can also be submitted via email to dmp1@humboldt.edu. Nominators are asked to please supply supporting information on candidates, including honors, accomplishments and records achieved.

This year’s honorees will be inducted on Oct. 4-5 during Homecoming weekend festivities.

Oswald, who placed second at nationals and earned All-American status in 2007, comes into the event ranked No. 2 this spring with a best of 190 feet, 3 inches. Krieger ranks No. 11 with a best of 175-2. The top eight finishers will be recognized as All-Americans.

Also competing Thursday will be Lumberjacks Jasper Peach and Jesus Solis in the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase preliminaries. Peach comes in ranked seventh and Solis ranks 16th. The top 12 in Thursday’s events advance into Saturday’s final

On Saturday, Lumberjacks’ Nick Bawden and Jodi Symonds will compete in the men’s and women’s javelin, respectively. Bawden, who was fifth in last year’s competition, ranks third heading in, and Symonds posted the ninth-best mark this spring among women’s javelin throwers.

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Audrey Oswald and Beth Krieger, in the hammer, and Jodi Symonds in the javelin, will represent the HSU women’s team at the national meet, scheduled for May 22-24 in Walnut. Nick Bawden, in the javelin, along with Jasper Peach and Jesus Solis in the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, will carry the hopes for the HSU men’s squad.

A total of nine Lumberjacks posted either provisional or automatic qualifying marks during the season. Missing the cutoff for nationals despite their outstanding performances were Lumberjacks Kelsey Lemke, in the women’s javelin, Brittany Peterson, in the women’s pole vault, and Megan Rolland, in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase.

Oswald heads to the competition as the highest ranked Lumberjack ann individual event. Her best throw of 190 feet, 3 inches lists her second in the hammer, the position she placed to earn All-American honors in 2007. Ahead of her by less than a meter is Jessica Selby-Tallman of Missouri Southern.

Bawden is seeded third in the javelin with a best mark of 219-9, which like Oswald’s achiivement, is the Humboldt State school record. Matt Fick and Matt Litzinger, both of North Dakota, rank ahead of Bawden.

Krieger made the women’s hammer field with a career-best of 175-2 that ranks her 11th in the field, and Symonds’ javelin throw of 144-9 ranks her ninth heading into nationals. Peach’s late-season surge ranks him seventh in the steeplechase with a best time of 9 minutes. 8.61 seconds, and Solis qualifies in the 16th position at 9:16.08.

The Lumberjacks will be looking for a fast finish to the season, which peaked two weeks ago with one of the program’s best conference championships ever. At the California Collegiate Athletic Association meet, a total of six Lumberjacks earned individual championships and 13 claimed all-conference honors.

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UPD’s Crime Alert seeks information from anyone who might have seen or heard anything unusual in that location on Sunday morning, and any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of the man depicted in the sketch.

The alleged suspect is described as a slender white male in his early 20’s with brown “dreadlock” hair to his shoulders and baggy clothing, about 5’9” tall, weighing about 150-160 pounds.

The survivor, who did not suffer serious physical injury, first reported the incident to authorities on Monday afternoon. She said she saw the suspect at an off-campus party on Saturday evening, and encountered him again at the gazebo between Sunset and Redwood Halls early on Sunday. There, the man approached her and engaged her in conversation. They continued talking as they walked toward Jolly Giant Commons.

UPD Chief Thomas Dewey recounted, “The survivor had had some past off-campus social interaction with the alleged perpetrator, but she does not know much about him, where he lives, or if he is a student or not.”

She described to UPD investigators acts of sexual assault perpetrated against her will in the outdoor area between Sunset Hall and the Jolly Giant Commons. No weapons were reported involved.

University Police is actively pursuing the case. Late Monday and into Tuesday morning, UPD staff worked overtime investigating a particular person of interest, but by mid-day Tuesday, investigators and the survivor were unable to determine conclusively if this individual was in fact the perpetrator.

“Once we had run out that lead as far as we could, we released the Crime Alert,” Chief Dewey said. “We try to get public information out as soon as we can, without jeopardizing the viability of the investigation. We found the person of interest, interviewed him, and we are continuing to work the case. What we need now is a tip about this man’s identity or a witness statement from the public about what happened up there at 3:00 a.m. Sunday.”

The survivor has been connected with a variety of support services including on-campus Health and Counseling and the North Coast Rape Crisis Team.

Paper copies of the Crime Alert have been posted around campus and anyone with information about the case is asked to contact University Police at 826-5555 or to email the UPD at hsupd@humboldt.edu.

“We have had great pitchers in the history of this program and Lizzy is one of those,” HSU head coach Frank CHeek said. “She’s a coaches dream.”

“This what we have wanted ever since I have been here,” Motzny said. “The homerun really took this pressure off of Liz. I’ve never been to Texas before.”

Hosting for the first time since 2004, No. 1 seed Humboldt State took the hard road to the title, winning six straight after falling 10-1 in the Jacks’ opening game against No. 8 seed Cal State San Bernardino. Western Oregon had cruised through its first three games unbeaten, but lost 1-0 to the Jacks on Saturday to force a true championship game Sunday.

The win sends the Jacks to the national tournament for the first time since 2001. Making the program’s fifth appearance overall, Humboldt State will take on Mid-Atlantic Regional winner and the 2007 national runner-up Lock Haven University in its first game.

Humboldt State’s athletes had to pack their bags quickly in preparation for the NCAA-provided Monday afternoon charter flight out of Arcata Airport. They’ll arrive in time for Tuesday’s practice sessions, coaches meetings, and the festival’s opening ceremonies at the Houston Downtown Aquarium.

All of Humboldt State’s games will be broadcast live locally on KATA Radio, 1340 AM, and also webcast on the hsujacks.com web site. The first broadcast gets underway at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.

The Lumberjacks (53-18) put up five runs in the first, two sacrifice flys preceding Motzny’s blast, and added four more in the seventh to earn the mercy-rule victory. Western Oregon (33-18) stranded runners on the basepaths in all but the second inning, and left six runners in scoring position.

Humboldt State got its bats going quickly, starting the game with singles from Nikki Ketteringham, Caitlin Klug and Natalie Galletly to load the bases against starting and losing pitcher Katie Fleer. Marissa Slattery and Ashley Oltjenbruns drove in a run each with sacrifice flys, and after a walk to Franny West, Motzny unloaded to complete the scoring.

“”(Lizzy) presents herself so well in the circle and with such ease. I love playing behind her,” West said.“Our hard work is finally paying off and the feeling is so great.”

Humboldt State 9, Western Oregon 0 (May 11, 2008 at Arcata, Calif.)

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Live Stats: All of this week’s tournament games will feature LiveStats provided online. Play-by-play and boxscore statistics will available in real time on the hsujacks.com web site. Visit the softball page and click on the LiveStats link in the right menu to access the service free of charge.

Listen Live: Humboldt State’s postseason games are broadcast locally on KATA, 1340 AM, and also webcast on the hsujacks.com web site. J.B. Mathers will call the action and former HSU player and current College of the Redwoods head softball coach Maggie White will add commentary. The first broadcast comes on the air with the pregame show at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Lumberjacks Notes: A new week, and hopefully a new approach, provide the Lumberjacks with a chance to redeem themselves after last week’s disappointing two-and-out finish at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. To change the outcome, HSU head coach Frank Cheek plans a straightforward approach in his preparation. “There were lessons learned last week,” Cheek said. “We know more about how we have to approach the game, especially against those teams we saw here last week.”

One small modification Cheek will make to the lineup includes the Jacks’ hottest hitter, third baseman Francesca West. The junior the tournament in RBIs, jacking two three-run homers in the finale against Cal State San Bernardino. The second long shot cleared the scoreboard and dropped into the woods, providing the Lumberjacks with a two-run lead with two outs in the top of the seventh. West will be moved up into the No. 4 spot in the batting order this week to take advantage of her hot streak at the plate

Joining West in selection to the all-CCAA Tournament team was center fielder Chrissy Motzny, who had three hits in six at-bats and contributed stellar defense.

Humboldt State makes its 18th appearance in the NCAA postseason in the past 19 years. Humboldt State’s first appearance came in 1990, and its only absence was the 1992 season. Cheek has been head coach for all of those seasons.

The Lumberjacks have won the regional title four times, the most recent in 2001. They have only won the championship once on their home field, that occasion happening in 1995.

Humboldt State has played every team in this week’s tournament at least once this year, and has defeated every one of them. The Jacks have also lost to five of the West Region qualifiers this year, all except Cal State Stanislaus and Seattle University.

In last week’s announcement of all-conference honors, several Lumberjacks were honored, including Pitcher of the Year Lizzy Prescott and Freshman of the Year Nikki Ketteringham. The next round of awards begins Wednesday when the Daktronics all-region teams will be announced. Also coming up is selection of the NFCA all-region squad, followed by the All-America teams.

Coach Frank Cheek: In his 20 years with the Humboldt State softball program, head coach Frank Cheek has compiled an 970-243-2 record. His teams have earned 16 conference championships, four West Region titles and one national title. Cheek has been named conference Coach of the Year nine times and West Region Coach of the Year twice.

Opponents’ Notes: In its first game, the Jacks face a familiar opponent – Cal State San Bernardino, the team that eliminated them from the CCAA tournament last week. The Coyotes’ impressive run through the league tournament helped them gain selection to the regionals, and they bring a 34-30-1 record into the event.

Cal State Stanislaus finally ended the Coyotes’ CCAA challenge, defeating them 4-1 in 11 innings in the title game Saturday. CSUSB’s Jordan Dahl, Priscilla Curiel and Tawni Baker were selected to the all-tournament team.

Cheek’s Thoughts: “Our defense has to rise to the occasion. We’ve been up and down, defensively, and we can’t make those same mistakes.”

“We’ve had wake-up calls earlier this year, and last week was another wake-up call. We’re hot and cold.”

“Our three freshman starters have now had a chance to see what a West Region atmosphere is like, and the stress that goes with it.”

“After last week, we have no place to go but up. That should take some of the pressure off of us.”

On the women’s side, Megan Rolland took home first place in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Audrey Oswald won the hammer, and Jodi Symonds took the javelin title to help the Jacks score 72 points. That total pushed them way up from their eighth place finish in 2007 and was an improvement of 44 points.

“This was a meet all about the team and our seniors led the way,” HSU head coach Sandy Moran said. “I am really proud of how these guys and gals finished out their careers in a classy, strong, team-oriented way. They have left the foundation of a championship track & field program.”

Among the seniors, Oswald was again most impressive, throwing the hammer 182 feet, 6 inches to win her specialty. She was supported by Beth Kreiger, who took second with a 166-10, and Johanna Bailey, who was sixth with a 144-5 toss.

A sophomore, Rolland timed 11 minutes, 14.55 seconds in claiming the steeplechase and improving her own school record, and Jodi Symonds was another winner for HSU, taking the javelin with a throw of 141-5 that earned her a provisional NCAA qualifier. Another strong event for HSU, the javelin also saw Lumberjacks Helena Silva and Tori McCombs score points, in fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

Brittany Peterson showcased the Jacks’ spread of talent across all events with a third place finish in the pole vault, where she cleared 11-10. Melissa Murillo took sixth in the triple jump, leaping 35-10.5.

For the men, Bawden’s throw of 203-2 was an easy winner in the javelin, but Peach was perhaps most impressive by excelling the tough 10K-5K double. After winning the longer event Friday, he came back to place second in the 5K with a time of 15:10.13 on Saturday.

Another senior making his mark in three separate events was Mike Okenwa, who followed up Friday’s third-place long jump finish with a third in the triple jump (44-6) and fourth in the high jump (6-6) on Saturday. Jesus Solis raced to a second-place finish in the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:42.26, Jason Lewis also adding points with a sixth-place finish.

In the men’s 800 meters, senior Andrew Wright was a strong fourth in a personal best time of 1:54.87. More middle distance success came from Eric Malain and Eric Tibbetts in the 1,500 meters, the pair placing fifth and sixth with respective times of 4:01.39 and 4:02.68.

Tim Bishop took fourth in the 400 meter hurdles (56.97) and Kyle Sherry earned the same position in the hammer (153-7), ahead of teammate Brad Wright, sixth with a throw of 147.4.

Finally, Mike Streck-Woodard and Brent Smith were two strong surprises for the Jacks in the sprints. Streck-Woodard scored points with an eighth-place finish in the 100 meters, clocking 11.57, while Smith took sixth in the 400 (50.18) and seventh in the 200 (22.36).

“We scored in every event this weekend except for two,” HSU head coach Sandy Moran said. “We consistently placed higher than we were supposed to, and surprised a lot of people.”

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