Motomochi Heading To Ethiopia After Receiving Special Honor
June 18, 2012
Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Release 
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Jonnie Motomochi will get on a plane on Tuesday to join the Beavers Without Borders team in Ethiopia as a recent recipient of the prestigious Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Motomochi was named the Pac-12 men's golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his 3.38 GPA in Liberal Studies and his prowess as a four-year contributor to the Oregon State men's golf program. In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility), on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution.
"Honestly, this meant a lot to me," Motomochi said. "When I found out, my family was here because of the commencement and it really meant a lot to share it with them. Alex Williams, who played golf at Oregon State, won this award my freshman year and to put my name alongside his is pretty special. It means a lot to me because it only goes out to one person in the conference for each sport. I'm just really honored."
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year is named in each of the Pac-12's 22 sponsored sports and each recipient receives a commemorative award. Toyo® will donate $1,000 to the scholarship funds of the institution's athletic department of each winner in recognition of their accomplishments. The honor was established by the Pac-12 during the 2007-08 academic year.
Motomochi was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team three times and was honored as a 2011 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and 2011 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He concluded his four-year Oregon State career with a scoring average of 74.00 in 105 rounds.
The majority of the Beavers Without Borders team flew to Ethiopia on Sunday in the fourth trip Oregon State student-athletes have participated in since the program began in 2011. BWOB is in partnership with Holt International, a local children's services organization, which will assist in the construction of living quarters for two families.
"If you were to tell me that four years ago I would be getting the Scholar-Athlete award and going to Ethiopia with a bunch of student-athletes, I wouldn't have believed it," Motomochi said. "I couldn't be more honored go. To do this trip with so many other great student-athletes is special."
Other Oregon State student-athletes joining Motomochi include: Josh Andrews (football), Chloe Steinbeck (track), Seshia Telles (golf), Clark Fisher (rowing), Margo Clinton (swimming), Gillian Cooper (rowing), Brian Watkins (football), Julie Sattler (soccer), Emily Richardson (softball), Martie Massey (volleyball), Stephanie McGregor (gymnastics) and Lauren Fischer (golf).
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