George Terris

Club Baseball

Year: Freshman

Position: Second and third base utility infielder

Stats: Recently finished, 3-2 for club baseball’s preseason (as a team)

Terris’s favorite part about the holidays: My favorite part of the holidays is spending time with family and doing annual Christmas holiday traditions with them.

Favorite gift Terris has received: A quilt that my mom made for me that had all my childhood uniforms and memorable shirts I’ve had over the years. It meant a lot to me and it’s a gift that will remain special to me through the course of my life. It is a gift I can always look back at for past memories.

Holiday traditions Terris participates in: For the holidays, my cousins always hold an annual Pre-Christmas get together, then we go to church on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas we open gifts in the morning and then head to my aunt & uncle’s house where we have a traditional Christmas dinner and have a good time together! Then on New Years we will try and go up to the snow for the day and have a good time.

Favorite holiday movie: Elf

Steven Terris

Cross Country Team

Year: Sophomore

Stats: In the 2016 season, Terris placed in the top 25 four times, placed in the CSUSM top five in three races and placed in the CSUSM top seven in six races.

Terris’s favorite part about the holidays: Being with my friends and family.

Favorite gift Terris has received: My favorite gift would be when my mom got me a case for my medals of the races I won.  

Holiday traditions Terris participates in: I take part in a tradition where I go to my uncle’s house for a Christmas dinner.

Favorite holiday movie: My favorite holiday movie would have to be between Elf, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Home Alone!

Riley Manquen

Baseball Team

Year: Redshirt Junior

Position:  Second base, shortstop and third base

Stats: Played in 31 of the 48 games, including 14 starts as a sophomore

Manquen favorite part about the holidays: My favorite part about the holiday season is being able to take a break from the busy routine of the semester. Having morning weights, practice and taking a full load of classes can take a toll on you, so it is nice to be able to take a break from that and spend quality time with the family and some friends from back home. Family time right after finals and right before season is a great way to get back on track with everything and prepare for the next semester and season.

Favorite gift Manquen has received: My favorite gift I have received during the holidays has got to be first custom baseball glove when I was in fifth grade. I still have it to this day, although it is a little small now.

Holiday traditions Manquen participates in: One holiday tradition that me and my family have is every Christmas Eve we go out, get hot chocolate and see the Christmas lights on one of the streets by my house. Everybody on that street gets extremely creative with their lights and it makes for good family time while walking through the neighborhood.

Favorite holiday movie: My favorite holiday movie might be cliche, but I have to go with Elf. Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit like some Will Ferrell comedy.

Hayden Weir

Baseball Team

Year: Senior

Position: Pitcher

Stats: In 2016 Weir received All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honorable mention, has had seven conference wins/tied for the most in CCAA this season and is second on the team with 45 strikeouts.

Weir’s favorite part about the holidays: Getting to go home for a week or two and getting to see all of my friends and family. And December just has that good nostalgic, warm fuzzy feeling all month long.

Favorite gift Weir has received: New bats and gloves for baseball, which always got me excited for the season that usually starts in January/February.

Holiday traditions Weir participates in: Starting in 2010, my family would celebrate our Christmas on Christmas eve and then wake up at 5 a.m. Christmas morning and load up clothes and toys with a volunteer group called Santa’s Helpers. We would take about 10 cars and truckloads of goods to downtown L.A. and give toys to the few children that are, sadly, in the hospital for Christmas, which was always a very humbling experience. We would then take the rest of the goods to skid row and MacArthur Park in some of the most impoverished areas of the U.S. and give out all that we could. It was a very intense experience when I first started doing it, but it teaches me to be grateful for what I have ever year.

Favorite holiday movie: Elf or A Christmas Story

Paula Stonehouse

Cross Country and Track & Field Team

Year: Junior

Stats: At the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross Country Championships, Stonehouse finished 20th in the 6,000 meter time of 22:33.9 on Oct. 22.

Stonehouse’s favorite part about the holidays: My favorite part about the holidays is reuniting with everyone and being able to come together and celebrate at home with everyone I care about.  Coming from a big family, it’s such a blessing to be able to spend the holidays with my parents, sibling, cousins, aunts and uncles because the more people there are, the better time is spent.  

Favorite gift Stonehouse has received: My favorite gift I have received is whenever my family plans a vacation over the holidays and everyone can make it. The best gift was when my sister, cousins and I traveled to Europe and visited our family in Spain and Italy.

Holiday traditions Stonehouse participates in: The last six years it has become a tradition that on Christmas break, my family takes a road trip to Utah to go skiing in Brian Head.

Favorite holiday movie: A Christmas Story

Natalie Rodriguez

Cross Country and Track & Field Team

Year: Junior

Stats: Best 4K mark in CSUSM history (14:11.5) and three CCAA runner of the week wins in 2016.

Rodriguez’s favorite part about the holidays: Being able to come home and spend time with my family. We’re all extremely close and it’s always have a fun time together during the holidays.

Favorite gift Rodriguez has received: My favorite gift was my GoPro from my mom.

Holiday traditions Rodriguez participates in: Making tamales Christmas morning with my grandma and mom.

Favorite holiday movie: Olive the Other Reindeer