FROM THE QUAD
left: SCIAC men’s cross country Newcomer of the Year Brody Barkan ’19 ran the second-fastest time for the Tigers at the nationals, finishing 212th (26:16.1). below: Aaron Sugimoto ’17 capped his Oxy career with a 253rd-place finish.
Before They Were Tigers Approximately 25 percent of Oxy undergrads play one or more varsity sports—one of the many attractions of a small liberal arts college competing at the Division III level. But for most student-athletes, their first experience in a uniform goes back many years earlier. Five current standout Tigers share their childhood sports memories—long before they went “All in for Oxy.”
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 5, and it was definitely not competitive. I would accidentally score in the wrong goal or pass to the wrong team. It was kind of chaotic.” Julie Khil ’17, a psychology major from Honolulu, was the SCIAC women’s soccer Athlete of the Year as a sophomore.
left: Coach Rob Bartlett’s men’s team enjoyed its best showing since 2011, when Oxy won the West Region en route to a 27thplace finish at nationals. below: Sophomore standout Roxanne Valle finished 142nd in the 6k (22:13.7). She received an at-large bid to the nationals after placing 11th at the West Regional.
“I’m sure I started T-ball when I was 4, something like that, and I had a bat in my hand long before that.” Devon DeRaad ’17, a biology major from Scottsdale, Ariz., was second in the nation among Division III schools in home runs (16) last season, SCIAC Player of the Year, and Oxy’s first All-American in baseball since 1997.
“I started club swimming when I was a junior in high school, but up until that point I’d been a three-season athlete. When I decided I wanted to compete in college, I decided to go yearround swimming.” Rose Seabrook ’17, an art history and the visual arts major from Walnut Creek, broke two Oxy records—in the mile and the 1,000meter—in the Tigers’ last meet as a junior.
“I’ve played football since I was 5. My dad coached a flag football team with me and all my friends. I played throughout high school with the same guys that I played with in Pop Warner.” year in middle distance events, had never run cross country before or run competitively at any distance longer than 1,500m. “Brody’s improvement at such a rapid pace is really extraordinary given how new he is to the sport,” Bartlett says. “We’re excited at the progress he’s made and look forward to seeing him continue to climb the ladder as a terrific distance runner.” The Oxy women finished third in conference, led by Valle and Aria Blumm, a sophomore chemistry major from Sisters, Ore., who won All-West Region honors with a 23rd-place, 23:28.6 finish at the regionals.
Bryan Scott ’17, a sociology major from Rolling Hills, is the SCIAC’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,073), completions (763), and total offense (9,475) and was 2016 conference Player of the Year.
“When I was in kindergarten, I’d be running around the field for recess, and challenging everyone to race for some reason.” Onye Nwabueze ’17, a cognitive science major from San Francisco, ranks eighth on Oxy’s all-time lists for both the 100M and the 200M. Credits: Kirby Lee (Khil, Nwabueze, Scott), John Valenzuela (DeRaad), Marc Campos (Seabrook)
WINTER 2017
OCCIDENTAL MAGAZINE
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