In a California Lutheran sweep of the Athlete of the Year awards, Tarin Rueckert and Keegan Corley were named Offensive and Defensive Athletes of the Year, respectively.
Earning All-SCIAC honors for the first time in her career, Rueckert ranked top-five in the conference in kills against SCIAC opponents with 136 on a league-best .385 hitting percentage. The senior middle hitter put down double-digit kills in seven of 14 matches, including a season-high 18 on .500 hitting against La Verne. A strong player at the net as well, Rueckert posted 48 total blocks in conference play.
For a second straight season, Corley claimed the Defensive Athlete of the Year award with an impressive display in the back row all throughout the year. The Corona, Calif., native led the SCIAC in digs with 327 at an average of 6.54 per set. Anchored by Corley, opponents hit just .149 against the Regals. In a five-set win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the senior libero registered 31 digs, marking just the fifth time in her career that she surpassed 30 digs in a match.
Sasha Pugh of Chapman was tabbed as the Newcomer of the Year after not only standing out amongst all first-years, but also amongst all players. She finished tied for the most kills in the conference with 174 and averaged the most kills per set at 3.78. Her hitting percentage was outstanding as well at .321. The Laguna Hills, Calif., native registered double-digit kills in all but four conference matches, highlighted by a season-high 26 on .333 hitting against La Verne.
A four-year team member, Franki Coleman of California Lutheran earned the Award of Distinction, which is presented to a junior or senior who best exemplifies success on the court, in the classroom and with involvement in community and school service. Throughout her time with the Regals, Coleman has battled through several injuries, including ACL tears in both of her knees, but has continuously gone through the recovery process to stay on the team and support her teammates. The senior outside hitter has never missed a practice or a lift, while also being a positive light for the team on the bench. On senior night, Coleman was able to appear in three sets and served from the backline, culminating an immense display of character.
Leading Cal Lutheran to its most conference wins since 2022, Kellee Roesel and her staff were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. Following a 6-0 start to the SCIAC slate, the Regals went on to finish 12-2 and captured the regular season title for the first time since 2016. As a team, Cal Lutheran hit a SCIAC-high .226 against conference opponents, with four Regals surpassing 100 kills. A total of five players were named all-conference for Cal Lutheran, highlighted by the first-team duo of Rueckert and Corley.
Both Whittier and CMS, who finished second and third in the standings, respectively, registered three All-SCIAC selections. La Verne, Chapman and Pomona-Pitzer followed with a pair of players each, while Lily Kautai of Redlands rounded out the teams.
The SCIAC tournament is set to continue with the semi-finals on Thursday night between #1 Cal Lutheran and #4 La Verne as well as #2 Whittier and #3 CMS.
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Offensive Athlete
of the Year |
Defensive
Athlete of the Year |
Newcomer
of the Year |
Award of Distinction |
Coaching
Staff of the Year |
|
Tarin Rueckert
Cal Lutheran
|
Keegan Corley
Cal Lutheran |
Sasha Pugh
Chapman |
Franki Coleman
Cal Lutheran |
Kellee Roesel
Cal Lutheran |
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Tarin Rueckert |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
MH |
Buena Park, Calif. |
| Keegan Corley |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
L |
Corona, Calif. |
| Sasha Pugh |
Chapman |
Fy. |
MB |
Laguna Hills, Calif. |
| Phoebe Shorney |
CMS |
So. |
OH |
River Forest, Ill. |
| Malena Thé |
Whittier |
Jr. |
OH |
Chino Hills, Calif. |
| Lauren Gott |
La Verne |
Sr. |
OH |
Wrightwood, Calif. |
| Zacky Coaston |
La Verne |
Sr. |
MB |
Fontana, Calif. |
| Solvej Eversoll |
CMS |
Sr. |
MB |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| Mia D'Amato |
Whittier |
Sr. |
MB |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Corrina Benson |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
L |
Savage, Minn. |
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Lily Kautai |
Redlands |
OH |
Jr. |
San Mateo, Calif. |
| Hayden Lin |
CMS |
S |
Jr. |
Manhattan Beach, Calif. |
| Emily Ford |
Cal Lutheran |
RS |
Jr. |
Simi Valley, Calif. |
| Kayla Thienprasiddhi |
Pomona-Pitzer |
OH |
Fy. |
Fullerton, Calif. |
| Sammy Chambers |
Chapman |
S |
Sr. |
Sun Valley, Idaho |
| Makenna Kawamura |
Cal Lutheran |
S |
Sr. |
Aiea, Hawaii |
| Madison McPherson |
Whittier |
S |
So. |
Jurupa Valley, Calif. |
| Cienna Alvarez |
Cal Lutheran |
OH |
Fy. |
Napa, Calif. |
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