Fresno State athletics are experiencing a funk

Cheap Seats by Zack Walton

For what started as such a promising year for athletics at Fresno State, entering the midway point of the semester nearly all the programs have entered dismal downward spirals.

This was supposed to be the year for the Bulldogs.

All the talent. All the hype. And, now, all the disappointment.

Entering the year, the Fresno State football team was loaded with perhaps its most talented crop of athletes in school history.

With talent and experience at nearly every position, the Bulldogs set their own goals to enter the national level no longer as a mid-major surprise, but as real contenders as a top-10 team in the country and a threat as Bowl Championship Series competitors.

And after road-blowouts of Washington and Kansas State, two of the most prestigious college football programs in the country, and a No. 17 national ranking, the Bulldogs were well on their way.

Until the BCS-bubble burst with a 28-21 loss at Louisiana Tech, and then the hopes of Fresno State football were dashed even further with a 24-21 home loss to Texas El-Paso.

Before you knew it, the 3-0 Bulldogs had fallen to 3-2 and were sitting in the basement of the Western Athletic Conference, looking up at the likes of Southern Methodist and San Jose State, after their worst conference start during coach Pat Hill’s tenure.

The Bulldogs volleyball team is another squad experiencing demise, although its time in the spotlight was nearly obsolete compared to the football team. As the second-favorite team in the WAC preseason poll and with four players garnering preseason conference awards, Fresno State now holds a 9-10 record.

The Bulldogs are only 2-5 in conference play and are riding a four-game losing streak. All this comes two weeks after the preseason WAC player of the year, Kristen Fenton, quit the squad for personal reasons.

Fenton, who was named an All-American last season, entered the year as the Bulldogs’ leader, both as a force at outside hitter and with her senior leadership.

Plagued by injuries and overwhelmed by the increased role as a leader vocally and with her ability, Fenton left the squad Oct. 6.

Since Fenton’s absence, the team has failed to capture a victory.

The women’s soccer program has struggled this season, and their 4-7-3 record shows it, especially on the road, where the team is 1-5. The Bulldogs have been outshot and outscored by opponents this season and their leading scorer, sophomore Cortney Sobrero (10 goals), has accounted for nearly half of the team’s 21 goals this year.

Entering its final home match of the season Friday, Fresno State has only one win in the past seven matches.

But all is not lost for Fresno State athletics, there is an individual still carrying the winning spirit of the Bulldogs, women’s golfer Laura Luethke.

Luethke has established herself as the inaugural program’s premier player, as well as one of the nation’s best after capturing her third title in four tournaments Tuesday at the Lady Aztec Fall Invitational in San Diego.

The freshman shot a second-round 68 to jump from a fifth-place tie to first in the rain-shortened tournament.

Luethke’s phenomenal season began in her first collegiate tournament, as she captured the title at the Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic in Colorado on Sept. 13-14. She then followed up her victory with an encore performance two weeks later, capturing the title at the Sacramento State Invitational, as the program secured its first-ever tournament team victory.

Entering the week, Luethke was ranked sixth in the nation by Golfstat, a collegiate player-ranking system, and was named WAC golfer of the month for September.

Luethke’s success has not been as celebrated as it should be because golf is a rather low-profile sport at Fresno State and the fact that the Bulldogs don’t play in any home tournaments until April.

Fresno State athletics will eventually get back on its winning track, but for now, Luethke is the lone shining star.

-This columnist can be reached at [email protected]