Pioneer Points: An update from Athletic Director Debby De Angelis
A new look for the Cal State East Bay Pioneers as we transition to NCAA Division II
- August 25, 2010
For Pioneer Athletics, 2009-10 was the beginning of a new era — an outstanding experience but a year full of change. It was our first year competing in NCAA Division II since 1998, and our first year participating in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The transition to Division II brought a higher level of competition for our student-athletes and our fans, but along with it came the opportunity to provide financial assistance for student-athletes and the addition of several new staff members set to make intercollegiate athletics a key part of the Cal State East Bay experience for students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members.
Marking the occasion, we unveiled a new logo for Pioneer Athletics, one that builds on a proud tradition of "pioneering" and leading the East Bay community, and unites our teams and fans in Pioneer red and black. As our teams continue the transition to full Division II status, the new logo will help integrate members of the campus and the community of the East Bay into all of our sporting events.
The field and track at Pioneer Stadium underwent renovations to install an all-weather track and an upgraded synthetic playing surface, which debuted in June as Cal State East Bay became the home field for the women's professional soccer team (and now league champions) FC Gold Pride. The new facility will allow the Pioneer soccer teams to begin playing under the lights for the Fall 2010 season — already underway for our student-athletes, even though the academic year is still ahead of us.
Both the men's and women's soccer teams are playing their first games this last week of August, and women's volleyball begins the season in September at a tournament in Alaska. Cross country and golf aren't far behind! We have a number of exciting home games this year and will look forward to seeing the community come up to root for the Pioneers! Fall sports schedules | Online ticket info
In August, we were pleased to announce that Cal State East Bay was selected to host the 2011 California Collegiate Athletic Association Men's and Women's Basketball Championships in March of next year. The 16-team event runs March 1-5, with the semifinals and championship games slated for 3,500-seat Pioneer Gymnasium on the Hayward campus. The championship format calls for eight men's and eight women's teams to compete in first-round games at campus sites on March 1 with the winners advancing to the semifinals on March 4 in Hayward. The championship games will be played on Saturday, March 5.
The Pioneers also had quite a busy summer after our teams finished competition for the year in early May. In early June, we honored the achievements of our student-athletes at the annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet. Among the honorees were Pioneer Male and Female Athlete of the Year Stephen Gatehouse and Claire Pierce, and Pioneer Spirit Award winner Lauren Massa. Read more
Pioneer baseball player Devin Grigg, senior outfielder and pitcher, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the MLB draft, the eighth player in program history to be picked. His was the third-highest pick ever as the 525th overall pick in the 17th round. The Alameda native started all but two games for East Bay this season, seeing most of his action in centerfield, while also serving as the Pioneers' top closer. Grigg hit .289 on the year, finishing the season with 43 runs and 33 runs batted in, good for second and third on the squad, respectively. On the mound, he made 14 appearances, posting a 2.89 ERA while going 5-1 and collecting a team-high five saves. Read more | Q & A with Grigg
We also announced Suzy Barcomb, a 200-game winner at the University of Puget Sound, as our new head women's basketball coach. A former player at Washington, Suzy joins the Pioneer staff as the all-time winningest women's basketball coach at Puget Sound and the reigning Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III West Region Coach of the Year. Alumna Holli Howard-Carpenter '02 will join her as Associate Head Coach. Read more
Ben Loorz was named the new head women's swimming coach, taking over for longtime Head Coach Anthony Garcia, who announced his retirement in May. Ben joins the Pioneer coaching staff from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where his teams collected 11 women's and 43 men's individual and relay conference titles, five Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Year awards and one All-America certificate. Read more
Community involvement is an important part of the student-athlete experience, and the Pioneers worked hard to contribute financially and in service during the past season. Though it was only the Pioneers' first season in the CCAA, Cal State East Bay's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) made its presence felt in the community and in the conference's annual fundraising competition, placing third and raising more than $2,400 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the 2009-10 academic year. CSUEB's contributions helped the CCAA raise a total of $19,701 for Make-A-Wish, the third highest total among NCAA Division II conferences this year. Read more
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