BC softball hits it out of the park

May 22, 2013 by
Photo courtesy of Louis Pottschmidt

Photo courtesy of Louis Pottschmidt

The Bellevue College women’s softball team has been tearing up the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges league all season–their efforts have earned them the first place position in the NWAACC north division. The team has been playing some great softball led by Head Coach Leah Francis and is aiming to continue this level of play into the NWAACC championship, “This team worked really hard all season starting in fall ball all the way through now, to prepare themselves and get ready for play, and this is a great accomplishment for a great team.”

The team has put together a great season so far with a 35-5 record during the season and is preparing to keep it going for the NWAACC tournament. Sophomore right fielder Autumn Isaacson has a reason for why she thinks the team has done well this year, “We all get along both on and off the field which helps us, and it helps us understand how we all act on the field, so it is easy to improve.” Autumn is one of the teams leading hitters with a .488 batting average. Freshmen catcher Brittany Jacobsen has caught close to every game for Bellevue College and leads the team with 55 runs batted in over the season. She left her thoughts on how it felt to be first place in the NWAACC north division: “It feels great, especially as a freshmen coming in. We have a reputation for coming in every year and taking first, so it is nice to continue doing just that.” Continuing the tradition of excellence, is a goal that everybody on the team, players and coaches alike, all strive for collectively.

While the team works well together, there are a few members on the team that have been recognized as team leaders. One of which is first basemen Cassidy Dewaele for being inspirational and a great team player. Another is Miranda Granger for her defensive play, ability to get her team focused when they need to be and her work with the freshmen; the freshmen pitchers have really stepped up their game. Jacobsen believed there is a full core of leaders on the team: “Pretty much the entire sophomore class. Every sophomore has something that they bring to the team that helps lead the team.” Sophomore Miranda Granger has a more overview look on the leaders of the team, “Our team is full of leaders.” While it is obvious that the team is well led by their coaching staff, there are also great leaders from within the team that boost their level of play.

The team now heads onto the NWAACC championships with only one goal in mind: to take home the gold. Granger is confident in her team’s chances to capture the title, “I think our defense is the best in the NWAACC right now, and offensively I think we pretty much crush anyone we come across.”

The team now leaves for Portland, Ore. for the championships. Coach Francis has this to say to the students of Bellevue College: “Go ahead and follow us online if you can’t make it down to the games in Portland, and know that this is another great group of young student athletes who really embrace what it means to be a student athlete and embrace what it really means to be a member of the Bellevue College Softball team. I think they do a great job of representing the school and this program.”

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Kickin’ it club sport style

May 21, 2013 by
Kuroshe Mahak/The Watchdog

Kuroshe Mahak/The Watchdog

This spring, Bellevue College is welcoming a new club to its campus. Patience Mizero, a BC student, has started the BC Soccer Club.

With a soccer class provided at BC as well as men’s and women’s soccer teams, why would we need a soccer club? For Mizero, that answer is simple.

“A club is different from a soccer class or a college soccer team. You don’t need to pay fees to play the sport you enjoy the most,” said Mizero.

Different from the BC soccer teams that are divided by gender, the BC Soccer Club will be a co-ed operation. Since the club is just getting up and running, Mizero stated that the current goal is just for the club to gain attention and members, so that in the future they’ll be able to organize actual games with other schools. In the meantime, they practice within the club.

The purpose of making the BC Soccer Club co-ed was to establish a no discrimination ground rule.

“Bellevue College is a safe environment for everybody,” said Mizero. “No age, gender, ethnic or religious discrimination. To make that real for us, we’re going to apply it to soccer.”

Not only will the BC Soccer Club be about coming together to play a sport loved by many, but also to bring together the individuals who are in the club as well. “We want to create a place where a student can feel comfortable communicating with his or her peers. We want our members to know each other. In a class you have classmates and you’ll talk, but outside of the classroom you’ll look at them and it’s as if you’ve never met. We want to break and end that barrier,” said Mizero.

Currently, the BC Soccer Club is running solely off of Facebook event invites and word of mouth. On average, they’ve had about 15 people show up to every practice.

For those who are interested in playing soccer with new people or becoming a regular member of the BC Soccer Club, swing by one of the practices which are held on Wednesdays from 2:20-4:00 p.m. in the G building.

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Trade a floppy disk for a flying disk for great exercise

May 21, 2013 by

On Feb. 1, the Bellevue College Awesome Ultimate Frisbee Club opened membership to all students. The club has been in development for more than a year now, starting as small group of friends, gradually transforming into the full-blown official club. With the breakthrough this year, and with added publicity, it has become one of the fastest growing clubs on campus. Why join the club? Club President Chris Langley had some enticing words as to why someone should join: “Everyone that’s gone [to the meets] loves it. It’s a fun time, you meet new people. It’s a good social sport.” Other members agreed, saying that it is a great way to meet people while having fun and exercising. The future of the club is looking pretty lofty. Langley hopes to start a league this upcoming fall quarter that will compete with other colleges.

The experience level of members in the Frisbee Club varies from having no experience, to 15 or more years of experience. This wide range makes it easy to fit in, even with no prior history of throwing discs. Langley said the number of regular players is a minimum of 15, with some weeks having closer to 40 people playing in several groups. There is always a game to match any skill level. There is no equipment to buy. All that’s necessary is to wear comfortable shoes to run around in. No previous knowledge is required, the rules are simple. Ben Nilson has been playing for several months and says one of the things he likes about the club is how friendly the people are. Though the club is competitive, Nilson explained how the members keep a relaxed attitude, and being a sore loser is virtually non-existent with the BC Awesome Ultimate Frisbee Club.

The club meets on Fridays outside the R building in the courtyard at around 1:30 p.m. Once the group has assembled outside R building, it moves to Robinswood Park, just across the street from the campus on the east side of 148th Avenue and the corner of SE 24 Street.

Joining the club is simple. The entire equation for the club seems to be: Show up, have fun. Repeat.

 

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Women’s golf NWAACC tournament win: Coach Johanson’s take

May 14, 2013 by
Chris Toomey / The Watchdog

Chris Toomey / The Watchdog

Alex Clark: The tournament turned into a one day tounament due to some inclimate weather. Day one was no picnic either though. How did your players cope with the weather to still shoot those beautiful scores?

Kirk Johanson: The girls are very strong mentally, and used to playing in tough conditions. They have to be, living and playing in the Northwest! They are always prepared for any conditions.

AC: Had the tournament had continued onto the second day, how confident were you in your team’s chances to keep its 18-stroke lead, or even to extend it?

KJ: Very confident. One thing the girls have done all year is finish strong. Even when they have been behind after day one in other tournaments this year, they have never quit. Several of their wins have been coming from behind. I am very proud of how the girls compete and never give up.

AC: Who were some of the star golfers on the team that really carried the win?

KJ: All of the wins have been a team effort. Suchada Anusuriya, Kayce Ogishima, Corey Rois and Jamie Kirsila.

AC: What does it mean to actually “capture the NWAACC season title?”

KJ: Throughout the season there are four events that count toward the season championship. It shows the team dominance being the best team over the the four events that count towards the season championship.

AC: Is there anything you want to directly say to the student body of Bellevue College about your team?

KJ: Over the past two seasons the girls golf team has done what no other golf team has ever done at BC. Last year we won the first ever girls team championship in the history of the school, and we repeated this year making it two years in a row. You should be proud of what the team has accomplished.

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BC Women’s Soccer stays steady

May 14, 2013 by

With spring quarter coming to a quick close and summer looming ahead, the Bellevue College Women’s soccer team is starting to prep for their upcoming season. With the season beginning on August 12 and the first game on August 27, the team is hard at work.

Head Coach Kiko Magana is looking forward to his first season as head coach. He has been on board with Bellevue College for two years, previously the assistant coach for both men and women’s teams. He signed on as Bellevue College’s women’s team head coach in December of 2012. For the upcoming season, Magana said, “We hope to win Peninsula. That’s always a big game. We would really like to beat them… It’d be fantastic.”

Currently for the team, it is a sort of “off” season until August 12. Right now, they are in a six week process of working towards being ready for the start of their playing season. The girls are training three to five times a week. Their main focuses revolve around training areas such as strength, technical, overall fitness, and lifting weights.

In the middle of April as a part of their training, the BC Women’s soccer team played against Evergreen College. They lost 2-0, but Magana said, “I’m still really pleased with how they played. They played really well.”

The team still has a month until they start their playing season, and Magana already has a few things in mind that the team can work on to guarantee a successful year for the team.

“We always have room to improve playing style. On top of that, it’s my first year being head coach so they’re going to have to adapt to a new coaching style and a different culture on the team,” said Magana.

As well as having goals for his first year as head coach for the women’s team, Magana has personal goals revolving the team for himself.

“I want the whole team to be able to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0. I also want the games to always be competitive driven, no matter how well we’re playing or what the score is,” Magana said.

For right now, the BC Women’s soccer team is working to be fully prepared for their playing season, so you won’t see them playing games for a little while. The first game will be August 27, 2013.

 

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BC Baseball swings through the season

May 14, 2013 by

The Bellevue College baseball team has been playing some pretty decent baseball, but a lot of bad luck has plagued the team. The team is currently in fifth place in the North Division behind Everett, Edmonds, Douglas, and Skagit Valley with a record of 6-10 in conference play and an 18-16 record in regular season play. This is not the strongest record, but being above .500 is a good achievement in itself. The team has had some leaders with strong showings in both pitching and hitting. Now in conference play, the baseball team is working on having a strong finish.

There are some strong players on this team that are working hard to propel this team to victory. The big stars are sophomore Max Brown, and sophomore Jordan Richartz, sophomore who have been near the top of the league in batting average with Brown solidly hitting a massive .438 average and leading the team in home runs this season with three, and Richartz hitting a stunning .387 batting average and 21 runs batted in. Other team leaders in the hitting category are sophomore Andrew Flatt with 22 runs batted in, freshman Ryan Malone who has a .309 average and 14 runs batted in. Some strong batting has been a good reason for the team’s wins.

The team is also excelling in the pitching category with some impressive stat lines. Freshman starting pitcher Aaron Sandefur leads the team in wins with five with 41 innings pitched, and 42 strikeouts, sophomore starting pitcher Jake Reppert who leads the team with 47 strikeouts over 51.1 innings pitched, and freshman starting pitcher Brandon Mahovlich who posted a 1.46 earned run average over 30.2 innings pitched with 38 strikeouts. Solid pitching from a number of players has gotten the team a number of wins during the season, and during conference play.

However, the team has faced its share of bad luck over the season. Head Coach Mark Yoshino said, “We have lost several players to injuries to the point where we are trying to re-create a new lineup this late in the season which has made it a rough season.” Forcing the team to improvise on their players was not an easy task, and makes their above .500 record all that much more impressive. If he team continues to have its big players perform, and have the leadership of their coach, then there is no reason why this team can’t perform well through the rest of conference.

 

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BC tennis slices the competition

May 4, 2013 by
Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

The Bellevue College women’s tennis team is going into the post season with amazing highlights. The team has been playing solid tennis since the season started winning some tight matches and putting together a decent record of 5-2 in league matches and 5-6 overall this season. There has been some great play this season, but with only a few matches left, their sights are now on the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament.

The team has had some tough matches so far that they have been able to come out on top from. Some big wins for the team include their matches against Treasure Valley where every one of their players won their match for a perfect victory, another perfect victory against Shoreline, and their close 5-4 victory over Spokane. The team has had some very strong showings this season, and their level of play should continue to be high through the NWAACC Tournament.

There have been some big highlights and stars that have emerged throughout the season. The biggest star so far has been freshmen Rixing Xu, who has gone undefeated in every match she has played. She is the number one ranked singles player, and part of the number one ranked doubles team at Bellevue College. Another star player is freshman Captain Sadie Dedon, who is with Rixing Xu as part of the number one ranked doubles team at BC. The team as a whole is doing quite well.

The team has done quite well for a number of years, and is hoping to continue its level of play for years to come. Head Coach Jason Chapman has led this team for nine years, and has led them to the NWAACC tournament eight years running currently. He has only a couple thoughts on how the team could improve, “We need improvement in consistency and intensity at this point.” The team’s next destination is the NWAACC Conference Tournament on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11. The best thing Bellevue College students can do to support their home team at the tournament is by attending.

 

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Softball team on winning streak

April 29, 2013 by
Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

Another year, another strong start for the Bellevue College softball team. The team has started off in the right direction with a record of 24-2 overall, and undefeated with a record of 14-0 in league play. They are currently ranked first in their division, and ranked third overall in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges league. They have had a strong season so far but they are looking to keep this level of play until their season is over.

Head Coach Leah Francis is impressed with her team’s level of play, “The team as a whole has been playing well.” There are some emerging stars on the team that have lead this red hot team. Some of these players include pitchers like Freshmen Brielle Bray who has a record of 11-3 and Freshmen Hannah Sauget with a record of 13-1 so far this season. Another star is returning All-American outfielder Autumn Isaacson who is currently in the top five in NWAACC’s batting average standings and leads the NWAACC in stolen bases. The whole team is performing exceptionally well so far in league play due to the leadership from the players and their coach.

The team has high hopes for the rest of the season and is in good position to achieve the best: “Being undefeated after the first round of North Region/League play is a highlight to this point. However, our goals remain to be to win the North Region title and bring home an NWAACC Championship trophy,” said Francis. The team though does have things that they are working on to improve, “Overall, the team just needs to work on making small adjustments both offensively and defensively and continue to work hard and stay focused as we go into the last few weeks of season.” The season is coming into a close, and the team is on its way to finish in a high position. As long as the team can continue to work as a strong, cohesive unit, they have the potential to do very well in the NWAACC tournament.

The team is on a hot streak right now and is prepared to keep it going through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs. They are still seeking more support for the Bellevue College student body, “So far, this has been a successful start. This is a great group of players that works hard and plays well together. They are an exciting team to watch. We would love to see as many fans out to our last games this year,” said Francis. Attending games is one way the students can give their support to the softball team on their journey to the NWAACC title.

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BC soccer active during off-season

April 29, 2013 by

During the offseason, Andrew Croft and his team of Bellevue College soccer players has continued to be busy with soccer deeds. Though their official season takes part during the fall quarter, they also have an unofficial spring league. “It’s to keep the boys in shape,” says Croft, head coach of the men’s soccer team. “For me, the purpose is really to be able to see all the kids who showed interest in the fall and didn’t have a chance to join the team.” For everyone on the BC men’s soccer team, the players and the coach are all in soccer because it’s not just a part of their life. It is their life. During the offseason, the soccer players utilize the sunny weather to stay on the soccer field.

Zach Gallimore, a freshman midfielder, explained that the team is just a big family. Just like any brotherly relationship, “we yell at each other and things get heated, but in the end we talk it out and work through everything like family.” In the midst of the organized chaos is Croft, blending in with his players. Croft has been playing soccer his entire life. His passion for soccer comes through his coaching for the soccer players. “He’s really tough, but he’s also very understanding about everything,” says Ryan Morrisey,  a midfielder on the soccer field. Croft explains his position not just as a coach. “My goal is to make everybody eligible and on top of that, making sure they’re going above and beyond because I want everybody to go to a four year college or university after they’re done here.” There’s more teamwork involved and team-building,” says Morrisey, “but there’s no one there at our games. We need more people to come.” To that, Gallimore chimed in with his promotion of upcoming fundraisers that the men’s soccer team will be hosting. They include, but are definitely not limited to, a calendar of the players posing in various ways, car washes, even an auction. “Especially since it’s a commuter school, not many students care about sports. They just want to hurry and finish their year or two here and get out to work or start their career,” says Gallimore. Nevertheless, they’re all excited to play.

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Jeremy Eggers takes on women’s team

April 22, 2013 by
Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

Chris Toomey/The Watchdog

A good coach inspires players. Players respect their coach as much as their coach respects them. By this definition, Jeremy Eggers is a good coach, but that’s putting it lightly.

After 20 years of coaching, Eggers has         expanded his reach to coach both Bellevue      College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. This off-season he’s keeping both hard at work with two practice days and two open gym days a week.

So far with his new position, Eggers feels “this is a very good group of girls that with hard work in the off season have a chance to be really good next year if they all work hard and improve.” He said, “We need to get more depth in order for this women’s team to advance as far as they would like to next year.” He hopes to get his new team to work together to improve upon the last season in the off-season. Should this work, his team will be stronger.

Both teams have        responded well to the change. Freshman           Lorraine Pittmon, women’s             basketball player, enjoys that Coach Eggers gives constructive criticism. She also said, “he changed the plays in a way that we can understand and practice ran way smoother.” Men’s team player Reggie DC said he hopes the change brings the two teams    together and that the change “didn’t faze me much, he’s a great coach and lives for     coaching and his family.” Both players are hopeful for the future; they stated that Coach Eggers would bring their teams to the Northwest Athletic           Association of Community Colleges’ Championship next season.

“I am very excited to be coaching both programs and hope to continue the tradition of being successful both on and off the court with both programs. This is a great challenge for both of our staffs and we are        excited to begin the process,” said Coach Eggers, “This is a great opportunity for myself and staffs to continue to build two strong programs that will represent the college and ourselves in a strong way and we are excited for that opportunity.”

This year, Coach    Jeremy Eggers is losing three successful sophmores in his women’s basketball team who are graduating. Next year, recruits will be found. He will be training  his two  teams three times a week from the beginning of fall quarter with official team practices starting on Oct. 21. Next season’s games will be starting Nov. 15 for both the men’s and women’s teams.

For more information, Jeremy Eggers can be  contacted through email at jeremy.eggers@bellevuecollege.edu.

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