Athletic competition at Biola is nearly over for the spring and many teams are reflecting on their successful seasons.

Track and field will still be representing Biola into the final week of the semester as a few select runners travel to Marion, Ind. on May 26-28 to represent Biola in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics outdoor track and field championships.

Having a championship mindset

“The main goal was nationals,” said junior distance runner Brian Aukshunas, demonstrating a mindset that a confident and consistently competitive team maintains throughout the season.

Another team with that same confidence is the baseball team, who concluded a successful season Monday, May 16 with a 13-1 loss to top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist University in the championship game of the NAIA national championship opening round. Their season was highlighted by a 38-22 overall record, a 20-5 home record, a Golden State Athletic Conference title game appearance and a No. 2 seed in the NAIA regional tournament in Joilet, Ill.

Junior third baseman Drake Fages led the Eagles offensively. His 18 home runs, 77 RBI and .364 batting average ranked him first, first and second in the GSAC. On a national level, his home run and RBI totals ranked him sixth and fourth in the NAIA.

The softball team had a solid season, finishing with a 27-26 record and a trip to the GSAC playoff tournament, but with a loss in the opening round, the team feels they could have done better.

“We were expecting to make it a little bit further,” sophomore pitcher Sam Roberts said. “We really wanted to make it to nationals.”

Although their short playoff run left them slightly dissatisfied, a season full of records and milestones puts a nice cap on their season. Senior Jillian Storm set the Biola stolen base record by stealing 57 bases this season. Senior Lyndsie Roberts hit 11 home runs and freshman CeCe Luster knocked in 66 runs to set Biola records for home runs and RBIs, respectively.

Lacrosse program builds and rebuilds

The men’s lacrosse team made the Division II Southwestern Lacrosse Conference playoffs, despite struggling through what sophomore Scott Gamelson called “a rebuilding year.”

“We lost about 10 to 15 seniors,” Gamelson said. “So under those circumstances we did really well, going 7-10 and making it to playoffs.”

Sophomore Jeff Clark had a breakout year for the Eagles, finishing with 51 goals and 29 assists, which was good for fourth overall in goals and points in the Division II SLC.

Junior Marc Morgan, along with Clark, made First Team All-SLC, while fellow junior David Sigley had a solid season as well, making Second Team All-SLC.

While the men’s program completed its 10th year, the women’s lacrosse program finished off their inaugural season, racking up a 2-6 record.

Sophomore captain Courtney Cocoris, who led the team with 10 goals, says it was about more than winning in this opening season.

“Even though we didn’t compete as well as other teams on the field, we competed in our attitudes,” Cocoris said.

She says it was their attempts to show good sportsmanship that made other coaches email the team complimenting their attitudes, and that’s something — along with the addition of a full-time coach — that the brand new squad is looking to build upon.

Golf program hopes for future success

The men’s golf team capped off their spring season with a disappointing eighth place finish at the NAIA regional tournament in April.

“I was a little disappointed to be honest, I was really hoping for a good spring because of the fall scores,” said first-year coach Hank Woodrome, alluding to the potential he envisioned the team aspiring to based on a solid performance in the fall season.

With a year of coaching under his belt, Woodrome and the team look ahead to the summer to hone their game and look to contend next fall.

“Our goal next year should be to win tournaments,” junior captain John Graham said. “I think we definitely have the talent to do that.”

On the women’s side, the Eagles struggled a bit on the golf course, but a year’s worth of experience for some, and a healthy batch of recruits, yields hope for success in the future. Fresno City College female athlete of the year Lauren Marlow will transfer to Biola next fall and is sure to bolster the women’s golf program to greater successes in the coming years.

Tennis competes again top ranked teams

The men’s tennis team finished their season with a 5-15 record, similar to last year’s performance, but junior Brent Worthington said their record misrepresents the amount of progress the team actually made.

“We had more consistent individual performances,” Worthington said, who also noted the difficulty of playing in a conference stacked with many top 10 NAIA squads. “Instead of matches ending 6-0, 6-0, they went three sets and our guys were competing and winning points.”

Junior Weston Leopold made First Team All-GSAC for the first time in the team’s history.

Finally, the women’s tennis team finished the season with a 3-20 overall record, but like the men’s team, competition in the GSAC is of high standard, with five of the top 12 NAIA ranked squads competing in the GSAC. Also, junior Danielle Calbeck won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA Arthur Ashe Award, celebrating her excellence in leadership and sportsmanship.

“We’re a pretty young team,” sophomore Mari Pace said. “And our record wasn’t very good, but we definitely got a lot of experience.”