NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Kings take tough 114-95 loss; Wizards just nick the Knicks 101-100; 76ers pile on the Pacers 120-96; plus more

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Sacramento Kings took a tough 114-95 loss in Charlotte Thursday night to the Hornets. The Hornets’ Kemba Walker led with 23 points. The Kings drop their road record to 9-12.

#2 The Washington Wizards just got by the New York Knicks 101-100. The Wizards Bradley Beal had 26 points for Washington.

#3 The Philadelphia 76ers piled up the points for a 120-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers’ Jimmy Butler led with 27 points.

#4 The Toronto Raptors beat the Suns 111-109 in Toronto. The Raptors’ Pascal Siakam had 10 points to lead Toronto in scoring.

#5 The Denver Nuggets knocked off the struggling Chicago Bulls 135-105. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic led with 18 points.

Jerry Feitelberg is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Only Place To Look Is Up: Cal lands in the Pac-12 basement, lose to WSU, 82-59

By Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears can’t get any lower than this.

In a sleepy, sparsely populated Beasley Coliseum, the Bears were supposed to be purposely competitive with Washington State, the one other Pac-12 team that hadn’t done much thus far this season, similar to Cal.

But instead of purposely competitive, the Bears were surprisingly quiet. And the two Cougars that Cal could least afford to allow to have big games, did.

Robert Franks returned to the WSU lineup after missing four games with a hip issue, and seamlessly fit back in, scoring 24 points in limited minutes off the bench. Franks scored a career-best 34 points against Cal in last year’s meeting in Pullman, including a school-record 10 made threes.

Franks had consecutive baskets in WSU’s run to open the second half that stretched the Cougars’ lead from nine at the break, to double digits, then to as many as 29 in the game’s waining moments.

C.J. Elleby, son of Bill Elleby, the former Cal player from 1988 to 1992, gave the Cougs a big assist as well. The highly regarded freshman started and scored 11 points, including two made threes.

The whole stew added up to 54 percent shooting for Washington State as they became the tenth Cal opponent to shoot 51 percent or better from the floor this season.

Meanwhile, the Bears limped along with 39 percent shooting and committed 14 turnovers. Neither number was as telling as Cal’s season-low six assists, as 10 of the 13 Bears to see action failed to record one.

Washington State broke a six-game losing streak with the win, and won for the first time in conference play.

The Bears (5-12, 0-5) are still looking for that first conference win, and they’ve dropped 12 consecutive Pac-12 contests dating back to last year.

The Bears were led by Justice Sueing with 15 points. Matt Bradley chipped in with 14, but missed eight of his 13 shots. The Bears were surprisingly poor from the foul line, making just nine of 16.

The Bears travel to Seattle for Saturday’s meeting with the first-place Huskies. Washington is currently the only conference team projected to make the NCAA tournament and that’s only as a ten-seed. Game time set for 2:00 pm PST.

Kings falter following fast start, fall to Hornets 114-95

Photo credit: atthehive.com

By: London Marq

On Thursday evening, the Kings traveled to Charlotte, kicking off the first of 6 games on the road. Winning 4 of their last 5 games, the Kings have recently gone all in with their youth movement. Harry Giles, the former college and high school standout who redshirted his first season with Sacramento after an injury, has been seeing more of the floor and has shown that he may be exactly what the Kings need around the basket. Combined with the talents of the number two overall pick from last year’s draft, Marvin Bagley III, they look like they could be the long-term future for the Kings’ backcourt. Sacramento hopes to ride it’s youth to playoff berth, continuing with a good start to this road trip.

The Kings started the game out hot, going on a 15-3 run to open the game. Buddy Hield, who has been on fire this season and is on pace to break the Kings record for threes in a single season, poured in 9 from beyond the arc. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker would help his team get back into the game, scoring 5 in the first. De’Aaron Fox helped keep the Hornets at bay with excellent facilitation, dishing out 4 assists in the quarter. The quarter would end 25-20 in the Kings’ favor.

At one point, the Kings held an 11-point lead in the second quarter, but the half ended with Charlotte going on a monster 39-13 run over 10 minutes. The game would go to halftime with Charlotte leading 63-50. The Kings would continue to fall apart. While Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley had good games off the bench, a lack of ball movement and poor shooting would plague them and the lead for Charlotte would balloon to 20 in the fourth quarter. The Kings starters would fight back, but it would be too little, too late.

It was a poor was for the Kings to open up a long road trip, but there is still time to turn it around.  The Kings travel to the Palace in Detroit to take on the Pistons on Saturday. After beating them 7 days ago at the Golden 1 Center, they should go in with a high level of confidence. And, after one of the most disappointing losses of the season to Charlotte, they should be hungry for a bounce back win.

FINAL: Charlotte defeated Sacramento 114-95.

UP NEXT: Kings stop by Detroit to take on the Pistons Saturday at 4:00 pm PST.

Huskies rout Cardinal 80-64 in Pac-12 play

Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, January 17, 2019

Stanford’s woes in conference play continued Thursday, as the Cardinal traveled to Seattle and dropped an 80-64 Pac-12 men’s basketball decision to Washington.

Jaylen Nowell led the Huskies (13-4 overall, 4-0 Pac-12) with 22 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Nahziah Carter was next with 13 points off the bench, followed by Dominic Green with 11 and David Crisp with 10.

Nowell and Crisp each grabbed five rebounds for the Huskies; Nowell, Crisp and Green each had two assists. Matisse Thybulle collected five steals for Washington.

KZ Okpala was Stanford’s top scorer with 22 points, along with five rebounds and two assists and a technical foul. Josh Sharma scored 17 points and grabbed eight of the Cardinal’s 34 rebounds. Daejon Davis committed five of Stanford’s 18 turnovers, which the Huskies converted into 24 points.

Stanford has averaged 15.5 turnovers per game this season, and has yet to register single-digit turnovers in any of its 17 games. To compound matters, the Cardinal were 3-of-15 on 3-point attempts.

The Cardinal (8-9, 1-4) struggled with Washington’s zone defense for most of the first half and though things improved in the second half, the Huskies cruised to their fifth straight win.

In the second half, the Huskies led by as many as 16 points, but Stanford cut its deficit to single digits with 10:16 left. A Washington run put the Huskies back to a 58-44 lead with 8 minutes to play.

Stanford’s road trip continues when they visit Washington State on Saturday. Game time set for 12:00 pm PST.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks defense let down to snap streak; Head to Tampa Bay with chin straps up

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks had a streak of seven in a row and no losses for January until they met the Mighty Coyotes of Arizona and got their steak snapped 6-3 on Wednesday night.

#2 The Sharks took a three-goal loss, considering how good they’ve been on defense was a surprise.

#3 The Yotes kept it up in deuces, scoring twice in each of the first, second and third periods.

#4 The Sharks got just one goal in each the first, second and third periods to fall short.

#5 The Sharks will shake this one off in Glendale as they head to Tampa Bay to face off with the Lightning on Saturday.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Kaepernick return talk, he won’t be back; Giants won’t use pitching openers; Antonio Brown wants to join 49ers; plus more

Photo credit: time.com

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 There’s been talk that former 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s return to the NFL is long overdue. Is there a chance for Kaepernick to return to the NFL?

#2 The San Francisco Giants most likely will not use pitching openers to start ballgames. They will use the traditional starter and relievers during an nine inning contest.

#3 Tony talks about talk that Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown, who wants to play for the 49ers, will need to work out his contract with the Steelers first before leaving.

#4 Tony takes a look at the NFL Championship Final Four in the NFC. Tony says it’s New Orleans 45 and the LA Rams 38.

#5 In the AFC: New England Patriots 31 and Kansas City Chiefs 30.

Tony does the Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors come back to win, send Pelicans down 147-140

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Wow, what a game! The Golden State Warriors, having played last night in Denver and returned home to the Bay Area in the wee hours of the morning, defeated the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at Oracle Arena by a score of 147-140. It was not easy as the Pelicans played one of their best games of the year. They scored 140 points and had five players in double-digits. They led for most of the game, but the Warriors came to life late in the third quarter and took the lead 110 -109 when Andre Iguodala hit a shot at the buzzer and made a free throw as he was fouled on the play.

The Pelicans, not known for three-point shooting, rained down ten 3-pointers in the first half. They won the first quarter 39-31. With the score 21-14 in favor of Golden State, the Pelicans went on a 17-5 run to lead 31-26. They finished the quarter, leading 39-31. The Pelicans increased the lead to sixteen, 61-45. The Warriors then went on a 17-4 run to close the gap to 65-62. The Pelicans responded and went ahead by eight 70-62. The first half ended with New Orleans in the lead 71-66.

Nikola Mirotic led the Pelicans with 21 points coming off the bench. He made four three and the Warriors had no answer for him. Anthony Davis had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 11. The Warriors’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson finished with 15, 12, and 17, respectively. Shaun Livingston, coming off the bench scored 11. The Pelicans made ten 3s, and the Warriors made 11. Steph Curry committed his two fouls early in the first quarter and missed over sat on the bench for most of the period. He committed his third foul early in the second quarter and sat until late in the period.

The Pelicans looked as if they were in command, and were going to win the game as the Warriors could not get the offense going. The Warriors came to life late in the period when they went on a 25-8 run in the last 3 minutes and 43 seconds left in the period. They had not led since early in the first quarter. The Warriors, behind Curry’s 23 points in the quarter and Iguodala’s steal and bucket, as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter with the Warriors in the lead 110-109. The Warriors outscored the Pelicans 44-38 in the quarter.

The Warriors continued to play well on offense, and their defense was able to stop the Pelican attack. The Pelicans went up by three 118-115, but Iguodala hit a 3 to tie the game. The teams tied again at 120. New Orleans went ahead 124-123. It would be their last lead of the night. Shaun Livingston made a bucket, and that was followed by Kevon Looney’s basket to make it 127-124. Draymond Green made a three to give the Dubs the lead 132-126. Looney and Curry mad buckets to put the Warriors ahead by eight, 134-126, with 2:28 left to play. Mirotoc connected on his sixth 3 of the night, but Green countered with his fourth 3-pointer. The Warriors’ defense made the stops, and the Warriors finished with their sixth win a row by a score of 147-140.

Game Notes and Stats: After the big win in Denver Tuesday night, it looked like the Warriors were not in sync early in the game. The Pelicans finished the night with five players in double figures, and they made 19 three-point shots and scored 140 points and still lost. The Warriors found their mojo late in the third quarter and showed the Pelicans why they are the reigning NBA champions. Steph Curry had another out of this world performance as he finished with 41 points and made nine threes in 17 attempts. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 30 points and 15 rebounds, Durant made five threes Wednesday night. Klay Thompson had 19, and he made four threes. Draymond Green probably had his best game of the year. Green, who had not been scoring much this season, tallied 17 points. He had six rebounds and 14 assists for another double-double. He had to guard the Pelicans’ two big men Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic scored 21 in the first half but was held to just eight in the second. Kevon Looney also played well. Looney had seven significant points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala each had 13 points for Golden State.

Golden State made 24 three-point shots to tie a franchise record. The Pelicans made 19 threes. Each time shot 48% from the floor. The Warriors outrebounded the Pelicans 57-49, and Kevon Looney was a force on the offensive boards as the Warriors outrebounded the Pelicans 10-7 in that department.

The Warriors improve to 31-14 while the Pelicans drop to 21-24.

Up Next: The Warriors embark on a five-game road trip starting Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center in LA. The game will feature the debut of DeMarcus Cousins as a Warrior. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Coyotes snap Sharks’ seven-game winning streak with 6-3 win

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, January 16, 2019

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes wanted to take advantage of a tired San Jose team on Wednesday, jumped on the Sharks early and hung on for a 6-3 NHL Pacific Division win.

In the process, the Coyotes earned two needed points to remain in the Western Conference wild card race, and snapped San Jose’s seven-game winning streak. Arizona has won four of its last five games and trails Minnesota by six points for the second wild card berth.

“It wasn’t sharp,” Sharks center Logan Couture said. “Our power play wasn’t sharp. We gave up a breakaway and we’d like to get that one back. … It’s tough to end such a nice run.

“We’re fine. You never want to go crazy when you lose, but it’s difficult when you lose a division game, one that’s winnable. (The Coyotes) knew we played last night and jumped on us right away.”

Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said, “It was a fun game to be a part of, and I thought we played really good for 60 minutes and that’s why we came out with a win. Everybody was working really hard, and played the right way.”

Arizona’s Lawson Crouse opened the scoring at 2:31 of the first period with his seventh goal of the season. Crouse’s wrist shot deflected off Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell’s glove and into the net.

The Coyotes made it 2-0 at 4:39 of the opening period. With Niklas Hjalmarsson serving a hooking penalty, Arizona’s Richard Panik picked up a loose puck at his own blue line and, on a breakaway, beat Dell to the stick side for his 10th goal of the season – an unassisted short-handed tally.

San Jose cut its deficit to 2-1 on Kevin Leblanc’s fifth goal at 6:53 of the opening period. Leblanc converted a rebound in the slot off a shot from the point by Brenden Dillon.

“That wasn’t our best effort,” Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer said. “We dug a hole early, got behind, and didn’t do enough to come back. You have to give (Arizona) credit, they were rested, came out with a lot of energy, won a lot of battles. We were, uncharacteristically, a little sloppy, a little soft.

“We knew that after the game last night (a 5-2 win at home against Pittsburgh) we didn’t get engaged quickly enough or long enough.”

Christian Fischer made it 3-1 for Arizona, scoring on a wraparound from behind the net off Dell’s right skate for his 11th goal. Jordan Weal, recently acquired from Philadelphia, earned his first point as a Coyote with the second assist.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s sixth goal of the season came on a wrist shot from the top of the right circle off a drop pass by Clayton Keller. Eckman-Larsson’s shot was screened and beat Dell to the glove side at 7:50 of the second period.

DeBoer challenged the goal, claiming the play was offside. After a video review, the play was upheld, and the Coyotes had a 4-1 lead.

“We had an offside, and then they cleared the zone. Then it gets negated and it goes back in. So, it was our mistake,” DeBoer said.

Moments later, Evander Kane scored for San Jose at 10:15, firing a shot off a drop pass near the slot by Lebanc, cutting the Coyotes lead to 4-2.

Couture’s 17th goal of the season at 15:08 of the third period made it a one-goal contest. But Alex Galchenyuk scored three minutes later for the Coyotes, and Josh Archibald popped in an empty-net tally at 19:11.

“We had a lot of guys contribute tonight,” Coyotes Coach Rick Tocchet said. “I think everybody did something for us to win this game. It’s all hands on deck with (the Sharks). They’re a Cup favorite, so it was nice to win that game.”

Darcy Kuemper stopped 26 of 29 San Jose shots, while Dell – despite a shaky start – turned away 35 of 39 shots.

The Sharks road trip continues on Saturday at Tampa Bay, with games at Florida (Jan. 21) and Washington (Jan. 22) before their bye week.

SHARK BITES: Coyotes D Oliver Ekman-Larsson tied Teppo Numminen (108 goals) for the most goals in their NHL franchise history by a defenseman. Ekman-Larsson’s game winning goal tied Thomas Steen and Dale Hawerchuk (29) for sixth-most game winners in the team’s Winnipeg-Arizona NHL history. The league does not recognize statistics from the World Hockey Association. … San Jose scratches: C Dylan Gambrell, D Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D Joakim Ryan. … Richard Panik’s short-handed goal was the first of his career; he was the fifth Coyote to score short-handed this season. Arizona is second in the NHL with 12 short-handed goals, trailing Calgary by two. … C Joe Thornton is five points from his 1,000th as a Shark, and seven assists from matching Gordie Howe for ninth on the NHL’s all-time assist list (1,049). … Attendance at Gila River Arena was 13,342.

TAGS: San Jose Sharks,Arizona Coyotes, NHL, Sports Radio Service

UP NEXT: Sharks head to Tampa, Fla. to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday at 4:00 PM PST.

San Jose State drops seventh straight game in 81-63 loss to Utah State

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball was looking to snap a six-game losing skid, but the Utah State Aggies were a tough customer in Wednesday night’s conference matchup inside the Event Center.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup consisting of Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Zach Chappell, Oumar Barry, and Noah Baumann.

The Spartans won the tip and got off to a fast start, thanks to Baumann. Baumann hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring. Chappell followed up with a 3 on the fastbreak. It was 6-0 at the 18:31 mark. Baumann proceeded to pour in the points with three consecutive free throws. SJSU was in the driver’s seat 9-5 at the 16:10 mark.

Fast forward to the 12:03 mark when the Spartans expanded their lead to 24-9. Baumann was on fire with 18 points on 5-for-5 3-point shooting around that time. Yet, USU gave SJSU a hard time with a sudden increase in points, including 3s from Sam Merrill, Brock Miller, and Diogo Brito.

The Spartans weren’t ready to suffer defeat to close out the first. Seneca Knight joined the 3-point party with a 3 to put the Spartans ahead by 10, 27-17, with 9:47 left.

The Aggies heated up at the right time with more 3s, layups, and free throws, but the Spartans cooled off for the most part as the clock winded down. Steadman sank a layup in the paint and Baumann hit a 3 to pull the Spartans within six, 41-35, with 48 seconds left. SJSU shrugged off to the locker room, trailing 41-35 at halftime.

The second half was basically a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. Brito made a pair of free throws to put the Aggies up 43-35 at the 19:28 mark. The Spartans responded with back-to-back 3s from Baumann and Chappell to pull within two, 43-41, at the 16:21 mark. However, Brito hit a 3 to help the Aggies to a 46-41 lead just 27 seconds later. Still, it was anyone’s game.

The Spartans hung tough as a comeback was possible after a 63-49 deficit at the under-eight timeout. SJSU tied their season-high in 3s with ten 3s.

Baumann hit a 3 and knocked down a jumper to bring the Spartans within fifteen, 78-63, with 1:13 left. But the Aggies responded with Tauriawn Knight’s 3 to put the game out of reach for the Spartans 81-63 at the final timeout with 29.9 seconds left.

The Spartans dropped their seventh straight game in a 81-63 loss to the Aggies. With the loss, SJSU falls to 3-13, 0-4 Mountain West. With the win, USU rises to 13-5, 3-2 Mountain West.

SJSU heads to Paradise, Nev. to take on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Saturday at 4:30 pm PT.

San Jose State football receives $1 million gift from SJSU alumnus

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University was pleased to announce Wednesday that they received a $1 million gift commitment from alumnus Kevin Swanson (’87 Finance), and his wife Sandy Swanson. Their gift will contribute to a new football operations center on the east side of the CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans.

“This gift reflects the support and love Kevin and Sandy have for our football program and for San Jose State University,” said director of athletics Marie Tuite. “Win or lose, they are committed to improving the experiences and well-being of our student-athletes through their generous donation. They understand the value of the football operations center to San Jose State, and their generosity is an indication of their belief in Coach Brent Brennan and his staff. We offer a sincere and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to two of the best Spartans in our community.”

Supporting Common Goals
The Swansons’ San Jose financial services office is decorated in Spartan regalia, from a SJSU flag hanging on the wall to Kevin’s diploma. As an undergraduate, Kevin was active in the Delta Upsilon fraternity, a network of friends and colleagues, who invited him back after graduating to serve as a fraternity adviser. For 11 years, he mentored Spartans and Sandy attended countless pledge dances and university events. The chance to connect with students on a personal and professional level inspired the Swansons to attend Spartan football games, enjoying tailgates with a community of friends.

“One thing I love about athletics is the opportunity it brings to students who wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to pursue an education,” said Kevin. “It offers the opportunity for young men and women to learn more about themselves and to work on a team with a common goal as a community.”

In 2018, the couple learned about Beyond Football, which offers unique programming for Spartan football players to develop career and life skills that extend beyond the sport. Together, they volunteered to offer mock interviews alongside a cohort of Silicon Valley professionals to critique the students’ interview techniques. The chance to interact one-on-one with football players in a professional capacity inspired them to find a lasting way to give back.

“It really struck us that the football team and the Beyond Football program were really making a difference in these young men’s lives,” said Sandy, a CSU Hayward graduate, who calls SJSU her adopted alma mater. “That type of foresight on the part of the athletics department is inspirational for us, and we’d love to see those types of things continue.”

“Kevin and Sandy Swanson have been amazing to us since we came on board two years ago,” said head football coach Brent Brennan. “They believe, like many of us do, that in the process of building a top-flight football program, we need to invest at a high level. This gift is another huge step in the direction of giving our program the facilities it needs to compete at the highest level in the Mountain West. I am so thankful for their belief in what we are building here.”

Football Matters
The Swansons believe that by supporting the football program, they can multiply their impact for all student-athletes at SJSU.

“The impact that athletics has on athletes in any sport is significant and one of the reasons we are making this donation,” said Kevin. “We believe that on most campuses football is a major factor in fundraising and revenue generation for the entire campus. When you have a strong football program, you have a strong athletics program. Athletics really does change students’ lives.”

“Kevin and Sandy are longtime passionate supporters of San Jose State University and of Spartan football, and this commitment speaks volumes about just how passionate they are,” said Paul Lanning, vice president for university advancement and CEO of SJSU’s Tower Foundation. “We’re grateful and proud to count them among the growing number of major benefactors who believe in this project and want to see it happen as quickly as possible.”

To track fundraising progress and learn how you can support the football operations center, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Joshua Thiel, deputy athletics director for athletics advancement, at 408-924-1697 or via email at joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.

About San Jose State
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, SJSU provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, SJSU continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

About San Jose State Athletics
SJSU sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the MW. Selected teams belong to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Golden Coast Conference (GCC).

SJSU has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. Spartan athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.

Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.