UC Merced has earned a trio of top athletic year-end honors from the California Pacific Conference. Alexandra Lopez and Brycen Miller were named female and male Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively. David Dunham, the university's executive director of athletics and recreation, was named Athletic Director of the Year.
Cal Pac announced the honors Tuesday. The scholar-athlete awards are voted on by the conference Directors Council and given to those who best show character in competition, the classroom and the community.
Lopez, a graduating senior, has earned numerous athletic and academic awards over a four-year career that included three years of cross country and two years of outdoor track. She is a seven-time All-Cal Pac performer between the sports and a three-time NAIA National Championship Cross Country qualifier.
In April, Lopez earned silver medals at the Cal Pac Outdoor Track Championships with stellar performances in the 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter steeplechase. Lopez set program records in both events as a senior. Her efforts were key in the Bobcats winning back-to-back Cal Pac Championships in the program's first two years as an intercollegiate varsity sport.
Alexandra has been a key leader in our conference Student Athlete Council the last two years.
In the classroom, Lopez has 3.73 GPA as a political science major. She is a three-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, a three-time Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and a two-time Cal Pac All-Academic Team selection. She has also earned Chancellor's List honors and CSC Academic All-District recognition.
Lopez is currently finishing terms as the California Pacific Student Advisory Committee vice chair and the UC Merced Student Athlete Advisory Committee president. At the national level, she has been a committee member for the Association of Student Athletes and has served on the council for Student-Athletes & NAIA RISE (Respect, Inclusivity, Support, and Education). In April, Lopez was a panelist at the NAIA convention in Kansas City, Mo., for a discussion on student-athlete mental health and the day-off policy.
"Alexandra has been a key leader in our conference Student Athlete Council the last two years," Cal Pac Commissioner Don Ott said. "She represented all our students at the NAIA national convention, speaking with passion and persuasion on the floor. She's an amazing leader, a caring teammate and a first-class woman."
Miller, a native of Fresno, won two Cal Pac Tournament Championships and UC Merced played in eight NAIA National Tournament games in Miller's career. As a senior, Miller earned 2023 All-Cal Pac First Team honors and tallied a win over WVU Tech in the NAIA National Championship opening round.
Miller graduated from UC Merced with a degree in economics. He is a three-time Cal Pac All-Academic Team member and three-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. He has been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and Chancellor's List two times.
Brycen is not only an exceptional athlete but is an innovative leader on his campus with influence reaching beyond his sport.
