Fresno State Athletics
Eight Bulldog Student-Athletes Named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award Winners
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May 6, 2003
FRESNO, Calif- Eight Fresno State student-athletes were recently named 2003 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Award winners for their respective sports. The eight student-athletes honored this year represent Fresno State's highest total in program history.
The honorees include Juan Bautista (Fresno, Calif.), Tyrone Culver (Palmdale, Calif.), Mitzi Ing (Honolulu, Hawaii), Jermaine Jamison (Carson, Cailf.), Adam Jennings (Granite Bay, Calif.), Java Johnson (Fresno, Calif.), Jose Rivas (Lancaster, Calif.) and Erin Sayegusa (Honolulu, Calif.).
Black Issues In Higher Education established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who have excelled both athletically and academically. To be included, students must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2 and be active among their respective campuses or communities.
"This is a great honor for these outstanding student-athletes and they should be proud of having their accomplishments associated with Arthur Ashe, one of the greatest sports ambassadors of all time," said athletics director Scott Johnson. "We are certainly proud of their accomplishments and congratulate them on this outstanding achievement."
Football received the most honorees with four. Bautista, a senior cornerback, was named to the 2002 All-WAC Academic team and served as special teams captain. Redshirt freshman Culver was also a member of the 2002 All-WAC Academic squad, played in 12 games and recorded two interceptions. Jamison and Jennings, both redshirt freshman receivers, were named Sporting News Freshman All-Americans and also qualified for the 2002 All-WAC Academic team.
Men's and women's soccer were also well-represented. Rivas, a junior defender, set career highs in matches played and started, in addition to being named to the 2002 Pac-10 All-Academic First Team. Sayegusa, a junior forward, was named to the 2002 All-WAC Second Team and the 2002 All-WAC Academic team.
Softball and volleyball also earned recognition among the award winners. Senior middle blocker Johnson was a 2002 All-WAC First Team selection, 2002 AVCA All-West Region honoree and also played a key role in guiding the women's basketball team to a WNIT quarterfinal berth. Ing, a junior outfielder, is a two-time NFCA Scholar Athlete, five-time Dean's List selection and has played in all 49 games while batting .246 on the year.
2003 Arthur Ashe Jr.
Sports Scholar Award Winners
| Name | Sport |
| Juan Bautista | Football |
| Tyrone Culver | Football |
| Mitzi Ing | Softball |
| Jermaine Jamison | Football |
| Adam Jennings | Football |
| Java Johnson | Volleyball |
| Jose Rivas | Men' Soccer |
| Erin Sayegusa | Women's Soccer |