SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Senior Charlotte Taylor from cross country and track & field and Leon Schwarzer from men's soccer were named the recipients of the Female and Male Mike Gilleran WCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference office on Friday afternoon.
 
The Mike Gilleran WCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award recognizes the finest accomplishments in athletics, academics, and community service by individuals who have completed their collegiate eligibility. The award was re-named in honor of the conference's first full-time Commissioner, Mike Gilleran, who retired after 24 years of service to WCC.
 
Taylor has made a name for herself in her three years on the Hilltop not only on the course and track, but in the classroom as well. Taylor owns a 4.0 GPA in her International & Development Economics Master of Science program. For her academic work, Taylor has earned multiple honors including CoSIDA Academic All-American (2017), two-time WCC All-Academic winner for cross country (2016, 17) and USTFCCCA All-Academic in track and field (2016).
 
"Charlotte has been our athletic and emotional leader for the women's program for the last three years'" said cross country and track & field head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "Charlotte is the ultimate teammate and team player and is 100% invested in the team result - even sacrificing her own personal results for what is best for team strategy at times. She cares just as much about how her teammates perform as her own individual performances."
 
On the course and track, Taylor has etched herself into the USF athletics history books. In 2017, Taylor won the national championship in the 10,000m at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. This added to an impressive year for her, which saw her earn All-American honors in cross country and track & field. It is never easy to come back the following year and perform, but Taylor did. In the 2017 cross country season, Taylor led the Dons to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while earning her third All-American honor overall. On Thursday night, Taylor added to her impressive resume, taking fifth in the 10,000m and earning her second consecutive First Team All-American honors.  She will look to add to her resume on Saturday when she competes in the 5,000m.
 
On campus, Taylor did her part to ensure she met the academic standards at USF, volunteering her time as a teaching assistant for the economics department for two years (2016, 17). She was also a research assistant in her program, International and Development Economics, for her final two years at USF (2017, 18).
 
Leon Schwarzer prided himself on being the best in every aspect of his time at USF. On the field in 2017, Schwarzer did just that as he helped the Dons to their first West Coast Conference title since 2008, and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For his contributions on the field, Schwarzer earned WCC Player of the Year to go along with his First-Team All-WCC honors. He played almost every minute of the 2017 season and added six goals and seven assists.
 
Off the field, Schwarzer was just as successful. Boasting a 3.96 GPA as an International Business major, he earned WCC First-Team All-Academic honors, and made the United Soccer Coaches 2017 Scholar All-American Second-Team for Division I. Prior to joining the Dons, Schwarzer spent two years at USC Upstate where he earned multiple academic honors including Co-SIDA All-American Third Team.
 
In the community, Schwarzer was a big help to the local soccer teams, including University High School, while volunteering at various clinics throughout San Francisco. He helped out at the Salvation Army in the Tenderloin where he would play with the kids and became a role model to them. In his Organizational Dynamics class, Leon was also helping the community, doing outreach to the homeless community, communicating the importance of religion, beliefs and health.