Student-athletes in the spotlight

Oevind Lundestad, men’s basketball, forward

PLNU career stats: 6.2 points/game, 1.3 rebounds/game, .7 steals/game
What you should know: Lundestad moved from his hometown, Kongsberg, Norway, in 2011 and played for Ohlone Community College prior to transferring to Point Loma in 2012.
Year: Senior
Major: International Business
Favorite athlete: Paul Gasol, “He just complemented the Lakers so well when they won the back-to-back championships.”
Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Lakers, “When I started playing basketball, I was 7 or 8 years old, so it was 1999, which was when the Lakers were pretty good. There was no NBA coverage in Norway, so we would have to go on dial-up on the internet. Whenever we would check the Internet on nba.com it was always the Lakers and that’s why I started liking Shaq and Kobe and the Lakers because they were the best team in the NBA at that time.”
Favorite superhero: Thor.
Most influential person: John Peterson, the assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University. “He was the most influential person for my basketball development. He taught me college basketball and everything that that entails.”
Favorite quote? “You only regret the things you never did.”
Something most people don’t know about him: “I talk to myself a lot.”
Pick to win the NBA championship: Chicago Bulls, “They are a great defensive team with championship experience and they have Derrick Rose who can take over a game late if needed.”

Andrea Mersino, women’s golf

PLNU career scoring average: 79.53
What you should know:Mersino has accumulated quite an astounding amount of accolades during her career for the Sea Lions, including: Third team All-PacWest selection as a sophomore, WGCA All-American Scholar-Athlete, second team All-PacWest performer, PacWest All-Academic team selection, and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete, all during her junior year.
Year: Senior
Major: Applied Health Science
Favorite athlete: Nick Watney, a golfer
Favorite sports team: San Francisco 49ers
Favorite superhero: Superman
Most influential people: Her parents, “My dad gives good advice in certain situations that I am in, and then there’s my mom who has a lot of patience, which shows me a lot.”
Favorite quote: ‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.’
Something that most people don’t know about her: “I have a private pilot’s license, in gliders and also single engine airplanes. So I’ve been flying since I was 14, and I was soloing gliders on my 14th birthday.”

Natalie Swift, women’s soccer, midfielder

PLNU career stats: Shots per game: 1.17, points per game: .54, goals per game: .17
What you should know: Swift attended Division 1 University of Oregon before transferring to PLNU in 2012, and was a key factor in the Sea Lion’s run to the NCAA Division two championships this year as team captain.
Year: Senior
Major: Applied Health Science
Favorite athlete: Kobe Bryant, “Because he’s a beast! He’s so committed to being a champion, he works so hard, he’s clutch and I’ve grown up loving him.”
Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Galaxy, “Because they are doing so well right now. Plus I love that US soccer is growing and I want to support it!”
Favorite superhero: Superwoman, “Because she’s a woman and I like superheroes that empower women.”
Favorite athlete: Andres Iniesta, a professional soccer player
Most influential person: Michelle Eastman, “She’s funny, beautiful, loves God, and has helped me see life through new eyes.”
Favorite quote: “Let us all meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love” –Mother Teresa
Something that most people don’t know about her: “I like to dance specifically to Taylor Swift.”

Jessica Johnson, women’s basketball, center

PLNU career statistics (2014-2015 season still in progress: 1.8 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game
What you should know: Johnson transferred from Orange Coast Junior College, where she started for the basketball team.
Year: Senior
Major: Communications
Favorite athlete: Toss-up between Lebron James and Blake Griffin
Favorite sports team: San Antonio Spurs
Favorite superhero? Superman, “Because he was born with powers and in the comic he died on my birthday!”
Most influential person: Her mother, “I have three siblings, so she’s always been there taking care of us, she does a lot.”
Favorite quote? “Normal is a paved road, it’s comfortable to walk on, but no flowers grow on it.”
Something most people don’t know about her: “My mom brought me and my brother into acting when we were little and I was in an ‘X-Files’ episode.”

Alexandra Hernandez, women’s cross country

What you should know: Hernandez led the cross country team in all of their 6 races this season.
Year: Freshman
Major: Applied Health Science
Favorite athlete: Usain Bolt, “Just because he’s the fastest man ever, which I can appreciate as a runner even though I am not a sprinter or anything.”
Favorite sports team: FC Barcelona, “I don’t really know, but my family is super into that.”
Most influential person: Her grandma, “Towards the end of her life, she had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and she was fighting that for awhile. Even when she had that up until the end she was positive, strong and selfless about it.”
Favorite quote: “Be someone else’s sunshine.”
Something most people don’t know about her: “I get very paranoid that my shoes are going to come untied during my race, so I triple knot them three or four times.”