BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield Athletics Department is excited to be just one week away from the 15th Annual ROWDYs, an opportunity to come together and honor the best Roadrunners throughout the 2025-26 season. Continuing its second decade of ROWDYs award shows, the 15th-annual installment will once again welcome CSUB student-athletes, coaches, and staff to the Icardo Center for the event on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. (PT). Family, friends, and fans will be able to watch the awards show live on the CSUB Athletics YouTube page.
As always, ‘The 15th Annual ROWDYs’ places a heavy focus on the student-athlete experience at CSUB, with an emphasis on the senior class of 2026. CSUB Athletics has an abundance of impressive accomplishments to celebrate, be it in competition, in the classroom, or in community leadership.
Every year, CSUB anxiously awaits this show to broadcast its amazing `Runners with plenty of multimedia highlights from the year. This live event is sponsored by some of our wonderful partner Valley Strong Credit Union.
In total, 21 awards will be handed out on May 7, with CSUB’s top scholar-athletes being recognized for their outstanding academic and athletic feats. The ROWDYs also dig deeper, honoring those who are great leaders and show passion for their teams, the Athletics Department, and the Bakersfield community. The nominees for this year’s awards are listed below with two major honors highlighting the evening.
The Athlete of the Year Award is presented to the top male and female `Runner athletes from the 2025-26 season. The President’s Award, chosen by CSUB President Dr. Vernon Harper, goes to two seniors who have put together well-rounded careers, achieving the highest accomplishments in competition, in the classroom, and in the community.
New from 2025 is the “Play of the Year”, which aims to recognize the most wow-worthy moment in CSUB Athletics through a public vote. These student-athletes and teams put their athleticism on display in feats that brought fans to their feet. The greater public can go to CSUB Athletics’ Instagram account and vote on the 1v1 matchups through the end of this week, then the final vote will be in the hands of the `Runner student-athletes on the night of the awards show.