MERCED, Calif. – Alexandra Lopez of the University of California, Merced women's outdoor track team was honored as the recipient of the Dr. Jim Davies Award as the California Pacific Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.
The year-end award is voted on by the Cal Pac Directors Council and awarded to the student-athlete who best embodies the Champions of Character in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. Lopez, the first UC Merced student-athlete to earn the award, was selected from an exceptional field of skilled and exemplary student-athletes from all the Cal Pac institutions.
The Dr. Jim Davies Award is the highest award presented by the Cal Pac, named in honor of the man who passed away suddenly in November of 2015 after serving as the only Eligibility Chair since the conference's inception in 1995.
Lopez, a graduating senior, has excelled in all areas and has earned a plethora of athletic and academic awards over her four-year career that included three years running cross country and two years running outdoor track. She competed in both cross country and outdoor track in the 2022-23 academic year.
She is a 7X All-Cal Pac performer between the sports and a 3X NAIA National Championship Cross Country qualifier. Just two weeks ago, Lopez earned silver medals at the Cal Pac Outdoor Track Championships with stellar performances in the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase. Lopez also broke the program-record in both of those events as a senior.
Lopez's efforts on the track was key in the Bobcats winning back-to-back Cal Pac Championships in the first two years of the program being an intercollegiate varsity sport.
Just as impressive in the classroom, Lopez has 3.73 GPA as a political science major. She is a 3X Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, 3X Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, and 2X Cal Pac All-Academic Team selection. She has also earned Chancellor's list honors and CSC Academic All-District recognition over her career.
Aside from athletic and academic accomplishments, Lopez has held some of the top leadership roles at the national level, conference level, and institutional level. She is also a leader in community service initiatives.
She is currently finishing up her term as both the California Pacific Student Advisory Committee Vice Chair and the UC Merced Student Athlete Advisory Committee President. At the national level, she has been a committee member for the Association of Student Athletes and has served on the council for Student-Athletes & NAIA RISE (Respect, Inclusivity, Support, and Education). Just last month, Lopez was a panelist at the NAIA Convention in Kansas City, Mo., for the discussion on student-athlete mental health and the day off policy.
Lopez has also served as a UC Merced Athletic Training Student Assistant and Outdoor Experience Program Trip Supervisor, an Alpha Kappa Psi Business Professional Fraternity Member, and a congressional intern.
"Alexandra has been a key leader in our conference Student Athlete Council the last two years," said Cal Pac Commissioner Don Ott. "She represented all our students at the NAIA national convention, speaking with passion and persuasion on the floor. She's an amazing leader, a caring teammate, and a first-class woman."
