Stories of Significance

Winning the 2022-2023 National Title at 174-Pounds, Gerardo Hernandez has a lot to share. His life changed when he discovered wrestling and his quest to become a champion has been filled with success and near misses. Now with his own Red Banner, Hernandez recounts how he was able to make the final takedown to achieve his goal

Vanguard Head Men's Soccer Coach Jesus Miramontes stops by to talk about his new role, how he came to be a coach, and some thoughts on the current season.

Did you know that last summer during the COVID quarantine assistant women's basketball coach Maiya Michel wrote a book?!?! Dive into the book, March Madness talk, future short stories, as well as how writing changed her view on coaching. Transformation: Moments in Poetry -> https://amzn.to/3mj8Pos Guest: Maiya Michel Host: Michael Matossian

In this latest episode, Vanguard's head women's volleyball coach discusses the importance of multi-sport athletes, her work with Athletes in Action, her favorite hole in the wall food spot over the years and the spiritual journey that led her to Vanguard. Host: Michael Matossian Guest: JP Dorn

Connor is put on the hot seat to answer randomly selected questions in real time! He has a unique story as his journey at Vanguard began prior to him joining the men's volleyball team. You won't want to miss the story of a a prosthetic leg being gifted to him and what accomplishment he is most proud of. Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Connor Chase

In our inaugural episode of the Alumni Association, we are joined by former women's basketball star Claire all the way from Uganda, Africa! We check in with her about her Vanguard experience, playing professionally, and her new ministry in her hometown. Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Claire Lamunu

Play along as we randomly draw from a pool of over 200 questions! Faith, a freshman, is a member of both the track and soccer teams. Learn about her adventurous spirit and how central her walk with Christ is to her life! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Faith Hunt

Masie, a junior on the men's basketball team, joined us for a virtual interview between the Fall and Spring semesters. Dive deeper into his passion for basketball, his journey to Vanguard, and what being back on the court in 2021 means to him. Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Masie Mohammadi

Sit down, relax, and enjoy a candid conversation with Coach Flores of Vanguard Wrestling. We get him to talk about how crazy good he was in high school, how he recovered from his serious injury, and his reflections on their season opener. Host: Michael Matossian Guest: Caleb Flores

We sit down to play 21 Questions with one of the returning members of Vanguard Wrestling. Micha discusses the bond of the team, his lack of using emojis when texting, and who he would most like to have dinner with. You won't want to miss it! Guest: Micha Leininger Host: Mariah Rodriguez

Salonia, a junior from the STUNT team, sits down with Jeff at the end of the Fall Semester to talk all things COVID, the upcoming Christmas Season, and how Vanguard has guided her towards Law School. Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Salonia Harper

Now in his 24th season as head coach of the women’s basketball program at Vanguard University, Russ Davis has a lot of accomplishments. Among them, he has amassed over 600 wins, won NAIA Coach of the Year honors 4 times, been named the GSAC Coach of the Year 9 times, won the NAIA national title in 2008, was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2017, has battled cancer, and is now battling the after-effects of cancer treatment. Despite all the accolades and in the face of his health complications, his faith has never been stronger and neither has his desire to help young people get better at basketball and even better at life. In this episode, listen as Russ Davis defines selflessness. Hosts: Josh Perigo and Dave Caldwell Guest: Russ Davis Thanks to our friends at CHARACTER UP! All rights to the audio belong to them.

Mariah sits down with Grace, a sophomore from Vanguard Track & Field, to discuss where in the world she wants to travel and which foods she is not a fan eating! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Grace Roberts

Michael welcomes Coach Anderson of Vanguard Golf to the Coaches' Corner for the second episode of Season 2. They discuss his passion for watching student-athletes meet and exceed their goals and how developing personal relationships with them are so important for him. Host: Michael Matossian Guest: Jeff Anderson

In advance of the GSAC Championships for cross country, Mariah caught up with Blake discussing his recent adventures around LA with his friends! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Blake Rodriguez

Jeff Melton, Assistant Athletic Director of Events and Media, was recently featured on the NAIA-SIDA SID Spotlight! Jeremy Nelson from @MAC_Bulldogs was able to catch up with Jeff to discuss how he began working on small college athletics, his favorite memories from Vanguard, and more! Host: Jeremy Nelson Guest: Jeff Melton

Get ready to play "21 Questions" with Conley Harris of the Beach Volleyball program. Listen along as she speaks in her made up language, leaving Mariah amazed! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Conley Harris

Michael, who is taking over hosting duties, welcomes Noel to the podcast for the first time. They discuss his coaching journey as well as winning the 2014 NAIA National Championship as a player. Host: Michael Matossian Guest: Noel Larkins

Vanessa and Mike chat about how she processed coming back for her extra year, how she wants to be a teacher, and how she is excited to finish up her softball career. Host: Mike Teague Guest: Vanessa Dwyer

Mariah welcomes Sam, a sophomore from men's golf, into the hot seat as they play 21 Questions. See all the action as he has to react in real time! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Sam Huff

Mack, a founding member of the Beach Volleyball program, details her transition from the court to the sand, recounts the first three years of her collegiate career, as well as getting involved outside of athletics at VU. Guest: Mackenzie Mitchell Host: Mike Teague

Mariah takes over hosting duties of "21 Questions" and Matt Lester jumps into the hot seat. The fun begins as questions are chosen in real time and Matt reacts off the cuff! Host: Mariah Rodriguez Guest: Matt Lester

A pair of Michael's sit down and talk life, baseball, and Vanguard. Teague speaks with senior pitcher Kashou about the impact VU has had on him, how he wants to lead the baseball team this upcoming season, and how much he is looking forward to getting back on the diamond. Host: Mike Teague Guest: Michael Kashou

Cody is a sophomore middle blocker from Central California who capped off his first season with an All-GSAC honor. He details how he get started in the game of volleyball and how he has connected with the sport. Host: Mike Teague Guest: Cody Watts

Launching the newest Podcast Channel, Jeff plays 21 Questions with former student-athlete and current department intern Mariah! Drawing randomly from over 200 possible questions, she is put on the hot seat to react in real time! Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Mariah Rodriguez

Mike sits down with Michaella and talks about her transition from undergraduate to graduate level studies, how she came to attend Vanguard, how she has blossomed during the last few years on campus, and much more! Host: Mike Teague Guest: Michaella Elad

Sitting down for the first time in the new Samson's Studio, Director of Athletics Jeff Bussell shares the department theme and verse, as well as the vision for how coaches, student-athletes, and staff "Win the Wait". Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Jeff Bussell

We are proud to welcome Vanguard Athletics' newest head coach to our podcast as Taylor Smith educates us all on the world of competitive dance and how the recruiting of the new team is going! Hosts: Jeff Melton, Michael Matossian Guest: Taylor Smith

As the calendar flips from Indoor to Outdoor season, Associate Head Coach Johnny Deryeghiayan shares with us his own track career, how the team prepares on a weekly basis, and highlights the amazing successes so far this season! Hosts: Jeff Melton, Kristen Struett Guest: Johnny Deryeghiayan

Join us for our newest podcast channel, as we go "On The Road" with our Vanguard Athletics teams. Last weekend, Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball, Wrestling, and Baseball all found themselves at Menlo College. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guests: Dominic St. Leon, Sierra Vaglica, Victoria Chea, Michaella Elad, Kayla Gonzalez, Rhett Soliday, Maiya Michel, Caleb Flores, Joe Evano, Josh Weeks, and Ryan Heinle

Grady Connor, a four year member of Lions Baseball, recalls his Vanguard experience and the culmination of his career after growing up on and around campus since his childhood days. Hosts: Mike Teague, Jeff Melton Guest: Grady Conner

Jeff & Mike visit with Kris Dorn, head beach volleyball coach, and discuss his philosophy on coaching, character development, and team culture as well as diving into his personal volleyball experience. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Kris Dorn

This week, we are joined by senior softball player Emily Howard. She reflects on her career at Vanguard both on the diamond and through her many on-campus involvements. (Our apologies for the audio issues). Hosts: Mike Teague, Jeff Melton Guest: Emily Howard

On the eve of the Vanguard STUNT season debut, Mike and Jeff welcome Head Coach Leslie Allen to the studio to discuss her journey to the world of STUNT and the upcoming matches this season. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Leslie Allen

Catch up with crossover season as Mike and Jeff give you the rundown on everything Vanguard Athletics before visiting with Christian Nowtash. Then, we sit down with Christian, a founding member of the Men's Volleyball program, he details his daily battles of being a collegiate athlete while living with Type 1 Diabetes. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Christian Nowtash

Head Women's Basketball Coach Russ Davis, recounts his relationship with Kobe Bryant and how the NBA superstar pushed him during his battle with cancer. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Russ Davis

This week we are joined by Maiya Michel, the assistant coach for Women's Basketball under her mentor Russ Davis - the NAIA Hall of Fame coach. She walks us through the season to date and what first made her pick up a basketball as a child. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Maiya Michel

As the first guest of 2020, Head Men's Volleyball Coach Brad Rostratter gets us all ready for the upcoming season while sharing his background and journey with the game. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Brad Rostratter

In the inaugural episode of the "Vanguard Insider" on the Vanguard Athletics Podcast Network, we are joined by Director of Athletics Jeff Bussell. We learn about his athletic journey, favorite parts of VU, and his families' Christmas traditions. Host: Jeff Melton Guest: Jeff Bussell

Wrapping up the 2019 year, Mike and Jeff visit with Head Baseball Coach Rob Pegg, detailing his experience playing at SCC, Dean Harvey Field, and the Fall season. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Rob Pegg

In the final sit down of 2019, Mike & Jeff break down the craziness of December within Vanguard Athletics as well as a visit from Christian Wilson of Men's Basketball. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Christian Wilson

Coach Wilkins, the longest standing member of the Vanguard Athletics Staff, stops by the studio to talk about his entry into running and the history of VU Cross Country. Host: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Bryan Wilkins

Joining us in studio this week is Sierra Vaglica from the women's basketball team. Plus, catch up on all the latest happening within the department with Mike and Jeff! Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Sierra Vaglica

Coach Dodge jumps on this week's episode of "Coaches' Corner" on the Vanguard Athletics Podcast Network. He discusses the men's soccer season including the early season tragedies they had to overcome. Hosts: Mike Teague, Jeff Melton Guest: Randy Dodge

Sam Nelson joins Jeff and Mike in the Podcast Studio as his Vanguard career winds down as well as catching you up on everything around the Athletic Department during Fall postseason and the winter sports launching. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Sam Nelson

Jeff Anderson, the head coach of Vanguard Golf visits Mike and Jeff in the studio as the team is on it's winter hiatus (2:16). Listen to learn more about Coach Anderson, the VU program, and the inner workings of college golf. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Jeff Anderson

Riding the high of winning his bout at the first home wrestling dual in 39 years, Armon Fayazzi joins Mike and Jeff in the studio! Before his interview, get the low down on all things Vanguard Athletics... Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Armon Fayazzi

Fresh off the first home wrestling match in 39 years, Caleb Flores joins Mike and Jeff in the studio (2:39). Be sure to listen to learn more about the sport of wrestling and the Vanguard Matmen. Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Caleb Flores

This week on "Stories of Significance" on the Vanguard Athletics Podcast Network, Myranda Baca from the Women's Soccer Program swings by as well as a deep dive into the happenings around the department (6:09). Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Myranda Baca

Join us as Jeff and Mike welcome Lauren Mascaro, the head coach of Vanguard Women's Soccer, into the podcast studio (4:52). Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Lauren Mascaro

This week on "Stories of Significance" on the Vanguard Athletics Podcast Network, freshman Justin Bartlebaugh of Men's Cross Country/Track & Field joins the crew in the studio (3:50). Hosts: Jeff Melton, Mike Teague Guest: Justin Bartlebaugh