Pueblo -- The Colorado State University - Pueblo athletic department held its year-end banquet Tuesday and honored four of its athletes for their outstanding efforts during the year. Female and Male Athlete of the Year Awards went to soccer and basketball standout Nadia Fercha and baseball player Tony Wittmus, respectively, while the Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year went to tennis player Mario Gagliardi and soccer player Melissa Martinez. The department also honored Michael and Linda Matthews as Boosters of the Year and Marzolf Nissan-Subaru as Corporate Sponsor of the Year.

Fercha, who took home Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive time, recently concluded one of the most storied athletic careers in department history. The Colby, Kansas native led the women's basketball team to the best season in program history at 20-9. Along the way to being named first team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the 6-1 forward also became the school's all-time scorer and rebounder. As goal keepter for the women's soccer team, Fercha set the school's all-time shutout mark at 21.5. She was named first-team All-RMAC and first team All Midwest Region after averaging nine saves per game.

Wittmus, a senior center fielder, took home the department's male athlete of the year award, even though there are still more than twenty games left in the ThunderWolf baseball team's season. The Fort Lupton, Colo., native has sparked his club to a second-place national ranking and a 31-2-1 overall record. He stands third in the Division II stats with a .529 batting average and 37 stolen bases, and has 51 RBI to his credit. Earlier this year, Wittmus set the school's career hit streak record at 33 games, a stretch that started during the last four games of his junior campaign.

The Jessie Banks Senior Female Athlete of the Year, which goes to the senior woman who best combines athletic and academic achievement with community service, was awarded to senior soccer player Melissa Martinez. The senior soccer player from Santa Fe, New Mexico, who, as the ThunderWolves' marking back, spent much of her career shutting down opponents' top scorers, was named All-Midwest Region for the third straight year, and All-RMAC for the fourth consecutive season. She served two years as President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. In the classroom, Martinez earned Academic All-RMAC honors in 2001 and 2002 while majoring in Biology.

Senior tennis player Mario Gagliardi won the James "Spank" Blasing Award for Senior Male Athlete of the Year. The former Pueblo South High standout is currently 10-6 at #1 singles and 7-8 at #1 doubles. He holds a career singles record of 60-24 and a 49-34 mark in doubles. Gagliardi has been named to the All-RMAC team as a singles player three times and been awarded All-RMAC honors two times for doubles play. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in just three years and is currently working on his master's degree in Finance.

Since 2001, Michael Matthews, president of Wells Fargo Bank, has donated over $42,000 to CSU-Pueblo, with over $10,000 directed to athletics. But beyond Wells Fargo's corporate support, the Matthews have contributed individually. Michael, a member of the CSU-Pueblo Foundation Board, participates in many athletic fund-raising events and is co-chair of the CSU-Pueblo Golf Marathon which has set a goal of raising $40,000 for athletics. Linda, a great community volunteer, has raised over $2,000 individually for the Walk for Women's Athletics.

Marzolf Nissan-Subaru became a CSU-Pueblo Corporate Partner in 2001. Since that time, Marzolf has donated over $42,000 in cash to the athletic department and provides a car to the athletic director, a trade value of over $6,000 per year.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.