Saint Mary's College Gaels
Encyclopedia
The Saint Mary's Gaels are the athletic teams that compete at Saint Mary's College of California
in Moraga, California
. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA
Division-I teams and club sports. The nickname was given to the school's football team (now discontinued) in 1926 by a writer for the now defunct San Francisco Call-Bulletin
. The school's previous nickname was the Saints, although the baseball team was known as the Phoenix until the 1940s.
The college has men's teams in basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis and women's teams in basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Most teams compete in the West Coast Conference
. The school also offers a number of club sports.
programs in the country. The team received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament
in 2005 and 2008, but in both cases lost in the first round. The Gaels also have spent parts of the past two seasons ranked in both the Associated Press
and ESPN
Top 25 polls. In 2008, the team got off to a strong start and at one time had the longest active winning streak in the nation before an injury to star guard Patty Mills, who was their leading scorer at the time. Mills came back in time for the West Coast Conference Tournament, but after a loss to Gonzaga
in the WCC tournament finals, the team was not selected for the NCAA tournament.
In March 2010, the Gaels received an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament
, after winning the championship game of the WCC Tournament. Having beaten Gonzaga in the tournament final, it was the Gaels' second WCC tournament victory since it began in 1987. In 2010, they won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1959, defeating the Richmond Spiders
. On March 20, 2010, the Gaels, led by Omar Samhan
's 32 points, defeated #2 seed Villanova 75-68 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they would fall to 3 seed and AP #19 Baylor to end their season 28–6.
, Ohio State, and the military academies. In 2008, the men's rugby team reached the Final Four of the USA Rugby Division One National Championship tournament, losing to Cal Berkeley
41-31 in the semi-finals, and was also ranked at #2 in the nation for Division 1 Collegiate Rugby at the seasons end.
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
in Moraga, California
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...
. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division-I teams and club sports. The nickname was given to the school's football team (now discontinued) in 1926 by a writer for the now defunct San Francisco Call-Bulletin
San Francisco Call
The San Francisco Call was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called The San Francisco Call & Post, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, and the News-Call Bulletin...
. The school's previous nickname was the Saints, although the baseball team was known as the Phoenix until the 1940s.
The college has men's teams in basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis and women's teams in basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Most teams compete in the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
. The school also offers a number of club sports.
Men's basketball
The men's basketball team has become recognized nationally as one of the top mid-majorMid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...
programs in the country. The team received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in 2005 and 2008, but in both cases lost in the first round. The Gaels also have spent parts of the past two seasons ranked in both the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Top 25 polls. In 2008, the team got off to a strong start and at one time had the longest active winning streak in the nation before an injury to star guard Patty Mills, who was their leading scorer at the time. Mills came back in time for the West Coast Conference Tournament, but after a loss to Gonzaga
Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
The Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Gonzaga University. The school competes in the West Coast Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in the WCC tournament finals, the team was not selected for the NCAA tournament.
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
, after winning the championship game of the WCC Tournament. Having beaten Gonzaga in the tournament final, it was the Gaels' second WCC tournament victory since it began in 1987. In 2010, they won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1959, defeating the Richmond Spiders
Richmond Spiders
The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond, a member of the NCAA's Division I and a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football and women's golf, which participate as members of the Colonial Athletic Association....
. On March 20, 2010, the Gaels, led by Omar Samhan
Omar Samhan
Omar Samhan is an American professional basketball center for the Žalgiris Kaunas of the Euroleague. Formerly, Samhan played college basketball for the St. Mary's Gaels, where he was a 2010 All-American honorable mention, and played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA's summer league...
's 32 points, defeated #2 seed Villanova 75-68 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they would fall to 3 seed and AP #19 Baylor to end their season 28–6.
Men's rugby
The men's rugby team, the oldest athletic club at the school, has enjoyed a rise in the past few years. Revitalized with a new coaching staff and increasing alumni support, the team has finished the season ranked among the top ten teams in the country for three consecutive years, competing with large high-profile schools such as CaliforniaCalifornia Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
, Ohio State, and the military academies. In 2008, the men's rugby team reached the Final Four of the USA Rugby Division One National Championship tournament, losing to Cal Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
41-31 in the semi-finals, and was also ranked at #2 in the nation for Division 1 Collegiate Rugby at the seasons end.