Athletics’ Spring Banquet provides perfect ending to the 2023-24 season
2024 Spring Athletic Banquet Slideshow
VALLEJO, Calif. – Cal Maritime's nine combined winter and spring teams were honored Friday night inside the Compass Room when the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education hosted its Spring Banquet.
At this semester-ending event — another banquet took place last December to recognize teams that competed throughout the fall semester — Cate Andersson (women's water polo) and Cyrus Khaleeli (sailing) received Student-Athletes of the Spring, the department's top honor.
"By representing the university on one of its 15 athletic teams, student-athletes receive a unique and comprehensive undergraduate experience," said Director of Athletics Karen Lee Yoder.
"In addition to a world-class education, students strengthen their leadership skills and enjoy an enhanced level of personal growth throughout their Cal Maritime career.
"Tonight's event recognizes and celebrates the hard work, time, sacrifice and dedication invested by our university ambassadors to succeed in competition and the classroom throughout the academic year."
After each head coach took turns sharing respective team accomplishments, individual accolades, program honors and a season recap, Yoder presented the Keelhauler Academic Award to individuals with a 3.5 GPA or higher through one full year of academic coursework at Cal Maritime.
Keelhauler Academic Award recipients from teams honored throughout the Spring Banquet included:
Men's Golf
Jake Banich
James McNally
Women's Golf
Raven Frisell
Safari Frisell
Crew
Collin Wojahn
Women's Basketball
Alicia Porter
Men's Basketball
Everett Perrot
Lunden Taylor
Women's Water Polo
Lanni Hardin
Anjali Sharma
Sriya Santhanam
Dinghy + Offshore Sailing
Riley Deal
Will Fischer
Cyrus Khaleeli
Clay Myers
Cooper Smith
After first year letterwinners were recognized by Yoder, lapel pins were given to graduating seniors; student-athletes who competed on an intercollegiate team throughout their entire CSUM career also received embroidered blankets from the department to honor their accomplishment.
Of its over 250 institutions across the nation, only 27 received a perfect score when the NAIA announced the Champions of Character award recipients for the 2022-23 academic year. Included in that group, once again, was Cal Maritime.
For the third year in a row, NAIA officials bestowed the highest possible honor to the Keelhaulers — Five-Star Gold Status — to recognize their demonstrated success. When announced, Cal Maritime became one of six schools in the nation to record a perfect score in each of the last three consecutive academic years.
These accomplishments celebrate the teamwork and dedication of our students, coaches, and staff to help individuals find, and maintain, a healthy balance by keeping five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership at the heart of their athletics experience.
To help the department recognize a group of individuals who best embody these five pillars and serve as role models for their respective programs, regardless of NAIA affiliation, Andersson, Sofia Campos Perez (women's golf), Blake Doscher (dinghy sailing), Khaleeli (offshore sailing), Angelo Nicandro (men's basketball), Marissa Serrano (women's basketball), and Wojahn (crew) earned Champion of Character accolades.
To recognize new student-athletes, the department presented awards to 36 student-athletes who represented Cal Maritime for the first time in their respective careers; another 25 graduating seniors were honored with lapel pins.
For 12 student-athletes who competed on an intercollegiate team throughout their entire CSUM career, the department bestowed embroidered blankets.
As was the case in every end-of-semester celebration leading up to this event, men's golf student-athlete Ryan Bean created a video slideshow featuring all nine winter or spring teams and various highlights that took place throughout the semester.
Prior to her closing remarks, Yoder announced the Student-Athlete of the Spring selections, the department's highest honor presented to individuals who excelled in competition, the classroom and led with high moral character.
Recognized throughout the team as an individual who leads by example, Andersson played a key role in helping women's water polo win eight straight games and back-to-back tournament titles for the first time in the program's recorded history.
Her inaugural season as a Keelhauler ended last weekend at the NAIA Finals with All-Tournament Team and MVP honors.
Said Head Women's Water Polo Coach Matt De Trane, "Kate was our defensive leader, both inside and out of the pool. Not only did she come up with clutch blocks, she became a second coach within team huddles during timeouts and in the pool throughout each game."
De Trane added, "her communication, work ethic and ability to make plays at key times during games set the tone for the season and played a vital role in the team's win streak and success this season."
Also earning top honors was Khaleeli, sailing's team captain, business operations officer and the individual responsible for every aspect of the team, including the organization and execution of its practices, travel logistics, budgets and crew selections.
Said head coach Kerry Deaver, "He is by far the classiest of the sailors the past two years and poured his heart into improving the culture of the sailing team. I cannot say enough great things about Cyrus."
In his role as skipper and helmsman for Cal Maritime's offshore boats, he led the Keelhaulers to a Shields Regatta championship with a near-perfect score. Cal Maritime was so dominant that weekend, it wrapped up the regatta's title without the need to sail the final race.