Our Student-Athletes Demonstrate All-Around Excellence Even without the chance to play on the field and in the gym, our student-athletes continued to contribute in the classroom and the wider community. These awards highlight their off-field achievements:
Cliff Hamlow Champion of Character Award Winners
The Cliff Hamlow Champion of Character Award is given to student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding athletic achievement, campus and community leadership, future ambition and embrace the five core character values of the NAIA Champions of Character program: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership. Softball middle infielder Wendy Mouat ’22 and wrestler Anthony Orozco ’21 were this year’s recipients of the award. Wendy Mouat is a softball middle infielder who received the GSAC Scholar-Athlete Award last year. Off the field, she volunteers for Bay Area homeless shelters, disability centers, beach cleanups, and youth softball clinics. She is applying that experience to the benefit of Menlo students by launching a club that will promote opportunities for students to mentor and offer friendship to foster youth in the community. Anthony Orozco earned a string of honors during his wrestling career, including two national championships, four NAIA All-American awards, the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship, two Arthur Ashe Awards, three Academic All-Americans. and a Champion of Character award! He was also the 2018 Menlo College Don Baike Male Athlete of the Year. Off the mats, he has helped lead numerous community service initiatives, including three years as team lead for Menlo’s annual Red Cross blood drive and collecting donations for the Diaspora Wrestling Foundation. Off campus, he is an active community volunteer, supporting bike-a-thons for the homeless, holiday donation collections and gift wrapping for underprivileged youth, and providing moving assistance for the elderly. Two well-deserving recipients of this year’s Cliff Hamlow Champion of Character Award!
US Bank Academic Awards
The Cascade Collegiate Conference recognizes men’s and women’s wrestlers who exemplify the tradition of excellence in competition and in the classroom, and once again, Menlo student-athletes dominated the list of 2021 awardees. The following fifteen Oaks were honored: Nicholas Camacho ’22, Barbara Greenberg ’23, Taryn Ichimura ’21, Megan Lam ’22, Alleida Martinez ’22, Jacob Mendoza ’22, Elijah Palacio ’22, Laynee Pasion ’21, Giuliana Pepe ’22, Angela Peralta ’21, Afton Silvis ’23, Amrit Singh ’21, Blaysen Terukina ’21, Sierra Van Rossem ’23, and Alana Vivas ’23.
GSAC Scholar-Athletes
The Golden State Athletic Conference recognized the outstanding academic achievement of eight Menlo basketball players in 2021: Sheniah Castex ’21, Salome Cordinier ’21, Nura Galmes Quadrado ’23, Corey Le’aupepe ’22, Khalid Price ’23, Jordyn Rosette ’23, Jake Tranter ’23, and Lauryn Vogt ’23. Every student-athlete knows the exhaustion of participating in their sport while maintaining their academic performance. Though the pandemic interrupted play, it did not curtail our admiration for the years of hard work needed for our athletes to graduate. Exemplifying this, Pedro Almeida was recognized through the Señor Carlos López Award given to a senior student athlete who demonstrates outstanding athletic, academic, and community achievement. A few of the athletes applauded during Senior Day (lef t to right) : Sara Aguilar, Tiana Jackson, Pedro Almeida, and Iaan Shodiss. Athletic Director Keith Spataro beams with the pride of helping our athletes develop. Photos by Ryan Thompson.
M E N L O C O L L E G E M a g a z i ne
52
