Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

The Cal Poly Humboldt women’s basketball team may have missed out on the playoffs this season, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t have something to celebrate.

On Tuesday, it was announced that junior Emilia Long was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Newcomer of the Year.

That’s an impressive accolade on its own for the junior guard, who led the team with 15.2 points a game, but it is even more so when you consider the fact that Long was also named the conference newcomer of the year in soccer in the fall.

The multi-sport standout becomes the first student-athlete in conference history to be named newcomer of the year in two different sports.

“”This is a tremendous honor for Emilia,” Lumberjacks women’s basketball head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. “It is well deserved and we are all very proud of her. There is no question that she stepped into this conference and had an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. 

“Emilia plays with high energy, great intensity, and is a true competitor. To receive such a great honor in two sports and to make history in the CCAA is remarkable. 

“I appreciate and greatly respect what she brings to our team and I look forward to seeing her continued growth as a basketball player.”

Long, a Port Angeles, Wash., native, joined the Jacks this year from Peninsula College.

She averaged 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game and was ranked second in the conference in assists and 15th nationally in steals. 

She scored double-figures in 21 of 25 games, including six games with over 20 points.

In addition to her two newcomer of the year awards, Long also was a second-team all-conference selection in both sports.

Max Tepper/Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics