Junior pitcher Sonja Garnett recorded the hat trick Tuesday night at SF State’s annual Sports Banquet by winning the female athlete of the year award, the Red-Tail award (for the best academic performer) and MVP of the softball team.

“I’m proud,” Garnett said. “It shows that a lot of people recognize the way I play and that we have a lot of support here.”

Wrestler Pacifico Garcia won the male athlete of the year award and was also named co-MVP by wrestling coach Lars Jensen. Garcia, a junior, said he was happy to win the award, and with another year of eligibility left, he hopes to win another championship.

“I’m thankful,” Garcia said. “It shows that I got some love from the student-athletes. It’s an honor.

"I’m also pretty excited for next year. We have a bunch of returning guys that are going to be good.”

The underlying theme at this year’s Sports Banquet was the approval of the sports referendum. The sports referendum passed in March with more than 4,000 votes in favor of keeping sports at SF State. The athletes said they appreciated the gesture by the student body, and it showed as they hooted and hollered during an eight-minute slide show commemorating this year’s athletic triumphs.

Bridget Morris appreciated the students and student athletes who fought to keep the sports program afloat. Morris and Garnett, who are co-presidents of the Student Athletes Advisory Committee, organized this year’s banquet.

“I feel everybody enjoyed it,” Morris said. “I want to thank all the student athletes for their hard work.”

Garnett, who leads the softball team into the regional playoffs this weekend in Carson, was 25-7 with a 0.58 ERA in 216 innings this season. She was tops on the team with 12 shutouts and 128 strikeouts, as well.

Garcia won the NCAA Division II National Championship in the 149-pound weight class this season and finished with a record of 33-7, with 101 takedowns. Garcia made an impromptu speech after receiving the male athlete of the year award.

After asking for the microphone, Garcia stood in front of his peers and graciously thanked trainer Mitch Wasik for all of his hard work.

“He really took care of me this season,” Garcia said after the ceremony. “I got a lot love for Mitch.”

In addition to the male and female athletes of the year awards, other individual awards were handed out.

Senior outfielder Carlos Medina was named MVP of the baseball team. Medina finished the season batting .322 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs and a .537 slugging percentage.

“There were a lot of good players on the team this year, so it’s an honor,” Medina said. “I think it’s a good accomplishment, especially with this being my senior season.”

In basketball, Ryan Cleaves was named the team’s MVP. The senior guard averaged 14 points a game and shot 49 percent from the field. The MVP for the women’s team was DeAnna Butler.

Freshman Kavina Hall won the track & field team MVP after leading the women’s 4x100 relay team to this year’s seventh-fastest time in the nation at the Johnny Mathis Invitational on April 2.

Jensen won the men's coach of the year award and Kristi Lansford who will lead the softball team into the regionals this weekend won the women's.

After the slide show, the student athletes congratulated one another; maybe for the awards they won, or quite possibly for the perseverance they all showed in battling to save the sports program this year.

“The underlying theme was the passing of the referendum,” Morris said. “We are all very thankful.”