Mariko Makabe Named Scholar-Athlete

May 15, 2007

Irvine, Calif. -- Mariko Makabe was among 163 student-athletes named 2006-07 Big West Conference Scholar-Athletes at the program's annual banquet Monday night (May 14) at the Irvine Radisson.

This year's list brings UCI's total to 2,894 conference scholar-athletes since 1983.

Requirements for this award include maintaining a 3.0 grade-point average (GPA) over three quarters or a 3.2 GPA over two quarters for freshmen. Student-athletes must also earn letters in their sports.

The Scholar-Athlete award was implemented by the Big West Conference to honor those student-athletes that have maintained a high level of scholastic excellence while participating in intercollegiate athletics. UCI expanded the award to include teams that do not participate in Big West-sponsored sports.

The keynote speaker was Aras Baskauskas, a UCI basketball player from 2001-04, who won Survivor Panama Exile Island.