SAINT MARY'S GAELS
An Emerging Power in Many Sports

Head coach Jedd Soto enters his sixth season at the helm of Saint Mary's baseball program with his sights set on propelling the Gaels into the national spotlight. With a loaded squad of seasoned starters and a host of younger talent pushing for playing time, the 2009 team is now in prime position to stake its claim as a WCC power, both this season and for years to come. In Soto's estimation, "This is the deepest squad, both on the mound and in the field, that I have ever had the opportunity to field in my tenure at Saint Mary's."

2009 Brooks Wallace Award Watch Nominee Kyle Jensen. Photo courtesy Saint Mary's Athletics.

Head coach Jessica Hanaseth, in her fifth year in command of Saint Mary's softball program, intends to build on 2008, her team's banner year. After finishing last season with a 27-26 record, which marked the program's first winning record in school history, Hanaseth and company are determined to continue their push to the top of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. The Gaels finished fourth in the PCSC a year ago and their consistent drive to improve has been recognized by coaches from around the league who have picked Saint Mary's to finish third in their preseason poll.

In tennis, two-time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year Lisa Alipaz, now in her 11th year at the helm of the program, leads a Gaels team aspiring for a new level of excellence after an unprecedented 2008 campaign. Fresh off a second-place finish in the WCC and a very near miss at the team's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2008, Alipaz has the Gaels primed to make the leap to both national prominence and postseason play. Saint Mary's impressive showing in 2008, which included an overall match record of 16-7, has helped them garner a preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking for only the second time in the program's history. The ITA rates the Gaels as the No. 51 club in the country to start the season.

Back-to-back West Coast Conference Coach of the Year Michael Wayman, now in his 14th year in control of the men's tennis program, is enthusiastic about the team's growth since compiling the best season in the history of the program in 2008. Wayman now commands a young and exciting squad of capable returning players alongside an influx of talented newcomers who will push for the team's first-ever postseason appearance.

Scott Hardy heads the SMC Golf program for a ninth year with a squad prepared to travel far and wide for seven spring tournaments. Returning All-WCC performer Robert McCrae will lead the team into competition in the Pacific Northwest for the highly competitive March 23 Duck Invite in Eugene, Ore., and in the all-important April 13 WCC championships in Vallejo.

Lauren Uhr, in her third season as head coach of the Gaels women's lacrosse team, continues to overhaul the program with her sights set on climbing the ranks in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Uhr leads a talented and competitive group into a daunting 15-game schedule that includes matchups with powerhouse programs such as Stanford (March 6), California (April 1) and Oregon (April 19).

Head coach Nicole Younts, in her first year in command of the women's rowing team, leads an experienced and deep squad of athletes primed to stake their claim as one of the fastest teams on the West Coast. Seven out of eight rowers return from the varsity-8 boat that posted the second fastest time in Gael's rowing history, crossing the line at 6:54.7 in their third-place effort at the WCC championships last May.