Malia Pinder, Staff Writer
After almost two years of sports being unorthodox, fall athletes have started their regular conference season schedules. Because of COVID-19, the fall 2020 season was postponed until spring of 2021. Even then, the sports did not play a full GNAC schedule. COVID-19 still lingers however, as athletes are required to wear masks when they travel and for indoor sports when they are not actively participating in the event. Additionally, COVID-19 restrictions have limited travel to Simon Fraser and any out of conference games to California, now requiring that any athlete who travels to compete in the games must be vaccinated.
These fall athletes moved into school in August and have been training and competing since then. A pre-season GNAC coaches poll placed our men’s soccer team at 6th, our volleyball team at 9th, our women’s soccer team at 8th, our men’s cross-country team at 9th, and our women’s cross-country team at 8th. There was no men’s or women’s golf coaches’ poll. Some sports have more GNAC competitors while others have less than others. The poll rankings, because of this, have a different number of schools for each poll. Since these polls, our men’s soccer team holds a 1-4 record in conference. Both the women’s soccer team and the volleyball team are 2-8 in conference. The golf teams have been traveling all fall from Hawaii to Calif., looking for warmer and dryer places to play the sport. After strong showings last year, the golf teams hope to continue to play well during their fall and spring seasons.
Saint Martin’s has had some athletes earn GNAC Player of the Week since the beginning of their seasons. Junior Kylie Alos earned Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Kainalu Pagente earned Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the week of Aug. 30 to Sept. 5. Alos averaged 5.56 digs per set that week had a 28-dig match in four sets against Bemidji State. Pagente ran a 19:03 minute race at the Puget Sound Invitational and took the individual title. Joining them is Dennis Geissler, who earned Men’s Golf Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 4 through the 10. Geissler scored 71 and 70 during rounds one and two of the Sam Proal West/South Central Regional Preview. This earned him 19th place in the tournament and tied him for the highest place by a GNAC competitor with a golfer from Simon Fraser.
Saint Martin’s recently hosted the GNAC Championships for men’s and women’s cross country on Oct. 23 and the event did not disappoint. Rain drenched runners during the men’s race and left the course muddy for the women’s race. Both Saint Martin’s teams finished in 8th place at the championships.
With the transition from October to November, Saints fans have not just fall sports but winter sports to look forward to. After a GNAC coaches’ poll, the men’s basketball team was ranked 9th and the women’s team was ranked 6th in GNAC. Just like our fall athletes, our winter athletes look to compete in their first full GNAC schedule since 2019. The women’s home season begins on Nov. 13 against Hawaii Pacific and follows up with another game against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 16. The men’s team plays their first home game on November 17 and does not play at home again until Dec. 2when they play their first GNAC game against Alaska Anchorage.
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