2012 Big West Scholar-Athletes Release
The 2012 Big West Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year from the 10 conference institutions will be honored at a special banquet on Thursday, March 14 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Garden Grove. The winners were selected by each institution.
In addition, each school's list of Scholar-Athletes were announced. To access the complete list, please click on the PDF above.
2012 BIG WEST MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Thomas Pluschkell, Cal Poly (Pleasanton, Calif.) - A sophomore first baseman and designated hitter for the Mustangs baseball squad, Plushkell has made the Dean’s List six of seven quarters while at Cal Poly. He has been involved in the Special Olympics as well as with Athletes in Action. A General Engineering major with a concentration in mechanical design aspects, he hopes to one day own his own business.
Dakota Duerr, Cal State Fullerton (Murrieta, Calif.) - A member of the Titans men’s golf team, Duerr qualified for the 112th US Amateur Championship held in Colorado. His average score from the 2011-12 season ranks second all-time for the recently reinstated program. A two-time member of the Big West Conference All Academic team, Dakota has earned Dean’s List honors five times at Cal State Fullerton. A Criminal Justice major, Dakota hopes to play golf professionally and to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Joe Franco, Cal State Northridge (Monrovia, Calif.) - A senior defender for the Matadors men’s soccer team, Franco has been named the Cal State Northridge Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. Franco earned the 2012 Big West Conference Defender of the Year honors. He was also named to the NSCAA All-Far West Region Second Team. Franco is an active member of the CSUN Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has earned Dean’s List honors six times. A Finance major, he plans to pursue a career in professional soccer.
Michael Vaughan, Long Beach State (Rosamond, Calif.) - A senior triple jumper for the Long Beach State men’s track & field team, Vaughan has qualified for the Big West Conference Championship in all three of his previous seasons, finishing third at the 2012 Championship. He ranks 6th all time in Long Beach State Indoor History and has twice been named a Big West Conference All Academic Team selection. A Biology-Physiology major, Vaughan volunteers at St. Mary Medical Center as a clinical care extender. He plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
Trevor Halsted, UC Davis (Davis, Calif.) - A sophomore distance runner for the Aggies, Halsted has already captured All Conference honors in cross country and finished 20th at the NCAA Division I West Regional. For his performance this fall, he was honored as the UC Davis Men’s Cross Country Most Valuable Runner. Halsted is a Regents Scholar and a member of the Integrated Studies Honors Program. A Biomedical Engineering major, he is ranked first in his class in the College of Engineering. He hopes to one day make the U.S. Olympic Team and would like to attend graduate school.
Sam Hyams, UC Irvine (Pleasanton, Calif.) - A senior distance runner for the UC Irvine men’s cross country and track and field program, Hyams finished his career this fall with a 15th place finish at the Big West Conference Championships. He ranks 7th all time in Anteaters history with his time in the 1500 meters. He is Golden Key Club Member and is enrolled in the UCI Political Science Honors Program. He is currently interning with a law firm that focuses on improving the rights of immigrants and people with disabilities. He has worked on numerous political campaigns and has interned with the Democratic Party of Orange County. A Political Science major, he hopes to intern in Washington DC after graduation prior to entering law school in Fall 2014. He plans to specialize in public policy.
Seth Totten, UC Riverside (Newhall, Calif.) - A junior and the team captain for the men’s cross country and track and field teams, Totten has twice earned Big West Conference Athlete of the Week honors. He was the top finisher for the Highlanders in five of six Cross Country meets during the 2012 season. He has been named to the Big West Conference All Academic Team and has earned Dean’s List honors four times. An English major with a minor in Creative Writing, Totten hope to run professionally and to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
Kyle Boswell, UC Santa Barbara (Huntington Beach, Calif.) - A junior guard for the Gauchos men’s basketball squad, Boswell is already in the UCSB history books ranking in the top 10 for three point goals made. He currently ranks second on the team in scoring and led the team during the 2011-12 campaign in three point field goal percentage. He has earned Dean’s List honors in all seven quarters at UCSB. A Mechanical Engineering major, he hopes to one day have a career in Engineering.
Dmytro Kovalyov, Hawaii (Yalta, Ukraine) - A senior member of the Warriors men’s tennis team, Kovalyov earned first team all-conference honors in doubles and second team all-conference honors in singles during the 2012 season. He trained at the Barcelona Total Tennis Academy and has competed in International Tennis Federation events across the globe. He is a member of the International Business Organization and a Salvation Army volunteer. An International Business, Finance and Human Resource Management major, he hopes to play tennis professionally and to one day move to New York or London to become a banker. He would also like to pursue a MBA.
Alex Golding, Pacific (London, England) - Golding is a senior and a member of the Tigers men’s tennis team. He has twice earned all Big West Conference honors in doubles and was named Honorable Mention in singles in 2012. While on the junior international federation tennis circuit, he reached a ranking inside the top 200. A Business major, he would like to embark on a professional tennis career and to one day pursue a career in the marketing industry with a concentration in sports and social media.
2012 BIG WEST FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Jenna Davis, Cal Poly (San Jose, Calif.) - A sophomore mid-distance runner for the Cal Poly track & field program, Davis qualified for two events in the Big West Conference Championship in her freshman year. An active member of Campus Crusade and Athletes in Action, she has traveled to five foreign countries on various missions. She has started her own track club for young kids and has interned for a start-up eCommerce company. A 4.0 student, Davis is majoring in Communications and hopes to one day work in Sports Marketing.
Kayla Neto, Cal State Fullerton (Clarksburg, Calif.) - Neto finished her volleyball career for the Titans this fall as a four time All Big West Conference first team selection. A middle blocker and outside hitter, Neto was honored by the AVCA twice as an All-America Honorable Mention selection. She was named the Big West Conference and the AVCA All-West Freshman of the Year in 2009. Neto ranks first all time for the Titans in both career kills and career points. A Communications major, she hopes play volleyball professionally overseas before attending graduate school in Marketing/Advertising.
Chloe McDaniel, Cal State Northridge (Palmdale, Calif.) - As a junior, McDaniel was the team captain for the 2012 CSUN women’s soccer team. She anchored a defense that earned 11 shutouts on the season, allowing only 15 goals for the entire season. For her efforts on the pitch, McDaniel earned Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the NSCAA All-West Region third team. She has been extremely involved in Community Service projects with the CSUN Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been named to the Dean’s List three times. A Kinesiology major, McDaniel expects to graduate in May 2014.
AnaÏs Dallara, Long Beach State (Nice, France) - Dallara finished her playing career with the 49ers women’s tennis squad in 2012, earning Big West Conference Player of the Year honors. She received an individual invitation to the 2012 NCAA Singles Championship, only the third player in Long Beach State history to do so. Dallara is now serving as an undergraduate assistant coach for the team while finishing her degree in History as a member of the Honors History program. She has a minor in Classical Studies and would like to pursue her PhD while continuing a career in coaching.
Allison Whitson, UC Davis (Palo Alto, Calif.) - A senior outside hitter for the Aggies women’s volleyball team, Whitson earned first-team All Big West Conference honors three times in her career. She finished her career ranked 5th all time for UC Davis in four statistical categories. She led the Aggies in kills for all four seasons. A Managerial Economics major, Whitson is ranked in the top 15% of her class. After graduation this spring, she hopes to play professional volleyball in Europe and to eventually earn her MBA. She would like to pursue a career in a sports-related business.
Kristin Winkler, UC Irvine (Los Altos, Calif.) - A libero for the Anteaters women’s volleyball team, Winkler capped off her successful career this fall by earning first team All Big West Conference honors. She ranks first all time in Big West Conference history in career digs, and is the all time career and single match digs leader for UC Irvine. Winkler has earned Dean’s List honors in ten consecutive quarters and was a member of the UCEAP Program, studying abroad in Paris. A Business Administration major, she hopes to one day earn her MBA.
Jamie Raney, UC Riverside (Murrieta, Calif.) - A junior and a member of the Highlanders women’s tennis player, Raney is in her second season playing #1 singles and doubles for UCR. She earned All Big West Conference second team honors for her singles play as a sophomore. She has earned both Dean’s List and Chancellor’s List honors. In Summer 2012, she worked in the Target Executive internship program. She plans to do so again in 2013. A Business Administration major, Raney would like to continue to play tennis after graduation before putting her business marketing degree to work.
Rachel Nelson, UC Santa Barbara (Lompoc, Calif.) - A senior utility player for the Gauchos women’s water polo team, Nelson is the team captain and a three-year starter for UCSB. She has earned Dean’s List honors for nine consecutive quarters. She is a volunteer at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in the emergency department and performs independent research in a Neurobiology Lab on trafficking of potassium channels in neurons. A Biological Sciences major, Nelson hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in the health profession.
Kelly Majam, Hawaii (Pine Valley, Calif.) - A senior centerfielder for the Rainbow Wahine softball team, Majam broke the career home run record for the University of Hawaii as a junior. She earned all-WAC honors three times and has earned NFCA all-West honors twice in her career. She is a member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and serves as a Motivational Speaker in the local community. A Health & Physical Education major, Najam hopes to play professional softball and to one day become a high school teacher and a coach at the high school or collegiate level.
Megan Allen, Pacific (Yucaipa, Calif.) - Allen is a senior and in her final season with the Tigers softball team. A Third Baseman and Shortstop, she is in the Pacific record books ranking ninth all time in career home runs, and is eighth for a single season. She has earned awards from the team including the Most Improved and the Most Inspirational. In 2012, she was named a NFCA All America Scholar Athlete. A Sport Sciences major, Allen hopes to attend graduate school.