Leopard Athletics enjoyed yet another successful and action-packed year in 2012-13. Teams or individuals in 10 sports advanced to postseason play. Conference titles were won by both golf and women's track & field while several records, program firsts and significant milestones were achieved. Success continued on the national level as La Verne placed 51st in the final Division III Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings out of more than 300 competing institutions.
FALL
Leopard football continued its climb under second year head coach Chris Krich. Though the Leopards concluded 2012 with its second straight 4-5 overall record, the squad finished SCIAC play with a 4-3 mark to post its first winning conference season since 1999. Krich’s effort was ranked as the No. 7 coaching performance in the Inland Valley in 2012-13. Among the season highlights included a record-setting performance from junior Matt Biggers, who rushed for a single-game school record of 304 yards against nationally-ranked Cal Lutheran on November 3. Biggers ended his season with a conference best of 1,397 rushing yards.
Under the direction of head coach Jenna Panatier, Leopard volleyball returned to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the West Region semifinals. The Leopards concluded the year with a 22-6 overall record in 2012 and cracked the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll for the first time in three seasons. Seniors Kayla Cribbs and Randi Taylor-Toomay were AVCA All-West Region and Honorable Mention All-America selections.
One of the top individual seasons in Leopard athletic history was turned in by senior Lenore Moreno, who enjoyed a stellar cross country campaign. She became La Verne's first-ever All-American in program history, finishing 17th overall at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Prior to earning All-America status, Moreno was named Division III Cross Country West Region Female Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA). She claimed first place at the West Region Championships, becoming the first-ever Leopard to win a regional championship meet. She was also named Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year after winning both the SCIAC Multi-Dual and SCIAC Championship meets.
The La Verne men's cross country team also made history in qualifying for the NCAA Championships. The Leopard team earned a spot to the national meet by virtue of its third place finish at the West Region championships, to garner the program’s first-ever team berth to the NCAAs. The quintet of Alex Forbess, Bryan Hayes, AJ Licon, Matthew Sustayta and Sean Kusick earned All-West Region honors.
WINTER
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams enjoyed solid campaigns with respective fourth place finishes in conference play.
The Leopard men rebounded from a slow start to win 11 of its last 14 games and posted a 9-7 record in the SCIAC to place in a tie for fourth in the league standings. The Leos were paced by senior point guard Jake Vieth, who led the conference in scoring en route to being named to the D3hoops.com All-West Region Third Team.
The La Verne women’s hoops team also finished in a tie for fourth place in the SCIAC with an impressive 11-5 league record. Senior guard Amanda Copas became the ninth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point club for her career, achieving the milestone on February 7 in a home triumph over Whittier.
Swimming & Diving produced a pair of All-Americans in junior Marc Okimura and sophomore Maddie Lovrensky. Okimura became a two-time All-America, placing fifth in the men’s 200 yard breaststroke in addition to finishing seventh in the men’s 100 yard back at the NCAA Championships, setting school records in both events. Lovrensky, the SCIAC Champion in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events, earned a sixth place finish in the 100 back final at the NCAA meet while later setting a conference record in the women's 200 yard backstroke with a time of 2:01.64. Overall, Leopard athletes established 10 new varsity swimming & diving records in 2012-13.
SPRING
La Verne golf continued its conference supremacy in 2013 by capturing its seventh consecutive SCIAC crown, going wire-to-wire atop the league standings. The squad was anchored by the quartet of senior Derek Zachman, juniors Keven Holliday and Paul Gomez along with sophomore Kelby Scharmann. The foursome would go on to earn All-West Region honors on their way to leading the Leos to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships. Zachman represented the Leopards on the All-America squad as a Third Team selection.
Women’s track & field captured its first conference title in eight years, finishing a perfect 7-0 in dual meet competition while placing first at the SCIAC Track & Field Championships. Individual conference champions included senior Losa Akauola (shot put, discus), junior Deanna Doss (hammer) and junior Nicole Crutchfield (100 meters). All-America honors went to Lenore Moreno, who followed her strong cross country season with a record-breaking effort on the track. In addition to setting a school record in the 5,000 meters (17:09.70), Moreno - named the Inland Valley's No. 9 athlete for 2012-13 - set a SCIAC all-time best in the 10,000 meters with a time of 35:00.43 on her way to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Men’s track & field earned a second place conference finish while producing a pair of All-Americans in senior Paul Turner and junior Chancise Watkins. Turner, who placed third in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, concluded his career by placing sixth in the same event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to become a six-time All-American. Watkins equaled the school record in the 200 meters (21.31) on his way to a seventh place effort at the NCAAs. Conference champions included Watkins in the 200 along with Michael Anderson (110 hurdles), James Francis (long jump), Matt Rehder (javelin) and Jacob Lopez (triple jump).
Leopard tennis enjoyed a significant breakthrough in a season filled with program firsts. The squad posted 13 wins on the year, earning its first-ever national ranking in the process. La Verne entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Top 30 Poll in March and finished the season ranked No. 28. Freshman Andrea Madrigal became the first Leopard to compete at the NCAA Tennis Championships, earning a spot in singles competition and also securing the program's first-ever national ranking, closing the year ranked No. 34 overall in singles.
Softball recorded yet another winning season, posting a 25-16 overall record including a 16-12 mark in league play for a fourth place finish to secure a bid in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.
Baseball also finished 16-12 in a very competitive SCIAC season en route to a 22-16 overall record. Scott Winterburn reached a milestone by recording his 300th win as Leopard head coach in April. Pitcher Kevin Knight, who posted a 6-3 record with a 1.94 earned run average, garnered an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Third Team All-Region selection.
All told, La Verne boasted seven nationally-ranked teams, 11 All-America selections and 81 All-Conference honorees.
