The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: National Championship

  • Tull Impresses at National Championships

    Tull Impresses at National Championships

    HSU cross country runner Daniel Tull places 56th out of 267 competitors at the Division II National Championships in Sacramento

    Humboldt State’s Daniel Tull’s long hair, iconic mustache and yellow headband made him easily identifiable in the field of over 250 runners who descended on the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, CA for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

    Tull was the only Lumberjack to feature in the 10K race, having been granted an at-large berth the week before due to his individual results over the season. He ran a strong finish to his season, placing 56th out of 267 competitors.

    In the early stages of the race, Tull ran in the midfield at a quick pace, rolling through the first mile in 4:45. For the next two miles, he worked his way up the field, picking up positions regularly as he made his way into the top 100 runners by the halfway point.

    • Humboldt State’s Daniel Tull starts the national Division II cross country meet towards the back of the pack while wearing his signature yellow headband. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Daniel Tull talks with Head Coach Jamey Harris at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • HSU senior Daniel Tull runs with his competitors during the opening stages of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento on Nov. 23. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    Teammates and family members who made the trip to Sacramento to cheer him on dashed around the course encouraging him throughout the race. As the pack eased into a rhythm, Tull averaged 4:56 per mile to cross the 5K mark at 15:21.

    “The first mile was pretty fast,” Tull said. “I was just placed too far back. I went too relaxed in the beginning, and then in the middle I kind of settled down.”

    After his difficult start, Tull began to make more moves, storming his way through the field with a little more than two kilometers left to go. From there, Tull said that he felt comfortable to push as he noticed the guys around him slowing down. In that last stretch, he passed 40 runners to surge into his finishing position of 56th, only 16 places outside of All-American honors.

    “With a mile and a quarter to go, I was like ‘Oh, it’s only 2K, I’ll send it,’” Tull said. “‘I’ll just start passing people one at a time.’ Everybody else was slowing down or staying at the same pace, so I started picking it up.”

    Head Coach Jamey Harris was pleased with how Tull ran through his hard start and made progress through the latter stages of the race.

    “Obviously the race went out fast,” Harris said. “He went through a rough patch in the middle. But he really turned it on and passed about 50 guys in the last couple of miles, so I thought it was a really solid performance. I think on his best day he was capable of getting that All-American certificate, but I was really pleased with the way he raced and the way he kind of fought through the bad patch and finished strong.”

    • Humboldt State senior Daniel Tull works his way through a turn at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship in Sacramento on Nov. 23. | Photo by Thomas Lal
    • Daniel Tull reflects for a moment after placing 56th in his final collegiate cross country race at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    In addition to his teammates, Tull’s father, Mel, came to the race to cheer his son on. Mel Tull said that the first time he realized how serious his son was about running came during his second year of high school.

    “I never really knew how into it he was,” Mel Tull said. “Then I went to a cross country meet and he came over the mountain and he was running third. And I realized well, he apparently knows what he’s doing.”

    After the race, Daniel Tull reflected on how special it was to end his collegiate cross country career at the national meet.

    “I’m glad I finally made it here,” Daniel Tull said. “It was a goal of mine for a long time. The race was pretty massive. It feels cool to be part of something like this. Most races are fun and I like them and it’s good energy, but this is different energy for sure.”

  • Q & A with HSU Softball Coach Shelli Sarchett: Great Expectations

    Q & A with HSU Softball Coach Shelli Sarchett: Great Expectations

    By | Danny Dunn

    In her second season as the Humboldt State Softball head coach, Shelli Sarchett led her team to 54-8 record and came one win shy of winning a national championship. Sarchett herself was a key player in the 1999 Humboldt State national championship. She knows a thing or two about winning and instills that culture as head coach.

    Q: What can you attribute most to the success of the past couple seasons?

    A: It’s really just bringing in athletes who know how to work hard and that they want to win. These guys put in a lot of hours and know what their ultimate goal is.

    Q: When you say ultimate goal, is that winning a national title?

    A: Our ultimate goal, well obviously we want them all to get a degree, but our ultimate goal softball wise, is to win a national championship. That’s why we bring these girls here, and that is what they are expecting, so we work hard to reach that goal.

    Q: What are your expectations going into this season?

    A: It’s really the same thing that we’ve expected in the past. Last year, we finished number two in the nation and this year, we expect to get back to the national tournament and win that last game that results in a national championship. Our goals really don’t change from year to year.

    Q: The goals do not change, but the players do, can you speak on if there are any major losses from last year to this?

    A: We lost our number two pitcher, but we’ve brought in some pitchers, and have some returning pitchers that didn’t see a lot of time last year, so they’re stepping up in the circle. We lost our starting shortstop but we’ve made adjustments in our starting lineup to move some players around and help with that loss. Same thing at third base, we lost a fifth-year senior… we might be a little less experienced on the left side of the field, but we bring in athletes who are ready to play.

    Q: What is the biggest strength of this team?

    A: The comradery these guys have. They are a family, they want to work hard for themselves and their teammates. Their biggest strength is leadership… the seniors have been to the national tournament and know what it takes to get there again… they’re helping newcomers and lower classmen play Humboldt style softball.

    Q: Do you have any preseason motivation for the team?

    A: It’s the same thing we’ve said since our first meeting, you have to buy into this; because if you are not ready to buy into this, then we won’t be able to work toward a national championship… you can’t take a day off and expect to win a national championship. It’s really great to see these guys respond to the challenges we give them every day, knowing that if we meet these challenges, a national championship is within our reach.

    The players want to win as much as the coaches do. It is one of the reasons they choose the Humboldt State softball program. Transfer student Lona Dengler hopes to earn a starting outfield position this season.

    “I wanted to play for the best team in division II,” Dengler said.

    Senior pitcher Kalyn Paque spoke on coach Shelli’s message of playing unselfish ball.

    “Absolutely, do it for the person next to you,” Paque said. “Always pick up your teammates…no selfish behavior on this team.”

    With this mentality, the HSU women’s softball team will look to get back to the national tournament, and possibly bring a championship trophy back with them.

  • Softball Ranked #2 in the Nation

    Softball Ranked #2 in the Nation

    By Keaundrey Clark

    Humboldt State Softball finishing one win shy of its third national championship last season, This week the Lumberjacks were voted No. 2 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll. 

    The Lumberjacks made their sixth NCAA Championship Tournament appearance in 2016, they return much of the roster that propelled them to a national runner up. NFCA All-American pitcher Maddie Williams and outfielder Hanna Holland, and NFCA All-Region second baseman Tiffany Hollingsworth are HSU’s top returners from a roster that went 54-8-1 last season.

    Defending champion North Alabama earned the No. 1 spot and all 16 first-place votes. The Jacks were the only California Collegiate Athletic Association program ranked in the preseason poll.

    HSU opens the season at the Desert Sting Tournament in Las Vegas, Feb. 3. The Jacks will play five games in the tournament before returning for its home opener against Chico State on Feb. 10.