De Anza College celebrated its student athletes and coaches on June 12 during the Annual Academic and Athletic Achievement Awards ceremony at the Visual and Performing Arts Center, honoring its Mountain Lions both on the field and in the classroom.
Invited by student-athletes and coaches, friends and family attended the event as well.
The individual award winners were:
- Mountain Lion of the Year: Iris Li
- Mountain Lion of the Year: Jason Schwartz
- Most Inspirational: Myles Potter
- Performance of the Year: MaiLan Vuong, Natalee Lam
- Performance of the Year: James Estrella
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Veronica Hon
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Timmy Nguyen
- Sophomore of the Year: Joyce Lin
- Sophomore of the Year: Antevious Jackson
- Rookie of the Year: Genesis Mailangi
- Rookie of the Year: Akeem Wright
- SAAC Leadership Award: Vinny Nguyen
In addition to the student-athlete awards, team and staff awards went to:
- Women’s Team of the Year: Badminton
- Men’s Team of the Year: Football
- Athletic Trainer Service Awards: Addie Martin and Alex Maciel
Joyce Lin, 25, kinesiology master’s student, not only won Sophomore of the Year for De Anza, but also Swimmer of the Year for the coast conference. Swimming at De Anza was a new opportunity for her athletic career.
Lin returned to competitive swimming this year after a long break. She last competed in 2018 during her freshman year at New York University.
“(De Anza’s coaches) felt more personable, and they understood their athletes and how to make them better,” Lin said. “I just had a different mindset coming into swimming again, I actually wanted to enjoy it … I’m getting better as a swimmer.”
Taesu Yim, 22, economics major and swim team member, reflected on the highs and lows of his season.
“People are recognizing the performances that I’m putting up, but I also feel that that’s a product of me sort of putting forth performances that help my team.” Yim said. “That is the most satisfying for me.”
Jason Schwartz, 21, business major and football team member, was not only awarded Mountain Lion of the Year but also voted the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators national male scholar-athlete of the year.
“The people you meet, the coaches you have, it is unforgettable,” Schwartz said.“We had tutors from a program my coach started … academic advisors, financial aid advisors always helping, making sure we had enough money to get calculators, folders or binders. We had a great support system.”
The support system and sense of community among the De Anza athletic department was apparent during the ceremony. Cheers and applause filled the room as each name was called.
A video montage with music showed major moments such as championships, game highlights and other team bonding activities from the year.
For many graduating athletes, the ceremony marked the end of their De Anza careers and the beginning of new chapters.
The night ended with photos and goodbyes outside the front door of the VPAC.
As the ceremony came to a close, James Estrella, 19, business economics major and track and field team member, who expects to run for Santa Clara University next season, reflected on his time at De Anza.
“It was definitely a fun ride. I learned a lot and got to meet a lot of great people,” Estrella said. “I also got to experience different types of competition, different types of challenges, but overall it made me a better person and I’m more confident going to the next level.”
