FRESNO, Calif.- Two standout performers from the Fresno Pacific University men's cross country and women's track & field team have earned the prestigious title of PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year on announced on Wednesday.

Jansen Gillig was recognized as the PacWest Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Gillig earned a 3.96 in kinesiology and was named Co-Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year at Flight Night (Fresno Pacific University's Athletic Award Ceremony). The sophomore was Third Team All-Conference after placing 21st overall at the PacWest Championships, leading all Sunbirds, and running a lifetime best of 25:07. Gillig is also a member on the Sunbird's PacWest Champion Men's Track & Field team. 

"Jansen exemplifies the type of student-athlete every coach hopes to mentor," said athletic director Kyle Ferguson. "He is reliable, driven, and deeply respected by his teammates. He has earned this recognition through consistent excellence in the classroom and on the course. We are proud of who he is and the way he represents Fresno Pacific with integrity and heart."

Raking in more awards after her historic season, Brianna Green was recognized as the PacWest Women's Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning a 3.78 in her Master's in Psychology. This season, Green earned PacWest Female Athlete of the Year, Women's Track Athlete of the Year and Women's USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year honors. At the PacWest Championships, Green earned Women's Track Athlete of the Meet after medaling in four events, taking home two individual medals and two team medals. Green's first gold of the day came with her teammates in the women's 4x100m relay. Green followed that up with a second-place finish in the 100m hurdles and a first-place finish in the in the 400m hurdles where she defended her title and set a new PacWest Championship meet record previously set in 2022 with a time of 57.85, a whole 2.4 seconds ahead of the field. Green finished the day with her teammates defending the 'Birds title in the 4x400 relay, earning them second place in the team competition at the PacWest Championships.  

At the NCAA DII National Championships, Green qualified for four events, the 4x100 and 4x400 relay, the 100m hurdles, and the 400m hurdles. Green reached the finals in three events, just missing the fourth by .04. After qualifying for the finals, Green and teammates won the National Championship in the 4x100 relay, breaking a DII record and Fresno Pacific school record with a time of 43.85. Green followed up that performance with an individual National Championship in the 400m hurdles running a personal best and school record 56.88, and DII sixth all-time mark. Green's win marked the first individual National Championship in Fresno Pacific history and the lone National Championship this season in the PacWest.  The Sunbirds finished the day in fourth place in the team competition, tied for the highest team finish in Fresno Pacific athletics history with the 2012 Swimming & Diving team. 

The graduate student also earned USTFCCCA All-Region Honors in four events, the 4x100 relay, 100m, 400m, 400m hurdles and is an All-American in three, the 4x100 relay, the 400m hurdles, and the 4x400 relay. 

"Brianna is not only one of the most decorated athletes in FPU history, but she's also a top-tier student and teammate," continued Ferguson. "Whether it's breaking records or pursuing academic excellence, she does it with humility and grace. We couldn't be more proud of her and this honor is just the latest example of who she is and how she leads."

Along with the other 13 student athletes selected from all 15 PacWest sports Gillig and Green will be nominated for the overall 2024-25 Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year, which will be selected by the PacWest's Athletic Directors next week. 

For the full PacWest story release CLICK HERE

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