FRESNO, CA. - Following a strong showing at the recent GSAC Championships, it was announced that this
year’s FPU track and field team also had 7 athletes earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Sunbirds Andrew Clark, Aliza Ford , Michelle Langley, Jessica Mazza, Veronica Pantoja, Cesar Rodriguez, and Jessica Suddaby each earned this prestigious academic award for their hard work both on the track and in the classroom.
In order to qualify as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, the student must be a junior or above and have attended the same school for two years if not a transfer, and one full year if a transfer. The student-athlete must also have a 3.5 gpa or above, and must participate in a varsity sport.
Also worth noting, FPU head coach Eric Schwab was named men's GSAC Coach of the Year after leading the Sunbird men to a second place GSAC finish during which FPU defeated Azusa Pacific for the first time ever in program history.
In addition, on the men's side Eugene Vollmer (triple jump), Wes Wells (high jump, long jump), and Aaron Winters(hammer throw) were crowned GSAC champions with first place finishes in each of their respective events.
On the women's side, Jessie Alanis (400m hurdles), Amanda Straw (heptathlon), and Milika Tuivanuavou (triple jump, shot put, discus, javelin) also came home as GSAC champions to round out a successful outing by both the men's and women's programs.