Intercollegiate Athletics
DEPARTMENT OFFICE
Titan House
657-278-2777
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Brian Quinn
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/ SENIOR WOMAN ADMINISTRATOR
Dr. Allison Rich
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Steve Di Tolla
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, MEDIA RELATIONS
Mel Franks
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, COMPLIANCE
Julie Bowse
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/ACADEMIC SERVICES
Dr. Meredith Basil
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Rob Scialdone
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, FACILITIES
Aaron Tapper
COACHES
Baseball
Dave Serrano
Basketball
Bob Burton (Men)
Marcia Foster (Women)
Cross Country/Track (Men/Women)
John Elders
Golf
Jason Drotter (Men)
Pearl Sinn-Bonanni (Women)
Gymnastics (Women)
Jill Hicks
Soccer
Bob Ammann (Men)
Demian Brown (Women)
Softball
Michelle Gromacki
Tennis (Women)
Bill Reynolds
Volleyball (Women)
Carolyn Zimmerman
Wrestling
Dan Hicks
CONFERENCE MEMBERSHIPS
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Big West Conference
The rise of academic prestige at California State University, Fullerton has grown alongside the development of one of the nation’s impressive young athletics departments. The intercollegiate athletics department provides student athletes the opportunity to compete against the country’s finest competition, as well as providing a top-notch education. In an effort to ensure academic development, the university provides counseling systems designed specifically for student athletes. Those services include academic advisement, guidance counseling and daily study halls.
CSUF also has made a commitment to provide facilities that enable fans and athletes alike to enjoy first-rate competition. The long-awaited Sports Complex gives Fullerton fans a much-needed home multipurpose and soccer stadium. The complex provides a 10,000-seat stadium plus upgraded baseball facilities that seat more than 3,500. Also included are two lighted softball diamonds and a lighted track that enable fans to enjoy the university’s many night events. Titan Gymnasium already enjoys tremendous popularity among the local community, with more than 4,000 fans able to attend home basketball (men’s and women’s), wrestling, women’s gymnastics and women’s volleyball events. An outdoor swimming complex, racquetball courts, weight-training facilities, a high-level gymnastics practice facility, plus facilities for wrestling make the Fullerton athletics complex a step above.
MEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Baseball
Few NCAA Division I baseball programs have enjoyed the degree of success that the Titans have had over the past 35 years. During that time, the Titans have won 23 conference championships, 17 regional championships, five super-regional championships, and four national championships. Major League stars Tim Wallach (Montreal Expos), Phil Nevin (multiple teams), Chad Cordero (Washington Nationals) and Mark Kotsay (multiple teams) have developed at Fullerton. In total, there have been 45 CSUF baseball products competing in the major leagues. Additionally, the Titans boasted two 1996 Olympic team members in Kotsay and Brian Loyd. Year in and year out, the Titans compete against the nation’s finest programs and always come out winners.
Basketball
The development of Fullerton basketball has been one of college sports’ finest Cinderella stories. Often in contention for the Big West Championship, the program has produced more than half a dozen professional prospects, including current NBA players Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs) and Bobby Brown (Sacramento Kings). The Titans have made three NIT appearances to go with a trip to the NCAA Final Eight in 1978 and a second trip to the “Big Dance” in 2008. 1984 Olympic Team point guard Leon Wood is one of many fine athletes who have helped develop the Titans into a program that will continue to grow. The university’s commitment to basketball ensures success in the years to come.
Cross Country
Men’s cross country is making positive strides. The program competes in the very competitive Big West Conference, which is perennially in the spotlight of national attention. The campus and outlying community offer a beautiful setting, which enables the sport to set new standards among local and national universities.
Golf
After a hiatus of two decades, this sport returns to the Cal State Fullerton lineup for the 2009-10 academic year and will compete immediately in the Big West Conference. Jason Drotter, a teaching professional and coach at Villa Park High School, is director of golf and Titan men’s coach. The reinstated men’s and women’s golf programs were made possible though private donations.
Soccer
Soccer is another of Fullerton’s many sports where strong coaching has turned the program into a West Coast force. Former CSUF goalkeeper Bob Ammann has taken over the program from his retired mentor, Al Mistri, who developed one of Southern California’s finest soccer programs. Fullerton shared the conference championship in 1986 and 1992, and placed third in the nation in 1993 and fifth in 1994. The Titans have upset the nation’s No. 1 ranked team five times (in 10 attempts).
Track
Reinstated for the 1989 season, a spring outdoor track program provides a complement to the fall cross country schedule and should attract greater numbers of athletes. A refurbished running track is part of the Sports Complex and has accelerated the growth of a program that was one of the mainstays of Fullerton’s athletics department in the early 1970s.
Wrestling
Another sport that few West Coast schools support is prospering in Orange County as CSUF proves that hard work and strong coaching can bring success. Prospective athletes will find an atmosphere that is unparalleled among California universities. Top-notch competition and an All-American environment are two reasons why Fullerton wrestling is so successful. The Titans compete in the rugged Pac-10 Conference and typically send multiple qualifiers to the NCAA championships under Coach Dan Hicks, a two-time NCAA champion in his own right.
WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Basketball
The rise in popularity of women’s basketball has its foundations tied to the success of Fullerton women’s basketball teams. Under former Coach Billie Moore, the Titans won one of the very first national championships given out in the sport. Two of women’s basketball’s greatest names have risen from Fullerton – 1976 Olympian Nancy Dunkle and 1991 All-American Genia Miller, more recently Genia Miller Rycraw of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Golf
Women’s golf returns to the Cal State Fullerton lineup for the 2009-10 academic year and will compete immediately in the Big West Conference. Pear Sinn-Bonanni, a three-time All-American at Arizona State and a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association since 1990, will coach the women’s program. Both men’s and women’s golf returns to Cal State Fullerton through the generosity of private donations.
Gymnastics
The consistent efforts of the women’s gymnastics squad have made them a national power for virtually all of 30 seasons. No other school in the nation has produced more All-Americans or finished in the top three for more years than the Titans. Potential scholar-athletes receive an opportunity to compete and win year-round, and they have a new practice facility to perfect their routines.
Soccer
This popular and growing sport for women was added in 1993, and its success has matched the men’s squad. They won their first Big West Conference Championship in 2001, and subsequent trips to the NCAA championships have taken Fullerton as far as the “Sweet Sixteen.” In a few short seasons, the program has established a winning overall record. All-American Dolores Browning finished the 1995 season as the nation’s No. 3 scorer. Demian Brown, a Titan assistant coach since 2004, is the current head coach.
Softball
The sport of softball continues to set standards of excellence on the local and national levels. Always a contender for the NCAA title, the Titans captured their first championship in 1986. Former Coach Judi Garman brought the university countless All-Americans, including former Broderick Award winners Kathy Van Wyk, Susan Lefebvre and Connie Clark. Head Coach Michelle Gromacki expects to continue the winning ways, and she won Big West Conference championships her first four seasons (2000-03). A two-diamond, on-campus facility enables an even greater audience to enjoy one of the nation’s most successful teams face off against other national powers.
Cross Country
The rebirth of a spring track schedule has been a boon to cross-country, as athletes in the distance races can now train on a competitive level year round. Heather Killeen became the Titans’ first Division I cross-country All-American in 1994 and then won three events at the 1995 Big West Conference Track Championships. She was one of 10 finalists for 1995 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Tennis
One of the university’s many programs on the rise, Fullerton can take advantage of the beautiful climate of Orange County to attract the area’s top tennis players. The Titans placed two athletes on the ITA Scholar Athlete All-America Team in 1996, Jennifer Canfield and Kara Kolb. More recently, Ruya Inalpulat earned a third-team berth on the Arthur Ashe Jr. national scholar awards.
Track – Indoor and Outdoor
Steady improvement and a growing coaching staff have combined to fuel optimism that the Titans will become a competitive force in the Big West Conference. A new running facility and the advancements made in distance running by the cross country team, combined with the climate in Southern California, should ensure Fullerton of a solid track program.
Volleyball
Titan volleyball is proving to be a program to watch. Recent success, combined with the obvious attraction of competing against NCAA Championship contenders who are members of the Big West, one of the nation’s strongest volleyball conferences, make volleyball an exciting attraction. The acquisition of future athletes plus the development of budding stars should create an environment that will enhance the program’s success.
ATHLETIC ACADEMIC SERVICES
657-278-3057
As an integral part of the CSUF student advising system, the assistant director of athletics, academics and the Office of Athletic Academic Services provides advisement for student-athletes and referrals to campus academic support units, and conducts programs that are designed to assist student-athletes in meeting their academic goals.
