In 2002 the Cuesta Athletic Department established and named the Warren Hansen Scholar-Athlete Award in recognition of former Cuesta Athletic Director Warren Hansen's 36-year commitment to academic excellence. A Hansen Award winning student must maintain a 3.5 GPA and is also nominated based on their citizenship and athletic performance. This year's winner of the Male Warren Hansen Scholar-Athlete Award is Basketball Star
Corbin Rossi.
Sophomore
Corbin Rossi began his academic journey with Cuesta College as an enrichment student in the Fall of 2019 as a fourteen-year-old and since then he has compiled 102.5 units of completed transferrable units with a 3.95 Grade-Point Average. He has earned associate degrees with High Honors in both Business Administration and Economics, while also adding Certificates of Achievement in General Business Concentration, Business Career Track and both CSU General Education and UC IGETC Certification.
Rossi's Athletic career began during the 2023-24 season, when he Redshirted for the Cougars. Once he got on the floor for the 2024-25 campaign, he helped guide Hall of Fame Coach
Rusty Blair to his final playoff berth as one of the Cougars' indispensable players. Rossi averaged 7.9 points per game; however, his real value was a dogged defender, a team leader and a relentless ballhawk. Rossi's strength and quick feet allowed him to blanket opposing players on defense and landed him among the team's leaders in steals and blocks and earned him a nod for 2025 All-Western State Conference. In his second year, Rossi joined Forward
Ryan McNamee as the Cougars' only returners for the Cougars' new Coach
Jamoni Barber. Unfortunately, Rossi suffered through an injury laden season, while still averaging 10.0 points per game and leading the team in both steals and offensive rebounds. The Cougars missed the post-season, but Rossi helped lead his new coach to a respectable 10-win debut.
Rossi shall represent Cuesta at the Conference and State level as Cuesta College's CCCAA Men's Scholar Award nominee. His nomination will move forward to the conference level in September.
Cuesta has earned more CCCAA Scholar-Athlete Awards than any other community college. Cuesta's 2025 Hansen Scholar-Athletes of the Year, Multi-Sport Star Hailey Hallford Soccer/Softball) and Track & Field Athlete Cal Corn, were named to the 2024-25 CCCAA State Honor Roll (Top 15 in the State).
Cuesta Warren Hansen Male Scholar Athlete of the Year
#-State Scholar-Athlete of the Year; *-State Scholar team (Top 15)
2002 Savio Gomes (Water Polo)*
2003 Jeremy Waldram (Wrestling)#
2004 Kevin Bradley (Water Polo/Swim)
2005 Jared Hollows (Track)*
2006 Jon Jordan (Track)
2007 Mark Stephen (Water Polo)
2008 Quinn Clair (Baseball)
2009 Miles Wallace (Wrestling)
2010 Demian Nelson (Diving)
2011 Nic Lalanne (Water Polo)*
2012 Malte Kramer (Basketball)#
2013 Spencer Silva (Water Polo)*
2014 Geoff Merker (Wrestling)*
2015 John Sinclair (Wrestling)*
2016 Nick Rutckyj (Baseball)
2017 Modan Goldman (Wrestling)
2018 Chandler Mankins (Water Polo/Swim)*
2019 Iker Cruz (Basketball)
2020 Melecio Gonzalez (X-Country/Track)
2021 Jacques Safra (Basketball)
2022 Jacob Sill (Water Polo/Swim)*
2023 Sami Barakat (Wrestling)
2024 Drew Ardouin (Basketball)*
2025 Cal Corn (Track & Field)*
2026 Corbin Rossi (Basketball)
