CARSON – As if helping lead the Cal State Dominguez Hills' women's basketball team to the program's first-ever NCAA West Region title and ensuing NCAA Elite 8 appearance wasn't enough, senior Kelsey Bell added to her list of career highlights by being named The Presidential Award recipient at Monday's year-end student-athlete banquet, held on campus at the Loker Student Union's ballroom.

The award goes to the student who exemplifies excellence not only academically and athletically, but also in the community.

For more images from the event, click here.

Senior teammate Dawnyel Lair was named the Female Athlete of the Year while men's soccer's Sulaiman Bah earned the Male Athlete of the Year award after the pair combined for four All-America awards and two berths in the NCAA postseason.

Men's basketball's DJ Guest was chosen as the Mike Sharp Most Inspirational Award winner, while women's soccer's Kekoa Nelson was named the Jennifer Winkelspect Award recipient.

Academically, Nelson and baseball's Eric Smelko were selected as the Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year for having the highest GPAs among their peers.

Emceed by Student Support Coordinator Kisha Calbert,  student-athletes from all 10 sports, university faculty and special guests celebrated the 2022-23 school year with a packed ballroom.

The most prestigious award in the Athletics Department, the Presidential Award, was awarded to women's basketball's Bell, whose contributions in the classroom, in competition, and in her community went beyond the call of duty.

On the court, Bell started over 50% of the games played and played a crucial in the team's success, averaging 5.1 points per game while connecting on over 40% of her 3-point attempts.  She also chipped in nearly two boards a game while tallying 21 steals and a block.  In helping the squad win three games to claim the NCAA West, she made 4 of her 6 attempts from downtown, bettering that output in the Elite 8 with a perfect 3-for-3 effort.

Academically, Bell boasts a 3.76 GPA as a Business Administration major and has been on the honor roll every semester since transferring in.  In her community, she has volunteered nearly 100 hours since the school year started, giving back her time and much-needed energy to the Sumner Food Bank, Lions 4 Kids House, Bonney Lake Food Bank, the Bonney Lake Lions Foundation, and the Bonney Lake Community Church to name 5 of the 13 organizations to which she has lent a helping hand.
 
This year's Athlete of the Year awards were earned by women's basketball's Lair and men's soccer's Bah, each of whom earned two All-America awards after their tremendous season.  Lair led her squad to its first-ever NCAA West Region crown while winning the CCAA's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards.  Bah, meanwhile, set the program record for points at 48, while leading his squad to the NCAA's 3rd round.

The Mike Sharp Most Inspirational Award acknowledges one student-athlete who best inspires his/her teammates to excel in competition with enthusiasm and humility, led by example, maintain integrity and persevere with hope and courage. Presented by Dr. Mary Lou Cappel of the Kinesiology department, Guest showed a penchant for being the consummate team player, taking on the opponent's best player and helping clean up spills on the sidelines while not worry about stats or awards.  He earned the CCAA Player of the Week award after leading the Toros to two road wins while the team suited up only five players Friday, and six on Saturday.

The Jennifer Winkelspecht Award, named after a former volleyball student-athlete who passed away before the 1995 season, is presented annually to one Toro who most exemplifies great personal character, has had their achievement recognized by the student-athlete educators and peers, excels in their role on the team and displays this character beyond competition and academics. Senior Woman Administrator Natalie Lockhart presented the award to Nelson after the women's soccer senior, who led by example with unwavering effort and perseverance on the field, lifting her teammates up through the challenges of the season.  Academically, she holds a stellar 3.84 GPA graduating with a degree in Biology this spring. She plans to continue her education at USC with the determination to fight climate change and whom her coach describes as someone who "exemplifies humility, strength, and kindness to everyone she encounters."
 
The Dr. Hal Charnofsky Awards, presented to each gender by both CSUDH and the CCAA, is given to the student-athletes who have distinguished themselves as talented athletes as well as dedicated scholars. The award was named after Dr. Hal Charnofsky who was a faculty athletics representative for CSUDH. Nelson was a model student while Smelko boasts a 3.8 GPA as a psychology major.
 
The Toros made history in 2022-23, setting a number of individual and team marks. In addition to Bah setting the single-season points record, Lair set the mark for hitting nearly 60% of her shots from the field while her team set program records for wins, consecutive wins, winning percentage, points, points per game, FG made, 3-PT FG made, rebounds, assists, and steals.

Baseball had its share of awards as Smelko and Aaron Greenfield tied the mark for most home runs in a game with three, the feats coming one week apart.

Golf's Patrick Ordonez scored the lowest ground in program history with a 7-under 65, while the team shot an all-time low round of 275.  Softball also got into the act as senior Raquel Jaime smashed the record for walks in a season, a feat she continues to extend while competing in the NCAA West Region.

Two coaches also hit milestones this year with men's basketball's Steve Becker reaching 100 wins, and legendary softball head coach Jim Maier winning 700 games.

About Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics
The Toros are proud to be a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competing at the Division II level, bringing excitement and tradition to the campus through 10 different sports (4 Men's, 6 Women's).  The program boasts 4 NCAA Championships, 2 NAIA National Titles, 11 NCAA West Region crowns and 36 CCAA Championships.  CSUDH is one of 12 universities that competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the most prominent Division II conference in the nation with 155 NCAA National Championships, far more than any other conference in the nation.