(L-R) Track and Field student-athletes Janku Wissler and Martel-Phillips show off their awards
Banana Slugs close year with annual Student-Athlete Ceremony
6/9/2023 8:30:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Men's Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Swim and Dive, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Men's Swim and Dive
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By: by Chris Holtz
SANTA CRUZ (6-9) – The UC Santa Cruz Department of Athletics and Recreation hosted their end of the year Student-Athlete Awards Ceremony at the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Friday afternoon. Over 300 student-athletes and department staff members gathered to celebrate the department's accomplishments during the 2022-23 season.
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Men's Tennis captain Andrew Tjoa, Â one of the co-presidents of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, opened the banquet with a short speech. Tjoa spoke alongside co-president Matthew Minshall and incoming 2023-24 co-president Tanner Rowland. Minshall honored the graduating seniors with gifts from the athletic department and acknowledged Interim Athletic Director Courtnie Prather. Tjoa would then acknowledge the Athletic Training staff for their dedication to the student-athletes' well being.Â
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Professor J. Xavier Prochaska, the athletic program's Faculty Academic Representative, acknowledged 39 Upperclassmen who have maintained a 3.75 GPA or above during the course of their careers. Prochaska then announced the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, Tess Oakley-Stilson, and the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Rahul Iyer. Prochaska also pointed out that the athletic program averaged a 3.495 GPA, which is 0.12 higher than last year's average. In conclusion, Prochaska presented awards for the highest team GPA. Women's Tennis, for the second consecutive year, won the women's award while Men's Basketball won the men's award.
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Senior Will Whitty, a member of the Men's Basketball team, received the Most Inspirational Athlete award after a vote of the head coaches. Whitty was a fifth-year senior who tried to return to the court after suffering his third torn ACL in five years. UC Santa Cruz head men's basketball coach Matt Malone said about Whitty, "Even after multiple injuries, surgeries, and rehabs, Will's commitment to UC Santa Cruz Athletics and our men's basketball program never wavered."
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Assoc. AD Cristen Babik presents Whitty with Most Inspirational Award
After school record holders were honored, First Year Helena Janku, a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, received the Female Newcomer of the Year Award. Janku was named to the All-Coast-to-Coast Conference (C2C) First Team in cross country and was part of the champion Distance Medley Relay at the C2C Indoor Track and Field Championships, which earned All Region status. In early May, Janku finished second in the 5,000 meters and third in the 1,500 meters at the C2C Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
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First Year Marcus Donchuanchom, a member of the Men's Volleyball team, won the Male Newcomer of the Year award. This is the third consecutive year that a member of the Men's Volleyball team has won the award. Donchuanchom was sixth on the team in digs and played 65 sets in 24 matches after stepping in as starting libero for injured captain Max Mednick.
"There was a vocal void without Max's leadership on the court," noted Head Coach Jake Landel. "Marcus stepped up to that challenge that led to our eventual NCAA Playoff berth."
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Senior Shea Wissler, a member of the Track and Field team, won the Male Student-Athlete of the Year award. Wissler was named an All-American in the indoor heptathlon after a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The honor was the first-ever for a UC Santa Cruz track and field athlete. He received All-Region honors and finished 11th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after setting the school record for the Decathlon.
UC Santa Cruz Head Men's Cross Country and Track and Field Coach David Klech said "Shea had such a tremendous season! Being such a former multi-event athlete myself, it was so great to see his development in his first year as a multi-event athlete. It was tremendous to see him qualify for both the indoor and outdoor national championships!"
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Senior Riley Martel-Phillips, a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, won the Female Student-Athlete of the Year award. Martel-Phillips finished 41st at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, the best finish by a Banana Slug ever at Nationals. Martel-Phillips was the 3,000 meter Champion at the C2C Indoor Track and Field Championship. At the C2C Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Martel-Phillips won the 1,500 meter and 5,000-meter race. Her 5,000-meter mark broke the program record that had stood since 2009. Martel-Phillips was also named All-Region in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.
Tanner Rowland presents Riley Martel-Phillips with her award
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Tjoa then closed the ceremony by thanking the student-athletes present. "Although we had a limited amount of awards to give out today, I want to take this time to congratulate everyone here today on another successful year at UC Santa Cruz," he said. "Every single one of you brings an important contribution to our program, and I hope you're all as proud as I am to be a Banana Slug."
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