Week highlights resources
Support a Belle, Love a Belle, a weeklong program dedicated to providing resources for girls struggling with depression and anxiety, begins today at Saint Mary’s. Senior Meghan Casey, vice president of Student Government Association (SGA), said Support a Belle, Love a Belle draws attention to a sensitive issue for college women. “It is a really important issue on our campus and even more important for us to let the students know that there is support for them,” Casey said. “This is a small campus, so it is so important for us, as student leaders, to promote our resources and promote our sisterhood.” Casey said her job includes making sure students know resources for girls who suffer from anxiety and depression are readily available, and support is always there when students need it. “The SGA door is always open as well,” Casey said. “We want students to know that we can provide a safe place for them.” Senior Maureen Parsons, president of SGA, said many girls are already struggling with depression and anxiety when they enter college, but they do not frequently voice their feelings. “Students don’t realize that they are not the only one suffering because they don’t talk about it,” she said. “We are highlighting these issues with events to show students that they are not alone.” Junior Kat Sullivan, SGA vice president of external affairs, said she hopes these events will encourage people on campus to be more open about these issues. “The big thing we want to emphasize with Support a Belle, Love a Belle week is that at Saint Mary’s, we are part of a sisterhood,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to be involved with these events because I have struggled with these issues myself.” Support a Belle, Love a Belle, which now has a committee of 20 members, has grown greatly since it began last year, Sullivan said. “We are really excited to see how everything falls into place,” she said. With such positive involvement from students, Casey said she hopes the program is able to create a club in the upcoming years. “So many girls are interested, so I think it would make a great organization for years to come,” she said. Having a great support system is key to making this week successful, Sullivan said. “This week will hopefully carry out as we continue the rest of our collegiate careers and even after we graduate,” she said. “It is truly important for girls to recognize that everyone struggles and we are here to support those who need it. We have wonderful resources on campus that everyone should be made aware of.”
The reigning NCAA national champion men’s tennis team began its campaign for a record fifth consecutive title this past weekend with strong individual and doubles performances at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup in Thousand Oaks, Calif.Easy win · Junior Ray Sarmiento took home the singles championship at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup with a comeback win against UCLA. – Chris Roman | Daily TrojanThe tournament showcased nationally ranked talent from UCLA, Baylor, Stanford and Cal. USC, however, held its own: in doubles competition, the Trojans advanced three doubles teams to the semi-final rounds. Eric Johnson and teammate Emilio Gomez faced off against fellow Trojans Ray Sarmiento and Yannick Hanfmann. Hanfmann, who as a freshman won the singles match that clinched the NCAA team championship last season, was forced to retire from the match because of injury.Johnson and Gomez went on to face third-seeded UCLA tandem Marcos Giron and Dennis Novikov in the final. The match came down to the wire, with Giron and Novikov eking out an 8-7 (4) victory.Hanfmann’s partner, Sarmiento, was the No. 1 seed in the men’s singles draw. Sarmiento cruised through the early rounds without dropping a set, dispatching three Bruins in knockout stages en route to the championship match, which took place Monday.During the match, Sarmiento faced Adrien Puget of UCLA. After dropping the first set 4-6, Sarmiento would go on to capture the second set 6-3. In the deciding set, Sarmiento saved match point and played what USC coach Peter Smith called “some of the best tennis [he’s] seen” to secure the victory 7-5. Smith noted that “both players looked tense” in the early going and attributed Sarmiento’s success to his aggressive play.Though the results did not measure up to last year’s Collegiate Cup, where the Trojans swept the trophies and dominated the draw, Smith had plenty of reason to be optimistic about the year’s prospects.“We started [the tournament] really strong and we’re going to improve in the coming weeks,” Smith said. “[The players] need to get more comfortable playing in [their] new positions.”The new positions are partly the result of the graduation of five-time All-American Steve Johnson. Johnson was the 2011 NCAA singles champion and a significant contributor to the Trojans’ recent title runs. Despite his absence, the Trojans are ranked No. 2 in the nation and continue to field a dominant squad of players — many of whom are returning from last year’s NCAA title team.The Trojans face San Diego State for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kick-Off Week at Marks Stadium this Friday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m.