Preece Named Big Sky Scholar-Athlete Of The Year
Jun 30, 2020, 10:47 AM | Updated: Jul 1, 2020, 8:27 am
DAVIS, Calif. — Senior tight end Wes Preece was named as the UC Davis recipient for the 2019-20 Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards program, the league office announced Tuesday. The Aggies compete in the Big Sky as an associate member for football.
To qualify for the award, student-athletes must be a graduating senior (or have exhausted his/her final year of athletic eligibility), hold a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher, have completed at least two years of intercollegiate competition, and have earned a letter in his/her current sport. Each honoree is selected by his or her respective institution, based upon athletic and academic performances during the previous academic year.
This adds to a list of scholar-athlete honors for Preece, a managerial economics major from nearby Rocklin. He was one of five Aggies named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, a two-time FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
On the field, Preece became just the third UC Davis tight end to break the century mark in career receptions (109) while his 24 Aggie touchdowns set a school record for the position. He also made Phil Steele’s FCS All-America third team and plus two different All-Big Sky Conference squads in 2019, while a panel of Aggie coaches and program experts selected him as the tight end on UC Davis football’s “All-Decade” team for 2010-19.
The 2020 season begins with a road game at Nevada on August 29. The first home contest is slated for one week later against San Diego. Season tickets are now on sale through the UC Davis Ticket Office by visiting https://bit.ly/2InVyIc.
2019-20 BIG SKY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Cal Poly: David Chellsen, Football,
Eastern Washington: Mason Peatling, Men’s Basketball; Madison Doepker, Women’s Track & Field
Hartford: Elias Gross, Men’s Golf
Idaho: Connor Vrba, Football; Emily Wesseling, Track & Field/Cross Country
Idaho State: Katie Hogarth, Women’s Soccer; Dakota Wilson, Football
Montana: McKenzie Johnston, Women’s Basketball; Dante Olson, Football
Montana State: Derek Marks, Football; Fallyn Freije, Women’s Basketball
Northern Arizona: Abby Stomp, Volleyball; Brooks DeBisschop, Men’s Basketball
Northern Colorado: Luke Nelson, Football; Kylie Chavez, Track and Field
Portland State: Kenton Bartlett, Football; Eszter Lador, Women’s Tennis
Sacramento State: Mikayla Reed, Women’s Soccer; Andrew Fowler, Men’s Track & Field
Southern Utah: Zach Larsen, Football; MaKenzie Lawrence, Women’s Soccer
UC Davis: Wes Preece, Football
Weber State: Jonah Williams, Football; Takesha Saltern, Softball
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation’s best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics’ investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful “launch” after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the “World of Work” after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women’s sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women’s Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis’ 16 women’s athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women’s events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women’s programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
DON’T MISS OUT: Season and single-game tickets for all UC Davis sports are now on sale by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at tickets.ucdavis.edu.
