Fresno State Athletics
Winterhalter, McIntyre Chosen As Stan Bates Award Nominees
5/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
May 4, 2006
THREE weeks ago Fresno State senior Katharina Winterhalter cemented her place in Bulldog tennis history when she became only the third woman to win 100 career singles matches. But in the championship match of the Western Athletic Conference tournament on April 22, Winterhalter made it a double-double, getting her 100th career doubles victory and leaving a permanent impression in the Fresno Stare record books.
Within the walls of the Wathen Tennis Center, Winterhalter feels right at home. The 5-foot-5 senior will graduate in civil engineering with an emphasis on structure. She was a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree coming into this year and will surely make it a four-time distinction when the season comes to a conclusion. While Winterhalter makes it seem easy on the court at times, she admits that life as a student-athlete is no breeze.
"It's tough when you're on a bus or on a plane, you can either listen to music and talk to the ladies or pick up a book and study," Winterhalter explains. "But the discipline that I've been able to maintain on the court has helped me academically. The focus and concentration required on the tennis court carries over in all aspects of life."
Throughout her career, Winterhalter has been a model of consistency. In her freshman season she won 21 matches in both singles and doubles. In her sophomore year she became only the fifth woman to win 30 singles matches as a Bulldog, going an impressive 20-5 in dual contests as well.
But no season will be as memorable as this, her final year. In the fall she and teammate Lucia Sainz made history as the only Fresno State doubles tandem to reach a national final. The duo won six consecutive matches beginning in the qualifying rounds to arrive at the ITA All-American Championship.
Winterhalter and Sainz continued to stay hot heading into the ITA Fall Regionals. They won all five matches including the title bout to become only the second doubles tandem to win a fall regional final. In January, the two women were rewarded with a No. 4 national ranking.
So when Winterhalter came full circle last month, it was no surprise how she captured those prestigious 100th victories. In singles, Winterhalter trailed Sladjana Kos of Loyola Marymount 8-4 in the match tiebreaker. But she remained firm and steady, battling to win six straight points to hit that elusive century mark. For her 100th doubles win it only seemed appropriate it was earned right along with a conference title, a 9-7 win over Boise State's Biorkman and MacFarlane.
"Katharina's success on and off the court is related directly to her total dedication to be the best she can be," said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "She strives for perfection and has learned to overcome obstacles. Her positive spirit has been a major part of our team's success this year."
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WHEN a Bulldog fans remembers back on the playing career of Garrett McIntyre, they will likely use words like heart, desire or tenacious. Well those adjectives are all true, but what many fans won't remember, unfortunately, is that McIntyre not only displayed those attributes while wearing pads but also when carrying his book bag.
McIntyre, the 2005 WAC Defensive Player of the Year for the Bulldog football teams, was equally as accomplished in the classroom. He earned Academic All-WAC honors every season, one of just a handful of WAC player to be selected first-team all-conference as a player and student-athlete.
 Garrett McIntyre  | |
Because of that, he is Fresno State's nominee for the prestigious Stan Bates Award, given annually to the top senior student-athlete in the Western Athletic Conference.
He was one of the best players in his position in the nation and recently signed a contract to continue his playing career with the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.
"Garrett is a great football player," said head coach Pat Hill. "He deserved every recognition and award he got during his career because no one worked hard, or was more dedicated."
McIntyre arrived on Fresno State's campus as a walk-on linebacker from South Lake Tahoe, Calif., but his career has emerged as one of the top student-athletes in the program. He was one of a handful of WAC players to be selected first-team All-WAC and Academic All-WAC. As a senior, he was selected the WAC Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American. He finished his career with 25 career quarterback sacks, third-most in Fresno State history.
As a sophomore, we was selected second-team All-WAC and was selected the to the Sports Illustrated All-Bowl team and named the defensive MVP of the Silicon Valley Football Classic win over UCLA.
After Fresno State's win over No. 18 Virginia in the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl, Cavalier's head coach Al Groh described him as a "rolling ball of nails".
McIntyre wreaked havoc on opponents for four years and left a lasting impression on his team mates and coaches.
"There are few players who play with heart and effort that Garrett does," Hill said. "He just wired different than most guys. Even though he was hurt for part of his senior season, he still showed the leadership qualities that we needed."
