Humble and hungry: Four Chapman athletes win weekly award

Photos courtesy of athletes and Larry Newman

We are in the midst of a historically successful Chapman athletics season. Every fall sports team has the chance to make the playoffs, and some are heavily in the running for a championship. Cross country has seen multiple record breakers, football won its first Homecoming game since 2019 and now four athletes have been named Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Athlete of the Week for their sport.

Graduate student McKenzie Abbott (diving), senior Annika Carlson (cross country), junior Alex Glynn (soccer) and junior Reid Omillian (diving) were all given the honor for the week of Oct. 14 through 20. The Panther had the opportunity to interview each athlete about the honor, how they viewed their performances and how their seasons have been overall.

When asked about what winning the award meant to them, a common theme was prevalent: it’s an honor in a tough conference, but ultimately their teammates and Chapman deserve a lot of the credit.

Here’s the thing about athletes and awards; they don’t often want to heap enormous praise on themselves. The light is always shone towards others. That isn’t to say they lack sincerity, and there is nothing wrong with giving credit where it’s due, but these four athletes put together an amazing week and deserve to be waxed poetically about — even if they won’t do it for themselves.

In the diving team’s first home meet of the season, Abbott and Omillian proved their class once again.

Abbott, an education studies graduate student, has seen it all. She’s been named SCIAC Diver of the Week countless times, and has been to the NCAA Regionals once before in her career. Success is nothing new to her, but she has a different mindset for this season.

“I am not placing any expectations on myself,” Abbott said. “I am doing one more year of the sport I have loved since I was 10, not for a medal but to have fun. There is no love for the sport without fun and I am prioritizing (that) more than anything this year.”

It’s all about soaking up the precious moments in her final year for Abbott, but she also still wants to put together comprehensive performances on the pool deck. She was actually a bit surprised to win the award.

“I am a very competitive athlete,” Abbott said. “After this weekend I was feeling a little iffy about my performance. I placed well but I know there is so much room for growth.”

The competitive drive to improve after every meet, even in her fifth-year of college, is what allows Abbott to consistently be recognized for her talents. She also still feels nervous, even after competing in countless meets.

“There is a lot of risk but also a lot of reward while flipping one, two, or three times in the air,” she said. “There is a lot… that you must go through in your mind to get up and do a new dive, or even a dive that you have done 100 times. Before every meet, my dad always has to tell me that nerves mean I care. I have done these (dives) 1,000 times and my body knows what to do. It is up to me to not let (nerves) stop me from greatness.”

Abbott’s teammate Omillian, a communication studies major, has earned All-American Second Team honors in both of his seasons at Chapman. He has yet to not qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships, and has no plans of missing out this season.

Even after finishing 12th in the nation on the 1-meter board and 14th on the 3-meter last season, the diver wants more. In fact, he has one major goal for this season.

“Perform better than last year in the (NCAA championship) meet,” Omillian said.

Considering that his performance this past weekend was good enough to already qualify Omillian for NCAA Regionals, in a meet where he had to perform his most difficult dives, there’s no reason why he couldn’t improve from last season. But he won’t be patting himself on the back for too long.

“It was a good meet, and I was happy with the outcome,” Omillian said. “Now, it’s time to fix the small problems with my dives for the next meet.”

That level of perfectionism is another signpost for a decorated athlete. Carlson, a communication studies major, is no stranger to awards like this. She has already broken both the 5k and 6k school records this season, and adding another SCIAC Runner of the Week award just bolstered the impressive season she’s having.

“I think there is a line between accepting recognition and staying hungry,” Carlson said.

Carlson was the top DIII finisher at the Highlander Invitational meet on the women’s side, coming in 12th place. Now there is only the SCIAC Championships, and potentially NCAA Regionals and Championships, left in the season.

“I need to stay calm, collected and race with confidence to get in a good position to compete out there,” Carlson said.

Being competitive is only part of how Carlson wants to finish out her senior season. Her main goal is to make the national championships again, and the biggest thing in her way is the fatigue of a long season. She runs up to 75 miles a week through meets and practices.

“Cross country is extremely mental,” Carlson said. “If you let your mind bring you down, your body will crumble with it. Finding the grit to dig deep through the pain is essential to success.”

In long runs, it is just the runner versus themselves. For business administration major Glynn, the only team sport award recipient from Chapman, he has 10 other players with him during any given game. As the goalkeeper for men’s soccer, though, he is the last line of defense and first line of attack. He sees everything that happens on the field, making his job both extremely hard and undeniably important.

“My biggest goal (is) to be a leader for the team and to make key saves when we need them most,” Glynn said.

That has certainly been the case this season, as Glynn is currently ranked second in shutouts for SCIAC and third in goals against per game. This was most largely on display during Chapman’s win over Whittier College on Oct. 19. Glynn made six saves and kept a shutout, as the Panthers won 1-0.

“I felt sharp and focused,” Glynn said. “I made some key saves that helped the team, and that’s always the goal: to contribute however I can.”

His performance highlighted Glynn’s best abilities, and he has an overall positive image of his talent.

“My biggest strength is my shot-stopping ability and my reflexes,” he said. “I’m confident in one-on-one situations and making saves in tight spots. My biggest weakness is probably being too hard on myself after mistakes. It’s something I’ve been working on, trying to move on quickly and focus on the next play.

While Glynn has impressive stats, is winning awards and his team is winning games, he is continually refining his craft.

“I always strive to improve, whether it’s through extra training or learning from my teammates and coaches,” Glynn said. “I try to bring a positive attitude and support those around me, because I believe that success comes from working together and lifting each other up.”

The ultimate takeaway from speaking to each athlete is just that: they aren’t satisfied. They know that they are good, everybody watching them knows it as well. Being good isn’t enough. Great athletes and competitors are never satisfied with their performance, even if it was worthy of winning awards such as SCIAC Athlete of the Week.