California's Lekressner named Pac-12 Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO – CALIFORNIA’s Simon Lekressner was named the 2019 Pac-12 Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced on Wednesday. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports sponsored by the Pac-12, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their respective sports disciplines.

Lekressner is the third Golden Bear to earn the Pac-12 Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, joining Aravind Sivakumar (2017) and Omid Jalali (2014). Lekressner is an economics major and currently holds a 3.73 cumulative grade-point average at Cal. The Bellevue, Wash., native is a two-time member of the Pac-12 All-Academic Team, earning a spot on the first team in 2017 and 2018. The senior is on track to graduate at the end of the fall.

Lekressner has also played an important role on the field for the Golden Bears throughout his career. He has played in 63 games in four seasons, including 33 starts over his junior (16) and senior (17) campaigns. The 2019 season has seen Lekressner post career-highs in goals (5), points (12) and game-winning goals (2). He notably notched a goal and assist in Cal’s 3-2 upset victory on the road over then No.-1 Washington (Nov. 7). Lekressner will lead the Golden Bear back line in Cal’s NCAA Tournament First Round matchup at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Nov. 21 (7:00 p.m. PT).

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.

ALSO NOMINATED: Loke Strenov, OSU; Tanner Beason, STAN; Jaret Townsend, WASH.