Being An Honors Student-Athlete During CoViD-19

Breanna Hurt (pictured) is a freshman President’s Scholar majoring in History. She has also made an immediate impression on the court!

It is safe to say that the COVID-19 virus has been around a lot longer and done a lot more damage than most of us could have imagined when it first popped up over a year ago. As the virus continued into the summer, I got word that we would be having classes online this year; I did not know what that meant for our basketball season. As it turns out, neither did our coach, Tim Beauregard, for quite some time. Our summer consisted of team Zoom calls and hoping we would be told we get to have a season this year. This process continued until late October when Coach Tim sent out a text that we would all be moving on campus within a couple of days and gearing up to play this season.

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Quentin Kinnison, Ph.D., associate professor of Christian ministry, director of the Christian ministry and leadership program and chair of Biblical & Religious Studies Division, was one of 16 finalists for the 2019 Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award by the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The nomination came in February 2020. The award honors faculty members at Division II institutions for “their dedicated support and mentorship of student-athletes,” according to the letter Kinnison received. Kinnison represents the 12-school Pacific West Conference, in which FPU participates. The national winner was Bennett Cherry of California State University, San Marcos. Kinnison is part of FPU’s Faculty Team Representative program, which pairs a faculty member with each sports team to build relationships between athletics and academics. The FTR program began in 2015, founded and directed by Don Diboll, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology.

Witt Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

Sam Witt is one of 605 nominees nationally for NCAA Woman of the Year. Did you know this award almost always goes to a Division I athlete? Nominees are chosen based on athletics, academics, and involvement on campus, etc. Check out the article below to learn more about Sam! 

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The PacWest announced its Academic All-Conference honors on Thursday afternoon, as a school record 122 Fresno Pacific student-athletes earned recognition for their academic performance during the 2019-20 season. FPU’s PacWest sports collectively claimed a 3.11 GPA, another best since joining the league ahead of the 2012-13 school year.

“It’s encouraging to see the fruit of our coaches spending countless hours seeking and recruiting students that are committed to their academic success while competing as a collegiate athlete,” Director of Athletics Aaron Henderson said. “We are extremely proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for continuing to strive to be excellent in everything they do. We appreciate the faculty and academic support on our campus, as well, as this truly is a team effort.”

Anthony Velarde signs a professional contract with USL soccer team

After a historic senior season, Fresno Pacific midfielder Anthony Velarde has signed a professional contract with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC of the United Soccer League, as announced by the club on Monday. The Reedley, Calif. native earned his Bachelor’s degree from FPU in December and is expected to join the club next month.

“Since I’ve been at FPU, our coaching staff and older players have taken me under their wing and helped me stay focused. Fresno Pacific has helped make me the player I am, and I want to thank everyone who has supported me,” Velarde said. “Coming from a small town and going across the country is a crazy experience that many people don’t get to have, and I’m grateful to the club for believing in my ability. I had hoped that this could be a possibility, but I can’t even put into my words what it means that it’s now a reality.”

Velarde led the country in assists and added 14 goals last fall while helping the Sunbirds to a 14-3-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Postseason for the first time in three years. Additionally, Velarde broke the PacWest Conference’s career assist record in a late-season road victory over Biola, and his 48 points are the most of any Sunbird since FPU joined the NCAA in 2013.

Congratulations, Anthony! Read more here.

Current Golden State Warriors assistant coach, Ron Adams, was on campus last Tuesday to talk basketball, life and the NBA with our Sunbird athletes. 

Coach Adams, assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors professional basketball team, has distinguished himself as one of the best defensive basketball coaches in the country. In 1965, Ron arrived as a freshman at Fresno Pacific from the valley town of Laton. He graduated in 1969 with a major in political science and history. At Pacific, he played basketball under coach Gary Nachtigall. Both Ron and Leah, who graduated in 1976 with an English major, were selected by the faculty in their respective senior years for the Outstanding Senior Graduate Award.

Their lives since Pacific, where Ron also began his coaching career, have taken them to many places as they have journeyed through the North American basketball scene.

Later in the day, Coach Adams and his wife Leah joined The Council of Senior Professionals seminar for a Q&A discussion about their story titled “A Farm Kid’s Journey into the World of Professional Sports.”

It was so great to hear Coach Adams’ story and listen to his great words of advice including what he thought was the secret to his success: “You try to treat people with kindness and help them along the way.”

The San Francisco Giants selected Fresno Pacific catcher Braden Frankfort in the 32nd round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday afternoon, making him the eighth Sunbird chosen since the program’s inception in 2006.

A senior from Fresno, Frankfort was one of three Sunbirds to start all 46 games this spring, serving as the team’s DH and primary backstop. He led the Sunbirds with a .347 average while hitting ten doubles, a pair of triples and six home runs. Frankfort hit safely in 35 games and had the team’s lone five-RBI performance of the season, and he was twice named as an All-PacWest Second Team selection.

For a full list of FPU’s all-time draftees, please click here.

*Ask why baseball is so important*

Congratulations to FPU Swim for all of their success at the NCAA Championships this past weekend! The women brought home the 4th place trophy and the men also finished inside the top 10 in 8th place. Way to go Sunbird swimmers!! 🏆