May 1, 2008
SAN DIEGO - A total of 218 student-athletes were recognized at the 14th annual San Diego State Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday at Montezuma Hall in Aztec Center. SDSU alumna and Fox Sports commentator Jeanne Zelasko presided over the festivities, which honored Aztec student-athletes with at least a 3.0 cumulative or a 3.2 semester grade-point average during the calendar year of 2007.
The highest honor handed out was the Malik Award, which is named after Professor Emeritus Jim Malik, who was a chemistry professor at San Diego State and a long-time Faculty Athletic Representative. The award is given to those student-athletes having the highest GPAs in the respective semesters.
The spring 2007 Malik Award recipients, who each recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs were Christian Groh (men's tennis), Patrick Justman (football) and Monica Pacas (track and field). Meanwhile, Ryan Bowie (men's soccer), Heather Fenske (water polo), Noelle Holland (swimming and diving), Andrea Norton (cross country/track) and Christin Shibley (track and field) each received Malik Awards for fall 2007.
Men's golf senior Aaron Goldberg and fellow classmate Becca Ur of the water polo team both garnered the Aztec Award, which is given to the one male and one female student-athlete who has demonstrated excellence in academics and athletics, as well as outstanding leadership and character.
The Faculty Athletic Representative Award was presented to the men's and women's tennis teams for both the spring and fall semester in 2007. The award is given to the Aztec men's and women's athletic teams with the highest overall GPA for that particular semester.
Four squads captured the Team Community Service Award, which is bestowed upon the teams with the most community service participation by their student-athletes and coaches each semester. The spring 2007 recipients were women's volleyball and women's crew, while baseball and women's tennis were honored for fall 2007.
In addition, a total of 66 SDSU student-athletes were named to the Mountain West Conference all-academic squad (40 from the spring and 26 from the fall) for having a 3.0 GPA or better and being a starter or significant contributor on their team. MWC Scholar-Athlete honors were also presented to 26 Aztecs who maintained a cumulative 3.5 GPA or better.
Meanwhile, Esther Cadua of the women's tennis team received the Academic Initiative Medal (A.I.M.), which recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates a persistent commitment to his/her academic goals. Garrett Clanin was presented with the Helping Hand Award, which honors the outstanding tutor or mentor in recognition of exceptional leadership and devoted service to student-athletes at SDSU. Dr. Robert Pozos of the biology department garnered the Distinguished Service Award, which is given to the San Diego State University staff member who exemplifies extraordinary dedication and service in enhancing the student-athlete experience.
Finally, the Aztec water polo team was presented with the inaugural Montezuma Cup for the 2006-07 season. The vision of the Montezuma Cup is to provide SDSU student-athletes with a rewarding and holistic life skills experience grounded in a competitive framework. Teams of student-athletes will "compete" during the academic year through their participation and measurable success in the various CHAMPS/Life Skills categories. The team achieving the most points by the end of the competition wins the cup.
Since the inception of the SDSU scholar-athlete program in 1994, more than 2,000 student-athletes have been honored for maintaining a 3.0 grade-point average.