`Runners Race Past $1M Scholarship Fund Milestone

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Another yearly campaign has ended in success as CSU Bakersfield Athletics once again enjoyed extraordinary generosity from the Kern County and CSUB communities while Roadrunner scholar-athletes continue to have their lives changed. With `Runner fans and supporters worldwide contributing to the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund (RSF), CSUB Athletics is pleased to announce another record-setting year in which more than $1 million was raised to fund scholarships for the first time.

The RSF's mission is to create scholarship opportunities for all 16 teams and over 300 `Runners. Backed by unprecedented support in cash contributions and other giving, CSUB Athletics raised an all-time high of $1,045,127 during the 2021-22 fiscal year, an 11 percent increase to last season's former record total.

A long-time member of the CSUB Athletics staff, Interim Director of Athletics Cindy Goodmon has seen the impact scholarships have made on thousands of former `Runners.

"Watching our scholar-athletes walk across the stage at commencement is our ultimate goal," Goodmon said. "I have been fortunate to see so many alumni earn their degrees and go on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and just about any other occupation you can think of. For most of those `Runners, that would not have been possible without the generous support for the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund."

Goodmon continued on to applaud the efforts of everyone involved in the push toward the $1 million campaign: "Our RSF Board works tirelessly, each and every year, to continue creating more scholarship opportunities. We would not be where we are without them and without the amazing Bakersfield community and its support."

With 16 sponsored sports, CSUB provides about 240 of its `Runner student-athletes — many of whom are first-generation college students — with support, meaning most of the department's student-athletes are receiving only a partial scholarship.

"My time at CSUB has been amazing," stated Vanessa Austin, a recent CSUB graduate and women's basketball student-athlete. "Getting a scholarship to attend CSUB has impacted my life in so many ways. Not only do I get to have my scholarship paid for, but I also get to play the game that I love. Without this scholarship, I don't know what I would have done for college.

"I would like to say thank you to all the donors that give our scholarships," Austin continued. "It means the world to everybody, from athletics to academics. Just getting a scholarship, even if it's a partial or a full, it means a lot. A little can go a long way."

The Scholarship Fund Board is made up of 20 members of the Bakersfield community. Jim Darling, serving in his first year as the Board's President, described the effort that went into the successful campaign:

"First of all, I'm thrilled! $1 million is not a pipe dream anymore! This ceiling was shattered, piece by piece, bit by bit, by every RSF President that has come before me. Now because of the hard work by the business development team, athletic department, the RSF board, and our very generous donors, we can give more student-athlete scholarships. We can educate more and, in turn, impact our community more. We are not stopping here. We will not rest until every eligible CSUB student-athlete has a scholarship available to them."

CSUB student-athletes' continued success academically and athletically during the 2021-22 season was a direct result of community support. The `Runners have produced a cumulative GPA over 3.0 for 15 consecutive terms while 100 student-athletes earned Academic All-Conference honors.

In their inaugural seasons in the Big West, the men's soccer and women's volleyball teams both placed fourth in the conference and participated in postseason play.

On the mat, CSUB enjoyed another NCAA Wrestling Championships appearance from Chance Rich, who nearly earned All-American honors after an outstanding season and national tournament.

In the pool, Autumn D'Arcy and Mikayla Popham combined for three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) gold medals while D'Arcy went on to be named the MPSF Swimmer of the Year and represent Bakersfield on the national stage.

The `Runner track and field team enjoyed Miranda Miller's magical season in which she reset her own CSUB pole vault record, won a Big West title while resetting the league's Championship record, and ranked 18th in the NCAA and 36th in the US in the pole vault this season.

Bakersfield's beach volleyball team earned its first-ever American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 20 rankings, coming in at No. 20 in the nation in back-to-back weeks on the way to resetting the program's single-season wins record.

Showing full buy-in to the RSF and the benefit it provides Bakersfield student-athletes, the CSUB Athletics Department staff had high participation in donations to the fund drive.

"To achieve the million-dollar mark and set another Roadrunner Scholarship Fund record speaks to the love that Bakersfield has for our `Runners," said Chris Asa, CSUB's Associate Athletics Director for Development. "I'm thankful to everyone who contributed to the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund and CSUB Athletics this year. We couldn't continue to develop our `Runners into the leaders of tomorrow without you!"

With the 2021-22 scholarship fund drive coming to an end, the RSF board and staff will begin planning for the year to come. They remain committed to fully funding all `Runner programs at the maximum NCAA level, giving those teams the best opportunity to compete in their conferences and on national stages.

To donate in support of CSUB Athletics and the future leaders of the Bakersfield community, please visit GoRunners.com/Give.

~GoRunners.com~

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`Runners Race Past $1M Scholarship Fund Milestone