The Central Valley Conference was well represented at Wednesday's California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Celebration of Scholar-Athletes Luncheon. Clovis Community College women's soccer player Halle Sembritzki was named to the 2018 Scholar-Athletes Honor Roll while the Taft College women's volleyball team and the College of the Sequoias men's swimming & diving squad were named Scholar Teams.
22 individual Scholar-Athletes and 22 Scholar Teams from throughout the state were recognized at the luncheon as part of the 22nd annual CCCAA Convention at the Hilton Concord.
All the Scholar-Athlete award winners are recognized for excelling academically with at least a 3.50 GPA, athletically and in citizenship, and represent the positive outcome of dedication, hard work and service. The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the CCCAA. All team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. The teams have also demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition.
Sembritzki earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average during her freshman year (2017-18) on her way to being named a CCCAA Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. On the field, she played in 22 games for a Clovis Crush squad that finished the 2017 season with a 15-7-1 overall record. The Kingsburg, CA native out of Kingsburg High School contributed seven points, scoring two goals while adding three assists.
The 2017 Taft women's volleyball squad compiled a 3.51 GPA to secure the Scholar Team honor. Just four other teams out of the 22 selected by the CCCAA had a higher GPA. Three members of the squad – Luse Lumas, Emily Salazar, and Allison Mizener – achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs while three others earned a 3.50-3.99 GPA. Of the 72 classes enrolled in, team members received 49 "A" grades and failed none.
On the court, the Cougars went 11-5 in the highly competitive Central Valley Conference to finish in a three-way tie for second place. It was an amazing feat considering the Cougars were able to bounce back from a horrendous 1-8 start and closed the season with a 14-14 overall record.
The Sequoias men's swimming & diving team secured its honor with a 3.25 GPA. In the pool, COS captured the 2018 Bay Valley Conference championship.
Last year, Apefai Taifane of West Hills College Coalinga football and Breanne Dubberke of Fresno City College women's volleyball were named the 2017 CCCAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year.