Men's Basketball 12/20/2017 4:06:00 PM

PLNU ATHLETICS ALUMNI UPDATE - DEC. 20, 2017

This is an update of a few Point Loma alumni that have continued their athletic careers beyond college, either playing or coaching. If you have other names to add to the list please contact PLNU Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Danny Barnts at dbarnts@pointloma.edu.

Tyler Garkow: baseball, 2012-13
Tyler Garkow was named the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs Pitcher of the Year in 2017. Garkow, who plays for the Sonoma Stompers lead the league in strikeouts (97) and ERA (2.56). He received 25 more votes than the next-closest contender in the Pitcher of the Year voting. In August, he left the Pacific Association to be called up to the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League. Garkow's nearly-100 strikeouts came in just 13 starts for Sonoma. In that span, Garkow did not pitch less than five innings in a start. He recorded 10 or more strikeouts three times.

"We're all doing the best we can and we're still fighting and scratching and clawing for that dream. I'm just fortunate enough to be one step closer," Garkow said after his last start as a Stomper. "It doesn't mean I'm more deserving than anybody else, I just got the opportunity. I just have to make the most of it."

Hayden Lescault: men's basketball, 2010-15
Lescault has been playing overseas in Germany and Great Britain since graduating from Point Loma. He is now back in Germany playing for Scanplus Baskets Elchingen. The team is 12-2 on the season, and is in first in the Pro B standings. Lescault leads the team in points (16.2) and steals (3.1) per game. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and is shooting .803 percent from the free throw line. Last year, he was with the Glasgow Rocks in the British Basketball League (BBL). He averaged 12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and shot .571 percent from the field. He helped the Rocks go 22-13 and average 81.7 points per game. To keep up with Lescault's journey and career, follow him on Twitter at @Hlesco11.

Andrew Lasker: men's basketball, 2002-04
Lasker is in his sixth season with the Newcastle Eagles in the British Basketball League. The 2004 graduate of Point Loma is still playing at age 35. In nine games this season, he is averaging 6.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He has also hit 22-of-25 shots from the charity stripe. Currently, the Eagles are leading the BBL standings at 10-3. Last year, he helped the Eagles post a 26-12 record, and reach the championship game of the BBL Finals. Lasker's team knocked Marek Klassen's out of the playoffs. During his professional career, Lasker played with the Plymouth Raiders before joining Newcastle.

Marek Klassen: men's basketball, 2010-15
After playing last season in England with the Worcester Wolves, Klassen signed a deal to play with the Bakirkoy Basket team, located in Istanbul, this season. So far, Bakirkoy is 6-8 on the season. Klassen is the starting point guard and he is averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He is shooting .527 percent from the field. He was named the MVP of the Turkey Basketball League championship game after putting up a double-double with 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. Last season, Klassen averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in helping lead the Wolves (23-14) to the British Basketball League (BBL) semifinals. His 6.2 assists per game ranked him third in the league. Klassen was given the team's Sportsmanship Award. To keep up with Klassen's journey and career, follow him on Twitter at @marekklassen.

Colleen Planeta: women's basketball, 2006-10
Planeta continues to have an outstanding postcollegiate career overseas, and is currently playing in Australia. She moved up to the top women's league, the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), this season. She is playing for the Adelaide Lightning and is averaging 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She is shooting .450 percent from the field and .360 percent from 3-point range. Adelaide is currently fifth in the WNBL standings. Planeta has also played overseas in Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany.

BJ Foster: men's basketball, 1998-01
Foster is in his first season as the full-time head coach with Cal State San Marcos after having the interim tag removed from his title in April. He has the Cougars sitting at 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). In his interim season (2016-17), Foster led CSUSM to a fifth-place finish after going 18-12 in the CCAA. To read the full article on Foster's hiring, click here.

Crissa Jackson: women's basketball, 2010-12
'Ace' Jackson continues to shine in her third season with the Harlem Globetrotters. She attended basketball camps conducted by Globetrotter Handles Franklin. Handles saw something special in Ace and encouraged her to try out for the team. She signed with the Globetrotters in October of 2015 and since that time, she has toured the world with the Globetrotters, including the European Tour, which included 77 shows, spanning 73 cities in 13 countries. Jackson is the 13th female member to join the historic team. To see Ace's Globetrotters' bio, click here.

Ryan Garcia: baseball, 2014-17
Garcia was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 32nd round of the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft. He is leading the AZL with 36 RBI in just 44 games. He is hitting .216 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 36 RBI in 167 at-bats. He is hitting in the middle of the order and playing first base nearly every game. To keep up with Garcia's journey and career, follow him on Twitter at @ryangarcia08 or check out his MiLB bio.

Kaohi Downing: baseball, 2006-09
During the 2017 season, Downing has been taking the mound for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The right-handed pitcher has made 44 appearances out of the bullpen, tossing 47.2 innings. He has allowed just 36 hits, while walking 29 and striking out 47. He has a 3.39 earned run average and a 1.36 WHIP to go along with a 2-0 record and one save. Opponents are hitting just .208 off him. Downing has also played minor league ball with the Los Angeles Dodgers after getting drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2009. To read the article by John Walk of the unique journey of Downing, and his conversion from outfielder to pitcher to infielder to pitcher, click here.

Samantha Stockton: women's golf, 2014-16
Stockton has continued her love for golf and is hoping to continue playing at the professional level. While continuing to train, Stockton has built a following of nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram, an account which is also exclusively of her swinging clubs or working out to improve her game. To see more on Stockton, follow her instagram at @samstocktn or check out this article.

Jay Johnson: baseball, 1998-01
Johnson agreed to a contract extension last summer that will keep him as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats through the 2022 season. In two seasons at Arizona, Johnson has compiled an 87-45 record and became the first coach in school history to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons as head coach. In his first season at Arizona in 2016, Johnson led the Wildcats to the College World Series Finals, making him one of just five coaches in college baseball history to accomplish the feat in their first year at a school. Overall, he guided the Wildcats to a 49-24 record. The Cats captured the Lafayette Regional Championship and the Starkville Super Regional title en route to their 17th College World Series in program history. Last season, Johnson led Arizona to a 38-21 record and a spot in the Lubbock Regional. The Wildcats were ranked inside the Top 25 all season. To read the article on Johnson signing his contract extension, click here.

Oeivind Lundestad: men's basketball, 2012-15
Lundestad has been promoted to the general manager of the Kongsberg Miners in the Norway-BLNO (top league in Norway). This past season (before he was GM), Lundestad suited up for the Miners and finished second on the team with 17.6 points per game. He shot .481 percent from the field and .417 percent from 3-point range. He also hauled in 3.7 rebounds and dished out 2.0 assists per game for a team that went 25-6 and reached the league's semifinals.

Mike Eshragh: baseball, 2003-04
Another Sea Lion that has moved into the collegiate coaching ranks, Mike Eshragh just completed his fourth season as an assistant coach with the College of Southern Nevada baseball team. Eshragh specializes in working with infielders. During his tenure with CSN, two Coyote infielders have been drafted and the team has led the SWAC in fielding percentage. Last season, CSN went to the NJCAA World Series. He is also the owner of Two Twelve International, an online and mobile advertising company. To see Eshragh's CSN bio, click here.

Sam Cyr: men's golf, 2006-09
Cyr continues to make appearances on the Asian Tour. He played in five tournaments in 2016, but has appeared in just one so far in 2017. Since turning pro, Cyr has won three tournaments (2010 Mid-Pacific Open, 2011 Hawaii State Open and the 2011 Maui Open) and earned over $200,000. He claimed his best finish on the Asian Tour when he came in second at the 2013 Mercuries Taiwan Masters. He missed only three cuts in 12 appearances to earn full playing rights for the 2014 season. In 2015, he enjoyed three top-10 results on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and secured a commendable tied-sixth finish at the Asian Tour's Ho Tram Open in Vietnam. In 2016, he posted two top 4 finishes at the Combiphar Invitational and the Ambassador ADT before dealing with injury, which has nagged him ever since. To read more about Cyr's highlights from the Asian Tour, click here.

Carlotta Kloppenburg: women's basketball, 2012-14
The 2017-18 season is Carlotta Kloppenburg's second as the assistant director of women's basketball operations at Arizona State University. Prior to arriving at ASU, Kloppenburg was an assistant coach for women's basketball at Winthrop University. Kloppenburg previously served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for the women's basketball program at Winthrop University. Kloppenburg also earned WNBA experience as a coaching intern during the summers of 2014 and 2015, with the Los Angeles Sparks and the Indiana Fever, respectively. Kloppenburg also interned in basketball operations for the Tulsa Shock for both the 2012 and 2013 summers.

Justin James: baseball, 2002-03
James joined the University of California San Diego baseball staff as the pitching coach in January of 2017. In James' first go-around on the La Jolla campus in 2017, the Tritons posted a 44-19 overall record as NCAA Division II West Region champions and national runners-up. The finish matched the best in program history, while the 44 wins were second-most all-time. James' staff produced a final team earned run average of 3.67, 24th in the nation, fourth in the West Region and third-best in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). To keep up with James' journey and career, follow him on Twitter at @coachjames_3.

Kellen Walker: baseball, 2005-06
Walker led Western Oregon baseball to the GNAC Championship once again in 2017. The Wolves captured both the regular and postseason titles under Walker. He now has a 155-103 record in his five seasons as the leader of the WOU baseball program.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Carlotta Kloppenburg: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#19 Tyler Garkow: P; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#3 Marek Klassen: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#1 Hayden Lescault: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#2 Oeivind Lundestad: F; 6' 4"; Junior

Samantha Stockton: 5' 9"; Senior

#8 Ryan Garcia: 1B; 6' 2"; Senior; L/L

Players Mentioned

#23 Carlotta Kloppenburg
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#19 Tyler Garkow
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: P

#3 Marek Klassen
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#1 Hayden Lescault
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#2 Oeivind Lundestad
: 6' 4"; Junior
: F

Samantha Stockton
: 5' 9"; Senior

#8 Ryan Garcia
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/L
: 1B

PLNU Athletics

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PLNU ATHLETICS ALUMNI UPDATE - DEC. 20, 2017

Players Mentioned

#23 Carlotta Kloppenburg

#19 Tyler Garkow

#3 Marek Klassen

#1 Hayden Lescault

#2 Oeivind Lundestad

Samantha Stockton

#8 Ryan Garcia

Players Mentioned

#23 Carlotta Kloppenburg

#19 Tyler Garkow

#3 Marek Klassen

#1 Hayden Lescault

#2 Oeivind Lundestad

Samantha Stockton

#8 Ryan Garcia