The PLNU Athletic Hall of Fame will open its doors for the first time in five years to induct Erin Keller (Hill), Jessica Mercado (Walton), Amanda Addie (Dyla), Joe Prince, Mathias Sundberg, Ashley Strimple (Bowman), Bill Young and the 1991 men’s cross-country team as the ninth Hall of Fame class in school history.
“Many athletes, coaches and support people have helped shape the storied history of PLNU athletics,” said Point Loma athletic director Ethan Hamilton. “I would like to commend the selection committee on recognizing an extremely worthy class that will receive our athletic department’s highest honor.”
The induction ceremony will be held on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Station Conference Center. Tickets are $50 per person and can be reserved by calling (619) 849-2265, or emailing [email protected].
A quick look at the 2013 PLNU Athletic Hall of Fame class:
• Amanda Addie: One of the most decorated softball student-athletes during the Sea Lions’ great teams in the late 2000s. Addie played for PLNU from 2005-08 and was named an NAIA All-American as a senior. The two-time NAIA All-Tournament selection as an outfielder helped lead PLNU to a third-place finish in the NAIA in 2006, a second-place finish in 2007 and a third-place finish in 2008. She is Point Loma’s all-time leader in hits (334), runs (216) and stolen bases (185), while ranking third in career batting average (.412). When her storied career ended at PLNU, she was the NAIA’s all-time leader in stolen bases until being passed in recent years.
• Joe Prince: A standout performer for the men’s golf team from 2004-06, Prince took home the NAIA National Championship in 2006 by firing a 4-under par over 72 holes. That year, he was selected for the Arnold Palmer Award as the NAIA’s top golfer. He was also named an All-American twice in his career, the first as a sophomore and then as a senior. He finished his last season at PLNU with a 73.61 scoring average. Prince is now coaching and made stops at PLNU, California Baptist and the University of San Diego before joining the Arizona State coaching staff this past season.
• Jessica Mercado: A two-time All-American selection for the women’s basketball team, Mercado helped lead the Sea Lions to some of their most successful seasons in school history. With Mercado at the helm, the 2004-05 team posted a school-record 33 wins and finished third at the NAIA National Tournament. Mercado ranks third in school history with 1,919 points and first with 525 career steals. Those 525 steals are 250 more than the second-place record in school history. Mercado also left school ranked in the top 10 in rebounds (eighth), assists (ninth), blocked shots (sixth) and 3-pointers made (fourth).
• Erin Keller: The PLNU women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Keller played for the Sea Lions from 1999-2003. She was a two-time All-American honorable mention and the 2000 GSAC Player of the Year. Keller still sits atop the PLNU record books with 2,330 points and 972 rebounds. This three-time all-conference selection and four-time team MVP also holds the school records for points in a game (40) and points in a season (690).
• Mathias Sundberg: Perhaps the top male student-athlete to ever pick up a tennis racket for Point Loma, Sundberg rewrote the record books during his two seasons of wearing the green-and-gold. He captured the GSAC individual title in 1995 and 1996, while earning All-American honors each season. He went 23-1 as a junior, and followed that with a 37-7 record and a trip to the NAIA finals as a senior. His .822 career winning percentage (60-8) is still the best in PLNU men’s tennis history.
• Ashley Strimple: A three-time NAIA first team All-American for the women’s tennis team, Ashley Strimple helped set the standard for the program in 2004-07. She was a four-time All-GSAC and all-district selection. She is also one of the top doubles players in school history. She ranks fourth with 23 doubles wins in a season and fifth with 80 wins in her career.
• 1991 Men’s Cross Country Team: Perhaps the best team of the Sea Lions’ dominant men’s cross-country teams of the early 1990s. The 1991 squad won the GSAC team championship with a record-low total of 17 points as their runners finished first, second, third, fifth and sixth. The team would go on to take the regional title, as well with 23 points to earn the trip to the NAIA Championships in Wisconsin. Those national championships would be the only meet the Sea Lions would not win that season. The team was coached by NAIA Hall of Fame member Jim Crakes. Team members on that 1991 squad included Robert Keter, Gus Arce, Ken Hall, Kenneth Jansson, Scott Lardner, Doug Ravasdy, Steve Childs, James Michaelian and Bryan Wallbank.
• Bill Young: The lone meritorious service selection of the 2013 PLNU induction class, Young has endeared himself to the Sea Lions’ track and field and cross-country programs over the last 25 years. He has helped in nearly every capacity with the team, including sometimes acting as a bus driver and as a long-time liaison for both programs. Young also served as a member of the board for the Point Loma Sports Associates. With the addition of these eight new sets of inductees, the PLNU Hall of Fame has grown to 148 members. The men’s 1991 cross-country team is the third team to ever be inducted. Young will become the 24th person to be inducted for meritorious service to the Sea Lion athletics. Addie will be the eighth softball student-athlete to be inducted, while Prince will also be the eighth member of the men’s golf team. In tennis, Sundberg will be the third man to be inducted and Strimple will be the fourth woman. Mercado and Keller will join the women’s basketball PLNU Hall of Fame as the eighth and ninth member, respectively. Women’s soccer picked to finish third
The Point Loma Nazarene women’s soccer team was picked to finish in third place in the PacWest Conference in an Aug. 22 coaches’ poll. The Sea Lions received 141 total votes. Cal Baptist University, the two-time defending champions, received 10 of the 13 first-place votes to finish with the top rank. The Lancers are led by 2012 PacWest Player of the Year, Bernadette Witz, and 2012 PacWest Goalie of the Year Rosie Nakata. Azusa Pacific University (153 points, two first-place votes) was predicted to finish second. BYU-Hawaii (141), which grabbed the final first-place vote, and Notre Dame de Namur (102) round out the top five.
Despite ranking third, no PLNU student-athlete was selected for the preseason All-PacWest Women’s Soccer Team. CBU led the conference with four preseason all-conference selections. Additionally, both Witz and Nakata were predicted to repeat their respective awards from last season.
NDNU was second with three selections to the team. Academy of Art and Dixie State each landed two players. The Red Storm will bring back Jennifer Mason, who led the PacWest with 13 goals.
The Sea Lions will open their season Sept. 5 when they travel to Carson to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. Volleyball voted to finish sixth The Point Loma women’s volleyball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Pacific West Conference in 2013, according to the preseason coaches’ poll.
The Sea Lions return 12 members from their 2012 team, which finished eighth in the conference standings at 6-10 (10-17 overall).
BYU-Hawaii was picked to repeat as the conference champions. It went 16-0 in conference last year and reached the semifinals NCAA Division II after winning the West Region. The Seasiders received nine of the 12 first-place votes. Fresno Pacific, which was picked to finish second, received three first-place votes, while California Baptist received the other.
The PLNU Sea Lions will begin their 2013 season on Sept. 6 when they host the two-day Seaside Invitational.