California State University Northridge Athletics
11/24/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Women's Track & Field
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Sonsoles Barba is a three-year letter winner for the CSUN women's track and field team. During the outdoor competition, Barba has run in events ranging from the 200m to the 1500m. Concentrating on the 800m, she ran a career-best 2:13.82 during the 2018 Big West Championship.
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During indoor meets, Barba has run events ranging from the 400m to the mile run. She has also entered the long jump. Her best in the 800m was 2:17.90 during the 2018 MPSF Championship.
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A native of Avila, Spain, Barba chose a major that will allow her to create a career where she could do what she enjoys.
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"I think everyone should choose a career that they are passionate about and enjoy," said Barba. "You are going to have to work hard regardless, but I think working hard feels better when you are doing something that you love. Also, everyone should find a purpose in their careers, you need to find a "why" in what you are doing and continuously ask yourself that question so you won't get lost. Those are the main reasons why I chose Art as a major with an emphasis on Graphic Design. It is something I have loved since I was very young and I have been able to find a purpose within it. My purpose is to become a better version of myself as a person and as a professional while using my art and creativeness to bring people together."
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As her track and field career is winding down, she is focusing on her graphic design career.
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"I would love to be able to start working either as a Graphic Designer or a UI/UX Designer (User Interface/ User Experience), Barba said. "Something that I would like my job to be focused on and that CSUN has taught me a lot about during these four years would be helping the ones in need. As an art major, I believe Art itself is an essential tool for changing things within society, and I definitely would love to be able to use my designing and creative skills for it."
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Barba has excelled off the track for the Matadors. She is a two-time Big West Academic All-Conference selection and has been named Academic All-MPSF during the indoor campaign.
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"It has always been important to me because my parents made sure I always prioritized my academics over everything else," Barba said. "I won't say I didn't complain about my parents when I was younger, but as time has passed, I have realized how grateful I have to be for them. I have also realized that education - in any form, not just in the classroom - opens your mind, makes you see things more clearly, and with a better perspective. There is always room to learn more and it's never too late to learn more. Moreover, I think education (the right and non-biased education) is the key to solve a lot of social problems."
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"(Sports and Academics) have always been my two priorities since high school, I have been able to receive financial aid for my performance in both fields, which is something that has made everything easier for me," Barba continued. "For example, not having to worry as much about getting a job to support me. If you can say that your only two occupations are sports and academics, believe me, consider yourself lucky. The day has enough hours to do both and be successful at both. It's all about priorities and staying focused. One thing that helps me stay focused is thinking that I'm responsible for my own time and time is something that goes by very fast, so I have to use it as wisely as possible. Being successful in the classroom requires a lot of skills and behaviors/attitudes that you need to be able to be successful in your sport, such as discipline, accountability, commitment, constancy, etc. It also means representing your team and your coaches wherever you go."
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Taylor Ittner, Men's Volleyball, Setter (Mechanical Engineering)
A two-time Big West All-Academic honoree, Taylor Ittner led the Matadors with 442 assists and ranked fifth in the Big West averaging 9.82 assists per set during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Ittner heads into the 2021 season with 1,434 career assists in two seasons at CSUN which ranks seventh in the program's Rally Scoring era. This past season, Ittner posted a career-high 66 assists along with a career-high six blocks against Concordia-Irvine (Jan. 10).
"For me, I believe it is extremely important to focus on academics as a student-athlete," said Ittner. "A lot of the time we are told to 'take care' of our academics, this framing almost makes it seem like a chore that needs to be completed in order to let us play. Academics should really stay in the center spotlight and not get pushed to the side as much as they do."
A Big West All-Academic selection following his redshirt freshman season in 2019 as well as this past season, Ittner successfully manages a challenging major in Mechanical Engineering with a busy practice and match schedule.
"The balance isn't easy, lots of coffee and late nights," he said. "Since we are working with less time than the general student population, we have to maximize efficiency. Any given free time gets turned into something important."Â
Ittner, a native of Meadow Vista, Calif., had a highly decorated first season on the court in 2019. He started all 27 matches, appearing in 102 sets, and was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team while also earning 2019 Off the Block Freshman All-America Team accolades. In addition, Ittner was named Big West Freshman of the Week three times (Apr. 15, Jan. 21, Jan. 14). He finished the season with a team-high 992 assists which ranked fourth in the Big West and 16th nationally.
Originally a Chemistry major, Ittner switched to Mechanical Engineering and hopes to forge a career in the field after graduating from CSUN.
"After I graduate I would like to go to grad school and from there hopefully find a job in some kind of energy production," he said. "Renewable power is a big passion of mine so I'd like to get a graduate degree in energy systems and move on from there."
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