There are plenty of reasons to head down to the Alex G. Spanos Center and watch the Pacific men’s basketball team play: to see the Tigers themselves, of course, but you can also listen to the Pep Band play their hearts out, enjoy concession stand classics and even take pictures with Powercat as the mascot roams the stands.  

The Tigers’ home opener on Nov. 5 had all that – plus the excitement of starting a new basketball season. You can start having fun way before the game, too.: Pplenty of people met up with friends beforehand to make signs and don spirit gear. Pacific also hosted a tailgate, which is a good spot to fuel up for the evening – though it’s important to leave room for pretzels and cheese dip during the game! 

All through the night, the Pep Band played a rotation of classic songs, including Abba and Survivor (“Eye of the Tiger” is a must when Powercat is around). The energy hit a pitch during the half-time show when Jessica K. Haas – America’s first female speed painter – took to the court to paint Pacific’s logo.  

You’ll have plenty more chances to check out Pacific’s Division I team play, which will be especially exciting once they start playing West Coast Conference games in late December.  

If you want to check out other sports, you’re in luck – Pacific has 17 different sports programs running throughout the academic year. That means you’ll have access to men and women’s sports including water polo, tennis, soccer, softball and volleyball. As a student, you can attend these games for free – and be sure to keep an eye out for tailgates, giveaways and even fireworks. 

Congrats, Tiger, you made it through midterms! What better way to celebrate than with your family and friends at Homecoming! University of the Pacific will host various events and programs this weekend, from October 13-15, across campus for alumni, family members, students and members of the Pacific community to enjoy.

All events require registration, which can be accomplished in person on October 13 at the Welcome Center in the Alex and Jeri Vereshchagin Alumni House. Here you can also pick up a weekend schedule, name tags and event tickets. Their hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of events you, as a current student, don’t want to miss! 

Movie night under the stars

Grab some pillows and blankets from your dorm room and set them up on the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center Lawn for an outdoor screening of “A Million Miles Away” (PG) on Friday, October 13 at 8 p.m. “A Million Miles Away” tells the inspiring story of Pacific alumnus José Hernández, the first migrant farmworker to travel to space. The event is free, and popcorn will be provided! 

Run, stride or walk around campus

Bright and early on Saturday morning is the Tiger Dash, a family-friendly race around our beautiful campus. There’s a half-mile Cub Run for kids, the timed and certified 5K Tiger Dash and a casual 5K Pack Walk for strollers and pets on leashes. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the official start time is at 8 a.m.  

Breakfast with the president

If you prefer a later start to your Saturday morning, head over to President and First Lady Callahan’s home for a backyard breakfast with live music from Pacific student musicians at 9 a.m. 

Cheer on your Pacific athletics teams across campus

There are four opportunities for you to show school spirit and cheer on your Tigers on Saturday. But before heading over to the women’s volleyball match, stop by the Homecoming lunch and tailgate at 11:30 a.m. for some great barbeque, fun activities, beer/wine and giveaways. Then, head over to Alex G. Spanos Center to watch women’s volleyball take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 12:30 p.m. 

After the match, head over to Knoles Field to watch women’s soccer challenge Bay Area foe, Santa Clara Broncos, at 1:30 p.m.  

Next, take your Tiger spirit over to Chris Kjeldsen Pool, where your #13 Pacific men’s water polo team will take on #15 California Baptist at 3 p.m.  

Finally, end your night back on Knoles Field to watch a beautiful Stockton sunset AND men’s soccer match against California at 7 p.m. 

On Sunday, your nationally ranked men’s water polo team will be back in the pool to face #12 UC Santa Barbara. End your Homecoming weekend with a splash!  

Immersive experiences

On Saturday at 10:30 a.m., Pacific will be offering free academic experiences to allow alumni, students and families to explore the innovative learning spaces and connect with faculty, Deans and students. These interactive sessions will be led by Pacific faculty members, some of whom are Faculty Mentor Award recipients. 

The Homecoming headquarters is also a great resource for questions and offers device charging stations and light beverages. For more information about this weekend, check out this website. 

See you there, and happy Homecoming! 

Megan Nishimura

Megan Nishimura is a fourth-year marketing major from Honolulu, Hawai’i. You can find her in Burns Tower as Enrollment Marketing’s student copywriter, in the stands as an athletics event staff worker or on the court as a member of Pacific’s Division 1 volleyball team.

Balancing school and social life is no easy feat in college. Add athletics or a job and it gets even harder. I’m a member of Pacific’s volleyball team AND I hold a job on campus, so I have a bit of experience with balancing it all.    

Here is my advice for tackling time-management to find success in the classroom, on the court and in life. 

Get organized 

Our coaches give us a schedule detailing our practices, workouts and games for the week, but it’s up to me to fill the rest of my agenda up.  

I prefer to keep track of my weekly schedule and events on my Notes and Reminders apps as opposed to a calendar. They’re saved to my iCloud so I have access to them on my phone and laptop. As someone who has a busy and on-the-go lifestyle, it’s reassuring to know I always have my schedule on hand.  

I use Notes on my laptop as my planner to track assignments, practice times, job duties and any other commitments I have for the week. Long lists can be intimidating, so I keep it up-to-date and don’t include assignments too far into the future. 

For major events, I’ll use Reminders on my phone and schedule them to appear at appropriate times. Sometimes I also stick colorful sticky notes on my mirror with additional reminders, so I see them regularly and don’t miss them.  

Create a routine 

Routines help me stay on track and be efficient with my time. Like a pre-game routine, I also have a pre-work/study session routine. For example, I always eat or grab a snack before heading to my selected work environment. I rotate between a few places to get work done, including the Lair (during off hours), outside the DUC and the library. These environments help me stay focused and motivated. After my first year of college, I learned that I’m most productive during the day, so I try to complete my assignments and schedule my classes before 6 p.m. 

During the week, I also try to eat meals and be in bed around the same time every day. On some days I have lift, class AND practice, so it’s important for me to be well rested and properly fueled. 

Be proactive 

One of the easiest habits for students to pick up in college is procrastination. To avoid this, I try to be as proactive as possible. 

If we are traveling for away games, I make sure to complete as much homework as I can ahead of time. I’ll also befriend someone in the class whom I can rely on for notes or important announcements I missed during my absence. 

Communicating early is key, especially with your professors. In addition to giving them a form with the class periods and assignments I’ll miss, I send them an email a few days before my absence to remind them I’ll be gone and to show initiative. 

I avoid asking for extensions on assignments because that lures me into procrastinating. Instead, I start homework as soon as it’s assigned and begin studying for an exam a few days beforehand. Active recall and physically writing out information is the most efficient way for me to study.  

Don’t put too much on your plate 

Being a student and an athlete is a lot, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to join a lot of clubs and get involved on campus right away. Get accustomed to your schedule first and then slowly start adding more to your plate.   

I started working at Pacific after experiencing a full year-and-a-half of balancing college life and athletics. If you decide to go down that path, I recommend finding positions that are flexible enough for your lifestyle and ones that are enjoyable. You’ll have to make sacrifices, but if the pros outweigh the cons, I say go for it!  

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to have downtime to relax and reset. You can also use the couseling resources Pacific offers like CAPS or the athletic department’s new sports therapist.  

It often feels like there is never enough time in a day, but if you learn to manage your schedule well, you can make the most of it. Whether you’re an athlete or not, I hope these tips help you to rethink how you are managing your time. 

About the author

Megan Nishimura

Megan Nishimura is a fourth-year marketing major from Honolulu, Hawai’i. You can find her in Burns Tower as Enrollment Marketing’s student copywriter, in the stands as an athletics event staff worker or on the court as a member of Pacific’s Division 1 volleyball team.

Update: The Men’s Water Polo team will compete against UC Berkeley in the national semi-finals at 2 p.m., Saturday. You’re welcome to join the festivities as we cheer them on at the watch party in The Lair on the second floor of the DeRosa University Center.

Whew! Is it just me, or is anyone else’s heart still racing from the USA vs Iran match? The World Cup is in full force right now, but so is the NCAA Men’s Water Polo National Championships. Might I suggest taking a break from fútbol and coming out to support your Pacific Tigers Men’s Water Polo team as they play in the Opening Round on Thursday?

If you haven’t been following Men’s Water Polo, let me catch you up to speed. Living up to their “Water Polo U” nickname, the Tigers finished 7th in the nation and 1st in the Golden Coast Conference, with their entire seven-man starting lineup receiving all-conference awards. This will be Pacific’s fifth postseason appearance and their third in the last five seasons. They finished runner-up in both 2013 and 2019.

Elite athletes from around the world comprise this championship team. Over the summer, current players Reuel D’Souza, Jeremie Cote and Bogdan Djerkovic represented Team Canada at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. They are looking to represent them again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.    

Watch Party at The Lair

Ready to come out and support? The Tigers are taking on the UC Davis Aggies at the Spieker Aquatic Center on California’s campus in Berkeley at 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 1.

The Pacific community is encouraged to attend the free watch party at The Lair, on the second floor of the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center.

In addition to streaming the match on their new 16,000-Lumen Panasonic laser projector and six 70” 4K ultra high-definition video displays, The Lair will be serving their usual pub-fare with special dishes by guest Bon Appétit Pizza and Pasta Chef, Giuseppe Randazzo.

Water Polo 101

To help you understand what some consider the most physically demanding sport, here are seven fast facts about water polo:

1. Each team starts at their own goal lines and a swim off starts each period. Whoever reaches the ball in the center of the field first has possession. 
2. Six field players and a goalie are trying to outscore their opponents before the end of the game. In some cases, teams will have to play with less when exclusion or major fouls have occurred. Some examples include: kicking or striking an opponent, using foul language, or intentionally splashing water in an opponent’s face.
3. A player can only use one hand to hold the ball. They have to dribble or swim with the ball in front of them or pass it to a teammate to advance it.
4. If you touch the bottom of the pool, possession is turned over to your opponent. Players must keep themselves afloat by treading water and using the alternating leg kick method known as eggbeater.
5. Similar to basketball, there is a 30-35 second shot clock and games are played in quarters ranging from six to eight minutes. If no shot has been made when the shot clock runs out, possession is turned over to the defending team.
6. Goggles are prohibited and water polo bathing caps are to be worn at all times for safety reasons. Players purposefully wear tight-fitting swimsuits to make it difficult for their opponents to grab onto them during a game.
7. There are several different positions in water polo. Most teams use one center forward, one center back, two wings and two drivers. The center forward is their main attacking player and you can recognize them because they will be directly in front of the opponent’s goal.   

Think you got it? I can assure you, this quick-paced sport will be nothing less than exciting to watch. With rowdy cheering, players jostling and constant scoring, what’s not to love? Take your newfound knowledge to The Lair on Thursday to cheer on your Tigers. Hope to see you there! 

Learn more about the Men’s Water Polo team here.

About the author

Megan Nishimura

Megan Nishimura is a fourth-year marketing major from Honolulu, Hawai’i. You can find her in Burns Tower as Enrollment Marketing’s student copywriter, in the stands as an athletics event staff worker or on the court as a member of Pacific’s Division 1 volleyball team.

Pacific alumnus and Stockton native Erik Centeno dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player since he was young. A talented defender and midfielder, Centeno now plays for the MLS team, Atlanta United FC, the 2019 winner of the U.S. Open Cup. Centeno lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he focuses on training and hopes to compete in the World Cup one day.

“Playing away from my family and home, which is Stockton, has been a little difficult, but this has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” he said.

Centeno credits Pacific for being his springboard to a pro career. The university’s visibility as a West Coast Conference team provided a showcase for Centeno’s talents on the field. At Pacific, Centeno stood out as the only first-year player to start in all 16 games, recording six goals and five assists. Centeno’s achievements on the field earned him First Team All-West Coast Conference and WCC Freshman of the Year honors. It didn’t take long for the MLS to identify him for its Generation Adidas program and Atlanta United’s first-round draft pick.

Centeno’s journey to become a professional soccer player started at the Thursday night games at Pacific which he remembers attending with his family. Growing up in Stockton and going to Pacific’s soccer matches, Centeno always wanted to be a Tiger. One of his fondest childhood memories is walking on Pacific’s soccer field holding a player’s hand.

“I feel like the Pacific’s men soccer team has really helped young kids by inspiring them,” Centeno said. “I remember going to the games at Pacific when I was little, and it really inspired me to get to where I am today.”

As he got older, Centeno played for Sacramento Republic FC Academy, the FC Dallas Academy and U.S. Under-17 Men’s Youth National Team. His diligence and achievements caught the eye of Pacific’s coaches, and in 2021 he was offered a spot on the Tigers team. At the same time, he decided to pursue a degree in communication.

Centeno says Pacific’s coaches and advisers helped him balance academics and athletics.

“They really helped me become a better student and at the same time helped me manage my time better—especially coach Adam [Reeves] since he always kept me on track with my grades,” he said.

Centeno realizes he had a lot of help to achieve his dream, from the sacrifices his mother made to get him to soccer practices and the care and attention he received from Pacific coaches.

He believes it takes community to succeed as an athlete. He hopes aspiring soccer players will find just that in his hometown and his alma mater.

“I feel like the soccer community in Stockton has grown a lot since I was growing up,” Centeno said. “There are way more clubs involved with youth, and I hope that University of the Pacific can continue being the step up for young players growing up in Stockton.”

Seattle Seahawks head coach and Pacific graduate, Pete Carroll, did not dream of being a coach when he was young.  

“My life is built around being raised by coaches,” he said. “But I never aspired to be a coach.  I never had that as my goal or anything.”

He says Pacific is where his coaching life began. He credits the coaches and professors he met as an undergraduate and graduate student.

Carroll shared his story with Pacific athletes and coaches on May 13. He was on campus to receive an honorary degree during the university’s Commencement ceremony. On the floor of the Spanos Center, Carroll explained how he discovered his passion for helping people maximize their performance.

Carroll’s start at Pacific

Carroll came to Pacific in the early 1970s as a transfer student on an athletic scholarship. He helped turn around Pacific’s football team record from 3-8 in his junior year to 8-3 in his senior year.

After graduating in 1973, he returned to Pacific as an assistant coach and a graduate student. That’s when he met Professor Glen Albaugh who introduced him to sports psychology.

“Glen Albaugh was really the guy. We were kind of going hand-in-hand to understanding how we could help nurture peak experiences,” Carroll said.

It was through Albaugh that Carroll started his journey of discovery about self-actualization. The idea of helping athletes quiet their minds and immerse themselves in an activity fascinated him.

He said all this crystallized for him later in his career after he read a book by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, and he figured out that excellence comes down to one thing.

Passion for winning

“If you want to be great at what you do, you have to figure you out,” Carroll said. For him, that one thing was a passion for competing and winning.

Since then, Carroll has gone on to build an impressive career in college and professional football. He is one of only three football coaches who have won both a Super Bowl—with Seattle in 2013—and a college football national championship with the University of Southern California in 2003 and 2004.

Carroll shares his drive for excellence off the field as well. He recently founded Amplify Voices, a social justice media platform. His organiziation produces podcasts, documentaries and books dedicated to championing diverse and caring voices.

You can learn more about Carroll’s career at the new Stagg Memorial Football Plaza exhibit that Pacific recently unveiled.

Each February, the United States observes Black History Month, an annual celebration honoring African American history and heritage. Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about the adversities and triumphs of African Americans, as well as a reminder to celebrate Black history and confront racial injustice year-round.  

Pacific’s Black History Month Planning Committee has planned many different programs for the Pacific community to celebrate this month, including renowned speakers, panel discussions, films and even a free health clinic and gospel concert led by the faculty and staff from the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy in partnership with local health organizations.

“It is always exciting to present Black History Month events to the community,” said Randall Ogans, Black History Month Planning Committee co-chair. “It is a reflection of many months of hard work the planning committee has put in and our contribution to moving the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives forward.”

We’ve rounded up some events you won’t want to miss here, all of which are free and available to the entire Pacific community. You can check out the full list of programming here.

From a Yardie to a Yankee

In this one-woman play, actress, writer, comedian and producer Sardia Robinson tells her life’s story, from navigating life in Kingston, Jamaica to the struggles she faced after immigrating to Chicago. The performance will be held at the Long Theater on February 17 from 5-7:00 p.m.

Syracuse 8: Level the Playing Field

The Syracuse 8, student athletes and members of the Syracuse University football team, boycotted the 1970 football season to demand an end to racial discrimination within the football program. They will be in conversation with Pacific alumnus Andrew Thomas ‘90, at Faye Spanos Concert Hall on February 22 from 7-9:00 p.m. 

Health Fair and Gospelfest

Pharmacy faculty and students will facilitate a comprehensive, service-based health fair providing free health screenings and COVID-19 vaccinations. The health fair will be held at Victory in Praise Church from 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m on February 26, followed by a gospel concert at the same location at 7:00 p.m. The concert will be headlined by critically acclaimed musicians Red Hands and Anita Wilson.

Christina Elmore: Black Stories Matter

Christina Elmore is a film, television and theater performer who now stars as Maria on BET’s Twenties. Elmore has also appeared in many other roles, including Condola on the HBO series, Insecure. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an MFA in acting from American Conservatory Theater. Elmore will speak about her experiences in entertainment industry at the Faye Spanos Concert Hall on February 28 from 7-9:00 p.m.