by Rachel Roche ’96, ’02 and Stephanie Schoppe ’16, ’18
The Bulldog fall sports teams enjoyed an amazing 2016 season, including three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) appearances and two conference titles.
Men’s soccer returned to greatness by winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) regular-season title and postseason tournament championship for the second year in a row. These wins resulted in an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, where the Bulldogs battled their way to the Elite 8 by defeating the No. 1 team. Their memorable season ended in an 18-6-1 overall mark and a 12-4-0 record in conference.
Women’s soccer started off strong by downing Lawrence University in a 9-0 rout, but the team struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm throughout the season, resulting in a 3-12-2 overall record and a 2-10-2 mark in conference. The Bulldogs look to bounce back in 2017 and rise from their seventh-place finish.
Football put together an undefeated run through the SCIAC for the program’s 30th overall title. Redlands advanced to the first round of NCAA playoffs to face University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB). The Bulldogs challenged the Crusaders and led, 21-14, at halftime. Unfortunately, UMHB came out on top, ending the Bulldogs’ great season at an 8-2 overall record.
Women’s volleyball also looked solid early on by going 10-5 in the month of September. Despite a rookie-laden roster and multiple injuries, the team earned a 13-14 overall mark to more than double its number of wins from the previous season. The Bulldogs went 3-13 in conference for eighth place.
The cross country teams competed through a stellar season, with both squads finishing fourth place in conference. The Bulldogs garnered five All-West Region nods for the program’s strongest showing at the NCAA Regional meet in at least a decade. Senior runner Abhinav Nagpal punched his ticket to the Nationals with his 23rd-place finish to become the first men’s runner to qualify since 2013.
Bulldog men’s water polo had a great season that culminated in an overall record of 18-15 and a 7-4 mark in conference. Redlands mustered a significant upset of then-No. 17 San Jose State early in the season. The team faced tough competition in the SCIAC Championship Tournament and equaled its seeding with a fourth-place finish.
