IRVINE, Calif. – Seniors Morgan Batcheller and Kennedy Esume were named Cal State Fullerton’s Big West Scholar Athletes of the Year, the conference announced Friday.
The 2015 Big West Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year from the nine conference institutions will be honored at a special banquet on Thursday, March 10 at the Wyndham hotel in Anaheim, Calif. Each institution selected its own honorees.
Morgan Batcheller
For the second straight year and seventh time overall, Cal State Fullerton’s female Big West Scholar Athlete is from the women’s soccer program.
A senior defender, Morgan helped lead the Titans to three straight Big West Conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015) as well as three Big West regular season championships in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Morgan, the 2015 Big West Conference Defender of the Year, became the first player in program history named to the all-Region team for three years with a third team nod in 2013, a second team honor in 2014 and a first team accolade in 2015. In addition, the Carlsbad, Calif., native joins Kellie Cox, Karen Bardsley and Kandace Wilson as the only players in program history named to the Big West Conference First Team on three occasions. Her 78 career starts rank second all-time.
She has earned Dean’s List honors five times and spends her time volunteering with Soccer for Hope, Titans Tales, Sunrise Assisted Listing and as a coach for numerous teams. A kinesiology major, Morgan wants to pursue a professional soccer career and plans to earn her master’s from Chapman University in athletic training.
Kennedy Esume
A senior center for the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team, Kennedy has played in every game of his two-year career with the Titans. Prior to arriving in Fullerton, he helped lead the College of Southern Idaho to a No. 10 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll. He also received a Superior Academic Achievement award from the NJCAA. Prior to arriving at CSI, he had never played organized basketball.
Kennedy has appeared in 60 games and made 32 starts. His career totals include, 259 rebounds, 214 points, 28 blocks, 22 steals and 14 assists.