Justin Bean, left, and Ashley Cardozo, right.
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball senior Justin Bean and soccer senior Ashley Cardozo were named the Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively, at the annual Robins Awards, recognizing the best of Utah State University.
Bean entered Utah State as a walk-on and through hard work and determination, earned a scholarship and became a three-time all-Mountain West selection. Bean also earned a pair of all-MW defensive team honors and helped the Aggies to back-to-back Mountain West Tournament titles, three NCAA Tournament selections and an appearance in the NIT. Bean became just the third men’s basketball player in Utah State history and just the second in Mountain West history to surpass more than 1,000 career rebounds, finishing second all-time in both school and league history with 1,027. Bean’s name is also among the top 20 in school history in 13 career and single-season records and his excellence on the court is mirrored by his success in the classroom, as Bean was a third-team Academic All-American this year to go along with three academic all-Mountain West honors.
Other nominees for Male Athlete of the Year included cross country senior Caleb Garnica, track & field senior Devin Pancake, tennis junior Bodin Zarkovic and golf senior Cameron Tucker.
Cardozo set three USU soccer records as she wrapped up her collegiate career last fall with 32 assists, 121 career shots on goal and 13 career game-winning goals. She bookended her career with first-team all-Mountain West honors while also earning second-team honors in back-to-back years. Last season Cardozo led the team in scoring with 25 points behind 11 assists, a USU single-season record, and a team-best seven goals. The performance helped the Aggies advance to the Conference Championship semifinals as Utah State finished the year with the most victories in a season since joining the Mountain West. Cardozo finished her run at USU with 16 single-match, single-season and career records and is currently playing professionally in France.
Other nominees for Female Athlete of the Year included softball senior Lexi Orozco, women’s basketball junior Adryana Quezada, volleyball senior Corinne Larsen, gymnastics freshman Brie Clark, cross country senior Katie Haviland, track & field senior Maia Garren and tennis senior Annaliese County.
Finalists for the Athlete of the Year were selected by members of the athletics department. A selection committee over these categories then selected the winners. The awards were just two of 16 honors extended by the University during the event, with students, faculty and staff all receiving recognition for their individual contributions to Utah State.
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