
Connor Grant
In the Cal Lutheran swim and dive meet Jan. 25, Connor Grant (first year) won both of his individual events, the 500 and 1,000 meter freestyle, by nine seconds. These wins add to a string of victorious meets for Grant.
Grant’s head coach Haley Meryl said that she attributes Grant’s success to his consistency and ability to take feedback. According to Meryl, athletes do not need to be spectacular everyday, they just have to be consistent everyday and then they will be ready when it matters. This is something that she said Grant excels in.
“He is super consistent,” Meryl said “Which in any sport is important, but especially swimming, [because] it’s a monotonous sport in itself.”
Meryl said Grant’s willingness and ability to consistently push himself inspires and motivates his teammates to do the same.
Grant said that to get ready for a meet, he always makes sure to eat enough the night before. Additionally, he said he prepares using the same warm-up routine for every meet, ensuring he is ready when it is his turn to perform. According to Grant, a lot of his early collegiate success can be attributed to his teammates and the environment that they create.
“While this is an individual competition, practice is the complete opposite,” Grant said. “Training with the right group of people in their best area, it makes you better. It’s definitely a team sport.”
According to Grant, this communal spirit helped him improve in areas where he is not as naturally skilled. Grant said he is hoping to continue his improvement, and as his first collegiate season begins to wrap up, he is focusing his energy on preparing for the SCIAC championship Feb. 19 to 22.
Paige Yasukochi
Paige Yasukochi (junior) led her women’s basketball team to a tense overtime win against Redlands Jan. 25. Yasukochi put up 22 points, one block and one steal as her and her team battled their way to a hard-fought victory. Yasukochi scored two of the first three baskets, which helped Occidental secure a six-point lead at the start of the first quarter.

Yasukochi said she is hoping to help her team get to the postseason this year — to do that they would have to be one of the top five teams in the conference. They are currently seeded fourth. According to Yasukochi, this year they have a very good chance of making the playoffs, and she is looking forward to pursuing that goal.
Yasukochi said she knows that to be the best athlete she can be, she needs to have a proper pre-game routine. She said she likes to prepare for a game by taking a nap, having a Gatorade and putting up a few solo warm-up shots before the team warm-up begins.
Yasukochi’s teammate Ainsley Shelsta said that every day in practice, Yasukochi gives it her all and consistently puts in extra hours and extra shots. According to Shelsta, Yasukochi is an amazing teammate.
“She’s very calm, cool and collected all the time,” Shelsta said. “She is never [going to] get really upset. She is never [going to] get too high, too low. If things are going great, she’s just chill, she’s Paige and if things are not going the best, she’s still just Paige.”
Shelsta said this consistency allows Yasukochi to be a good role model for her teammates.
“We just look at Paige, and she’s calm, she has faith and she just keeps grinding,” Shelsta said.
According to both Yasukochi and Shelsta, being on the basketball team has helped them flourish academically and athletically. According to Shelsta, the basketball team is a very close-knit team. Shelsta said having teammates is like having a built-in friend group.
“My teammates are my best friends,” Shelsta said. “Paige is one of my closest friends.”
Yasukochi said she believes that having such a close bond with her team has helped her push herself both on and off the court. She said having good teammates helps when she is having a hard time or when she needs some extra motivation.
“They really just make me a better person in all those aspects,” Yasukochi said. “They always push me to do better.”
The basketball team is currently 6-4 in conference play and 11-7 overall, with six conference games remaining. They are looking to notch another win in their record with their next game against Chapman Feb. 5.
Contact Noah Emmitt at emmitt@oxy.edu