Paul Mata and CSUSB alumni think about how many miles one ...

All-American has been employed fulltimeas a physical education instructorfor the Alvord Unified School District inRiverside while coaching part-time atCSUSB since 2005-06.The full-time position also givesDuncan a chance to expand her recruitingefforts. Over the past three years,Duncan has revived a program thathad finished last in the conference priorto her arrival. This past season theCoyotes finished third in the CCAA, advancedto the conference tournamenttitle game and then finished fourth inthe NCAA West Regional, the first postseasonappearance in the history of theprogram. ●S.I. splashSenior Freyja Berg, the most prolificscorer in the history of Cal State SanBernardino women’s water polo, wasfeatured in the “Faces in the Crowd” sectionof the June 9 edition of Sports Illustrated.Berg, a graduate of La Serna HighSchool in Whittier and a chemistry-biologymajor at CSUSB,was cited for scoring sevengoals in the Coyotes’upset 13-12 victoryover UC Santa Barbara,ranked 16th in thenation at the time.The SI feature alsonoted that she captured the nationalscoring title, scoring 110 goals this pastseason to finish ahead of all competitorsin all three NCAA divisions. She finishedthird in scoring in 2007 with 112 goals.She concluded her four-year career atCSUSB with a team record 356 goals. InJuly, Berg became the first women’s waterpolo player in the history of the CalState San Bernardino programto be selected to the Associationof Collegiate WaterPolo Coaches NCAADivision II All-Americafirst team for the thirdyear in a row. ●Freyja BergRx for successPerched on the edge of her seat, shewatches every move intently. Each playhas been carefully choreographed andrehearsed, but for now, all she can dois watch. Piercing yells bounce off thegymnasium walls, but fail to break herfocus. Her eyes follow the ball, slicingthe air as if moving in slow-motion instantreplay. Swish. Row after row ofscreaming fans rise to their feet, andvictory is hers. As if there wasany doubt.She is Laura Beeman, celebratingher fourth statecommunity college championshipas the head coachfor Mount San Antonio College’swomen’s basketballteam, and hailing from CalState San Bernardino as astar guard from 1989-1991.Joining Mt. SAC in 1994,Beeman has coached theMounties to the state’sElite Eight seven times.More than 50 of her playershave gone on to playat four-year colleges. Compiling a recordof 168-14 in the past five years,Beeman’s success has been nothingshort of amazing. In winning the lastthree state titles alone, Beeman’s teamsare 110-4.Beeman’s road to Cal State San Bernardinoled from San Bernardino HighSchool, where the daughter of San Bernardinopharmacist Jerry Beeman andhis wife, Judy, excelled and earned ascholarship to Weber State. Though aknee injury derailed those plans, sheMt. San Antonio College coach Laura Beeman encourages herplayers on the floor in a game against Pasadena City College.Photo courtesy of Mt. San Antonio Collegewound up playing one season for formerCSUSB athletic director NancySimpson at UC Riverside before a secondknee injury halted her game.Beeman came to the Coyotes in 1990and helped them to a 24-4 record andthe NCAA Division III West Regional final.She elected not to come back forher senior year, but finished her degreein business marketing. Ranked No. 2 onCSUSB’s all-time career assist list with379, Beeman also holds both No. 2 andNo. 3 on the all-time single season assistlist with 203 in 1989-90 and 176 in1990-91.After graduation, she worked in marketingand promotions for the HighDesert Mavericks baseball team inthe Class A California League, and laterwent to University of Redlands as agraduate assistant for the women’s basketballteam while working on a master’sdegree. Now her Mt. SAC teamscurrently have four JC championshipsunder their belts, achieving success in2004, 2006, 2007, and now, 2008.As if there was any doubt. ●csusb magazine | 25