11 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES 12-TIME BIG WEST CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS GAUCHO BASKETBALL

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1 GAUCHO BASKETBALL 2 11 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES Mia Fisher cuts down the net after UCSB won the 2005 Big West Tournament title. 12-TIME BIG WEST CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS The Gauchos celebrate their win over Houston in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

2 THE THUNDERDOME 3 Home of the Gauchos There s no place like Dome, there s no place like Dome... The Gauchos have made the Thunderdome one of the toughest places in the nation to play. During the last 15 years, the Gauchos won 87% of their home games, posting a record in the Thunderdome. Many of those victories have come against some of the nation s best teams, including Kansas, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Iowa, UNLV, Florida, Virginia, Purdue and Hawai i. In addition, the Gauchos have been even more dominant at home in conference play the last 11 years, posting an incredible 86-4 record against the Big West in the Thunderdome. Crowded House Not only have the Gauchos made the Thunderdome an increasingly unfriendly arena for the opposition, they have succeeded in turning it into a popular attraction. The Gauchos are among the top 10 in attendance in the Pacific Time Zone. They have sold out the lower level of season tickets for the past few years almost 2,000 season tickets! In addition, UCSB s Fastbreakers are the second largest booster club on the West Coast. The Fantom of the Dome. The Thunderdome crowd for the Gauchos NCAA Tournament First Round game in 2004.

3 GAUCHO 4 HOOPS THE WNBA CONNECTION Kristen Mann, 2005 Erin Buescher, 2000 Minnesota Lynx Charlotte Sting Minnesota Lynx April McDivitt, 2004 New York Liberty Minnesota Lynx Stacy Clinesmith, 2000 Detroit Shock Sacramento Monarchs Lindsay Taylor, 2004 Phoenix Mercury Erin Alexander, 1996 Utah Starzz Los Angeles Sparks Kayte Christensen, 2002 Phoenix Mercury Erika Kienast, 1992 Los Angeles Sparks Kayte Christensen and Lindsay Taylor Erin Buescher Kayte Christensen Lindsay Taylor Erin Alexander

4 GAUCHOS OVERSEAS Stacy Clinesmith 5 Mia Fisher, 2005 Turkey Debby Caine, 2003 Holland Jess Hansen, 2003 Germany Kristi Rohr, 2000 Greece Tawneé Cooper, 2000 Belgium Amy Hughlett, 1996 Portugal Becky Brown, 1993 New Zealand Lisa Crosskey, 1992 Germany Kira Anthofer, 1989 Germany Kristen Mann April McDivitt

5 GAUCHO 6 HOOPS COMMUNITY SERVICE In 2005, UCSB women s basketball was named Santa Barbara County s Third District Service Organization of the Year. The Gauchos received their prestigious honor at a special ceremony in downtown Santa Barbara.

6 GAUCHO 7 HOOPS GAUCHOS IN THE COMMUNITY Gaucho Outreach (GO) Program The UCSB women s basketball program has in place a very successful community service program with four distinct goals in mind: To positively impact the lives of local children through service and role-modeling. To improve the quality of life for the local senior citizens through service and friendship. To improve the relationship between UCSB and the local communities. To increase the visibility of the program, increasing attendance at games, clinics and camps. Over the years, the Gauchos have performed assemblies at schools, talking about the importance of drug-free living, academic excellence, perseverance and hard work. They have coached youth teams, put on numerous clinics for both the young and young-at-heart and established their Lil Gaucho programs. I m honored to give something back to all our wonderfully supportive fans and the Santa Barbara community in general. Everyone who has the ability to give something back definitely should. What brings me the greatest sense of fulfillment is the look of excitement on kids faces when they re hanging with the Gauchos! - AUTUMN NICHOLS Dream big! And then go after it! Don t let anyone stop you from dreaming. Don t let anything get in the way of your dreams. Always give 110% in everything you do in life, from sports to school. - BRANDY RICHARDSON If I were to give advice to kids in the community, I would say to apply themselves throughout their academic careers to assure a bright future and possibly attend UCSB one day. Then I would tell them to go to the UCSB women s basketball games! - MIA FISHER

7 THE USA BASKETBALL CONNECTION 8 Kristen Mann Summer 03 Kat Suderman Summer 03 Lindsay Taylor Summer 03 Kristen Mann Averaged 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds as Team USA took home the gold medal at the inaugural FIBA World Championship for Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia in Mann poured in a team-high 16 points as the Americans defeated South Korea on July 26. Mann also scored eight points in three other contests. All 11 of Mann s USA Basketball teammates earned collegiate All-American honors in , including Duke s Alana Beard. Lindsay Taylor and Kristen Mann Lindsay Taylor Helped Team USA win a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Taylor s finest game in the tournament was a six-point, four-rebound performance during a quarterfinal victory over the host Dominicans on August 8. The Americans also made a rare trip to Cuba for three exhibition contests in preparation for the Pan American Games. Lindsay Taylor Kristen Mann

8 ACADEMIC SUCCESS UCSB Student-Athlete Graduation Rate Rises to 83% The six-year graduation rate for UCSB freshmen student-athletes in Fall 1994 was 83%, marking the highest student-athlete graduation rate ever for UCSB. The rate for all students at UCSB during the six-year period was 67%. Over Mark French s 27-year head coaching career, 98% of his student-athletes have graduated. Golden Eagle Award Winners Christa Gannon Christa Gannon Kris Grazzini Kris Grazzini Kristi Rohr Kristi Rohr Kayte Christensen Lisa Willett Lisa Willett Kate Bauman 9 Kayte Christensen spoke at Commencement 2002 Christa Gannon NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship NCAA Woman of the Year finalist Stanford Law School graduate Verizon Academic All-American Christa Gannon Christa Gannon Kayte Christensen Kayte Christensen Verizon Academic All-District Christa Gannon Christa Gannon Kristi Rohr Kristi Rohr Kayte Christensen Kayte Christensen Lisa Willett Big West All-Academic Honors Kristi Rohr Kristi Rohr Kayte Christensen Kristyn Miller Debby Caine Kayte Christensen Jess Hansen Kayte Christensen Jess Hansen Lisa Willett Jess Hansen Lisa Willett Kate Bauman April McDivitt Lisa Willett Kate Bauman Lisa Willett earned numerous academic awards during her career at UCSB. Academic Support at UCSB UCSB offers various forms of academic advising. There are professional advisors in each college to help students interpret requirements and regulations and to understand the numerous options available. Student-athletes will also attend workshops given by the Career Learning Assessment Services Center (CLAS). These valuable workshops provide insight on note-taking, time management and test preparation. The Center also sponsors an excellent tutorial system. UCSB s academic support system has proven to be a successful tool in aiding the outstanding reputation of UCSB student-athletes. Student-athlete study lounge and computer lab

9 GAUCHO 10 HOOPS THE TRAVELING GAUCHOS

10 THE TRAVELING GAUCHOS 11 In addition to being one of the most consistently successful programs in the nation, the Gauchos are also one of the most well-traveled. Since the season and the first of UCSB s six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the team has played games in 60 different cities located in 28 states spanning six time zones. In addition, the Gauchos are one of only a handful of teams west of the Mississippi that takes advantage of an NCAA rule allowing squads to take a foreign exhibition tour every four years. In the summer of 2000, Santa Barbara crossed the Atlantic for a 10-day trip to France, Switzerland and Belgium, during which they hit the court against some of Europe s top club teams. The Gauchos were a perfect 5-0 on that trip, and also went undefeated in five games on a tour of Australia in UCSB already has its eye on another international escapade in Below is a list of cities and states UCSB has visited over the past 10 seasons, with opponents and/or events in parentheses. Upcoming stops are indicated with an asterisk: Arizona Tempe (Arizona State, Wells Fargo Classic) Tucson (Arizona) California Anaheim (Big West Tournament) Davis (UC Davis*) Fresno (NCAA Tournament, Fresno State (NIT)) Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton*) Irvine (UC Irvine*) Long Beach (Long Beach State*) Los Angeles (Loyola Marymount, UCLA*, USC) Malibu (Pepperdine*) Moraga (Saint Mary s) Northridge (Cal State Northridge*) Riverside (UC Riverside*) Stanford (Stanford Tournament, Stanford) Stockton (Pacific*) San Diego (San Diego, San Diego State) San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly*) Colorado Boulder (Colorado) Fort Collins (Holiday Classic, NCAA Tournament) Connecticut Hartford (NCAA Tournament) Florida Gainesville (Florida) Hawai i Honolulu (Ala Moana Paradise Classic) Idaho Boise (Boise State) Moscow (Idaho) Illinois Champaign (Illinois, NCAA Tournament, Preseason WNIT) Evanston (Northwestern) Indiana Indianapolis (Purdue) West Lafayette (Purdue, NCAA Tournament) Mississippi Starkville (Mississippi State) Missouri Kansas City (Missouri-Kansas City) Nebraska Lincoln (Time-Warner Cable Classic) Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Reno (Nevada, Big West Tournament) New Mexico Las Cruces (New Mexico State) North Carolina Raleigh (North Carolina State) Ohio Cincinnati (Cincinnati) Columbus (Ohio State) Oregon Corvallis (Oregon State) Eugene (Oregon) Pennsylvania State College (Penn State) Tennessee Nashville (Vanderbilt) Texas Austin (NCAA Tournament) Denton (North Texas) Lubbock (NCAA Tournament, Preseason WNIT) Nacogdoches (Stephen F. Austin) Waco (Baylor) Utah Cedar City (Southern Utah) Logan (Utah State) Ogden (Weber State) Provo (BYU) Kansas Lawrence (Kansas, Jayhawk Classic) Kentucky Louisville (Louisville) Louisiana Baton Rouge (LSU) Maryland College Park (Maryland*) Michigan Ann Arbor (Michigan) East Lansing (Michigan State) Virginia Charlottesville (Virginia) Richmond (Richmond*) Washington Pullman (Washington State) Spokane (Gonzaga) Washington D.C. (NCAA Tournament) Wisconsin Madison (Wisconsin)

11 GAUCHO 12 BEING A GAUCHO HOOPS The Gaucho experience has allowed me a platform in recognizing the things and people that I am truly thankful for having in my life. Coach French especially has taught me that giving everyone an equal opportunity is not only necessary but can be instrumental in changing one s direction for the greater. The Gaucho extended family throughout the community with their support not only provided great memories but constantly bring a smile to my face. Sheila Shilati, Karena Bonds on the set of ESPN s Sportscenter. Autumn Nichols, April McDivitt and Jenna Green in Connecticut for the 2004 Sweet 16. Sha Rae Gibbons and Jenna Green compare paddles. Although it has been more than five years since I donned a Gaucho uniform, it feels like yesterday. Those were some of the greatest moments of my life. I will never forget the good times beating Long Beach, bonding trips and late-night girl talks; the silly times temporary tattoos in Hawai i, Tony s pre-game poems and freshman initiation; and even the bad times losing in the NCAA Tournament, intervals (OK, running of any kind) and dealing with our losses off the court. Being a Gaucho gave me cherished memories and life-long friends. Above that, though, I think I appreciate the hard times the most. The times when Coach French told me things that I know were hard for him to say, but that challenged me and made me grow. And the times when I had to be better than I wanted to be, because, as Coach French (and Aristotle) say, Excellence is a habit. I am thankful for that part of my life, because I m sure it has made me better in this part, as a wife and mother. Amy Smith, I can t believe how fast time flies!! It seems like it was just yesterday when I had my first workout as a Gaucho. I m so thankful for my experience because not only has this program helped me become the best player that I can be, but it has helped me become the best woman I can be. This program has pushed me beyond my comfort zones, and has helped me reach my full potential as an athlete, and as a person. The journey was fun, but also Jordan Franey, Meagan Williams and Kim Smith dish very challenging... And in the out treats to the public at Cold Stone Creamery. end it was all worth it. Kristen Mann, Lauren Pedersen and April McDivitt trying not to get wet.