Support our women Broncos

By Bruce Martinez

Santa Clara is a women's sports school. Our most recognizable athletic alum is Brandi Chastain and our women's soccer team is consistently among the best in the country. Volleyball has had an outstanding run as of late and our other teams have played well in their own right.

Through all this Chris Denkers' women's basketball team has passed under the radar. Even while going undefeated at home this season the Broncos have averaged under a thousand fans per game, a paltry sum for a team as good as this one.

The Broncos are going into this weekend's West Coast Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed with a 9-5 conference record and a 19-8 overall record. Considering they have already beaten the No. 1 seed, Pepperdine, and the No. 3 seed, St. Mary's, they could end up playing even later into March.

This national scale would serve the Broncos well; they are already making some waves across the country. The team's scoring offense is No. 25 in the nation at 76 points a game and has individual players showing up on the national carts.

Senior Becki Ashbaugh is ranked No. 7 in assists in the nation with just under seven a game and is No. 14 in free throw percentage at 88 percent. Senior Caroline Gruening is No. 11 in the country for three point percentage, hitting at a 44.5 percent success rate.

All of this matters because we have the chance to finally give these women the respect and acclaim they deserve. This weekend they are our best shot at a NCAA tournament berth, and should be supported as such. All season long they've played their hearts out to a minimum of support and now is the time to show them we appreciate their efforts. In the borderlands of San Diego lets get behind our Broncos and lets make up for this season.