Point Loma soccer player Bethany Arabe and Hawai`i Hilo baseball student-athlete Mason Cook are recipients of the 2024 NCAA Division II 50^th Anniversary Scholarship. The scholarship awards were announced tonight during the opening ceremonies at the Division II Festival on in Orlando.

Division II has selected 46 student-athletes from across the country who will each receive the 50th Anniversary Scholarship, worth over $1,000. A male and a female from each of Division II’s 23 conferences was selected from a pool of 196 nominees.

Division II schools submitted the nominations for the commemorative scholarship. Conference offices reviewed their member schools’ nominations and selected up to four finalists for review by the Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee. The subcommittee reviewed all finalist submissions and determined the recipients, awarding one male student-athlete and one female student-athlete from each of the 23 Division II conferences.

Recipients have exemplified the division’s Life in the Balance philosophy through high-level athletics competition, academic achievement, campus involvement and community engagement.

“Congratulations to the PacWest Conference scholarship recipients Bethany Arabe and Mason Cook, along with all the recipients who exhibit the Division II core values,” said PacWest Commissioner Jessica Harbison Weaver. “I’m very pleased that NCAA Division II chose to celebrate the rich history of the Division while supporting our PacWest student-athletes in furthering their education.”

Hawai`i Hilo catcher Mason Cook is a sophomore from Farmington, Utah. He is a two-year starter behind the plate, hitting four home runs and driving home 17 Vulcans this past spring season. Most importantly on defense behind the plate, he went the entire season without an error while directing the UH Hilo pitching staff.

He is a Kinesiology-Allied Health Concentration Major, and is working on a minor in Business Administration. He has a 4.0 Grade Point Average. He was the recipient this year of the University of Hawai`i Hilo College of Natural Health and Sciences Excellence Award. He is a All-PacWest Academic Award winner as well.

Cook has been heavily involved in habitat restoration, seeking improvement for migrating birds and animals in Ovid, Idaho, where he helped carry out permits and maintain habitats. At UH Hilo, he is the President of the Latter-Day Student Association (LDSSA), planning and carry out weekly meetings and activities, along with providing spiritual support.

Additionally, he is an intern for Therapeutics Laboratory under Dr. Lincoln Gotshalk in research chronobiology and the possible anthropometric and cortisol changes that ensue as a result of eastward travel on a college volleyball team. He has also worked with Vulcan head athletic trainer Dr. Kensei Gibbs, volunteered at the annual Hilo youth t-ball tournament, worked with the Hawai`i Special Olympics and has been a Veteran’s Day parade volunteer.

“This scholarship will help me to continue to explore various academic and career paths,” Cook said. “I am only two years into my educational path, and there is so much more that I want to explore before I decide my career occupation. I have already considered being an orthodontist, a physician’s assistant, work in physical therapy, a healthcare administrator or medical sales. I hope to secure another internship or two over the next few years to further clarify my career journey.”

Bethany Arabe, Point Loma women’s soccer player, carries a  3.89 GPA in Spanish and Biology-Chemistry. She is a PLNU Dean’s List student and has won multiple All-PacWest Academic Team honors.

The senior from Fullerton, Calif. has one more year of eligibility for a Sea Lion team that won the NCAA National Championship a year ago. Arabe was a First Team All-PacWest selection as a forward for the PacWest champion Sea Lions.

On the field, Arabe is a team captain for the Sea Lions. Off the field, she has been involved in a number of activities including PLNU’s outreach ministry to Tijuana, outreach to the homeless in San Diego, tutoring to African refugee students, the MVP Education program and she has been a special needs volunteer through her church.

She has taken summer missions trips to Uganda and Kenya, has worked as an EKG volunteer for children at a health clinic, and has also served as a volunteer as an interpretive arts healer at a local hospital.

“For me personally, being well-rounded has always been a huge priority, which is why I decided to play collegiately at the Division II level for Point Loma, Arabe said. “Over the past four years, I have been able to expand my knowledge in a highly academic setting and improve my skill and craft on the soccer pitch, while being part of wonderful opportunities to connect with the community on campus as well as engage with cultures outside of Point Loma. This complex balance of all these opportunities have taught me valuable lessons and nurtured my passion for community and service."

Arabe will continue to pursue a field in medicine, where she hopes to be able to use her Spanish skills as well.

To see the complete list of the NCAA 50th Anniversary Scholarship award winners, click here.