A Night to Remember: Sunbirds Soar at Flight Night 2026

From honoring standout performances to recognizing teams and individuals who embody the spirit of FPU, Flight Night captures the heart of what it means to be a Sunbird.

The video below was shown to start the program and gives a firsthand look at the energy, community and teams that were a part of this special night. The video features a Birdie award, which is given to each honoree. The video was produced and directed by senior Enzo Perragine, a member of the Sunbird men’s swimming team.

This article below was adapted and originally appeared on FPU Athletics website on April 22, 2026.

Fresno Pacific Athletics' annual spring celebration, Flight Night, returned to the Special Events Center for the 10th edition of the awards ceremony celebrating the past year of Sunbird Athletics. More than 400 people were on hand to see who would take home the illustrious Birdie Awards. Returning as co-emcees for the evening were KSEE24/CBS47 Sports Director and voice of Sunbirds hoops Scott Bemis and host of the Sunbirds Sports Show and FPU alum Paul Meadors.

Seniors Geneva Elliott (Volleyball) and Forrest Gray (Men's Water Polo) took home the top honors as the Women's and Men's Sunbird of the Year, respectively. The award recognizes their accomplishments not only as student-athletes, but also in academics, team leadership, spiritual leadership and involvement on campus and in the community. Volleyball and Men's Track & Field were honored as this season's Teams of the Year.

The night kicked off with dinner catered by Old Clovis favorite Luna, while the guests socialized and posed for photos with Sunny the Sunbird. The show began with a short film produced and directed by senior Enzo Perragine (Men's Swimming), starring over 25 Sunbird student-athletes as well as FPU President André Stephens, Ph.D. Following an opening invocation prayer by Gray, a brief highlight video featuring moments from the past season played. Bemis and Meadors then got the honors started by recognizing the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society recipients, followed by the announcement of FPU's National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American Team of the Year. After acknowledging the all-conference selections and conference award winners so far in 2025/26, it was time to start handing out the trophies. Presenters included Director of Athletics Kyle Ferguson, Vice President of Student Development Jake Gilbertson, SAAC President Angel España, Faculty Athletics Representative Jay Pope and Kerry Sue Brown, Ph.D.

Twenty different student-athletes took home Birdies in ten different categories, as well as four different teams across five team categories. Highlights include Shemar Palmer (Men's Track & Field) and Cambria Waites (Volleyball) awarded Senior of the Year honors, while Fabiana Gonzalez (Women's Tennis) and Luke Sanders (Men's Cross Country) were named Freshmen of the Year. Mikayla Weiss (Volleyball) and Shane Bagley (Men's Track & Field) took home Newcomer of the Year for the women and men, respectively. The four Sunbird Scholars of the Year were Nico Barna (Men's Swimming), Elmer Carballo (Men's Soccer), Julissa Avila (Women's Cross Country) and Martina Ebner Cignetti (Women's Soccer).

A new Birdie was added this year—the Grace & Glory Award—designed to honor student-athletes whose lives reflect the transforming grace of God, evident in their character, leadership and commitment both in and out of competition. The inaugural winners were Malia Mitchell (Women's Tennis) and Malachi Carrasco (Men's Track & Field).

Following a closing prayer from President Stephens, an after party hosted by SAAC kicked off in the cafeteria that featured a custom photo booth, DJ, karaoke and a delicious food truck serving up mini pancakes with different topping options.

Flight Night is an annual FPU Athletics tradition, with nominations submitted by coaches, athletic trainers, SAAC and administrators. The Flight Night committee is composed of administrators Hillary Markley, Betsy Myers and Jim Jeltema, along with Catie Speas, Charlotte Carillo, Channa Hart and Eric Bentley.

Full list of winners below.