The Los Medanos College Athletics Department celebrated the accomplishments of the Fall sports Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the halftime break of the men’s basketball home game against Napa Valley College. 

Athletic Director Marty Storti said Wednesday night was a good starting ground for what he wants to do when it comes to celebrating student athletes at LMC. 

“So far the student athletes I’ve talked with enjoyed it,” Storti said. “They appreciated the recognition, so for me that’s a success.” 

One of the biggest appreciators of the halftime celebration was women’s volleyball coach Lou Panzella, who said this was the first time he had seen something like this done in his 13 years coaching at LMC.

“It’s the first time I’ve been here that teams have been recognized at another sporting event,” Panzella said. “I think it was a really nice idea and it was really nice to get all the fall sports here. I’ve been coaching women for 30 something years and anything that helps get women’s sports and athletics recognition, I see as a positive.” 

Panzella also said an event like this can hopefully bring the athletics department closer together than it being “five or six individual sports and everybody in their own space.” 

“We have a different leadership right now,” said head football coach, Chris Shipe. “We’re going to definitely emphasize our student athletes and try to recognize them. It shows all the hard work they put forth in the offseason to lead up to the season.”

Storti said his overall main goal is to have a cultural change within the athletics department where the players and coaches celebrate each other during the season and their accomplishments. 

“Building a culture of appreciation, recognition and togetherness is the type of environment and goal.” Storti said. 

The goal is to bring athletics at LMC to become more of a community rather than each sport doing their own thing according to Storti. 

“I think it’s about building a community within the department,” Storti said. “Where they support each other by showing up to games, by helping each other out academically or whatever it may be. As long as we can build all those relationships within the department, that can be nothing but positives down the road.”