Elite 13 Award

?The Elite 13 Award, formerly the CCAA Championship Scholar Award, 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 achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.

Instituted in 2017-18, the 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.

Past Elite 13/Championship Scholar Award Winners

2025-26 Elite 13 Award Winners

Women's Cross Country	Men's Cross Country	Women's Soccer	Men's Soccer	Volleyball

CASSIDY ANDREADAKIS Cal State Monterey Bay	CAMERON CORNFORTH Cal State Monterey Bay	KLAYRE BARRES Chico State	YUTO HATAYAMA Cal State East Bay	REBECA FREITAS Cal State East Bay
JR \| Orcutt, Calif. Biology	JR \| Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i Statistics	SR \| Eureka, Calif. Political Science & Criminal Justice	SR \| Suzuka, Japan Business Administration	JR \| Hercules, Calif. Health Sciences
Women's Basketball	Men's Basketball	Women's Golf	Men's Golf	Women's Track & Field

RILEY SANZ Cal Poly Humboldt	BRANDON BENTO-JACKSON Cal Poly Humboldt	BROOKE PELLETIER Chico State	AARON SANCHEZ Cal State Dominguez Hills	ISABEL PEREZ-ZOGHBI Cal Poly Humboldt
SO \| Camas, Wash. Business Administration	JR \| Arcata, Calif. Communications	SR \| Chico, Calif. Microbiology & Biochemistry	SR \| Brea, Calif. Business Administration	JR \| Merced, Calif. Chemistry
	Men's Track & Field	Softball	Baseball

	DAMIAN BONDS Cal State LA	KARISSA GRALNICK Cal State Monterey Bay	NOAH ZERTUCHE Cal State Monterey Bay
	SR \| Escondido, Calif. Computer Science	JR \| Newbury Park, Calif. Psychology	SR \| Hayward, Calif. Biology

Women's Cross Country

?The 2025 Elite 13 Award in women's cross country went to Cassidy Andreadakis from Cal State Monterey Bay. The junior Biology major is the fourth Otter in program history to collect the Elite 13 Award, and the first since 2021. Andreadakis ran in six meets in the fall, including the CCAA Championships and the NCAA West Regional.

Men's Cross Country

Cal State Monterey Bay's Cameron Cornforth has been selected as the CCAA's Elite 13 Award Winner for Men's Cross Country. Cornforth is the first Otter to earn Elite 13 honors in men's cross country since Logan Phillips in 2018. The Statistics major ran in six meets during his junior season, and posted personal records in the 8k at the Santa Clara Broncos Invitational and in the 10k at the NCAA West Regional.

Women's Soccer

?Klayre Barres from Chico State was selected as the CCAA's Elite 13 Award winner for women's soccer. Barres, who is a double major in Political Science and Criminal Justice, started all 20 matches for a Chico State team that went 10-6-4 on the season and placed second in the CCAA with a 7-2-2 record. Barres posted three assists during her senior season.

Men's Soccer

??Yuto Hatayama is the first Pioneer to ever earn an Elite 13 Award in Men's Soccer. The senior Business Administration major from Suzuka, Japan, posted a 3.88 GPA and helped Cal State East Bay win a match in the CCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. He recorded three goals, including the game-winner against Dominican.

Volleyball

The CCAA Elite 13 Award for volleyball went to Cal State East Bay's Rebeca Freitas. The junior from Hercules, Calif., has a near-perfect grade point average as a Health Science major. She helped CSUEB secure a berth in the CCAA Tournament and earn the program's first postseason win since 2018. Freitas averaged 1.87digs per set and started 17 of 27 matches, including both playoff matches. She is the first Pioneer since 2018 to earn the Elite 13 Award.

Men's Basketball

??The CCAA proudly presented the 2025-26 Elite 13 Award for men's basketball to Cal Poly Humboldt's Brandon Bento-Jackson. He is a junior Communications major at Humboldt, and this year he helped lead the Lumberjacks to their best season in a decade. Bento-Jackson started all 31 games and led the team in made 3-pointers. He helped guide the Lumberjacks to an appearance in the CCAA Tournament Championship game and to their first NCAA Regional in 10 seasons.

Women's Basketball

Riley Sanz from Cal Poly Humboldt was selected as the Elite 13 Award winner for women's basketball. Sanz is a Business Administration major, and this year she helped guide Cal Poly Humboldt to a second-place finish in the CCAA with an 18-4 record. The sophomore started 21 games and averaged 7.7 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game.

Women's Golf

The 2026 CCAA Elite 13 Award for women's golf went to Chico State's Brooke Pelletier. She is the first Chico women's golfer to ever receive the award. Pelletier posted a near-perfect GPA while double-majoring in Microbiology and Biochemistry. She averaged 79.8 strokes per round over eight tournaments during her senior campaign. Her best finish came at the Wildcat Invite, where she placed fourth.

Men's Golf

??Aaron Sanchez of Cal State Dominguez Hills became just the second Toros' golfer (and third CSUDH student-athlete overall) to win the Elite 13 Award. The senior Business Administration major competed in seven tournaments during his junior season. He averaged 75.2 strokes per round, and he placed 11th at the CCAA Championships.

Women's Track & Field

In a very competitive battle for the women's track & field Elite 13 Award, Cal Poly Humboldt's Isabel Perez-Zoghbi emerged as the victor with a perfect 4.00 GPA in Chemistry. The senior was also one of the top athletes in the conference as she took home titles in the 800m and the 3000m steeplechase. Perez-Zoghbi qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800m with a time of 2:04.92.

Men's Track & Field

??With a perfect 4.0 GPA, Cal State LA's Damian Bonds was selected as the CCAA's Elite 13 Award winner for men's track & field. The senior Computer Science major competed in the distance and mid-distance throughout the season, and he ran the 1500m at the CCAA Championships. He posted career-best times this season in the 3k and 5k.

Softball

Karissa Gralnick from Cal State Monterey Bay claimed the CCAA Elite 13 Award for softball. The left-handed pitcher has a perfect grade point average as a Psychology major. She helped the Otters earn a bid to the NCAA West Regional. Gralnick is the second Otter to earn the Elite 13 Award in softball.

Baseball

??Noah Zertuche is the first Otter to win the CCAA Elite 13 Award for baseball. The senior outfielder and Biology major hit. .254 with 10 doubles, six home runs, and 32 RBI over 51 games to earn an All-CCAA honorable mention. He also helped Cal State Monterey Bay become the first CCAA team ever to win five consecutive regular-season titles.