Video by Derek Opina

Written summary coming shortly…

Video by Derek Opina

Written Summary following shortly….

Titans drop opener to Purdue 10-4.

This is wrestling, one of the toughest sports in college athletics. Every college wrestler needs to step on the mat with the attitude of a Tasmanian devil, or suffer defeat.

Cal State Fullerton senior heavyweight Kurt Klimek knows what it takes to be a winner.

“We’re the best conditioned athletes on campus, I guarantee it,” he said.

Klimek, like all wrestlers, has tasted both success and frustration while at CSUF. It is victory and accomplishment, however, that have been his most recent companions. His record this year, prior to the Pac-10 championships, was 25 wins and nine losses with six pins and 10 bonus-point wins.

At the Pac-10 championships, held at UC Davis Feb. 27, he had a great showing. He finished fourth and earned a trip to Omaha, Neb. for the NCAA Div. I championships March 18-20. He accomplished this despite a highly competitive weight class that was so deep, it featured five wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally.

Teammate junior Adin Duenas, who won the Pac-10 tournament at 141 pounds, explained Klimek’s success.

“He works hard, is always in good shape, and wrestles hard the whole match,” he said.

Klimek has steadily improved over the year. The proof is in his record. Several times he defeated opponents he had lost to earlier in the season.

“I even surprised myself this year,” he said.

He was born in Carlsbad and loved growing up in the Southern California area. He’s enjoyed the mountains, desert, beach and great weather. He wanted to wrestle somewhere close to home.

“It was a big reason I came to CSUF,” he said.

Sports were not a big part of his early life. He said he didn’t start wrestling until the eighth grade, when he and his brother went to a weeklong wrestling trial. He really enjoyed it and found something he could excel at.

“My brother and I used to fight a lot, but after we started wrestling, that stopped,” he said while laughing.

He redshirted at CSUF his first year to gain some strength and experience. Coming out of Carlsbad High School he was a stout 235 pounds, but needed to convert some of his body fat into muscle to increase his strength. His hard work and great attitude have paid off. He now stands a muscular 6′3″ and weighs 285 pounds with improved quickness. He has earned a scholarship because of his improvment.

Titan Wrestling Head Coach Dan Hicks is proof that hard work leads to success. Hicks wrestled for four years at Oregon State and was a two-time NCAA champion at 142 pounds in 1978-79. “When Kurt first showed up here he was a hard worker with good basic wrestling skills, but he needed to develop muscle,” said Hicks. “He’s improved a ton.”

Hicks feels Klimek has plenty of potential.

“He needs to work on attacking the legs and maneuvering behind his opponent in order to gain control,” he said. “His strength is his calm demeanor, not too high or low. He’s a good team leader who leads by example.”

Klimek made it to the NCAA tournament this year, reaching the goal that was set by both himself and his coach. As he gets ready for the NCAA championships and ponders the bright future that his senior year promises, he reflected on his accomplishments so far.

“I don’t think I would have got as far as I have anywhere else,” he said.

The Titans drop two straight at home to ASU. Photo by Sue Lagarde/For the Daily Titan.

Cal State Fullerton Baseball loses their second consecutive game to the No. 1 Arizona State Sun Devils 8-6 in what started as a pitcher’s duel and ended in an offensive showdown with ASU capturing their 17^th victory in a row to start the season.

Starting pitcher sophomore Tyler Pill pitched well enough for the win but gets a no decision giving up one earned run, on seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

“I felt good, the first two innings I was a little tight, not nervous, but a little sore, then I started to loosen up and got a feel for things in the later innings,” Pill said. “I was mixing all four of my pitches and I was cross-counting my pitches and when they were looking off-speed I’d come in with a fast ball and vice versa.”

Winning pitcher goes to ASU’s freshman Jake Barrett (2-0) who came in the seventh pitching 1.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits, the save to sophomore Jordan Swaggerty, his sixth this season. Losing pitcher, senior Kyle Mertins (1-1) pitched 1/3 of an inning surrendering three runs on three hits.

“I never look to moral victories in defeat, but if we use this the right way, I really believe we got better these last two games,” Titan Head Coach Dave Serrano said. “We came up short against a very, very good team that’s playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger and a lot of fight.”

The Sun Devils (17-0) scored in the top of the third when sophomore second baseman Zach MacPhee hit a two-out triple to the left-center field wall. Senior right fielder Kole Calhoun followed with a single to score Macphee and gave ASU a 1-0 lead.

The Titans (7-9) had runners on second and third after junior outfielder Walker Moore stole second and reached third on a throwing error and freshman right fielder Ivory Thomas walked and stole second, but junior catcher Zack Tanida couldn’t cash them in, grounding to sophomore shortstop Drew Maggi to end the threat and the inning tied at 1-1 in the fourth.

The game was tied into the top of the seventh inning when the Sun Devils broke the score open when sophomore catcher Austin Barnes reached on an error, and back-to-back singles brought Barnes home to give ASU the lead 2-1.

With runners on second and third Calhoun crushed a ball to center where junior center fielder Gary Brown made the play of the night in a sprint toward the wall to make an unbelievable catch and throwing the ball to junior shortstop Christian Colon who relayed the throw home to throw out MacPhee who tried to score.

“The balls were really carrying tonight and they swung the bats really well and I knew he hit it hard, and I just turned and went and jumped and luckily I caught it,” Brown said.

Brown came up with the bases loaded and one out and smashed the first pitch into left field for a single scoring senior pinch hitter Billy Marcoe from third and senior pinch hitter Joey Siddons from second.

“The guy came in last night throwing hard fastballs, so I was sitting on it, and I got a pitch to hit and got lucky it fell,” Brown said.

Sophomore first baseman Nick Ramirez followed suit with a double to the right field corner to score Colon and Brown to give the Titans their first lead of the night 5-3. Moore hit with a swinging bunt to Barrett to end the inning.

Titan Head Coach Dave Serrano talked about ASU’s resiliency yesterday and it showed tonight with the Devils responding with five of their own runs with one out in the top of the eighth inning off relief pitchers Mertins and sophomore Derrick Dingeman. Junior reliever Kevin Rath came in to get the final out of the inning with the Titans again looking up at the scoreboard down, 8-5.

The Titans fought back with a run in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn’t enough as ASU closer Swaggerty got two fly balls to end the game 8-6.

The Titans will travel north to face the University of Washington for a three game weekend series this weekend and will return home March 26 against Hawaii at 7 p.m.

Titan starting pitchers sophomore Noe Ramirez and junior Daniel Renken stand tall on the mound at Goodwin Field. Photo by Nick Marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor.

Cal State Fullerton sophomore right-hander Tyler Pill, sophomore right-hander Noe Ramirez and junior righty Daniel Renken are three of the most highly-touted starting pitchers in college baseball.

The three have managed to balance personal aspirations with understanding and distinguish the difference between competition and competitiveness. Sacrificing individual goals for team accomplishments led to the development close relationships.

“We all love to joke around. We’re like brothers,” Ramirez said. “We help each other out. We’re always there for each other. It’s that way with the whole team but there’s just a special bond between us three.”

Pill and Ramirez were both named Freshman All-Americans following stellar rookie seasons and shared Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors last year. Ramirez was 9-2 with a 3.33 ERA. Pill set CSUF freshman records in wins, shutouts, and winning percentage. He went 11-3 with a 4.06 ERA.

Renken, majoring in comparative religion, is the oldest of the three. He made 14 starts as a freshman in 2008, going 5-5 with a 4.11 ERA. He was even better in 2009, posting a 2.69 ERA good enough for 2nd in the Big West Conference and 23rd nationally.

He was able to retain his position as ace of the staff, but not without pressure from the two rookie standouts. They all watch each other closely when on the mound and hopes to top that performance in his next start.

“We want to compete against each other’s starts,” Pill, a communications major, said. “It’s just competitive nature. For them to do well pushes me even harder to do well.”

The early success of the freshmen was a pleasant surprise for the Titans but veteran Renken maintained his role. However, he admitted adding more star pitchers brought new elements to the staff off the field.

Sophomore right-hander starts on the mound for the Titans against Arizona State on March 17. Photo by Nick Marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor.

“We’re not out there to put more pressure on each other. We’re out there to make sure we get better,” Renken said, adding that they do feel the need to outperform one another. “The pressure we do put on each other is good pressure.”

Combined, the three have earned Big West Pitcher of the Week five times since Renken’s first accolade in March of 2008, including Ramirez who received the honor for the week of March 8, All-Big West First Team honors once and two Honorable Mention awards in 2009. They also accounted for 31 of the Titans 47 wins last season.

Despite the various accolades and the potential competition for best pitcher on staff, the players are content with winning and refuse to let the pursuit of personal objectives distract them from their ultimate team goal.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about us. It’s about the team,” Renken said.

Developing a team-oriented, winning attitude is a trademark of Titan baseball. Each of the three admired the team while growing up in Southern California.

Ramirez was born in East Los Angeles and was heavily recruited out of Alhambra High. Renken and Pill were both drafted by the Colorado Rockies after high school. Renken was drafted in the 35th round out of Orange Lutheran High in 2007. Pill, who attended Covina High, was drafted in the 38th round in 2008. However, nothing offered was tempting enough to turn down the opportunity to play baseball at CSUF.

The appreciation for Titan baseball developed into a desire to wear Titan blue and orange, and eventually became a reality. Each player also credits close family ties to his decision to put on the Titans uniform.

“At Fullerton, it’s our own style of baseball. No one else in the country has this style,” Ramirez said. “Being here is all part of the dream.”

While the three share Southern California roots and similar success, each pitcher uses a unique style on the mound.

Pill is a prototype fastball-curveball pitcher, according to Renken. He has a “12-to-6” curveball that falls off the table and a fastball that can reach speeds over 90 mph. His pitching style is similar to Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Chad Billingsley, Ramirez said.

Ramirez has a deceiving arm and can paint the corners of the plate with his fastball, Pill said. He has drawn comparisons to former Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez.

“He’s so long and lean that a lot of his success comes from a whipping action with his arm,” Renken said of Ramirez.

Renken has a “filthy” changeup and is not afraid to use it in any count. His mechanics are awkward but his changeup is reminiscent of Milwaukee Brewers’ closer Trevor Hoffman, according to Pill. His slider has improved greatly over the offseason and he works in a fastball to sneak it by hitters.

The Titans have struggled early this season, posting a 7-9 record following Tuesday’s loss to No. 1 Arizona State University. They have fallen out of the top 25 ranked teams in college baseball.

Renken has yet to regain the form of his previous two seasons, even leaving a game during the first inning for the first time in his career due to back pain. However, the pitching staff remains optimistic about the remainder of the year.

“We started off slow but, if we put our minds to it, we’ll turn it around,” Pill said, adding that the team has the talent to get back to their winning ways. “There’s going to be a lot of hard work involved but I see us… coming together as a team and getting to Omaha. We just have to take it one game at a time.”

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on hole No. 8 during a practice round for the Presidents Cup at Harding Park golf course. Photo Courtesy MCT.

If you close your eyes, you can hear the thunderous roar of the gallery. Look closely and you can see him smashing drives, assaulting greens and pouring in putts with the frequency we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the 14-time major champion.

Look a little closer and you can see his name – and trademark red shirt – emerging from a field of demoralized golfers.

For the last five months, nobody knew when such a vision was going to unfold. As of Tuesday morning, we finally did.

To say that there was some speculation regarding Tiger Woods’ inevitable return to the PGA Tour would be like saying there was some speculation regarding his record-breaking infidelities.

Now, we have our answer. Tiger will make his much-anticipated return to golf April 8, at the PGA Tour’s first major, the Masters.

It’s no coincidence Tiger chose the friendly confines of Augusta for his return. Not only is he accustomed to the course (he’s won there four times), he has to be confident it won’t become TMZ headquarters.

See, Augusta National isn’t exactly the Staples Center, golf isn’t exactly basketball, and golf fans aren’t exactly cut from the same cloth as basketball fans.

If there’s one thing the game of golf doesn’t tolerate it’s bad etiquette.

It’s for this reason that there will be no collective scrutinizing of Tiger at Augusta.

If the security of Augusta wasn’t tight enough, it’s going to be Fort Knox-esque the second weekend in April.

Fans will be warned, members of the media will be invited on a VIP basis, any and all questions regarding Tiger’s personal life will be outlawed and Tiger will get back to doing what he does best, golf.

There’s no way of telling how sharp Tiger will be upon his return to the Tour.

However, you’d be crazy to think that his self-imposed five-month hiatus hasn’t taken a toll on his game.

How many rounds of golf has he played since his last tournament? How much weight-lifting has he been able to do? Has he become reacquainted with fairways and greens?

We don’t have answers to any of these questions.

What we do know is that Tiger wasn’t serving a suspension where he could hit the gym at his discretion and play the occasional round of golf in between meals.

He wasn’t using his hiatus to regroup after choking away the 2009 PGA Championship in an attempt to return better than ever.

He wasn’t using the hiatus to write a tell-all book called “Lost in the Woods,” or film a documentary called “Taming Tiger” for the Golf Channel – although, in hindsight, who wouldn’t have watched that every Sunday?

Simply put, he was using that time to get his life back in order, and to do so, golf had to take a back seat.So without hesitation, he left – and took all the golf ratings with him.

When his absence set in, the burning question became, “How will golf fans, purists and players react once he returns?”

The instinctive answer was, “Well, all the fans will ‘boo,’ crack jokes about his ‘sex addiction,’ taunt him with incriminating signs and root vehemently against him.”

However, when the majority of people realized that Tiger was dedicated to becoming a better man, the answer became “Well, everyone will probably continue cheering for him and those who make jokes, boo and openly root against him will be removed and/or executed by PGA Tour officials.”

It’d be ridiculous to predict a Tiger Woods victory at Augusta, but I’ll do it. I mean, the man wins tournaments. The only reason he hasn’t been winning them recently is because he hasn’t been playing them.

But now, he’s back. Whether he’s stronger than ever, well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Senior Kole Calhoun dives back to first to avoid being picked off by sophomore pitcher Nick Ramirez and redshirt freshman first baseman Carlos Lopez during a Titan 6-5 loss. Photo by Lucio Villa/For the Daily Titan.

Cal State Fullerton baseball fell one run short of No. 1 Arizona State University’s 15-0 start to the 2010 season at Goodwin Field Tuesday, losing 6-5 in a closely contested game that came down to the last inning.

Sophomore starting pitcher Nick Ramirez (0-2) got the loss pitching 4.1 innings giving up seven hits and five earned runs striking out four, while going 3-4 at the plate and scoring a run.

“I performed pretty good but a single person can’t do it, it comes down to a team and they came in here, they played hard,” Ramirez said.

Sophomore right fielder Tyler Pill went 2-2 at the plate with one walk and two RBIs for the Titans (7-8), and redshirt freshman Carlos Lopez went deep for his second long ball of the year.

Freshman relief pitcher Dylan Floro pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering six hits and one earned run.

“The one bright spot, if you can take one out of a loss, is that we’ve developed another young pitcher in Dylan Floro. He made some big pitches and hopefully he’s going to continue to grow up and be a big contributor to this pitching staff,” said Titan Head Coach Dave Serrano.

Freshman Relief pitcher Dylan Floro delivers a bullet to home plate. Photo by Lucio Villa/For the Daily Titan.

After Ramirez sat the Sun Devils down in order in the top of the second, with two caught looking at the plate, he led off the bottom of the inning with a single to center.

Junior third baseman Corey Jones came up and smashed a ball down the first base line and off the umpire’s foot for a double, sending Ramirez to third.

Junior catcher Billy Marcoe reached base on a fielder’s choice after Ramirez was thrown out at home trying to score. Pill singled to center, scoring Jones, and moved Marcoe to third.

A balk was called on the Sun Devils’ freshman starting pitcher Brady Rogers, scoring Marcoe from third and moving Pill to second.

Pill was then sacrificed to third off a bunt from redshirt freshman second baseman Matt Orloff for the second out.

On the next pitch, redshirt freshman left fielder Austin Kingsolver was thrown out trying to bunt, ending the second inning with the Titans up 2-0.

After ASU (16-0) got on the board in the top of the third, Lopez came up with two outs in the bottom of the third and crushed a ball deep and over the right-center field fence to extend the Titans’ lead 3-1.

The Devils scored again in the top of the fourth cutting into the lead to make it 3-2, but the Titans bounced back again with two doubles in the inning, one coming off the bat of Pill who smashed a 1-0 pitched off the right-center field wall.

After Orloff grounded out to short, Kingsolver followed Pill with a double of his own, scoring Pill from second to make it 4-2, but was thrown out to end the inning trying to stretch his double into a triple.

ASU scored three in the top of the fifth after Ramirez gave up three hits and a fielder’s choice, and was relieved by Floro on the mound. Sophomore third baseman Riccio Torrez hit a single to center, scoring sophomore second baseman Zack MacPhee and senior right fielder Kole Calhoun for their fourth and fifth runs of the game giving the Devils their first lead of the game, 5-4.

Sophomore Nick Ramirez tries to avoid being tagged out at second base. Photo by Lucio Villa/For the Daily Titan.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Titans loaded the bases on a single, a hit batter and a single, bringing Pill to the plate who hit a deep sacrifice-fly to right, scoring Ramirez to take the Titans down one with two outs and advancing the runners to second and third.

Senior second baseman Joey Siddons, who pinch-hit for Orloff in the sixth, came up and struck out looking on a 2-2 pitch with the lead runner in scoring position to send the game to the ninth with the Titans down 6-5.

Kingsolver led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, and Colon flied-out on one pitch.

Junior center fielder Gary Brown had a 2-2 count when Kingsolver left to steal second when the throw sailed into center field allowing Kingsolver to make it to third, but the home plate umpire called Brown out on batter’s interference sending Kingsolver back to first. Lopez grounded out to second on the first pitch to end the game.

The Titans are back in action tonight against ASU at 6 p.m. at Goodwin Field and look to end the Devils’ 16-game winning streak.

“What continues to bother me is that we’re a step behind in everything we do, we take pride in being a step ahead and we’re a step behind and that’s why we continue to get sniped,” Serrano said.

Shari Williams, far right, leads Cal State Fullerton's hip-hop team's practice inside the main entrance at Titan Gym. Photo by Nick Marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor.

At 7 p.m., Cal State Fullerton’s campus is much quieter than in the daytime.

Students walk past the Student Recreation Center, bundled up in sweatshirts and pants as a group of girls inside the gymnasium talk and stretch in a loose circle. They flip the switch on the portable CD player they have brought along, and when the music starts, the girls come to life.

This is Elevate, CSUF’s hip-hop team, and they are ready to dance.

So why a hip-hop team?

“Ballroom dancing just didn’t work out,” 21-year-old junior business major Kayla Newte laughs. Elevate meets every Monday and Wednesday to practice for up to three hours and is made up of eight women. Senior public relations major Shari Williams, 21, leads the dance crew with grace and authority.

The team warms up together at the beginning of each practice, chatting and joking until Williams calls them to attention, her voice sharp and crisp as she counts out the beat to a new routine.

“We’ve got a fundraiser coming up at a club called Tia Juana’s that we’re preparing for,” Williams said, as the girls practiced behind her. “We do stuff like this every so often to raise money for things like competitions, costumes and other things we need.”

The school’s hip-hop team is underfunded and does not receive as much attention as other teams on campus.

“What a lot of people don’t know about us is that each of the girls has a long background history of dancing,” senior advertising major Alysha Young said. “TV shows like ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ showed people that there are different forms of dance besides classical ballet, which is what we try to show people when we perform.”

The ladies perform a routine in unison to prepare for their next event. Photo by Nick Marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor.

Elevate has performed at a variety of events, from campus-sponsored events like basketball games, to opening up for rapper Drake at the ASU Fox Theater in San Bernardino.

The girls get together twice a week to practice new routines and keep their dance moves fresh and have formed a tight bond with each other.

With a total of just eight members, this small group often goes unnoticed until they hit the stage, charming the crowd with their infectious smiles and energetic performances.

“We’ve performed at competitions at USC, The Grove in Anaheim, you name it,” Williams said. “We’ve got a talent show fundraiser on March 19 that is helping support victims of the Haiti earthquake that we’re still trying to put together as well.”

Although the group lacks a permanent dance space and university funding, they have found creative solutions to keep their organization going.

With a Facebook page and links to videos and performances on Youtube, CSUF’s hip-hop team has dedicated a lot of time and effort into doing what they all love most – dancing.

While they may not be the most popular dance team on campus, team Elevate is a strong, organized club that has provided these students a chance to express themselves creatively through dance.

I hate it because it has routinely postponed our 2009 Corona All-Male Softball League title defense.

Don’t get me wrong, nature itself can be glorious. Birds chirp, trees sway, the sun shines and green grass grows.

We’re talking romantic novel type stuff here.

However, much like Father Time, at times Mother Nature can be a real bitch.

How else can you defend her purposely preventing the team in red shirts from taking the field every Sunday night to annihilate incompetent competition in front of our millions – OK, six – adoring fans?

A couple months back, after completing our inaugural season of beating down inept opposition, someone decided we were ready to “move up” to the Big Leagues. Without argument or a single “Wait, we’re still not that good” thought, we packed our balls, bats, gloves, cleats and Gatorade and joined the ranks of Corona’s finest.

(Sidenote: In the offseason we made a couple notable acquisitions.

They were in no way “blockbuster moves,” but moves nonetheless. We didn’t ink Jason Bay, Matt Holliday or John Lackey.

We didn’t get Johnny Damon or Chone Figgins at a discounted price. Shoot, we didn’t even try to land the Cuban defector who doesn’t speak a lick of English.

No, our acquisitions were more along the lines of the Washington Nationals signing Adam Kennedy or the San Diego Padres acquiring David Eckstein.

We added another Jack Morris, which skyrocketed the average age to about 35, and acquired a college golfer who tips the scales at a good 5’6” 130 pounds.)

Like any team unsure of itself, we nervously shifted our infield around a bit before the start of the new season. Why? Because throwing to a 5’4” first baseman just wasn’t cutting it. So what we did was move our 6’4” shortstop to first, our third baseman to short and one of our outfielders to third.

Problem solved. At least until we hit the field.

With these changes in effect, my buddy and I (looking for another way to insult our friends) calculated the respective “Man Averages” (as we called them) for our infield and outfield.

Our results were astonishing.

(Sidenote II: There’s an unwritten rule in baseball that prohibits big boppers from playing the infield. This rule is in place because steroids – er, weight training – doesn’t necessarily boost your agility.

But in softball it does wonders, right?

I mean, could you imagine the damage that would occur if Manny Ramirez or Barry Bonds played shortstop? It would make “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” look like a fender-bender.)

To make a long, and depressing story short (literally), we came to the conclusion that if the Smurfs ever fielded a softball team, they’d trot out a bigger outfield than us.

So much for the big boppers playing the outfield.

Anyway, we took the field opening night armed with our bizarro softball team and a title to defend.

Like the very first time we took the field as a collective unit, we were expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

In the top half of first inning, we spotted the opposing team five runs thanks to some typical shoddy defense.

In spite of the errors, the other team’s size, hitting ability and matching uniforms oozed expertise.

Not even five minutes later, in the bottom half of the inning, they generously gave us 14 runs on approximately 150 errors.

So much for “moving up to the Big Leagues.”

Junior Alaina Baker leaps off the balance beam during her performance at Titan Gym versus Michigan State. Photo by Camille Tarazon/Daily Titan Staff Writer.

Although Cal State Fullerton’s gymnastics team was defeated Friday night, March 12. Spirits remained high as the seniors were recognized and a Titan junior took first place all-around.

CSUF came in second with a 191.250 while Michigan State won with a 194.850. Scoring first place on floor with a 9.900 and first place on all-around with a 39.075, junior Alaina Baker took individual honors for the Titans.

Baker, 18, has perfected her floor routine over the past two years.

Humbly accepting her accomplishments, Baker honors her fellow Titan gymnasts.

“I am really proud of the whole team and everything they’ve done. And they do their best every time,” Baker said.

Michigan State senior Rochelle Robinson, took first place in vault with a 9.850, bars with a 9.825 and beam with a 9.825 to help push the Spartans ahead of the Titans. But the night was all about Fullerton’s seniors.

Seniors Britni Echeverria, Shannon Kawada and Kori Underhill were praised before the meet for their accomplishments as their last season will soon come to an end.

It was a big night for Kawada who competed in two new events, scoring a 9.625 on vault, 9.675 on bars and a 9.300 on floor.

Echeverria was part of a three-way tie for fourth place on bars with a 9.775.

Senior Shannon Kawada exudes confidence in her floor exercise performance. Photo by Camille Tarazon/Daily Titan Staff Writer.

Underhill scored an 8.750 on beam and an 8.700 on floor.

“We had a strong start on vault and bars, we didn’t do so well on beam, but made up for it on floor,” Kawada said.

Kawada was seen cheering on her teammates and giving hugs and high-fives to keep their spirits high.

“I cheer as loud as I can hoping the girls will feed off my positive energy and I say positive works to motivate them,” Kawada said.

The Titan gymnasts’ spirits were high, but Titan Head Coach Jill Hicks thought the scores should have been higher.

“Their performance was average,” Hicks said. “They did really good on two events, poor on beam and average on floor.”

Hicks explained that the team experienced some falls on beam and floor that were out of character for the athletes; nerves may have played a part. Overall as a team, Hicks feels they could have done better.

Michigan State took advantage of CSUF’s falls earning a score of 48.575 on beam compared to CSUF’s score of 46.500.

However, Hicks did not hesitate to praise those who strived to keep up the team’s morale.

Apart from congratulating Baker, Kawada and Echeverria for their performances, she was very proud of junior Shelly Cooper’s performance.

Cooper tied for third place on vault, her bar routine earned her a 9.750 and her 9.625 floor routine gave off so much energy that some audience members got up and danced.

“Shelly Cooper did very well tonight,” Hicks said.

The CSUF team lost a couple girls to injury but they are said to be able to compete for next week’s competition at Southern Utah.

Titan gymnastics will be hosting its final meet of the year at Titan Gym for the Western Athletic Conference Championships March 27 at 6 p.m. Last year at Sacramento State, the Titans finished fifth in the WAC Championships.

The Titans gather at midcourt during a timeout in the quarterfinals against UCR in the Big West Tournament. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team couldn’t match the physicality of the UC Riverside Highlanders in their quarterfinal match in the Big West Tournament falling 73-54.

“We’ve played bigger teams and we’ve beat them, I mean we out rebounded them, it’s just the shots didn’t fall for us today,” said sophomore guard Megan Richardson.

That could be an understatement seeing that the Titans shot 32.8 percent from the field, 58.3 percent from the free throw line and missing the front end of one-and-ones three times in the second half.

Freshman forward Mya Olivier was the leading scorer for the Titans with 11 points on 4-7 attempts, one of three Titans in double digits.

The Titans had trouble with physical play from UCR, forcing senior captain guard Jasmine Scott to the bench with two fouls just six minutes into the game.

“When one of your starters gets into foul trouble early it definitely changes your game plan,” Foster said.

UCR kept trying to get the three-ball working early but could only get 2-11 shooting from three-point land, but still held the lead going into the locker room at the half 32-24.

Senior guard Britt Peters drives to the basket in a 73-54 loss to UCR. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan

Since CSUF lost control of the physical play in the second half, they found themselves on the losing end.

The second half was the same as the first with the Highlanders maintaining a double-digit lead throughout, extending the lead to 23 with 6:04 left, but it just wasn’t there for the Titans after their strong performance Thursday night.

“Riverside was sharp from the start, we weren’t and we couldn’t get back on track,” said Titan Head Coach Marcia Foster.

“We battled the whole game but we put them on the line too much.”

CSUF blew out UCR in their first meeting this year in Titan Gym, and lost a two-point game at Riverside Feb. 6.

Although the outcome wasn’t what the Titans were hoping for, UCR had nothing but good things to say about their conference foe.

“It was a hard fought game, we had to play hard, and Fullerton has a great team and is well coached,” said Highlander Head Coach John Margaritis.

“They have players who can score from all over and we had to make them catch the ball where they didn’t want to and we did that today.”

UCR continued on to win the Big West Tournament over UC Davis on Saturday.

This was the final game of Scott’s career at CSUF; unfortunately, it had to end on a sour note, but what she did for the program is evident.

“I’m going to miss her leadership, her persona, just her,” Foster said.

“I just wish she could have been here and win a championship but that’s where this team is headed and she did her part to get us to where we are today.”

Foster finishes her first year as head coach with a 15-17 record, up from last year’s program 10-20.

She is confident about where the program is headed implying that the program is still young and is heading in the right direction, citing Richardson making all-conference as a sophomore and Olivier on an all-freshman team.

The depth of their roster has proven just that.

Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan.

The last ride of a roller coaster season that Titan Head Coach Bob Burton termed as “consistently inconsistent,” has ended for the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team.

In the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament, the Titans lost to UC Davis 68-65 for the third time this season, in a game that went down to the wire.

“I would like to congratulate Davis, they deserve to win,” Burton said. “I thought they really competed and made baskets when they needed to.”

Senior forward Gerard Anderson goes up for the slam. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan.

With 1:07 left in the game, UC Davis redshirt freshman guard Ryan Howley made a layup to break a 64-64 tie, which ultimately decided the game.

On the next possession, senior forward Gerard Anderson missed 1-of-2 free throws.

After an Aggie miss, Anderson took the ball the length of the floor only to be stripped when he took it to the basket.

“It was a tough play,” Anderson said. “I just tried to penetrate and ended up losing the ball and if I would’ve made the free throw the play before that, we probably would have gone into overtime.”

Burton would not have drawn it up any other way.

“There’s nobody else I’d rather have shooting the ball than him in that situation,” Burton said. “That’s why we didn’t call timeout because he’s just been absolutely terrific all year long.”

The difference was free throw shooting.

CSUF shot 58.8 percent from the line, as opposed to the Aggies, who knocked down 14-of-16 from the charity stripe.

In a matchup of polar opposites, the Aggies controlled the second half by playing their style of basketball and it took a toll on CSUF’s defense.

“They just came out and they got it going,” Burton said. “We had huge breakdowns defensively.”

Anderson had another great all-around game with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in his last game as a Titan.

Redshirt junior Jer'Vaughn Johnson celebrates before going to the free throw line. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan.

Redshirt junior forward Jer’Vaughn Johnson had 15 points and six rebounds.

UC Davis junior forward Joe Harden scored 20 points and matched up with Anderson all night.

“It was a battle,” Harden said. “We’ve gotten after each other for two years.”

Anderson set the tone early with two layups in the early going.

Both teams came out firing and there were six lead changes but the tide changed after Johnson’s layup with 7:14 left in the first period and the Titans did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the half.

Back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore guard Jacques Streeter pushed the Titan lead to 24-17.

Senior guard Aaron Thompson does all he can to block UC Davis freshman guard Ryan Howley's shot. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan.

CSUF got in a comfort zone and Davis could not gain an edge.

Anderson committed his second foul with 6:24 left in the first half and came out of the game with the Titans only up by four.

That’s when other players stepped up.

After senior guard Aaron Thompson’s layup with 1:24 to go, the Titans jumped out to a 10-point lead.

CSUF committed on the defensive end by only allowing the Aggies to shoot 37.5 percent from the field.

The Titans led 33-25 at intermission.

Anderson continued his aggressiveness as he was fouled three times when he went to the basket in the early part of the second half.

However, Davis countered and caught the Titan defense sleeping with five scores inside to a tune of 11 points in the first five minutes.

The Aggies took the lead back after Harden’s layup with 12:25 left in regulation.

Davis slowed the game down and their backdoor cuts wore CSUF down.

With 5:22 to go, Streeter spiked the ball to redshirt sophomore forward Orane Chin for an uncontested dunk.

Anderson can't hold back his emotions after losing to UC Davis. Photo by Chad Uemera/For the Daily Titan.

Thompson then hit a corner three-pointer to put the Titans up 61-60.

The game was tied at 64-64 with 3:28 left until Howley’s score two minutes later.

After the CSUF’s last effort to win failed, junior guard Eric Williams’ cross court heave nearly went in as time expired.

“Even when it got close at the end, I thought we had a couple of opportunities to really break it and get up two or four at crucial times,” Burton said. “We just didn’t come up with the ball when we needed to.”

This ends CSUF’s season with a 16-15 overall record, with five seniors, including two starters, departing.

“We have great seniors, I loved them and I’m really going to miss them but I’m looking forward to seeing where this guy (Anderson), continues his basketball career,” Burton said.

Anderson shared the same sentiment and broke into tears when reflecting on his three years as a Titan, with his first year as a redshirt.

“I’m happy to be a Titan and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Anderson said. “All in all, a great three years here for me and I’m sad to see it all come to an end.”

“I think we feel fortunate to win and I thought we played very well tonight,” Titan Head Coach Bob Burton said.

In a battle of teams that thrive on transition basketball, CSUF locked down on the defensive end.

CSUN could not overcome the Titans’ swarming pressure, which led to 24 points off turnovers.

“The defense all night was terrific,” Burton said. “Tonight we were all on one keel.”

The No. 5 Titans held the No. 8 Matadors to just 39.1 percent shooting.

Redshirt junior forward Jer’Vaughn Johnson dominated the interior – 20 points and 12 rebounds – with his fifth double-double of the season in large part because CSUN’s leading rebounder, junior forward Lenny Daniel sat out because of academic reasons.

“I take the same approach to every game,” Johnson said. “Him (Daniel) not playing really helped us out.”

Junior guard Devon Peltier made five three-pointers on his way to 19 points.

“He hit some major shots tonight which were important,” Burton said. “V.I. coming in and really made the difference.”

The Matador zone defense put Peltier in a groove offensively.

“My eyes do light up when I see a zone,” Peltier said. “They were face-guarding me most of the night. I just try to find gaps in the zone or get open in the corner and they pop it out to me.”

In the early going, both teams stuck to their strengths, pushing the pace and not allowing the defense to set up.

The game started with CSUN jumping out to an early 9-4 lead.

Peltier’s three-pointer tied the game at 15-15.

The Matadors retaliated with a 6-0 run before Peltier ended it with another shot from beyond the arc.

CSUN’s hopes were diminished when Matador senior forward Willie Galick committed two fouls with 10:55 to go.

“I thought the turning point of the game was when Galick got two fouls because we couldn’t guard him and he was causing a lot of problems,” Burton said.

After an Anderson layup with 6:50 left in the game, the layup put the Titans up 26-25 and they did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the half.

With three seconds left, sophomore guard Jacques Streeter’s layup gave the Titans their largest lead of the half at 12.

The Titans finished the half on a 21-8 run and led 45-33 at halftime.

In the final 4:53 of the first period, the Titans did not allow CSUN to make a field goal.

At the start of the second half, the game was seesawing back and forth with CSUF’s double-digit lead still intact.

With 11:24 to go and the Matadors threatening, the Titans made a couple of key defensive plays that led to a fast break where Anderson jumped over CSUN’s redshirt sophomore guard Vinnie McGhee for a thunderous dunk that had the crowd buzzing.

“Guys always say dunks are only two points are really out of it because that’s a touchdown,” Burton said. “We all love that and it really fired our team up.”

CSUN did not let the momentum shift and cut CSUF’s lead to 57-52 with 8:58 to go.

However, the Titans shook out of their funk and went on a 10-0 run.

Senior forward Aaron Thompson’s three-pointer gave CSUF their largest lead of the game at 70-55.

The Matadors still hung in there and cut the lead down to 10.

Johnson scored five unanswered points before fouling out with 2:25 left in regulation.

For the remainder of the contest, the Titans knocked down free throws to preserve the lead and prevent any Matador comeback.

In the second round, the Titans will face off against UC Davis – the Aggies swept the season series – at 8:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center.

“We feel good about this game, we’re really excited to play them,” Burton said. “I like the fact that we played tonight, I think that helps you play the game here in this environment.”

Junior guard Lindsey Grove’s 26 and 2-3 from three-point land led the Titans in scoring as CSUF went 32-38 from the free throw line to beat UCI for the second time in two years.

“We were all really fired up when we came out; we’re notorious for playing well in the tournament, that’s what people know about us. We take it to another level and we wanted to keep that going,” Grove said. “Coach Foster has this saying that when it’s crunch time, making free throws is what we do and we take pride in our ability to close games and knock down free throws.”

UCI’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Mikah Maly-Karros, led all scorers with 41 points on 17-31 shooting and was one of two Anteaters in double figures.

“(Maly-Karros) is a good player, she was on my high school team. She made shots but I think we did a good job shutting down their other players. I mean, she had 41 points but they didn’t win so we had good defense on their other players,” sophomore guard Megan Richardson said.

CSUF (15-16, 9-8) did what they promised, grabbing 50 rebounds to UCI’s 36, and scoring 20 second-chance points.

“We had to defend, which we we’re average at. We had to handle the pressure, which we were good at, but could be better, and we had to control the boards and we did that,” Titan Head Coach Marcia Foster said.

The Titan bench also came to play, scoring 18 points to UCI’s 4, after UCI relied heavily on their star Maly-Karros.

UCI (9-21, 6-11) led one time in the game less than a minute in and the Titans refused to be stopped, earning a 14-point lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

All but one Titan was able to get on the board as they took an early lead over the Anteaters and got into the bonus early and capitalized on reaching the bonus within the first nine minutes.

The Titans were able to control the UCI offense, only letting Maly-Karros score 12 points at the ten-minute mark.

CSUF led 45-35 at the half, shooting 44.8 percent from the field to UCI’s 35, and dominated the boards 30-15, something that Foster said would be crucial to their success in the tournament.

The second half saw more of the same as the Titans continued to roll and had their largest lead, 16, with 13:12 remaining in the game.

UCI brought the game to within seven with 3:43 left in the game, but the Titans were relentless and built their lead back up to win by 13.

“I had confidence in our team and we’re getting better at weathering the runs because everybody’s going to have a run,” Foster said.

The Titans return to action at noon at the Anaheim Convention Center against No. 3 seed UC Riverside.

“Riverside’s a different team, we need to run the floor, we need to attack, we know we can beat them,” Foster said.