MERCED, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's basketball team earned major awards at the Cal Pac Championship awards banquet on Thursday night, highlighted by Cameron Brown being named the Cal Pac Player of the Year and Kevin Pham taking Cal Pac Coach of the Year honors.

Brown is the program's first Player of the Year since Aki Chambers in 2013. Pham is the first Coach of the Year in program history.

Aidan Sevilla was named the Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year, the third Bobcat to win his major award but the Bobcats first point guard to win it since 2018.

Also of note, UC Merced saw a program-record three Bobcats selected to the All-Cal Pac First Team. Brown and Sevilla were joined on the top team by Jaron Mertle. Jayson Wiltz earned honorable mention recognition.

Brown and Sevilla also landed on the Cal Pac All-Defensive Team.

Brown ranked fourth in Cal Pac play with 14.7 points per game and finished top ten with 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game on his way to being named the best player in the league. He scored double-digits in eight of the ten Cal Pac games, including scoring 30 points at Simpson. Earlier in the year, Brown set the program's single-game scoring record with a 39-point outing against Lincoln that was in the middle of a 14-game double-digit scoring streak. Also of note, Brown averaged 4.9 rebounds per game in league play and registered a double-double at PUC with 15 points and ten rebounds. The San Lorenzo, Calif., native shot 89% from the foul line, the third highest mark in the conference. He is the fifth 2X All-Cal Pac First Team selection for UC Merced.

Sevilla led the Bobcats in minutes played and steals per game while anchoring the second-best defense in the country holding opponents to just 60.2 PPG. He is also the point guard for the league's highest scoring offense and finished second in the conference with 3.8 assists per game. Not only has he been a strong distributor, but the senior also shot the ball extremely well scoring 11.4 PPG while shooting a blistering 52% from the three-point line and 55.3% from the floor overall. Those shooting percentages rank second and fifth, respectively. He finished tied for eighth with 13 three-pointers. Sevilla also added 3.9 rebounds per game.

Mertle was one of the league's most efficient players scoring 10.2 points per game while ranking third with a .619 field goal percentage. He finished fourth with 7.1 rebounds per game and had least seven rebounds in five consecutive games in the middle of the league schedule. Mertle added eight three-pointers shooting .381 from downtown, three steals, and a block. Also of note, he registered three double-double's in nonconference play and was named Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Week for two selection periods.  

Wiltz earned honorable mention recognition after finishing tied for third in Cal Pac play with 20 three-pointers. Wiltz, who averaged 10.5 points per game, had at least one triple in nine Cal Pac games and had multiple on five nights, including splashing five three-pointers against La Sierra. Along with his scoring output, Wiltz averaged 1.7 rebounds and nearly a steal a game.

Pham made history for the Bobcats guiding his squad to their first ever Cal Pac Regular Season Championship with a 10-0 record in league play. Overall, the Bobcats are 19-5 and are on a program-record 13-game winning streak, the fourth longest active in the NAIA. The 19 wins are the second most in program history, two short of tying the record. UC Merced scored a league-high 75.7 points per game in league play and once again owned the best defense holding opponents to just 60.2 PPG and under 39% from the field. The 60.2 opponents PPG ranks second in the NAIA. Prior to conference play, the Bobcats knocked off NCAA Division II opponents Stanislaus State, Fresno Pacific, and Jessup. The Bobcats also beat No. 7 The Master's University, giving the Bobcats their first top 10 win in program history.

The top-seeded Bobcats begin California Pacific Conference Tournament Championship play against fourth-seeded Cal Maritime on Friday, February 28. Tipoff is set for 8:00pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium in Merced, Calif.