Sports Roundup

While Chapman University is proud of award-winning soccer player
Haley Fedden ’16
, other Chapman athletes are also equally talented.

New Hall of Famers Inducted

Baseball star Alex Taylor ’03, soccer great Eunice Bobert ’82 and the 1995 national championship softball team were honored this fall as the newest inductees to the Chapman University Athletics Hall of Fame. The 36th annual Hall of Fame ceremony and banquet featured the unveiling of the honorees’ names on the Hall of Fame wall on Gray Victory Way as part of the Lastinger Athletics Complex. The new inductees were also recognized during halftime of the Panthers’ football game against Cal Lutheran at Ernie Chapman Stadium.

McKibbins Rushes to Honor

The Chapman University football team placed five seniors on All-SCIAC teams, with Jeremiah McKibbins ’16, Sean Myers ’16 and Alex Rorie ’16 earning first-team honors, while Hunter Peterson ’16 and Drew DeMarco ’16 were named to the second team. McKibbins, the Panthers’ all-time leading rusher and all-time leading scorer, set an array of career, season and single-game records this year. His average of 14.3 points per game was tops in the SCIAC and ranked fourth in all of Division III. This is the third All-SCIAC first team selection for McKibbins.

Women’s Golf Added

Chapman University Athletics will add women’s golf as its 21st varsity team for the 2016–17 school year. Ming Lao, head coach of the men’s team, will also coach the women when the season begins in the fall. Lao is in his third year as Panthers head coach after four seasons as an assistant. “This is our final step in completely aligning our sport sponsorship with the SCIAC,” said Director of Athletics Terry Boesel. Chapman joined the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2011 with the expectation of growing from 17 to 21 teams. With the latest addition, Chapman will sponsor 11 women’s and 10 men’s teams.

Reid Sets Record Pace

Senior Chris Reid ’16 left his mark on Chapman cross country history this year, capped by a record-breaking run at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in Winneconne, Wis. Reid became the first-ever Chapman runner to qualify for the championship event. Though the temperature was below freezing all morning, Reid broke his own school record on the 8-kilometer course. He finished with a time of 25:54.10, breaking the record by nearly two seconds.

Kimmel Athlete of the Year

Boston Kimmel ’16 is the first Chapman student-athlete in men’s soccer history to earn the SCIAC Athlete of the Year Award. This is Kimmel’s third consecutive season earning All-SCIAC recognition. A senior captain, he ranked among the SCIAC leaders in five offensive categories, including assists (No. 2) and goals (No. 5). What’s more, he and junior Marco Saglimbeni ’17 were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-West Region team. Kimmel earned second-team honors for the second time in his career, while Saglimbeni is a first-time All-West Region honoree.