Bronco Athletics: What’s Up & What’s to Come!
Santa Clara athletes show their immaculate talent as fall seasons kick into high gear
Welcome back to another week of school, sun and Santa Clara sports! There is plenty to look forward to this fall for sports fans, as cross country, golf, volleyball and water polo seasons are now in full swing. Plus, there’s even more to come this Saturday when the tennis season officially kicks off.
Cross Country, Track & Field
In early September, the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams officially started their seasons, and since then results have gone one way—up. Both teams are preparing for West Coast Conference (WCC) Championships set to start in Portland, Oregon on Oct. 28.
For women’s Head Coach Pete Cushman, it is all business until Portland. “We have some things we can improve on and we are almost there. We've got five weeks to WCC's to get it all dialed in,” said Cushman after the cross country team ran in the Battle of Beantown, an annual Boston 5K.
For the men’s team, it’s (mostly) all business too—shoutout to the guys for giving Santa Clara some clout with those awesome headshots.
The Santa Clara sports section editor Mia Smith had a chance to speak with men’s Head Coach Felipe Montoro. According to Montoro, there are some specific ways that they can foster strength within the team.
“The more we can come together and compete like a team, the better chance we have of performing well in the postseason,” Montoro said.
For those competing at events, rankings are explicit on the many leaderboards across the grounds. That said, in a sport with so many participants, it can be hard not to fall into individual result rabbit holes. Having a strong team dynamic between the athletes is incredibly important for a support system.
One Bronco cross country athlete, junior Brendan Mulvany, says being a team member is very important to him.
“One of the biggest reasons I love it here is how close this team is and the culture we create,” Mulvany said.
When asked about his feelings of being left out of the previous competition due to a tight margin of qualification, the poise and connectedness of the team was clear.
“Not being in the top seven that runs at these big meets just pushes me to train harder and smarter,” Mulvany said. “We are all constantly trying to prove ourselves to be in that top seven and with that as our common goal, each athlete is constantly pushing each other to get the opportunity to wear Santa Clara University across our chests at some of the biggest competitions in the NCAA.”
Golf
Did you know Santa Clara has golf? Surprise! Now you do–and if you like traveling to support fellow Broncos, this is a sport worth following.
The men’s and women’s teams started their season off strong at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, with the men’s team finishing in third place and the women’s team coming in eighth place.
Though they started off with two top-ten finishes at the USF Olympic Club Invitational, success for the women’s team slowed down at the Couer D’Alene Invitational on the weekend of Sept. 19. The team played for three days, placing 16th the first two days and tying at 14th on the final day.
Further from home, the Santa Clara golf teams will be traveling to Idaho, Arizona and even Hawaii for upcoming invitationals.
They have two invitationals coming up in October: the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational and the Olde Stone Invitational. Both will prove to be big opportunities to shine for our Broncos. Good luck, ladies!
The men's team continues to work hard in preparation for the Alister McKenzie Invitational coming up the weekend of Oct. 10. This event will also be a great chance for them to improve on the 10th place finish they received in their most recent competition during the Bearcat Invitational, which took place Sept. 19-20.
Volleyball
Despite a potentially catastrophic beginning to the season, things look to be turning around for the Santa Clara volleyball team.
The first half of September saw the team lose five games in a row, but with two wins against Tarleton State and San Francisco in their last three games, the talent and growth of the team is beginning to come through.
"I think we're having to learn because volleyball is so situational," said Head Coach Erin Lindsey.
After eight previous losses in past seasons, the Broncos pulled off their first WCC opener win on Sept 23.
In that face-off, Santa Clara had more digs, aces, and a better hitting percentage than San Francisco—all promising signs leading into more WCC games through a packed October and November schedule.
Be sure to turn up for the next home game against Pepperdine on Oct. 1 in Leavey Center. The match will start at 1 p.m., so be sure to stop by for exciting competition!
Water Polo
The men’s water polo team is clicking into high gear, with several competitions in October and a jam-packed schedule for the season overall.
First, an alumni game on Oct. 1 will be held at Sullivan Aquatic Center, Santa Clara’s home pool. Make sure to show face as Broncos past and present will be in attendance. Following will be several WCC games, in addition to the Cal Baptist invite and the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament the weekend of October 21.
Diving into later in the season, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships begin for the Broncos in Los Angeles on the weekend of Nov. 18. A win at this high-stakes tournament would book the Broncos a ticket for the NCAA Championships, the most prestigious competition for any collegiate sport in the United States.
Until then, good luck boys–and enjoy the regular season!