CONTACT: Christian Pedersen
Christian@sandiegosportsassn.com, 858–342–5509
NEWS RELEASE:
San Diego Sports Association selects
2020 Pro & Amateur Stars of the Year
The San Diego Sports Association, whose membership includes San Diego’s leading sports influencers, champions, and decision-makers, named eight 2020 Stars of the Year, including four professional athletes and four amateurs.
Every year the Sports Association selects and honors the best athletes that are either from San Diego County or playing in San Diego with the Star of the Year award.
The athletes will receive the honor at the 75th annual Salute to the Champions tentatively set for May 13, 2021.
2020 PROFESSIONAL STARS OF THE YEAR:
Manny Machado: The Padres superstar third baseman had a noteworthy year even in a shortened MLB season. He took home the NL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger for third baseman, hit .306 with 16 home runs and even received NL MVP votes all in helping the Padres return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Jason Myers: The Mater Dei Catholic high school alumni and current placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks finished the 2020 NFL season as the most accurate kicker in the league, without missed or blocked kicks.
Fernando Tatis: In 2020 the Padres shortstop established himself as one of the most exciting young players in all of baseball with his on-field highlights and bright personality. He led all MLB shortstops in home runs, RBI’s and runs scored and was named the NL Silver Slugger at the position. This is his second time already in his young career to be named as a SDSA Star of the Year.
Fred Warner: The Mission Hills high school alumni and current San Francisco 49er linebacker had an elite year on field, finishing in the top 10 in the league in multiple stat categories, and earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination.
2020 AMATEUR STARS OF THE YEAR:
Megan Faraimo: The Cathedral Catholic alumni was one of the most dominant softball pitchers in the NCAA in 2020 and a team leader for the #2 ranked UCLA Bruins. She was ranked top 10 in wins, ERA and strikeouts before the season came to an early end.
Malachi Flynn: The SDSU basketball standout finished his career with a monster year that was cut short before the team had a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament. He became only the third player in program history to be named a consensus Second-Team All–American. He was also named Mountain West Player of the Year and Defender of the Year. Flynn was selected 29th overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.
Devin Lloyd: A graduate of Otay Ranch high school and current linebacker for the University of Utah he compiled a long list of honors in the 2020 season including being named 1st Team All–Pac–12 and a finalist for the Butkus Award which is given out to the best linebacker in college football each year.
Chris Olave: A graduate of Mission Hills high school and current Ohio State Buckeye Olave was a key contributor to the team making it to the NCAA national championship game including an impressive 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns against then #2 ranked Clemson in the semi–final game.
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ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO SPORTS ASSOCIATION
The mission of the San Diego Sports Association is to promote and support local athletic achievement and youth development through sports. Tracing its roots to the Breitbard Athletic Foundation, the San Diego Sports Association is made up of San Diego’s leading sports influencers, champions, and decision-makers. The San Diego Sports Association is dedicated to creating strategic and meaningful opportunities to use sports and philanthropy to make a positive impact in San Diego and reaches more than 750,000 people a year through our awards programs and community outreach initiatives. For more information, visit sandiegosportsassociation.com.
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