From the Desk of Athletics Director Patrick Guillen
Perspectives on the Toros Athletic Department
January 18, 2007

This series of messages is from Athletics Director, Patrick Guillen. It is intended to give viewers of The Toros Online a perspective of the athletic department from its top administrator. Subsequent updates will be posted periodically.

Guillen assumed his position as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on November 1, 2005 after serving as the Assistant Athletics Director since 2002, and has led the department to its most successful overall season since its inception in 1968. As the Director of Athletics, Guillen secured several new corporate partners, and through his direction, the 2006 Toros Scholarship Golf Classic brought in the most scholarship dollars in its 16-year history. He serves on a number of boards and advisory committees related to both CSUDH and community work.

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This is always my favorite time of year, nearing the midway point of the school year after spending the holiday season with family, friends and the people you care about the most, and trying to figure out how to make the new year better than the last one.

James C. Collins asked in his book, Built to Last, “How can we do better tomorrow than we did today?” Our challenge as administrators, staff members, coaches and student-athletes is to find the answer to this important question daily.

At the end of the last academic year heading into these last three months, Toros Athletics has accomplished a great deal. In the classroom we placed 17 student-athletes on the All-CCAA All-Academic team to conclude 2005-06. And in November, women’s soccer players Sandra Lloyd and Candace Hearn were selected to the prestigious ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.

Ending this past fall semester 2006, I am proud to report that nearly one-third of our student-athletes, 67 to be exact, earned a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Overall the GPAs of the CSUDH student-athlete population continue to be higher than that of the general student population of the school.

While this is a testament to the academic support structures and alliances we have in place as well as the passion and commitment our coaches and administrative staff exhibit, it is most of all a testament to our student-athletes who display the discipline and desire to be the best both on and off the field of competition.

Athletically, it was another strong fall. The men’s soccer team captured an unprecedented seventh CCAA Championship and hosted the first round of the NCAA II Playoffs, while seven Toros earned All-CCAA recognition including senior Jesse Graham, who also garnered NSCAA/adidas All-American honors.

The women’s soccer team narrowly missed the CCAA Championship Tournament by way of a tiebreaker, but five players earned All-CCAA honors while senior forward Rachele McDonald was named the CCAA Player of the Year for the second time in her storied collegiate career. Additionally, she was selected the 2006 Daktronics Far West Region Player of the Year and earned NSCAA Far West Regional recognition.

The volleyball team showed significant improvement this year, with the highlight of the season coming in a four-game win against perennial nemesis Cal State Bakersfield, who the Toros beat for the first time in nearly 20 years! CSUDH finished with three more wins in league play compared to last year, and two more wins overall. We are excited about the 2007 season!

Coach Edmonson’s cross-country runners showed improvement each and every week and represented the University very well. With several key underclassmen returning next year mixed with a few returning upperclassmen, we look for an even stronger season in ’07.

The basketball campaign kicked off in October with the inaugural “Madness at Midnight” event, presented by community partners Schools Federal Credit Union and Associated Students, Inc. This standing-room only event, organized by CSUDH Marketing & Promotions Coordinator Alonzo Green, saw just under 3,000 faithful pack the Torodome and cheer on both teams. It was an energizing event and a site to see in the best student life activity in the CSUDH’s history.

Currently, Van Girard’s women’s team is having a fine season with a 7-4 record, and is only 2.5 games out of first place in the CCAA. Once again the team is extremely athletic and coach Girard has them playing his trademark hard-nosed defense. It looks like the Toros are well on their way to making it to the NCAA playoffs for the second time in three years.

Coach Damaine Powell continues to build a men’s basketball program that our community can be proud of. The team, which won five-consecutive games earlier this year for the first time since 1995, is currently 6-6 overall and 3-4 in league play, but only three games out of first place in arguably the strongest NCAA II basketball conference in the nation from top to bottom. Expect an exciting brand of basketball from a talented group of players for the remainder of the season as CSUDH looks for its first NCAA postseason berth since 1987.

The spring sports began practice last week, and we are readying for highly successful seasons on the diamonds, track & field and the golf links. I would also like to welcome long-time baseball CSUDH baseball assistant coach Murphy Su’a as he takes over as the Interim Head Coach in 2007. Su’a has been extremely active in the community recruiting and building relationships, which is a key to any successful program.

In the community, CSUDH Athletics continues its commitment to the South Bay by serving in numerous community service related activities, ultimately helping our student-athletes become well-rounded individuals. To quote Winston Churchill, “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”

Our CSUDH programs continue to give back to a deserving community and have served in several activities. In the fall, we made our annual Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Toy Drive visit, which is sponsored and driven by our Student Athlete Advisory Committee, we teamed with pro-beach volleyball players Eric Fonoimoana and Albert Hannemann and the Digs 4 Kids Foundation at Carson High School, we put on free clinics at the Inaugural Telemundo Experienca Deportiva, and our softball program conducted weekly sessions at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy at Compton Community College to help under-represented and underprivileged youths.

This year we will make significant improvements that will not only enhance our venues and facilities, but also provide much needed upgrades that will lead to a better overall student experience here at CSUDH. Notable facility improvements include a remodeled weight room featuring brand new state-of-the art equipment that will open at the end of this month. I would like to thank my boss and mentor Dr. Boice Bowman, Vice President for Student Affairs, as well as Vice President for Administration & Finance Mary Ann Rodriguez for their collaboration with this very important project that means so much to our student-athletes, our athletic programs, and the entire CSUDH community.

We are also in the process of installing safety features for the dugouts at the baseball and softball venues which will help prevent injuries during practice and competition. A brand new Daktronics track timing display will make its debut just in time for the Inaugural CSUDH Pacific Coast Track & Field Invitational, which we are hosting on April 13. We are very excited about these additions, but realize we couldn’t do it without the help of several on- and off-campus partners, for which we thank you!

I am also excited to report that our Inaugural Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament held this past November was a big success, with nearly 70 people joining us to support student scholarships. It was a great event and I want to thank our Special Projects Coordinator Deann Schlobohm for doing such a wonderful job in organizing this day of fun. Deann is also busy right now preparing for another first, as the Toros Monte Carlo Night on Saturday, February 24th is right around the corner.

We are excited to bring this night to you in the ballroom of our brand new Loker Student Union, which will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for January 25th! And, of course, Assistant Athletics Director Lamel Harris is already well underway for the 17th Annual Toros Scholarship Golf Classic to be held on Friday, June 1st, once again hosted at the Meadowlark Golf Course in Huntington Beach. Last year’s tournament was the most successful ever and we are looking to reach new heights when June rolls around.

With all the great things that have been happening on campus, and particularly in the Department of Athletics, these past few months have not been without some bumps and bruises. But I am proud to say that we faced these challenges with integrity and did what was best for our students. To be sure, it was an opportune time for learning, character building and human development, and it was through these tests that we answered daily the simplistic yet profound question posed by James Collins at the beginning of this installment.

I hope to see you at one of our athletic and/or special events we will be hosting between now and June. Whether it’s basketball, baseball, softball, track & field or a special event like Monte Carlo Night or a beautiful day of golf that benefits our students, there is always something happening in Toros Athletics.

Come be a part of the future we are building here and now!

Patrick Guillen
Director of Athletics
GO TOROS