OFFICIAL CCAA RELEASE

POMONA -- A program-record 80 Cal Poly Pomona student-athletes were named to the 2019-20 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Academic Team, it was announced by the conference office last week.  In total throughout the CCAA, 1,169 student-athletes from each of the 13 institutions were honored, shattering the previous benchmark of 900 set last year.

At Cal Poly Pomona, the Broncos achieved an overall grade point average of 3.21 for the 2019-20 academic year, highlighted by the record-breaking success in the spring despite the transition from in-person to virtual instruction mid-semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"To see the huge increase in the number of student-athletes earning all-academic honors in 2019-20 should be immensely gratifying for everyone involved - the faculty, coaches, support staff and of course the student-athletes themselves," remarked CCAA commissioner Mitch Cox. "To reach this high academic level, especially with the incredible stress and uncertainty that they underwent over the last few months of the semester with COVID and the transition to online instruction, is truly inspiring. Congratulations to all the members of the CCAA All-Academic team!"

Introduced in the 2005-06 season, the annual All-Academic Award recognizes undergraduate student-athletes who competed in a Conference-sponsored sport and earned a varsity letter during the academic year while also earning a 3.40 grade-point average or higher during the designated academic year.

Nearly every school showed an increase in the total number of student-athletes represented on the lists, with four institutions surpassing the 100-member threshold. UC San Diego led the way in their final academic year as a CCAA member with 131 honorees, followed by Cal State San Marcos (125), Chico State (119) and Cal State Monterey Bay (100).

Ten member institutions saw a double-digit percentage increase, with the Tritons' numbers growing by 87.1 percent. Cal State San Bernardino saw a 74.5 percent increase, with Cal State LA's growth at 66.6 percent. An additional handful of institutions jumped at least 30 percent from last year's qualified student-athletes - Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State East Bay, Cal State San Marcos, Chico State, and Sonoma State. 

The CCAA and NCAA Division II supports the educational mission of college athletics by fostering a balanced and inclusive approach in which student-athletes learn and develop through their desired academic pursuits, in civic engagement with their communities and in athletics competition, creating a life in the balance.

This present demonstration of the academic achievements of each of the CCAA's conference constituents during the 2019-20 season illustrates just one of the many ways student-athletes in the conference take advantage of the unique opportunity Division II provides to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms.

In addition to the CCAA All-Academic Award winners, the CPP volleyball team was honored with the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for 2019-20. The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale.  Also, the USTFCCCA honored three women's indoor track and field Broncos -- Ayana Fields, Analexis Glaude and Hannah Stueve -- for sporting a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, having completed 24 semester hours during the academic year, and achieving an automatic- or provisional-qualifying mark for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.


2019-20 CCAA ALL-ACADEMIC AWARD WINNERS

Women's Cross Country:
Sierra Boyd
Pearl Burton
Elizabeth Hernandez
Araseli Servin

Men's Cross Country:
Vincent Sarino
Jeremiah Suzara
Richard Szutu

Women's Soccer:
Phoebe Amaro
Amanda Duran
Amanda Faber
Elise Garcia
Allyssa Larkin
Samantha Putnam
Taylor Rasmussen
Clarissa Sanchez
Taylor Scott
Katie Stein
Sydney Yates

Men's Soccer:
Gabriel Castillo
Angel Cova
Omer Green
Alon Grod
Ori Kenett
Adam Lopez
Daniel Lopez
Cesar Ruvalcaba

Volleyball:
Sarah Clausen
Jordan Hilst
Kaitlin Powell
Brynn Sherbert
Kaitlan Tucker
Ally Wilder
Jane Woodward
Kira Zimmerman

Women's Basketball:
Jackie Ricketson
Jayda Villareal
Mylah Andrada
Lauryn Catching
Kasey Smit

Men's Basketball:
Tavian Henderson
Demetrius Williams

Baseball:
Drew Atherton
Chris Burnette
Drew Cowley
Andre Henson
Cade Kirkemo
Ryon Knowles
Grant Lockwood
Cesar Lopez
Brennan McKenzie
Dante Palacio
Nick Peifer
Will Rudy
Diego Santiago

Women's Track & Field:
Avia Bateman
Charisma Byrd
Ayana Fields
Analexis Glaude
Keiana Hamm
Natalie Lin
Taina Livai
Ashley McBean
Anela Miki-Han
Ryanne Napoleon
Elisha Salazar
Gabby Sanabria
Skyy Vang
Imani Williams

Men's Track & Field:
Ben Anderson
Ryan Fields
Nicholas Guajardo
Aaron Guerra-Garcia
Kenneth Hamel
Jalen Jenkins
Josh Johnson
Kyle Johnston
Kyle Lawson
William Pritchard
James Valenzuela
Anthony Victa