Rewarded for her performance on the basketball court and in the classroom at Cal State San Marcos, Pinewood School graduate Akayla Hackson has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The Sunnyvale native received the award at the end of the school year. Voted on by athletic department faculty from the conference’s 12 colleges, it recognizes a student-athlete’s work in the classroom, in the community and in their sport.
Hackson graduated from San Marcos in June with a degree in computer science after collecting the CCAA Player of the Year and CCAA Defensive Player of the Year honors at the conclusion of her senior season. The 5-foot-8 guard helped the Cougars go 22-4 and secure the CCAA regular-season title. The team went on a 20-game winning streak and reached the NCAA Division II western regional quarterfinals.
Hackson credited much of her success to her time at Pinewood in Los Altos Hills, where she played under longtime coach Doc Scheppler.
“Doc and the Pinewood coaching staff really shaped who I became as a player,” she said. “I really appreciate everything I learned there.”
Scheppler fondly remembers Hackson’s years at Pinewood.
“Akayla was a relentless competitor who thrived in our basketball environment,” he said. “She was a pleasure to coach and a great teammate in her high school years.”
Off the court, Hackson excelled as a student at Pinewood and at San Marcos, where she was recognized as a three-time College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District honoree and a two-time Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Hackson is proudest of the CCAA Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award she won in June. To be considered, students must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average and complete their final season of eligibility in a CCAA-sponsored sport.
“I think that’s the best award I’ve ever gotten,” Hackson said. “I like it better than player of the year, because it shows how much work I put in off the court as well.”
Hackson this fall is scheduled to begin graduate school at Stanford University, where she will be pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering.
