ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced the 24 recipients of the 2025-26 Dr. Hal Charnofsky Memorial Award, recognizing two student-athletes from each of the 12 member institution who distinguished themselves in the classroom and in their sport.
The 2025-26 recipients include 17 seniors, six juniors and one graduate student. Student-athletes from 12 of the CCAA’s 13 sponsored sports are represented, along with a wide range of academic disciplines, including Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Communication, Engineering, Geology, Kinesiology, Political Science and Psychology.
The list also features the first Dr. Hal Charnofsky Memorial Award recipients from UC Merced as a member of the CCAA, with volleyball student-athlete
Semiramis Tanasescu and men’s soccer student-athlete
Joey Alvarez representing the Bobcats.
“These 24 honorees embody what it means to be a CCAA student-athlete,” said CCAA Commissioner
Allen Hardison. “Their dedication to academic excellence, athletic achievement and service to their campus communities reflects the very best of our conference. We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and to continue honoring Dr. Charnofsky’s legacy through this award.”
Each recipient was selected by their institution’s athletic department for representing their school and the CCAA to the highest standards of academic and athletic performance.
The award honors the late Dr. Hal Charnofsky, a longtime faculty member at Cal State Dominguez Hills who valued and supported the student-athlete experience. Charnofsky played baseball at USC alongside his twin brother, Stan, where both earned All-America honors. Following a stint in the New York Yankees organization, Charnofsky returned to California and became a faculty member at Cal State Dominguez Hills. He helped establish the university’s sociology department and served as coordinator of its master’s degree program in marriage, family and child counseling from 1980 to 2002.
Below is the complete list of the 2025-26 Dr. Hal Charnofsky Memorial Award recipients.
| School |
Female recipient |
Male recipient |
| Cal Poly Humboldt |
Charlotte Leonard (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field) |
Joey Bowser (Men’s Track & Field) |
| Cal Poly Pomona |
Vivian Martinez (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field) |
Leroy Crook Jr. (Men’s Track & Field) |
| Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Kylee Edgar (Women’s Basketball) |
Quinn Johnson (Baseball) |
| Cal State East Bay |
Mika Sayfurahman (Women’s Soccer) |
Oscar Blomqvist (Men’s Golf) |
| Cal State LA |
Sinaiah Pointer (Women’s Track & Field) |
Cesar Chavez (Baseball) |
| Cal State Monterey Bay |
Abreanna Alba (Softball) |
Joey Bilello (Men’s Basketball) |
| Cal State San Bernardino |
Miranda Owen (Women’s Track & Field) |
Jetty Sivongsay (Men’s Golf) |
| Cal State San Marcos |
Natalie Paulson (Women’s Soccer) |
Braden Oberg (Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field) |
| Chico State |
Klayre Barres (Women’s Soccer) |
Brady Giles (Men’s Track & Field) |
| San Francisco State |
Ashley Rocha (Softball) |
Milandev Chatha (Men’s Basketball) |
| Stanislaus State |
Makeila Yancey (Women’s Soccer) |
Samuel Villanueva (Men’s Soccer) |
| UC Merced |
Semiramis Tanasescu (Volleyball) |
Joey Alvarez (Men’s Soccer) |