Welcome to the fall 2024 Pilots semester RoundUP. Take a break from your studies and tune into this fall semester recap for each team's season highlights and most fascinating stats. With the end of the semester right around the corner, the fall season has ended for soccer, cross country, volleyball, rowing and tennis, while track and field and basketball have started their winter campaigns. Men’s cross country/track and field: Pilot men’s cross country clinched the WCC title at the WCC Championships with an overall score of 27, beating Gonzaga University who placed second with an overall score of 42. Runners Matt Strangio, Jona Bodirsky, Bradley Peloquin, Jonas Gertsen and Kgadi Monyebodi secured All-WCC First Team Honors, while runner Cameron Stein earned All-WCC Second Team recognition. The Pilots wrapped up their fall 2024 season at the NCAA West Regional race placing fifth overall with a score of 102. Strangio and Bodirsky both placed in the top 25, earning them All-Region honors. Strangio’s second-place finish earned him an individual qualification to the NCAA National Championships. Strangio finished the season strong earning an All-American honor for his 22nd-place finish in the men’s 10K race at the NCAA National Championships. Strangio was also awarded WCC Co-Runner of the Year and Rob Conner, head coach of the men’s cross country team, was named WCC Coach of the Year. The Pilots will now transition to track and field for the start of their 2024-25 indoor season before taking a break for the holidays. Pilot men's cross country poses with the WCC conference trophy. Photo courtesy of WCC Sports. Women’s cross country/track and field: Pilot women’s cross country ended the season racing at the WCC Championships, NCAA West Regionals and NCAA National Championships. At the WCC Championships, the Pilots finished second overall with a score of 49, just behind Gonzaga University who placed first with a score of 35. Runners Fleur Templier, Laura Pellicoro, Maebh Richardson and Juliette Forstrom all finished in the top ten spots earning them All-WCC First Team honors. At the NCAA West Regional, the Pilots finished fifth overall with a score of 156. Pellicoro and Templier placed 8th and 11th respectively, earning them All-Region honors for their top-25 finishes. Pellicoro’s 8th-place finish earned her an individual qualification to the NCAA National Championships, where she placed 28th in the women’s 6K race and earned an All-American honor. The Pilots will now shift to track and field for the start of their 2024-25 indoor season before winter break. Sophomore Fleur Templier races at the WCC conference championship. Photo courtesy of WCC Sports. Men’s soccer: Pilot men’s soccer finished the season with an overall record of 7-4-7 and went undefeated in the WCC with a record of 4-0-4. Despite going undefeated in conference games, the Pilots finished fourth in the WCC with 16 points. The team ended the season on a ten-game unbeaten streak, the third longest in the country, and notched big wins against top teams. They beat the University of California, Berkeley 2-0, the University of San Diego 2-0 and Oregon State University 3-2. Men’s soccer finished the season with a total of 32 goals, 43 assists and five shutouts. Joe Highfield had the most goals for the Pilots this season with seven, while Diego Rosas led the team in assists with eight. Miguel-Angel Hernandez had the most clean sheets for the Pilots this season, shutting out three teams. Pilots Nick Fernandez and Highfield earned All-WCC First Team honors, while Miguel-Angel Hernandez and Sebastian Nava earned All-WCC Second Team honors for their contributions this season. Jose Olmos and Diego Rosas were awarded All-WCC Honorable Mention honors and Highfield was also awarded All-WCC Freshman Team honors. Men’s soccer will now rest and recover over winter break before the start of their 2025 spring season. Senior goalkeeper Bre Norris defends against USC. Women’s soccer: Pilot women’s soccer ended the season with an overall record of 9-5-6 and a WCC record of 4-3-3. They finished the WCC season in seventh place with 15 points but had a few big wins during the season. They beat the University of Hawai’i at Manoa 1-0, the University of Nebraska 1-0 and Oregon State University 1-0. The Pilots ended the season with 36 goals, 28 assists, and eight shutouts. Hailey Still led the team in goals with seven, Isabella Yakel had the most assists with five and Bre Norris had the most clean sheets with six. Norris and Katana Norman were awarded All-WCC First Team honors. Norris was also nominated to the 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List and won WCC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first Pilot in history to win the award twice. Norris made history this season by breaking the women’s soccer program record for total saves. She surpassed the previous record of 263 and now holds the record with 279 career saves for the Pilots. Cally Togiai earned All-WCC Second Team honors and Jillian McBride earned All-WCC Freshman Team honors for their stellar performances this season. Pilots women’s soccer will now take a break over winter and get ready for their upcoming spring 2025 season. Volleyball: Pilots volleyball completed their 2024 fall season with an overall record of 12-16 and a WCC record of 5-13. They finished the season tenth in the WCC but worked hard to produce some key wins, beating Seattle University, Santa Clara University and Saint Mary’s College of California. The Pilots notched a total of 1,310 kills, 1,366 digs, 1,211 assists, 154 aces and 228.0 blocks over the course of the season. Maui Robins led the team in kills and aces with 305 and 32 respectively. Tinoa Woodward-Hart led the team in digs with 342, while Havana Hoeft was the assist leader totaling 924. Taina Kaauwai got the most blocks with 114.0. Kaauwai earned All-WCC First Team honors for her outstanding defensive play this season. She set a new career and school record getting 12 blocks in a single match. Hoeft and Robins both earned All-WCC Honorable Mention honors for their contributions on the court. Men’s basketball: Pilot men’s basketball opened their 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, with an 83-70 win against Lewis & Clark College. The Pilots have played ten games so far and hold an overall record of 3-7. They will continue to ramp up their schedule in the coming weeks and will play their conference opener at home against Washington State University on Saturday, Dec. 28. Women’s basketball: Pilot women’s basketball started their 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, beating the University of Hawai’i at Manoa 76-65. They have had the best start to a season in program history and are undefeated so far, holding an overall record of 10-0. Maise Burnham is the points leader for the team, putting up 174 across the ten games they’ve played. McKelle Meek leads the way in assists with 41, while Alexis Mark leads in rebounds with 67. Emme Shearer has the most steals for the Pilots with 27 and Trista Hull has the most blocks with 20. The Pilots will look to continue their historic, unbeaten run during the holiday schedule and will open their WCC season traveling to play against Loyola Marymount University on Thursday, Dec. 19. Senior guard Maisie Burnham prepares to pass the ball at a women's basketball game. Rowing: Pilot rowing competed at three races this fall and ended their competitive fall season at the Head of the American race which featured several WCC opponents. The Pilots had three boats race in the competition and placed 15th, 25th and 26th. Rowing will now look ahead to the start of the 2025 spring season. Men’s tennis: Pilot men’s tennis competed at five tournaments this fall, ending their season in Spokane, Washington at the Gonzaga Invitational in November. Pilot doubles team Cade Fernando and Tannor Binder won the White Doubles Draw defeating the University of Montana 8-4 in the final. Overall, the Pilots finished the tournament with a record of 6-5 in singles and 4-2 in doubles. Men’s tennis will now take a break over winter and get ready for their spring dual team season. They will play their first match at home against the University of Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 25. Women’s tennis: Pilot women’s tennis competed at six tournaments this fall and completed their season at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in November. Pilot doubles team Sally Pethybridge and Alaia Rubio Perez defeated Saint Francis University before losing to the No. 29-ranked team from Vanderbilt University in the round of 16. Pilot women’s tennis will now enjoy the holidays and get ready for the start of their spring dual team season. They will return to the court for the Long Beach State University Winter Invite tournament that begins Friday, Jan. 17. Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter at The Beacon. He can be reached at hyde25@up.edu.

Welcome to the fall 2024 Pilots semester RoundUP. Take a break from your studies and tune into this fall semester recap for each team’s season highlights and most fascinating stats. With the end of the semester right around the corner, the fall season has ended for soccer, cross country, volleyball, rowing and tennis, while track […]

Welcome to the fall 2024 Pilots semester RoundUP. Take a break from your studies and tune into this fall semester recap for each team’s season highlights and most fascinating stats. With the end of the semester right around the corner, the fall season has ended for soccer, cross country, volleyball, rowing and tennis, while track and field and basketball have started their winter campaigns.

Men’s cross country/track and field:

Pilot men’s cross country clinched the WCC title at the WCC Championships with an overall score of 27, beating Gonzaga University who placed second with an overall score of 42. Runners Matt Strangio, Jona Bodirsky, Bradley Peloquin, Jonas Gertsen and Kgadi Monyebodi secured All-WCC First Team Honors, while runner Cameron Stein earned All-WCC Second Team recognition.

The Pilots wrapped up their fall 2024 season at the NCAA West Regional race placing fifth overall with a score of 102. Strangio and Bodirsky both placed in the top 25, earning them All-Region honors. Strangio’s second-place finish earned him an individual qualification to the NCAA National Championships.

Strangio finished the season strong earning an All-American honor for his 22nd-place finish in the men’s 10K race at the NCAA National Championships. Strangio was also awarded WCC Co-Runner of the Year and Rob Conner, head coach of the men’s cross country team, was named WCC Coach of the Year.

The Pilots will now transition to track and field for the start of their 2024-25 indoor season before taking a break for the holidays.

Pilot men’s cross country poses with the WCC conference trophy. Photo courtesy of WCC Sports.

Women’s cross country/track and field:

Pilot women’s cross country ended the season racing at the WCC Championships, NCAA West Regionals and NCAA National Championships. At the WCC Championships, the Pilots finished second overall with a score of 49, just behind Gonzaga University who placed first with a score of 35. Runners Fleur Templier, Laura Pellicoro, Maebh Richardson and Juliette Forstrom all finished in the top ten spots earning them All-WCC First Team honors.

At the NCAA West Regional, the Pilots finished fifth overall with a score of 156. Pellicoro and Templier placed 8th and 11th respectively, earning them All-Region honors for their top-25 finishes. Pellicoro’s 8th-place finish earned her an individual qualification to the NCAA National Championships, where she placed 28th in the women’s 6K race and earned an All-American honor.

The Pilots will now shift to track and field for the start of their 2024-25 indoor season before winter break.

Sophomore Fleur Templier races at the WCC conference championship. Photo courtesy of WCC Sports.

Men’s soccer:

Pilot men’s soccer finished the season with an overall record of 7-4-7 and went undefeated in the WCC with a record of 4-0-4. Despite going undefeated in conference games, the Pilots finished fourth in the WCC with 16 points. The team ended the season on a ten-game unbeaten streak, the third longest in the country, and notched big wins against top teams. They beat the University of California, Berkeley 2-0, the University of San Diego 2-0 and Oregon State University 3-2.

Men’s soccer finished the season with a total of 32 goals, 43 assists and five shutouts. Joe Highfield had the most goals for the Pilots this season with seven, while Diego Rosas led the team in assists with eight. Miguel-Angel Hernandez had the most clean sheets for the Pilots this season, shutting out three teams.

Pilots Nick Fernandez and Highfield earned All-WCC First Team honors, while Miguel-Angel Hernandez and Sebastian Nava earned All-WCC Second Team honors for their contributions this season. Jose Olmos and Diego Rosas were awarded All-WCC Honorable Mention honors and Highfield was also awarded All-WCC Freshman Team honors.

Men’s soccer will now rest and recover over winter break before the start of their 2025 spring season.

Senior goalkeeper Bre Norris defends against USC.

Women’s soccer:

Pilot women’s soccer ended the season with an overall record of 9-5-6 and a WCC record of 4-3-3. They finished the WCC season in seventh place with 15 points but had a few big wins during the season. They beat the University of Hawai’i at Manoa 1-0, the University of Nebraska 1-0 and Oregon State University 1-0.

The Pilots ended the season with 36 goals, 28 assists, and eight shutouts. Hailey Still led the team in goals with seven, Isabella Yakel had the most assists with five and Bre Norris had the most clean sheets with six.

Norris and Katana Norman were awarded All-WCC First Team honors. Norris was also nominated to the 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List and won WCC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first Pilot in history to win the award twice. Norris made history this season by breaking the women’s soccer program record for total saves. She surpassed the previous record of 263 and now holds the record with 279 career saves for the Pilots. Cally Togiai earned All-WCC Second Team honors and Jillian McBride earned All-WCC Freshman Team honors for their stellar performances this season.

Pilots women’s soccer will now take a break over winter and get ready for their upcoming spring 2025 season.

Volleyball:

Pilots volleyball completed their 2024 fall season with an overall record of 12-16 and a WCC record of 5-13. They finished the season tenth in the WCC but worked hard to produce some key wins, beating Seattle University, Santa Clara University and Saint Mary’s College of California.

The Pilots notched a total of 1,310 kills, 1,366 digs, 1,211 assists, 154 aces and 228.0 blocks over the course of the season. Maui Robins led the team in kills and aces with 305 and 32 respectively. Tinoa Woodward-Hart led the team in digs with 342, while Havana Hoeft was the assist leader totaling 924. Taina Kaauwai got the most blocks with 114.0.

Kaauwai earned All-WCC First Team honors for her outstanding defensive play this season. She set a new career and school record getting 12 blocks in a single match. Hoeft and Robins both earned All-WCC Honorable Mention honors for their contributions on the court.

Men’s basketball:

Pilot men’s basketball opened their 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, with an 83-70 win against Lewis & Clark College. The Pilots have played ten games so far and hold an overall record of 3-7. They will continue to ramp up their schedule in the coming weeks and will play their conference opener at home against Washington State University on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Women’s basketball:

Pilot women’s basketball started their 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, beating the University of Hawai’i at Manoa 76-65. They have had the best start to a season in program history and are undefeated so far, holding an overall record of 10-0. Maise Burnham is the points leader for the team, putting up 174 across the ten games they’ve played. McKelle Meek leads the way in assists with 41, while Alexis Mark leads in rebounds with 67. Emme Shearer has the most steals for the Pilots with 27 and Trista Hull has the most blocks with 20.

The Pilots will look to continue their historic, unbeaten run during the holiday schedule and will open their WCC season traveling to play against Loyola Marymount University on Thursday, Dec. 19.

Senior guard Maisie Burnham prepares to pass the ball at a women’s basketball game.

Rowing:

Pilot rowing competed at three races this fall and ended their competitive fall season at the Head of the American race which featured several WCC opponents. The Pilots had three boats race in the competition and placed 15th, 25th and 26th.

Rowing will now look ahead to the start of the 2025 spring season.

Men’s tennis:

Pilot men’s tennis competed at five tournaments this fall, ending their season in Spokane, Washington at the Gonzaga Invitational in November. Pilot doubles team Cade Fernando and Tannor Binder won the White Doubles Draw defeating the University of Montana 8-4 in the final. Overall, the Pilots finished the tournament with a record of 6-5 in singles and 4-2 in doubles.

Men’s tennis will now take a break over winter and get ready for their spring dual team season. They will play their first match at home against the University of Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 25.

Women’s tennis:

Pilot women’s tennis competed at six tournaments this fall and completed their season at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in November. Pilot doubles team Sally Pethybridge and Alaia Rubio Perez defeated Saint Francis University before losing to the No. 29-ranked team from Vanderbilt University in the round of 16.

Pilot women’s tennis will now enjoy the holidays and get ready for the start of their spring dual team season. They will return to the court for the Long Beach State University Winter Invite tournament that begins Friday, Jan. 17.

Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter at The Beacon. He can be reached at hyde25@up.edu.