The 2023-24 PLNU Athletics season has unquestionably been the most successful of Point Loma's NCAA era, with five teams winning PacWest Championships and likely nine making NCAA West Regional appearances.
 
On Sunday, the athletic department celebrated the historic year with the 8th Annual Sea Lion Athletic Merit Awards, held at the Liberty Station Conference Center.
 
Winners of the SLAM Awards were nominated and voted on by a combination of coaches, athletic administrative staff, SALT (Student-Athlete Leadership Team) and student-athletes.
 
Nominees | Photo Gallery
 
MALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Tyce Paulsen (Men's Basketball)
Given to a male freshman who had the best overall performance over the course of an entire season.
 
Tyce is PLNU Men's Basketball's highest-rated recruit in the program's NCAA era and he lived up to the hype this season, being named PacWest Freshman of the Year after leading all conference freshman in scoring.
 
 

FEMALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Nikki Ross (Women's Soccer)
Awarded to a female freshman with the best overall performance this season.
 
Nikki earned several awards this fall, including PacWest Freshman of the Year and All-PacWest honors, as she led the team in goals during the regular season. She played in all 21 games this year, scoring 7 goals and adding 2 assists.
 

 
TEAM SERVICE AWARD – Volleyball
Dedicated to the team with the greatest engagement in community service, ministry or missions.
 
This past summer, our volleyball team traveled to Brazil for a foreign service trip where they partnered with FCA and ran volleyball camps for youth in the community, donating jerseys and gear. Members of the team also led a trip to an orphanage in Mexico and have participated in beach cleanups.
 

 
TEAM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – Men's Soccer & Women's Tennis
Given to the best team performance in a single contest.
 
Following a first conference title in program history, PLNU men's soccer team defeated Simon Fraser in the NCAA Super Region first round for its first-ever NCAA postseason victory, scoring twice in the second half after the game was tied 1-1 at halftime.


 
PLNU Women's Tennis defeated preseason PacWest favorite Azusa Pacific in its season opener, which was crucial in the Sea Lions earning the No. 1 seed in the PacWest Championships for the first time ever.
 

 
MALE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – Marlon Buck (Men's Soccer)
Given to a male student-athlete with the best performance in a single contest.
 
In the biggest game of the PLNU Men's Soccer season, Marlon stepped up when his team needed him the most. With PLNU's NCAA Super Region first-round matchup against Simon Fraser tied 1-1, he scored two goals in the second half to earn the Sea Lions' first-ever NCAA postseason victory.
 

 
FEMALE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – Torina Hommes (Volleyball) & Madelynn Worley (Women's Track & Field)
Awarded to a female student-athlete with the best performance this season in a single contest.
 
Torina had a stellar career for PLNU Volleyball but in her final game inside Golden Gym she had a Senior Day to remember, recording career-highs of 28 kills and 13 digs while playing a different position than usual.
 
Madelynn broke a 32-year-old PLNU record in the 100-meter dash, setting a new program-best mark with a time of 11.94 seconds. She is the only runner in program history to run faster than 12 seconds in the event.
 

 
CARROLL B. LAND LEADERSHIP AWARD – Blanca Granados (Women's Track & Field) & Seth Ryberg (Baseball)
Bestowed upon an individual who distinguished themselves as a team leader and is respected by their peers.
 
Not only are Blanca and Seth leaders on their respective teams, but their leadership extends far beyond just their sports.
 
Blanca represents us student-athletes as the Vice President of PacWest SAAC and is the SALT Secretary, while Seth serves as SALT President, acting as a voice for student-athletes on campus and in the community.
 

 
ACADEMIC SUCCESS AWARD – Men's Tennis & Women's Basketball
Given to the team that has distinguished itself above the curve in the classroom.
 
Men's Tennis and Women's Basketball both had a team GPA above 3.6, the highest GPAs among all of our teams.
 

 
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD – Dr. Bob Brower
Bestowed upon an individual who has served PLNU Athletics for many years and has made a lasting impact on the department.
 
Dr. Brower has been a tremendous servant of the PLNU Athletics department during his tenure as president, playing a pivotal role in Point Loma's transition to NCAA Division II and leading several capital projects that have improved athletic facilities and enhanced the student-athlete experience. During his time as president, Point Loma has earned the NCAA Presidents' Award for all 10 years of eligibility, has twice led the nation in Academic Success Rate and twice won the PacWest Academic Achievement Award.
 

 
MALE & FEMALE BEST DANCER – Wynton Brown (Men's Basketball) & Shayla O'Neil (Women's Basketball)
Given to one male and one female student-athlete with the best dance moves.
 
 

MALE & FEMALE MOST LIKELY TO BECOME PRESIDENT – Cole Colleran (Baseball) & Jordan Roby (Women's Track & Field)
Given to one male and one female who are most likely to lead our nation one day.
 

 
FAN OF THE YEAR – John DeMeyer & Thomas Kinzler
Dedicated to the individual who best exhibited the Sea Lion spirit by their support in cheering on PLNU at games this season.
 
John is consistently cheering the loudest at games and is a constant presence supporting his fellow Sea Lions, while Thomas has served as ASB Director of School Spirit this year, leading the lines in the front row of the Green Sea and organizing student events and watch parties on campus.
 

 
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Jerry Arvin
This award is given to an individual who has impacted PLNU Athletics in a significant way over a long period of time.
 
Jerry began coaching at Point Loma in 1994 as Head Coach Cross Country Coach and took over the Track & Field program in 1995, leading both programs to tremendous success during his time on The Point. During his tenure, he has been named Conference Coach of the Year 14 times and has led Point Loma to 10 conference titles. In 1999, Arvin was inducted into the PLNU Athletics Hall of Fame.
 

 
HEART OF A SEA LION – Nabeel Khan (Men's Tennis)
This award is dedicated to an individual who consistently displays a positive outlook and unbridled support of their teammates.
 
Nabeel has not only been stellar on the court as a player for PLNU Men's Tennis, he's also consistently the loudest supporter of his teammates. Either during his matches or after his are over, he's constantly cheering his teammates on and encouraging them with a positive attitude, no matter the circumstances. Not only does he support his own team, but he's a regular at other team's sporting events.
 

 
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Alana Diaz (Women's Soccer)
Given to a student-athlete who came back from a major injury or illness and positively impacted their team's success this year.
 
After suffering a season-ending injury in 2022, Diaz missed the first four games of the 2023 season in her recovery but returned to her usual dominant self. The All-PacWest and All-West Region forward led the team in goals this past year with 8, including 3 in the team's postseason run to a first-ever NCAA national championship.
 

 
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR – Emma Thrapp (Women's Soccer)
Awarded to the female student-athlete who had the best overall performance this season.
 
Emma Thrapp was named PacWest Defender of the Year and an All-American this past season before earning the NCAA Championships Most Valuable Player Award after scoring the game-winning goal in the national championship game and anchoring a defense that kept five-straight shutouts in the postseason. The center back scored five goals this season, all of which were game-winners, while leading all PLNU field players with over 1,700 minutes played.
 

 
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR – Scott Anderson (Baseball)
Awarded to a male student-athlete with the best overall performance this season.
 
Scott Anderson was named the Preseason PacWest Player of the Year and has lived up to the hype, setting PLNU Baseball program records for career hits and runs scored. This season, Scott has a .402 batting average with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs, leading the PacWest in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS this year, while ranking in the top-10 in the conference in batting average, runs and doubles.
 

 
SEA LION OF THE YEAR – Bethany Arabe (Women's Soccer)
Dedicated to the all-around individual who displayed the highest level of academic success, athletic performance, spiritual leadership and community service.
 
Not only was Bethany a First Team All-PacWest and NCAA All-Tournament Team selection for our national championship women's soccer team, but she has a 3.9 GPA in the classroom and is heavily involved on campus and in the community.
 
On campus, she has served as a biology lab TA, biology honors research assistant, campus shuttle driver and as a PLNU intramural staff member. In the community, she has served others as a homeless outreach volunteer and volunteered with a special needs program, while also working at Vacation Bible School and spending 300+ hours shadowing at hospitals.
 

 
TEAM OF THE YEAR – Women's Soccer
Given to the team that achieved the highest level of athletic success this season.
 
PLNU Women's Soccer finished the season on an 11-game winning streak and with a 17-3 and 1 overall record, setting a new NCAA-era program record for wins and tying the program's all-time best winning streak.
 
The Sea Lions won their fourth PacWest Conference title in the past five seasons before rallying off five-straight shutouts in the NCAA Tournament, outscoring their opponents 9-0.
 
PLNU hosted the NCAA West Regional for the first time in program history and won its first regional title before claiming the school's first-ever NCAA national championship in any sport.