SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The 2019-20 Cal State San Marcos Student-Athlete Awards are going virtual this year and will be announced daily on this page over the next week. New awards will be added to the end of the prior day’s award winners.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR FROM A MEN’S TEAM
The Newcomer of the Year from a Men’s Team is the CSUSM student-athlete who provided the biggest impact for their men’s squad during their first season on campus. This year’s Newcomer of the Year from a Men’s Team is Blake Seits from men’s basketball.
The junior from Ramona was an All-CCAA honorable mention in his first season with the Cougars and led CSUSM with 13.7 points per game and 383 total points. Seits had the best three-point field-goal percentage in the CCAA at 41.5%. His 80 3-point field goals for the season were the fourth most in program history. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.0 assist and a field-goal percentage of 44.2%.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR FROM A WOMEN’S TEAM
The Newcomer of the Year from a Women’s Team is the CSUSM student-athlete who provided the biggest impact for their women’s team during their first season on campus. The Newcomer of the Year from a Women’s Team is Gianna Lombardi from softball.
The freshman Santa Clarita native hit .356 in the abbreviated season – the best among underclassmen in the CCAA. She was second on the team with 21 hits in 19 games. Lombardi reached base safely in a team-high 16 consecutive games. She concluded her shortened freshmen campaign with nine runs, eight doubles, seven RBIs and one home run.
SPIRIT PROGRAMS AWARD
The Spirit Programs Award recognizes a member of the spirit program that exemplifies leadership, works hard in the classroom and always displays a positive attitude. The recipient of this award embodies all of those things as a dedicated teammate and student. The winner of this year’s Sprit Programs Award is Emily Sorger from cheer.
The senior from Vista is a four-year member of the cheer team and is a computer science major. Sorger has been a leader on the team since day one and balances a blossoming career with school, cheer and snowboarding professionally. She is always willing to help her teammates with time management and studies, and she sets an example daily for women in STEM.
