The PacWest Conference announced its Scholar-Athletes of the Year for each of its 15 sports, and Azusa Pacific had four individuals selected for the academic and athletic honor.
Kelly Heimburger was recognized in women's basketball,
Felix Perrier earned the distinction in both men's cross country and men's track & field,
Miruna Tudor was chosen for women's tennis, and
Nicole Warwick was voted for women's track & field. The Cougars' five Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors are the most for Azusa Pacific since it joined the conference in 2013-14.
Heimburger was a CSC Academic All-District honoree as a Psychology major this year, and on the court, she became just the second player in conference history to be named the PacWest Player of the Year and the Defender of the Year. Heimburger also earned D2CCA All-West Region First Team honors after she led the conference in scoring (15.5 ppg) and was second in blocked shots (64). She helped guide the Cougars to a sweep of the PacWest regular season and tournament titles for the third-consecutive year, and the Cougars earned the No. 1-seed fpr the NCAA West Regional.
Perrier was voted as the top Scholar-Athlete in two different sports, as he was a standout for the Cougars during the fall for the cross country squad and in the spring for the track & field team, Academically, he earned CSC Academic All-District honors in both sports while pursuing a Master's in Business Administration. During the cross country season, Perrier earned All-West Region distinction with a 20th place finish at Regionals, and he took third at the PacWest Championships to earn All-PacWest First Team recognition and help lead the Cougars to their first PacWest men's cross country title. On the track, Perrier was an All-American in the steeplechase (broke school record) and the 5K, which helped lead Azusa Pacific to a sixth-place finish at Nationals, which is the program's highest-placing in the NCAA era. At the PacWest Championships, Perrier was the conference champion in both events, including a meet record in the steeplechase, which helped lift the Cougars to their eighth-consecutive conference team title.
Tudor was selected for the honor after she earned All-American recognition both athletically and academically this season. In the classroom, Tudor was voted a CSC All-American after she completed her Master's degree in Sport Management. On the courts, she earned All-American doubles distinction alongside
Madison Kane, as the duo finished out the season ranked as the nation's top doubles team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Associations national rankings. Tudor was also selected as an All-PacWest performer in both singles and doubles, as she and Kane were a First Team doubles selection, and she was a Second Team singles honoree. Tudor also finished the season ranked as the nation's No. 48 singles player.
Warwick earned the Scholar-Athlete award after receiving CSC Academic All-District recognition while pursuing a Master's degree in Leadership, and turning in a memorable final season of competition for the Cougars. Warwick wrapped up her time at Azusa Pacific by winning two individual national titles, as she won the long jump at both indoor and outdoor Nationals this season. She also was named the Field Athlete of the Year for both the PacWest as well as the entire West region, and she was a First Team All-American in four different events at outdoor Nationals in May to help lead Azusa Pacific to a third-place team finish. In April at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Warwick turned in one of the best heptathlon performances in NCAA Division II history, as she scored 5,927 points over two days of competition, which ranks her second all-time. At the PacWest Championships, Warwick scored points for the Cougars in the javelin and high jump, which helped lead Azusa Pacific to an eighth-consecutive conference team title. Warwick finished her Azusa Pacific career as a three-time individual national champion ('23 indoor pentathlon) and a 17-time All-American, which is the third-most All-American honors in program history.
Heimburger, Perrier, Tudor and Warwick will now be under consideration for the ultimate individual academic & athletic honor in the PacWest, as the conference's athletic directors will vote to select a Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
