July 13, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - A total of nine UC Davis student-athletes were selected as 2009-10 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars by the publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Five such Aggies earned first-team accolades, two more made the second team, one appeared on the third team and another garnered honorable mention.
The list of Aggie first-team honorees are senior Lauren Dobashi (women's golf), junior Jelani Floyd (men's basketball), sophomore Betsy Lim (women's gymnastics), senior Avreeta Singh (women's volleyball) and sophomore Christina Miyabe (women's water polo). Senior Daniel Cepin (baseball) and junior Shawdee Rouhafza (women's tennis) each picked up second-team nods. Junior Bianca Castillo (softball) appears on the third-team roster, while sophomore Aisha Lott (women's soccer) claimed honorable mention.
This is the third straight Arthur Ashe, Jr. award for Dobashi and Singh in as many years. They joined water polo player Lindsay Kiyama and tennis player Nick Lopez among the four Aggie winners in 2008-09, while making the list of five UC Davis honorees in 2007-08. Dobashi, from Gold River, Calif. finished her collegiate career as a design and communication double major; while Avreeta Singh of Fresno, Calif. majored in exercise biology.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must self-identify himself/herself as a student of color, hold a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher, have completed in one academic year of course work prior to nomination, have competed in an intercollegiate team during the current academic year, and demonstrate a record of service to the campus and/or community.
UC Davis completed its third official year of NCAA Division I membership in 2009-10.
ARTHUR ASHE, JR. SPORTS-SCHOLAR AWARDS
UC Davis honorees only.
FIRST TEAM
Lauren Dobashi, Sr., Women's Golf, Design/Communication
Jelani Floyd, Jr., Men's Basketball, Managerial Economics
Betsy Lim, So., Women's Gymnastics, Mechanical Engineering
Christina Miyabe, So., Women's Water Polo, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Avreeta Singh, Sr., Women's Volleyball, Exercise Biology
SECOND TEAM
Daniel Cepin, Sr., Baseball, Exercise Biology
Shawdee Rouhafza, Jr., Women's Tennis, Communication/International Relations/French
THIRD TEAM
Bianca Castillo, Jr., Softball, Art Studio/American Studies
HONORABLE MENTION
Aisha Lott, So., Women's Soccer, Undeclared
