SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Nick Melanese of men's track & field and Jayline Sloss of softball have been named the Cal State San Marcos Student-Athletes of the Month for May 2023.
 
The CSUSM Student-Athletes of the Month awards are determined through a vote of all Department of Athletics coaches, administrators and staff. Each in-season program nominates a student-athlete to be considered for the award each month.
 
Melanese won the CCAA Individual Championships in the 800- and 1500-meter runs at the CCAA Championships. The next weekend at the APU Last Chance Meet, Melanese broke the CSUSM record in the 800-meter run with an NCAA provisional time of 1:48.59. Melanese then became the first-ever CSUSM men's track & field student-athlete to compete at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships as he finished the 800-meter run in 1:53.67 and placed 16th. He was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region team for his performance in the 800-meter run and was later named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
 
At the NCAA West Regional and Super Regional, Sloss led CSUSM with a 5-0 record in the circle to give CSUSM its first West Regional team title in school history with wins over Sonoma State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Azusa Pacific and Concordia University Irvine. Her lone two losses in May came at the NCAA Division II World Series against top-seeded No. 3 UT Tyler and second-seeded No. 4 Central Oklahoma. Sloss finished the month with a 2.67 ERA in 36.2 innings while tallying 25 strikeouts in eight appearances and seven starts.
 
This is the first CSUSM Student-Athlete of the Month honor for both Melanese and Sloss.