May 1, 2006

WHEN Andrea Buckner decided to take a chance at track and field everything was set in motion.

While a highly recruited soccer player out of Esperanza High School in Yorba Linda, Calif., she didn't compete in college athletics her freshman year. Instead, she did a lot of philanthropy work, participated in intramurals and joined the Delta Gamma sorority.

It wasn't until a friend told Buckner she was going to try out for the Bulldogs track and field team that the competitive fire was re-lit. Initially going along for moral support, Buckner discovered that her love for competition never left and, in fact, became a driving force to succeed personally.

Majoring in liberal studies and maintaining a 3.8 cumulative GPA, Buckner is a two-time Fresno State and Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete as well as a two-time Academic All-WAC pick. She even served as a guest speaker at the grand opening of the Ricchiuti Academic Center, thanking those who supported the new learning center while reinforcing the fact that the competitive edge starts in the classroom.

On the athletic side, Buckner is a two-sport student-athlete. She has been a three-time NCAA Western Region qualifier in cross country and has captured an individual conference title in track and field when she set a personal-best mark in the steeplechase (10:30.89) at the 2005 WAC Outdoor Championship.

Winning her first invitational title in cross country last fall, Buckner also went on to earn her first all-conference honor at the 2005 WAC Cross Country Championship. As the ninth Bulldog to earn all-league honors in cross country, she also became the sixth `Dog to finish among the WAC's top 10 runners in championship competition while posting the seventh-fastest time by a Bulldog at a WAC championship.

Helping Fresno State advance to the postseason by competing at the NCAA Western Region, Buckner also established a new personal-best time of 18:11.2 at the UC Riverside Invitational and, in the process, set the 18th-fastest 5K time in school history. Earning her first WAC Player of the Week award, Buckner has been the top harrier in 14 consecutive meets over the last two years. On the oval this outdoor season, Buckner has led the distance runners by owning the team's top times in both the 3,000-and 5000-meter races while being hampered by injuries.

"It just kills Andrea (Buckner) if she can not compete but it is her mental strength that makes her successful in every facet of her life," Fresno State head cross country coach Joe Gonzales said. "She uses the mental approach to her studies, to practice and in competition. She just channels all that concentration into a successful formula. It's not so much the physical gift that she has been given but the ability to be so mentally strong. Andrea epitomizes what a student-athlete strives to be and her example is being honored with the George Ilg Award."

That chance offering was all Buckner needed as she has gone on to balance her academics, athletics and community service with great poise.

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PURSUING excellence as a student-athlete is what the amateur and collegiate athletics dream is about, and wrestler Greg Gifford is someone that has had great success with both. Looking toward his senior year at Fresno State, Gifford is a key member of what can be a very successful squad in head coach Shawn Charles second year, a two-time NCAA qualifier and the defending Western Region champion at 184 pounds.

As a Civil Engineering major, Gifford has also been a success in the classroom, which has led to his selection as the male winner of the George Ilg award for 2005-06, given a graduating senior that best represents that ideal at the annual Kiwanis Torch of Excellence Dinner, which will be held Monday, May 8, at 6 p.m.

Greg Gifford

Gifford began his career at Fresno State with an auspicious first year, as the true freshman from Las Vegas was pressed into action in the middle of what was planned to be a redshirt season. Responding to the challenge, Gifford went 15-6 on the year and finished third at the Western Regional.

That was a preview of what was to come in 2003, as the sophomore was 23-12 overall and 11-4 in dual matches as the starter at 184 pounds. On the way to qualifying to the NCAA championships, Gifford was a finalist at the Western Regional and upset the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation in Oklahoma State's Jake Roshalt.

In 2004, any chances at another successful year at 184 pounds were shaken as nagging injuries kept Gifford off of the mat for the entire year, during which Gifford used the redshirt that he had planned to take. That gave him a chance to renew his focus in the classroom and towards a successful season in his junior year of eligibility, even as he prepared for graduation in the spring of 2006.

That poise and desire was noted by head coach Shawn Charles. "What Greg brought to us this past season was tremendous leadership," said Charles. "He really leads by example, through dedication and commitment to both his studies and wrestling, and that forces guys to step up and follow the way he does things."

That held true especially in this past season, as the consistent improvement really took off in what became a breakout year for Gifford. As the team struggled through a lack of depth and a multitude of injuries, the 184-pound division was a source of pride for the team as Gifford compiled a 30-13 record, winning the Western Region championship and punching his second ticket for the NCAA Championships.

That success and poise, coupled with his work in the classroom has set Gifford apart as he returns for one more year on the mat. "With Greg coming back, it puts a lot of pressure on everyone else in the program to things the right way, in Greg's way," said Charles. "He is an outstanding student with top grades, and he is an outstanding wrestler that does what he needs to do to get his hand raised. He is going to step into the team captain's role next year, and I expect him to handle that extremely well. He's going to be a contender for Wrestler of the Week and Academic All-America honors. Greg is a guy that will earn those awards in the future, along with the George Ilg award this year."

With Greg Gifford acceptance of the George Ilg award, it is the perfect time to look at his past accomplishments. But as we do, it's also exciting to know that the future has even more potential for Greg that is just around the corner.