Washington, D.C. – The Cal State LA Golden Eagle volleyball team was welcomed to the White House on Monday, alongside other national champions from the past academic year, to celebrate their accomplishments as part of NCAA Sports Day. The festivities, which took place on the South Lawn, recognized the student-athletes and coaches from national championship teams across the NCAA’s three divisions.
Joined on stage by more than 40 student-athlete representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris and NCAA Senior Vice President of Championships Lynda Tealer heralded the teams’ collective success while celebrating their dedication and grit.
“In America, tens of millions of people play a sport as a child, and the best-of-the-best grow up to become national champions,” said Vice President Harris before speaking directly to the student-athletes in attendance. “When you play, you inspire people across our nation. You remind all of us what can be achieved with hard work and ambition.”
Selected as Cal State LA’s representative to join Vice President Harris on stage was senior Shelby Grubbs. Grubbs—who repeatedly earned top academic honors in her Cal State LA career and served as team captain—reflected on the moment shortly after the ceremony. She shared how special it felt to be honored alongside other volleyball national champions from Division I Texas and Division III Juniata.
“Getting to talk with people who play the same sport as you, but at different divisions, and all end up at the same place was really cool,” said the middle blocker from Newhall. “To know that we have events like this where we can be recognized on this high of a level is crazy.”
For the Golden Eagles, the reception marked the zenith of a historic campaign, which culminated in the program’s first national title. Back in November, Cal State LA entered the NCAA playoffs ranked outside of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25. They then went on to beat six ranked teams to win the university’s first women’s title in the NCAA era. In doing so, the Golden Eagles became the first team to ever win a national title after being unranked in the AVCA’s final regular season poll.
“We take immense pride in our volleyball student-athletes,” said Daryl Gross, Cal State LA’s executive director for Intercollegiate Athletics. “This experience embodies our mission to cultivate future impactful leaders. For the team, this moment was invaluable and serves as a lasting reminder that they will always be national champions.”
During the day’s festivities, the players and coaches were treated to a guided tour of the White House and gardens and were also invited to play games like volleyball and cornhole with their fellow student-athletes on the White House lawn. A live band played cinematic themes from superhero movies while many attendees snapped pictures to commemorate the occasion.
“We are just overwhelmed with emotions,” said Head Coach Juan Figueroa. “We are all just thankful and blessed for the opportunity to come out here and be among the nation’s best. It’s a very overwhelming feeling of happiness and pride.”
Watch the full program on the White House YouTube channel.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 26,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
Cal State LA is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, Billie Jean King Sports Complex and the TV, Film and Media Center. For more information, visit www.CalStateLA.edu.
