SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Isabelle Bakken of volleyball and Sankalp Shastri of men's cross country have been named the Cal State San Marcos Student-Athletes of the Month for November 2024.
Bakken led the Cougars with a team-best 15 total blocks, 13 block assists and a .379 hitting percentage in November. The senior helped CSUSM sweep then-No. 24 Cal State LA on Senior Day with eight kills, a .412 hitting percentage and five blocks. Bakken then helped CSUSM make program history with the Cougars' first-ever win at Cal State San Bernardino while registering eight kills, a .316 hitting percentage and three blocks. Bakken went on to be named an All-CCAA honorable mention.
In the Cougars' lone event for the month, Shastri earned All-West Region honors with a 24th-place finish at the NCAA Division II West Regional in Billings, Montana. The junior completed the 10K race with a personal-best time of 31.21.4. Shastri finished the season with All-CCAA honors and was the CCAA Runner of the Week in September.
This is Bakken's first CSUSM Student-Athlete of the Month honor and is the second consecutive honor for Shastri after earning it for the first time in October.
Latest Men's Cross Country
- Cougars Place Second in UC Riverside Invitational Open RaceThe Cal State San Marcos men's cross country team placed second out of 22 teams in the Open 8K race at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, scoring 112 points. In the Invitational 8K division, CSUSM competed individually but did not register a team score.
- Jimenez Leads Cougars to Third-Place Finish at Cougar ChallengeLed by Alan Jimenez's fifth-place finish, the Cal State San Marcos men's cross country team placed third out of eight teams at its home meet, the Cougar Challenge, on Saturday morning at Mangrum Track & Field. The Cougars tallied 61 points, finishing just two points behind second-place Pomona-Pitzer and 41 points behind team champion Cal Poly Pomona.
- CSUSM Sees 103 Student-Athletes Earn D2 ADA Academic Achievement AwardCal State San Marcos Athletics had 103 student-athletes earn the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award for the 2024-25 academic year.
- CSUSM Leads Conference with 126 CCAA All-Academic HonoreesThe Cal State San Marcos Department of Athletics saw a conference-leading 126 student-athletes earn CCAA All-Academic honors from the league office on Wednesday.
- Melanese Named CCAA Male Scholar-Athlete of the YearCal State San Marcos' Nick Melanese capped off his outstanding career by being voted the 2024-25 CCAA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
- CSUSM Places 44 on 2024 CCAA Fall Academic Honor RollCal State San Marcos Athletics placed 44 student-athletes on the 2024 CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll.
