Gilroy High graduate Melinda Ortiz was named Student-Athlete of the Year at Gavilan College after a stellar freshman season with the Lady Rams softball team. Pictured from left to right are Gavilan Director of Athletics Ron Hannon, Ortiz, Gavilan Head Softball Coach Nikki Dequin and Katherine Filice of Articulate Solutions.
Gavilan softball pitcher Melinda Ortiz, a 2008 graduate of Gilroy High School, was named this year's recipient of the 2008-09 Student-Athlete of the Year Award at a June 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees, according to Gavilan Director of Athletics Ron Hannon.
Special attention was paid specifically to academic achievement, athletic contributions and involvement in the community in selecting Ortiz.
Ortiz played for the Lady Rams softball team this past season and had a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 in the classroom. As a pitcher on the field, the first team all-Coast Conference selection finished 21st in the state with innings pitched (174.2), 19th in the state in complete games pitched (20), 13th in the state in strikeouts/7 innings pitched (6.93 avg.) and ninth in the state in strikeouts (173).
Ortiz recorded 15 victories during her freshman campaign, leading the Rams to a second place finish in the Coast Conference and a first-round appearance in the California Community College State Regional Playoffs. She was also the recipient of the 2009 Most Valuable Player and 2009 Coaches Award, recognized by the team.
Over the course of this past year, 19 individual student-athletes at Gavilan were recognized for their accomplishments as student-athletes of the month. As a result, each was honored with a certificate of recognition, compliments of Articulate Solutions and a $25 gift certificate from Famous Dave's. Their names were also added to a perpetual plaque, which will be displayed in the foyer of Bud Ottmar Memorial Gymnasium on campus.
In the community, along with her teammates, Ortiz served as an active volunteer with the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) after-school program. As a coach and role model for third- through fifth-grade girls at Glen View and Rod Kelley Elementary schools in Gilroy, she provided positive reinforcement through games and physical activity to over 100 children.
She was recognized three separate times this year as a Gavilan student-athlete of the month, more than any other student-athlete at the school.
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