There has been an array of phenomenal athletic performances this past semester at Long Beach State and it has been a pleasure as sports editor of the Daily Forty-Niner to witness our exceptional athletes in action.
I’m looking forward to continue improving the sports section in the second half of the year, giving the students at LBSU the best coverage of our sports possible.
But before we look ahead, let’s first take a look back at the very best LBSU had to offer in the first half of the year.
Best Players – Alexis Crimes and Hayley Bolt
Trying to pick between the best women’s volleyball player and the best women’s soccer player at LBSU was an impossible task. So I’m coping out and going with both Crimes and Bolt as the Players of the Semester at LBSU.
Crimes was named the Big West Conference co-Player of the Year and was also named to the All-West Region team. She led The Beach in kills (3.77) and blocks (1.39) as LBSU went 26-6 this season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bolt was named the Big West Conference co-Offensive Player of the Year. The central midfielder was second for the team in goals (8) and assists (4), as LBSU women’s soccer team had its best season ever (14-5-1).
The good news for LBSU fans is both Crimes and Bolt will be back for their respective teams next year.
Best Coach – Mauricio Ingrassia
In my midseason report card column, printed Oct. 18, I wrote, “It’s time to acknowledge LBSU women’s soccer head coach Maurico Ingrassia as a National Coach of the Year candidate.”
Well, it seemed that I put the jinx on Ingrassia with that statement, as the women’s soccer team lost three of its last five matches to end the season on a sour note.
But it wasn’t enough to erase the phenomenal job Ingrassia did with the women’s soccer team, leading the team to its first regular season Big West championship.
I’ll push that National Coach of the Year prediction to 2007.
Best Seniors – Jay Gerardi and Mariko Crum
Although the men’s water polo team didn’t have as successful of a season as it had hoped, Gerardi was the offensive catalyst for team, leading the squad with 49 goals and twice in 2006 scored five goals in a game.
Crum didn’t play for most of the first half of the season, but when some of the starters missed matches because of injuries, Crum filled in nicely, averaging 2.66 kills per game and 1.09 blocks per game.
Best Freshman – Jeff Greenwood
Greenwood, who redshirted last year, was a pleasant surprise for the men’s water polo team this season, finishing second on the team in goals with 46.
Best Play – Kim Silos (35-yard goal against Fresno State)
Silos scored big goal after big goal for the women’s soccer team this year, but none was more jaw-dropping than her long distance effort against Fresno State on Oct. 11.
The sophomore forward, who led the Big West Conference in goals with nine, received a pass in the middle of the field 35 yards from goal, then turned around, and unleashed a bullet that found the back of the net.
