FRIDAY FIVE – December 31

This week's FRIDAY FIVE takes a look back at the first semester of the 2021-22 school year, highlighting some of the top moments from SMC Athletics.

1. SEBASTIAN'S SCHACHT
Sebastian Schacht capped off the 2021 men's soccer season in a most-fitting way: nailing a game-winning penalty kick in overtime to beat San Diego 1-0 on Senior Day. Few Gaels have been as spectacular in their careers as Schacht has been, including taking home three First Team All-WCC awards and three All-West Region Team awards. Schacht's Senior Day penalty kick was his sixth-made PK in six attempts.

2. DOZIER DOMINATES
Nolan Dozier landed Second Team All-WCC honors for cross country this season as the Gaels hosted the 2021 WCC Championship in October. Dozier finished 13th overall in the crowded championship field, with his second sub-24 time of the 2021 season. It marked the best finish by a Gael at the WCC Championship this season, and helped Dozier earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals.

3. NEVER BETTER
Saint Mary's Women's Soccer recorded one of their best starts in recent memory when they began the 2021 season with a 5-0-2 record, not suffering their first loss until one month into the year. No Gaels team had begun better since the 2015 squad, and their strong play in WCC games helped lead them into the national polls. The Gaels earned a "receiving votes" designation on October 26, their first time in the national spotlight since September 21, 2004.

4. HERE COMES THE BOOOOOOOOOOM
No Gael has ever had a better hitting percentage than the .361 clip put up by Jennifer "Boo" Laird during the 2021 season. She entered the regular season finale just shy of the record, but used a strong performance that did not feature an attack error to take over the record. Laird set career-bests this season with 166 kills, 24 aces, 16 solo blocks, and 95 block assists. After the season, Laird was named First Team All-WCC for the first time in her stellar career.

5. MAUI INVITATIONAL
Saint Mary's Men's Basketball made history this season by becoming just the third program in the West Coast Conference to reach the championship game of the prestigious Maui Invitational. The Gaels beat Notre Dame for the first time in program history in the first round, before beating Oregon handily in the semifinals. Dan Fotu and Logan Johnson were both named to the All-Tournament team following the championship game.

#GaelsRise

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