Shane Kawakami-Williams
Occidental Track and Field runner Shane Kawakami-Williams (sophomore) placed first in the 100 and 200-meter sprints at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Quad Consolation Cup. He was also on the relay team that placed first in the 4×100 relay.
According to Kawakami-Williams, his success in the sprints is partially due to honing his block-starts.
“As soon as the gun went off, I would get left behind a lot, and I didn’t like that,” Kawakami-Williams said. “So I’ve been really, really focusing on my block start.”
Zachary McGraw (sophomore) was the fourth runner in the winning relay. According to McGraw, the relay group has been focusing on improving their handoffs.
“At this point, I think we’re all fast enough,” McGraw said. “We just need to get our handoffs down and make sure that we’re all executing together. I think we’ll be good.”
Kawakami-Williams said this meet felt like a breakthrough for the whole team.
“We’ve been getting out there, we’ve been competing really well, doing well in races, but not necessarily getting the best times,” Kawakami-Williams said. “And so we were all kind of hoping for a breakthrough but we didn’t know when it would come, and it seemed to come at this meet.”
McGraw said the team’s competitive spirit helped them train hard.
“It’s really nice because me and Shane have been friends since we got to Oxy,” McGraw said. “We always joke about beating each other. It is a real goal, but at the same time, I think it’s good because it makes us more competitive.”
Collin Glick (first year), the starter for the group relay, said that Kawakami-Williams’s spirit is reflective of the team’s chemistry.
“I think the good thing, honestly, about our team and especially Shane is that we have a good team culture,” Glick said. “And I think that helps a lot in terms of a relay because we have that sort of chemistry of knowing each other.”
Kawakami-Williams said he has multiple goals in mind for the rest of the season.
“I want to win SCIACs,” Kawakami-Williams said. “I got a bunch of silver medals last year and a bronze, but I want to win SCIACs. I want to beat my teammate Zach or continue to beat him because he’s close to beating me. And I want our four by one to qualify for nationals because we were very close last year, and we 100 percent have that.”
Andie Angelacci
Occidental lacrosse goalie Andie Angelacci (senior) became the first goalie in Occidental history to eclipse the 400 save mark, making 21 saves in two games. She officially secured the title at a 19-7 winning game against California Lutheran University.
According to Angelacci, getting to the 400 save mark felt like it had been a long time coming.
“I think I had five games where I was so close to it,” Angelacci said. “And so it was really nice once I hit it. I was like, ‘Now I can calm down and relax and just play,’ because now I’m not worried about this number that I need to retain.”
Angelacci said reaching this benchmark also gave her an extra boost to beat George Fox University the next week, a team that Occidental had lost to in her first season here.
“Going into George Fox, I felt like I was kind of on a high of getting it, since Cal Lu was a good game,” Angelacci said. “And then George Fox is this team that I so wanted to beat since my freshman year […] so I was so pumped for that game.”
Abbie Prewitt (senior), a defender who has played with Angelacci all four years, said having such a talented goalie has been essential for the entire defensive line.
“The goalie grounds defenders in everything that we do, so having a level-headed and a strong goalie is just really important for the general movement and connection of the defense,” Prewitt said.
According to Prewitt, Angellaci’s abilities have allowed the team to build their defensive strategy around her.
“We play our defense in a way that our goal is to force bad shots and not to keep someone from shooting completely,” Prewitt said. “Our strategy relies on the fact that we know that she’s consistent and reliable.”
Angelacci said she depends on her teammates to push her to be a better player.
“Every day in practice, I’m getting shots,” Angelacci said. “So my teammates make me better every day in practice because without them, I would never improve and make saves. We have some really good shooters on this team, and so being able to practice against them helps me feel confident because I know they’re good. If I can save that, I feel good.”
According to Defensive Coach Boz Crowther, it is easy for goalies to get stuck making the same plays.
“A lot of times, players and goalies in particular will just fixate on one target and be trying to get the ball to one particular person, and you need to be able to look around and make sure you’re making the best pass, not just the one that you think you should be making,” Crowther said.
Crowther said Angelacci is successful because she is a strategic player.
“Andie’s biggest thing, above and beyond just sort of a natural self-assuredness and competitive nature, is that she is very good at seeing the whole field,” Crowther said.
According to Angelacci, not losing confidence is an important part of being a goalie.
“Lacrosse is such a high-scoring sport where you could get 16 dropped on you but you have to still be present,” Angelacci said. “There’s this goldfish mentality […] they have a 10-second memory. And so you have to have a 10-second memory. And you just have to keep going for the next one.”
As a senior, Angelacci said she has a wholesome outlook on the rest of the season.
“I think I’m just cherishing every game because it is my last time playing lacrosse this year,” Angelacci said. “I really want to beat Chapman again. We really need to beat Redlands. And I think I just love to play. So I’m looking forward to every game.”
Contact Ginny Tomlinson at gtomlinson@oxy.edu
