The 2010-11 Big West Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year from the nine conference institutions will be honored at a special banquet on Thursday, March 10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Garden Grove. The winners were selected by each institution and represent 13 different sports.
2010-11 BIG WEST FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Rachel Clancy, Cal Poly (Limerick, Ireland) – Rachel graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Biological Sciences in 2010 and is a standout with the Cal Poly women’s basketball team. The guard ranks in the top 10 in the Big West in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers made per game. Clancy made the Dean’s List in eight of the nine terms as a undergraduate and is now working on her post graduate degree in Biological Sciences. Off the court and outside the classroom, Clancy volunteers for Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity, and reads to elementary school students. She also has been a member of the Irish national program and youth European Championship squads since age 13.
Lauren Williams, Cal State Fullerton (Chino Hills, Calif.) – Lauren is a three-year letterwinner as an hurdler and sprinter on the Cal State Fullerton women’s track and field team. A three-time (2008, 2009 and 2010) Big West 100 meter hurdles champion, Williams aims to become only the second four-time Big West champion in any women’s event. She finished second at the NCAA Regionals in 2009 and 24th at the NCAA Championships. The Sociology major made the Dean’s list three times and earned Big West All-Academic honors in 2010. Williams hopes to get involved in video production and editing upon graduation from Cal State Fullerton.
Jillian Stapf, Cal State Northridge (Hudsonville, Mich.) – Stapf concluded a brilliant career at Cal State Northridge as the 2010 Big West Women’s Water Polo Player of the Year. She gained notoreity on the national level as well, earning All-American accolades three times. The Matador goalie set both the school’s single season and career saves record. Jillian also is a three-time Academic All-American. Her pursuits outside the realm of school and athletics include interning at the Brown Center of Achievement and volunteering at Santa Monica Spine and Health. Stapf’s post-graduate aspirations include earning her Master’s degree and becoming an athletic trainer.
Lauren Sieprath, Long Beach State (Auckland, New Zealand) – Sieprath is a fourth-year starter at driver for the Long Beach State women’s water polo team. She ranks in the 49er career top 10 for goals scored. A first-team All-Big West pick in 2009, Sieprath also has earned Big West All-Academic in 2009 and 2010. Sieprath has been involved on Long Beach State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, as well as helping out with the Long Beach Marathon and participating in beach cleanups around the Long Beach area. After she graduates this spring with a degree in History, Sieprath plans to apply for law school.
Ashley Chandler, UC Davis (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Ashley competes on both the UC Davis women’s water polo and swimming teams. The senior led the Aggies to the 2010 Big West Women’s Swimming championship, winning the 100 backstroke and helping her team to the 400 medlay relay title. Chander is also an all-conference performer in water polo, capturing Second Team honors in 2009. A regular member of the school’s Dean List and a Big West All-Academic selection in 2009 and 2010, Chandler’s extracurricular time is spent working with her Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and the UC Davis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Once she graduates, Ashley plans to travel and continue interning for Fox News in Los Angeles.
Cortney Collyer, UC Irvine (Santa Barbara, Calif.) – Collyer stars for the UC Irvine women’s water polo team as a three-year letterwinner at attacker. She was named an ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention and a All-Big West First Team selection in 2010. She enters the 2011 season ranked eighth in the career record book with 88 goals. Equally accomplished in her studies, Collyer is a two-time Big West All-Academic selection and has made the school’s Dean List three times. This past summer Cortney did an internship with Quiksilver/Roxy, an experience that will prepare her for a challenging position in business administration.
Katy Daly, UC Riverside (San Francisco, Calif.) – Daly is a sophomore runner for the UC Riverside cross country and track and field squads. She is expected to graduate in 2013 with a degree in Sociology.
Stacey Schmidt, UC Santa Barbara (Huntington Beach, Calif.) – Schmidt excels on the UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball team, having earned All-Big West First Team honors in 2009 and 2010. She led the Gauchos in hitting percentage (.324), block solos (12) and block assists (78) this season en route to First Team All-West Region plaudits. A member of the school’s Dean List twice, Stacey also has participated on UCSB’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board for two years. She also co-chaired a community service sub-committee last year that organized UCSB’s Adopt-A-Family holiday program and helped an Isla Vista elementary school purchase playground equipment. A Business Economics major, Stacey intends on applying for graduate work at UCSB in the masters of Economics program.
Jenifer Widjaja, Pacific (Sao Roque, Brazil) – Jennifer is the No. 1 singles player for the Pacific women’s tennis team. A nationally ranked player, she earned 2010 Big West Player of the Year kudos in addition to being named first team all-conference in 2009 and 2010. Widjaja also has cometed in the NCAA Singles Tournament on two occasions. In the classroom, Jennifer has excelled in her Business Administration major, being named an ITA All-Academic Scholar Athlete in 2009 and 2010. Her volunteer work has included Adopt-A-Family and at an orphanage in her native Brazil. Widjaja’s aspiration after graduating is to pursue a career delivering financial improvement services with a multinational corporation.
2010-11 BIG WEST MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Wes Feighner, Cal Poly (Los Alamitos, Calif.) – A three-year letterwinner on the Cal Poly men’s soccer team, Wes was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I All-Far West Regional Second Team in 2010. A Kinesiology Major, he has been on the Dean’s List every quarter except for one. Feighner has participated in multiple community soccer camps and plans to attend graduate school when his collegiate career is finished.
Carlos Lopez, Cal State Fullerton (Northridge, Calif.) – Lopez is a redshirt sophomore on the Cal State Fullerton baseball team. He garnered second team All-Big West and All-West Region honors last year for the Big West champion Titans. He hit .354 with seven home runs and 51 RBI, and at one point posted the 11th-longest recorded hitting streak in school history with a 17-gamer in 2010. A member of the Dean’s List, Lopez works with physically and mentally challenged children each year with the CSF baseball team in its annual Challenger and Miracle League clinics. Upon graduation, Lopez seeks a career in professional baseball or to attend law school to become a sports agent.
Nick Delio, Cal State Northridge (Valencia, Calif.) – Delio has enjoyed a decorated career with the Cal State Northridge men’s golf program. In 2008, he was selected Big West Freshman of the Year and earned All-American honors in 2010. A medalist at the 2010 NCAA Southwest Regional, Delio posted a 70.8 stroke average, the lowest by an individual in CSUN history. In the classroom, he has succeeded as a member of the 2010 CSUN Varsity N Honor Roll. He also was a 2010 Academic All-American. Delio plans to pursue his dream of qualifying for the Professional Golf Association Tour in the Fall of 2011.
Matt Maldonado, Long Beach State (Modesto, Calif.) – Maldonado performs double duty as a cross country runner in the fall and a track and field athlete during the winter and spring for Long Beach State. He was the top finisher for LBSU at the 2010 Big West Cross Country Championships, coming in fourth place with a time of 24:27. At the track and field championships, Maldonado finished in second place in the 1500m run. His classroom accomplishments include being named to the 2010 USTFCCA National All-Academic Team. Community involvement includes volunteering with the Long Beach Marathon and Pathpoint Visit, assisting adults with learning disabilities.
Calvin Thigpen, UC Davis (Santa Rosa, Calif.) – Calvin is a two-sport athlete on the UC Davis cross country and track and field teams. He helped the Aggies to their first-ever Big West men’s cross country team title in 2010, finishing third individually at the event. He came in 20th place at the NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships. An Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity major, Thigpen is a three-time Big West Fall All-Academic Team member (2008-10) and was a four-year recipient of the prestigious Regents Scholar. A backpacking enthusiast, Thigpen will participate in a study abroad program during the summer of 2011 – titled “Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe” – which takes UC Davis students to Sweden, Norway, France and Switzerland.
Corey Attaway, UC Irvine (Chino, Calif.) – Corey, a team captain on the UC Irvine men’s soccer team, was selected 29th overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Seattle Sounders. A defender/midfielder, Attaway posted 13 points on five goals and three assists in 2010, and was named to the All-Big West First Team. The criminology, law and society major was named an ESPN Academic third-team All-American and an ESPN Academic All-District 8 first-team selection. Outside the classroom, he interned with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County. Attaway hopes to have a long career as a professional soccer player with the MLS and eventually go to law school to become a district attorney in the public sector.
Peter Guenther, UC Riverside (Gilroy, Calif.) – A sophomore Business major, Peter is a hurdler on the UC Riverside men’s track and field team. He also has a minor in acting.
Jordan Weiner, UC Santa Barbara (Encino, Calif.) – A former walk-on to the UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team, Jordan has developed into a starter’s role and a key scholarship player. He played an instrumental role in the Gauchos winning the Big West regular season and tournament championships in 2009-10. UCSB was 9-1 with him in the starting lineup. A three-time Big West All-Academic selection, Weiner participates in community service with the Boys and Girls Club in tandem with the Gaucho Give holiday program. He also assists with local elementary schools to tutor kids in math, and makes visits to terminally ill children at Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital. Jordan’s goals after college include playing basketball for as long as possible, and eventually go to law school.
Artem Gramma, Pacific (Krivoj Roj, Ukraine) – Artem earned 2010 Big West Men’s Tennis Player of the Year honors as a junior with Pacific. A two-time first team all-conference selection, Gramma is equally accomplished in the classroom with two Big West All-Academic citations to his credit. In addition, he received The Robert Winterberg Outstanding Senior Award for the Eberhardt School of Business. Gramma, who graduated in three years with a degree in Business Administration, volunteers with Adopt-A-Family and is now entered in an MBA program at Pacific. He seeks a career in investment banking in the United States or Europe after his collegiate tennis career has concluded.