College Soccer: Cal State San Bernardino Grad Gabby Evaristo is a CCAA, NCAA Woman Of The Year Nominee
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Evaristo
is One of Two Nominees...the Other is UC San Diego's Summer Bales
The
CCAA is represented by two women tabbed as conference nominees for
2019 NCAA Woman of the Year – Gabby
Evaristo of CSUSB and UC San Diego's
Summer Bales.
Both
soccer players in the CCAA, Evaristo and Bales are two of 22 women
who compete on the pitch in the overall tally of 148 conference
nominees. The average grade-point average of the Woman of the Year
list is 3.80 across all three divisions, with 33 representatives from
the Division II ranks.
"All
of us in the CCAA are so proud of the accomplishments of Summer and
Gabby," remarked CCAA Commissioner Mitch
Cox. "Their commitment to their
educational growth and the leadership they display on the field, in
the classroom and in the community is what exemplifies Division II
athletics. The CCAA could not have better representatives vying for
this prestigious award."
Earning
her degree in computer engineering with a minor in mathematics,
Evaristo has been a force in the classroom throughout her career
donning a Coyote uniform. The San Diego native graduated with a 3.99
grade-point average and was twice named to the Academic All-America®
Team after earning Academic All-District® First Team honors in 2017
and '18.
This
spring Evaristo earned two prestigious awards from Cal State San
Bernardino as she was tapped as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and
the CCAA's Hal Charnofsky Memorial Award winner.
"My
scholar life at Cal State San Bernardino has been an extraordinary
one," reflected Evaristo.
"Coming in as a freshman, I was unsure of what I wanted to do,
but knew that I wanted to pursue a major that positively impacted the
world. Computer engineering spoke out to me. Being a part of projects
involving mobile-controlled robots, Android and iOS mobile apps, and
vehicle occupancy for the CSUSB parking structure has taught me a lot
about myself and what I have to offer in the STEM industry. My drive
and determination to not only pursue the things that interest me, but
soak up all the content and apply it to real systems, built a vision
I saw within myself that included entering graduate school."
On the
field, Evaristo has been a staple in the midfield for the Coyotes,
and compiled seven points during her senior season, scoring three
times. In 2018, she garnered all-conference honorable mention status
for her efforts.
"When
the opportunity to play college soccer arose, I took it, with full
force," Evaristo noted.
"It's something I strove for since I started playing at the age
of eight. Being able to put on the jersey for four years has been a
blessing; it has taught me the importance of being a team player and
that adversity is only temporary, so long as you have the will power
to overcome it. I have also been fortunate enough to play for the
Guam Women's National Team … the opportunity to represent my island
and play for something bigger than my team and myself has pushed me
to strive for more."
She has
also spent over 100 hours volunteering in the community at locations
that include Helping Hands Pantry, Loma Linda Children's Hospital,
Adopt-A-Highway, the DisABILITY Sports Festival, youth soccer
clinics, and tutoring four different courses on campus.
A
record 585 women from across the country were nominated by NCAA
member schools. Along with Bales and Evaristo, Lisa Flora (Cal State
San Marcos cross country/track & field) and Morgan Ratliff (Cal
State San Bernardino softball) were nominated by their institutions.
Eligible
female student-athletes are first nominated by their member school.
Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core
member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference
nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees that compete in a sport that is
not sponsored by their core conference, associate conference nominees
and independent nominees will be sent to a separate pool to be
considered by a committee.
Then,
the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30
– 10 from each division – and from there selects three finalists
from each division. The Committee on Women's Athletics then selects
the winner from the nine finalists, announced at the awards dinner
honoring the Top 30 and the 2018 Woman of the Year on Sunday, Oct.
20, in Indianapolis.
Learn
more about the NCAA Woman of the Year program >>>
Established
in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year program honors the academic
achievement, athletics excellence, and community service and
leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three
divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a
varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport, must have completed
eligibility in her primary sport, and must have earned her
undergraduate degree by Summer 2019.
Press
Release Provided by Cal
State University San Bernardino
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