Irvine Valley's Character Champions of the Year for 2023-24 are sophomore women's basketball player Emily Freeman and sophomore men's basketball player Roman Swizek.
Freeman was the latest in a long line of campus leaders from IVC women's basketball. She was a captain, scholar-athlete, honor student and a community servant.
She epitomized the concept of an engaged student-athlete.
Freeman's history of service to her community and the campus is one of both breadth and depth.
She has been an IVC women's basketball community outreach captain, a host to a basketball clinic/camp with Santiago Elementary School and was a weekly scorekeeper at Ladera Sports Center with youth basketball events.
Freeman has done just as much in and around Irvine Valley.
She peer tutored at IVC in Economics and Accounting, had an internship with the counseling department and was a lead fundraiser for the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign.
She also helped as a spotter and with statistics for basketball games with the sports information department.
Freeman was also the team rep for women's basketbal to the IVC SAAC.
"Emily has been a model for what a student-athlete should aspire to be," coach Jason Garey said. "Her professional approach to the daily tasks that are pertinent to success is second to none."
"Emily's diligence on the court and classroom were evident by her success in both," Garey continued. "She has a bright future and we are so excited to see what's next for her."
Entering the 2023 spring term at IVC, Freeman had a 3.92 GPA in 90 units and was a five time Dean's List student and shining forward to an Associatie of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. She earned Magna Cum Laude in 2023 and is now working on playing NCAA women's basketball and continuing here academics.
Freeman, a guard from San Juan Hills High, averaged 9.1 points per game and led the team with 69 made three-pointers.
Freeman was a two-year starter at shooting guard, a team captain in 2023-24, named second team all-Orange Empire Conference in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and was a three-time IVC scholar athlete.
Swizek did the same.
He continues the long tradition of Coach Jerry Hernandez's IVC men's basketball program.
Swizek's contributions to IVC, the Irvine community, and his hometown of Hemet are a noteworthy center around the two core principles of his focus at this stage of his life.
And those are his faith, and the integrity of his pursuits as a student-athlete.
The faith comes in the form of Swizek's church and his contributions beyond Sunday, in application of his religious principles in his community through volunteeering and serving others.
Swizek's perspective on academia and basketball mirror his religious tenets in his devotion to being a student-athlete of substance.
"Roman represents exactly what Irvine Valley College Athletics is known for - high character student-athletes who are committed to their academics and teammates," Irvine Valley Coach Jerry Hernandez said. "Roman's consistent hard work in the classroom and on the court helped continue the culture that we are proud to have.
"He leads by example and inspires his teammates to reach their own goals. We appreciate Roman's nomination as it confirms that he is a shining example of what it means to not only be a top student-athlete but also what it means to have personal, athletic, and academic integrity within our community."
Entering the Spring 2023 term Roman had 3.65 GPA in 56.5 units Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies.
He was a two year-starter at Irvine Valley, a team captain in 2023-24, a three-time scholar-athlete, Dean's List honoree and named second team to the Orange Empire Conference all-second team.
Swizek was second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game. The 6-3 guard out of Chapparal High in Temecula shot 41.8 percent from the field.
He scored in double figures in 16 games with a season-high 28 points in Irvine Valley's defeat at San Bernardino in the postseason.
