A standing ovation for the USD Athletic Department

A year of highs as athletics continues to shine

MARI OLSON / SPORTS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

JAREK MORGAN / ASST. SPORTS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

The 2021-2022 school year was the first year fully back to normal for sports on the University of San Diego’s campus since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the athletes and coaches made an impact on the fields, courts and waterways this year, the USD Athletic Department was making sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes. 

A few major announcements were made this year about the future of USD sports. One important one was the revelation that the university is creating a brand new golf facility, designed by legendary golfer and San Diego local Phil Mickelson. 

USD Budget Analyst Ali Gibson is thrilled about the future of the USD Golf team, particularly once the new facility is built. 

“The accessibility of having this facility on campus will bring in many new recruits for the golf team,” Gibson said. “For our players, not having to travel will increase performance and save the university money over time. Being able to host events right here at USD will be an incredible accomplishment, and with the help of Phil Mickelson we expect nothing less than greatness for our players.”

The facility will span 1.4 acres directly to the west of the current USD Softball Complex, and will include a brand new clubhouse, a putting green, bunker and fairway area. 

The new facility, sponsored by a gift from Board of Trustees member Paul Purcell, is in the planning and design stages. 

Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations Jake Kuennen offered a timeline for the upcoming course.

“While this facility will bring amazing things to USD, currently we are still in the process of getting permits approved by the city of San Diego,” Kuennen said. “Our hope is to have the finished product by next year’s season.”

In the 2022 season, USD Golf finished sixth out of nine teams in the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament at the end of April and will move on to compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament on May 16. 

Another new facility opened its doors on USD’s campus this spring: the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center finally celebrated its grand opening and the men’s and women’s tennis teams played their second season on the new courts. 

Each of the eight newly resurfaced tennis courts features an important member of the USD tennis community as its namesake. Notably, recently retired women’s tennis head coach Sherri Stephens was honored with the court one recognition. 

Other courts are dedicated to former athletes, coaches, family members, and even the 1987 men’s tennis team, which was the first tennis team from USD to enter the national rankings. 

The center also includes a state of the art locker room for the tennis teams, bleachers for USD fans to watch tennis comfortably from, and a huge scoreboard visible from all eight courts. 

“With the addition of the new Tennis Center, we expect to see a big bump in recruiting,” Gibson said. “We have an extremely talented team for both men and women. Competing in the NCAA tournament this past weekend really showed these teams have what it takes to be even more successful next year.”

Men’s tennis began their tournament against the University of California, Irvine (UCI) on Friday, May 6. The Toreros swept the Anteaters in the first round 4-0, the second time USD has beaten UCI this year after a 6-1 win to kick off the 2022 spring season. 

Men’s tennis came up against the University of Southern California in round two, a tough matchup after losing to USC less than a month ago on April 13. The Toreros fought their hardest, but only senior Will Davies could come up with a win, and USD went out of the NCAA tournament on May 7. 

Women’s tennis competed against Arizona State University in the first round, bowing out of the tournament quickly after going down 1-4 against the Sun Devils. 

Redshirt junior Solymar Colling and redshirt senior August Holmgren will compete in their respective singles tournaments beginning Monday, May 23. Holmgren and his partner, graduate student Gui Osorio, will be competing in doubles play as well. 

The Athletic Department’s motto is “winning on the playing field, winning in the classroom, and winning in the community.” To that end, USD Football placed 53 athletes on the Pioneer Football League academic honor roll for the 2021 season. Athletes on the honor roll have a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the semester. 

Although some may think of themselves as “athlete-scholars,” they really are meant to be “scholar-athletes.” USD Football showed that they can be both this year, with the team finishing 7-1 in conference while many of their players kept their grades up at the same time. 

“We take pride in our academics here at USD,” Gibson said. “We always want great student-athletes, but more importantly, we want our athletes to also respect the hard work that goes on in the classrooms. Having student-athletes such as [graduate basketball player] Myah Pace winning the 2021 Alcala Award just shows you how important academics are for our student-athletes and we are so proud of their accomplishments.”

USD’s Athletic Department, in partnership with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), also recognized and supported student athletes throughout the year. 

Next week SAAC, in conjunction with USD’s Athletic Training Room and Athletic Department, is hosting a Health and Wellness Week for the student athletes on campus. The week will include therapy dogs, yoga, lawn games and a “Calming Corner” that athletes can use to meditate, study, or simply relax. 

Additionally, an annual tradition was brought back for the first time since 2019, when USD athletes and athletic administrators participated in the Blessing of the Toreros on Aug. 31, 2021. 

In conjunction with USD Ministry, after the barbecue that kicks off the new school year in the fall, USD Athletics hosts every athlete at the school in Founders Chapel to bring in the start of a new season of winning on campus. 

Pace spoke at the event, discussing her experience with grit during her time as an athlete at USD. Grit is a kind of resilience that is backed by long-term goals and passions, and is something that nearly every student athlete feels at some point in their athletic career. She talked about how important it is to be gritty, especially at the beginning of a season when championships seem so far away. 

Members of USD Ministry also spoke, and all of the athletes were blessed as they officially kicked off the 2021-2022 year. 

Traditions that have helped the athletic administration staff become accustomed to the work environment was evident in every department. Communication Assistant Anderson Haigler praised the work environment he currently works in.

“This group of people really built a strong family foundation,” Haigler said. “Everyone always comes together to help each other out. Getting opinions on ways to be a better team is something I am so thankful for.” 

Also echoing the family foundation, Athletics Development Assistant Loni Lewis reiterated those beliefs.

“Being new to the team, the one thing I can say is no matter what I always feel I have the support of other departments,” Lewis said. “If someone is struggling or is short handed I often see other departments jumping in to lend a helping hand. That kind of support goes a long way.”

Looking to the future, USD athletics has big things in the works. Upcoming events include the annual Toreo Sports Charity Ball, which, after being postponed a few times due to COVID, is finally back on.

The University of San Diego Athletics Department and the 2022 Sports Banquet Committee have announced the date for the 44th Annual Sports Banquet Charity Gala. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 26, at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Gala will be a night of exciting entertainment, including live music and the traditional Sports Banquet “Game.”

This event is USD Athletics’ largest fundraiser benefiting the Torero Scholar-Athlete Fund. 

The Gala’s purpose is to not only gather and celebrate being back together, but to raise money to provide an extraordinary scholar-athlete experience and remain true to supporting and developing the personal, educational, physical, mental and spiritual well-being for each of the over 400 Torero scholar-athletes. 

The impact of each gift received advances its mission of winning in the classroom, winning on the playing field and winning in the community.

There are so many amazing things to be thankful for, and the Athletic Administration Department is so grateful for the amazing students and staff that are a part of the USD community. While sports are a major part of the university, Toreros would not be able to enjoy the events and players without the hard work and dedication of the staff behind the scenes. 

Be on the lookout this summer for sneak peeks of the next year of exciting athletes, sports and facilities playing for the University of San Diego Toreros.