Long Beach State wins Big West Commissioner’s Cup
LBSU was honored as the Big West Conference’s top athletics program for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years, as it was awarded the 2012-13 Big West Commissioner’s Cup.
The 49ers surged to a 139.3 average over 14 sports thanks to conference championships in women’s tennis and men’s track and field in the spring. Also contributing to the honor was a regular season title by the men’s basketball team and second-place finishes by the women’s golf and softball teams.
Coming in second was UC Santa Barbara with a 120.7 average. The Gauchos were followed by Big West newcomer Hawaii. Rivals Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
Points for the Commissioner’s Cup are awarded based on final placement in all Big West sports and are averaged to determine the standings.
Willie Alexander to compete at NCAA Championships
Long Beach State freshman Willie Alexander will conclude his first season at Oregon’s Hayward Field, where he will compete in the long jump for an NCAA title.
Alexander will jump in flight two at 4:30 p.m. today, where he will have to place in the top nine of a 24-person field to advance to the finals. He qualified for the NCAA championships with a 12th-place finish at the West Regionals on May 23.
Alexander, who is the lone 49er competing in the NCAA championships this year, was named Big West Freshman of the Year after finishing third in the long jump and second in the triple jump at the Big West Championships. He is the first freshman to compete at the NCAA championships during the 24-year career of LBSU head coach Andy Sythe.
LBSU alumna coaches Sooners to NCAA title
Former 49er softball player Patty Gasso won her second career NCAA championship on Monday night, coaching Oklahoma to a 4-0 victory over Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series title game.
Gasso, who played softball at LBSU in 1984, started her coaching career at nearby Long Beach City College, where a successful four-year stint earned her the job at Oklahoma.
Gasso is a member of the City of Long Beach Softball Hall of Fame and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Casper Ware wins MVP award
Former Long Beach State point guard Casper Ware was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award of the Italian league he plays in, Legadue.
Ware starred in his first season as a professional, averaging over 20 points per game for A.S. Junior Casale. He led his team to a third-place finish in the regular season and the semifinals of the league’s playoffs.
— Compiled by Jason Clark