Being recognized as the nation’s most successful athletic department for 21 years running might be considered enough for some. But it’s a little different on The Farm, where student-athletes from all sports view the summer months as an opportunity to challenge themselves against world-class competition or establish goals for the upcoming season.
As the calendar flips to September, it’s time to look back at five standouts – and there were many more – who made the most of their summer experience and the impact it will have on their teams in 2015-16.
Bret Bonanni
Bonanni, the only player in MPSF history to chalk up multiple 90-goal seasons, enters his senior year 67 goals shy of breaking Tony Azevedo’s school and conference record (332). Performances like those at the FINA World Championships are a perfect example of why Bonanni can accomplish the feat. Representing Team USA alongside teammate Jackson Kimbell and alums Alex Bowen and Azevedo, Bonanni and company claimed seventh place in tournament play. One month earlier, Bonanni helped direct Team USA to its sixth consecutive gold medal at the Pan American Games, ranking second in tournament play with a team-best 18 goals. That’s after representing the United States at the World League Super Final in Bergamo, Italy, to kick off the summer.
Simone Manuel
Which program was making the most headlines throughout the summer? Women’s swimming and diving has to be near the top of the list, highlighted by impressive performances from its past (Maya DiRado, Felicia Lee), present (Lia Neal) and future (Katie Ledecky). Perhaps enjoying the most success was Manuel, who at the FINA World Championships, collected a gold medal (400-meter mixed freestyle relay) and bronze medal (400-meter freestyle relay) as a part of Team USA relay squads, in addition to finishing sixth in the 100-meter freestyle and eighth in the 50-meter freestyle. Manuel, who racked up seven All-America honors at NCAA Championships as a freshman, also claimed the 50-meter freestyle crown at the Arena Pro Swim Series held in Santa Clara back in June.
Erica McCall
McCall anchored Team USA to a gold medal at the World University Games, her fourth career gold since first representing the United States at the 3X3 US18 World Championship in 2012. Team USA enjoyed a dominating run in tournament play, defeating its opponents by an average of nearly 22 points per game. Much of the credit goes to United States co-captain McCall, who finished the event tied for eighth overall in scoring (15.2) and ranked eighth in rebounding (8.5) while leading all players in field goal percentage (37-62, .597). It’s the type of performance that should give McCall, who averaged 5.6 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore, added confidence as a fixture in the post for the Cardinal in 2015-16.
Maverick McNealy
Continuing to gain steam while solidifying himself as the premier player in college golf is McNealy, who less than three weeks ago captured the 112th NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship at Spyglass Hill. And even though McNealy, who won six tournaments last season, eventually fell short in his bid to become the third player in school history to claim the United States Amateur Championship, the rising junior has quickly become a household name. One of five players selected to the United States Walker Cup team in early August, McNealy and the 10-player U.S. squad will return to action Sept. 12-13 in a competition against Great Britain and Ireland on Sept. 12-13 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in England.
Harrison Williams
Tough to find a better four-month stretch than Williams, who opened eyes back in May when he broke a 63-year old school record in a runner-up finish at Pac-12 Championships. Williams then shattered his school record in June with a fourth-place finish at NCAA Championships and by eclipsing the 7,800-point mark, qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials. Two weeks later, Williams repeated as the U.S. junior decathlon champ despite narrowly missing out on breaking the junior national record. Armed with another shot at the record at the Pan Am Junior Championships earlier this month, Williams converted, claiming the gold medal with a meet-record 8,037 points. All of that – as a freshman.