Year went swimmingly for ‘Eaters

Barry Faulkner

UC Irvine women’s athletics ended what had been a two-year Big West

Conference title drought by producing a veritable championship

cascade in 2004-05.

The Anteaters added to the swimming and diving team’s first

conference crown by topping the field in golf, which had been the

last program to win a Big West title (in 2002).

Coach Brian Pajer’s swimmers and divers also finished the year

ranked No. 1 in the CollegeSwimming.com’s mid-major poll.

The Anteaters dominated the Big West championships, finishing

103.5 points ahead of second-place University of the Pacific.

Four individual conference champions, eight all-conference

performances and 10 school records came out of the Big West meet.

Freshman Chelsea Nagata seized the individual spotlight. After

winning the Big West crown in the 100-yard butterfly (53.54 seconds),

she went on to sparkle at the NCAA championships.

Nagata was 33rd in the 100 butterfly (55.14), 47th in the 100

backstroke (58.34) and 65th in the 50 freestyle (23.85).

Junior Franny Brittle, who defended her conference one-meter

diving title, finished 34th at the NCAA Zone E regionals on the

three-meter springboard.

Freshman diver Jackie Jones won the three-meter conference title,

then finished 31st at the NCAA Zone E regionals.

Sophomore Aubrie Smallwood (200 breaststroke in 2 minutes, 17.45

seconds) was the other individual conference champion, edging

teammate Lara Bjargardottir in the event.

Pajer was named Big West Coach of the Year for the second time in

three seasons.

Coach Kelly Crawford’s golfers followed their conference crown

with an 18th-place finish in the NCAA championships.

Freshman Selanee Henderson was 27th individually at the NCAA

championships, after being joined on the All-Big West first team by

junior teammate Angela Won.

UCI was sixth at the NCAA West regional to advance to the

championships.

In addition to their Big West tournament title, the ‘Eaters won

the Nittany Lion invitational in October (Henderson was the medalist)

and the Anteater invitational in March.

Junior Carling Cho and freshman Jane Chin were second-team

all-conference honorees.

Volleyball made a return trip to the NCAA tournament on the wings

of senior All-American outside hitter Kelly Wing.

Wing, the Big West Conference Player of the Year and a second-team

All-American, finished as UCI’s career leader in kills (2,267), digs

(1,280) and aces (172).

Senior Sami Cash earned first-team All-Big West laurels to help

Coach Charlie Brande’s squad post an 18-11 record, the program’s

third straight winning campaign.

Senior setter Ashlie Hain and junior middle blocker Amanda Vazquez

earned honorable mention in all-conference voting.

Senior tennis standout Anna Bentzer was named Big West Conference

Player of the Year for the second straight season and was also the

school’s female Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Bentzer and teammate Inna Agababian, a freshman, were named

second-team all-conference in doubles, while junior Izabela Mijic was

second-team All-Big West in singles.

Coach Mike Edles’ squad lost to UOP in the semifinals of the Big

West championships to finish 14-11.

The basketball team made a valiant 6-6 finish, including a berth

in the Big West Conference tournament quarterfinals, after starting

the season 0-9. At various times, the ‘Eaters were 1-12 and 2-15.

Molly Tuter, 29, moved from assistant coach to interim head coach

when Mark Adams resigned after seven games. Tuter’s ability to

motivate her injury-riddled roster helped her secure the job, which

she was officially granted just weeks after the season ended.

Sophomore Angie Ned averaged 16.1 points to earn second-team

all-conference recognition, the team’s lone all-conference honoree.

Junior Lauren Yadon chipped in 11.1 points per game, while junior

guard Melissa Jacob averaged 9.8.

Senior Ashley Biggins averaged 7.7 points and 8.5 rebounds in her

final collegiate season as UCI finished 8-21, 6-12 in conference.

Cross country finished 11th at the 28-team NCAA West regional

after posting a fifth-place team finish at the conference

championships.

Senior Kim Ramirez was 29th at the regional, finishing the

6,000-meter course in 21 minutes, 30 seconds.

Freshman Maria Nguyen was 48th at the regional (21:52).

Ramirez earned All-Big West laurels by finishing sixth at the

conference meet, where Nguyen was 21st and Candice Proctor was 33rd.

First-year water polo coach Dan Klatt guided the Anteaters to a

14-17 record but they were ranked No. 12 in the nation at one point.

Its four wins in 12 games in the rugged Mountain Pacific Sports

Federation were an all-time best.

Sophomore Robyn Kraake led the team with 59 goals and garnered

honorable mention for All-American honors.

Jessie Lewis, who was second on the squad with 36 goals, made the

MPSF All-Freshman team.

Ramirez qualified for the NCAA West regional to pace the track and

field team. She ran 4:33.40 in the 1,500 meters at the regional and

did not advance out of the preliminaries.

Senior Suzanne Purmort was fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:02.80),

while sophomore Orlisha Henlon was sixth in the high jump (5-5) and

eight in the 200 (in 25.23) to highlight UCI competitors at the Big

West championships, where the ‘Eaters were ninth.

Senior Tara Weldon earned second-team All-Big West accolades in

soccer after leading the team with three goals and seven assists. The

Anteaters were 4-14-2, 1-8.

Sophomore Britney Webster received honorable mention for

all-conference honors and sophomore goalkeeper Marissa Welliver had

three shutouts to up her career total to 11.

The women’s pair and the lightweight four won titles the Western

Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships to highlight

competition in crew.

Seniors Rachel Sung and Heather Sirag were the aforementioned

pair, while Sung was also fourth in the collegiate lightweight

division at the World indoor rowing championships in Boston.

The lightweight four at the WIRA championships, including

coxswain, consisted of Jessica Boyer, Andria Denmon, Liane Velin,

Rebecca Estrada and Taz Karim.

Senior sailor Lauren Maxam represented UCI on the All-Pacific

Coast Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Association team.

Senior Emily Hemberger and sophomore Whitney Loufek were named

All-PCIYRA crew.