SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (June 5, 2023) — UC Santa Barbara welcomed back an end-of-year tradition, recognizing and celebrating Gaucho student-athletes for their excellence at the SB Awards Sunday evening. This year's ceremony, organized by UC Santa Barbara's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), was the first since before the COVID-19 Pandemic. Student-athletes who completed at least two years of intercollegiate competition were also awarded their letterwinner jackets at the ceremony.

Student-athletes were celebrated for their athletic achievements during the 2022-23 academic year, with men's basketball standout Ajay Mitchell and women's tennis star Amelia Honer being named Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year, respectively. Both Mitchell and Honer were also each named Big West Player of the Year in their sports.

Mitchell's men's basketball team were voted the Men's Team of the Year after their run to the NCAA Tournament, and women's basketball were named UC Santa Barbara's Women's Team of the Year after becoming just the second No. 5 seed in history to reach The Big West Championship game.

Track and Field's Malia Benson was selected as the Women's Newcomer of the Year after breaking the UC Santa Barbara record and winning The Big West title in just her first year throwing javelin. Baseball's Hudson Barrett took home the Men's Newcomer of the Year after his outstanding freshman season, which saw him nominated for the National Pitcher of the Year Award.

Rounding out the athletic awards, Mehana Ma'a of women's volleyball was named Comeback Player of the Year after racking up 606 assists in her return from injury. The Sports Performance staff honored softball's Korie Thomas as this year's Weightroom Warrior.

Men's Tennis Head Coach Blake Muller was named Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 22-4 record and the best winning percentage in school history (.846). Sports Performance Coach Sam Smith was voted Staffer of the Year.

In addition, SAAC handed out a handful of superlative awards, giving student-athletes the opportunity to celebrate their peers' leadership, sense of humor, and style. Matt Richardson of Track and Field and Cross Country received the Leadership Award from his peers and Baseball's Ryan Gallagher was voted Most Inspirational. Additionally, Track and Field's Anthony Trimble was voted Funniest Athlete and Baseball's Aaron Parker was picked as having the Best Style.