AuburnJournal.com

October 10, 2007

Foothills duo passes test in Fresno
Looney, DeShane key pieces for Bulldogs after surviving fitness tests

By: Mark DeVaughn, Journal Assistant Sports Editor

Out of breath and unable to stand on wobbly legs, the end finally came for a Fresno State women's soccer player.

"I was delirious," said Colfax High alum Bradlee DeShane, a Bulldog freshman defender. "Literally when I crossed that finish line, I fell down. The next day... I really don't remember what we did the next day."

Pencils and notebooks are absent when these Bulldogs take their first test of the school year. DeShane and classmate/Placer graduate Krissy Looney were mighty impressive during the team's annual preseason fitness test.

Players completed a series of 800 and 400-meter runs with short breaks in between, in addition to a ton of sprints. The freshmen were two of only nine players (on a roster of 28) who passed the test, and both are now heavy contributors to the defending WAC regular season champions.

"Preseason was the hardest thing I've ever had to experience," Looney said. "The biggest surprise since I got here was the level of fitness I had to reach."

The hard work is paying off. Fourth-year head coach Steve Springthorpe moved Looney from center to outside midfield, where the chances for playing time are much greater. She's appeared in all 10 of the Bulldogs' games, including 70 minutes of action in a 3-2 loss to Cal State Fullerton two weeks ago.

Fresno State (5-5 entering conference play Friday night against San Jose State) lacked a tackling-minded defender to begin the season, at least before finding its hard nose in DeShane. The Pioneer Valley League's top scorer has a toughness that led to her current starting spot.

"Having a hard-nosed player was something we really lacked," Springthorpe said of DeShane, who scored 25 goals in as many games as a senior. "She'll go out and take on anyone. And the fact that she was fit allowed her to play a lot of minutes." This is the fourth uniform the pair have shared, that after playing on three different club teams between fourth grade and freshman year of high school. They've remained friends through the years, bringing a unique chemistry with them to the Central Valley.

"We've grown up together," DeShane said. "Krissy is a good person. I know how she plays, and I know what she does on the field. She's more outgoing than I am. We're not alike in a lot of ways, but we don't clash."

Freshman soccer players, like those of other Fresno State sports like equestrian and track, are required to stay in the dorms for a year. But having a similar living situation is nothing new for DeShane and Looney. Both were born in the Bay Area before moving as toddlers, following their business-owning fathers' dreams of living on spacious foothills property.

Looney lived in the East Bay town of Alamo prior to moving to Auburn. She left Placer High soccer after freshman year to focus on her Folsom-based club team, the San Juan Spirit. She dedicated herself to earning a college scholarship, enlisting the help of separate speed and fitness coaches to go with her team tasks.

When it was time to practice with the Spirit (two or three days per-week), a two-hour round trip drive was needed to head coach Billy Wiskel's team.

"He was my inspiration, and I never saw any need to change anywhere," she maintained. "(Playing high school soccer) would have been too tough with my schedule. I needed to have that little time off." But while school spirit had to wait, it finally arrived in full force.

"I love being around the other athletes. It's great to be apart of something this special," Looney said. "I feel really honored to be given this chance. I know plenty of other girls would trade places with me in a second. This has been my dream."

The San Jose-born DeShane has lived in the same house since before her second birthday. She became a top girl on campus at Colfax, winning league MVP honors last spring and spots on the All-Journal team twice.

"But that seems like so long ago, I mean forever ago," she said. "I've had more practices here than I've had in the last two years. It's crazy."

DeShane draws strength from her mom Denise, specifically her idea of a dream job.

"I want to be a stay-at-home mom," she said. "Not really anything you can major in for that. I want to be just like my mom. I've always wanted to be just like her."

Mixed headlines have greeted soccer in recent years at Fresno State - the school dropped the men's program after the 2003 season. A poor showing at the conference tournament kept the Lady Bulldogs out of last year's 64-team NCAA tournament.

But the future is bright after last year's 13-5-3 regular season record. DeShane and Looney are two of the team's 14 freshmen, while many on the roster came out of the Sacramento area.

And being in shape is always a weapon. "Ultimately, fitness is going to help your game, mentally and tactically," Springthorpe said. "When you're fitter, you can think faster."