Posted: Jul 01, 2024
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) has announced the finalists for its 2023-24 end-of-year awards.
Nominees for Male and Female Athletes of the Year are comprised of each FCSAA Championship sport's Player of the Year recipient, as well as individuals submitted from other sports sanctioned by the FCSAA (golf, soccer, swimming & diving, track & field), provided the nominee was named NJCAA All-America.
Likewise, all Championship sports have selected a Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which were announced June 27, and the recipients automatically qualify for the FCSAA award, however, student-athletes from other sports may also be nominated. Nominees must have accumulated 48 credit hours with a minimum 3.30 GPA and have completed at least three full-time terms, including at least one at a FCSAA institution. Citizenship, community service and athletic prowess may also be taken into consideration.
Male and Female Academic Teams of the Year - for small (10 or fewer participants) and large (11+ participants) rosters will also be selected.
All award winners will be announced July 3.
Male Athlete of the Year
- Owen Aquino, Eastern Florida State - FCSAA DI Basketball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; averaged 14.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 60.7% from the field
- Chris Arroyo, Pasco-Hernando State - FCSAA DII Baseball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; led FCSAA DII with a .403 batting average and 19 home runs; as a pitcher, posted a record of 5-4 with six complete games, 3.53 ERA, 62 K in 63.2 IP
- Hugo Car, Eastern Florida State - First-team NJCAA All-America; NJCAA Individual Champion at #1 singles and helped the Titans to a third-place finish in team scoring; posted a perfect record (13-0) in 2024 and didn't lose a set all season
- Jared Falchook, Daytona State - FCSAA DII Cross Country Runner of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; men's DII Individual Champion at the FCSAA Championships with a time of 26:04.00 in the championship 8K, the fifth-fastest time in race history and led the Falcons to the FCSAA DII Championship; finished fourth at the NJCAA Championships
- Victor Figueroa, Florida SouthWestern - FCSAA DI Baseball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; won the FCSAA's DI "Triple Crown" batting .421 with 17 home runs and 79 RBI
- Tarence Guinyard, Florida State College at Jacksonville - FCSAA DII Men's Basketball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; led FCSAA DII in scoring at 21.2 points per game; also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game; led the Manta Rays to the FCSAA DII Championship
- Justin Jackson, Santa Fe - FCSAA DI Baseball Pitcher of the Year; Second-team NJCAA All-America; led FCSAA DI pitchers with 11 wins (11-3); also posted a 2.20 ERA and 106 K in 98.1 IP
- Michael Savarese, Pasco-Hernando State - FCSAA DII Baseball Pitcher of the Year; Second-team NJCAA All-America; led FCSAA DII pitchers with 9 wins (9-2), 2.96 ERA and 104 K (in 82.0 IP)
Female Athlete of the Year
- Kendall Catherwood, St. Johns River State - FCSAA DII Softball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; helped lead the Vikings to the NJCAA DII World Series Championship and FCSAA DII Championship; led FCSAA DII with a .432 batting average; also had three home runs, 60 RBI and 40 stolen bases
- Ana Paula Fallas Cruz, Palm Beach State - FCSAA Beach Volleyball Player of the Year; along with teammate Zuzanna Michalska, was NJCAA and FCSAA Champion at #1 pair; led the Panthers to the NJCAA and FCSAA Beach Volleyball Championships
- J'dah Girigorie, Indian River State - FCSAA DI Softball Player of the Year; NJCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; led the Pioneers to the NJCAA Division I World Series Championship, where she was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Pitcher; led Indian River State to the FCSAA DI Championship; shared the FCSAA DI lead with 37 wins (37-7) and also recorded seven saves and 1.56 ERA; led FCSAA DI with 311 strikeouts (in 251.2 IP)
- Catherine Goldman, Hillsborough - FCSAA Women's Tennis Player of the Year; Second-team NJCAA All-America; NJCAA Runner-up at #1 singles
- Amelia Hassett, Eastern Florida State - FCSAA DI Basketball Player of the Year; Third-team NJCAA All-America; led FCSAA DI with 12.7 rebounds per game and also averaged 19.0 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 54.4% from the field
- Cailyn Heyl, Northwest Florida State - FCSAA DI Softball Pitcher of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; shared the FCSAA DI lead with 37 wins (37-2) and also recorded one save and a 1.60 ERA; had 131 K in 218.1 IP
- Angelica Holman, Daytona State, golf - First-team NJCAA All-America; NJCAA Individual Champion; helped the Falcons to the NJCAA Division I Championship
- Wakaba Kogure, Daytona State, soccer - First-team NJCAA All-America; recorded seven goals and seven assists for a total of 21 points
- Giovana Meade, Daytona State - FCSAA DII Cross Country Runner of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; women's DII Individual Champion at the FCSAA Championships with a time of 18:46.40 in the championship 5K, the fastest in race history and led the Falcons to the FCSAA DII Championship; finished fourth at the NJCAA Championships
- Roberta Purashaj, Florida SouthWestern - FCSAA DI Volleyball Player of the Year; NJCAA DI Volleyball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; led the Buccaneers to the NJCAA DI Championship and FCSAA DI Championship; averaged 11.0 assists, 0.5 kills and 2.3 digs per set while posting a .361 hitting percentage
- Jayda Smith, Pasco-Hernando State - FCSAA DII Softball Pitcher of the Year; led FCSAA DII with a 1.58 ERA and 119 K (in 155.1 IP); posted a record of 10-12
- Kiara Vega, Pensacola State - FCSAA DII Volleyball Player of the Year; First-team NJCAA All-America; led the Pirates to the FCSAA DII Championship; led FCSAA DII with 10.5 assists per set; also averaged 0.4 kills and 2.8 digs per set while posting a .281 hitting percentage
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Mark Brown, Florida State College at Jacksonville, basketball - Hal Chasey Award winner
- Brendan Hamilton, Daytona State, cross country - Larry Monts Award winner
- Xavier Lopez, Daytona State, baseball - Bill Tuten Award winner
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Alessia Ciampi, St. Petersburg, tennis - Vicki Schnurr Award winner
- Ana Paula Fallas Cruz, Palm Beach State, beach volleyball - Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Award winner
- Matilda Dahlstroem, Hillsborough, volleyball - Roberta Stokes Award winner
- Alexandra Draper, Daytona State, soccer
- Shannon Jones, Daytona State, cross country - Larry Monts Award winner
- Anisa Lahbiki, Polk State, soccer
- Ashlyn Shirah, Northwest Florida State - Jean Williams Award winner
- Ashley Thornton, Palm Beach State, basketball - Sandy Miller Award winner
Male Academic Team of the Year (Small roster, 10 or less participants)
- College of the Florida Keys Swimming & Diving
- Eastern Florida State College Golf
- Florida Gateway College Cross Country
- Lake-Sumter State College Cross Country
- Lake-Sumter State College Indoor Track & Field
- Lake-Sumter State College Outdoor Track & Field
Male Academic Team of the Year (Large roster, 11+ participants)
- Chipola College Basketball
- College of Central Florida Baseball
- Daytona State College Baseball
- Daytona State College Cross Country
- Eastern Florida State College Basketball
- Eastern Florida State College Soccer
- Eastern Florida State College Tennis
- Florida SouthWestern State College Baseball
- Florida State College at Jacksonville Baseball
- Florida State College at Jacksonville Basketball
- Indian River State College Baseball
- Indian River State College Basketball
- Indian River State College Swimming & Diving
- Northwest Florida State College Baseball
- Palm Beach State College Baseball
- Palm Beach State College Basketball
- Pasco-Hernando State College Baseball
- Pensacola State College Basketball
- State College of Florida Baseball
- Tallahassee Community College Baseball
Female Academic Team of the Year (Small roster, 10 or less participants)
- Chipola College Cross Country
- College of Central Florida Cross Country
- College of the Florida Keys Swimming & Diving
- Daytona State College Golf
- Eastern Florida State College Golf
- Eastern Florida State College Tennis
- Florida Gateway College Cross Country
- Florida State College at Jacksonville Beach Volleyball
- Florida State College at Jacksonville Cross Country
- Lake-Sumter State College Cross Country
- Pensacola State College Cross Country
- Seminole State College Golf
- State College of Florida Tennis
Female Academic Team of the Year (Large roster, 11+ participants)
- Chipola College Basketball
- Chipola College Softball
- College of Central Florida Softball
- Daytona State College Cross Country
- Daytona State College Soccer
- Daytona State College Softball
- Daytona State College Volleyball
- Eastern Florida State College Basketball
- Eastern Florida State College Soccer
- Eastern Florida State College Softball
- Eastern Florida State College Volleyball
- Florida SouthWestern State College Basketball
- Florida SouthWestern State College Softball
- Florida SouthWestern State College Volleyball
- Florida State College at Jacksonville Volleyball
- Hillsborough Community College Volleyball
- Indian River State College Softball
- Indian River State College Swimming & Diving
- Indian River State College Volleyball
- Lake-Sumter State College Beach Volleyball
- Northwest Florida State College Basketball
- Northwest Florida State College Softball
- Palm Beach State College Basketball
- Palm Beach State College Beach Volleyball
- Palm Beach State College Volleyball
- Pasco-Hernando State College Cross Country
- Pasco-Hernando State College Half Marathon
- Pasco-Hernando State College Softball
- Pasco-Hernando State College Volleyball
- Pensacola State College Softball
- Pensacola State College Volleyball
- Polk State College Softball
- Polk State College Volleyball
- Seminole State College Softball
- South Florida State College Volleyball
- State College of Florida Beach Volleyball
- State College of Florida Softball
- State College of Florida Volleyball
- Tallahassee Community College Softball