UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

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UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
University University of California, Santa Barbara
Conference Big West Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Gary Cunningham
Location Santa Barbara, CA
Varsity teams
Football stadium Harder Stadium
Basketball arena UCSB Events Center
Mascot Fantom of the Thunderdome
Nickname Gauchos
Fight song "Big 'C'" (official), "Gaucho" (unofficial)
Colors Blue and Gold

             
Homepage UCSB Athletics

The mascot of UCSB is the Gaucho and the school colors are blue and gold. UCSB's sports teams compete in the Big West Conference, with the exception of the men's and women's water polo teams and the men's volleyball team, which are in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Santa Barbara is best known for its women's basketball and men's soccer teams.

Athletics at UCSB is not limited to the Intercollegiate Athletic Department. While there are some 400 students in ICA, there are over 700 in Recreational Sports Teams including: Alpine Racing, Cycling, Fencing, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Rugby, Sailing, Soccer, Triathlon, Ultimate, Water Ski and Rowing. Many of these teams are highly regarded and compete against Intercollegiate teams from across the US. For example Rowing has produced several national team members including Nine-time National Rowing Team member Amy Fuller, winner of several Olympic and World Championship medals and currently head of the UCLA Rowing Program.

Many other hundreds of students participate in a large Intramural program consisting of Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Flag Football, Golf, Floor Hockey, Indoor and Outdoor Soccer, Racquetball, Squash, Running, Softball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Inner tube water polo, and Kickball.

Contents

[edit] NCAA Division I Sports

[edit] UCSB Soccer

Main article: UCSB Soccer

In 2004, the men's soccer team advanced to the College Cup (College Soccer's "Final Four"). UCSB routed Duke University Blue Devils in the semifinals 5-0, but lost in the championship match to Indiana Hoosiers on penalty kicks.

In 2006, UCSB again advanced to the College Cup. In the semi-finals, the Gauchos and 2nd seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons played to a 0-0 tie; UCSB won the game on penalty kicks 4-3. In the championship game, UCSB faced the UCLA Bruins and won by a score of 2-1[1] to win their first NCAA Men's Soccer title and the second overall NCAA championship (1979 Men's Water Polo) in school history.[2]

In conference play, the Gauchos have dominated Big West play. They have won the Big West Championship in 5 of the last 7 years. Also, the Gauchos have had no less than 4 players receive full international caps.

[edit] Basketball

In 2005, the women's basketball team won its unprecedented ninth straight Big West Conference Championship. The team had its best year in history during the 2004 season when it advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 where it lost to eventual champion University of Connecticut.

The Gauchos men's basketball team had its best years in the late '80s and early '90s under coach Jerry Pimm, highlighted by a 77-70 victory over #1 UNLV in 1990, and NCAA tournament appearances in 1988 (lost to Maryland) and 1990 (defeated Houston and lost to Michigan State). The Gauchos returned to the NCAA tournament in 2002 where they nearly upset powerhouse Arizona in the opening round. Over the years, a few of Pimm's assistants at UCSB have went on to coach other major programs across the country, including Ben Howland (1982-1994) of UCLA and Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh. UCSB basketball and volleyball teams play at the UCSB Events Center, commonly known as the Thunderdome (capacity 6,000).

[edit] Swimming

Based out of Campus Pool on the UCSB campus, the swimming program has seen its fair share of success. For 32 seasons Gregg Wilson has been the head coach of the men's and women's swimming teams. Wilson has posted a dual meet record of 292-208-1 (172-115 with the men, 120-92-1 with the women). Even more impressive, his squads have collected 34 Big West Conference Championships, 24 by his men’s teams and 10 by his women’s teams. Before the University of Texas men's swim team broke it, the UCSB men's swim team set the NCAA record for most consecutive conference titles in any sport with 23 straight Big West conference championships from 1979-2001. The men’s teams have been ranked as high as 16th nationally and several of his swimmers over the years have advanced to the NCAA Championships. In fact, the men’s team has turned in 38 all-American performances under Wilson. Notable alumni of the program include Olympic gold medalists Richard Schroeder, Jason Lezak (the current American record holder in the 100 meter freestyle), Sandy Neilson, Sophie Kamoun, former 50-meter freestyle world record holder Bruce Stahl (the first person to ever hold this world record), as well as the oft-hated Pat Cary.

[edit] Water Polo & Volleyball

UCSB won the 1979 national championship in men's water polo, defeating UCLA in the championship match by a score of 11-3. The men's volleyball team has finished as the NCAA runner up 4 times, most recently in 1988.

[edit] "Club" Sports

[edit] Fencing

UCSB has a club fencing team that regularly competes against NCAA teams in the Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California. In 1992 UCSB Fencing won the overall conference tittle, upsetting the strongly favored California State Long Beach. In 1994 and 1995, the Men's Foil Team captured consecutive gold medals. The Men's Foil Team consisted of Craig Johnson, Kevin Sparkman and Hien Ha. Because of Craig and Kevin's similar fencing styles and physical resemblance, their coach often confused the two. Subsequently they were known simply as the Crevin.

The men's sabre squad, while it never took gold, consistently claimed silver or bronze as a squad from 1992 until 1996. The championship squad was Jim Emmons, Phil Ives, and Jason Levin. Individually the squad fared well, though not so well as foil--Phil Ives was third in the league one year and Jim Emmons was seventh. Injuries and changes in squad line-up did little to help sabre, but that said, they managed to do well in spite of that. Only Jim Emmons and Jon Tarantino were present from 1993 until 1996. A succession of other sabreurs, notably Erik Baker, Doug Graham (who also fenced foil and épée for the Gauchos), Chad Park, Dave Patterson, and an Italian exchange student, Federico Bullo, were members of the sabre squad at one time or another.

In terms of coaching, the Gauchos took the title under the tutelage of Edwin "Buzz" Hurst, their head coach during the early nineties (a student of Buzz's, Thomas Van Horn, sometimes assisted in weekly lessons, particularly for the sabreurs). Budget cuts are never kind to club sports, however, and the team could not afford a coach, so we lost Buzz who went on to coach in San Diego. Happily, several fencers began driving to Los Angeles to fence at Salle Couturier, and through that relationship, and through the growing friendships that Gaucho fencers made with Couturier fencers at tournaments, UCSB found a new coach, Brian Pena. Other Couturier fencers, such as Larry Dunn, and Al Couturier himself, often joined Brian at UCSB. Al and Larry worked out with the sabre squad. Brian took the men's foil squad to success after success. As this generation of fencers graduated or moved on, these relationships moved with them, and so UCSB was in need of a coach again. Among the coaches who stepped in were Phil Hariff, Jeff Van Housen, and more recently, Tim Robinson, the proprietor and coach at Salle Presidio in Santa Barbara.

[edit] Lacrosse

UCSB Men's Lacrosse team is one of the best club teams in the nation. The program boasts two National Championships and consistently is in the top tier of the WCLL (Western Collegiate Lacrosse League). The women's team has grown in stature since the 2003-2004 season when it earned its first-ever WDIA National appearance in St. Louis, MO. The Gauchos superseded their 2004 season with a 20-2 season in 2005, including a WWLL championship over undefeated Cal Poly and a 3rd place finish at Nationals in Blaine, MO. In recent years the women's program has continued to grow and has remained within the Top 5 in National polls, including a fourth place finish in 2007.

[edit] Rowing (Crew)

The men's and women's crew teams row out of the team boathouse that was erected just prior to the 1982-1983 school year at Lake Cachuma. The boat house was paid for entirely by then head coach Michael Tremain. The teams received a boost following the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when several hundred thousand dollars worth of shells, equipment and dock were donated to the team by the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. In the 1985-1986 season, the team won the Head of the Harbor regatta in Wilmington as well as the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship at Lake Natoma in Sacramento.

[edit] Sailing

UCSB hosts one of California's fifteen university sailing teams. They are currently not ranked among the top-twenty teams nation-wide.

[edit] Surf Team

UCSB's 12-time national championship surf team holds more trophies than any other surf team in the nation. Its last national championship was in 2005 at the NSSA Nationals.

[edit] Ultimate Frisbee

UCSB also has two of the nation's most competitive Ultimate Frisbee teams, although neither plays under the "Gauchos" moniker. In the Ultimate Players Association's College Open (Men's) division, the Black Tide is consistently ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation and holds six national titles. In the College Women's division, the Burning Skirts are similarly-respected and have earned 3 national titles since their inception.

[edit] Gaucho Locos

Since 1998, UCSB athletics have received support from a booster club, the Gaucho Locos, founded by the UCSB student body. The Gaucho Locos were originally known as the Gauchoholics but changed its name due to negative connotations. The Gaucho Locos could be spotted at UCSB athletic events with their signature golden yellow t-shirts with a top ten list on their back, similar to the ones on The Late Show with David Letterman.

The Locos are also accompanied by their famous mascot, "The Fantom of the dome" a man with black swim goggles and a black cape, who usually wears denim shorts along with a golden yellow UCSB basketball jersey and a Gaucho loco t-shirt underneath.The Fantom is a UCSB Alumni who graduated in 1995. He only manages to make a couple of games a year as he is currently a teacher at Rancho Cucamonga High school. He also is currently the mascot for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the Angel's minor league franchise.

[edit] The Gaucho Pep Band

Like many organizations at UCSB, the Gaucho Pep Band is completely managed by students. As a volunteer organization, members (by definition) receive no financial or academic compensation for their service. The reward most members of the Gaucho Band find is in the acquisition of lasting friendships and a sense of camaraderie unlike that found anywhere else on campus or off. The pep band plays at all home men and women basketball games along with the occasional soccer, ultimate fisbee, and rugby games. The band participates in post season travel with the basketball teams including the Big West Basketball Conference Championship, the NCAA March Madness, and the National Invitational Tournament. Being in the band is simple; all you really need to do is be able to play an instrument, be committed to the Gauchos and the other band members.

[edit] Fight Song

El "C" Grande
We are Sons of California,
Fighting for the Gold and Blue.
Palms of glory we will win,
For Alma Mater true.
Poly’s men will soon be routed
By our dazzling “C”,
We’ll stomp ’em in the mud
Their green will turn to blood,
In our hour of victory!

U! C! Sss! B! U-C-S-B, Go Gauchos!

Students can often be heard singing the following unofficial fight song at sporting events and social gatherings:

"Ole, Ole, Ole Ole! Gauchos, Gauchos!" (repeated until crowd loses enthusiasm)

[edit] Notable Alumni

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Fonoimoana

Eric Fonoimoana 2000 Gold Medalist in beach volleyball

[edit] External links

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