COC Women's Golf Program Earns 3C2A Scholar Team Award
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
The 2023 state championship College of the Canyons women's golf team has been named 2023-24 California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Scholar Team Award winners.
The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the 3C2A. It emphasizes the academic achievement of all members of one specific team. Only one team is selected for each 3C2A sport, with a total of 23 men's and women's teams honored for the 2023-24 school year.
Joining the women's golf program in receiving the academic honor was the 2023 football team. The pair of scholar team awards are the first for Canyons since its 2019 tate championship women's golf team also won the award in spring 2021.
To be eligible, all team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. The team should also have demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition.
"We are incredibly proud to congratulate our 2023 football and women's golf teams for earning the 3C2A Scholar Team Award, recognizing them as the top academic-performing teams in the state, for their respective sports," said Matt Crater, Director of Athletics, Student Engagement & Student Support. "This honor reflects each team's hard work, discipline, and commitment to excellence in competition and the classroom."
Featuring a mix of both local and international players, the six-member 2023 women's golf team posted a combined team GPA of 3.68.
On the course, the squad captured the program's fifth state title. Prior to its state title run the Cougars finished third at the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships. COC was also the victor of the Western State Conference (WSC) title, the program's 12th overall.
"It's amazing to witness the level of work and dedication these student-athletes dedicate to their academics on top of the commitments made to their sport and their personal lives away from campus," said COC Athletic Counselor Albert Loaiza. "To be able to excel in the classroom is hard enough, but to combine that with the effort dedicated to their respective sport is inspiring to see."
"We are so proud of the fact that our remarkable student-athletes have adopted such a strong, student first mentality," said Loaiza.
"We take great pride in supporting our student-athletes," added Crater. "This recognition is a testament to the culture of academic achievement we strive to uphold at College of the Canyons."
The two teams were celebrated during the annual 3C2A Convention held March 25-28, in Sacramento. A full list of 2023-24 3C2A Scholar Team Award winners is included here.
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