Falcon Student-Athletes honored at sixth annual Athletic Awards Night

The Folsom Lake College Athletic Department honored their 2021-22 outstanding student athletes and teams on Tuesday night, May 10, during the sixth annual Athletic Awards Night at the Harris Center Stage Two. Dean/Athletic Director Matt Wright emceed the hour-long event, which included recognition of the 35+ student-athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent, the 2022 graduating student-athletes, the 60+ Scholar Athletes (3.0 GPA or better in-season, including 12 with 4.0), the Big 8 All-Conference and regional/state/national award winners, and the athletic department's featured awards: the Scholar Team Award, the Fighting Falcon Award, the Male and Female Athlete of the Year, and finally, the Bruce Werner "Falcon of the Year" Award. Also included in the evening's program was recognition for FLC's Athletic Trainers – William Garcia, Stacy Miller, and Monica Zimmer-Vargas, and a tribute to retiring golf coach Barry Zarecky. The annual "Year in Pictures" slide show/video, a compilation of photos from the 2021-22 school year highlighting each of the 10 athletic teams at Folsom Lake College rounded out the festivities. The featured award winners: Scholar Team Award - The Scholar Team Award went to the women's volleyball team, which compiled an impressive 3.53 cumulative team GPA during their fall sport season. Fighting Falcon Award: Adia Shaw (women's softball) - The Fighting Falcon Award is given to a member of the Falcon athletic family who has overcome tremendous odds to go to college and compete in intercollegiate athletics, or that at some point in their career at FLC experienced hardship that could have derailed their commitment to attend college and compete athletically. Shaw came to Folsom from Stockton, where she grew up playing softball. Four years ago she had a large mass removed from her neck. Because the mass was connected to muscle tissue, doctors could not remove the entire mass for fear of losing use of her right arm. Following surgery, Shaw underwent extensive rehabilitation. However, due to financial constraints, she could not afford profession physical therapy and consequently had to rehab in her own home with her mother's help in order to regain the strength and use of her throwing arm. According to Coach Grahlman, Adia is the team's most selfless and most inspirational player. She has played the least amount of innings, yet she displays hustle, tremendous heart, is the first to arrive, and the last to leave. She puts everyone before herself, and has earned the utmost respect of the entire team. Female Athlete of the Year: Cassandra Herrman (sophomore, women's soccer) - The Athlete of the Year award is exactly as the name says; it goes to the male and female athlete who have had the best season and biggest impact on their team. Cassandra Herrman came to FLC as a 'bounceback' from Cal State Bakersfield after her freshman year. She played center back for the Falcons and earned Big 8 All- Conference, All-Region (NorCal), All-State (CCCAA), and All-American recognition. She was easily the most dominant player on the field and led her team to 2021 Elite Eight (CCCAA playoffs) and a #16 national ranking. She accepted a scholarship to play soccer at Sacramento State University, a NCAA Division I program. Male Athlete of the Year: Sky Wells (pitcher, baseball) - Sky Wells is a sophomore left-handed starting pitcher who played his high school baseball at El Dorado High School in Placerville. His is the current state leader in wins with 11 and has the fourth best ERA (earned run average) in California at 2.05. He is averaging more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and was named to the 2022 Big 8 All Conference team. Although the All-State and All-American teams won't be named until after the season, there's a strong possibility Wells will be included in both. Wells has accepted a scholarship to NCAA Division I Long Beach State. Bruce Werner "Falcon of the Year": Joshua Moya (sophomore, men's soccer) - The Bruce Werner Falcon of the Year Award is given to only one athlete every year. This award is named after Dr. Bruce Werner, who over the years and in many different roles was instrumental in bringing athletics to Folsom Lake College. To be considered for this award the recipient must have a proven ability in their sport, a minimum 3.0 GPA, and a commitment to serving the community. This individual truly represents what it means to be a Falcon. Joshua Moya was the Falcons' starting goalkeeper and had 10 shutouts in 22 games for an incredible .71 goals against per game average. He was named to the Big 8 All-Conference team and was selected by his teammates as the Defensive Player of the Year. Off the field, Josh has a 3.79 GPA at FLC and will transfer to the University of the Pacific as a Business management major in the Fall of 2022. When Moya moved to Folsom from Gilroy, he began volunteering for an organization called Street Soccer USA. The organization's mission is to fight poverty and to empower underserved communities through soccer. His supervisor at Street Soccer USA described Josh as "a great role model for many young boys and girls in the program." Finally, Josh's coach at FLC had this to say about him: "What makes Josh unique is his drive to be great. I have never coached a player as driven as Josh. His mentality is different than anyone else I have coached. He pays attention to every detail. This includes, but is not limited to, his health, nutrition, academics, recovery, and sleep. He is confident but humble at the same time. He inspires other to be better just with his actions. Josh is an outspoken leader that holds his teammates and coaches accountable. He expects the absolute best out of himself and therefore expects the best from his teammates. He has an infectious spirit that drives others around him to be great." And finally, Folsom Lake College Athletics' 2021-22 "Year in Pictures" slide show/video can be seen here: https://flcfalcons.com/video/YIP_2021-22 Congratulations to these amazing student-athletes.