THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — It was another successful year as 199 Cal Lutheran student-athletes were recognized for their academic accomplishments and inducted into the Scholar-Athlete Society. It is the 17^th year for the society and the total of 192 is the second-most, trailing only the 196 from 2019.

In 2003, Elaine Benditson inspired the concept and the Cal Lutheran Scholar-Athlete Society was created to acknowledge the academic achievements of CLU athletes. Cal Lutheran believes it is important to give special emphasis to those students who are competing rigorously to achieve excellence in the classroom and in their chosen sport. The Kingsmen and Regals honored during the ceremony have each proven to bring equal dedication and discipline to both the classroom and chosen fields of play.

The inaugural class had 36 inductees and continues to grow each year. Student-athletes must maintain a 3.40 or higher cumulative grade point average to be inducted to the Scholar-Athlete Society.

Among the 199 student-athletes, there were 22 four-year inductees, the most ever. The society also included 24 third-year, 50 second-year and 103 first-time honorees.

The California Lutheran Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as chosen by the CLU Faculty Athletic Policies Committee, were Luis Perez and Zandra Stewart.

Perez (Oxnard, Calif.) has been with the Kingsmen soccer program for the past four years. He is a member of the 2017 SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship team. He is a three-year Scholar-Athlete and is graduating with a degree in computer science.

Stewart (Santa Maria, Calif.) is a four-year member of the Regals soccer team. She is a member of the program's only Sweet 16 team, which was accomplished in 2017. She is a four-year Scholar-Athlete honoree while majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Cal Lutheran attracts students from all walks of life and areas of the world. Its diversity is unique and the passion that each and every student possesses is special. For many, one of those passions is sport, in turn producing amazing student-athletes for the Kingsmen and Regals year in and year out.

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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director