CCCAA announces Scholar-Athletes and Scholar Teams

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Baseball standout Evan-Thomas May of Long Beach City College and outstanding women’s soccer player Danielle Scelsi of Saddleback College have been named the men’s and women’s 2015-16 Scholar-Athlete Award winners by the California Community College Athletic Association and will be honored during the organization’s annual convention in March.

They join 18 other impressive student-athletes representing conferences throughout the state who have earned recognition as members of the Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll, and 19 programs that will receive Scholar Team Awards. The honors are being presented for the 2015-16 academic year.

All of the Scholar-Athlete award winners are being recognized for excelling academically with at least a 3.50 GPA, athletically and in citizenship, and represent the positive outcome of dedication, hard work and service. The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the CCCAA. All team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. The team should have demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition.  

May, who is attending and competing for Hawaii Pacific University, finished his two-year career at Long Beach City with a near-perfect GPA­­­ while taking a rigorous course load that prepared him to transfer to a four-year university. On the field, the right-handed pitcher received All-South Coast Conference first-team honors as a freshman after compiling a 4-1 record and a sparkling 0.60 ERA. May enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign as well, going 5-2 with two saves and a 3.75 ERA. He helped lead the Vikings to at least a share of the South Coast Conference championship each season.

But he also excelled off the field, assisting with several community service projects including helping provide holiday celebrations at shelters for abused women and children, restoration projects at both the Los Cerritos Wetlands in Long Beach and the Kumuola Foundation Farm in Hawaii. May also coached youth baseball both years he was at Long Beach City College. 

Scelsi, a midfielder for Saddleback’s women’s soccer team in 2014-15, was a two-time All-Orange Empire Conference selection who scored four goals and had seven assists during her sophomore season when the Gauchos posted a school-record 16 wins and advanced to their third straight regional championship tournament. The team captain also won the program’s first-ever Orange Empire Conference/Fair-Play Character Champion.

Her tenacity on the field was only exceeded by her tenacity in the classroom, which helped earn her a spotless GPA over her two years at Saddleback. Scelsi graduated Summa Cum Laude while earning her associate of arts degree in communications. She was recognized as an All-Academic selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, volunteered for the Park Terrace “meals on wheels” program and assisted with a soccer program for special needs children.