The Lumberjack

Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Alumni game

Cal Poly Humboldt alumni destroy women’s rugby team

by Savana Robinson

The Cal Poly Humboldt alumni dominated the 2023 women’s rugby alumni game on Sept. 30. Both teams played for the same university and put their all into the match. With an end score of 87 to 5, the alumni defeated Cal Poly Humboldt, whose team is mainly made up of newcomers, many who saw their first game on Saturday.

Cal Poly Humboldt’s team captain Courtney Campuzano caught a couple of breakaways in the game, meaning took off with the ball, escaping players trying to tackle her. Campuzano is a senior majoring in social work. Campuzano was excited to see so many alumni back to play in the match, stating it felt awesome to see alumni happy to come out. She noted that some new players played the most they ever had.

Rachel Gonzales runs with the ball to score during the Cal Poly Humboldt Alumni game on Sept. 30.

“I saw these rookies get stuck in,” Campuzano said. “One’s been here for maybe two weeks.”

Saturday was Ashlyn Broeland’s first game as a player for Cal Poly Humbolt’s women’s rugby team. A junior majoring in environmental studies with an emphasis in education, Broeland is number nine on the team. Her position on the team is scrum half, which is an important role because it forms the link between the forwards and the backs.

“I’m really excited for our new players to get out there,” Broeland said. “This is a really good chance for them to learn the game.”

Cal Poly Humboldt’s cheer team came to support Broeland, their cheer captain, who has been on the team for three years.

Sophia Nielsen played on the alumni side, having graduated in 2021 with a degree in wildlife.

Senior Courtney Campuzano avoids being tackled with the ball by Rachel Gonzales during the Cal Poly Humboldt Alumni game on Sept. 30

“[The most fun part was] being with my teammates I haven’t seen in over a year,” Nielsen said.

Wynnie Savageford graduated in 2023 with a bachelor’s in criminology and justice studies.

“[I like] the camaraderie of being around everybody and just being back in the pitch together,” Savageford said.

Head coach Catalina Leon was most excited for the team to put together the skills they’ve been working on in an actual game. Leon stated that the biggest part of their strategy was communication and putting those fundamentals to work.

“We were able to do that because we were able to get some breakaways and it worked,” Leon said. “It also showed us the areas that we still need to work on.”

Leon said that overall the girls played well, especially considering that the majority of the girls joined this September.

Lauren Bankerd, a junior majoring in kinesiology, scored the only try (goal) on Cal Poly Humboldt’s side. It was her third career goal, having previously played one semester.

“[The most exciting part is] sprinting down the line, the adrenaline pumping because you don’t know if someone’s behind you or not, and you’re just gunning,” Bankerd said. “The crowd screaming and everything.”

Thursday, October 5, 2023
Cal Poly Humboldt softball alumni return to where it all started

by Vanessa Saltos

Ball is pitched. The crack of the bat echoes around the trees. The ball soars through the air and lands in the right center gap. Standing on second base is Izzy Starr clapping her hands and the crowd is cheering.

“I honestly was kind of nervous, because that’s a hall of famer right there [alumni pitcher Lizzy Prescott], so I was a little nervous,” Starr said. “But I was just excited to be out there amongst all these awesome people, awesome players.”

On Oct. 8, the university had its annual Cal Poly Humboldt Softball Alumni Game. This event has been going on since the late 80s and it brings past and present Humboldt softball players together to play the sport they all love.

Head Humboldt softball coach Shelli Sarchett explains that this event is about connecting the old with the new.

“It’s really just connecting the old with the new and have a chance for the alumni to talk about their experiences, and the hardships, and the fun that they went through, and relate to the newcomers, and help them with their journey,” Sarchett said.

The game started at noon on the Humboldt softball field and went for nine innings. The teams were split with current CPH softball players on one team and alumni on the other. A total of about 25 alumni were in attendance, this is about half compared to years past. According to Coach Sarchett the Hall of Fame Dinner that is the night before typically has an impact on attendance.

“It really just depends on the year, I think next year will be different because next year the 2008 National Championship team will go in, so I think there will be more people that will come back,” Sarchett said.

For pitcher Emily McAdams, this is her first ever alumni game. She was from the graduating class of 2022. She felt an unsaid pressure due to her playing against her old teammates but enjoyed seeing everyone again. McAdams also had a chance to meet alumni for the first time.

“It was really cool cause I honestly didn’t really know any of them since I came here during COVID and I didn’t really know much about Humboldt before I committed here and played here,” McAdams said. “So it was really cool to be able to interact with them, and ask them when they played here and all of that, and just hear about their stories.”

For Starr it was her second time playing in this event. This is her fourth year at the university. The event allowed her to reconnect with old teammates.

“I think my favorite moment was just seeing all my old teammates,” Starr said. “All three of them just made a huge impact on my life, and I just miss seeing them and getting to see them play.”

The final score was CPH 18, alumni 3.

Thursday, November 17, 2022
Annual Alumni Rugby Games
Men and women’s rugby play against former players during alumni game

Humboldt State’s alumni rugby games began with women’s teams. To advance during plays, players must use their upper body strength to block others and throw the ball.

During the first half, HSU student and kinesiology major Libby Treu helped her team gain yards, but defensive plays and staggering hits from the alumni team prevented the students from making points.

Hannah French (left) and Libby Treu pose for a photo during the alumni game halftime on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro

During the second half, HSU junior Zelaya Ceja attempted to make a recovery during a kick-off. She managed to gain momentum and maneuver around the alumni defense, but multiple alumni players closed in on Ceja and thwarted her possession of the ball which allowed a recovery for the alumna.
- Libby Treu maneuvering through the defensive HSU Alumni team on Sept. 28 during the women’s match. | Photo by Alberto Muro
- Hannah French taking on Zelaya Ceja during the Annual Alumni Rugby Game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
- A fight for possession ends on the ground during the women’s rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
- HSU alumni loses possession during the first half of the women’s alumni rugby match on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
- HSU Junior Zelaya Ceja taking on alumna players during the Sept. 28 women’s match. | Photo by Alberto Muro
Multiple occasions of yards gained and ball possession helped the alumni seal a concluding victory over the students. A loss for one team did not diminish the clubs spirit. After the game, they lined up for a traditional handshake and got together.

When asked, Treu said she took the game as a learning experience.

“The alumni always win,” Treu said. “That’s part of it, but this is the best game of the year because we learn from it.”

The women’s rugby season doesn’t start until spring 2020. For now, they look forward to training and fixing problems they encountered during the game against former players.

Some alumna keep in touch with the younger generation of HSU players to help them work on their plays. Rugby is a tough sport, and HSU women’s player Hailey French knows that tackling is crucial.

“I’m definitely pleased with the alumni today,” French said. “I’m impressed with the girls too, but they need to work on their tackling.”
- HSU alum Seth Perez (’07) before the men’s match begins on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
- Volunteer Forward Coach Nate Whittington (HSU alum ’01) during the pregame speech on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
- Volunteer Coach Nate Whittington (’01) makes a hard tackle during the first half of the men’s alumni rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
- Adonnis Johnson kicks the Gilbert toward opposition during the alumni men’s rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
- Tumanako Te’i breaks a hard tackle during the alumni men’s match on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
Delivering hits the right way ensures that players do not experience injuries early on in the game.

During the men’s game, alumni Ricky Gomero gained possession of the ball and moved his team down the field. It was another well-executed run and pass technique that seemed endless before the students delivered a hit causing the alumni to lose possession.

In what looked like a stack of bodies piling up, the fight for possession of the ball continued as both teams delivered hits.

HSU senior and psychology major Glenn Denning was injured during the play, but instead of worrying about his foot he quickly had it wrapped up and went back onto the field.

Glenn Denning gets patched up before heading back onto the field to finish the rugby alumni game on Sept 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro

While the alumnus put up a fight, they eventually fell to the students. After the game, they lined up for handshakes and shared advice with one another.

“Rugby is a lot of chemistry base,” Denning said. “It’s all about cohesion and commodity as a team. You gotta know where your partner is gonna be at.”

Positive team chemistry has an impact on any sport. Rugby can be tough, but a clear head is what makes the experience enjoyable.

(From left to right) Cameron Whitney Jr, Ricky Gomero (alum ’18) and Chris Armstrong after the men’s alumni rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown

Gomero graduated last year, but his dedication to return for an alumni game drove him to play hard and have fun. Before the match, Gomero was in Colorado playing in the Aspen Ruggerfest 52nd Annual Rugby Tournament.

“I just got done playing the Ruggerfest in Aspen last week,” Gomero said. “I figured I needed to come and give the boys support.”

Gomero plans to head back to the University of Boulder to pursue his graduate degree in law. He also gave some advice to all future graduates of HSU, to make sure to live life and love it.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Women’s soccer alumni game

Annual alumni women’s game finishes at 2-0, brings battle of the ages

Monday, May 6, 2019
Jacks vs. Alums

Great players of Humboldt State men’s basketball past came back to play in the annual alumni game against your current Jacks team on Oct. 28. at Lumberjack Arena.

The now visiting HSU alums put together a talented squad of players to give the Jacks all they could handle, including 14-year international player Austin Nichols. Nichols led the Jacks to the D-2 Final Four in 2004.

“I like the direction of the program,” Nichols said. “They look really sharp and play well as a team. It’s still early, so they had some chemistry issues but they just gotta stay the course and buy into what [coach] is saying.”

acks junior forward Jack Kaub (32) attempts the floater over the HSU alumni defender. The Jacks beat the alumni 93-82 on Oct. 28 at Lumberjack Arena.

The Jacks players were able to come out and play at a high level against some stiff competition and showed why they will be a force this season by winning the game 93-82. Coach Steve Kinder was pleasantly surprised by his team’s success.

“It was a great experience for us to play against great competition and play well,” Coach Kinder said. “You’re playing against guys like Austin Nichols and Kevin Johnson…guys that are still playing overseas professional ball.”

The players should be confident heading into games next weekend as the regular season is all set to begin. Without much of a preseason, the alumni game is a good way to see where the team needs improvement.

The Jacks Basketball team (white) faced off against HSU alumni (green) on Oct. 28 at Lumberjacks Arena. The Jacks beat the alumni 93-82.

Jacks redshirt senior guard, Will Taylor is a leader on the court and the alumni game is a sign of the start of the regular season games.

“We don’t have a ton of preseason games and next week we’re going to play D-II teams,” Taylor said. “This is our last chance to tune up against an opponent other than ourselves, so we take it very seriously.”

The season kicks off on Nov. 3 in Anaheim but the Jacks first home game is Nov. 13 against the Pacific Union Pioneers.

Jacks redshirt junior guard, Tyras Rattler is ready for the real games to begin but loves playing against the alumni. Rattler scored 22 points and added five boards in the game.

“I like meeting the people that played before me, I learn from them and they give me good advice,” said Rattler. “Our goal is to go to the national championship and get a trophy. That’s our goal and we’re gonna try to get that.”

Tuesday, October 31, 2017