CSUN Celebrates Scholar-Athletes at 43rd Annual Varsity N Ceremony
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - CSUN Athletics celebrated the academic excellence of 130 student-athletes at the 43rd annual Varsity N Athletics Honor Roll Ceremony on Wednesday evening (April 30).
The event, held at The Soraya on campus, featured guest speakers and special awards and honored Matadors who have competed for at least one season and have a minimum 3.2 grade point average (GPA) for the two most recently completed semesters.
Wednesday's ceremony marked the 43rd anniversary of the Varsity N Honor Roll Ceremony, which was originated by the late CSUN professor Dr. James Sefton. Doc Sefton had a special relationship with Matador Athletics and initiated CSUN's annual academic recognition of student-athletes in 1982, which is now known as Varsity N.
CSUN alum Bill Courtland, a familiar voice at Matador sporting events, emceed the evening's ceremonies, which started with remarks from CSUN Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Meera Komarraju and CSUN's Vice President for Administration and Finance & Chief Financial Officer, Colin Donahue.
"I hope you paid attention to the term student-athlete," said Komarraju during her remarks. "Because as student-athletes, you are aiming to achieve the highest goals as a student and an athlete. And to be able to do that is fantastic."
Following the individual recognition of each of the night's awardees in each sport, Tasha Mae of the CSUN Beach Volleyball team shared her CSUN experiences and what she has learned from her fellow student-athletes during her time as a Matador student-athlete.
"The biggest lesson CSUN has taught me is this: it doesn't matter where you come from, what you have or what you've been through, if you're willing to listen, learn, and evolve, you can be successful," she said. "Being at CSUN is the first time I've been part of an organization where every single person, from the administration to the MAC, to the coaches, to the trainers, and the student-athletes are all working to get one-percent better every single day. It's so refreshing to walk into a space where you can trust that everyone is working not just for themselves but for each other."
CSUN Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Cedric Hackett then announced the Team Academic Awards. The Matador Softball team was honored for the first time after accumulating a team grade point average of 3.56. The CSUN Men's Volleyball team was honored for the fourth straight year for having the highest average team GPA out of the men's sports at 3.22.
Acting Director of Athletics Director Mary Beth Walker then announced the Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Typically, two student-athletes (one male, one female) are honored for achieving the highest GPA's out of all CSUN student-athletes. For only the fifth time in Varsity N history, multiple student-athletes shared both the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
The list of female winners to achieve academic excellence included Lauren Carranco (softball), Kaylee Escutia (softball), Alexis Garcia (softball), Tasha Mae (beach volleyball), Jackie O'Neill (tennis), Sakura Divecchio (track & field), and Dorottya Telek (water polo). On the men's side, Michael Torres (track & field/cross country) and Matteo Salvador (volleyball) were honored for their academic excellence.
The second student-athlete speaker of the evening was Lorenzo Bertozzi who delivered a heartfelt speech on the challenges he faced coming to CSUN from Italy as a freshman.
"I left my home in Italy to come to the United States and attend CSUN," he said. "I came here as a teenager chasing a dream, not fully knowing what to expect. Today, I stand before you as a senior, a captain, a graduate, and most importantly, a person who lived through an incredible journey as a student-athlete. These past four years have taught me more than I can imagine about resilience, responsibility, and being the kind of person I want to be. I learned how to lead, how to overcome fear, and how to face every challenge as an opportunity to grow."
Dr. Paul Lazarony, CSUN's Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Studies, then presented the Rising Matador Awards for 2024. The award honors new freshmen and transfers who earned a 4.00 grade point average in the fall of 2024. The list of recipients included Jackson Banuelos (baseball), Logan Miller (baseball), Domenic De Luca (men's golf), Sheridan Gonzalez (softball), Hannah Heflin (beach volleyball), Ainsley Patrick (beach volleyball), Grayson Albers (men's volleyball), Santiago Mendoza (men's volleyball), Katie Kolar (women's volleyball), Thomas Achten (men's track & field), Caden Bazo (men's track & field), Anna Negulic (women's track & field), Kayden Perigo (women's soccer), and Robert Thibiant (men's basketball).
The event concluded with closing remarks from the Director of the Matador Achievement Center, Grace Castaneda, before all Varsity N honorees assembled on the Soraya's grand staircase for a group photo.
Since the inaugural event in 1982, over 1,100 student-athletes have been inducted into Varsity N.
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