California Lutheran University’s Athletics Department hosted the 2023 Winter Media Day on Monday, Oct. 9 in collaboration with University Marketing & Communications. This gave student-athletes the opportunity to pose for photos and interact with the media.
Throughout the afternoon, winter and spring athletics teams participated in a variety of photo opportunities, including portraits and video content. The attending teams included men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s volleyball.
Howard Davis, interim director of athletics at Cal Lutheran, said Media Day provides “an elite student-athlete experience” akin to media days held within Division I and professional athletics programs across the country.
“Many of the professional and Division I athletic teams host media days,” Davis said. “They get student-athletes and professional athletes to interact with the media, so we wanted to bring that experience here for our student-athletes.”
Davis said Media Day provides a large amount of digital promotional material to University Marketing & Communications, which can be used on social media, print, and as website content.
Head Men’s Tennis Coach Mike Gennette coaches both men’s and women’s tennis at Cal Lutheran, and said he is currently in his 31st year in the position. He said this type of media day was a great new experience for his team.
“This is the first one that this team has been a part of that’s been like this,” Gennette said. “They’ve done it before but it wasn’t as much of a show as it is this time, so I think they felt like how the school wanted them to feel; special. They were getting a little bit of attention and a little more exposure.”
Women’s tennis co-captains, senior Lauren Sebastian and junior Carmen Bufkin, said they are feeling very optimistic ahead of the team’s spring season, and that the team is looking forward to accomplishing the goals they’ve set for themselves.
“Team-wise, we’re looking to just build a strong team that’s really cohesive and works well together,” Bufkin said. “We’re looking to get ranked, and personally, my goals for the season are to go to Nationals again, do better than last time, and bring my doubles partner with me for nationals.”
Sebastian said the team has been preparing both in and outside of structured practice time, as they have “been in the gym three times a week for an hour.” Sebastian said the team is hoping to be ranked in the top 40 within the division.
Along with the physical preparation, Gennette said he also makes sure to coach his teams through mental preparation before each season.
“As far as coaching style, one of the first things to start with is just planning out what we’re going to be doing in the future both as an individual and as a team,” Gennette said. “Helping them sort that out and think about ‘what do I need to do right now to be where I want to be then?’”
Davis said Cal Lutheran takes a holistic approach to how they provide for their student-athletes, a sentiment that Davis said is shared throughout the athletics department. He said that Media Day is an example of how Cal Lutheran strives to provide its athletes with unique opportunities.
“I think the most special thing about Cal Lu athletics is the people that we have,” Davis said. “They’re all dedicated to providing a top-notch experience for our student-athletes both competitively; on the field, the court, in the pool, but also in the classroom and really tending to their emotional, social, and mental health. It’s the full package, and that’s really what Division III athletics is all about.”
