UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Megan Faraimo
Faraimo, Jaquez Jr. Named Pac-12 Tom Hansen Medal Recipients
June 29, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Softball
UCLA student-athletes Megan Faraimo (softball) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (men's basketball) have been named as 2022-23 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Medal recipients, as announced Thursday by the Pac-12 Conference office.
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The Pac-12 annually awards conference medals to each of its member institution's outstanding male and female student-athlete based on a combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award as the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as the Commissioner of the Pac-10.
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Faraimo, a redshirt senior pitcher from Oceanside, Calif., earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors for the second consecutive season in 2023. Faraimo was also named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist as well as one of four finalists for the Honda Sport Award for softball. In 2023, Faraimo posted a 29-3 record, a 1.42 earned run average and 232 strikeouts over 172.0 innings. Her 29 wins ranked second in the NCAA, and she paced the Pac-12 in strikeouts for the second year in a row.
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Faraimo finished her collegiate career ranked No. 3 on both UCLA's all-time wins list (101) and strikeouts list (1,000). One of the most decorated student-athletes in UCLA softball history, Faraimo was a four-time All-Pac-12 First Team member and a three-time NFCA All-American, twice being included on the First Team.
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Jaquez Jr., a senior guard/forward in 2022-23, was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. He averaged a team-best 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, starting all 37 games for UCLA. Jaquez Jr. was honored as a consensus second-team All-America pick and was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Jaquez Jr. and teammate Tyger Campbell were both selected as first-team All-Pac-12 picks. Jaquez Jr. was also recognized as a first-team NABC All-District selection and the USBWA's District IX Player of the Year.
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Jaquez Jr. played in 134 games through four seasons, making 126 starts. He finished his UCLA career ranking No. 8 on the school's all-time scoring list (1,802 points). In addition, he finished in the No. 11 slot on the Bruins' all-time rebounding list (842 rebounds). He stands as one of just nine players in the history of UCLA's program to rank among the top 15 career leaders in scoring and rebounding.
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UCLA's softball and men's basketball programs each had a student-athlete receive Tom Hansen Conference Medals last year (infielder Briana Perez and forward Myles Johnson). Faraimo has become the seventh UCLA softball player to earn this award and Johnson is the Bruins' ninth men's basketball player.
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Faraimo, the 2023 Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned her bachelor's degree in political science. She was also named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic Second Team All-American.
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Off the court, Jaquez Jr. participated in community service programs such as the annual Dribble for Victory over Cancer event. In conjunction with his family, including his sister Gabriela, a member of the women's basketball team, Jaquez Jr. joined with the UCLA Latino Alumni Association and the UCLA Alumni Association to launch the Jaquez Family Scholarship Fund, providing financial support for incoming freshman and transfer students at UCLA.
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Jaquez Jr. graduated with his degree in history, walking at UCLA's student-athlete graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 15. He fulfilled his degree requirements at the conclusion of the winter quarter during his senior year.
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The Pac-12 annually awards conference medals to each of its member institution's outstanding male and female student-athlete based on a combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award as the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as the Commissioner of the Pac-10.
ย
Faraimo, a redshirt senior pitcher from Oceanside, Calif., earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors for the second consecutive season in 2023. Faraimo was also named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist as well as one of four finalists for the Honda Sport Award for softball. In 2023, Faraimo posted a 29-3 record, a 1.42 earned run average and 232 strikeouts over 172.0 innings. Her 29 wins ranked second in the NCAA, and she paced the Pac-12 in strikeouts for the second year in a row.
ย
Faraimo finished her collegiate career ranked No. 3 on both UCLA's all-time wins list (101) and strikeouts list (1,000). One of the most decorated student-athletes in UCLA softball history, Faraimo was a four-time All-Pac-12 First Team member and a three-time NFCA All-American, twice being included on the First Team.
ย
Jaquez Jr., a senior guard/forward in 2022-23, was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. He averaged a team-best 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, starting all 37 games for UCLA. Jaquez Jr. was honored as a consensus second-team All-America pick and was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Jaquez Jr. and teammate Tyger Campbell were both selected as first-team All-Pac-12 picks. Jaquez Jr. was also recognized as a first-team NABC All-District selection and the USBWA's District IX Player of the Year.
ย
Jaquez Jr. played in 134 games through four seasons, making 126 starts. He finished his UCLA career ranking No. 8 on the school's all-time scoring list (1,802 points). In addition, he finished in the No. 11 slot on the Bruins' all-time rebounding list (842 rebounds). He stands as one of just nine players in the history of UCLA's program to rank among the top 15 career leaders in scoring and rebounding.
ย
UCLA's softball and men's basketball programs each had a student-athlete receive Tom Hansen Conference Medals last year (infielder Briana Perez and forward Myles Johnson). Faraimo has become the seventh UCLA softball player to earn this award and Johnson is the Bruins' ninth men's basketball player.
ย
Faraimo, the 2023 Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned her bachelor's degree in political science. She was also named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic Second Team All-American.
ย
Off the court, Jaquez Jr. participated in community service programs such as the annual Dribble for Victory over Cancer event. In conjunction with his family, including his sister Gabriela, a member of the women's basketball team, Jaquez Jr. joined with the UCLA Latino Alumni Association and the UCLA Alumni Association to launch the Jaquez Family Scholarship Fund, providing financial support for incoming freshman and transfer students at UCLA.
ย
Jaquez Jr. graduated with his degree in history, walking at UCLA's student-athlete graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 15. He fulfilled his degree requirements at the conclusion of the winter quarter during his senior year.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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