A Year of SCIAC Success

For the second consecutive year and the third time in the last four years, Bulldog athletics has secured the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) All-Sports Trophy.  This year’s race was one of the closest, as the Bulldogs won the women’s all sports trophy by one point over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (51-50) and the men’s trophy was a tie with CMS (55.5 each). The Bulldogs won the combined trophy by one. 

“We are very excited to win the All-Sports Trophy again, particularly in such a close race,” said Athletic Director Jeff Martinez. “It was a total team effort by everyone in our department with nearly all of our teams finishing in the top half of the conference.  We are grateful to have the support of the institutional administration and faculty who consistently demonstrate their appreciation for the value of an excellent intercollegiate, student-athlete experience.”

According to Martinez, such a success represents a complete team effort, with the Bulldogs winning championships in softball, women’s track & field, women’s tennis, football, men’s soccer. Second place finishes were earned in men’s water polo, baseball, men’s tennis, men’s track & field, men’s swimming and diving, men’s golf and women’s cross-country and women’s swimming and diving.

The SCIAC All-Sports Trophy is determined by the points earned for each sport’s finish among the conference schools.  The SCIAC champion receives eight points, with second place earning six points, third receiving five points to an eighth place finish, which earns no points.  Any school that does not sponsor a conference sport loses one point for that sport.  The conference sponsors 19 sports.

In recent sports success, the University of Redlands women’s track & field team edged out CMS by two points for the 2008 SCIAC Championship.  This marks the first title for the women since 1978.  Senior Natalie Calderon was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week and Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year for her outstanding performances and impressive contributions throughout the conference season.  Calderon wrapped up an already-notable conference career by winning five individual events and one relay while taking second in another relay en route to helping the Bulldog women win the championship. On the men’s side, Redlands finished solidly in second place behind CMS. 

Four teams have earned opportunities in upcoming NCAA championships. Men’s golf, with the second-best adjusted scoring average in Division III, gained one of two at-large spots into the playoffs.  Despite taking second in SCIAC, the Bulldogs gained a spot in the playoffs for the 12th time in school history. The team will travel to Atlanta for the NCAA finals.

In men’s tennis, senior Eric Wagar, ranked sixth in the West Region, will move on to the NCAA Individual Championships singles competition. In women’s tennis, sophomore Rachael Miller also advances to the NCAA Individual Championships singles competition, while the sophomore duo of Paige Sumida and Whitney Waters earns a spot in the doubles draw. 

After taking second in the first-ever SCIAC Softball Postseason Tournament, the Bulldogs gained an at-large bid to the first round of the NCAA Championships. This will make the fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Championships for the Lady Bulldogs.

This recent SCIAC victory marks the third time that Redlands has won the women’s trophy competition, which began in 1976-77.  This is the Bulldogs sixth men’s trophy since the inception of the award in 1972-73.

The Bulldogs won their first combined All-Sports Trophy in 2004-05 with a school record-tying eight conference championships.

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