March 2003
I am writing this letter from San Diego, the site of the 2003 West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament. Unfortunately, the University of San Diego eliminated our women in the first round of play, 69-56. However, our men made there way to the semi-finals, beating both Santa Clara (65-51) and Pepperdine (75-71) before losing to Gonzaga (73-52). Next year's tournament will move to the campus of Santa Clara. If you have never witnessed this tournament, I encourage you to plan to attend next year's event. The tournament is a special time that includes enthusiastic fans and teams who play hard in an effort to not go home early.
We have some good news to share regarding an endowed scholarship we initiated this past fall in honor of former Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Diane Whipple, who coached from 1999-2001, and Allison Huber, one of her student-athletes. Both women set examples of leadership and courage that will be remembered forever on the Saint Mary's campus. Our goal is to raise $650,000 to fund one full lacrosse scholarship. The first objective was to raise $50,000 prior to June 30, 2003. I am pleased to report that, with the assistance of Ron Turner, Major Gifts Officer, Debra Holland, Head Women's Lacrosse Coach, Melissa Boyle, Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach, and several donors, we have met the $50,000 goal. With this achievement, a few thousand dollars of grant-in-aid funds will be available to the women's lacrosse team during the 2003-04 academic year. Debra Holland will use the funds wisely and our student-athletes appreciate the support. If you wish to assist our efforts with the Allison Huber/Diane Whipple Scholarship, please contact Ron Turner in the Advancement Office at (925) 631-4356.
Other highlights the past two weeks include:
- Senior Anthony Woodards was named the West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year.
- Senior Samuel Saint-Jean was named to the West Coast Conference Men's Basketball First Team.
- Sophomore Triola Jackson was named to the West Coast Conference Women's Basketball First Team.
- Softball beat Georgia Tech at home this past week, 6-3. Georgia Tech was ranked 24th in the country at that time.
- Baseball won two of three from Sacramento State and the University of Pacific. During this time frame, the team has won three consecutive games by a margin of 26-1. This past weekend, the team split two games with highly regarded Oral Roberts and lost one to a strong team from UC Riverside.
I want to mention an article that appeared in the Contra Costa Times this past Thursday, March 6. The reporter stated that one of our student-athlete's "...pain killing medication is monitored by the school's athletic training staff." This statement is not accurate. Athletic trainers are not licensed to provide or monitor pain medication or medication of any type. The only exception is over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol. All medication requiring a prescription is provided and monitored under the direction of a physician. While athletic trainers may know what medications students are taking, the responsibility lies with the physician. Student-athletes are cleared by their physician on an annual basis prior to participation in athletic related activities.
We value our student-athletes and work diligently to ensure that they have the best athletic training services possible and, when necessary, the best medical care available.
We are proud of the competitive improvement the Saint Mary's athletic program is making. However, our goal is to be more competitive within our conference, regionally and nationally. We are "climbing the ladder" and we want you to know how important your continued support is to our efforts. Please consider making a gift this year if you haven't already, and we encourage you to support our spring sports by attending their competitions.
Go Gaels!
Carl R. Clapp
Director of Athletics
