The Department of Kinesiology and Athletics named Erica Chapa the 2016-17 Gavilan College Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
Chapa played for the women’s volleyball and beach volleyball teams.
The award was presented at the Board of Trustee meeting on Aug. 8 in Morgan Hill and sponsored by Togo’s on First Street.
Since 2008, the Rams Athletic Department has recognized and honored its student-athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field.
As part of the selection process, special attention was paid specifically to four areas: academic achievement, leadership; athletic contributions; and involvement in the community.
Over the course of the 2016-17 academic year, 28 individual student-athletes were recognized for their accomplishments as student-athletes of the month.
As a result, each were honored with a certificate of recognition, compliments of Articulate Solutions and a complimentary lunch gift certificate from Togo’s. Their names were also added to a perpetual plaque that will be displayed in the foyer of the Bud and Jean Ottmar Memorial Gymnasium.
Chapa successfully completed 29 out of 29 attempted units, earning both Dean’s and Scholar-Athlete honors during the academic year, while posting a 3.38 cumulative grade point average for the year.
“On behalf of the Rams Athletic Department, we’d like to congratulate Erica on her accomplishments and wish her the best of luck as she moves forward with her studies and athletic career at CSUMB,” stated Ron Hannon, Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics. “We are extremely proud of her accomplishments on and off the court. But we’re even more excited about the terrific person that she has evolved into while being at Gavilan. She has an unbelievably exciting future in front of her.”
She also walked the graduation stage in May after earning her AA-T degree in Psychology.
As a competitor, Chapa leaves as Gavilan’s most decorated volleyball player in program history.
Her accomplishments on the court and beach include the following:
Indoor:
• 2016 AVCA All-American (Gavilan Volleyball’s 1st)
• 2016 CCCAA State Tournament, All-Tournament Selection
• 2016 CCCWVCA All-State, First Team Selection
• 2016 CCCWVCA All-Nor Cal, First Team Selection
• 2016 Coast Conference Most Valuable Player
• 2016 All-Coast Conference Selection
• San Joaquin Delta, All-Tournament Team
• Solano College Classic, All-Tournament Team
• 2nd All Time at Gavilan College in Assists
• 1st All Time at Gavilan College in Aces
• Helped lead the volleyball program to its first appearance in the CCCAA State Tournament. (Final State ranking: 6th overall; 3rd in Northern California.)
On the beach:
• Erica and her partner finished the 2017 season with the best record of any team in the program.
• Upset Division 1 Cal State Bakersfield’s # 2 ranked team early on in the season
• Qualified for the 2017 Nor Cal Championships, just missing out on bid to the State Championships.
As an active member in the community, Chapa has been involved in coaching both indoor and beach volleyball to young people from within our area for the past three years. She has coached players ranging from 14-17 years old offering individual lessons and serving as an assistant coach for Crush Volleyball Club and Rush Volleyball Club.
As a result of her hard work and determination, Chapa will continue her education at Cal State Monterey Bay competing for the Otters in volleyball on an athletic scholarship.
