Mustang sports: Recap and preview

Sports Currently Competing

Out of all the teams currently competing, one of the most successful has been the Mustang men’s basketball squad. The team opened the season with several key wins including a victory over rival Azusa Pacific. This led them into a clash with No. 1 ranked Langston University, in which the Mustangs pushed the national runner-up to the brink but lost 71-64. But the TMU men rebounded and reeled off seven straight wins including an upset over No. 2 College of Idaho in the MacArthur Center. This was Coach Starr’s 300th career win and put the Mustangs firmly on the map in the NAIA basketball scene. 

TMU’s high-powered offense led by Kaleb Lowery (16.9 ppg) yielded a point differential average of over 20 points per game. Some games to look for on the horizon are the two games against No. 6 Arizona Christian University, (at home on Jan. 8 and on the road on Feb. 8) and when RV Hope International comes to Newhall to close the season on Feb 8. 

The women’s basketball team also has had a strong start to the season. The defending GSAC champs from 2024 have taken two trips outside California to compete in tournaments. TMU went 1-1 in both the University of Providence Classic in Great Falls, MT and the Freed-Hardeman Classic in Henderson, TN. These tournaments allowed the Lady Mustangs to compete with some top NAIA and NCAA squads. Marin Lentz is leading the Lady Mustangs in scoring after multiple 20+ point performances to start the season. They will start GSAC play on Jan. 4 as TMU looks to defend their GSAC title. Their contest against RV Arizona Christian University on Jan. 8 could be a key game in deciding the GSAC title race.

The TMU swim team has also been competing since September and has had a dominating start to the season. With multiple All-Americans and 200m freestyle national champion Kylee Sears returning, the Mustangs look to build off their historic 2023-2024 season in which they set multiple program records. In a GSAC quad-meet back in October, the Mustang men won every event except one. In the same competition, the women won all but four events. The Mustangs will host their own meet at the Castaic Aquatics Center in Castaic, Calif. on Jan. 18.

Sports to Look Forward to

This spring there will be several TMU teams looking to make their mark in the new-look GSAC. The golf teams will be starting their spring season as they look to make the push towards the NAIA championships. Senior Johnathan Larson won all four of his matches in the fall and Hannah Ulibarri had great success on the women’s side. The baseball team will also begin their season officially on Jan. 30 at home versus Missouri Baptist as the Mustangs look to improve on their 23-19 campaign from a year ago.

The men’s volleyball team and women’s beach volleyball teams will also start back competing as the men look to return to the NAIA Championships where they finished second last season. Both of these teams will start their season in late January and early February. 

Fall Sports Capsules

Cross Country

The women’s team became the first team in TMU history to win a National Title, winning the tournament by a single point. Hannah Fredricks, Ellen Palmgren, Emma Nelson and Suzie Johnson earned All-American Honors.

On the 6k course at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., Fredricks finished second (20:45.3), Palmgren in eighth, (21:08.6), Nelson in ninth (21:11.2), Johnson in 37th (21:47.1) and Rebekah Niednagel in 42nd (21:54.8) to round out the top five times. They beat Taylor University by one point, the closest margin of victory in championship history.

Daniel Rush, in his first year as head coach, earned the NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year Award, becoming the youngest to ever earn the award at just 23 years old.

The men’s team finished in fourth in the NAIA National Championship, with Jack Anderson and Connor Ybarra earning All-American honors.

Both cross country teams won their respective GSAC Championship races, which earned them their spots into the NAIA National Championship.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s team (21-8, 12-2 GSAC) became the GSAC Regular Season Champions and won the GSAC Championship Tournament, the first time they have done so since 2018.

Grace Colburn was named GSAC Player of the Year, with Ruby Duncan, Sierra Hale and Timberlie Miller joining Colburn as a part of the GSAC All-Conference Team.

Head Coach Annett Davis was named GSAC Coach of the Year while Assistant Coach McKenna Hafner was named GSAC Assistant Coach of the Year.

They defeated Benedictine College (KS) in their opening round match of the NAIA National Championship, earning a trip to Sioux City, Iowa to enter pool play. The Mustangs lost to Concordia (3-1) in their first match and fell 0-3 to No. 13-seed Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) to finish the season.

Golf

The men’s team ended their fall season with three wins and a third place finish in four events. Senior Jonathan Larson became the first player in program history to win four events in succession as well as winning every single event in the fall season.

The women’s team finished in third place at two events. Junior Hannah Ulibarri claimed two first place finishes and two top-5 finishes in four events.

Both teams are in the offseason and await the beginning of the spring season.

Soccer

The men’s team (9-9-2, 8-4-2 GSAC) finished second in the regular season standings, defeating Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ) in the semifinals but losing to Hope International University (CA) in the finals.

Trent Rickard was named the GSAC Player of the Year, with Tyrik Trotman, Theo Kudlo and Prince Chingancheke joining Rickard as part of the GSAC All-Conference Team.

The women’s team (15-5-1, 11-2-1 GSAC) also finished second in the standings, beating No. 23 Hope International University in the semifinals before losing to No. 15 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the finals match. 

They also qualified for the NAIA National Championship, which was their first appearance in the national stage since 2019. They would lose their opening round match against No. 4 University of Tennessee Southern 1-0.

Breanna Fajardo was named GSAC Freshman of the Year, joining Harmony Rohde, Hannah Kopp, Kate Merical and Kagan Brunnemann in the GSAC All-Conference Team.

Basketball

The men’s team (9-1) began their season in stride. Notably, they defeated the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, The College of Idaho, where Head Coach Kelvin Starr earned his 300th career win with the team.

The women’s team (4-3) began their season with new Head Coach Fonda Wilson taking over. They began their season with an impressive win in an exhibition game against Azusa Pacific University.

Both teams will continue their season through the Winter Break before playing their first conference match against Hope International University on Jan. 4. 

Swim and Dive

The men’s and women’s swim and dive teams are deep into their season and continue to dominate in the pool, especially in their most recent showing in the La Verne Invitational.

The men’s team are eighth in points in the NAIA standings, breaking seven team records in their most recent showing. 

Crane holds two team records in the 50 yard freestyle (20.48) and 100 yard freestyle (44.51). Tyler LeDet has a team record in the 500 yard freestyle (4:36.41). Desmond Sutanto has a team record in the 100 yard breaststroke (57.09). Nilton Dos Santos de Oliveira has a team record in the 100 yard individual medley (52.24). 

Marius Mora, along with Crane, Sutanto and Oliveira have a team record in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:24.36). Charley Sears, with Crane, LeDet and Oliveira have a team record in the (3:04.49).

The women’s team sit at fifth in points in the NAIA standings, breaking 11 team records in their most recent showing.

Katherine Dyer holds seven team records, three of which are also NAIA records. She has the best NAIA times in the 200 yard individual medley (2:00.33), 400 yard individual medley (4:16.23) and the 200 yard freestyle (1:49.11). Her other four team records are in the 50 yard freestyle (49.93), 100 yard freestyle (49.93), 100 yard breaststroke (1:03.07) and 200 yard backstroke (1:59.96).

Cassandra O’Connor has the team record in the 100 yard individual medley (1:04.54). Camryn Bussey, Kylee Sears, Trudy Patterson and Dyer have two team records in the 400 yard medley relay (3:54.45) and the 800 yard freestyle relay (7:39.52). Johanna Busk, Bussey, Sears and Dyer hold the team record in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:36.79).