COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --  Four Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjack Student-Athletes were named to the 2024 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American award recipients as announced by the NSCA. These four are Kareem Clark (Men's Basketball), Awelina Fakalata (Women's Volleyball), Megan Janikowski (Women's Soccer), and Julia Rivera (Softball). 
 
The NSCA presents these awards to student-athletes that have accomplishments and dedication to strength and conditioning. These four were nominated by Cal Poly Humboldt strength and conditioning coaches Drew Petersen and Anthony Ratto. 

"Julia is the strongest female athlete at the school. Her 315 pound back squat, 265 pound front squat, and 215 pound clean makes Julia one of the strongest people at the school period. I look forward to seeing Julia continue to improve on the field and in the weight room, where she is a constant presence!" - Drew Petersen

"Megan's dedication on the field and in the weight room helped her team to one of the best finishes in program history, including a post season victory. Individually, Megan was recognized as one of the best defenders in the conference with a first team All-CCAA selection. With another season to go, and another off-season in the weight room, Megan's greatest accomplishments are still to come!" - Drew Petersen

"Awelina is one of the strongest volleyball players we have had in recent history with a 185lb front squat and a 165lb clean. She out lifts most of our male athletes on and it translates onto the court with her explosive play leading her team with 377 kills last season." - Anthony Ratto

"Kareem is by far the strongest athlete on our men's basketball team. He regularly front squats 245lbs and cleans 205lbs. He has been one of the bright spots on the court this year finishing his senior season out strong by averaging 12 ppg on 50% shooting from the floor as well as shooting 42% from beyond the arc. His hard work the past 2 years has lead the way for his strong senior season." - Anthony Ratto
 
"We are proud to have Drew and Anthony join the NSCA in its mission to safely improve athletic performance," says Eric McMahon, NSCA's Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, "Supporting our student-athletes guarantees a stronger future for the NSCA."

"Strength is the foundation of athleticism and performance," said Petersen. "Our athletes spend a great deal of time working on this foundation in the weight room. The NSCA recognizes their efforts with the annual All-American Strength and Conditioning Awards."

Since the inception of the NSCA All-American Awards, 130 Lumberjack student-athletes have received this honor with Jason White (football), Reggie Bolton (football) and Lynell Stokes (women's basketball) being the first recipients in 1991.

Media Note: For additional information about the NSCA All-American Athlete of the Year visit www.NSCA.com/All-American.
 
About the National Strength & Conditioning Association
 
Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world. The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence-based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.