On Thursday morning, three Colorado State University athletes were honored by the National Strength and Conditioning Association; Daniel Bejarano of men’s basketball, Haley David from the softball team and track & field’s Jake Schneeberger.

Annually, the NSCA recognizes student-athletes who, in the eyes of their coaches, excel by dedicating their time to strength and conditioning. Bejarano was nominated by head strength & conditioning coach Jason Phillips while David and Schneeberger were nominated by assistant strength & conditioning coach Nick Longo.

“Daniel changed not only his body, but his game over the span of his career at Colorado State,” Phillips said. “He established himself as a leader on and off the court through his dedication to preparation. Daniel’s commitment to training and his work ethic have helped establish a culture of toughness, effort and persistence in our basketball program. Not only does he ’embrace the grind’, but he holds his teammates accountable and has raised the bar in terms of training and physical preparation for Colorado State men’s basketball.”

Bejarano’s growth a a leader was clear, on and off the court. His evolution from shoot-first to team-first helped Colorado State grow together quickly as the teamwork turned into NCAA Tournament berths, Top-25 rankings and a school-record 27 victories in 2014-15. While he only played three years as a Ram, Bejarano finished his career as one of six CSU ballers to score 1,000 points, grab 600 rebounds and dish out 200 assists. He was also named All-MW twice and the Mountain West’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2013.

Off the court, Bejarano regularly led in practices and press conferences, too. He spoke up during the tough times and relayed the team message during the good times.

Bejarano recently graduated with a liberal arts degree and on Wednesday Worldwide Sports Marketing announced his signing.