It was recently announced by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education that two Long Beach City College student-athletes were named 2017 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. Women's cross country's Alexis Ceballos and football's Jacob Hines hauled in the awards and were recognized for their academic and athletic achievements.
Ceballos strung together a historic season for the women's cross country program by helming her squad to the 2016 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships by placing 10th overall. Ceballos was the lifeblood of the program by being named the Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year after earning gold at the South Coast Conference (SCC) Championships and placing 11th at the Southern California Regional Championships. She was the first female Viking to win the SCC Championship since 2005. She landed in the top-10 numerous times and finished in first place twice on the year.
Hines was a two-year member of the Viking's football regime while starting on the offensive line throughout his career. He was part of the 2016 Western State Bowl Championship game where he helped Long Beach earn a total of 676 yards of offense that included 199 on the ground. Hines, who was selected to the Southern California Football Association (SFCA) Central Division's Second-Team All-Conference list, will make a strong member of the offensive line. After the completion of the season, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Division-I Texas Tech University.