Midnight Madness Kicks Off Sports Season
PUC unofficially kicked off its athletic year with Midnight Madness, a late-night pep rally in Pacific Auditorium, in the wee hours of Wednesday, October 14. The Athletics and Student Activities departments coordinated the event, which introduced the rabid student body to its five intercollegiate Pioneers teams.
Free “Pioneers Posse” T-shirts were given to the first 100 students at the door, but the crowd continued to build long after the shirts were gone. Pioneers fans roared their applause as PUC’s men’s and women’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and cross-country teams introduced their lineups. Also featured at the event were a slam-dunk contest, a half-court shot contest, and a shootout challenge between members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The Pioneers teams compete in the California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Men's soccer just finished their season with nine wins, three losses, and one tie — and made it to conference championships. The women's volleyball Pioneers also made a positive comeback this year and made it to the quarterfinals for the Cal Pac Tournament, concluding their season on November 11.
Both basketball teams began their preseason with exhibition games at the beginning of November. “We’re looking good this year,” says sophomore Sterling Thompson, a power forward and center for men’s basketball. “I predict that we’ll have a winning record and go far in the conference playoffs.” “Hopefully this event will be a fun tradition that we can continue at PUC,” says Doug Wilson, director of student activities and assistant coach of women’s Pioneers basketball. “It’s important to recognize the value that athletics brings to a college — and to give the student body a chance to get behind their fellow student athletes, who dedicate their extra time and effort to represent PUC.” Visit http://www.puc.edu/pioneers to keep abreast of the latest scores and highlights of Pioneers Athletics.