Three people have been chosen as finalists for the Chico Enterprise-Record Sportsperson of the Year, an award presented every year at this banquet for an athlete with great athletic achievement throughout the 2024-25 school year. Past winners include the likes of Super Bowl champion quarterback Aaron Rodgers, pro golfer Kurt Kitayama, NCAA wrestling champion Nahshon Garrett, and last year’s winner, LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson.

Jojo Murphy

Chico State point guard Jojo Murphy, a junior, led the Wildcats to a 24-7 season and 19-3 record in conference play. His team-high 1,050 minutes played made him the first Wildcat to eclipse 1,000+ minutes since Jalen McFerren in 2016-17. He had a team-high 20.7 points per game, a team-high 116 assists, led the team in 3-pointers made (73) and 3-point percentage (38.6%), was second in steals (44) and third in rebounds (4.7 per game). Murphy was the California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, the Division II CCA West Region Player of the Year, a member of the CCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, and received National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American honors.

AJ Gambol

Pleasant Valley guard/forward AJ Gambol, who graduates in June and will be attending Salt Lake Community College to play basketball, was a key part of the Vikings’ success on the basketball court the past four seasons. She leaves the Vikings’ program as the all-time leading scorer in Pleasant Valley girls basketball history with 2,176 points, the first Viking to eclipse 2,000 points. Gambol led the Vikings to a 25-5 record and a fourth straight Northern Section title her senior season. She averaged 20.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals her senior season, and increased her scoring average each season throughout her four-year varsity career. Gambol received her fourth straight All Section First Team selection and second straight Player of the Year honor, and was named Eastern Athletic League MVP for a third straight season.

Jeovany Navarrete

Chico High wrestler Jeovany Navarrete won his fourth straight Masters and Northern Section wrestling championship in his third different weight class, en route to a top-32 finish in the CIF state tournament at 128 pounds. He won the Master’s title his freshman season at 108 pounds, his sophomore and junior seasons at 122 pounds, and his senior at 128 pounds. After attending Oroville High School his freshman season, Navarrete went 91-29 in his next three seasons at Chico High School and 124-40 in his four-year high school career.