Men's Volleyball and Softball Honor Faculty in Most Valuable Professor Day

4/17/2026 6:50:00 PM | General, Men's Volleyball, Softball

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Two CSUN teams honored campus faculty members as part of CSUN Athletics' MVP (Most Valuable Professor) Program on Saturday, Apr. 4. The Matador softball team opened the day by honoring 20 faculty members prior to their afternoon game against Cal State Fullerton. The CSUN Men's Volleyball concluded the day by honoring four faculty members before its match against UC Santa Barbara at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

"CSUN student-athletes continue to achieve at a high level thanks to the support of CSUN faculty," said Ryan Swartwood, CSUN's Director of Athletics. "The MVP games are essential for our Athletics Department as we gather and celebrate our faculty and express our gratitude for their contributions."

As part of the MVP experience, softball honorees were recognized on the field during pregame festivities and lined up with the team for the national anthem. Henry Maar, invited by Makenzi Padilla, also threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the afternoon game against Cal State Fullerton. As part of the MVP experience, Men's volleyball honorees were welcomed to Premier America Credit Union Arena and took part in a team photo prior to the game match, and were recognized together on the court before the national anthem.

Softball MVP Honorees

Henry Maar, from the Department of History in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Makenzi Padilla.
David Wakefield, from the Department of Child and Adolescent Development in the College of Health & Human Development, was invited by Maddie Padilla.
Yanbo Jin, from the Department of Finance, Financial Planning, and Insurance in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, was invited by Malia Williams.
Melisa Galvan, from the Department of Chicana/o Studies in the College of Humanities, was invited by Sheridan Gonzalez.
Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam, from Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies and Philosophy in the College of Humanities, was invited by Vanessa Perez.
Elizabeth Garcia, from the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Health & Human Development, was invited by Kylie Kolkowski.
James McCarron, from the Department of Communication Studies in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, was invited by Amber Rivas.
Esther Govea, from the Department of Child & Adolescent Development in the College of Health & Human Development, was invited by Isabella Hiner.
Megan Mangassarian, from the Department of Criminology & Justice Studies in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Baylee Brand-Castilleja.
Tim Kautiainen, from the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science and Mathematics, was invited by Ta'tiannah Wright.
Marlen Quintero Perez, from the Department of Child and Adolescent Development in the College of Health & Human Development, was invited by Madison Okano.
Ana Prata, from the Department of Sociology in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Alizae Cole.
Kenneth Cran, from the Department of English in the College of Humanities, was invited by Alizae Cole.
Denice Labertew, from the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Mackenzie Kila, Raegan Jackson, and Madilyn Hernandez.
Autumn Fabricant, from U100 and English in the College of Humanities, was invited by Bernyce Villegas and Perseus Yanez.
Jeanne Robertson, from the Department of Biology in the College of Science and Mathematics, was invited by Perseus Jenna Yanez-Jahangiri.
September Ewing, from the Department of Child and Adolescent Development in the College of Health & Human Development, was invited by Sheridan Gonzalez.
Camille Jones, from the Department of Biology in the College of Science and Mathematics, was invited by Kaitlyn Tso.
Bradley McAuliff, from the Department of Psychology in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Aleyna Urbina.
Daniel Tamae, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Science and Mathematics, was invited by Isabella Valdez.

Men's Volleyball MVP Honorees

Jora Amirkhanian, from the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was invited by Owen Douphner.
David Gonzalez, from the Department of History in the College of Humanities, was invited by Stilian Delibosov.
Jane Tierney, from the Department of Systems & Operations Management in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, was invited by Nir Eitan.
Ellis Godard, from the Department of Sociology in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, was invited by Shane Nhem.

CSUN Athletics' next MVP game is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, when CSUN Baseball hosts UC Davis at 2 p.m.

#GoMatadors