Darling Library Hosts Navajo Code Talkers Exhibit

This article was originally published on apu.edu.

The outcome of World War II may have been very different if it hadn’t been for the Navajo code talkers. These Navajo soldiers served as messengers and translators for the military through the U.S. Marine Corps. Before using the Navajo language as a code, U.S. military messages were frequently intercepted and decoded by the Japanese army. The code talkers’ impact was best seen at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Major Howard Connor had six Navajo code talkers working for him at all times during the battle where they sent and received more than 800 messages without error. According to an article from the CIA, Connor said, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” This summer, Azusa Pacific University’s Hugh and Hazel Darling Library hosts an exhibit dedicated to these heroic code talkers and local Native Americans. The exhibit includes two large displays and seven smaller cases, which also showcases Navajo and Gabrielino-Tongva art and culture.

David Landers, Ed. D., director of education and community outreach for University Libraries, said that a meeting with Glendora resident Lewis Yazzie sparked his interest in this little known part of history and served as an inspiration for this exhibit. Landers met Yazzie, who served a code talker between the Korean War and Vietnam War, at a Boy Scout ceremony last year. “I was so impressed learning of their contribution to our nation, that I invited him and a group of Navajo veterans to present at our annual event, History Day LA, in March,” Landers said. “Their story needs to be told.”

“All code talkers from World War II until Vietnam were told never to talk about their job. Their positions weren’t declassified until 1969. That's why many Americans are unaware of the significant role they played,” Landers said. “The Navajo people were on their own reservation and had no obligation to join the military, but they exhibited great loyalty to the U.S. and wanted to serve in any way they could. Some of the code talkers even lied about their age so they would be old enough to join the military.”

Hundreds of code talkers were trained at Camp Pendleton in San Diego and at an old military base in Long Beach. After their service, most returned to and remained in Southern California. “We have a large Navajo population compared to most of the country,” Landers said.

The smaller displays in Darling Library show various Navajo artifacts. These includes traditional rugs, blankets, woven baskets, art, and jewelry. Yazzie's wife, Marie, provided most of these artifacts, several of which were handmade by her aunt. Lazaro Arvizu, another contact from the Native American Veterans Association, made the Gabrielino-Tongva items. “We're celebrating their culture through their art,” Landers said.

Landers and Angela Ingalsbe, library coordinator to the dean's office, hosted a workshop on June 9 with Thomas Andrews, Ph. D., professor emeritus. Andrews spoke to a crowd of more than 30 local teachers about the California missions and how they affected Native American people. Ingalsbe said the library plans to host another workshop in August specifically dedicated to the code talkers. Possible guests include Yazzie, other members of the Navajo tribe, and, potentially one of the last living original code talkers from WWII.

Darling Library is open during the summer on Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m - 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. The Navajo code talker exhibit will remain on display until September when a new exhibit on the life and work of Madeleine L'Engle will be showcased.

New Interdisciplinary Major Offers Customizable Approach to Education

This article originally appeared on apu.edu.

Azusa Pacific University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors for students to choose, ranging from accounting to youth ministries. The vast majority of APU students find that one of these majors meets their interests and will pave the way to a successful career. For some students, finding a major that aligns with their future goals is more challenging. APU’s Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, provides a solution.

Launched fall 2017, the interdisciplinary studies major allows students to combine classes from two or three programs to create their own degree. “Offering alternate pathways enables students to design their own education,” said Jeffrey Boian, M.A., program director. “A student may say, 'I love APU and I know what I want to do for a living, but I don't see a degree that's going to get me there.' This program helps students chart a course to their future job.”

The interdisciplinary program is different than majoring in one field and minoring in another. “Students who have multiple majors or minors are well studied in those areas. In contrast, this major focuses on the intersection of each area,” Boian said. “For example, an interdisciplinary studies major could choose to study biology and English if they plan to write about medicine.”

Boian pointed to several students who have designed unique combinations to suit their career plans. One student wants to be a general manager for a baseball team, so he combines business, communication studies, and psychology. Another is studying marketing, graphic design, and English because she wants to be a creative art director. “The sky's the limit with this program,” Boian said. “If you can dream of a career and articulate why combining a couple majors makes sense, there's a high likelihood we can make that a reality for you.”

Ryan Hartwig, Ph. D., chair of the Department of Communication Studies, helped spearhead the major. “We envisioned a program that would meet the unique needs of certain students and to respond to the changing trends in higher education. With the key outcome of employability in mind, this program encourages students to explore what they want to do, and then helps them create a way to prepare for their career,” said Hartwig.

“A lot of APU faculty use an interdisciplinary teaching approach, so there’s excitement surrounding this new way to serve our students,” Hartwig said. “Every other week I read an article in Inside Higher Ed or The Chronicle of Higher Education that highlights this trend.” Hartwig refers to this growing enthusiasm for tailor-made education as the Chipotle effect. “Everyone customizes their own meal at Chipotle and that's happening in higher education too.”

Sophomore Adia Middleton combines international relations, sociology, and social work for her interdisciplinary major. She finds the freedom of crafting a major empowering and plans to pursue a career in social entrepreneurship after she graduates. “I selected coursework to give me a broad platform for graduate school and beyond,” Middleton said.

The interdisciplinary studies major comprises 54 units, including an 18-unit vocational development core and 36 units of courses in two or three disciplinary areas of at least 12 units each. The core includes an internship and a capstone to prepare students for their careers. For more information on the Interdisciplinary Studies program, visit here or contact Jeff Boian: jboian@apu.edu.

Ancient Sculpture of Biblical King Discovered in Israel Draws Global Interest

This article was originally published on apu.edu. 

Also of note, this was originally published as a news release and was picked up internationally by over 300 outlets, reaching over 600 million people. In addition, note that this was a team project, with the original news release being written by Nate K Foster.

The latest artifact unearthed from Azusa Pacific University’s archeological excavation site with Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Tel Abel Beth Maacah has triggered a flood of news stories capturing the imagination of more than half a billion people around the globe, with the number of articles and interested parties continuing to grow. The identity of a 3,000-year-old miniature sculpted head of a king intrigues scholars and the public alike. Currently on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the head rotates slowly on a motorized base, enabling visitors to view its details and ponder its mysterious origin.

According to Robert Mullins, Ph.D., lead archeologist at Abel Beth Maacah and chair and professor in Azusa Pacific’s Department of Biblical and Religious Studies, the head measures 2.2 x 2 inches and has carefully executed features, including glossy black tresses combed back from a headband painted in yellow and black and a manicured beard. The figure’s almond-shaped eyes and pupils are lined in black and the pursed lips give him a look that is part pensive, part stern. The glazed surface is tinted light green due to the addition of copper to the quartz paste. Its elegant style indicates that the man was a distinguished person, likely a king. By all appearances, the head seems to have broken off from the body of a figurine that stood 8-10 inches high.

“Despite the head’s small and innocuous appearance, it provides us with a unique opportunity to gaze into the eyes of a famous person from the past, a past enshrined in the Book of Ages,” said Mullins. “Given the head was found in a city that sat on the border of three different ancient kingdoms, we do not know whether it depicts the likes of King Ahab of Israel, King Hazael of Aram-Damascus, or King Ethbaal of Tyre, rulers known from the Bible and other sources. The head represents a royal enigma.”

Back in July 2017, high up on the summit of Abel Beth Maacah, Mullins and his team were excavating the remains of what could be an ancient citadel from the time of the Israelite kings. One room contained evidence of metallurgical activity. Another yielded an elaborately decorated Phoenician storage vessel. In the easternmost room, Mario Tobia, an engineering student from Jerusalem, picked up a small two-inch square “dirt clod” that encased this mysterious head.

The Israel Museum held a special ceremony in May featuring a presentation on the head and its discovery by Naama Yahalom-Mack, Ph.D., of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A more detailed article about the head and the current excavations at Abel Beth Maacah will appear in the June issue of the professional journal, Near Eastern Archaeology.

The ancient city of Abel Beth Maacah, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible, has yielded other exciting discoveries from the 13 th century BC, including a silver hoard that contained silver earrings and ignots, and a stone seal depicting a ritual dance.

The 2018 summer dig season at Abel Beth Maacah begins June 24. The excavation site is licensed by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. This joint excavation is now in its sixth year.

Related links:

Read the Live Science article.

Read the Associated Press article.

Watch the film featuring Robert Mullins, Ph.D., and the Abel Beth Maacah Excavation Project.

APU Leadership Conveys a Commitment to Diversity

This article was originally published on apu.edu.

This summer, all 22 members of Azusa Pacific University’s President's Council and Administrative Cabinet are participating in the Executive Diversity Ambassador Seminar Series (EDA), led by the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence (CDEIE). Cabinet members, including President Jon R. Wallace, DBA, are learning how to best serve all students and faculty at APU.

The training is spearheaded by the directors of the CDEIE, Richard S. Martinez, Ed.D, executive director, and Susan R. Warren, Ph.D., director of diversity programs. "There is a growing excitement among APU faculty and staff surrounding our diversity initiatives," said Warren. "Now, this commitment from our upper administration adds momentum and support for our campus diversity efforts."

Martinez said that APU is a pioneer in offering training to university leadership and serves as an example for other universities. “The EDA provides strong support to the APU Strategic Priority #4––cultivate a Christ-centered inclusive institutional culture, which intentionally values people, diversity, and mutual understanding in community,” Martinez said.

"Richard and I began our careers as K-12 educators. It made a significant difference when principals would go through training alongside their faculty," Warren said. "When leadership rolls up their sleeves and comes alongside faculty and staff, it sends a powerful message."

The diversity training began in April and continues through August. Top administrators will meet four times for group training sessions. They will also read two books written and edited by APU faculty: White Out: Understanding White Privilege and Dominance in the Modern Age by associate professor Chris Collins, Ph.D., and associate professor Alexander Jun, Ph.D., and Diversity Matters: Race, Ethnicity, & the Future of Christian Higher Education edited by Karen Longman, Ph.D., director of the Ph.D. program in the Department of Higher Education, and articles by APU faculty.

These cabinet members join 212 faculty and staff as part of the Diversity Ambassador Program. The program provides extensive training on topics including cultural proficiency and diversity awareness. Participants create action plans alongside of their leaders, in order to promote inclusive excellence across campus. The program added more than 50 faculty and staff in each of the past two semesters, doubling the total number of ambassadors since its inception in 2014.

The Diversity Ambassadors Program was designed to meet the changing needs of the student population at APU. In 2010, the student population was 31 percent students of color, but in 2017 that group represented 53 percent of the student body. “It’s important for APU leadership to go through diversity training because we espouse God honoring diversity as one of our core values,” said Diversity Ambassador Chris Olson, Ed.D., the executive director of institutional research. “Diversity training can increase cultural competence by moving diversity from a mere talking point to an internalized value.” Olson said that he learned a lot about bias that was ingrained in his mindset, but through the training, he is working on improving his cultural competence. “One of my biggest epiphanies during the Diversity Ambassador training was finally beginning to understand what implicit bias was and what it looked like in my life. This has opened my eyes to how much more work lies ahead of me,” Olson said. “However, I believe that with intentional effort I can continue moving along the cultural proficiency continuum.”

Kenberly Ferguson ’18, served as president of the Black Student Association for the 2017-18 school year. She stressed that diversity training benefits the entire APU community.“Diversity training can enhance the cultural competence of administrators, increase their knowledge of other cultures, and inform their approach when interacting with students around campus and inside the classroom,” Ferguson said.

APU President Jon Wallace Opens Up About Retirement Decision

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

Legacy.

It’s one word that’s certainly floating around Azusa Pacific’s campus after President Jon Wallace announced his retirement on April 18 via email and a video shared on social media. Wallace has served as APU’s president for 18 years. He will serve one final year before officially stepping down on June 30, 2019.

“As you get older, you think about, ‘what might I do next,’” Wallace said. “[My wife], Gail, and I have probably been thinking about what God would have for us for several years now. I’m 64 right now; I’ll be 65 next year, so it’s been for a couple of years now.”

In his email, Wallace opened up by saying that he’s been at APU for over five decades now, first as a student, then a custodian, an assistant track coach and, of course, the president. Wallace said it felt like it was time to move on to what comes next.

“I’ve been here a long time, and in my journey of faith, I’ve tried to be receptive to when I think the Spirit of God is nudging. What I was sensing was that it was time to shift out of this high gear that I’ve been in for 18 years — a lot of long weeks, weekends and evenings — and I think it was really in response to how I understood the Holy Spirit guiding me,” Wallace said. “Certainly, I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, and I’ll probably live by the river of denial, but I won’t worry about that until sometime in May or June of next year.”

Although he will be stepping down as president, Wallace will still remain on campus for a new kind of role. In the video, he said that he will still speak at chapel from time to time and still lead his small group. However, he’s not entirely sure of what his new day-to-day will look like.

“I love talking to students and passing on what I think is wisdom and discernment. I love teaching; I’ll teach the ethics class in the fall and maybe the spring,” Wallace said. “Really, the new president doesn’t need me in close proximity at all.”

In his final year as president, Wallace explained he simply wants to see the university continue to grow as it has over the course of his presidency.

“The forward momentum of the university needs to continue, and we have a couple building projects that I’d like to see wrapped up and completed,” Wallace said. “The growth that is happening within our regional sites with graduate and professional students, I know that will continue. I’d love to see programs that are on the drawing board implemented; I would love to see Los Angeles Pacific University, which was created about five years ago, continue its growth.”

While Wallace focused on growth for the university, he said he mainly wants to finish strong personally. This coincidentally came a few days after Wallace spoke at chapel, where he opened with a clip from the movie, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” In this clip, Blart fell just short of the finish line. Wallace said that this should be inspiration for all of us to finish well.

“Mostly, I don’t want to drop the ball between now and June 30, 2019. I want to finish well, and I’ll probably be looking at that pretty close, but I look forward to seeing who God’s going to bring as the next president,” Wallace said.

At the top of his retirement announcement email, Wallace included the Bible verse Galatians 2:20. The verse reads, “. . . and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

“Galatians 2:20 is my life verse. I love that verse and I love that we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that our life that we now live is a resurrected life in living for his purposes,” Wallace said. “It was perfect for me as the life verse that has guided me and continues to guide me as we think about the next chapter.”

This verse seems apt to describe Wallace. He has been a part of APU for twice as long as most of the students have been alive, living as an example of a Christian leader.

“I stayed in Azusa because I was continuously chosen. To be chosen as custodian, that was really cool. I’ve gone from campus security, to the cafeteria, the bookstore and the print shop, and then the dean of students and then chapel,” Wallace said. “When you’re chosen it means that someone believes in you enough to let you fail, and we’ve seen a lot of growth that was in place because we took some risks on some new programs or new ways to think about the student journey.”

As a part of the university in so many different roles, it’s hard not to think about the legacy Wallace will leave. He laughed at the legacy topic, having already giving it serious contemplation.

“I hope that [my legacy] is already in place, and I hope it’s with a whole bunch of students who have come through that I’ve known or that have known me from a distance,” Wallace said. “I hope the legacy is what other people have seen in me, more than buildings or programs or campuses, and I hope it’s a legacy that you guys leave, that the people you’re close to remember how you treated them and that without regard, you loved them. That would be a great legacy.”

One of the things Wallace is best known for is being a friendly face on campus. Students will stop him on Cougar Walk just to say hi. They’ll come up to him in dining venues and have short conversations.

The APU student body has recognized him for 18 years. This is the second longest an APU president has served–only Cornelius Haggard having served longer. The next president will certainly have big shoes to fill. Wallace said he has no idea who the next president will be, but he trusts the board of trustees to pick the right person.

“We have amazing men and women who are the trustees of the university; they are the ones who chose me and they will choose the next president. They really don’t need my advice on that,” Wallace said. “What would I hope for the next president? Wisdom beyond their years, a deep love for God, everybody is their neighbor and a vision for what education in 10 years will look like, because it’s different today than what it was 10 years ago. It should be somebody that the faculty, alumni and students can give full support to.”

After naming the characteristics that he’d like to see in the next president, Wallace said that he is already praying for her or him.

“I prayed for my children before they were born. I prayed for my grandchildren before they were born. Gail and I regularly remember God’s faith, and even now, Gail and I are praying for who this next president is. Even though we don’t know who she or he is, it’s going to be fun to see who God brings,” Wallace said.

Besides being a friendly face around campus, Wallace is mainly known for one thing, or rather one word: shalom.

Wallace’s face brightened at the mention of the word he uses so often. It’s a Hebrew word for peace, prosperity and harmony, among other things. Wallace uses shalom to end every email he sends and chapel that he speaks at.

“That word is an expression of what wholeness means, which is why it’s often understood in light of peace, because if you have something that is broken or torn and you bring wholeness to it, then there’s peace,” Wallace said. “It’s God’s perfect shalom, his redemptive plan for the world we aspire to. I needed one word a long time ago that could capture where I hope we go, and it’s shalom. It’s a greeting and a benediction in the modern Middle East and in my many great communities, so I think it’s a good one for me and for our community.”

Are Catholic Students Welcome At APU?

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

There are over 600 Catholic students on Azusa Pacific’s campus. These students go through the same classes and chapels that all APU students go through, but their experience is not the same. That’s why two professors from the Honors College, Barbara Nicolosi Harrington Ph.D.  and Diana Glyer Ph.D., are conducting a survey to find out how Catholic students feel about school, chapel and any positive or negative experiences they’ve had.

“The provost put out to the faculty that he would give little research grants if anyone came up with a concept about some area of life at APU. Diana [Glyer] contacted me and said, ‘I’m thinking we could do a question on Catholic life here at APU, from the standard of why don’t we get more Catholic kids here?’ I brought up the idea of whether we retain Catholic students or not,” Harrington said. “For me personally, over the years of working here, I’ve experienced a few things that are bothersome as a Catholic. Mostly, it’s been tremendously positive here.”

The survey was emailed to a list of Catholic students on March 27. Harrington said they hoped to have a 20 percent response rate, which is about 120 students. They received over 100 responses in the first 24 hours.

“We want to know, as a Catholic, is APU a comfortable place to be? Your head goes to chapel because it’s mandated. APU says you must go and pray three days a week,” Harrington said. “The question is, when you mandate something and say we have to pray like this, and that’s not the way some people pray in their tradition––can you mandate that for something as personal as prayer? We want to ask the Catholics how they feel about that. Is it getting in the way of prayer for you? I’m interested in hearing. I, myself, have real issues with that because it’s just not the way I pray.”

When asked about liturgical chapel, Harrington said that it wasn’t what the students needed.

“Every single person says that about liturgical chapel. When you talk to the chapel people, they say it’s not for Catholics, that’s not why we have it,” Harrington said. “Liturgical chapel is actually worse from our standpoint because it looks like a fake mass to us.”

Lauren Bashoura, a senior psychology and honors humanities major, agreed with Harrington on liturgical chapel.

“The elements of it are there but it’s just a little bit of a different feeling because the meaning behind it is a little bit different,” Bashoura said. “I’ve heard the same from a lot of Catholics I’ve talked to, where they were told Liturgical is the chapel for you, and then they went and didn’t like it.”

Bashoura, a Catholic student, is an intern helping Harrington and Glyer with the survey. She said she’s not able to get into the worship at any of the chapels. That’s one of the questions asked in the survey.

“We’re asking questions like: ‘Are you a Catholic? What was your spiritual life like before coming to APU? How has it been since coming to APU? What are some of the challenges you’ve faced? What are some of the good things about APU that’s been fruitful for your spirituality? What do you think of chapel?’ Those kinds of basic questions for establishing the groundwork for what being Catholic is like at APU,” Bashoura said.

Bashoura said she’s had a good time at APU, that it was an easier time for her than high school.

“I’ve loved my time here. I came here knowing that it was not a Catholic school. I wasn’t shocked by that. I grew up going to public schools. I had never gone to a Catholic school so I had to practice my faith on my own for most of my life anyways. For me, it wasn’t that difficult of a transition,” Bashoura said.

Bashoura is a part of the Catholic club at APU, Quo Vadis. This club was founded by Keith Major, a graduate student in the pastoral ministries program. Major started the club after hosting a Catholic young adult conference at APU last year.

“I heard that there were over 1,000 Catholic students here. What’s happening on campus for Catholic students? There’s nothing specifically catered for Catholics. So I made a pitch to start a Catholic club. I just wanted to have a place where Catholic students could connect because I don’t think we know who each other are,” Major said. “You have to get voted in by the presidents of other clubs. They approved the club and afterwards I had three presidents of other clubs come up to me and say, ‘I’m Catholic and I didn’t know something like this was going to happen.’ Each of them said they only knew like two or three other Catholic students. After talking to them, it seems like they kept their Catholic-ness to themselves.”

Major compared the situation to The Scarlet Letter, saying students didn’t want to walk around with a C sewed to their shirts.

“They would say that they were afraid if other students knew they were Catholic, they would try to convert them,” Major said.

Major said he spoke to Catholic students about what they wanted to see at APU.

“At the conference, we asked students what they would want here, a wishlist. They said it would be really nice to have mass, like once a month or to have confession,” Major said.

Major said he tried to hold an adoration service for the club, but since it involved bringing a bishop from outside of APU, it was denied.

“There’s certain things that require a priest, to make it Catholic, but there are no Catholic pastors at APU. There’s no one that could hold a mass, or have an adoration ceremony, things that these Catholic students are begging to have,” Major said. “I know this is a school, but the students here are paying customers, paying five figures a year to go here. To ignore the aches and pains of the paying customers is not good. I’m fully aware that this isn’t a Catholic university, but the students chose to come here and are just asking for this like once a month. I think this survey is one of the first times that their voice is being heard.”

Major, Harrington and Bashoura all spoke about the misconceptions non-Catholic students have about Catholicism.

“In my time with Evangelicals, I’ve had many people say things to me like, ‘Wow, you’re Catholic but you really know the lord,’ or ‘I’ve never met a Catholic who knew the Bible so well,’ or ‘do you really pray to Mary and the Saints?’ There’s a few things out there, mainly rooted in misconceptions,” Harrington said.

Harrington said she’s curious to find out what the perception of APU is among Catholic families.

“We have to ask- why don’t more Catholics come here? What’s the perception of APU? There are certain things here that are appealing to certain traditional Catholic families, like the Honors College. This is a traditional curriculum that is valued among Catholic circles,” Harrington said.

Harrington said that parents of Catholic students might worry about sending their kids to APU.

“The question Catholic parents would have when they’re sending their kids to APU is ‘are they going to be proselytized out of their faith?’ I don’t think that happens at APU. I think institutionally, APU is not doing that,” Harrington said. “Whether or not that happens among the students is a different issue. Let’s face it, if one student wrote a racial slur on somebody’s car, that was a big issue, even though the whole thing turned out to be false. But why wouldn’t that matter if a student said bigoted anti-Catholic things to another student. Isn’t it the same thing? It should be. To me, bigotry is bigotry.”

While Harrington has heard a few anti-Catholic remarks and incidents, she didn’t feel comfortable sharing them. However, she and Bashoura clarified the survey is not in response to any one incident.

“This survey is not in response to any acts of aggression or anything we’ve noticed on campus,” Bashoura said. “It’s just that we really want to give Catholic students a voice and a chance to talk about their experience, because that’s APU’s focus, to start creating a space for an open dialogue. We’re just trying to start a conversation on campus that we feel hasn’t really been started yet.”

Cougars Water Polo Drops Game In Final Minutes to Cal Baptist

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

The Azusa Pacific water polo team carried a lead against ranked rival Cal Baptist into the final three minutes of the game, before surrendering it and dropping the contest 8-9. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 13-13 on the season.

The Cougars led by as much as four goals at one point, largely thanks to a pair of hat tricks from senior attacker Britt Harris and freshmen utility Hannah Bradley.

Both Bradley and Harris led the team with three goals apiece. Bradley had a better shooting percentage of .500 compared to .375 for Harris, but Harris had five steals compared to Bradley’s one steal.

“We definitely came out stronger than we ever have before against CBU in my four years here,” Harris said. “I think we just fell a little flat toward the end of the third and fourth quarter. The score can definitely reflect that. We came out in the first with a 4-1 lead and in the fourth quarter they out scored us 4-1.”

Sophomore driver Sarah Adams agreed with Harris, saying the team needed to finish stronger.

“I feel the team could’ve played better. It wasn’t our best game. I think we came out strong but towards the end we made minor mistakes that unfortunately costed us the game,” Adams said. “I think I could’ve contributed more to the team and the game in every way. I felt as if I didn’t do my job on offense.”

Adams had one shot during the game. The team as a whole had 27 shots, outshooting Cal Baptist by two. However, the Lancers had four more shots on goal (18) than the Cougars (14). The amount of opportunities the Cougars had upset Adams.

“I felt a lot of different things. I felt that we definitely had a huge opportunity to bring home the win, especially since we were up the whole game, but it was upsetting to lose to one of our rivals, especially CBU,” Adams said.

Harris shared Adam’s frustration after the loss.

“I was pretty upset after the game because I felt that our team was so capable of winning, but it is just a game and we have more to play so I’m looking to taking out my frustrations with our next opponent,” Harris said. “For now, I am looking at this loss as a bump in the road for the team. We will persevere.”

Senior goalkeeper Erica Marquez said that losing a rivalry game like this was tough, one of many tough games for the Cougars this season.

“Cal Baptist is always a very tough game. It’s a rivalry game so we both prepare all season for this moment. You have to give it all you got,” Marquez said. “We’ve played a lot of ranked teams but we have prepared for them. I believe that even though the games have been tough, we are ready to prove ourselves as a program.”

Cal Baptist, currently ranked 23rd in the nation, is just one of 10 ranked opponents the Cougars have faced this season (which includes Cal State Northridge who APU has played three times this season). The Cougars are 2-11 versus ranked opponents, making them an almost perfect 13-2 against unranked schools.

“This is one of the most if not the most challenging string of games in a season that I have experienced in my four years here,” Harris said. “We are playing a lot of ranked teams, but those games are also the most fun. Losing by one here and there sucks, but it’s just nice to see the program continuously improving. In years past if we played teams like this, almost every game would have been a blowout and not in our favor. This is by far the most competitive team we’ve had.”

The Cougars next game is a home contest against Santa Clara on Saturday, April 7 at 12 p.m. This is one of three consecutive home games the team will have to end the season.

“We beat Santa Clara twice last year at their home pool, so I am expecting them to come out with a fire in their stomachs,” Harris said. “I’m really looking forward to this match because I know our team is capable of coming out on top. These are some of my last games ever and I’m just trying to play to the best of my ability and not leave anything on the table.”

Tennis Takes Down Two Ranked Opponents Before Dropping Final Match In Florida

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

Playing the 13th-ranked team in the nation is hard. Playing the sixth-ranked team in the nation the next day is harder. Playing a third consecutive match in as many days is somehow even harder, let alone the fact that it was against the top team in the nation.

This week, the men’s tennis team travelled to Florida and did just that. They beat No. 13 Embry-Riddle, 5-2 on Monday. Then they beat No. 6, Flagler, 5-4 on Tuesday. Finally, they faced the No. 1 team in D-II, Barry, losing 3-6 on Wednesday.

Although the team dropped one of their matches, it was still a successful road trip, setting them up well as they prepare for the end of the season tourneys.

“It certainly takes it out of your body. It’s tough playing three top teams in a row, but it’s basically exactly what we need because we’re getting ready for the same format at the PacWest tournament and at nationals,” grad student Christian Schmid said. “It was a good test for us to see how we’ll physically endure and keep up with top teams.”

Schmid, currently ranked 39th among DII singles players, helped the Cougars by winning all of his singles matches. He beat Embry-Riddle’s Deepak Vishavkarma 6-1, 6-3; Flagler’s Alexander Chepik 7-5, 6-3; and Barry’s Carlos Gomez 6-3, 6-0. Gomez is the sixth-ranked singles player in all of DII.

“The match against Flagler was the toughest for me. It was super humid that day and I was playing their number two guy. It was an intense match of about an hour and a half,” Schmid said.

Schmid also won all of his doubles matches with his partner, grad student Oliver Frank. The duo knocked out all three opponents in sequence, including the fourth-ranked pair of Rodolfo Arreygue and Andres Donayre from Embry-Riddle, 8-4.

“It was a valuable experience for us to play better ranked teams back-to-back-to-back in only three days. For us, this was kind of a simulation what nationals could be like since we also play matches on following days,” Frank said. “Physically, it was a challenge for sure, but our off season prepared us to withstand the challenges. We had to take care of our bodies after the matches but overall we did a good job doing that.”

Frank also had three tough matches in singles against ranked opponents. He lost only his second singles match as a Cougar against 50th-ranked Juan Ortiz Couder of Embry Riddle 7-5, 6-4, before beating 13th-ranked Luca Bolla of Flagler 6-2, 6-0, and 11th-ranked Pierre Montrieul of Barry 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“The hardest match was definitely the last one against Barry. It was the third match in a row for us. We were all pumped up to play the No. 1 team in the nation although we were all physically not fresh,” Frank said. “Nevertheless, we fought hard and came close to winning almost every match. It was physically exhausting but it showed us that we have what it takes to beat them.”

Frank said that even though the team lost, the last match against Barry was the most exciting.

“The atmosphere in that last match was thrilling. Since nearly all of the matches were really close, both teams were nervous and no team could ever be sure of winning. That’s why it was a thriller to the very end,” Frank said.

Freshmen Jesse Haas also played well for the Cougars, winning two of his three doubles matches with his partner Ryan Nuno. Haas said he enjoyed the trip.

“It’s exciting. You train all year to get to play these great teams. It was definitely tiring. Three high level matches in three days is pretty mentally and physically taxing,” Haas said. “I think we handled it pretty well and got some pretty good results. I’m happy with that.”

Haas said that his match against Flagler turned out the best as he and Nuno were able to put pressure on their opponents and pull out the win. He said that he’s excited for the rest of the season as well.

“I’m excited to travel again. I heard that the San Diego trip is exciting. It will be fun for us to come together on the road and get the last couple wins,” Haas said. “It’s really exciting to be a part of the team where everyone works so hard.”

Now with a 20-2 record on the season, the team will go on one last road trip before the regular season ends, playing UC San Diego and Point Loma next weekend. Even though this is the end of the regular season, Schmid said it feels like there’s a lot left for the team.

“We don’t really feel like the season is almost over,” Schmid said. “We have so much more to accomplish this year, starting with the PacWest tournament. Our goal is to get that title. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot left to achieve. “

Toby Miclat Wants To Make History For Women's Tennis

This article was originally published in ZU News.

Senior Toby Miclat wants to lead the charge for the women’s tennis team to be the first to go to the NCAA regional and national postseason tournaments.

It’s certainly a big goal, but not unreasonable, as the Cougars have already notched 10 wins and are on pace to win a couple more contests than last year. Miclat has been a big part of that momentum.

“She can almost account for two points every match. That’s something we’ve had with the men’s team, but we haven’t had a player quite as strong as Toby in our women’s tennis history,” assistant tennis coach Kirby Ronning said. “When she’s locked in and focused on her tennis stuff, she’s very intense. She has a super high level of intensity during practice and at matches. She’s very mentally tough.”

Ronning spoke about the kind of leader that Miclat is, helping the freshmen learn with her work ethic.

“Even though it’s Toby’s first year [at APU], she’s been a really good leader just with the work ethic she has. Day in and day out, she’s really professional about how she approaches things,” Ronning said. “A lot of the girls she’s playing with are freshmen, so it’s just ingraining those habits and making the girls understand how much work and how much of the daily grind it takes to be a great tennis player.”

One of the freshmen Miclat has helped improve throughout the season is Petra Ivankovic.

“I’ve learned a lot from Toby. She has a great attitude and is a great player. I think that she is a really good example for all of us, a good teammate,” Ivankovic said. “She’s amazing. She’s a really good friend. I just have the most respect for her.”

One of the reasons Ivankovic respects Miclat so much is because of how good she is on the court.

“She’s very aggressive on the court. When you play with her you have to be really conscious and you have to play really well to beat her, it’s almost impossible,” Ivankovic said.

This aggressiveness and intensity is part of what led Miclat to be offered a spot on an NCAA Division I team, Brigham Young University. Miclat played for BYU for three years before transferring to APU.

“I had a bad time at BYU and I didn’t want to transfer to another DI school. There’s something about DI’s which make a person extra catty. I wanted to use my last year of eligibility at somewhere close, comfortable, and not a DI. APU was the perfect fit since it was all that and also Christian,” Miclat said.

Miclat is from Claremont, Calif. originally and she commutes from her home to APU. Her choice to transfer to APU was relatively easy, considering that it was close to home and she was already familiar with APU head tennis coach Mark Bohren.

“It’s like 10 minutes away from home. I knew head coach Mark [Bohren] since I was really small, since we went to the same tennis club when I was younger,” Miclat said.

BYU, which is located in Utah and is a well-known Mormon school was something that Miclat was not very comfortable with. Miclat explained that she had expectations when she went to BYU, and it turned out to be something that wasn’t good for her.

“I enjoyed the people I knew, but I didn’t enjoy BYU itself. I didn’t enjoy praying to Joseph Smith or thanking Joseph Smith. You’re dragged into it, like how we pray at the beginning of most of our classes here,” Miclat said. “I didn’t really realize how junky it felt until after. When I was there, I thought, ‘I’m at a DI school and we have great perks, I have great connections.’ But then once I left I realized that I hated it so much. You don’t really realize it until you’re out of that situation. It’s like you’re in a box. You’re in the box and you think it’s comfortable and then you get out and realized that was the worst situation you’ve ever been in. That’s what BYU was.”

Miclat said that she witnessed her teammates being hypocritical at BYU, not taking accountability. She said that this has not been an issue at APU.

“Everyone is kind of lovely. I’m comparing this to a DI team where everyone is kind of a snoot. Everyone here is lovely and wants to improve. They have accountability. People genuinely care about you when you lose. People at BYU didn’t care like that,” Miclat said. “I’ve always been a really straightforward person. I can tell someone on the team, don’t do that, and they’ll stop, and they can do the same to me. I love everyone on the team.”

Other than the character of her teammates, Miclat said she appreciated her wins counting at APU.

“It’s nice to have your win be backed up. To an extent, you want to win individually, and of course I care about my record. I’m sitting here looking at Oliver Frank [of APU’s men’s tennis team] who’s undefeated. It’s natural to compare yourself,” Miclat said. “But it’s nice to have your win backed up. We would almost always lose at BYU and it would be counted on me and one other person to pick up the slack of someone who lost. When someone at BYU lost they would blame it on the referee. When someone here loses, they say I played bad and hit it down the middle too much. Then they work on improving that in practice. That’s really nice.”

Miclat has posted a 12-2 record on the season in singles, the best on the team, while playing the number one spot. She has also had a strong doubles season with a 10-6 record with two different partners.

“I want to win. I want our team to make history and to be the first APU [women’s tennis] team to go to NCAA’s [postseason tournament],” Miclat said. “I don’t have any big personal tennis goals right now. I’ve done basically everything I wanted to do in college tennis. My original goal was to go undefeated, but then I lost a game, so that’s over. Mostly I just want to make NCAA’s postseason as a team.”

After the season, Miclat will start working full-time at her parent’s elderly care facility. She already works there part-time.

“Once the season is over, I can work on my goal of helping my parents retire by the end of the year,” Miclat said. “I’m kind of finishing school for the sake of finishing it.”

Miclat will stay at APU for one more year, due to complications from transferring from BYU. She said that a lot of her classes didn’t transfer since BYU’s religious classes are Mormon. She also changed her major from neuroscience to business management.

Other than taking over her family’s elderly care facilities, Miclat wants to be a writer, but only on the side.

“I love writing. I’m trying to finish my book. School lets me work on my writing. I like writing about sci-fi, fantasy, and stuff like that,” Miclat said. “I’ve been working on it on and off for three years, but that’s nothing compared to my other book. It got stolen when my stuff was stolen. I had so much work put into that book, it was like 120 pages at that point. I want to publish my books after I graduate. If people like them, great, if not, it’s no big deal.”

As of right now, however, Miclat isn’t focused on writing or her parent’s business. She’s focused on winning and making history for the Cougar’s women’s tennis program.

Acro Loses First Meet Of Season Against Top-Ranked Baylor

This article was originally published on ZU News.

The acro and tumbling team lost their first meet of the season against Baylor by a score of 278.825-286.035. Despite a strong performance in the acro, pyramid and toss events, the Cougars efforts weren’t enough to overcome their NCAA Division I opponent, who posted the highest score of the season.

“Overall, the meet was going really well, up until tumbling heats. We kind of stayed with them throughout the compulsories, even though they were a little rough. Overall we stuck with them through the toss heat. It was the best toss heat round that we’ve ever had. We probably also had our best acro heats overall score. We were within .4 points going into tumbling and we felt pretty confident in our tumbling,” head coach Collen Kausrud said. “Unfortunately our quad pass got nailed with a penalty that we don’t feel is correct, but we have to go with it. We got hit hard on that and that affected the score. The team event wasn’t what it should have been as far as our performance. We have to be perfect if we’re going to beat Baylor, and that’s what it boils down to.”

The Cougars weren’t perfect, but they did score one perfect 10 in the pyramid.

“Hanna [Steffen] did a good job in that one. It was awesome to get a 10 in a tough pyramid,” Kausrud said.

Senior top Hanna Steffen helped the Cougars score the perfect 10. She said that even though the team lost, she had a lot of fun at the meet.

“It was a really fun meet. We just tried to have fun and work as a team. I really liked the dynamic we had there. I felt less pressure because we were zoned in as a team,” Steffen said. “The competition wasn’t too far apart in the first half, but we kind of fell apart a little bit when we came to tumbling.”

Steffen agreed with Kausrud that there was a mistake in the call in the quad pass event.

“They said that one of our girls did a cartwheel instead of a round off in the quad pass, but she actually did do a round off. Someone said they had a replay video, but the judges said they couldn’t look back in the video to change the scores. That was frustrating since they literally had the replay,” Steffen said.

Kausrud expressed that some of the team’s results were a bit disappointing. They had the expectation that they could beat Baylor going in.

“We watch Baylor all season, knowing that we were going to see them toward the end of the season. We felt like they were beatable,” Kausrud said. “We felt like they weren’t at the top of their game at the beginning of the season, but Baylor has cleaned it up and we have to as well if we think we can beat them in championships, if we get that far.”

One positive Kausrud took away from the event was the performance of freshmen top Katrina Gonzalez.

“Katrina had a really good toss, scoring that 10. She’s kind of a standout freshmen. We’re really excited for that, to implement that into our team event to raise our start value. She deserves some recognition,” Kausrud said.

Even with the loss, Gonzalez felt confident of her performance and was proud of the way that the team performed.

“Personally, I think that the meet went really well and It was definitely one of our best away meets that we have had this season,” Gonzalez said. “Regarding the toss, I was excited to compete with the new kick double at the Baylor meet. It’s a 10.0 start value that would benefit our team score with an extra four-tenths of a point. I felt confident in the toss because I knew that if I executed like I practiced, we could score well.”

Gonzalez said that going into the meet, she was nervous to face Baylor, the number one team in the country.

“I was very nervous coming into this meet especially because Baylor is one of the best acro and tumbling schools we have faced thus far. Competing away with their numerous fans felt very intimidating at first and it was different than our usual home meets,” Gonzalez said. “But, the adrenaline from the meet and the energy from my teammates made all my nerves go away making me more excited about the skills we’d be competing with.”

Gonzalez said she is not nervous for the Cougars last meet of the season on April 13 against Converse at home.

“I feel very prepared coming into our last meet because we have made consistent progress throughout the season. I think that we’re gonna use the next meet as a preparation for nationals and I’m excited to compete at home for our last meet against Converse University,” Gonzalez said.

Steffen said she is also excited for this final meet.

“I’m looking forward to competing with the team one last time. This is going to be the last time I do this, so I really just want to enjoy it with my teammates,” Steffen said. “By far, this is the best year. We’re all such a tight knit group, we trust each other and work really well together. Seniors don’t dominate freshmen. It’s a healthy balance.”

Kausrud said the team has some things they need to work on before this meet.

“It’s a home meet, senior night. It builds the girls confidence when they have the crowd behind them. It’s hard when it’s one sided. I’m looking forward to this home meet, having the energy there, getting them ready for championships,” Kausrud said. “We have to up our start value for championships, just really cleaning everything up and feeling confident in what we’re doing. That’s what we’ll be doing the next few weeks.”