Lowry, Matich top athletes
From Staff Reports
For the past 12 years, The Santa Clara's sports staff has honored the top Santa Clara coaches, athletes and teams with the TiSCy awards. Here are the 2007-08 TiSCy awards.
Coach of the Year -- Cameron Rast
Head Coach Cameron Rast has led the men's soccer team to back-to-back West Coast Conference championships. Rast also earned the title WCC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
The team went on an 18-game winning streak to end the regular season. Under Rast, Santa Clara compiled a record of 83-29-17 and has made five straight appearances in the NCAA tournament.
The Broncos lost 2-0 to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the tournament this year.
Honorable Mention: Mark O'Brien (baseball)
Team of the Year -- Men's Soccer
The men's soccer team finished 16-2-4 and went undefeated in WCC play, setting a school record with 10 conference wins. They became the first team in league history to complete the double round-robin format unbeaten. Peter Lowry, Matt Marquess, Jamil Roberts and Matt Hatzke were also selected in this year's Major League Soccer draft.
Honorable Mention: volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year -- Peter Lowry
Senior Peter Lowry led the men's soccer team with 23 points, eight goals and seven assists. Lowry was also named WCC Player of the Year, received second team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy.
Lowry finished his Bronco soccer career with 22 goals and 14 assists, totaling 58 points. He was also drafted 26th overall in the MLS Superdraft by the Chicago Fire.
Honorable Mention: Mike Delaurenti (cross country and track), Tommy Medica (baseball)
Female Athlete of the Year -- Crystal Matich
Senior Crystal Matich finished her Bronco volleyball career with 33 service aces and 1,453 career assists, which ranks her fourth in Santa Clara's all-time career assists. Matich earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American honors and received AVCA Pacific Region honors. She was also named WCC Player of the Year and was a first team All-Conference honoree.
Honorable Mention: Jen Gottschalk (basketball)
Breakthrough Performance -- Brady Fuerst
After a promising freshman season in men's baseball, Santa Clara infielder Brady Fuerst's college career was threatened after a fractured back caused him to miss all of his sophomore season. Yet Fuerst has re-emerged this season, appearing in all but one of the Broncos' 54 games. His .338 batting average is the team's fourth best, and he is third on the team with 44 RBIs. Fuerst has also performed in the clutch for the Broncos. His three-run double in the tenth inning against Saint Mary's led Santa Clara to a thrilling 9-8 comeback victory. His dedication not only placed him back in the lineup, but helped propel the Broncos to a winning season.
Honorable Mention: Men's crew
Rookie of the Year -- Thain Simon
Freshman Pitcher of the Year Thain Simon surprised everyone with his performance this season. Simon finished the regular season with a record of 9-2 and an ERA of 2.59, the best on the team. In 62.2 innings pitched, Simon had 71 strikeouts and 24 walks. In a crucial game against No. 13 Pepperdine, Simon pitched eight stellar innings, allowing only four hits and one run.
Honorable Mention: Krista Kelley (volleyball)
Game of the Year -- Women's Soccer defeats Notre Dame
The Broncos slaughtered soccer powerhouse Notre Dame in a 7-1 victory. The seven goals were the most the Broncos scored in a regular-season game since they netted nine goals versus San Jose State in 2003. Santa Clara took control of the game when they scored their first goal at the 23-minute mark. Sophomore Kiki Bosio and seniors Brittany Klien and Meagan Snell each scored two goals. The Broncos became the No. 1 team in the nation after this win.
Honorable Mention: Men's basketball loses to Gonzaga in double-overtime
Sports staff Cecile Nguyen and Margo Consul, Matthew Cucuzza and Meghan Skarzynski contributed to this report. E-mail sports@thesantaclara.com.