Santa Clara University

SCU finishes second in Commissioner's Cup

For the second consecutive year, the Santa Clara Department of Athletics and Recreation finished second in the annual West Coast Conference Commissioner's Cup standings. The Commissioner's Cup is an all-sports award presented at the end of each academic year to the league's top performing school in conference play. A Men's and Women's All-Sports Award, recognizing athletic achievement within each gender, is also presented.

Santa Clara finished second in the overall standings with 69.5 points, on the strength of a first-place tie in women's soccer and second-place finishes in baseball, men's and women's cross country, and volleyball. The Broncos also tied for second in women's basketball and claimed third-place conference finishes in men's golf, men's soccer, and women's tennis.

The Bronco athletic department also finished second in the race for the league's Women's All-Sports Award and fourth in the Men's All-Sports standings.

"With top-three finishes in nine of the 13 sports sponsored by the WCC, it is clear we've had a pretty good year," said Cheryl L. Levick, SCU's director of athletics. "I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments of our student-athletes and appreciate their competitiveness, determination, and sportsmanship."

Broncos win inaugural rivalry series against San Jose State

After dominating performances from its fall sports teams that captured five straight wins to open the season, the Santa Clara University athletic department won the inaugural Rivalry Series against San Jose State University by a score of 20-10. The Rivalry Series between the two schools was announced last fall and begun for the 2002-03 season.

The annual winner of the series, presented in association with the San Jose Sports Authority, is determined by a points system based on head-to-head competition in the 13 sports in which the two schools compete. The winner of each sport receives a predetermined number of points for that particular school.

Softball scores record-setting season

Jaime Forman-Lau was the PCSC's pitcher of the year.

The Santa Clara softball team had a successful 2003 season, breaking numerous team and individual program marks. The Broncos joined the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and went into the final doubleheader with a chance to win the league title. Santa Clara did sweep two major PCSC awards, as head coach Marcy Crouch was named the Coach of the Year, while junior Jaime Forman-Lau earned Pitcher of the Year honors.

Crouch led the Broncos to a second-place finish in the inaugural year of the league. In her fourth year at the helm of the SCU program, Crouch guided the team through a milestone season, posting a record 30 victories, more than any other Bronco squad in the 25-year history of the program.

Forman-Lau was a seven-time PCSC Pitcher of the Week winner, and led the conference with 112 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched through 14 appearances. PCSC opponents hit only .123 against Forman-Lau, as she boasted a 0.89 ERA in conference play. She shattered the school's strikeout record with 279.

Baseball tops 30-win mark for first time in six seasons

Mark O'Brien

The Santa Clara baseball team wrapped up its successful 2003 season with a three-game sweep of Saint Mary's on May 16-18, finishing the year with a 31-26 record, the program's most wins since 1997.

Scott Dierks put together one of the most memorable offensive seasons in Santa Clara history, batting .394 with 18 home runs, 14 doubles, 45 runs scored, and 42 RBI as the team's leadoff hitter. Joe Diefenderfer led the pitching staff with his 8-3 record and 3.40 ERA. The Broncos finished the West Coast Conference season with a 21-9 record, the team's best mark in league play since 1997 as well.

Head Coach Mark O'Brien became only the third coach in the 119-year history of baseball at Santa Clara to win 30 games in one of his first two seasons at the helm of the program. Jaime Forman-Lau was the PCSC's pitcher of the year. Mark O'Brien