WATCH REPLAY OF BIG WEST ACADEMIC HONORS

The Big West Conference today announced that 22 individuals were named 2020 Big West Scholar Athletes of the Year. The conference honored two student-athletes from each institution – one male and one female – acknowledging their accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. On Wednesday, these exemplary scholar athletes will be featured in the Big West Academic honors, a half hour show on ESPN3, which will highlight the exploits of both current and former student-athletes who push the boundaries of being a Scholar Athlete.
    
The show will begin airing at noon PT/10:00 a.m. HT on March 3. ESPN3 is accessible on computers, smart phone tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN app and ESPN.com.
    
The show is produced by Big West Productions and hosted by Courtney Sweet. Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly also joins to discuss the academic and athletic achievements that make these 22 exceptional student-athletes from member institutions Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara worthy of accolades.

Some details on the Big West Scholar Athletes of the Year:

• The 22 honorees hail from five different states and four foreign countries on three continents
• Comprised of nine graduate students and 13 undergrads
• Their interests run the gamut from Engineering and Economics to Neurobiology and Creative Writing
• Collective GPA is 3.7
• Thirteen of 18 Big West sponsored sports are represented

The program also includes in-depth interviews with two of the honorees, Hawai‘i men’s volleyball outside hitter Colton Cowell and UC Irvine women’s water polo forward Tara Prentice. Cowell came to UH as a libero weighing 140 pounds, and since then has transformed his body and his game to become one of the nation’s top players. He is pursuing a Master’s degree in economics. Prentice is a three-time All-American with Olympic aspirations in water polo with future sights set on a career in law.
    
As one of the nation’s top academic and athletic conferences, with more than 2.4 million alumni globally, the Big West produces champions on the field and in life. The show also identifies a trio of former student-athletes from Cal Poly, CSUN and UC Riverside.
    
• Victor Glover, a former wrestler at Cal Poly, is currently the pilot on the Spacex Crew Dragon Spacecraft “Resilience.” Earlier this year Glover completed his first spacewalk to upgrade technology on the international space station.

• Former CSUN Male Student-Athlete of the Year Daniel Trejo was selected 14th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by LAFC. An all-conference performer with 26 career goals, Trejo graduated early with a 3.5 GPA.

• As a conference with more than 100 Olympians, former UC Riverside women’s track standout Brenda Martinez represented the USA in the 1,500 meters in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Martinez is now giving back to her community by hosting a running camp for girls focused on performance and mental well-being.

• The show also features an in-depth interview with Ruby Flores, a Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1992. The former Long Beach State softball pitcher, who once threw a perfect game, is now in a leadership role as a commander with the Los Angeles Police Department.

A record 2,300+ student-athletes earned Big West All-Academic honors last year. To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.0 GPA and play in 50 percent of their team’s games.

The 2020 Big West Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year:

Big West 2020 Male Scholar Athletes of the Year

John Bennett, Cal Poly (Hometown: Livermore, Calif.) A member of Cal Poly’s cross country team, Bennett has competed in both the 5K and 10K events since beginning his collegiate career in 2018. After being named Big West Freshman of the Year in 2019, Bennett was also instrumental in helping Cal Poly en route to the Big West Championship. A mechanical engineering major, he has made the Dean’s List and the President’s List all three years he has attended Cal Poly. He is looking toward opportunities on the track after completing his degree and off the track where he can combine his love of track and athletics with engineering.

Noah Cordova, CSU Bakersfield (Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz.) A pitcher for the CSU Bakersfield baseball team, Cordova appeared in six games for the Roadrunners in their abbreviated 2020 season, where he posted a 2.08 earned run average and two saves. Noah has been tabbed as CSUB’s closer for the upcoming season and is looking to build upon his success from 2020 into Big West play this year. An Environmental Resource Management Master’s student, Cordova was named to the Dean’s List in 2020 and obtained his undergraduate degree from CSUB in Liberal Studies. He is hoping to be drafted in the upcoming MLB Draft but will look to finish his Master’s program in 2022.
 
Clayton Torr, Cal State Fullerton (Hometown: Palmdale, Calif.) A defender with the Cal State Fullerton’s men’s soccer program, Torr was a mainstay of the team’s defense in 2019, starting all 20 contests for the Titans after transferring from Taft College. He helped lead the Titans to a 1.20 goals against average per game, which included contributing to the team’s five shutouts over the course of the 2019 season. Off the field, he is a part of Team IMPACT, which is a non-profit organization working with youth soccer players in his hometown of Palmdale. A Kinesiology major, Clayton made the Dean’s List in the fall of 2020 and is looking forward to graduating later this academic year and pursuing further professional opportunities on and off the field.

Sean Skelly, CSUN (Hometown: Mission Viejo, Calif.) A catcher for the CSUN baseball team, Skelly hit .296 and slugged .481 in a shortened 2020 season, while leading his team in on-base percentage (.432) and walks (33) in 2019. In 2019, Skelly was also named to the 2019 All-Big West Second Team as he finished eighth in the conference in home runs. A Public Administration Master’s student, Sean was named to the Big West All-Academic team in 2019 during his junior season. He is currently looking towards obtaining his degree in the Spring of 2022 before he pursues professional opportunities in baseball as either a player or coach.

Colton Cowell, Hawai‘i (Hometown: Makawao, Maui) An outside hitter for the Hawaii men’s volleyball team, Cowell was named All-Big West First Team in 2020 and AVCA Second Team All-American for the second year in a row. Cowell also was a 2020 Off the Block Karch Kiraly Award finalist, awarded to the best outside hitter in the country. He led the United States in the U.S. Pan American Cup in kills with 47 during the tournament. A graduate student studying Economics, Cowell has been named to the Dean’s List four times and was also the 2020 recipient of the Jack Bonham Award. Cowell hopes to play volleyball professionally after completing his Master’s degree, but will look for opportunities in the world of finance and economics as well.  

Faris John Babineaux, Long Beach State (Hometown: Palmdale, Calif.) A track and field athlete for Long Beach State, Babineaux has competed in the 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m races since his freshman year. He finished in ninth place in the 400m event in the 2020 Big West Championship, posting a personal-best time of 48.08 seconds. A Criminology and Criminal major, Babineaux was selected to LBSU’s Dean’s List in 2017 and 2018 as well as making the President’s List in all semesters starting in 2019. Babineaux plans to continue his studies, applying for law school and working toward obtaining his Juris Doctorate in Intellectual Property Law.

Ryman Crone, UC Davis (Hometown: Auburn, Calif.) A distance runner for the UC Davis cross country and track team, Crone finished in first place in the 2020 Cal Opener 3000m race and was also named captain of the cross country team for the second consecutive year. A member of the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2020, Crone is a Neurology and Physiology and Behavior major who is making an impact off the track as a co-leader of AGS (Athlete Guidance and Support), a student-led organization aiming to destigmatize mental health through events and training – with a goal of creating student-athletes that are versed in emotional wellbeing. He plans on graduating in 2022 before joining the Peace Corps and then entering medical school.

Scott Stadick, UC Irvine (Hometown: Watertown, Wisc.) A middle blocker for the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team, Stadick led the country in blocking during the 2020 season, posting a 2.03 blocks per game average en route to earning Second Team AVCA All-American honors and First Team All-Big West accolades. He was also named Defensive Player of the Week five times during the 2020 campaign. Stadick currently ranks second all-time at UCI in solo blocks and third in block assists. As he pursues a Master of Finance degree, Stadick has been named to the Dean’s List 10 times in his collegiate career. He was also tabbed UCI’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019.

Gilbert Chung, UC Riverside (Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.)  A member of the UC Riverside men’s tennis team, Chung is one of the best players in school history, holding two records in men’s singles play. As a freshman, Chung broke the UCR freshman singles record, going 20-9 overall. As a junior, he broke the UCR singles record for wins with a 28-5 record. Off the court, Chung received the Margaret W. Harper Award for academic and athletic excellence. Having already received his undergraduate degree in Business Economics, Chung is working toward his Master’s Degree in Finance. He is looking forward to professional opportunities on the court before starting a career as a financial analyst.

Gabe Avillion, UC San Diego (Hometown: State College, Pa.)  A middle blocker for UC San Diego’s men’s volleyball team, Avillion was a part of the Tritons 2020 team that was ranked as high as sixth nationally, the highest ranking in program history. Avillion posted career-highs in points, kills and blocks in a match against No. 13 Concordia. A Biochemistry and Cellular Biology major, Avillion was named President of the Triton Athletes Council in 2021 and is looking forward to bringing more student-athletes opportunities on and off the court.

Amadou Sow, UC Santa Barbara (Hometown: Bamako, Mali) A forward for the UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team, Sow earned All-Big West Second Team accolades during the 2019-20 season. He is averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 56% from the field during the 2020-21 season while starting every game for the Gauchos. A Global Studies major, Sow made the AD Honor Roll in 2020 and hopes for a potential career in the NBA before working as either a Business Consultant or a Human Rights Advocate after graduating in May 2022.

Big West 2020 Female Scholar Athletes of the Year

Tiadora (Tia) Miric, Cal Poly (Hometown: Thornhill, Ontario, Canada) A member of the Cal Poly beach volleyball team, Miric has been recognized as a two-time NCAA First Team All-American as well as the 2019 Big West Player of the Year. Miric recorded five wins against ranked opponents in her junior season, including a win over No. 7 Grand Canyon as part of the team’s No. 1 pair. A Business Administration major and a Statistics minor, Miric has been named to Cal Poly’s Dean’s List every semester since 2018 and has also been recognized as a two-time member of the Big West All-Academic Team. She seeks to obtain her Master’s degree at Cal Poly studying Quantitative Economics.

Andie Easley, CSU Bakersfield (Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.) A shooting guard for the CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team, Easley has started every game during the 2020-21 season and tied her career high in points by scoring 19 points twice, once against Cal State Fullerton and once against UC San Diego. As a Master’s student studying Healthcare Administration, Easley has achieved perfect marks while in graduate school. She is eyeing playing professional basketball upon graduation. Off the court, Easley would like to apply her Master’s degree toward becoming a quality improvement supervisor for a hospital.

Haley Brown, Cal State Fullerton (Hometown: Walnut Creek, Calif.) A midfielder for the Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer team, Brown was instrumental in the team’s 2019 season when she scored seven goals and assisted on nine. She was awarded All-Big West Second Team Honors and was named 2019 Titan of the Year by her teammates and coaches for her performance. A Child and Adolescent Development major and a Sociology minor, Brown has been named to the Dean’s List seven times since beginning her tenure at CSF in 2017. Brown is looking to pursue post-graduate opportunities working with students with physical and learning disabilities as a teacher as well as pursuing her PhD in Special Education.   

Brandy Williams, CSUN (Hometown: Antioch, Calif.)  A shot put and discus specialist for the CSUN track and field team, Williams holds the CSUN track and field record for longest shot put throw during her first season on the team, reaching 46-02.00. In addition, Williams has been recognized as a member for the All-America Track and Field Spring team. In 2018, she was crowned the Big 8 Conference Champion for her performance in the discus. A Master’s student in Counseling Marriage and Family Therapy, Williams was named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2017 as well as was the recipient of the Vanguard Can’t Stop Me Now Award during the spring of 2019, an award given by CSUN’s Africana Studies Department. She hopes to participate in Olympic Qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before transitioning to work as a teacher.

Petra Melounova, Hawai‘i (Hometown: Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic) A Hawai‘i women’s tennis player, Melounova reached the Top 16 in the NCAA Singles Championship Tournament in 2019 and was named the Big West Player of the Year for the third time in her career. Melounova has been recognized as one of Hawaii’s best players in program history as a three-time First Team All-Big West member in both singles and doubles. An Electrical Engineering major, Melounova has made the Dean’s List five times and was also the recipient of the 2020 Jack Bonham Award, given to the top female senior scholar athlete at Hawaii. Melounova is working toward completing her graduate degree in electrical engineering. Melounova also received recognition as UH’s Big West Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in both 2018 and 2019.    

Lena Kotanchyan, Long Beach State (Hometown: Moscow, Russia)  An attacking forward for Long Beach State’s women’s water polo team, Kotanchyan led her team with 54 goals in 18 games in 2020. She twice tied the school record for most goals in a single game with seven goals against St. Francis (PA) and Bucknell. Pursuing her Master’s in Economics, Kotanchyan was named to the Academic All-Stars list for the Spring 2020 semester and has made the Dean’s List every semester since entering the Master’s program in fall 2019. She aims to pursue a career in Educational Policy and Research after graduating in the spring semester of 2022.

Alyse Rojas, UC Davis (Hometown: Vacaville, Calif.)  An outfielder for the UC Davis softball team, Rojas has been named all-conference First Team twice. She also led the Aggies in hits and runs scored during the 2019 season. Rojas finished the 2019 season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, one of eight players in the Big West to do so. A Human Development major, Rojas has participated in multiple events as a community service volunteer helping with homeless shelters in Davis. Her goal, once graduated, is to return to school and become a registered nurse.

Tara Prentice, UC Irvine (Hometown: Temecula, Calif.)  A utility player for UC Irvine’s women’s water polo team, Prentice ranks second all-time in single-season goals with 70 in 2019. She also ranks sixth all-time in the Big West with an average of 2.5 goals per game in 2019. Prentice was named a First Team All-American during the 2020 season and led the Anteaters to their highest ranking in school history, as the team reached No. 3 nationally. A Criminology, Law and Society and Psychology and Social Behavior graduate student, Prentice hopes to continue playing water polo professionally in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but will look towards other career options after the completion of her master’s program. Prentice also was named UCI’s 2019 Big West Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Lindsey Gelinas, UC Riverside (Hometown: Temecula, Calif.) A singles and doubles player for the UC Riverside women’s tennis team, Gelinas was named the 2018-19 Student Athlete Advisory Committee Female Freshman of the Year, after playing her first collegiate season as the Highlander No. 1 singles player. She was also named UCR Team MVP last season after playing some matches as a singles player as well as stepping up to play doubles during conference play. A Creative Writing major, Gelinas has been named to UC Riverside’s Dean’s Honors List and the Chancellor’s Honors List over the course of her academic career. She is looking forward to continuing her studies as she plans on entering UCR’s Graduate School of Education.

Ciara Franke, UC San Diego (Hometown: San Diego, Calif.) A center for the UC San Diego women’s water polo team, Franke led the team with 38 goals during the 2020 season, which included a game-winning goal against Cal, in one of the biggest upsets in school history. Franke was also named to the ACWPC Division I All-American Third Team in 2020 and received Big West Player of the Week honors once. A Human Development Sciences major, Franke is hoping to continue her playing career after graduating, but is also considering professional opportunities outside of the pool as she continues her studies through a graduate program at UC San Diego.

Samantha Fabian, UC Santa Barbara (Hometown: Glendale, Calif.) An outfielder for the UC Santa Barbara softball team, Fabian has been named to the all-conference team twice as well as a Big West Athlete of the Week two times during her collegiate career. Last season, Fabian posted a .404 batting average which ranks third all-time at UCSB. A Psychological and Brain Sciences major and an Applied Psychology minor, Fabian has been named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List twice since beginning her academic career in 2018. She is planning to graduate from UCSB in 2022 before going to nursing school in hopes of becoming a registered nurse.