Search - by Michelle Konn

The Pacific Union College Men's Pioneer basketball team won 82-66 against the San Jose Christian College Warriors last Tuesday night, Jan. 21, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium.It was the first time in seven years that Pacific Union College has defeated San Jose Christian College.The Pioneers won the tip-off and proceeded with a strong first half, causing the Warriors to take a timeout with PUC ahead 7-0. When play resumed, the Pioneers continued their lead with a 15-2 run. Thanks to solid defense and quick thinking, the Pioneers stole the ball 15 times, a season record.To seal their first-half mastery, Pioneer guard Brett Graves hit a three pointer at the buzzer to make the half-time score 44-25."We've learned how to stay in the game through the first half; now we just need to concentrate on the second half," said Graves, who had 13 first-half points.In the second half, the Pioneers lacked the defensive prowess they had in the first half, allowing Warrior forward Jeff Stapelton to take several open shots.With 5:24 left in the game, the Warriors pulled within nine points. That would be as close as they would come, as forward Mark Ermshar came off the bench, providing seven rebounds and...

The Pacific Union College men's Pioneer volleyball team defeated Pacific Christian College 15-12, 9-15, 15-7, 15-7 on Saturday night, March 8, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. It was the first win this season for the Pioneers, bringing their current record to 1-4. This season is proving to be a challenge for the Pioneers. With a rigorous game schedule and only five returning players on the 12-member team, the Pioneers are learning the meaning of endurance, stamina and cooperation. "The dynamics of the team are different every year, but we have an especially new and young team which calls for more adjustment on everyone's part," said senior outside hitter David Rai. Junior outside hitter Scott Eastman said this win was just a taste of the level of play to come. "We played well, especially considering the fact that it was our fifth match in six days," said Eastman. "But we will be playing at a much higher level as the season progresses and as we pull together as a team." Head coach Bob Paulson agrees. "It is early in the season and the team is still growing," he said. "Our goal is to get better with every game and peak at the...

The Pacific Union College Lady Pioneers basketball team fell 48-66 to Bethany College on Saturday night, Feb. 15, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. The Pioneers started off with strong defense and trailed a close 25-28 at half-time. The teams' previous encounter ended in a blowout for the Pioneers. "It was impressive that we stayed in the game," said guard Julie Moyer. "We played really well in the first half, but we just couldn't sink our shots throughout the game." This was evident as Bethany had a .429 (18/42) field goal shooting percentage compared to the Pioneers' .266 (17/64) average. Guard Rachel Kendall said it was the most exciting game all season. "Our attitudes on the bench and on the court were centered around motivating each other," she said. "We played hard and had a lot of fun without worrying about the score or our personal statistics. We know we're getting better." The Pioneers were led by guards Heather Isaacs, with 20 points, and Carrie Wade, with 11 rebounds. The Pioneers will play their next game at Patten College on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 6:15 p.m....

The Pacific Union College Lady Pioneer basketball team won 64-59 against Patten College on Saturday night, Jan. 18, at PUC's Pacific Auditorium. The Pioneers trailed most of the game, and were down 26-29 at half time. Pioneer captain Heather Isaacs said one of the team's goals was to get Patten's main players in foul trouble. Their goal worked, and two Patten starters fouled out in the second half. The Pioneers seized the opportunity and won the game 64-59. "We got fired up at the end and pulled through," said freshman guard Julie Moyer. "What really helped us was our determination." Isaacs said the team had a strong fundamental game. "It was a good win," she said. "We got more comfortable with our offense, and we had a balanced outside and inside game." The Pioneers were led by Isaacs with 20 points. PUC freshman center Toakase Mo'ungaafi also had a strong game with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Pioneers have an overall record of 2-3....

The Pacific Union College women's basketball team made their preseason debut at the Simpson Invitational tournament in Redding, Calif., from Nov. 14-16. The Lady Pioneers played Pacific Christian College on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 14, and lost 58-67. The Pioneers played Life Bible College on Friday afternoon, Nov. 15. Freshman guard Mindy Waterhouse, who was chosen for the all-tournament team, came off the bench to score 16 points and sparked the Pioneers to a 65-40 win. The Pioneers played Simpson College on Saturday night, Nov. 16, and led by 12 points for most of the game, according to sophomore team captain Heather Isaacs. The Pioneers made several mistakes in the second half, and Simpson came back to tie the Pioneers at 45-45. With five seconds left in the game, a Pioneer fouled a Simpson player, and Simpson scored one of two possible points off of a free throw, ending the game in Simpson's favor 46-45. "We are a really young team with seven freshmen and only two returning players," said Isaacs. "But of any team, we have the most freshman talent. Across the board we're very strong and the tournament showed us where we needed to be. It was a positive...

Edith Eva Eger, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi Germany, will speak about "The Celebration of Life" on Friday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. in Pacific Union College's church sanctuary. Admission is free. A 68-year-old clinical psychologist from La Jolla, Calif., Eger uses her past experiences to share a message of healing and personal growth. "People must acknowledge not what happens with us, but what we do with that. You can turn tragedy into victory," she says. Living amidst torture, cannibalism, and death in Auschwitz, 16-year-old Eger learned how to turn her suffering into survival. The same day she was separated from her parents, who were executed in the gas chambers, Eger was forced to dance for the infamous Nazi officer, Dr. Josef Mengele. Eger was routinely starved, beaten, and humiliated until her camp was liberated. Her nine-month ordeal ended on May 4, 1945, when her emaciated, 40-pound body was pulled out of a pile of corpses by an American soldier who saw Eger's hand move. She considers it a miracle that she was spared. Today, Eger is a sought-after clinical psychologist and lecturer, helping individuals and organizations overcome their limitations, discover their powers of self-renewal, and...

Pacific Union College's men's soccer team played their last away game at Dominican College on Friday afternoon, Oct. 11, and lost 0-2. Dominican scored early in the first half, but the Pioneers kept them from scoring for the rest of the match with strong defense and good passing. "It was the best game of the year," Head Coach Isaias Jacobo said. "They played their hearts out and they played consistently. I was very proud of them." Both teams met just two days earlier at PUC's home field on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The Pioneers lost 1-6 to Dominican, but stayed in the game for most of the match, trailing only 1-2 at halftime. Bad breaks and three Pioneer injuries slowed the team down, according to junior defender Rick Mann "The [1-6] score didn't reflect how well we played," Mann said. "We're learning how to play as a team and deal with pressure and competition," Jacobo said. The Pioneers have an overall record of 4-5, and one tie. They will play their last game of the season at PUC's upper field on Friday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m....

The Pacific Union College Pioneer soccer team played their first home game on Sunday, September 22, with the visiting University of the Pacific Tigers. The match, which was a non-league game, ended in a tie, 2-2. "The game started off well with good passes and ball handling," said Don Anderson, a junior midfielder. PUC was up 2-1 with three minutes to go in the second half when UOP picked up the pace and tied the game. Junior defenseman Rick Mann said playing high caliber teams like UOP do more for the Pioneers than just boost intensity. "It's more of a learning experience in seeing other schools work together--what their strategies are," said Mann. "It benefits our team because we learn how to play together, support each other, and recognize our skills." "I think we're getting better with each game," said Satish Joshi, a sophomore defenseman. The Pioneers will play Pacific Christian College at their next home game on Friday, September 27, at 2 p.m. This is PUC's first year as a member of the California Pacific Conference (CAL-PAC) league, an affiliate of the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). PUC currently has a 1-0 record in league standings....

Christian and R&B recording artist CeCe Winans will perform in Pacific Union College's church sanctuary on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. Winans, best known as half of the multi-award winning brother/sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, recently received a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album entitled "Alone In His Presence." "Alone In His Presence" contains traditional hymns and ballads, a different taste from the R&B gospel tunes Winans has previously recorded. The record pays tribute to her most valued possessions--her family and her faith. "The message of the whole album (is) to get alone in His presence ... and focus on what's really important," Winans said. Winans, 31, has a career total of seven Grammy Awards, seven Christian music Dove Awards, five Stellar Awards, and three NAACP Image Awards since her debut with her brother BeBe in 1987. She still plans to record and tour with her brother in the future. "We are still a duo," Winans said. "We just wanted to establish ourselves as individuals." Winans hopes "Alone In His Presence" will cross the lines of race, color and denomination. "I just hope that everybody will be reached," she says. "There shouldn't be any boundaries,...

Pacific Union College announces September classes for its Degree Completion Program. The fully accredited, reasonably priced, and accelerated program is intended for students over 25 who wish to complete a degree they were unable to finish. The program will be offered at satellite campuses in Napa and Santa Rosa. David Ritter, Degree Completion director, says the program is designed to be accessible to adults with full-time jobs and families. Classes will only meet once a week in the evening. "We understand that adult students expect their course work to be relevant to their lives and to give them tools they can readily apply in their jobs," says Ritter. In addition to a new curriculum, the Degree Completion Program will offer adult students a number of optional ways to add college credit to their transcripts. Besides offering many nationally accepted tests (such as CLEP), students may request college credit for prior work and life experiences. "We recognize that not all learning occurs in a formal classroom setting," says Ritter. "So students who can document that they have acquired various skills or abilities outside of formal educational settings can now get credit for what they've learned."...