Fall sports shine

Director’s Cup
Following one of the most successful fall seasons in school history, SCU’s athletic program is ranked eighth in the prestigious U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics announced.

Santa Clara compiled 206 points because of its NCAA semifinal appearance in volleyball, quarterfinal appearance in women’s soccer, and second-round qualification in men’s soccer. “For Santa Clara to be ranked among the nation’s top 10 athletic programs and be compared to institutions with vastly greater resources and tens of million of dollars more funding [is] a tribute to our outstanding coaches and phenomenal student-athletes,” said SCU athletic director Dan Coonan.

Season highlights
Many Santa Clara student athletes picked up individual honors and awards following a spectacular fall season.

Volleyball

• Head coach Jon Wallace was named AVCA Pacific Region Coach of the Year, in addition to being Volleyball Magazine’s and Collegiate Volleyball Update’s National Coach of the Year, after guiding Santa Clara to a West Coast Conference title and a program-best 27-5 record.

Women’s soccer

• Marian Dalmy and Tina Estrada both were voted to the All-WCC First Team, while juniors Micaela Esquivel, Julie Ryder, and Tiffany Roberts, along with sophomore Lauren Zealear, were named to the All-WCC Second Team.
• The National Soccer Coaches Association of America chose head coach Jerry Smith as the West Region Coach of the Year to cap off a 17-5-2 season and an appear- ance in the Elite Eight.

Men’s soccer

• Eight Broncos earned All-WCC honors, including All-WCC First Teamers Mehdi Ballouchy and Hector Guzman, and All-WCC Second Team selections Kelechi Igwe and Peter Lowry. Keith DeVey, Jide Ogunbiyi, Jeff Scott, and Kevin Sweeney were named to the All- WCC Honorable Mention list. Ballouchy was also named the WCC Player of the Year.
• Santa Clara finished its season with an overall record of 13-6-3 and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Men’s water polo

• Freshman Jack Wall earned a spot on the All-Western Water Polo Association Second Team after being named the WWPA Newcomer of the Year.

Student athletes excel in the classroom
Scholarship student-athletes at Santa Clara University graduate at the highest rate in the West Coast Conference and the second highest among Division I institutions on the West Coast, says a recent report compiled by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

This is the fourth year SCU has attained this rating. SCU student- athletes graduated at a four-year rolling average rate of 76 percent, considerably higher than the NCAA Division I average of 62 percent for student-athletes and 60 percent average for Division I student body. “We are extremely proud of the record of achievement of our student-athletes in the classroom,” said Coonan. “Our student-athletes have clearly established a reputation for competitiveness in the classroom that rivals their reputation on the fields and courts.”