LONG BEACH, Calif.-For the first time in Fresno Pacific Athletics history since joining the PacWest in 2012 a student athlete has won both Athlete of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. Fresno Pacific graduate student track & fields athlete Brianna Green, a two-time NCAA champion and six-time All American, was named the 2024-25 PacWest Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, as announced by the PacWest Thursday afternoon. Green was selected for the honor by the conference athletic directors.
 
 "I'm incredibly honored to be named the PacWest Scholar Athlete of the Year," said Green. "This award means so much to me, not just as an athlete, but as a student who has worked tirelessly both on and off the track. Coming from a family where I'm the first to graduate with a college degree, let alone two, I'm beyond proud to hold an AA in Communications and a BA in Psychology." 
 
Green accumulated a wealth of athletic and academic accolades during her two seasons in Fresno. 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. Academically, Green was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-Region Team and was selected to advance to the All-American ballot and won PacWest Female Track & Field Scholar Athlete honors. In her two years at FPU, Green is a six-time All American, a multi-time NCAA top ten finisher, and holds numerous records for the Sunbirds' Track & Field.
 
This season, at the PacWest Championships, Green earned Women's Track Athlete of the Meet after medaling in four events. Green dominated at the PacWest Championships, 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. 

"Brianna carries herself with excellence, grace, and purpose. Her discipline on the track and her dedication in the classroom are matched only by her humility," said FPU Director of Athletics Kyle Ferguson. "This recognition as PacWest Scholar Athlete of the Year is a fitting tribute and culmination of her storied journey at FPU. We are so proud of her."

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 events, the 4x100 relay, the 400m hurdles, and the 4x400 relay. 
 
 "My journey has been deeply shaped by the people closest to me," continued Green. "Watching my sister serve in the military with courage and discipline, and seeing my mom work hard every single day as a single mother, motivated me to stay focused and do what I needed to succeed in the classroom. Their strength pushed me to keep going, even when things got tough. This recognition shows me that the late nights, early mornings, and every sacrifice along the way were worth it. I hope my journey inspires other student-athletes, especially those who come from similar backgrounds, to keep pushing and never stop believing in what's possible. Thank you to my family, coaches, professors, teammates, and everyone who believed in me." 

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