INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward Jacobo Diaz was named the 2018-19 IUP Men's Athlete of the Year, announced Friday, June 28 by the IUP Athletic Department.
 
The award is part of the Crimson & Gray Awards, which recognize the top athletes, coaches, teams and performances of the IUP Athletics season. The Awards are in their third year of existence.
 
Diaz was a unanimous first team All-American (NABC, D2SIDA, DII Bulletin) as he led the Crimson Hawks to a 30-3 record, division regular season title, and conference tournament championship.
 
Diaz put together one of the finest seasons in the storied history of the IUP men's basketball program. The two-time All-American averaged 18.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and shot 52.6 percent from the floor and 85.3 percent from the foul line. In all, he finished among the top-10 in the league in 15 statistical categories.

The All-American became the second player in IUP history to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds (also, Darryl Webb) against Mercyhurst, Feb. 2. At the time, he was one of 10 active players across all NCAA divisions and just the second active player in Division II to reach the milestone.

Diaz finished his IUP career ranked second in program history with 1,747 points and 1,105 rebounds, behind Webb.

Diaz earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Athlete of the Year honors for the second time in his career and was on the Top 25 Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award, which is given to the top player in NCAA Division II, Division III or the NAIA.
 
The PSAC West Athlete of the Year had a personal-best 16 double-doubles in 33 games, the most since former Division II Player of Year Darryl Webb posted 18 in 36 games during the 2009-10 national finalist season.
Diaz wrapped up his collegiate career by posting a double-double (17 points, 14 rebounds) in the Reese's Division II All-Star Game.

As one of the most decorated members in the history of the men's basketball program, Diaz concludes his IUP career as a two-time All-American, two-time PSAC West Athlete of the Year , two-time All-Region selection, three-time first team All-PSAC and three-time Bevo Francis Watch List honoree.
 
Diaz is the second IUP men's basketball player to earn Athlete of the Year honors, joining Brandon Norfleet who earned the award in 2015-16.
 
About the Athlete of the Year Award
The IUP Athlete of the Year is given each year to the men's and women's student-athletes, regardless of class eligibility, who had the best individual seasons. Starting in 2013, the award was voted on by fans in a bracket-style format. For the 2013-14 season, both men's and women's Athletes of the Year were named, with fan voting eliminated. That format ran for three years before the expansion and announcement of the Crimson and Gray Awards in 2017. 
 
About the Crimson & Gray Awards
The Crimson & Gray Awards are in their third year of existence and consist of 18 total categories - nine women, nine men - with top performers and performances from the 2018-19 year eligible.
 
Awards include: Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Performance of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, Postseason Performer of the Year, Senior of the Year, Team of the Year and Athlete of the Year.

The IUP Sports Information Office collected award nominations from its coaches, with those nominees voted on by a select panel to narrow each category down to finalists. That panel votes again to determine the winners.
 
 
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