Courtesy of APER

There were too many qualified candidates to pick just one Cyclone of the Week this week, so instead we picked eight. The Mills Rowing Team’s Novice 8 boat showed that they were deserving picks of this honor when they competed against many division I and division II teams in Vancouver, Wash.

The boat was led by coxswain Jennifer Courtney and stroke Hannah Watson and also included Chelsea DeSouza, Rebecca Waterhouse, Esther Anderson, Emma Giboney, Tiffany Ruch, Chavon Rosenthal, and Tara La Valley.

The team pulled together for a spectacular finish when they were head to head with three other boats with 300 meters to go. In a truly remarkable effort, they sprinted ahead of the other boats to finish third with open water. They showed great competitive spirit and were the only division III crew to make the final in their event. The Mills Crew Team most recently competed at the San Pablo Invitational on April 14.

Michelle Ma

Every team needs athletes who can be counted on for solid, consistent performances. Freshwoman Kathy Jetnil has quickly established herself as this kind of player. Kathy has played up and down the lineup and has won five singles matches for the Cyclones this season. Just this past week, she moved up to #2 singles for the first time and responded with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 victory against Notre Dame de Namur University.

Kathy is a creative writing student who also volunteers her time teaching tennis to inner-city youth through the Mills Community Tennis Program. Kathy and the rest of the Mills Tennis team will compete again this Sat. against Southern Oregon University.

Courtesy of APER

In sports and in life, new talent is always exciting.

This spring semester, Head Rowing Coach Wendy Franklin-Willis is excited about freshwoman Hannah Watson, this week’s Cyclone of the Week.

“Hannah came onto the team this spring fit and ready to go after running cross country,” said Frankin-Willis.

Hannah was consistently a top five runner this fall, showing her potential as a strong, dedicated athlete.

“Her hard work and willingness to learn something new has helped her to quickly become a leader on the team,” said Frankin-Willis.

“She, like her teammates, gives her best every day, and we are seeing great results from everyone out on the racecourse,” said Frankin-Willis.

While rowing, everyone (with the exception of the coxswain, who steers the boat) faces the same direction and rows backward.

The person who rows Stroke (the front of the line of rowers and the last rower to cross the finish line) needs to have a sense of pace and power of the stroke.

The person must also be strong athletically and be consistent, since everyone else in the boat will follow the person in front of them.

Hannah is Stroke of the Novice 8 boat this spring semester and has the top 2K score on the team.

Hannah and the rest of the Mills Rowing team will be competing next on Saturday, March 31 at the Vancouver Lake Northwest Invitational.

Courtesy of APER

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) National Swim Meet, held from Feb. 28 to March 3, concluded this year’s swim season. But for one Mills athlete, it marked the end of a collegiate career.

Senior Alexi Ueltzen, Cyclone of the Week, finished her four-year swim career for Mills at the national meet in San Antonio, Texas.

She swam a personal best of 27.58 seconds, leading off the 200 yard freestyle relay.

This improvement helped propel the relay team, which included Sachiko Hakuta, Helene Kelly-Isham and Jessica Embree, to a season best time by two seconds.

This is Alexi’s second trip to the national meet. She was a member of the 2004-2005 NAIA National Team as well. A leader on her team both athletically and academically, Alexi was recognized during the national meet as an NAIA Scholar Athlete.

This honor is given to junior or senior student-athletes who have a 3.5 or better GPA and qualify for nationals.

“Alexi has been one of the most fun athletes I have had a chance to work with,” Head Swim Coach Neil Virtue said.

“Her commitment to the team is exemplary-all while keeping us laughing. I want to thank Alexi for her four-year commitment to the Mills swimming program.”

Alexi is from Fair Oaks, Calif., and will leave Mills this May. She is majoring in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.

The Mills College Tennis Team enjoyed yet another win against Diablo Valley College Feb. 23 thanks to freshwoman Lisa Kelly, this week’s Cyclone of the Week. She won the pivotal singles match in a two and a half hour battle and then came back with Jen Johnson to win the doubles match, which clinched the win for Mills.

“[Kelly’s] competitive fire and intensity oncourt make her a valuable leader for our team,” said Head Tennis Coach Marc Weinstein. “She works hard and is a great addition to the team.” Kelly is also a tutor for the Mills Community Tennis Program, a program started by Weinstein to provide tennis lessons and academic tutoring for Oakland’s underserved youth. Kelly and her teammates competed again last weekend in Los Angeles.

Courtesy of APER

Thanks to Maggie Rust, this week’s Cyclone of the Week, the Mills Tennis Team is undefeated.

A sophomore in her first year on the tennis team, Maggie was instrumental in the team’s season opening victory at Dominican University.

Maggie and Claudia Bugarin won their doubles match, and Maggie’s #3 singles match was the last match on, with the two teams knotted at 4 matches a piece. Maggie came back from a 2-5 deficit in the second set, saved four set points, and then won the tiebreaker 7-0, giving Mills the victory.

You can watch Maggie and the Mills Tennis Team play at home on Thursday, February 15 against Sacramento Community College and again on Tuesday, February 20 against Sierra College.

Courtesy of APER

The start of the spring semester is typically a time to ease back into the rigors of school after a long, sluggish break, but for swimmer Jessica Embree, it’s a time to dive back into reaching her goals. Embree, a sophomore from San Jose in the Mills pre-nursing program, swam a lifetime personal best time in the 500 yard freestyle on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Linfield College meet in McMinville, Ore. She achieved this after competing in the same event the day before, when she was just seconds off her best time. While getting a personal best time is always an impressive feat, this one showed that Embree had been disciplined even over the winter break. Before the meet at Linfield, Embree had only two practices with the team, so she had to rely on her own training from the weeks before the team reconvened to race as well as she did.

“Jessica’s commitment to her team in support, effort and attendance is exemplary,” said Head Swim Coach Neil Virtue. “She embodies what it means to be a Mills student athlete.”

You can watch Embree and the Mills swim team compete again at noon on Feb. 3 at Cal State East Bay, where they will compete in their last dual meet of the season.

Nov. 4 was the end of another Mills Cross Country season, but it was the end of an era for one Mills runner. Emily Warde, a senior who will graduate in December, finished her last season with Mills as an undergraduate and left a legacy behind for her teammates.

Warde was the only returning runner this year and the only senior. In her four years at Mills, she has had both inspiring and disappointing moments, both in her athletic career and her life as a student at Mills. At Saturday’s NAIA Regional Championships in Fresno, Warde reminded herself, her teammates and her coaches that she was leaving a victor. She ran a season best time of 27:41, a one minute and 34 second improvement over the course of the season. She was one of only two athletes to never miss a practice or meet, and she also managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. If her academic and running accomplishments weren’t enough, she also showed Mills that she is an excellent tennis player by winning the Women’s Singles division at the USATA tournament this fall.

“Emily is one of those rare athletes who will never stop working hard, being positive and being totally dedicated to her team,” Coach Laura Davis said. “I never once heard her complain. In her quiet, consistent way, she has shown this team what it means to support, lead, challenge and be challenged.”

Warde will graduate from Mills in December and will be missed by her teammates and coaches, who are already hoping she’ll decide to come to Mills for graduate school so she can run again.

Courtesy of Becky Conway

It is always nice when you reduce your competition times, but to reduce your time in three different events, all in one meet, is truly a feat to be recognized. This is just one of the great accomplishments of Cyclone of the Week, Alexi Ueltzen. Ueltzen is a fourth year swimmer from Fair Oaks, CA in her senior year, majoring in English.

In her first competition since health issues last season, she managed to improved her previous best times in three major events, dropping her 200 meter freestyle relay time (2: 21.79) by 5 seconds, 100 meter freestyle time (1:04.87) by 2 seconds, and had a personal best split time (29.24) in the 50 meter freestyle portion of the 200 freestyle relay. With 105 percent attendance, her spirit, energy and commitment are very evident assets to the team.

Courtesy of Becky Conway

Senior Stephanie Gomez is a soccer team captain for the second year. She has anchored the back line for the Cyclones all season, playing every minute of every game thus far as part of the Cyclones’ main line of defense.

Gomez leads by example. She continously wins fifty-fifty balls in the air, maintaining Mills’ possession of the ball and initiating offensive attacks. She also dominates with her physical presence and rallies the defense with her vocal leadership. She contributes to the offense by playing the ball forward and taking the team’s free kicks.

Gomez is also a member of CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes’ Minds for Personal Success), an NCAA student-athlete organization. She was also a key player in organizing the APER Cyclone Kickoff to boot. She brings an avid fan base to each of the soccer games that aid in their spirited play!

Courtesy of Becky Conway

Before this fall, Perla Cantu had never run cross country before and didn’t know if she’d be fast enough. At last week’s Conference Preview Meet at William Jessup University, Cantu not only ran fast enough to improve her own time by three minutes and six seconds, but she was also the second finisher for Mills. Cantu’s time for the 5k was 24:53, a significant achievement in light of the fact that she has been battling shin splints for several weeks, and has spent many practices cross training while her teammates were out running on trails.

“The fact that Perla has become one of our top runners is a testament to her own personal drive and work ethic,” said cross country Head Coach Laura Davis. “Whenever you give your athletes cross training workouts to do on their own, you know there’s a chance they might not work as hard as they would if they were with the team. It’s obvious to me that Perla has worked really hard cross training to keep up with the team’s fitness level.”


Cantu again secured her spot as a top five Mills runner by finishing third for Mills at the Mills Invitational on Friday. Her time on the challenging Mills course was 24:23. Cantu and the Mills cross country team will race next at their Conference meet on Friday, Oct. 27 at William Jessup University.

Courtesy of Sam Foster

When runners talk about improving their personal records in the 5 kilometers, they normally talk about seconds, not minutes. Last week at the Holy Names Invitational at Bort Meadow, Samantha Foster was talking about minutes. She finished her race with a time of 28:58, shaving two minutes and six seconds off of her previous time of 31:04 at a UC Davis meet. What is particularly remarkable about this accomplishment is that every one of her teammates also improved their times significantly.

“I could have nominated any of these women for Cyclone of the Week,” said Head Coach Laura Davis. “But Sam raced with a ton of heart out there, and she brought to the race the same determination and willingness to work hard that she brings to every practice. She has been a leader on our team from almost the beginning of the season.”

Foster was voted by her teammates as one of the two team captains, along with Lupe Cazares. You can watch Foster and her teammates race on campus at the Mills Invitational on Friday, Oct. 13 at noon.

Courtesy of Becky Conway

While many Mills women emerge as leaders by the time they graduate, it’s not typical to find women who start their college careers that way. Lupe Cazares, a freshwoman on the Mills cross country team, is doing just that. She led her team through their first race of the season at UC Davis last Saturday with a time of 22:57 in the 5k.

The UC Davis meet was the most challenging race the team will compete in this season. It’s a division one school, and some of the top teams in the country were in the race, including Stanford and UC Berkeley.

“Our women didn’t shy away from the competition,” said Mills head cross country coach Laura Davis. “They raced without fear or intimidation. Lupe led them in that effort and even finished ahead many division one and two runners.”

Cazares and the Mills cross country team will race again at the Holy Names Invitational on Sept. 22. You can watch them race here at Mills on Friday, Oct. 13 at noon.

Courtesy of Megan Miller

Junior Gigi Barrozo of the Mills College tennis team is this week's Cyclone of the Week. In a home match against Southern Oregon University (SOU) last Saturday, Barrozo played the team's most competitive match, said Mills' head tennis coach Marc Weinstein. Barrozo lost the match's first set 6-1 and then fought hard to make a comeback in the second set, which she won 6-4. Barrozo lost in a third set tiebreaker, in which Weinstein said that Barrozo "held her own extremely well." Despite Barrozo's loss, her 6-1, 6-4 score was a noticeable improvement from another Mills student's 6-0, 6-0 loss against the same SOU opponent last year. According to Weinstein, "Gigi is an amazing competitor and is often finishing her matches against our stronger opponents well after everyone else is done." Barrozo is a Psychology major from Oakland, CA. Congratulations, Gigi!

Photo courtesy of Wendy Franklin

The Cyclone of the Week for the week of March 25 is junior Mailee Wang of the Mills College crew team. Wang is a first year coxswain and, according to Mills crew head coach Wendy Franklin, is doing a phenomenal job. "She has fully embraced the leadership and skills necessary to be a great coxswain," Franklin said. On March 25 at the Blue Heron regatta, she coxed the Varsity four and the Varsity eight boats to 2nd and 3rd place finishes. Franklin said that Wang kept her crew calm and focused in rough water and steered an extremely straight course. Mailee is a PLEA major from San Francisco, CA.

Photo by Megan Miller

Senior Alexa Franz, who plays number one singles and doubles for the Mills College Tennis Team, is the Cyclone of the Week. In the past two competitions, Franz won four matches without dropping a set to lead Mills Tennis to two victories. In a match against Dominican University on Feb. 7, Franz won her singles match 6-0, 6-4, then teamed up with partner Loke Davis to win doubles 8-4. Franz held on to her winning streak with her 6-1, 6-0 singles victory against Diablo Valley College on Feb. 8. In doubles, Franz partnered up with Davis in an 8-2 win. Tennis Head Coach Marc Weinstein said that Franz's, "quiet leadership and impeccable sportsmanship are greatly appreciated at the top of the lineup and a wonderful example for the rest of the team." Franz is a U.S. History major from Riverside, CA.

Photo by Heather Lang

irst year swimmer Jenny Safreno was selected as Cyclone of the Week for her performance in the dual swim meet last Saturday, February 4, against California State University East Bay. Jenny achieved two personal best times in the 100-meter backstroke and the 500-meter freestyle. She also improved her 500-meter freestyle personal best time by nine seconds. Jenny's impeccable attendance, positive attitude and amazing work ethic are greatly appreciated by her coaches and team. Jenny is from Kerman, CA. Congratulations, Jenny!

Cyclone of the Week Shayna Elbling swam season-best times and took ten seconds off her previous record at a swim meet last weekend in Portland, Oregon. With a time of 2:43.64 in the 200-meter backstroke Elbling values her experiences on the Mills swim team, particularly because her teammates don't judge one another based on athletic performance. Assistant Coach Bridget Mansell describes Elbling as a hard-working member of the team, and Aquatics Director Carol Berendson values her dependability as a lifeguard. Elbling is a Biology major from Pittsburgh, PA.

Mills College Weekly

Junior swimmer Alexi Ueltzen is the Cyclone of the week. Alexi swam her way to two Mills College career best times last weekend at the 2005 Bay Area Invitational. In the past two weeks Alexi has been confronted with life-changing obstacles that she has approached with courage and grace. Her accomplishments in the pool during this challenging time speak to her character and to her commitment to what it means to be a Mills College athlete. Alexi, a third year swimmer, is an English major from Fair Oaks, Calif.

Mills College Weekly

The Cyclone of the Week is senior Nikki Fitzgibbon. Nikki is a four-year volleyball player who brings strength and stability to the team with her steadfast determination. Nikki is a true team player, always following through on instructions, willing to try new positions and showing excellent leadership skills. "I know I can count on her to do the job," says Head Coach Marla Mundis. Nikki had a 50 percent kill ratio in Saturday's match against Menlo College with three kills, four digs and one block. She is an environmental studies major who hails from Portland, Ore.

Photo by Mills Weekly

The Cyclone of the Week for Oct. 17 is sophomore cross-country runner Adina Lepp. Adina's consistent presence and solid work ethic throughout the entire season have been an inspiration to the entire team. She has attended every single practice this season, and always pushes herself to improve. Adina's drive is unparalleled, according to her head coach, Sharon Chiong. Last Friday, she led her teammates at the 18th Annual Mills College Cross Country Invitational with her 13th place finish overall of 24:51 for the 3.1-mile course. She is an English major from Portland, Ore.

Mills College Weekly

Congratulations to the Cyclone of the Week, Nadia Ghani! Nadia is a wonderful player who has stepped into a leadership role this season. Statistically, she's a team leader in service aces, racking up four in one game this past week against Dominican University. She's emerging as a strong hitter as well. Nadia is always willing to provide support to new and less-experienced players and can always get the team fired up. "She's an animal!" says coach Marla Mundis. Nadia is an Art History and French double major from Van Nuys, Calif.

Our Cyclone of the week is Miya Oubre of the Mills College Soccer Team! Miya is a solid, first-year soccer player who brings excellent leadership qualities to the team. Miya has played in every game this season with a consistently positive attitude and excellent work ethic. "She brings a lot of talent to the program this year and I am very excited to have her on the team," said coach Colette Bowler. Miya scored the first two goals for Mills in a strong 7 – 0 victory against Pacific Union College last Friday. Congratulations, Miya!

Sophia Tuttle

Congratulations to the Cyclone of the Week, Tashi Parsons-Moss! Tashi's work ethic and dedication on the soccer field is incredible. "She hustles every minute of every practice and game and doesn't let up, ever," said head coach Colette Bowler. Tashi's positive attitude and overall team play are an inspiration to her teammates. She highly values teamwork and the challenge of being on the Mills College Soccer Team. Tashi has played soccer as a Cyclone for three years and is a junior biochemistry major from Columbus, Ohio.

Mills College Weekly

Britt Card is our Cyclone of the Week for the week of March 28-April 3. Card joined the tennis team this season after honing her skills in the PE tennis class the previous two semesters. She moved into the starting line-up early in the season and recently moved up to the #5 singles position. Britt has responded admirably, winning her singles and doubles matches vs. Dominican University, and following that up with a straight set victory against Diablo Valley College.

Mills College Weekly

Heather Stone is our Cyclone of the Week for the week of April 4-April 10. Stone is a graduating senior who competed on the Mills tennis team for the first time this spring.  She ended her collegiate career in style, winning her last two matches in straight sets. Heather's victory at #6 singles vs. Southern Oregon University was Mills' only win of the day and the first time Mills has won a singles match vs. SOU in several years.

Mills College Weekly

Chrissy Fisher was nominated for Cyclone of the Week for her performance at the 2005 NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Chrissy also beat her old school record times in the 100 breast (1:10.92) and placed 13th out of 27, and in the 200 breast (2:35.65) placing her 14th out of 23. She also helped the relay team swim to a new school record time of 1:53.36.

Mills College Weekly

Shirley McLaughlin is Cyclone of the Week for Feb. 14. Shirley is a junior P.L.E.A. major from Seattle, WA. In her second year on the tennis team, Shirley has won three of her four matches this season, playing number two singles and number one doubles with Alexa Franz. Her 61-75 singles victory cinched Mills College’s victory over Diablo Valley College last Tuesday in our first win of the season.

Mills College Weekly

Sophomore cross-country runner Jordan Trew is the Cyclone of the
Week for her outstanding performance at the Cal Pac Conference
Championships on Oct. 29. Her time of 24:33 over the hilly Crystal
Springs 2.95-mile course was an amazing four minute and twelve
second improvement over her time on the same course just one month
ago. She was the number three runner for the Mills squad, which
placed fourth out of seven teams in the Conference. Her work ethic,
positive attitude and dedication to personal improvement, both on
and off the athletic field, are an inspiration to the entire team!
Trew is a PLEA major.

Soccer captain Maliheh Nakhai, senior, is the Cyclone of the
Week for September 20. Maliheh’s positive attitude and leadership
abilities helped rally the team after their loss to Menlo last week
and galvanize the victory over Simpson College on Saturday.

Maliheh scored the winning goal in the tough game, to lead Mills
to a 1-0 victory. She consistent works hard both on the field and
in her role as a team leader and has played every game this season,
her fourth on the soccer team. Maliheh is a biology major from
Eugene, OR.

Christina Kwong

Gloria proved herself a great asset to the soccer team in their
trip to New York to play College of Staten Island and SUNY Purchase
last week. In the first game of the trip against CSI, Gloria
responded with poise and a positive attitude in a rough game that
resulted in a major contusion on her shin. She managed 7 key saves
in a tie game that was ultimately lost in double over-time.

The next day, Gloria played injured, with the same positive
attitude and heart, and managed 8 key saves that cinched the
victory over SUNY Purchase. Gloria is working on her junior year as
a chemistry major.

Compiled by the Athletic Dept.

Emma Panui made a triumphant return to her hometown of Honolulu
during Mills Tennis’ Spring trip to Hawaii. Playing around the
corner from where she grew up, and with family members cheering her
on, Emma played her best tennis of the year as Mills defeated
Chaminade University 6 matches to 3. First Emma teamed with Molly
Maguire to win a pivotal doubles match 8-6. Then, after Mills had
dropped the first two singles matches, Emma clinched victory for
the Cyclones with a hard fought 7-5, 6-4 victory at #3 singles.

Alexi Ueltzen, Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2004

Freshwoman Alexi Ueltzen swam her way to her fourth Mills
College swim record of the season last weekend against Willamette
in Salem, OR. Alexi’s time of 22:33.27 bettered the mark she set
earlier in the season. Alexi also won the 1000-meter freestyle and
swam to a second place finish in the 500-meter freestyle the next
day against Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR. Alexi’s support
of her team, dedication, attitude, and her great sense of humor
have been important for the swim team this year. Alexi is an
English major from Fair Oaks, CA.

Sophia Tuttle, Feb. 2-Feb. 8, 2004

Sophomore Sophia Tuttle finished the swimming season with a bang
this past weekend as Mills hosted C.S.U. Hayward and San Francisco
State. Sophia’s three personal best times were also the fastest
times of the season for the Cyclones in the 100 and 200 freestyle
and the 200 Individual Medley. Her split time of 1:02.8 as the
anchor of the 4×100 freestyle relay helped the relay break the
school record by three seconds.

Sophia is from Albany, CA