Pomona-Pitzer Athletics is set to hold its annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony tomorrow. Four former Sagehens, each a champion in their own right, are to be celebrated for their collegiate athletic achievements. Representing softball, men’s cross country and track, women’s basketball and tennis, and men’s basketball, respectively, the honorees are Ranee (née Morales) Axtell PZ ’98, Adam Boardman PO ’01, Meghan Gould PO ’01, and Jeremiah Martin PZ ’01.
Ranee Axtell made quite a name for herself on the softball field. The recipient of multiple All-SCIAC honors, one for each of her four years in Claremont, she was also awarded a First Team All-Region selection her senior year. What’s more, Axtell wrote herself into history by redefining success: among her many other achievements and multiple seasons serving her team in a captain’s role, she also garnered 11—yes, eleven—school records in everything from batting average to stolen bases. After graduation, she also found success away from the diamond, marrying Jesse Axtell PZ ’98 and relocating to Bothell, WA, where they reside with their two daughters.
Boardman ate, slept, and bled PPXC. Giving everything he had to the men’s cross country team, it certainly showed as he literally ran away from the competition and into legend and history books. A three-time SCIAC Championship runner-up, he also finished three times in the top ten of the NCAA West Regional Championships. Because of his stellar performances in Championship races, he qualified twice for Nationals. In his senior year, Boardman finished 35th, becoming the third Sagehen to win All-American honors. His strengths were not limited to cross country, however, as he also qualified for Nationals in the steeplechase in the spring track season, finishing a high of ninth, and setting two of the team’s ten best times. He is ranked fifth in the steeplechase with a time of 9:14.20 and ninth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:12.2. Following graduation, Boardman pursued his other interests. He traveled and became a food aficianado, among other hobbies. However, his dedication to PPXC has hardly waned; recent correspondence with Adam suggests he will be attending the NCAA West Regional meet in the Wash tomorrow as he witnesses PPXC’s attempt to return to Nationals and glory.
Gould, another native Washingtonian, graduated from Lakeside High School in Seattle as a multi-sport athlete. Making the transition to Pomona, she found herself tearing up the courts in both basketball and tennis. As a guard for women’s basketball, she was the SCIAC Baldwin Sportsmanship Award winner, and ranks in the top three in team history for many statistics. Come spring, she was out by the Pauley Tennis Complex, where she was a First Team All-SCIAC honoree as a senior, and Second Team the previous two years. She was also part of a conference championship team, and a sixth place finisher at Nationals. In 2000, she truly made a name for herself as she won the NCAA National Doubles title with partner Sheree Schwartz PO ’02. The duo finished as runners up the following spring. She was captain in both sports and the recipient of many other athletic awards. After graduation, she returned to Claremont for a year as assistant coach for women’s tennis, after which point she moved back north to coach for alma mater Lakeside. She now resides in San Francisco, where she is still involved in athletics.
Martin made the trip to Pitzer from Beaverton, OR to begin what would later be recognized as a dominating reign on the basketball court. Four times he found himself All-SCIAC, not an uncommon achievement for this year’s honorees. He was also voted MVP and SCIAC Player of the Year in the 1999-2000 season. He is also at or near the top of many team best lists, holding the first-place record for points in a game with 41 during the 1999-2000 season, seventh in games played, and fourth in points per game in a season with 19.3. A Pomona-Pitzer Most Valuable Athlete his junior and senior years, Jeremiah is currently involved in investments in Portland, OR while remaining physically active.
Four Sagehens. Four years in Claremont. Too many accolades to list. If what has been noted here is any indication, the ceremony set for tomorrow that will recognize these stellar athletes’ achievements will be quite the celebration.
Facebook Comments