Fairfax, Va.----- For the second consecutive year, a San Jose State University student-athlete was honored by Diverse Issues as the top scholar-athlete of color in an intercollegiate sport.
Riley Agerbeek, a junior from El Cajon, Calif., was named the top 2020 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner in women's water polo in the publication's May 28 issue. Agerbeek, a justice studies major, headlines 13 Spartans representing 11 sports to receive recognition from the publication that focuses on diversity issues in higher education.
The 2020 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) all-academic team selection received the Gene Simpson & Gordon Silva Memorial Scholarship from the justice studies department. She spent the 2019 fall semester volunteering at the Spartan Food Pantry. And, she finished her first year representing her team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
Kiley Lingenfelter, beach volleyball; Carlie James, women's soccer; Janessa Lozano and Makayla Englestad, softball; Gabby Heng and Kate Hanf, women's swimming and diving; Jeanette Zambrano, women's track and field and cross country; Andrew Jenkins and Jalend Dinwiddie, football; Vijay Srinivasan, men's golf; Jeff Dukes and Willy Miranda, men's soccer, joined Agerbeek as honorees.
For James, Lozano, Englestad, Heng, Hanf, Zambrano, and Dukes, the 2020 awards marks the third time each student-athlete was honored as an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar. More than 700 student-athletes from all NCAA and NAIA divisions were honored in 2020.
Named after the late tennis great Arthur Ashe, Jr. (1943-1993), an African-American men's Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis champion who devoted much of his adult life to identifying and providing solutions to end discrimination in all facets of life, the awards program now is in its 28th year.
Student-athletes of color possessing a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average, have sophomore standing or higher, are contributing members to their team and are active in community activities are eligible to be nominated.
"To be named an Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar is very meaningful. His legacy as an athlete and as a human rights activist is legendary," says Eileen Daley, San Jose State University senior associate athletics director for academics and student support.
The Spartans had the most 2020 award winners among Mountain West conference members and in the 23-school California State University system.
In the last five years, San Jose State student-athletes of color have received 116 Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar Awards and have been named the top scholar-athlete of color in the sports of football (Tim Crawley in 2017), women's gymnastics (Stephanie Relova in 2019), and women's water polo (Michelle Taikeff in 2019, Riley Agerbeek in 2020).
2020 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars
| Student-Athlete | Award | Major |
| Riley Agerbeek | Women's Water Polo – Sport winner | Justice Studies |
| Jalend Dinwiddie | Football – 3rd team |
Computer Science |
| Jeff Dukes | Men's Soccer – 1st team |
Business Management |
| Makayla Englestad | Softball – 2nd team | Business Administration |
| Kate Hanf | Women's Swimming & Diving – 2nd team | Psychology |
| Gabby Heng | Women's Swimming & Diving – 1st team | Anthropology |
| Carlie James | Women's Soccer – 3rd team | Graphic Design |
| Andrew Jenkins | Football – 1st team | Political Science |
| Kiley Lingenfelter | Beach Volleyball | Communication Studies |
| Janessa Lozano | Softball – 1st team | Justice Studies |
| Willy Miranda | Men's Soccer – 1st team |
Spanish |
| Vijay Srinivasan | Men's Golf – 1st team |
Business Administration |
| Jeanette Zambrano | Women's Track & Field/Cross Country – 4th team | Mathematics |