Fresno State holds 12th annual Night of Champions gala

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State Athletics Department celebrated the accomplishments of its student-athletes for the 2018-19 school year on Wednesday evening at the "Night of Champions" gala, hosted at the Save Mart Center.

Following a red carpet entrance and dinner, the awards show began with the naming of the Community Service Award winner which was given to the softball team for accumulating 381 hours of service during the 2018-19 academic year.

The next piece of hardware handed out was the George Ilg Newcomer of the Year award, which is given to the top male and female student-athlete in their first year with their respective program. Winning on the women's side was Shir Azran of the tennis team. The freshman was named to the All-Mountain West Singles Team after becoming the first athlete in the Mountain West since at least 2013 to win a singles match at all six positions. On the men's side, the basketball team's Braxton Huggins was recognized. The senior was named men's hoops' Mountain West Newcomer of the Year after averaging 18.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Next up was the Paul Schechter Courage Award, which is presented annually to a student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding effort in overcoming a physical challenge. This year two football players received the award, Ronnie Rivers and Kyle Riddering. Rivers suffered a foot injury on March 23, 2018, that had potential to sideline him for the 2018 football season. He defied those odds and appeared in uniform for fourth game of the 2018 season. The sophomore would appear in the final 11 games of the season which was capped off with him scoring the game-winning touchdown in the Mountain West Championship Game and being named the Las Vegas Bowl MVP. Riddering injured his hip during in the third game of the 2017 season at Washington but played through the remainder of the 2017 season and the following season prior to having surgery after his career was over.

The next award was the Bulldog Academic Excellence Award which was given to Sam Bittner of men's basketball and Alyssa Nishikawa of women's soccer.

One of the newest awards to be handed out was the Code Red Award which goes to the team who attended the most Fresno State athletic events to support their fellow student-athletes. It was given to the water polo team.

Following the Code Red Award was the Club Red Bulldog Spirit Award, awarded by Club Red, to Taylor Slover of the volleyball team and baseball's McCarthy Tatum. Slover was an All-Mountain West selection and All-Mountain West scholar-athlete who has been heavily involved in community service throughout her time as a Bulldog. Tatum, a native of Clovis, suffered season-ending injuries in 2016 and 2018, while also missing the entire 2017 season, but has kept a positive attitude throughout and has played wherever his team has needed him to. The fifth-year senior is now healthy and having a productive season with the 'Dogs in 2019 owning a .341 batting average through 41 games.

Up next was the Harold Haak Most Memorable Moment of the past year. The award on the men's side went to the football team for its thrilling Mountain West Championship win at Boise State in overtime. The women's recipient was Brigitte Thibault from the women's golf team, who won the program's second individual MW championship on April 17 at the MW Women's Golf Championship.

The night concluded with the naming of the Bob Duncan Bulldogs of the Year, which is an award given to a male and female student-athlete who not only performs well in their respective athletic arena, but also exhibit and embody what being a Fresno State student-athlete is all about.

The male Bulldog of the Year was junior Zdenek Derkas of tennis. Derkas was the 2019 Mountain West Men's Tennis Player of the Year and an All-MW Singles Team selection. He went undefeated at the No. 1 position in conference matches, the only player in the league to do so. Derkas finished the spring with a 20-6 record and helped lead the Bulldogs to the program's first MW title.

The female Bulldog of the Year was senior Jestena Mattson of track and field. Mattson was the 2019 Mountain West pentathlon champion, scoring a school record point total of 4,082 which qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships, the first Bulldog to do so since 2013. In 2018, she was the MW heptathlon champion as she broke a 22-year old school record with 5,511 points.

Fresno State also honored its senior class and presented them with a Fresno State Athletics sash for the upcoming commencement ceremony on May 18.

Award Nominees and Winners
(bold indicates winners)

Female Bulldog of the Year
Jestena Mattson (women's track and field)
Rachel Minogue (softball)
Zofia Niemczak (swimming and diving)
Brigitte Thibault (women's golf)
Haile Watson (volleyball)
Candice White (women's basketball)

Male Bulldog of the Year
Zach Ashford (baseball)
Zdenek Derkas (men's tennis)
Josh Hokit (wrestling)
Marcus McMaryion (football)
Deshon Taylor (men's basketball)

Female George Ilg Newcomer of the Year
Shir Azran (women's tennis)
Nicole Campbell (equestrian)
Daphne Guevremont (water polo)
Sydney Skalstad (lacrosse)
McKenzie Wilson (softball)

Male George Ilg Newcomer of the Year
Braxton Huggins (men's basketball)
Jackson Hemauer (wrestling)
Tommy Stephenson (men's golf)
Mykal Walker (football)

Female Bulldog Spirit Award
Lucy Davies (swimming and diving)
Dominique Jackson (softball)
Emily Lackey (lacrosse)
Alyssa Nishikawa (soccer)
Taylor Slover (volleyball)

Male Bulldog Spirit Award
Sam Bittner (men's basketball)
Frank Delana (football)
Khristian Olivas (wrestling)
Patrick Pech (men's tennis)
McCarthy Tatum (baseball)

Male Harold Haak Memorable Moment
Football – Ronnie Rivers' GW TD at MW Championship
Men's Basketball – Braxton Huggins' GW 3-pointer to defeat Utah State
Men's Tennis – 'Dogs defeat SDSU for MW Championship
Wrestling – All-American Josh Hokit's fifth-place win at NCAA Championships

Female Harold Haak Memorable Moment
Soccer – Chloe Chedester and Tori Nicolo combine for flip-throw goal that goes viral
Softball – Halieigh Galvan hits 3-run HR at UNLV to win game and series
Swim & Dive – Zofia Niemczak wins MW 200 fly title by nearly a second
Women's Golf - Brigitte Thibault wins individual MW Championship

Paul Schecter Courage Award Winner
Ronnie Rivers (football)
Kyle Riddering (football)

Bulldog Academic Excellence Award Winners
Sam Bittner (men's basketball)
Alyssa Nishikawa (women's soccer)

Code Red Award Winner
Water Polo

Community Service Award Winner
Softball

Bulldog Strength and Conditioning Award Winners
Ryan Sullivan (baseball), Jahwanza Lawford (men's track and field), Sam Bittner (men's basketball), Tyler Gardner (men's golf), Angus Bradshaw (men's tennis), Jeremy Trinh (wrestling), Netane Muti (football), Lydia Freiberg (women's basketball), Hailey Dolcini (softball), Kristin Simonsen (women's golf), A.C. Hummel (women's tennis), Maddy Halteman (volleyball), Alivia Hart (equestrian), Mackenzie Richards (water polo), Kayla Calmes (soccer), Jayme Budwig (women's track and field), Lucy Davies (swimming and diving), Olivia Mannon (lacrosse).

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

Fresno State Athletics

Fresno State holds 12th annual Night of Champions gala

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