September 3, 2003

Fall sports season brings great expectations

The start of the fall semester brings fresh promise for the CSUS athletics program. Here’s a look at the season ahead:

Sandra Bandimere

Men’s basketball
The Hornets will be looking to improve on last year's 12-17 record, which included a trip to the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the first time in school history.

The team returns 13 players from last season's team, including two starters – senior center Tony Champion and senior guard Brandon Guyton – and four players who appeared in all 29 games. The team will also get the services of Jameel Pugh, a transfer from Massachusetts who was ranked the 33rd-best dunker of all time by Slam Magazine.

The season gets underway Nov. 9 with a game at Stanford.

Women’s basketball
The team will be led this year by new coach Dan Muscatell, who comes to the program from Oregon.

Leading the returning players for the Hornets will be sophomore
guard/forward Sarah Craig. Craig led the team in field goals, offensive rebounds, steals, points and points per game last year.

The season begins Nov. 21 with a game at Cal Poly.

Cross country
Cross country enters the season under the guidance of Kathleen Raske, who begins her first year as the director of men's and women's track and field/cross country. Raske most recently served as the head women's track and field/cross country coach at Central Michigan University.

The women's team will be led by Angela Mercado, who shined last year during the outdoor season, recording five top-three finishes in the 800-meter.

The men's team will be paced by Juan Vazquez and Tom Getchell. Vazquez was one of the top steeplechasers for the Hornets last season. Getchell competed in all of the distance races, recording four top-six finishes including a victory at the Cal Invitational.

Football
Under new head football coach Steve Mooshagian, the football team will have a radically different look in 2003. Prior to coming to the Hornets, Mooshagian coached wide receivers for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The team returns 14 starters from last season, including a pair of offensive standouts in quarterback Ryan Leadingham and wide receiver Fred Amey.

After just two seasons, Leadingham holds numerous school records and is beginning to rank with some of the best quarterbacks in Division I-AA history. His favorite target has been Amey, a fellow junior named a preseason All-American by numerous publications.

Men’s soccer
The men's soccer team reached the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation postseason tournament in 2002, setting a program record by placing in the top four in the conference for the second-straight season.

In 2003, the Hornets return only four starters. Joining the Hornets will be three four-year transfers, four junior college transfers and 13 high school seniors.

Among the returnees will be sophomore goalkeeper Matt McDougall, who earned MPSF Player of the Week and all-MPSF honorable mention honors after leading the team with a 1.05 goals-against-average and three shutouts last season.

Women’s soccer
With nine returning starters and 13 newcomers, the team will look to continue their success from the end of last season, when the squad won two consecutive games by a combined score of 5-0.

Leading the way for the Hornets will be three-time all-Big Sky selection Stacey Rowell. The senior has been a model of consistency for the program, appearing in every game of her 51-game career.

Volleyball
The volleyball team enters the 2003 season having won either the Big Sky Conference regular season or tournament championship each of the last six years. With five returning starters, the Hornets appear capable of another appearance in the Big Sky winner's circle.

Leading the returners will be senior co-captains Lisa Beauchene (setter) and Kazmiera Imrie (outside hitter/middle hitter), along with junior outside hitter Sandra Bandimere. All three were selected to the Big Sky all-conference team in 2002, while Beauchene received unanimous first team honors for the second consecutive season.

Head coach Debby Colberg will attempt to become just the seventh active Division I coach with 700 career victories. She has compiled a 695-249 record over 27 seasons.

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