COC Women's Golf & Football Programs Earn 3C2A Scholar Team Awards

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

The 2023 state championship College of the Canyons women's golf team and the 2023 Cougars football team have both been named 2023-24 California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Scholar Team Award winners.

The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the 3C2A. It emphasizes the academic achievement of all members of one specific team. Only one team is selected for each 3C2A sport, with a total of 23 men's and women's teams honored for the 2023-24 school year.

To be eligible, all team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. The team should also have demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition.

The pair of scholar team awards are the first for Canyons since its 2019 state championship women's golf team also won the award in spring 2021.

"We are incredibly proud to congratulate our 2023 football and women's golf teams for earning the 3C2A Scholar Team Award, recognizing them as the top academic-performing teams in the state, for their respective sports," said Matt Crater, Director of Athletics, Student Engagement & Student Support. "This honor reflects each team's hard work, discipline, and commitment to excellence in competition and the classroom."

Featuring a mix of both local and international players, the six-member 2023 women's golf team posted a combined team GPA of 3.68.

On the course, the squad captured the program's fifth state title. Prior to its state title run the Cougars finished third at the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships. COC was also the victor of the Western State Conference (WSC) title, the program's 12th overall.

"It's amazing to witness the level of work and dedication these student-athletes dedicate to their academics on top of the commitments made to their sport and their personal lives away from campus," said COC Athletic Counselor Albert Loaiza. "To be able to excel in the classroom is hard enough, but to combine that with the effort dedicated to their respective sport is inspiring to see."

The 2023 Cougars football team posted a 6-5 overall record and 5-2 mark in conference play while returning to postseason competition with a bid to play in the Western State Conference Bowl. The Cougars also finished third in the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League.

The bowl game was the first for COC since the 2017 season with the Cougars having qualified for the state playoffs in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Canyons ended the year as the No. 18 ranked team in the state. 

Boasting a roster of nearly 80 players, the Cougars combined for a team GPA of 3.25.

"We are so proud of the fact that our remarkable student-athletes have adopted such a strong, student first mentality," Loaiza said.

At season's end nine players earned All-Northern League Team honors, with six selections from the offensive side supported by three on the Cougars' defense. A whopping 29 players were named to the 2023 SCFA Scholar Athlete Team, the most of any program in the region.

"We take great pride in supporting our student-athletes," added Crater. "This recognition is a testament to the culture of academic achievement we strive to uphold at College of the Canyons."

The two teams were celebrated during the annual 3C2A Convention held March 25-28, in Sacramento. A full list of 2023-24 3C2A Scholar Team Award winners is included here.

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