Three FPU student-athletes repeat national honors

Elizabeth Burns, Jessica Rumsey and Maggie Clayton have done it again.

Each one earned NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete honors for the second consecutive season.

Burns, a liberal studies major (Clovis West HS), and Rumsey, pre-med major (Clovis HS), both seniors and members of FPU's women's soccer team, were the first to earn the award in the program's short five-year history.

Burns scored three goals and added one assist from her midfield position this season. She completed her four-year FPU soccer career with 19 goals, nine assists and 47 points, the second highest total in FPU's program history. Rusmey, a stalwart defender, was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 2003.

Clayton, a senior pre-med major from Bakersfield (East Bakersfield HS), just gets better with time. She posted a career-best 5,000 meters mark of 20:03 at the NAIA Region 2 Championship at Woodward Park on November 5. It was the final race of her four-year cross country career.

The NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete award is limited to athletes in their junior or senior season, have made a significant athletic contribution to their team and earn a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher (on a 4.00 scale).

Dugger wraps up with NAIA All-America honors

Jared Dugger a senior from Fresno (Clovis West HS) and stalwart defender on the FPU men's soccer team, has been named to the NAIA All-America Third Team.

Dugger anchored a defense that helped the Sunbirds to a share of the Golden State Athletic Conference championship with an unexpected 8-2-0 record in a "rebuilding" year.

Sophomore striker Amaury Nunes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who led FPU in scoring with 17 goals and 35 points, earned Honorable Mention recognition.

The Sunbirds, 9-6-2 overall, lost to Concordia (Irvine) in the first round of the NAIA Region 2 championship tournament.

The NAIA will release the 2005 volleyball awards next week.