2015 Big West Scholar-Athletes of the Year
The 2015 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 Wyndham hotel in Anaheim, Calif. Each institution selected its own honorees.
Here is the list of each school's top Male and Female Scholar-Athlete. The complete Commissioner's Honor Roll list for each institution was also announced, and can be viewed by clicking on the above PDF link.
2015 BIG WEST MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Albert Gamez Jr., Cal Poly (San Diego, Calif.) A senior, Al has been one of the top distance runners for the Mustangs the past two years. This past fall, he took 4th place at the Fresno State Invitational and 13th at the Stanford Invitational. This Spring, he will be looking to top his 11th place finish in the 1500m at the Big West Conference Championship. Al also had a standout career at San Diego Mesa College. He finished 3rd in the 2013 state cross country championship and 4th in the 1500m at the state track final. Al was named the 2014 California Community College Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year out of the 26,000 participating athletes in the CCCAA. A Kinesiology major, Al plans to attend physical therapy school. He ultimately would like to own a clinic in Southern California and to be known as the "running doctor."
Chiosa-abuofu Kennedy Esume, Cal State Fullerton (Umuaja, Delta State, Nigeria.) A senior center for the Titans, Kennedy has played in every game of his two-year career at Cal State Fullerton. Prior to arriving in Fullerton, he helped lead the College of Southern Idaho to a Number 10 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll. He also received a Superior Academic Achievement award from the NJCAA. Prior to arriving at CSI, he had never played organized basketball. Kennedy has earned Dean's List honors twice at Cal State Fullerton. A Geography major, Kennedy hopes to play professional basketball before pursuing a masters degree. He plans to one day be a college professor.
Shane Steffes, CSUN (Lancaster, Calif.) A junior midfielder, Shane started every contest for the men's soccer team in 2015. He picked up his first two career assists in the campaign, including an assist on the game-winning goal in the team's opening contest. He is a two-time CSUN Scholar Athlete Honor Society member and he earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the Fall. He volunteers coaching children with special needs and also spends time reading to elementary school children. During the summer, he works soccer camps in the community. A Psychology major, Shane hopes to play professional soccer and to attend Law School.
Michael Montgomery, Long Beach State (Moorpark, Calif.) A senior member of the Long Beach State indoor and outdoor track and field team, Michael is a specialist in the Pole Vault. He advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in 2015 after winning the Big West Conference individual title. He garnered USTFCCCA All American honors for his efforts. He is ranked 6th all time in school history, having claimed 10 career individual victories. A microbiology major, Michael has earned Academic All American honors and has been named to both the Dean's List and the President's List. In the summer of 2015, he was selected out of over 300 applicants to participate in an NIH-funded research program for undergraduates. He has served as a research assistant in projects studying molecular pathways in breast cancer cells; insect virology and immunity; and, the interaction between human immune cells and pathogens. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology so that he can continue to conduct research that will positively impact humanity.
Jonathan Neal Monson, UC Davis (Sandy, Utah.) A junior center for the Aggies men's basketball team, Neal is one of the Big West's best rebounders. He is a team co-captain and helped lead the Aggies to the Big West crown in 2015. Neal was also a standout at Salt Lake Community College, earning All-American honors. He will graduate from UCD this Spring with a degree in Philosophy and will be forfeiting his fourth season of eligibility to enroll in Law School. Neal is very active in his church community, serving as a Young Men's Counselor. He served a mission in Oaxaca, Mexico and was selected to serve as a zone leader, supervising other missionaries.
Keston Hiura, UC Irvine (Valencia, Calif.) A sophomore outfielder for the Anteaters, Keston was the 2015 Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. He was also named Freshman All-American by both Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Keston was also selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a member of the All-West Region team. He led the Big West in 2015 in RBI and in total bases. In the summer of 2015 he was named a summer collegiate All American after his record setting performance with the Wenatchee Applesox. He and his teammates have partnered with Team Impact and have been paired with Gavin, a young boy battling leukemia. Keston and the rest of the Anteaters have made Gavin a part of the team.
Mathew Vasel, UC Riverside (Apple Valley, Calif.) A senior sprinter for the Highlanders track and field program, Mathew anchored the 4x100m relay team last season. He also participated in the 100m, 200m and 400m throughout the season. Mat transferred to UCR from Riverside Community College and has earned Dean's List honors in every term of enrollment. He was named to the Chancellor's List in Spring of 2015. Mathew has served as an assistant track and field coach at his alma mater, Martin Luther King Jr. High School and has also coached youth football. An English major, his career goal is to teach at his high school and to coach track and field.
Adam Carn-Saferstein, UC Santa Barbara (Ann Arbor, Mich.) A senior midfielder for the men's soccer team, Adam made 57 career appearances for the blue-and-gold while winning two Big West regular season championships and making two trips to the NCAA Tournament. One of the best scholar-athletes in program history and a six-time Dean's List honoree, Carn-Saferstein was the 2014 recipient of UCSB's Golden Eagle Ring Award, given to the male and female student-athletes with the highest GPA department-wide. An economics major and a member of the 2014 Big West Fall All-Academic Team, Adam needed just over three years to graduate and ended his undergrad career with a 3.74 cumulative GPA. He plans to continue pursuing a career in professional soccer.
Chas Okamoto, Hawai'i (Kapa'a, Kaua'i.) Chas completed his men's tennis career with the Warriors in Spring 2015. He was a two-time All Big West Conference honoree in singles. He graduated in December 2015 Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was a Regents and Presidential Scholar. He was honored as one of UH's "Top 5 Rainbow Warrior Academic Honorees" and is a finalist for the 2015-16 UH Engineer of the Year award. In 2015, he coached the Guam National Tennis Team in the Pacific Games and the North Pacific Regional Tennis Team at the Pacific Oceania Junior Championship. He is currently working for Kiewit Corporation, one of the largest and most prestigious civil engineering organizations in the US, in Omaha, Nebraska.
2015 BIG WEST FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Robin Mertens, Cal Poly (El Cerrito, Calif.) A senior defender for the Cal Poly women's soccer team, Robin was a first team All Big West Conference selection in 2015. She played every minute of every game during the 2015 campaign and served as one of the squad's co-captains. She was twice selected by her teammates as the Mustang's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and has earned President's List as well as College of Science and Mathematics Dean's List honors. She is a pre-health peer advisor and volunteers with the North County Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program. A Kinesiology major, Robin plans to attend nursing school and become a Registered Nurse. Eventually, she hopes to specialize and become a professor.
Morgan Batcheller, Cal State Fullerton (Carlsbad, Calif.) A senior defender, Morgan helped lead the Titans to three straight Big West Conference tournament championships and NCAA appearances. Morgan is a three-time first-team All-Big West honoree and was named the 2015 Big West Defensive Player of the Year by the conference's coaches. She was also a three-time selection to the NSCAA All-West Region Team. She has earned Dean's List honors five times and spends her time volunteering with Soccer for Hope, Titans Tales, Sunrise Assisted Listing and as a coach for numerous teams. A Kinesiology major, Morgan wants to pursue a professional soccer career and plans to earn her Masters from Chapman University in Athletic Training.
Maylynn Mitchell, CSUN (Covington, Wash.) A senior playing third base for the Matadors softball team, Maylynn earned second team All Big West Conference honors in 2015. She started every game for the Big West champions and earned career high marks in nearly every statistical category at the plate. She has spent time volunteering both at the Seattle Veterans Affairs Hospital and at the Northridge Hospital. She is a NFCA All American Scholar Athlete and is pursuing her degree in Health Sciences. She plans to work in the health field before returning to school to earn her Masters in Health Administration. Maylynn's ultimate goal is to be a hospital administrator.
Ebba Unden, Long Beach State (Stockholm, Sweden.) A senior member of the Beach tennis team, Ebba earned first team All-Big West Conference accolades in both singles and doubles in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She was also named the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2013. She currently ranks 7th best all time in Long Beach State history in wins. She is an Academic All-Star and has earned both Dean's List and President's List honors. A Finance major, Ebba plans to continue playing tennis and to one day pursue a career in event planning or marketing.
Ana Marija Sola, UC Davis (Saratoga, Calif.) A senior, Ana Marija just finished her four-year career with the Aggies women's soccer squad. She served as a captain for the team and was twice named the team's most valuable defensive player. She has earned Dean's List honors for 10 consecutive quarters and is projected to graduate cum laude with a dual degree in Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior and English. Ana Marija volunteers at a clinic that provides medical care to the homeless population of Sacramento and teaches Sunday school to kindergarten aged children. She serves as an undergraduate researcher in the UCD Center for Neuroscience and is a Fulbright Scholar Semifinalist. If she is selected as a Fulbright Scholar, she plans to do a research project in Croatia on visual system development. She plans to enroll in medical school in the Fall of 2017.
Mokun Fajemisin, UC Irvine (Lynwood, Wash.) A junior forward for the Anteaters women's basketball team, Mokun has battled back from two separate knee surgeries to rank 7th all time in school history in blocked shots. She has led the Big West Conference the last two seasons in blocks and took home All-Big West honors in 2015. She has earned Deans List honors four times and is a UCI Provosts Scholar. A Biological Sciences major, Mokun plans to return to her home state after graduation and work in a biological or biomedical research lab while applying to medical school. Her ultimate goal is to specialize in pediatric orthopedics or pediatric cardiology.
Haley Wian, UC Riverside (Huntington Beach, Calif.) A junior member of the Highlanders women's golf team, Haley is a two-time Big West Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year honoree. She helped lead the squad to their first ever top-60 national ranking during the 2015 season and has been named team captain by her teammates for 2015-16. She has earned the prestigious Highlander Award, honoring academic and athletics success. Haley was recognized at the 2015 UCR Honors Convocation with the presentation of a Dean's Academic Distinction pin and has also been awarded the UCR Harper Scholarship for academic excellence. She has volunteered with the Special Olympics and United Way. She has even caddied for the USA golf team. A Business Administration major, Haley hopes to earn her tour card at Q school. After her competitive career, she plans to combine her love of golf and her degree by working in the golf industry.
Samantha Murphy, UC Santa Barbara (San Jose, Calif.) A senior utility for the Gauchos water polo team, Samantha is continuing to climb the Gauchos record books. She is currently 10th all time in career goals and also owns the second best ever mark for points scored in a season. She was the 2013 Big West Conference Freshman of the Year, also earning All American accolades that season. In 2015, she was named second team All-Big West Conference. She is an American College Water Polo Coaches Association Academic All American and she has earned the UCSB Golden Eagle award. A Communication Studies major, Samantha plans to play professional water polo before returning to school to earn an advanced degree in communications.
Olivia Magill, Hawai'i (Seattle, Wash.) A senior middle blocker for the Rainbow Wahine, Olivia was a two-time first team All-Big West Conference honoree and a two time AVCA All American. She was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2015. Olivia led the entire Big West Conference in blocks and in hitting percentage in 2015, helping the Rainbow Wahine advance to the Elite Eight. A Communications major, she has earned Deans List honors and has interned with the UH Sports Media Relations Office. She plans to play professional volleyball and to pursue a Masters degree. She hopes to one day work in professional sports as a sports agent.