As their careers are now completed, Viking softball star Olivia Dean, a shortstop, and football star Mataio Talalemotu, a wide receiver, can look in the Portland State record books and easily find their names in numerous statistical columns. They also have amassed multiple academic honors and completed their degrees on the Park Blocks. Their sustained achievement over their collegiate careers has earned them the respective honors of Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2022-23.
 
Dean and Talalemotu represent Portland State on a list of other Big Sky honorees that recognize the top scholar-athletes at each school. The awards go to one male and one female student-athlete at each school that best represent the combination of performance and academics for their program. To be eligible, honorees need to have exhausted their athletic eligibility and/or be a member of the graduating class. They also need to have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0) scale, been a participant in a Big Sky-sponsored sport, and completed at least two (2) years of intercollegiate competition at the institution.
 
A three-year starting shortstop for the Vikings, Dean graduated in June with a degree in business administration: management and leadership, earning a 3.52 cumulative GPA. The Chehalis, WA native was a three-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and three-time NFCA Scholar-Athlete while receiving a trio of All-Big Sky infield honors. A first-team nod in 2023 highlighted her all-conference accomplishments, in addition to being named to the 2023 Big Sky Championship All-Tournament Team. As the Big Sky's stolen base leader in back-to-back seasons, Dean amassed 48 career stolen bases, a program DI-era record. Finishing with a .328 career batting average, her .353 average in 2022 was the highest on the team and ranked third in the conference. 
 
Talalemotu, from Beaverton High School, had an accomplished football career. He ranks 11th all-time in receptions at PSU with 127. Talalemotu was also 11th all-time with 2,008 career yards. He caught 18 touchdown passes to rank seventh all-time, including a team-leading eight scores in 2022 as he was named honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference.
 
On the academic side, Talalemotu has a degree in Business Administration: Supply Chain and Logistics Management. He is completing his graduate work in Global Supply Chain Management. Talalemotu is a five-time Academic All-Big Sky recipient while earning Academic All-District honors and to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
 

Portland State's Past Scholar-Athletes of the Year

2022-23: Olivia Dean (softball), Mataio Talalemotu (football)
2021-22: Tyson Pauling (football), Windy Huang (women's golf)
2020-21: Anthony Adams (football), Kaila Gibson (track and field/cross country)
2019-20: Eszter Zador (women's tennis), Kenton Bartlett (football)
2017-18: Justin Outslay (football), Tasha Bojanic (volleyball)
2018-19: Donte Robinson (track and field), Courtney West (women's basketball)
2016-17: Xavier Coleman (football), Genna Settle (track and field)
2015-16: Sheldon Prince (track and field), Cori Bianchini (soccer)
2014-15: Joe Lopez (football), Caitlin Plese (soccer)
2013-14: Garyn Schlatter (volleyball), Mitch Gaulke (football)
2012-13: Anna Bertrand (softball), Zach Lubek (men's tennis)
2011-12: Eryn Jones (women's basketball), Drew Hubel (football)
2010-11: Frankie Ross (soccer), Tygue Howland (football)
2009-10: Ryan Pederson (football), Dolly Enneking (soccer)
 

2022-23 Big Sky Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Cal Poly: Michael Roth, Football, Mechanical Engineering (Woodinville, Wash.)
Eastern Washington: Bobby Say, Men's Track & Field, Business Administration (Maple Valley, Wash.); Hally Ruff, Women's Track & Field, Masters of Business Administration (Walla Walla, Wash.)
Hartford: Manuel Romero, Men's Golf, Business (Doral, Fla.) 
Idaho: Vivek Ramesh, Men's Tennis, Psychology, (Cary, N.C.); Savannah Foster, Soccer, Broadcasting and Digital Media, (Port Orchard, Wash.)
Idaho State: Brock Mackenzie, Men's Basketball, Masters of Business Administration (Sammamish, Wash.); Destinee Rose-Haas, Women's Track and Field, Communications (Baldwin, Wisc.) 
Montana: Patrick O'Connell, Football, Masters of Business Administration (Kalispell, Mont.); Holly Sudol, Women's Track and Field, Management and Entrepreneurship (Edmonds, Wash.)
Montana State: Duncan Hamilton, Men's Track and Field, Mechanical Engineering (Bozeman, Mont.);Lucy Corbett, Women's Track and Field, Chemistry (Bozeman, Mont.)
Northern Arizona: Coleman Owen, Football, Finance (Gilbert, Ariz.); Regan Schenck, Women's Basketball, Masters of Human Relations (Woodinville, Wash.)
Northern Colorado: Blake Danni, Men's Golf, Business Administration (Cheyenne, Wyo.); Michaela Boon, Volleyball Dietetics (Cortland, Neb.) 
Portland State: Mataio Talalemotu, Football, Global Supply Chain Management (Beaverton, Ore.); Olivia Dean, Softball, Business Administration: Management and Leadership (Chehalis, Wash.) 
Sacramento State: Ori Maior, Men's Tennis, Economics (Yokneam Illit, Israel); Tess Blair, Women's Golf, Business Finance (South Jordan, Utah) 
UC Davis: Jayce Smalley, Football, Master of Professional Accountancy (Kaneohe, Hawaii) 
Weber State: Caleb Whitney, Men's Track and Field, Finance and Business Economics (St. George, Utah); Lauren Hoe, Softball, Exercise and Sport Science and Rehabilitation (Walla Walla, Wash.)