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season
RAM REWIND
Wrapping up a striking 2022 volleyball season
The Colorado State University volleyball team huddles after winning their game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Moby Arena Aug. 26. The Rams won 3-1 after a 25-17 win in the final set. PHOTO BY GARRETT MOGEL THE COLLEGIAN
By Karsyn Lane
@karsynlane1
After delivering an unforgettable and heartfelt three months, the Colorado State University volleyball team closed out its 2022 season with a killer turnout.
The Rams took Moby Arena by storm this season, finishing with a 1911 overall season record and a 12-6 conference record and placing third in the Mountain West Conference. Compared to this season’s competitors, Colorado State led the Mountain West in hitting percentage with an outstanding .267 with 1,449 total kills. Outside hitter Kennedy Stanford delivered 354 of those kills, dominating the leaderboard.
During a total of 30 matchups, the Rams managed to maintain a five-game winning streak from Sept. 20 to Oct. 6. After getting into the stalwart groove, Colorado State became unstoppable. Notably, the Rams walked away with a couple of unforgettable wins against the state’s biggest rivals right in Moby, from a 3-1 victory against the University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes Sept. 15 to sweeping the University of Wyoming Cowgirls once — as well as beating them 3-1 this season — and shutting down the United States Air Force Academy 3-1 Nov. 12.
This season was a first-class performance to bid head coach Tom Hilbert farewell, as he will officially retire following the end of the season. Hilbert announced his intention to retire after nearly 39 years of coaching collegiate volleyball, with 26 of those dedicated to Colorado State. He was inducted into the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, leaving behind a powerful legacy in Moby Arena.
Hilbert isn’t the only Ram leaving behind a legacy, as there are three senior spotlights this season: Jacqi Van Liefde, Ciera Pritchard and Annie Sullivan. These three Rams contributed in countless ways to the court and achieved season-high stats along the way.
Outside hitter Van Liefde created a dangerous territory, as she delivered a total of 183 attacks this season. She isn’t afraid to bring down a strong swing: a consistent kill that opponents have dared to challenge. Not only did she have a lethal arm on her, but her height made getting beyond the net nearly impossible. On top of her court performance, Van Liefde was awarded the 2021-22 Mencimer Memorial Award. The Mencimer Memorial Award was established in 1976 and is awarded yearly to the most outstanding female studentathlete at CSU.
As for the team setter, Pritchard prioritized supporting her fellow peers this season. With an outstanding 1,044 assist total, she dominated the leaderboard and placed fourth in the Mountain West. Additionally, she accomplished a major milestone by reaching 100 career aces during her time with Colorado State.
Last but not least, Sullivan stood side by side with both seniors protecting the court. Overall, she accomplished 311.5 points, 63 blocks and 749 total attacks.
With a possible need for a rebuilding season and looking for a new head coach, the Colorado State Rams will carry on the team legacy and look to come back even stronger next season. To stay up to date on any information regarding the Rams, tune into their Twitter for daily highlights @csuvolleyball.
Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@ collegian.com. This is a special feature on the homeopathic alternatives to better your all-around health! Every feature, there will be a suggested plant or vitamin that research and my personal experience has shown to be an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medicine or just an addition to your daily wellness.
Lions Mane is rare mushroom that is most commonly used for brain function and focus. It is an important factor of Chinese medicine and goes by many strange names like monkey head mushroom and bearded tooth mushroom, due to its peculiar shaggy appearance. It can be bought in forms of tea and extract tablets or powder. Eating raw or cooked is also beneficial. You can find it raw in the wild but it is a very rare fungus. It can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety, and it can boost natural immunity. There have been studies on mice that prove Lions Man can help improve the state of memory and potentially dementia. Overall, if taken daily, it has shown to significantly improve your brain function, focus and energy. I suggest adding it to your coffee to avoid the 2 o’clock crash.
LIONS MANE
Hericium erinaceus
References
Popov, M. Lion's mane mushroom - what it is really good for? Mushrooms Health. (2020, November 16). Retrieved October 13, 2022)
IN REVIEW
After a 3-9 season, what’s next for Jay Norvell’s football team?
Members of the Colorado State University football team enter the field for their game against California State University, Sacramento Sept. 24. CSU lost 41-10. PHOTO BY SARA SHAVER THE COLLEGIAN
By Braidon Nourse
@braidonnourse
Head coach Jay Norvell’s inaugural season with the Colorado State University football team is over. After going 3-9 on the season and 3-5 in conference play, there may be more questions now than there ever were before the season.
But there’s also more to look forward to. The schedule
Nobody expected the Rams to go into The Big House of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and escape with a win. But what did come as a surprise was the Rams’ winless nonconference schedule, which included a loss to Football Championship Subdivision team California State University, Sacramento. Following the 0-4 start to the season, the transfer announcements came in like a flood.
As Norvell said during the Jay Norvell Coach’s Show before CSU’s first conference game against the University of Nevada, Reno, the departure of several strong starters “got a lot of nonsense” out of the program. However, the team ended up winning that game due to one of the best defensive outings of the season against Norvell’s former team.
The Rams only won two more games after that: one a comefrom-behind victory against the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the other a shutout victory against The University of New Mexico on CSU’s Senior Day. The 17-0 victory over New Mexico was the program’s first shutout since the 2016 season, when the Rams blanked California State University, Fresno 37-0. The stars
The less-than-impressive season for the Rams had its standout moments and performances throughout the season by their best players on offense and defense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Clay Millen, who played his first full season as a starter this year, broke the all-time season completion percentage record for a freshman, completing 169 of his 234 attempts for a 72.2% mark.
Wide receiver Tory Horton received two All-Mountain West honors for his efforts on the field. Receiving for a conference-best 1,131 yards this season, he secured himself a spot on the All-Mountain West First Team for offense. He also received an honorable mention as a punt returner. His punting return average over the season was 15.5 yards, with his best moment as a returner being a 72yard touchdown return against the University of Wyoming. What’s next
For players and coaches alike, the conclusion of the season means back to the drawing board and, more importantly, to the recruiting board. Following the Rams’ season finale, Norvell said the biggest recruiting focus would be on the graduating seniors of the program who have not exhausted their eligibility.
Another recruiting avenue the staff plans to take is through the offensive line. That unit was subpar this year, allowing a college football-high of 59 sacks this season. This is the one area the team has the most opportunity to build up for next season, as allowing that many sacks heavily limits offensive opportunities.
Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@ collegian.com.
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Fall break sports recap
PHOTOS BY SERENA BETTIS
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1. Colorado State University volleyball players Malaya Jones (1) and Naeemah Weathers (9) celebrate a block against San Diego State University during the quarterfinals of the 2022 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament Nov. 23. The Rams lost 3-2 in five hard-fought, close sets. 2. Graduate student Josiah Strong (3) prepares to make a free throw against Mississppi Valley State University at Moby Arena Nov. 26. Colorado State University won 88-45, bringing their season record to 5-2. 3. Senior John Tonje (1) dunks the ball during the Rams’ game against Mississippi Valley State University at Moby Arena Nov. 26. The Rams won 88-45. 4. The Colorado State University Golden Poms perform before kickoff at the CSU football game against The University of New Mexico Lobos Nov. 25. CSU won 17-0 to end head coach Jay Norvell’s first season with the Rams. 5. Colorado State University wide receiver Tory Horton (14) falls into the end zone to complete a touchdown during the CSU game against The University of New Mexico at Canvas Stadium Nov. 25. The Rams beat the Lobos 17-0, leaving UNM with zero Mountain West Conference wins in the 2022 season.
VISUAL ARTS
Colorado State University freshman Sophia Galier shares her artwork at the CSU Student Art Exhibition Nov. 29. “This is one of my pieces from my senior (Advanced Placement) art portfolio,” Galier said. “My art portfolio focused on sexual assault and the aftermath of it. This piece specifically is focusing on directly after the sexual assault and how the red hands, they’re not actually there, but even though the assault has already happened, the victim can still feel it. It kind of just represents how sexual assault is not something that goes away easily, and it sticks with you.”
PHOTO BY MICHAEL MARQUARDT
THE COLLEGIAN
Annual Student Art Exhibition is now open
By Barnaby Atwood
@csucollegian
Students’ art pieces are featured in the Curfman Gallery in Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center for the Student Art Exhibition.
The gallery, ran by the LSC Arts Program, rotates through different exhibits every few months — from solo artist shows to their annual Student Art Exhibit.
This exhibit will be open through Jan. 27, featuring art made exclusively by students.
“I think the gallery is a fantastic way to get to know the creative minds we have at CSU,” said Alice Newman, LSC Arts Program colead installer and docent. “Spaces like this are such a good way to see how people are combining their research with art and seeing how people work through their process. I think it’s just such a cool place because we really do show a lot of different things.”
Newman and other LSC Arts Program staff nominate the jurors, who then select the pieces of artwork displayed in the gallery.
Sophia Galier is one of the artists whose work is featured in the exhibit. She originally heard of the opportunity through the LSC Arts Program’s Instagram and was encouraged by her mom to submit. Her piece “Still There” depicts the aftermath of sexual assault.
“The red hands, they’re not actually there, but even though the assault has already happened, the victims can still like feel it,” Galier said. “It kind of just represents how sexual assault is not something that goes away easily, and it sticks with you. I wanted it to be very hard to look at.”
Galier was accompanied to the opening by her friend Jaycee Cameron.
“I think (the exhibit’s) pretty cool,” Cameron said. “It gives students the opportunity to feature their artwork that they worked on rather than it just being like a class project.”
“What I like about the gallery is that you can come in here and you can confront ideas in a way that involves our emotional experience,” said Doug Sink, the LSC Arts Program manager. “I don’t think there’s a lot of room for that in our academic experience, so it’s a way that we can kind of be more fluid people in the way that we think about contemporary issues and the way that we go through the world.”
Another displayed work, “3-Piece Combo,” was submitted by Dylan Barber. Barber grew up surrounded by art, with his grandmother being an artist as well as drawing guidance from his grandfather. The piece was heavily inspired by Barber’s own childhood growing up homeless and in poverty.
“To me, (the piece) represents the lifestyle of poverty as an American,” Barber said. “The country dangles a lot of these things towards poor people. And we want them; we go for them — it’s a trap though. Painting and creating art is something that means a lot to me. So I’m trying to put that into the painting but also keep the childlike sense of creativity and passion for art that I had since I was a kid.”
The jurors nominated to select the pieces to be displayed were artists from the Colorado area and had to be unaffiliated with CSU to avoid conflicts of interest. This year’s jurors were JayCee Beyale, an artist and co-curator at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Colorado, and Mamiko Ikeda, an artist and faculty member at the Art Students League of Denver.
The jurors looked through 260 submissions and chose the final pieces based on what they thought would work best in the show. After that, the LSC Arts Program’s staff received the pieces from the artists and decided on where they would be placed in the gallery.
The submissions can be any combination media, the only restriction being it has to be a recent piece made in the last 18 months.
Reach Barnaby Atwood at entertainment@collegian.com.
DOUG SINK
LSC ARTS PROGRAM MANAGER
