The season has barely ended for head coach Michael Linenberger and the rest of the Sacramento State men?s soccer team, and they are already looking to start building toward next year.

The Hornets made giant leaps, finishing with the best Mountain Pacific Sports Federation record of 4-1-2, notching a conference record of six selections for the All-Conference teams and recorded their first regular-season conference championship in the process.

Senior Sean Luigs, who led the team with 20 points, was named to the first team, defender Hjalti Kristjansson and halfback Joel Rodriguez made the second name, and sophomore striker David Fraser, fullbacks Jason Gantt and Marcos Mercado earned honorable mention honors.As if that wasn?t enough, Linenberger was named the 2001 MPSF Coach of the Year, his first such honor in his career.

“I wasn?t real emotional, but it?s a real honor,” Linenberger said. “It never even entered my mind.”

Eight seniors will be leaving the team due to graduation this year creating big spaces to fill for the 2002 program. Jason Gantt, Danny Gehm, Andy Hashimoto, Chris Haustein, Leo Marin, Erik Ocampo, Vjeko Odich and Luigs are planning to graduate this spring and all have made contributions to the program and will be sorely missed.

“It is a big graduating class,” Linenberger said. “A lot of experience is leaving, but it is the nature of college athletics.”

Luigs has started in 43 of 54 contests during his Hornet career with a total of 17 goals, eight from this season alone. He has also been selected for MPSF First Team All-Conference and was named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team for 2001.

Odich, a Bosnian native, has four goals under his belt, including one that aided the 3-1 victory over California State University, San Diego to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and take the MPSF regular-season championship.

Sac State goalkeepers Marin and Haustein are graduating, leaving a major hole in front of the goal. A Hornet goalie was red-shirted this season, giving him the opportunity to watch and learn, but leaving a void of experience. Sac State looks to possibly obtain a junior college keeper.

“We need to bring in another goalkeeper,” Linenberger said. “We?d like to bring in a keeper with a little bit of maturity and experience.”

Marin played in 19 games with only 31 goals scored against him during his two-year experience after transferring from California State University, Hayward. This year alone he had 53 saves against opponents with a total of 69 in his career.

“Leo was pretty much our No. 1 one goalkeeper for the year,” Linenberger said.

Haustein was Sac State?s other keeper, playing in 16 games during his three-year career as a Hornet. Haustein tallied 76 total saves with 24 goals against him, giving him the fifth-place spot for career saves in the Hornet record book.

Gehm and Ocampo will be leaving blanks in the midfield for the Hornets. Gehm scored three goals and one assist for Sac State in his two-year career after transferring from La Canada Junior College, including a game-winning goal during a 2-1 double overtime against Santa Clara in his Hornet debut. Ocampo played in 50 games during all four years for the Hornets with an assist in the 1999 season.

Hashimoto and Gantt leave the backfield for the Hornets. Hashimoto retires with a five-year career, red shirting for the 1999 season, with one goal in 54 appearances.

Gantt was the 2001 team co-captain, along with David Rios, starting 47 of 58 contests. He was selected to the MPSF All-Academic team for the past two seasons and to the Second Team All-MPSF Selection for 2000 and honors for the 2001 All-MPSF Selection. He leaves the team in search of a center back and new captain.

“We?ve got a few returning players that can be candidates,” Linenberger said, mentioning the names of Hjalti Kristjansson, Marcos Mercado and Fraser. “We may name tri-captains. “The nucleus of the group is probably staying the same,” Linenberger said about next year?s roster. “We are losing a good group of soccer players and a good group of people.”