San Diego State University
Athletics
Fiscal Year 2023-2024
Dear Donor,
Thank you for the incredible support you show our Student-Athletes every day. Looking back over this past year, SDSU Athletics has achieved remarkable success, both athletically and academically. This success would simply not have been possible without your generosity, passion, and commitment that helps propel our Aztecs to excellence.
Athletically, our year was highlighted by six Mountain West Conference Championships and four teams reaching their respective NCAA Tournaments (men’s basketball, men’s golf, softball, and women’s tennis). We have been thrilled to see Softball Head Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz, Swim Coach Mike Shrader, and Dive Coach Roland McDonald recognized with Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honors. Aztec StudentAthletes continued to succeed in the classroom as well. We are proud to have 366 scholar-athletes who have earned a 3.2 semester GPA or a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. While hosting our 3rd Annual A.C.E. (Aztecs Celebrating Excellence) Awards, we named Alex Roberts, a senior on our swim & dive team, and Jaedon LeDee, a senior on our men’s basketball team, as our Athlete of the Year award recipients.
Every decision we make, and will continue to make, is with SDSU Athletics and our Student-Athletes as our top priority. We cannot do this without your generous support! Our Student-Athletes receive unparalleled support to thrive both on and of the feld so they can achieve success far beyond their collegiate years. Now more than ever, philanthropic support from the Aztec Nation is critical.
As we move forward together, please have confdence that your investment in and passion for Aztec Athletics inspires me every day. I am proud to lead this exceptional athletic department.
John David Wicker Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Changing Lives through Program Support
Aztec Club Support
More than 5,000 donors supported SDSU Athletics through a gift to the Aztec Club totaling over $14 million for Student-Athlete excellence in FY23-24. These gifts to the Aztec Club provide the necessary resources for our Student-Athletes to be successful, both in the classroom and in competition.
In addition, another $14 million was raised from programs, endowments, and estate gifts. In total, $28 million was generated for the beneft of SDSU Student-Athletes.
Student-Athletes at the A.C.E. (Aztecs Celebrating Excellence) Awards
Living the Aztec Experience
Courtney Anderson, Class of 2024 Class Level: Undergraduate Student Division: SDSU Athletics, Lacrosse Major: Biology, College of Sciences
Courtney Anderson stands out as a remarkable StudentAthlete, excelling both on the lacrosse feld and in the classroom.
Juggling a rigorous academic schedule with a data internship at Trio Health, a job with Neomorph in the biotech landscape, and college athletics, she makes it all appear efortless.
Courtney has achieved the SDSU Malik Award for earning a perfect 4.0 GPA for fve semesters and the SDSU Scholar Athlete Award every year she has been an Aztec. She shared the following:
Born in Eastlake, CA, it has always been a dream of mine to compete in black & red for the Aztecs. My scholarship allowed me to obtain a world-class education while competing at a high level in the sport I love. I am grateful for the relationships I’ve been able to form with my teammates and coaches, and I will forever cherish the opportunities Aztec Athletics has brought to me. Graduating with a degree in cellular and molecular biology, I will be representing the Aztecs in my fulltime role with a San Diego-based biotechnology company. It’s not lost on me that my scholarship and the generosity of donors have opened many doors for me.
Thank you & Go Aztecs!
I will forever cherish the opportunities Aztec Athletics has brought to me.
Celebrating Shared Success
Statistics of Interest
6 Mountain West Conference championships
Sweet 16 appearance for Men’s Basketball in the NCAA Tournament
Softball has secured back-to-back Mountain West Championships in 2023 & 2024
4 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year honors: Mac Barbara (softball, co-player), Yasmine Kabbaj (women’s tennis), Denise Castro (women’s soccer, ofensive), and Alex Roberts (swim)
Reid Fisher (men’s soccer) was named PAC-12 Conference Freshman of the Year and Finley Bates (baseball) was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year
Academic Statistics of Interest
3.21 overall department GPA
14 teams with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher
75 Student-Athletes on the Mountain West Honor Roll
366 total scholar-athletes
38 Aztec Student-Athletes were honored with the Malik Award, recognizing those who achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA over a semester
8 teams attained a perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 1,000 (men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, softball, swimming & diving, women's soccer, women's tennis)
3 teams with perfect multi single-year score of 1,000 (women's basketball, women's golf, women's tennis)
366 scholar athletes earned either a 3.0 semester GPA or had a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
18
All 18 athletic programs at SDSU exceeded APR standards issued by the NCAA with three teams recording a perfect multi-year APR score & eight programs earning a perfect single-game score.
43
SDSU had 43 student-athletes earn Academic AllMountain West designation for the fall semester.
Helping to Build a Brighter Future
Brenden Hill, M.A.
Title: NIL Coordinator
Division: SDSU Athletics
Achievement: To support our Student-Athletes and their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) eforts, Brenden supported a partnership called March Radness with Blenders Eyewear and the MESA Foundation.
As part of the campaign, Blenders Eyewear launched a new sunglass style in which 100% of the proceeds supported San Diego State Basketball Student-Athletes. Brenden shared the following:
I would encourage fans to consider NIL as a part of their support for our Student-Athletes.
We’ve seen tremendous success with businesses leveraging a single player or an entire team to endorse their product or service. When supporters see Student-Athletes engaging in an endorsement deal, the idea is the fans will engage with the business that the Student-Athletes are partnered with. This leads businesses to continue to see value in Student-Athletes as brand infuencers. Our network at SDSU can be a force multiplier in true NIL.
When supporters see student-athletes engaging in an endorsement deal, the idea is the fans will engage with the business that the student-athletes are partnered with.
SDSU Athletics Women's Fund
Established in October of 2022, the SDSU Athletics Women's Fund supports the enhancement of academic and athletic resources for all 12 of our varsity women's teams.
To date, over $300,000 has been raised, and over 60 families and businesses are currently donating to support our women StudentAthletes. SDSU President Adela de la Torre has created her own endowment within the Women’s Fund, which underscores the importance of the support within our campus community.
Promoting Women StudentAthletes
Annual Women's Fund Luncheon
12 of 18 Varsity Sports are Women's Sports
Aztecs Going Pro
Our Student-Athletes participated in a mock interview event in March which was an enormous success. This event provided Student-Athletes the opportunity to gain real-world interview skills with San Diego business owners.
We hosted the 3rd Annual A.C.E. (Aztecs Celebrating Excellence) Awards, which celebrated the achievements of our StudentAthletes both on and of the feld.
We are proud to have 366 scholar-athletes, who earned a 3.2 semester GPA or a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
The Athlete of the Year recipients were Alex Roberts, a senior on the swim & dive team, and Jaedon LeDee, a senior on the men's basketball team.
The Aztecs Going Pro Summer Internship Program has placed 32 Student-Athletes in both internal and external paid internships for the summer. Many of these opportunities are available due to the generosity of our donors and are an invaluable experience for our Student-Athletes.
Student-Athletes at networking event
Graduating Student-Athletes outside of the Fowler Athletic Center
Freshmen Student-Athletes giving back to the community through their Aztecs Going Pro curriculum
From Our Aztec Family to Yours
Sean Lewis, Head Coach
San Diego State University Aztec Football
My family and I can't express how excited we are to be joining this incredible community.
It's not lost on myself, our coaching staff, or our players just how much support from dedicated Aztecs fuels the opportunities in front of us. Sharing in your passion, we are looking forward to serving our Aztec community and leading this proud football program.
We are grateful for the continued support of our fanbase and look forward to bringing Aztec Fast Football to Snapdragon Stadium this Fall.
Brian Dutcher, Head Coach
San Diego State University Aztec Men's Basketball
Our players, coaches, and staff members take great pride in upholding our basketball program's proud tradition.
While we are proud of our on-court success, it is equally, if not more important, that we continue to graduate complete student-athletes year after year. The strong and continued support from generous Aztecs fuels our mission and allows us to stay competitive on a national level.
We all look forward to more fun times in Viejas Arena with you all.
Go Aztecs!
Providing Resources for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Aztecs
New Endowments
Men’s Basketball
[Anonymous] Endowed Scholarship
Women’s Fund
President Adela de la Torre and Stephen Bartlett Women’s Athletics Endowment
SDSU Women’s Athletics Endowment
Endowments (Active)
General Athletics
Del Beekley SDSU Crew Endowment
Aztec Excellence Endowment
Athletics Scholarships (General)
Aztec Club Endowment-George Logan
Breitbard Endowed Athletic Scholarship
Championship Endowment
Clifford and Ruth Dietz Endowed Scholarship
Clifford and Ruth Dietz Recognition Award Endowment
Geppert Athletic Endowed Scholarship
Gerdau Family Endowed Scholarship*
Harold and June Grant Memorial Athletics Endowed
Scholarship
James Diehl Memorial Endowment
Jessie Klicka Foundation Athletic Endowment
Jim G. Malik Endowment
Joe & Betty Suozzo Athletics Endowed Scholarship
John & Mary Sue Pedicini Athletic Endowed Scholarship
Kelley Athletic Endowment
Patti Roscoe Student-Athlete Endowed Scholarship
Sharon Burgreen Endowment
Athletic Training
Robert W. Straumfjord Endowed Scholarship
Aztecs Going Pro
James Silberrad Brown Foundation Endowment
Baseball
Art Flaming Baseball Endowment
Bill Ruzich Endowed Scholarship
Michael Anaya Memorial Endowment
Football
Alan and Debbie Gold Endowed Scholarship
Coryell Endowed Scholarship
Marshall Faulk Athletic Endowed Scholarship
Vince and Betsey Biondo Endowed Football Scholarship
Walter Gutjahr Football Scholarship Endowment
Men’s Basketball
Bill and Elaine Hartleb Endowed Athletic Scholarship
Bill and Judy Garrett Basketball Endowment
Coach Fisher Basketball Endowment
Dr. Samuel M. Ciccati Men’s Basketball Endowed Scholarship
Glenn and Lynne Rossman Athletic Endowed Scholarship
Goodall Men’s Basketball Endowed Scholarship
Harry Hodgetts Endowed Scholarship
Hutcheson Family Basketball Endowment
Joseph C. “Sef” Torres Endowed Scholarship
Vince and Betsey Biondo Endowed Basketball Scholarship
Men’s Golf
Frank Scott Golf Endowed Scholarship
Manchester Golf Endowment
Ron and Jan Junkin Endowed Scholarship
Men’s Soccer
Brad Walsh Endowed Soccer Scholarship
Eric Wynalda Endowment
George Logan Endowment
Men’s Tennis
Kevin Anthony Keenan, Esquire Men’s Tennis Endowed Scholarship
Softball
Campbell/Cartier Endowment
Swimming
Kathleen Fox Athletic Endowed Scholarship
Women’s Basketball
Hutcheson Family Basketball Endowment
To learn more, please contact Nick DiPaola at ndipaola@sdsu.edu
Thank you for your generous support.