Class of 2014 Inducted into Evergreen Hall of Fame

OLYMPIA, Wash. – On a night that honored all the achievements within The Evergreen State College Department of Recreation and Athletics, the Geoducks inducted the second class of the Recreation and Athletics Hall of Fame.

Joining the inaugural class of 2012 were US Soccer paralympian Josh Blue, former men’s basketball player Troy Torbert and former men’s soccer coach Arno Zoske.

Josh Blue ‘01

A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team that competed in Athens, Greece, Josh is a 2001 graduate of The Evergreen State College.  He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC’s reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season.

Troy Torbert ‘99

The first All-American in Evergreen basketball history, Troy transferred to Evergreen prior to the 1997-98 season from Cornell University.  In his first season with the Geoducks, he was named First Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-America.  He remained at Evergreen as an assistant coach for the 1998-99 season, graduating that spring.

Arno Zoske

The second head coach in Evergreen men’s soccer history, Arno arrived on campus following a journey that should be on the big screen.  Born in 1939, his family escaped Eastern Germany and eventually immigrated to the United State in 1956.  He served as athletic trainer for the University of Notre Dame basketball team under Digger Phelps before moving to Washington to start a soccer coaching career. After stints at Tacoma CC and Pacific Lutheran, he arrived at Evergreen in 1983, earning 93 wins in 12 seasons at the helm of the Geoducks.

In addition to the hall of fame inductions, the Geoducks also handed out a number of awards, including Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Sophomore high jumper Anthony Johnson (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS) was named Male Athlete of the Year after earning a pair of All-American honors.  He placed fifth at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships before earning a runner-up finish last week at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  He also became the first individual Cascade Conference champion in school history, winning both the high jump and long jump at the CCC Championships in Nampa, Idaho.

Senior women’s basketball player Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Monroe HS)  earned Female Athlete of the Year honors after earning First Team All-CCC honors. Clark led the Geoducks in scoring with 15.0 points per game and added 115 assists to her now-school record total of 290.  She finished her three-year career at Evergreen with 969 points.

Love Named First-Team All-CCC

LA GRANDE, Ore. – After helping lead the Evergreen Geoducks to their best record in 10 years, senior Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College) has been named First-Team All-Cascade Conference, as selected by the coaches and announced by the conference on Monday morning.

Love led the Cascade Conference with 3.92 kills per set, including an NAIA-best 37 on Sep. 27 against Corban.  She was also ninth in blocks, averaging 0.89 per set, as the Geoducks finished just one spot out of the playoffs with a record of 8-15 overall and 7-11 in CCC play.  She is the first Evergreen player since 2003 to earn first team honors and just the second overall.

Eastern Oregon’s Casey Loper was named Player of the Year.  Southern Oregon’s Renee Yomtob was named Libero of the Year while teammate Lauren McGowne was named Freshman of the Year.  Liz Mendiola repeated as Coach of the Year after leading College of Idaho to the regular season and tournament titles.

2013 Volleyball All-CCC Team

Watkins Named Red Lion CCC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week

LA GRANDE, Ore. – After helping lead the Evergreen Geoducks to a pair of season-ending victories over Northwest, senior outside hitter Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) has been named Red Lion Cascade Conference Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week.

Watkins  had a great final week of her collegiate career, averaging 4.125 kills per set in wins over Northwest to give the Geoducks a four-match win streak to end the year. Cassidy finished her two-year Evergreen career with 465 kills.

She is the first Evergreen volleyball player to earn weekly honors by the conference since 2010.  The Geoducks finished the 2013 season with a record of 8-15 overall and 7-11 in CCC play, good enough for seventh place in the conference standings.

Geoducks Send Seniors Out With Sweep

OLYMPIA, Wash. –  After a pregame ceremony that honored five seniors and featured a surprise marriage proposal, the Evergreen Geoducks took care of business on the court, sending the seniors out with a 3-0 win over the Northwest Eagles in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Starting a lineup that featured three seniors, the Geoducks (8-15, 7-11 CCC) got to business early as Evergreen built an early lead over Northwest (7-21, 3-15 CCC).  Connecting for 15 kills with four errors on 42 attacks, the Geoducks earned the 25-20 win to take the lead in the match.

The Geoducks again took the lead in the second set but Northwest wasn’t about to lay down as the Eagle stormed back to tie the set late to force extra points.  A kill by senior Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) coupled with a Northwest attack error gave Evergreen a 27-25 set two win as they led 2-0.

The third frame was the most competitive, featuring seven ties and five lead changes but with the score tied at 22, the Geoducks dug deep and used a kill by Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College) to clinch the 25-23 win and end the season on a four-match win streak.

Evergreen was led by 12 kills each from Watkins and Love.  Junior Shelby Clark (Tumwater, Wash./Black Hills HS/Tacoma CC) added 11 kills in the win while Liza Domingo (Ka’a’wa, Hawai’I/Kahuku HS/Lower Columbia College) led the team with 17 digs.  Sophomore Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) and senior Kameo Dela Cuadra (Salinas, Calif./North Salinas HS/Hartnell College) teamed up for 42 assists on the night.

Nortwest was led by 14 kills from Hannah Hanson and 11 from Sarah Stoker.  Oliva Vandlac added 10 kills for the Eagles while Christina Glebb put up 38 assists on the night.

Evergreen concludes the 2013 season having posted their best year since 2003.  Three of the Geoducks top hitters are expected to return next season.

Box Score

Evergreen Knocks Off Northwest for First Time Since 2003

OLYMPIA, Wash. –  Sophomore setter Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) set a new NAIA season best with 72 assists as the Evergreen Geoducks defeated the Northwest Eagles, 3-2, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Thursday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks (7-15, 6-11 CCC) and Eagles (7-20, 3-14 CCC) kept things close in the opening set as the in-state rivals saw eight tie scores and six lead changes in the first set.  Evergreen got hot at the right time, using a 5-1 run at the end of the set to earn the 25-20 victory to take the match lead.

The second set was just as tight as the first as the frame saw 17 ties and six lead changes as the teams were forced to play extras and a trio of attack errors by the Geoducks gave Northwest a 28-26 win to even the match. NU had their top hitting set of the match in the second, connecting for 18 kills with three errors on 49 swings.

After the Eagles took the initial lead in the third set, the Geoducks overcame the early deficit as the host squad earned a 25-19 set three win with junior Shelby Clark (Tumwater, Wash./Black Hills HS/Tacoma CC) earning the final two kills for Evergreen.

NU was determined to keep playing in the fourth set as the Eagles connected for 18 kills on 53 swings en route to a 25-23 set four win, forcing the decisive fifth set.

Unfortunately for Northwest, the Geoducks were nearly unstoppable in the final frame, connecting on 12 kills with no errors on 33 swings to clinch the win with a 15-9 set five win.  It marked the first win for Evergreen over Northwest since Oct. 17, 2003.

Evergreen was led by 22 kills from Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College).  Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) added 21 kills while Clark finished with 14.  None of the Geoduck hitters would have been as dominant if it hadn’t been for the play of Delagrange, who finished with a school-record 72 assists to set a new top mark in the NAIA this season.

Northwest was led by 18 kills from Olympia native Sarah Stoker.  Hannah Hanson, from nearby Tenino, had 15 kills with Dakota Adams, who is not from Thurston County, finished with 12 kills on the night.  NU setter Christian Gleb had a strong night as well, recording 54 assists.  Leia Roy led all players with 39 digs.

The Geoducks and Eagles wrap up the 2013 season on Friday night when they meet again in Olympia.  First serve is set for 7 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium.

Box Score