海角视频

On Sunday, May 4, the athletics department at 海角视频 hosted its annual awards banquet at the Fireside Room to celebrate and recognize all 114 student-athletes. 29 students received awards from PUC, and 18 were given awards from the California Pacific Conference for their exceptional performances this year.

“It was nice to see the student-athletes be recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” said Kenneth Perez, PUC sports information director. “I hope they understand that their dedication makes our work even more meaningful. They’ve done an excellent job this season, overcoming various challenges, and I hope they can reflect on this year with pride on how much they’ve grown. Not just as athletes, but also as students and individuals.”

This year's highlight was the men’s volleyball team making the playoffs for the first time since their inauguration five years ago. They also became the first team in PUC history to have back-to-back years with CAL-PAC individual awards. During the 2023-2024 season, Justin Vital, now an alum, won Defensive Player of the Year, followed by Nate Tejada, receiving the 2024-2025 Offensive Player of the Year. Another achievement was Emiliano Ascencio, who received the Newcomer of the Year award, earning the men’s soccer team their first-ever CAL-PAC individual award.

Another first for PUC’s athletics was 7/8 teams having at least one athlete make All-Conference Second Team. “From what records show, this could very well be the most successful season award wise in Pioneer history,” shared Perez.

Three students are even leaders off the court, holding positions in organizations such as their department club or Student Association. Olivia Newman is the libero for the women’s volleyball team, where she led the team in digs this year and was awarded the PUC WVB Defensive Player of the Year. Aside from representing her team, Newman is also the Student Association Financial Vice President. On top of overloading on credits as a graduating senior, she is still successfully fulfilling her duties for teammates, on the court, and in the office.

Dakota Hrabowy, an offensive hitter for the men’s volleyball team, is the president of the psychology and social work club, the senior class vice president, a Pioneer Stem Scholar, and a CAL-PAC all-academic team selection, all while also overloading on credits. As one of the team captains, it was a memorable year to help make a playoff run and lead his classmates on campus.

Senior nursing student Leslie Tamayo, a women’s soccer team defender, has been helping lead Fusion for the last two years, creating group events and building connections with freshmen as she helped them transition into PUC life. She received the Champion of Character award from PUC through her positive example to the student body and her teammates. She won the first-ever Women’s Soccer CAL-PAC All-Conference nomination.

In the last three years, Perez has had the chance to see great athletes come to PUC, but this year, particularly, stood out to him. Not only for their impressive stats, field performances, or competitiveness, but also for the collective growth in each team and the admirable work they do off the court.

“We have seniors overloading on credits, managing demanding work schedules, and still finding a way to give their all to their teams,” said Perez. “They're a special group in so many ways, and honestly, I could sit here and write something meaningful about every single one of them. They’ve been outstanding scholars, athletes, and teammates, and I truly wish all of our graduating seniors the best. Thank you for everything you've done for this program.”

PUC’s athletics department is one of two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) programs near San Francisco, allowing community college athletes in the Bay Area opportunities to showcase their skills at PUC. Their department also allows incoming freshmen to play, even though they may not have received offers. “The size of our program allows us to focus more on student-athletes and meet their needs,” said Perez. “We have a lot of alumni working in our athletics program, which drives the passion behind all the work even more.”

2024-2025 CAL-PAC Award Winners

• Men’s Cross Country: Josue Hilario – All-Conference 2nd Team

• Women’s Volleyball: Jaylee Mills – All-Conference 2nd Team (Second consecutive All-Conference 2nd Team)

• Women’s Soccer
  • Abigail Littleton – All-Conference 2nd Team
  • Ryann Van Horn – All-Conference 2nd Team
  • Bella Huerta – All-Conference Honorable Mention (Second honorable mention in four years)

• Men’s Soccer: 
  • Emiliano Ascencio – CAL-PAC Newcomer of the Year
  • Edwin Zabala – All-Conference 2nd Team
  • Andres Becerra – All-Conference Honorable Mention
  • Mickyas Beyene – All-Conference 2nd Team (Second consecutive season in All-Conference)

• Women’s Basketball: Suljit Dodd - All-Conference 2nd Team

• Men’s Basketball: 
  • Aaron Anene – All Conference 1st Team
  • Jevon Blackmore – All-Conference Honorable Mention
  • D’montay Warner All-Conference 2nd Team and All-Defensive Team (First MBB player to be honored in the All-Defensive Team)

• Men’s Volleyball:
  • Nate Tejada – CAL-PAC Attacker of the Year and All-Conference 1st Team (First Pioneer to win CAL-PAC Attacker of the Year)
  • JT Kuderca – All-Conference Honorable Mention (Third consecutive All-Conference Honorable Mention)
  • Noa Svendsen – All-Conference Honorable Mention

PUC’s 2024-2025 Athletic Recipients 

Champions of Character 

• Diana Martinez (WBB)
• Lance Rodrigues (MBB)
• Alyssa Islas (WVB)
• Julian Clarke (MVB)
• Hunter Valerio (MSOC)
• Leslie Tamayo (WSOC)
• Luiz Casillas (MXC)
• Anna Ramos (WXC)

Newcomer of The Year

• Kaia Miller (WBB)
• Jevon Blackmore (MBB)
• Reese Rogers (WVB)
• Julian Clarke (MVB)
• Emiliano Ascencio (MSOC; First ever individual award in MSOC program history)
• Mia Grijalva (WSOC)
• Marc Tarango (MXC)
• Emma Tirado (WXC)

Defensive Player of The Year 

• Creedence Shaver (WBB)
• Kyle Durham (MBB)
• Olivia Newman (WVB)
• JT Kuderca (MVB)
• David Villaneuva (MSOC)
• Jayleen Casillas (WSOC)

Offensive Player of The Year

• Daralonnie Sykes (WBB)
• Aaron Anene (MBB; Anene is the first MBB player to be recognized with first team honors since the 2016-17 season)
• Jaylee Mills (WVB)
• Noa Svendsen (MVB)
• Edwin Zabala (MSOC)
• Leylah Echeverria (WSOC)

Most Valuable Player

• Suljit Dodd (WBB)
• D’Montay Warner (MBB)
• Jaylee Mills (WVB)
• Nate Tejada (MVB)
• Mia Grijalva (WSOC)
• Andres Becerra (MSOC)
• Johanna Fisher (WXC)
• Josue Hilario (MXC)