By Kyle Jorrey

For the first time in program history, the Regals ― unranked throughout 2023 ― began 2024 atop the NCAA Division III preseason poll. With seven of 11 starters returning from a team that suffered only one loss and outscored opponents 45-13, the respect is well-deserved. However, could the newfound expectations be overwhelming for a program that has long thrived in the role of underdog?

Sophia Muller

Senior  |  Women's Volleyball

One of four Regals returning from serious knee injuries, Muller has quickly reasserted herself as a force to be reckoned with on the court. Through eight matches, the talented outside hitter ranks second on the team in kills (56) and blocks (14) and first in total attempts (174). The Culver City native was playing at an elite level before suffering a devastating ACL tear late in her sophomore year, which sidelined her for her entire junior season. An inspiration to teammates and fans, Muller is expected to lead a significantly improved CLU squad, which went 2-1 at the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational last weekend. “She’s ready to rock and roll,” said head coach Kellee Roesel of her team captain.

JP Melgoza

Senior  |  Men's Soccer

Melgoza (Oxnard) headlines an experienced group of returning starters for the Kingsmen. The midfielder has logged three scores and 17 shots on goal in the team’s first seven matches of 2024, including CLU’s lone tally in a 1-1 draw against Gettysburg College on Sept. 7 and another in the team’s 4-2 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday. An All-SCIAC selection in 2022 and 2023, Melgoza is critical to the program’s hopes of earning its first NCAA postseason berth since 2017. Said head coach Miguel Ruiz: “I think this is a year we can do some damage offensively.”

Neveah Rascon

Graduate Student  |  Women's Soccer

Rascon, one of several Regals vying to fill the center-forward position vacated by top scorer Isabella Veljacic, has shown early promise on the pitch. The Tucson, Arizona, native contributed two goals off the bench in CLU’s 6-1 victory over Concordia University on Sept. 8 and has been starting ever since. Recovering from an ACL tear suffered near the end of last season, the master’s student has been a bright spot for an offense still finding its groove. “So far, so good,” coach Frank Marino said of Rascon’s play.

Team USA’s extraordinary performance at the Summer Games in Paris has put American distance running back on the map. As far as CLU is concerned, all roads lead to Eric Talbert. The Simi Valley native has been the cross country program’s most consistent performer the last two seasons, especially in 2023 when he was the top male finisher at every event, including a fourth-place finish at the Moorpark Invite. Coach Brett Halvaks described his senior captain, who last spring became the first Kingsman in nearly 40 years to run the 5K in under 15 minutes, as the program’s premier distance runner.

In his inaugural 10K at last year’s SCIAC Championships, he recorded the seventh-fastest time in university history. Talbert placed 104th at the NCAA West Region Championships in the 8K with a time of 27:10. A business major aspiring to work for a major sports brand like Nike, Adidas, or New Balance, Talbert would love to conclude his cross country career by earning All-SCIAC honors and qualifying for NCAA Nationals. Both appear within reach.

Here are some questions to get know CLU’s top distance runner, who was just named SCIAC’s Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week:

The Road to Victory, a celebration of California Lutheran University athletics past, present and future, will be held next month inside Lundring Events Center.

Fans, alumni and sports supporters are invited to attend the event at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17. Social time ― including a hosted bar and appetizers ― begins at 5:30 p.m.

Athletic Director Howard Davis said the purpose of Road to Victory is to recognize the university’s former champions while charting a course for future achievement.

“We’re going to honor all of our national championship teams going back to the 1971 football team, including our two national champion women’s water polo teams (2007 and 2010),” Davis said. “Plus we’re going to recognize our four NCAA championships in women’s volleyball (2015), baseball (2017), women’s soccer (2023) and men’s volleyball (2024).”

Last school year saw Cal Lutheran win two team national championships (women’s soccer and men’s volleyball) for the first time in the institution’s 62-year history. But that success came at a cost. Even after NCAA reimbursements were factored in, the bill tied to CLU’s postseason achievement (travel, accommodations, banners, etc.) was over $100,000.

That figure would have been even higher if the men’s basketball team ― which also qualified for postseason play along with the baseball program ― didn’t serve as host school.

“The relaunch of the Victory Club is meant to re-seed that champions fund,” Davis said. “We want to keep that funded so that when teams succeed it's an all-around, 100% celebration. It’s not a burden in any way.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from national championship student-athletes and coaches, including Frank Marino, head coach of the women’s soccer program, and Kevin Judd, head coach of the men’s volleyball team. The university will also fete longtime athletic donors the Samuelson, Gilbert and Lundring families.

There is no cost to attend the event but registration is required. Lundring Events Center is located inside the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks.

Kingsmen and Regals fans can now enjoy higher-quality live streams of more athletic events, but a subscription is required.

Over the summer, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) signed a five-year deal with FloSports, making the global sports media company the exclusive digital platform for the SCIACtv Network.

Subscribers will get access to HD-quality live broadcasts of every Cal Lutheran game (home and away), including conference championships. Those who sign up for a standard subscription through the SCIAC link before the launch of the FloCollege platform on Oct. 1 will receive a discounted subscription offer of $14.99 per month. Upon the launch of FloCollege, standard pricing for the platform will be $19.99 per month or $107.88 for the year ($8.99/month).

Those not wanting to pay the subscription cost can still watch the games on-demand after a three-day waiting period. Archived games will be available via clusports.com.

SCIAC Commissioner Jenn Dubow said viewers can expect improved production value and a wider range of programming, including original content focused on the conference’s nine member institutions.

“This agreement provides opportunities to enhance our conference and institutional efforts to provide a quality streaming experience for our student-athletes, alumni, family and fans,” Dubow said. “FloSports has demonstrated a significant and sincere commitment to providing funding and exposure for small-school college sports in a collaborative way that can help each of our institutions’ unique approach and goals to streaming and athletics communications.”

Under the agreement, FloSports will contribute $27,000 to the conference and to each member university every year, or about $270,000 annually. SCIAC is the third Division III conference to ink a deal with Austin, Texas-based FloSports, which was founded in 2006.

“We’re going to use our (portion of the funds) to buy a couple additional video cameras to capture games,” CLU Athletic Director Howard Davis said. “Basically, the goal is to increase the quality of the stream and provide a better product."

Though not all fans are thrilled about the change, Davis expressed hope that they'll continue to support (and watch) the purple and gold. He emphasized that the subscription fee grants access to almost all Cal Lutheran games, including many away matches that were previously unavailable for streaming.

“We understand the frustration of some folks having to pay a fee to see games live, but there is always the opportunity to watch it 72 hours later at no cost,” Davis said. “We’re trying to keep up with the path of college athletics ― and we think it’s a really good value. Now a parent on the East Coast can pay for just three months and see every game in high definition.”

Viewers can watch live streams on the web or via the FloSports app, which is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.

Women's Volleyball

Fifth-year film major Kira Mortensen is enjoying a starring role for the Regals. Through eight matches, the 6-foot-3-inch middle blocker leads the team in kills (66) and blocks (37). The Butte, Montana, native is well on pace to eclipse the 96 total blocks she registered in 2023 and has a chance to finish among the all-time leaders in that category.

Men's Cross Country

Adrian Rodriguez from Canyon Country is off and running for the Kingsmen. In his inaugural race, the Mark Covert Classic in Brea on Aug. 30, the freshman was the first member of the CLU cross country team to cross the finish line. His time of 27:39.6 was the eighth fastest on the 8K course in CLU history. “That was awesome, especially for a first year,” head coach Brett Halvaks said. “So we’re really excited about that.” Rodriguez followed up with a 71st place finish at the Biola Invitational racing against Division I and II competition.

Women's Soccer

Senior Savana Durr earned SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week with her performance in the Regals’ 6-1 drubbing of Concordia University. Durr from Ventura helped anchor a defense that permitted just six shots on goal and contributed a goal of her own. The Buena High product is returning from a torn meniscus. She played in 25 games last season and was named second team All-SCIAC.

Men's Golf

In the Kingsmen’s first event of the year ― the CA State Intercollegiate at Ventura’s Olivas Links ― junior Blake Fitzhugh came out swinging, leading CLU to a second-place team finish. The Keller, Texas product shot rounds of 74, 73 and 69 to finish at even-par (216), good enough for fourth overall. Fitzhugh, a business administration major, and the Kingsmen will look to build on their early success when they travel to Kanasville, Wisconsin next week for the Benedictine Invitational.

Our rundown of the can’t-miss action at home

Men's Soccer vs. Occidental

Oct. 2  |  7 PM

Backdrop: Coach Miguel Ruiz’s squad has endured a freakishly challenging early season schedule, including away matches with perennial powerhouse Messiah University (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) and Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas). Ruiz hopes the difficult slate has his senior-laden squad primed for conference play. After a 4-2 upset victory over Claremont-Mudd Scripps on Wednesday, CLU (3-3-1) welcomes Occidental in two weeks, a team they haven’t defeated since 2017 (0-6-4). 

Men's Water Polo vs. UCSB

Sept. 28  |  9 AM

Backdrop: In head coach Tim Settem’s debut season, the Kingsmen will return to Thousand Oaks to face UCSB after spending their first month on the road. Equipped with a mix of talented seniors and promising freshmen, CLU earned a hard-fought 16-15 win over Division I Air Force at the Titan Invitational last weekend at Cal State Fullerton. The Kingsmen have yet to defeat the Gauchos in six tries, but this will be their first matchup at home. Keep an eye on Cormac Flanders from Santa Monica; the senior defender tallied nine goals in four games in Fullerton.

Football vs. CMS

Sept. 28  |  7 PM

Backdrop: The Kingsmen (0-1) kick off conference play next weekend with a nightcap against rival CMS. CLU has lost its last four to the Stags, including a 30-13 defeat last November. Coach Anthony Lugo’s team has given up an average of 37 points amid the current losing streak, something they’ll look to correct next Saturday. Expect WR Cade Cadam (La Verne) to stretch the defense; the senior produced the purple and gold’s lone touchdown in Week 1, nabbing a 21-yard pass from QB Jaden Casey from Calabasas. Keep in mind: tickets are now $10 for anyone 13 and over without a SCIAC institution ID.

Women's Soccer vs. Whittier

Oct. 9  |  7 PM

Backdrop: The Poets were one of just three SCIAC teams who didn’t lose to the Regals in 2023, playing CLU to a 1-1 draw. Whittier (2-0-2) is off to a good start this season, and they’ve traditionally played CLU (3-0-3) tough at home. The two teams have split their last seven matches dating back to 2017. Keep an eye on freshman goalkeeper Kira Kasarda from Temecula, who has allowed just two goals in the team’s first six games. Senior keeper Kelsey Slaugh from Mesa, Arizona, is working her way back from injury.

Kingsmen wide receiver coach Muck Knox strikes a pose with his wideouts during Athletics Media Day.

Men’s basketball head coach Russell White reacts with enthusiasm to an announcement from Simi Valley native Bryan Fisher that he is joining the program as an assistant coach.

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Before Shohei Ohtani, there was Jake Petersen. During his two magical seasons at CLU (2013 and 2014), the left-handed pitcher won 16 games and recorded 148 strikeouts while batting .439, still the highest career batting average in program history. In his senior year, he led the Kingsmen in wins, strikeouts, complete games, batting average, hits and doubles. After a brief stint in professional baseball, Petersen spent four years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a first lieutenant and executive officer of the 54th Military Police Company. Today, he serves as the chief operating officer of Cascade Christian Schools in Puyallup, Washington.

He and wife Courtney, whom he met at CLU, will celebrate their ninth anniversary next month. Courtney is Cascade Christian’s executive director of strategic initiatives. The couple makes their home in Tacoma with their dog, Sgt. Pepper. Petersen, who was elected to the CLU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023, said he still keeps in touch with his former coaches, Erik Scherer and Marty Slimak.  “Both are incredible men and tremendously impactful in my life,” he said. Asked about his batting average record and whether he thinks it will ever be challenged, Petersen said: “It is certainly a cool record to hold ― and I really owe it to my coaches and teammates who supported me, trained with me, and allowed me to be a member of the team. If someone were to break the record, it would mean the baseball program is doing really well ― which would make me excited! Of course, I’m more than happy to hold the record and encourage anyone to take a swing at breaking it.”

Purple Reign is the official newsletter of Cal Lutheran Athletics.

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