Soccer's Donovan Sessoms has been named Sacramento State's Male Newcomer of the Year…the award is given to the top male transfer student-athlete…a first team all-Big West Conference selection - only the sixth Hornet to ever win first team all-Big West honors, and the first since 2022…a two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week…finished the year with 10 goals (seven in conference play) and 20 points overall, tying him for ninth on the school's single-season goals list and 10th in single-season points…most goals by a Hornet since 2010, and most points by a Hornet since 2009…five of his 10 goals were game winners…drafted by the expansion San Diego FC in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

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OTHER NOMINEES

Henry Lamchinniah (Tennis) - Unanimously selected first team all-Big Sky Conference (singles) in his first season with the Hornets after transferring from Southern Miss…played at No. 1 in the Hornets' singles lineup all year…owned a 14-5 dual singles record (6-2 in the Big Sky), and won eight of his final 10 matches…had a six-match singles winning streak from March 5-20…nine of his 14 singles wins came in straight sets…14 victories were second most among all No. 1 players in the Big Sky.

Ethan Lay (Baseball) - Finished 5-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts) in his first season after transferring from Chico State…struck out a team-high 66 batters in 76 innings, walking only 16 and holding opponents to a .262 average…finished with seven quality starts, allowing two or fewer earned runs in five of his last seven starts…allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his 13 starts…struck out a season-high 11 batters while allowing just one hit in seven shutout innings against Pacific.

Will Leota (Football) - Named first team all-Big Sky as a linebacker…led the team with 94 total tackles, including 41 solos…averaged 7.8 tackles per game which ranked ninth in the Big Sky…had a team-high 9.5 tackles-for-loss…credited with double-digit tackles in three games and had seven or more tackles in eight games…named the FCS National and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after recording three TFLs and two sacks against Nicholls…one of two Hornets to have an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery during the year.

Jakob Poturnak (Baseball) - A second team all-WAC selection…finished fourth among regulars with a .309 average, 36 runs, 13 doubles, a team-high 13 home runs, and team-high tying 52 RBIs…slugged .541 with a .357 on-base percentage…finished third on the team with 21 multi-hit games, including a team-high nine three-hit performances…his 14-game hitting streak was the longest by a Hornet in 2025…led the team with 14 multi-RBI contests, including three games with four RBIs.

Kellan Quinley (Track & Field) - Qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the triple jump…finished in fourth place at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in the event…moved into fifth place in school history with a best of 50-04.75 to win the Hornet Invitational…also finished first at the Aggie Open in his first outdoor meet as a Hornet…earned all-Big Sky honors following a third-place finish at the Big Sky Indoor Championships…moved into sixth place in school history with a leap of 48-11.50 at the conference meet.

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AWARD TIMELINE

June 10 - Female Freshman of the Year - Madison Evers-Lyles (Softball)
June 11 - Male Freshman of the Year - Sean Battistessa (Soccer)
June 12 - Female Newcomer of the Year - Lafulafu Malepeai (Softball)
June 13 - Male Newcomer of the Year
June 14 - Female Individual Performance of the Year
June 15 - Male Individual Performance of the Year
June 16 - Clutch Performance
June 17 - Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year
June 18 - Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year
June 19 - Women's Academic Team of the Year
June 20 - Men's Academic Team of the Year
June 21 - SAAC Award
June 22 - Female Team Performance of the Year
June 23 - Male Team Performance of the Year
June 24 - Team of the Year
June 25 - Coach of the Year
June 26 - Female Hornet Award
June 27 - Male Hornet Award
June 28 - Female Student-Athlete of the Year
June 29 - Male Student-Athlete of the Year