Fresno State Athletics
Harris & Ross Named 'Bulldogs of the Year'
4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Photo Gallery April 26, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Senior Moses Harris and junior Jaleesa Ross highlighted a special evening as the two "Bulldogs of the Year" during Fresno State Athletics' third annual "Night of Champions" Gala Monday night at the Satellite Student Union on campus.
The evening recognized all student-athletes for their academic achievements, athletic accomplishments and community service involvement during the 2009-10 academic year.
The first award of the evening, the Athletic Director's Community Service Award, went to the Bulldog lacrosse team for the second straight season to headline the work of all 450 student-athletes who collectively donated more than 1,500 hours of service to the community. During their sophomore campaign as a Division I program, the members of the lacrosse roster participated in countless activities demonstrating their commitment to giving back to a region for supporting the mission of academic and athletic excellence throughout the season.
The next honors went to graduating seniors Jennifer Jory and Mirko Zapletal, who were honored as the recipients of the George Ilg Memorial Award for their academic and athletic achievement and service to the community. Professor Ilg was one of the 12 original professors who started the School of Agriculture, and was also a founder of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. He served as NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative for 16 years, and retired from Fresno State in the late `80s.
A pair of standout Bulldogs earned the Harold H. Haak Scholarship as Megan Ashjian and Nedeljko Golubovic received recognition to remember the late former University President. The scholarship is presented yearly to two juniors, a male and a female, who have been on the Dean's list (3.5 grade point average or better) for two consecutive semesters, have lettered, and are eligible to compete in 2009-10. Ashjian is a member of Fresno State's prestigious Smittcamp Honors College, helped the `Dogs to the 2008 WAC Championship and carries a perfect 4.0 GPA in civil engineering. Golubovic became the first Bulldog men's basketball student-athlete to earn Academic All-District accolades, which he has done twice.
In the first large group recognition, the 98 Fresno State student-athletes who earned Academic All-WAC distinctions in 2009. Student-athletes have to been enrolled at school for one year, competed in 50 percent of their team's events and maintained a 3.0 GPA for the prestigious honor.
Jory, a senior from Fresno, Calif., spoke to her peers about her experiences as the Bulldog equestrian team competed at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships and why being a Bulldog was so important to her. She dedicated her experience to her late father, who was one of the most passionate and devoted Bulldog fans.
The ceremony then honored several key individuals who work daily to ensure the health and safety of Fresno State student-athletes. Bulldog team physicians Dr. Eric Hanson, Dr. Rod Kraft, Dr. Jean Linder, Dr. Steven Thaxter, Dr. Xavier Gutierrez, Dr. Tim Wilkins and Dr. Bill Carveth were recognized for their contributions to the program.
The 2010 Thaxter Award, which honor outstanding members of student-athletic training staff, went to three outstanding seniors: Chiho Bunden, who works with the lacrosse and softball teams; Joe Aliotti,who works with the baseball and football teams, and Caitlyn Elliott, who works with the football and women's tennis teams.
The Bill Kennedy Scholarship, in honor of the former Fresno State team doctor, was presented to Janet Lin for her demonstration of leadership, a great work ethic and teamwork. Janet, entering her senior year here at Fresno State, is assigned to work with the baseball and track teams for the coming year.
In an annual award for overcoming injury, the athletic training staff presented sophomore pitcher Josh Poytress with the 2010 Paul Schechter Courage Award.
Poytress overcame a life-threatening condition last summer while playing baseball in New England. He spent a month in the hospital and underwent eight surgeries due to a blood clot that nearly took his life. Poytress, a native of Fowler, Calif., was finally able to return home in late summer and immediately began a exhausting process to get himself back in shape and physically able to play for the 2010 season.
During the second big set of awards, 241 student-athletes were honored for a having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with 220 appearances on the 2009 Dean's List.
The next honors went to the Western Athletic Conference team champions during the past year (2009 Women's Tennis, Softball, Baseball, and Women's Basketball along with 2010 Men's Tennis). Four track student-athletes were then recognized as Individual Fresno State WAC Champions: Sharon Ayala, Latrisha Jordan, Frank Sanders and Roxanne Sellick.
Senior right fielder Steve Detwiler then took the microphone for a memorable speech recalling the victories and challenges during his Bulldog career.
Allanah Munson, a current Fresno State graduate student and team leader on this past fall's volleyball team, and Frank Sanders, an active member of Fresno State's ROTC program and two-time WAC champion in men's track and field, grabbed "Bulldog Spirit Awards," presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and voted on by the student-athletes.
The ceremony then showcased the finalists for 2009-10 Athlete of the Year. The award is presented in the summer after all competition is completed. The nominees are:
Female:
Hali Coppin, Women's Golf
Jaleesa Ross, Women's Basketball
Michelle Moses, Softball
Lisa Wells, Equestrian
Male:
Paul George, Men's Basketball
Ryan Mathews, Football
Jordan Ribera, Baseball
Bhavik Patel, Men's Golf
Frank Sanders, Cross Country/Track & Field
The highest distinction for academic excellence went to the 14 Bulldogs with perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point averages and 64 student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA in at least one semester in 2009.
Fresno State continued a tradition that honors its Bulldog seniors. Each senior completing their eligibility receive a specially made high quality Fresno State license plate frame with the words "Champion for Life" and each senior that graduates will be sent a special commemorative Fresno State watch upon the conferment of their degrees.
The unique distinction of "Bulldog of the Year," the final award of the evening, went to Jaleesa Ross, who led the Bulldog women's basketball team to its third straight NCAA appearance, and Moses Harris, who was one of 16 finalists for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, known as the Academic Heisman. The award honors those truly special championship individuals whose commitment to Fresno State in all areas and set the standard for the true Bulldog experience. These individuals were selected because their athletic accomplishments, academic triumphs and community service work stood above all others.
Ross has already etched her name in the Bulldog record books as one of the best women's basketball players in school history. Just a junior, she already owns the all-time record for most three point field goals, has been selected first-team All-WAC and has twice won the WAC Tournament MVP Award. She led her team to a school record of 27 wins this season, including a perfect 16-0 mark in the WAC. An excellent student, Ross is a team leader in the classroom and community.
Harris served as president of SAAC and won the first-ever Bulldog Spirit Award three years ago. He represented Fresno State in New York City at the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony and received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. He's already pursuing an MBA in the Craig School of Business. On the field, Moses has been a three-year starter for the Dogs, played in three bowl games and earned All-WAC honors.
The event was hosted by KMJ Radio's Paul Loeffler and ESPN Radio's Guy Haberman and served as the largest awards ceremony to honor the collective achievements by Fresno State student-athletes.
"We Are Your Team!" --- The Bulldog Foundation has launched the "Drive to Five," a membership campaign with a goal to increase the number of Bulldog Foundation members from 2,800 to 5,000 by September of 2011. Please help us reach this goal by spreading the word to your family, friends, and other Bulldog fans in the community. Memberships start at only $100 and payment plans are available. Increasing the Bulldog Foundation membership to 5,000 members will provide new resources that will directly benefit Fresno State Athletics and all 450 student-athletes.
Players Mentioned
