GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Pepperdine athletes were making waves across the world this summer. From the men’s volleyball national championship team to the U.S Open at Pinehurst Country Club, Pepperdine was in the news. Here is a recap of the summer’s highlights.
Men’s volleyball team wins fifth national title over UCLA
The Pepperdine men’s volleyball team won a thrilling five-set victory over the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on May 7 to win its first national championship since 1992. The Waves were the first team to ever beat UCLA on its home floor in the NCAA Tournament.
Pepperdine’s Sean Rooney led the Waves with 26 kills and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Rooney was also named the National Player of the Year.
The Waves volleyball team made headlines again over the summer when they met President Bush at the White House and gave him a custom surfboard with “Surfboard One” inscribed on it.
Detroit Pistons draft and sign Pepperdine guard Alex Acker
Former Pepperdine guard Alex Acker was taken with the 60th and final pick in this year’s NBA Player Draft. He played well in summer league, averaging 14.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 28 minutes of play, earning him second team all-Reebok Vegas Summer League honors and a contract from the NBA runner-up Pistons.
Acker left Pepperdine with one year of eligibility left in his college career. During his Pepperdine career, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. He is ranked 20th on Pepperdine’s all-time scoring list with 1,273 points. As a freshman, Acker was the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Pepperdine graduate Jason Gore puts forth good effort in U.S. Open
Former Pepperdine men’s golfer Jason Gore was in the final group with Retief Goosen on Sunday at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. However, Gore and Goosen both stumbled, shooting 84 and 81 respectively to drop out of contention.
Gore bounced back on the Nationwide Tour, winning an unprecedented three-straight tournaments to rocket to the top of the money list and automatically qualify for his PGA Tour card for the next season. In the Cox Classic in early August, Gore shot a second-round 59, becoming just the third Nationwide Tour player to card that score.
Three Pepperdine baseball players selected in June MLB draft
Three Pepperdine Waves were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft on June 5 and 6. Pepperdine senior pitcher Paul Coleman was taken in the ninth round by the Detroit Tigers but will stay in school for his senior season.
Former Pepperdine first baseman and closer Steve Kleen was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 11th round and another graduate, pitcher Kea Kometani, was taken in the 15th round by the Texas Rangers.
Waves men’s tennis team reach NCAA national quarterfinals
The Pepperdine men’s tennis team barreled its way through the NCAA Team Championships in College Station, Texas, before being knocked out by then-No. 1 seed Baylor University. The Waves beat Duke University to advance to the round of eight.
Pepperdine’s Scott Doerner lost in the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship to 18th-seeded Benjamin Becker from Baylor. Tulane’s Dmitriy Koch and Albreto Sottocorno upset Doerner and doubles teammate Pedro Rico in the first round of the doubles draw despite the Pepperdine team being seeded 7th in the tournament.
Pepperdine adds women’s track
to athletic program
The Pepperdine athletic department announced that it would add women’s track to the athletic program beginning this academic year. Pepperdine cross country coach Dick Kampmann was named as the head coach of the newly formed track team. The team has yet to be formally introduced and tryouts will happen during the school year for students interested in participating.
The team was made to fix an imbalance in the men’s and women’s athletic programs to get Pepperdine back in compliance with Title IX. The team will have between 18 and 24 members once tryouts are concluded, according to Kampmann. The track schedule will include seven events.
Women’s golf finishes fourth at NCAA National Championships
The Pepperdine women’s golf team garnered a fourth-place finish in the National Championship tournament at the Meadows Course in Sun River, Ore. Pepperdine finished nine shots behind Duke University with a 72-hole team score of 43-over-par.
Pepperdine senior Carolina Llano finished in sixth place of the individual portion of the tournament, carding a 6-over 290.
08-29-2005
