Halpin one of eight inductees set for MC HOF
Bill Halpin firmly believes that the players make the coach and not vice versa.
The former Merced College women’s water polo coach certainly had a bevy of talent during his 15-year tenure, including 50 All-Americans, nine NorCal MVPs and 48 all-NorCal players. It helped Halpin compile a 387-133 record, four NorCal titles and 10 trips to the state tournament.
But while Halpin had no shortage of star power, he worked hard for every kid he got to come to the Merced campus.
“That is one thing I’ll say: I never took ‘no’ for an answer,” Halpin said. “If a kid said they weren’t interested in coming, I’d hang up and see how they felt the next week. Water polo isn’t a sport you associate with Merced, so you really have to actively recruit.
“The kids knew I was interested, and so they gave Merced a try.”
Halpin’s credentials and overall contributions to Merced-area aquatics made him an easy choice as one of the eight inductees in Merced College’s fourth Hall of Fame class. The Merced College Blue Devil Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner will be held on Saturday evening in the MC gym.
Joining Halpin will be Rick Williams (baseball), Charles Pittman (basketball), Frank Battle (football), Scott Blank (football), Kit Grattan (swimming), Cristie Sanchez-Girardi (basketball) and Ann Mesman (softball).
“It’s definitely an honor,” Halpin said. “In my mind it’s a reflection of the players we had. We don’t have the program we had without those players.
“I was kind of in on the roots of aquatics here in Merced. I was a Skimmer way back in 1958 and have kind of been involved in some way since. It’s still not an area you associate with water polo, but a lot of successful teams have come from here. I’m proud of that.”
The event will run from 6-9 p.m. and costs $50 per person or $500 for a table of eight. Tickets can be purchased at the athletics office or via PayPal at www.mercedcollegefoundation.org.
A week to remember
UC Merced student athletes have been regular fixtures on the California Pacific Conference Athlete of the Week lists since the school started competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics five years ago.
Still, in the school’s brief history, the Bobcats have rarely seen the kind of recognition they received on Monday. Five Bobcats took home Cal Pac weekly honors.
The women’s volleyball team had particularly good representation after a long road trip saw them pick up wins over West Coast Baptist and Antelope Valley University. Genna Garrett was named the Setter of the Week. Teammate Brooke Wheeler also was nominated. Rachael Schaefer, the team’s top offensive weapon, showed her versatility in getting named the league’s Defender of the Week.
The two soccer teams also received some love, with men’s goalkeeper Bernardo Garcia taking home Defensive Player of the Week honors, and women’s striker Marissa Giovannoni was the Offensive Player of the Week.
All that came on the heels of cross country runners Sofia Rios and Daniel Pena getting named the Cal Pac Runners of the Month the week before.
Leaving her mark
The Merced College women’s water polo program has had no shortage of offensive power over the years.
It appears sophomore Rebekah Groteguth may be adding her name to that storied list. The Turlock high grad’s 31 goals entering Wednesday’s play ranked her tied for fourth in Northern California. Her team-high 20 assists rank second in the NorCal. Diablo Valley College’s Megan Dietrich leads the North with 47 goals, but has five games in hand on Groteguth.
Midnight Madness
UC Merced’s annual kickoff to the basketball season will be held Thursday night at Hostetler Court.
The Bobcats men’s and women’s teams will showcase their 2015 rosters with each participating in a intra-squad scrimmage. The event has routinely sold out, so fans are encouraged to get there early, as no one will be admitted once the gym reaches capacity. The action begins at 11 p.m.
The UC Merced men open the season at home against William Jessup on Oct. 29. The women host Southern Oregon on Nov. 1.
Keeping pace
Lost in Merced College football’s recent struggles and current three-game losing streak has been the continued success of running back Josh Stevens.
The sophomore became MC’s first 1,000-yard back since 1998 when he rushed for 1,145 yards last year. Entering this week’s bye, Stevens is on pace for even better numbers.
He ranks third in the state with 631 yards through five games, and his 95-yard touchdown run last week tied the school record set in 1980 by Scott Montgomery.
This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Halpin one of eight inductees set for MC HOF."