Best Coach: Adam Pohll

In just three years, Adam Pohll has turned the men’s and women’s golf programs around at Sacramento State.

The men have finished last or second to last in six of the eight meets, including the Independence Golf Championships last season, but turned around this season to win its first tournament since 1998 and best 54-hole tournament in 10 years. They also won the Independent Golf Championship by 11 shots.

The women couldn’t snag a first-place finish last season, reaching second on three accounts, but managed to grab the top spot at the Bobcat Desert Classic on March 14.

On top of all its success the women won the Big Sky Conference Championships by 25 strokes on April 18, which set a conference record of the lowest score (884).

After their remarkable season, the women had advanced to the NCAA West Regional for the first time in Sac state’s history and finished 16th of 21 team, just ahead of University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of San Francisco, and UC Berkeley.

Pohll was also named Big Sky’s Coach of the Year on April 20. Best Male Athlete: David Nichols

David Nichols is a graduate from Enterprise High School. He has been a two time All-American in the shotput and is on his way to a third possible All-America selection.

He has won the outdoor Big Sky Championship two years running until being upset last weekend and finishing second. He also finished second in the discus for two runner-up finishes at the Big Sky.

He won the indoor Big Sky championship earlier this year and placed 10th in the NCAA championship meet in Arkansas.Nichols is still qualified in the shot put to compete at the NCAA regional meet in two weeks

Nichols is a team captain and vocal leader on and off the track. He continues to have a positive attitude and never gives up on his teammates.

“The Big Sky meet was great, but now everything is focused on shot put,” said Nichols. “In the coaches minds, it was an ok finish, but the main goal is to be an All-American and win the NCAA championship.”

Best Female Athlete: Margaux Sheehan

If asked who’s the best golfer on the team, Senior Margaux Sheehan wouldn’t admits to being the top gun. Lucky for Sheehan, her teammates do it for her.

Described as one of the most complete players on the Sacramento State women’s golf team by her peers, Sheehan has the trophies and accolades to prove it.

Coming off of the best golf season in school history, Sheehan led individually all three days of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Golf Championship.

Sheehan took home the Big Sky individual title and tied the conference record for with a 54-hole total of even-par 216. Sheehan also broke her previous school record of 217.

Sheehan and the golf team won its first Big Sky title, with three Hornets placing in the top five individual scores, as well as its first tournament win in the Bobcat Classic in Goodyear, Ariz.

Sheehan was named to named the all-Big Sky Conference First Team before the tournament and was the first Hornet to receive the honor since 2003. The team also made their first NCAA West Regional appearance this season.

In Sheehan’s last tournament as a Hornet, she placed 82nd place with rounds of 84-77-82-243.

Best Male Recruit: Xavier Barajas-Smith

Xavier Barajas-Smith is among the best tennis recruits ever at Sacramento State.

Leading the Big Sky Champions, Sac State, at No. 1 singles for the majority of the season, he was an impressive 19-5. Barajas-Smith was also recently named the Big Sky Conference’s Most Valuable Player.

He was a little shocked that he won Best Recruit and thinks he did not deserve the reward.

“I had a few big losses in the beginning of the year,” Barajas-Smith said.

Despite this, his overall work was evident to Sac State’s success.

He’s thankful for hard workers like Gabriel Loredo and Ramon Perez to keep him striving for his best tennis.

His step-father, Gary Smith, helped Xavier get into tennis and helped him become the No. 1 tennis player in Northern California his senior year of high school.

Born in Tulare, Barajas-Smith played a lot more singles in juniors.

He and his doubles partner Hague Van Dillen won nine consecutive matches. They were 13-8 at No. 2 doubles and only had one loss in Big Sky play.

Best Female Recruit: Katrina Zheltova

Freshman Katrina Zheltova moved here from her home country Minsk, Belarus just nine months ago and is already having a huge impact on Sac States women’s tennis team. Zheltova plays in the No. 1 slot for the women’s tennis team, which finished with an impressive record of 17-7 and 7-0 in the Big Sky Conference.

Despite being just a freshman, Zheltova took home the league’s Most Valuable Player award this year and was named first team all-Big Sky Conference. Zheltova finished the season with a record of 18-5 and faced many of the opposing teams’ best players every week.

She also had a record of 16-7 in doubles play in the No. 1 slot; mainly team up with teammate Luba Schifris. The sky is the limit for young Zheltova.

After just her first season many players and coaches have said nothing, but great things about Zheltova’s game.

“I knew from day one Katrina is a special player. I have been around tennis for a very long time and I can evaluate players very well when I see them,” Director of Tennis Bill Campbell said.

Best Male Team Leader: Montana Dye

Sacramento State right fielder Montana Dye is one of just three senior position players who have played regularly for the young Hornets in 2007.

The vocal leader has been a stalwart offensively and defensively as he has been one of the few constants for Hornets in a roller coaster season.

Dye is second on the team in hitting with a .318 batting average, homeruns with seven, RBI with 36, and slugging percentage at .541, in addition to his solid play in the outfield with a .975 fielding percentage.

However, his contribution on the field does not compare to his leadership in the club house.

As one of the bottom seeds in the WAC Tournament, Dye’s guidance will be vital if the Hornets hope to make an unlikely run in Reno on May 24-27.

The Gledora native transferred to Sac State in 2006 from Saddleback Junior College in Mission Viejo. As a junior, Dye played in 52 games starting in 47 of them tying for the team lead with 28 RBI.

Best Female Team Leader: Jamie Schloredt

Sophomore Jamie Schloredt is known in the softball Hornet dugout as a leader who knows when to keep her team inspired when they are feeling down.

Schloredt leads the team in numerous cheers, and provides the beat for one of the loudest cheers. She takes two softball balls and bags them against the benches or some wood depending on their location of the games creating a beat for the rest of the team to sign along too.

Junior co-captain Amy Tompkins said Schloredt is good at getting the team pumped up when the score doesn’t reflect what they want to see.

“Jamie always does that when the team is down,” Tompkins said after a 9-0 loss to Cal on April 19.

Schloredt doesn’t just sign along to cheers, she has been a constant hitter throughout the season, not counting the slump she feel into after an early season injury.

She finished the season with 144 at bats with 52 hits (10 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs), 16 runs, 31 RBI and a .361 batting average.

Best Male Academic Athlete: Warwick Foy

Warwick Foy, one of four seniors on the team, had his best season individually, which had an indomitable affect on the team’s success.

Foy, Finance major, was honored by the State Hornet as the Best Academic Athlete.

“It’s an honor to receive an honor like that. There have been a lot of student athletes working hard,” Foy said.

He has a cumulative 3.6 GPA and is set to graduate in the fall.Foy is taking 15 units this semester, along with playing No. 4 and No. 5 singles and No. 3 doubles. Tennis has taken a lot of time for him, but with the experience he has become used to managing his time correctly with school by not procrastinating.It will be different for Foy who has become used to going to practice everyday.

“It’s going to feel like a part of my life is done with,” Foy said.Foy was selected as one of Sac State’s Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winner.

The award is given to the Sacramento State male and female senior with the highest grade point average at the institution.

Best Female Academic Athlete: Nicole Giao

Nicole Giao competed her third season with the Sacramento State gymnastics team, but Giao doesn’t just pride herself on her gymnastic ability.

She strives to do well in the classroom as well.

She posted a 3.93 GPA during the fall of 2006 and has a 3.79 GPA overall.

Giao was also one of six gymnastics who was named to the Western Athletic Conference All-Academic team last season.

To be named, the team one must be a least a sophomore, have a minimum 3.0 GPA and competed in at least half the team meets.

Giao competed in 11 meets including the WAC Championships and the NCAA West Regional.

She missed four meets due to an injury.

Giao competed on three events for the Hornets and averaged 9.664 on the vault, 9.486 on the beam and 9.533 on the floor. She hit two career highs on the beam (9.850) and floor (9.875). She also represented the team as co-caption along with Melissa Genovese.