COMPLETE BOOK OF NSCA ALL-AMERICANS

Four Northern Colorado student-athletes have been named National Strength and Conditioning All-American Athletes of the Year, the organization announced earlier this month at its annual conference in Las Vegas, Nev. The Big Sky Conference had five student-athletes honored as Juan Gamboa, a football player from Sacramento State, was also named to the 2009 team.

Taylor Smith, a middle blocker on the Bears volleyball team; Cristian Sarmento, a former linebacker on the football team; Patrick Berg, a thrower on the track and field squad;  and Jamie Schroeder, a former guard on the women's basketball team, were all recognized by the NSCA.  

The NSCA All-American Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year program recognizes those collegiate athletes whose athletic accomplishments, in the opinion of their strength coach, reflects their dedication to strength training and conditioning. These athletes are also recognized for their academic and personal accomplishments and their integrity as student athletes.

Smith, a 6-foot senior from Denton, Texas, is a sports and exercise science major. She benched pressed 130 lbs., power cleaned 176 lbs. and had a vertical jump of 23.5 inches. Smith started all 27 matches for the Bears in 2008, averaging 2.51 kills per game with a hitting percentage of .320.

Sarmento, a 6-1, 220-pounder from Lakewood, Colo., was a first team All-Conference selection in 2008 after leading the Big Sky with 142 total tackles. He benched 375 lbs., power cleaned 400.4 lbs, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and had a vertical jump of 31.5 inches. Sarmento majored in sports and exercise science.

Berg, a senior thrower, is from La Junta, Colo. The communications major finished seventh in the shot put and discus, and eighth in the hammer throw at the 2009 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He benched pressed 335 lbs., power cleaned 308 lbs, and had a vertical jump of 28 inches.

Schroeder, a 5-9 guard from Douglas, Wyo., averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game during her senior season in 2008-09. She missed the majority of the year with a knee injury. The sport and exercise science/psychology major benched pressed 135 lbs., had a vertical jump of 26 inches and power cleaned 165 pounds.