IRVINE, Calif. (Aug. 22, 2023) – The Big West has announced the Scholar-Athletes of the Year for its member institutions. For UC Santa Barbara, Ajay Mitchell of Men's Basketball and Amelia Honer of Women's Tennis are the recipients of this award. 

This season, Mitchell was named The Big West's Player of the Year and Championship MVP following a phenomenal sophomore campaign. Not only that, but Mitchell's performances earned him a spot on the Lou Hansen All-America Honorable Mention List after averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 assists per game. Mitchell led the team to their second March Madness appearance in three seasons after the Gauchos won The Big West Championship. He also earned a spot on The Big West All-Academic Team after recording a 3.29 GPA as a Global Studies major. 

Honer played one of the best seasons in Big West tennis history, matching the conference record by earning six Player of the Week awards en route to being crowned Big West Player of the Year. The sophomore went 16-1 in singles on the season, posting a perfect 9-0 record in Big West dual matches, while going 4-1 against ranked opponents. Her excellence earned her an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Tournament. Honer's performance in the classroom landed her on The Big West Spring All-Academic team with a 3.71 GPA as a Global Studies major. 

These two athletes along with the other Big West institutions' winners will be honored by the conference on ESPN+ next Tuesday, August 29. The broadcast will begin at 1 p.m. and honor their academic and athletic achievements.