May 30, 2017
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State water polo standout Alyssa Diacono has been selected as one of six student-athletes to represent the Mountain West at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana. The annual forum is slated for June 1-4.
The recent SDSU graduate was invited to the event after being nominated by the Aztec athletics administration, applying to attend the forum and then being selected by the NCAA selection committee, which was comprised of administrators and coaches within the NCAA.
A native of Ladera Ranch, Diacono is one of more than 230 participating student-athletes, who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in sports, and who were viewed as campus leaders. The group will be provided a broader scope of the career tracks available within the sports business, with the primary focus on college athletics. The forum will also feature interactive experiences with successful individuals in the field and provide a glimpse into the day-to-day duties and responsibilities.
Forum attendees, with representation from 73 conferences, will hear from various keynote speakers and panelists, highlighted by Stevie Baker-Watson, associate vice president and director of athletics at DePauw University; Jason Burton, head women's basketball coach at the Texas A&M University-Commerce; Clyde Doughty Jr, director of athletics at Bowie State University; Oliver Luck, NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs; Felicia Martin, vice president of the NCAA Eligibility Center; and Craig McPhail, director of athletics at Lees-McRae College. The participants also learn best practices for gaining employment and gathering a better understanding of what future expectations will be once they get a job in sports.
Diacono recently completed her eligibility and participated in commencement ceremonies earlier this month. The center in four years helped the Aztecs win five Golden Coast Conference championships, including four consecutive regular-season titles to go along with a perfect 26-0 league record. In 2016, she guided SDSU to the GCC tournament crown and the program's third NCAA tournament berth, which ended in an eighth-place finish.
A two-time All-American and three-time ACWPC All-Academic Outstanding Team member, Diacono will be remembered as one of the all-time greats at San Diego State, ranking second all-time in career ejections drawn with 292, including 101 in 2016, which is the second most in school single-season history. The 2016 SDSU Student-Athlete of the Year, who played in 135 of a possible 136 games, totaled in her career 158 goals on 46.5 percent shooting, 23 assists, 90 steals and the aforementioned 292 ejections drawn.