Aug. 5, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. - California junior goalkeeper Gina Pellegrini will be honored as UNICO's Dr. DM Nigro Italian-American Amateur Athlete of the Year Thursday, Aug. 7, at a ceremony at the Renaissance Parc55 Hotel in San Francisco.

Pellegrini started 18 games for the Golden Bears in 2007 and posted a 0.95 goals-against average in over 1,500 minutes in the net. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native registered five shutouts as a sophomore, giving her nine for her career. She also recorded two assists for Cal last season, including on the game-winning goal against No. 1 Santa Clara and against Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Pellegrini was named a 2007 honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic selection.

Cal opens the 2008 season with an exhibition game against Saint Mary's Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. at Edwards Stadium. Pellegrini is one of five returning starters for this year's Bears, who posted a 15-5-1 overall mark in 2007.

UNICO was founded on Oct. 10, 1922, in Waterbury, Conn. A group of 15 Italian Americans, led by Dr. Anthony P. Vastola, created an Italian American service organization to engage in charitable works, support higher education and promote awareness of Italian heritage. Today, UNICO has 6,000 members serving in 130 chapters from coast to coast. It supports many charities, including cancer research, Cooley's anemia research, scholarships, mental health programs and Italian studies.