Former Skyline and current Sonoma State guard wins CCAA Championship Men's Basketball Scholar Award

(Courtesy California Collegiate Athletic Association)

CHICO - Sonoma State guard Jacob Salinero has earned distinction as the CCAA’s 2020-21 Men’s Basketball Championship Scholar.
 
Majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in lifetime physical activity, Salinero maintains a near-perfect grade-point average in his work in the classroom, especially impressive considering the last year of turbulence due to the pandemic.
 
First of all, I want to congratulate all the nominees as it has been a challenging year for everyone,” noted Sonoma State Director of Basketball Rich Shayewitz. “Staying motivated and keeping up with your academics in these virtual learning environments is no easy task. A big congratulations to Jacob for being named the CCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Scholar. He is an extremely hard worker who takes so much pride in excelling in the classroom. He is setting a great example for all of our student-athletes.”

The senior from Half Moon Bay came to the Seawolves by way of Skyline College. In 2019-20, Salinero played in 19 games for Sonoma State, connecting on 44 percent of his shots from the field to average 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds a night. 

“We are extremely proud of Jacob and his commitment to academic excellence,” added Sonoma State Director of Athletics Nicole Annoloro. “Jacob has a tremendous work ethic and it's demonstrated in his commitment to his academics and his success on and off the court.”

“Being selected for this award exemplifies the mantra that through diligent hard work success becomes possible,” noted Salinero. “There will always be ups and downs, but it is how one responds to these challenges that ultimately illustrates one’s strength of character. I am thankful for this prestigious acknowledgment, and I will continue to push my limits academically and athletically.”

Now in its fourth season, the CCAA Championship Scholar Award program recognizes the academic and athletic achievement of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also excelling in the classroom.

The Championship Scholar Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the final CCAA championship site in each conference-sponsored sport. For the 2020-21 academic year, all participating student-athletes in each sport will receive consideration for the award.

This year’s slate of nominations for this prestigious academic distinction in the sport of men’s basketball included Cameron Browne (Stanislaus State), Alexander Garcia (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Jacob Kyler Huynh (San Francisco State), Jayce McCain (Cal State San Marcos), Colby Orr (Chico State), Shea Rax (Cal State San Bernardino), Gabrys Sadaunyka (Humboldt State), James Schilling (Cal State Monterey Bay), Demetrius Williams (Cal Poly Pomona), and Ben Wood (Cal State East Bay).