Sophomore women's basketball player Katie Nguyen and freshman men's basketball player Tyson Robinson are Irvine Valley's female and male winners of the Orange Empire Conference Character Champion Award for the 2021-22 school year.
Both student athletes worked hard in the classroom and were leaders on and off the court at IVC.
Nguyen recently signed to continue playing baskeball at NAIA Westcliff University in Irvine.
Irvine Valley won its fourth straight OEC title, finished the regular season 23-2 overall and went 12-0 in conference during the 2021-22 season.
Nguyen helped lead Irvine Valley to its best season in program history. The Lasers ended with a record of 26-3 overall and reached the semifinals of the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships.
IVC fell in the semifinals to San Joaquin Delta in a close game, 77-74, at West Hills Lemoore in March.
She averaged 3.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, which ranked fourth on the team, and, 1.5 steals per game.
Her best game of the year was against Mt. San Jacinto in the IVC crossover last December when she went for 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
But she has contributed off of the court as well.
"I also volunteer as a student aid at Vietnamese language school in Orange County," she said. "Coming from this vibrant community, still the epicenter of this population in the U.S., my family history and our culture is important to me.
"As I grew older and started getting involved in sports, I saw that there were ways for me to give back to the community in a way that went hand in hand with my personal passions. I volunteer coach youth basketball and soccer teams at the same Boys and Girls Clubs where I used to play, volunteer at my church's annual festival, and raise funds to send back to student and youth charities in Vietnam.
"While attending IVC, I've come to realize that I was in a unique position with a local Orange County youth basketball club program to help college and high school athletes obtain weekend job positions. Understanding how hectic a college athlete's schedule is, I knew there were many others that, like me, wanted to succeed in school, sports, and also earn income, but also deserved schedule flexibility, fair pay, and an interesting/exciting place to work.
"I am proud to say that I have helped countless student-athletes lock-in weekend employment in positions that they enjoy and look forward to, and I have made new connections and friendships. I recognize the blessing that I have been given to be able to give back to my community of fellow student athletes and I look forward to continuing this for years to come."
Nguyen has a 3.4 grade point average, is a three times Dean's List Associate of Science for Transfer and is graduating from IVC in Business this spring.
She was a two-time team captain with the women's basketball team, a three-time IVC scholar athlete and was named second-team all-conference on the court this past season.
Robinson played a key role for the Laser men's basketball team in helping the squad reach the So. Cal. Regional Playoffs this past year.
He played in 28 games and started 15 contests for a team that had a record of 18-11 overall.
Robinson averaged 3.5 points per game. He scored in double figures in four contests with a season-high 13 points in IVC's win at MiraCosta last November.
He came to IVC from El Camino High in Oceanside.
"He had an immediate impact on the culture of IVC Athletics," IVC coach Jerry Hernandez said. "He is Incredibly positive, ambitious, and a leader in his approach to his athletic and academic goals. Tyson has also been instrumental in IVC's ability to manage the relentless pace of change as part of the 2021-22 COVID-impacted basketball season.
"And in a significant measure of his character and maturity, leaving his hometown to come to Orange County on his own just three months after the sudden passing of his mother, Tyson continues to stay connected to his boyhood home, coaching youth basketball for two clubs, while continuing his community service through his long-time church.
"Through it all, Tyson has maintained his sense of duty and obligation."
Robinson knows it is important to give back and help others.
"A couple of important values to me are commitment and humility," he said. "Along with my sense of commitment, I believe that humility has always been my most valuable asset. Every experience of consequence can be humbling and provides for the opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a member of my community. When I have the honor of helping my former AAU teams, I encourage our young kids to believe in these values as well, and model those behaviors so that they can see them first-hand."
Robinson is a business major and is on track to a spring 2023 graduation. He had a 3.60 grade point average in his first semester and was a 2021-22 fall scholar athlete, as well as part of the Dean's List at IVC.
