Seaside, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay fall sports reported to campus yesterday to prepare for their 2008 campaigns. Men’s and women’s soccer and cross country teams as well as the women’s volleyball team partook their first practice today.
The men’s soccer squad, under the guidance of 7th-year head coach
Artie Cariel, was the first team to take the field. Cariel’s team began preseason practices at seven this morning at Otter Soccer Complex. CSUMB returns five starters from a year ago, including forwards
Andrew Burkhammer and
Nate Torricelli who earned second team CCAA honors. The Otters will begin their season on Aug. 26 at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif.
Head Coach
Erin Roberts returns for her seventh year at the helm of the women’s soccer team this fall. The Lady Otters also return five starters this year. The women’s team kicks off their 2008 season on Sept. 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Otter Soccer Complex.
Jody Garry returns to the Otter volleyball sidelines for her second season as head coach. CSUMB will have nine fresh faces this season and will look to junior outside hitter
Kerri Sudarsana and sophomore setter
Dana Grimm for leadership. The squad hosts back-to-back tournaments this year, the Otter Classic (Aug. 29-30) and the Otter Invitational (Sept. 5-6).
"The commitment the team made to each other this past spring and the time they spent training in the summer on their own is evident in their testing number's and VB play,” commented Garry. “Day one is all about testing and scrimmage and from the get go I believe we are better than our talented senior laden group last year. Our new players (4 freshman, 2JC and 1 Junior transfer) will all make an immediate impact."
First-year head coach
Bob Sevene will guide the cross-country team this fall. Sevene is a world-renowned coach and is currently the personal coach to Blake Russell who is competing in the women’s marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I am very excited to be back coaching a team again and being around the excitement of young student-athletes,” stated Sevene.