Iowa State Athletics to honor Celia Barquin Arozamena on Saturday at football game
September 18, 2018
Updated at 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 19:
Iowa State Athletics released updates for Celia Barquin Arozamena’s honorary plans at Saturday’s football game against Akron.
Akron will join Iowa State in wearing the “CBA” decal on its helmets. The Iowa State University Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band will include a “CBA” formation in its routine.
The two teams will congregate in the North end zone for the video tribute and national anthem.
Original Story:
Celia Barquin Arozamena was going to be honored at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday for being named the Cyclones’ Female Athlete of the Year.
Now, she’ll be memorialized in Jack Trice Stadium before kickoff to honor a life cut short.
Additionally, the Iowa State football team has wasted no time in honoring the life of the former golfer, who was found dead at Coldwater Golf Links on Monday at the age of 22.
Barquin Arozamena, who was one of the most accomplished golfers in Iowa State history, had exhausted her collegiate eligibility and was attempting to make the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour while finishing her degree at the university.
We, among other Cyclone sport teams, will honor the life of Celia Barquin Arozamena with this decal. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to family, friends and teammates. #CycloneFamily pic.twitter.com/JCMLtkfZ93
— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) September 18, 2018
The Cyclones posted a Tweet on Tuesday stating that the team would wear a decal with Barquin Arozamena’s initials on Saturday, when the Cyclones take the field against Akron at 11 a.m.
Matt Campbell said on Tuesday that the decision to wear the decal was made to show support for the Iowa State Athletics family and Barquin Arozamena’s family.
“I think it’s the minimum we can do to pay our respect,” Campbell said.
There is also a movement among Iowa State students on social media to wear yellow on Saturday, as it was Barquin Arozamena’s favorite color.
Iowa State offensive lineman Sean Foster tweeted a screenshot of the Instagram story pushing the movement on Tuesday, urging Iowa State fans and athletes to “spread the word.”
Quarterback Kyle Kempt added his support to the movement on Twitter as well, saying that anyone coming to the game should wear yellow “at the request of her teammates.”
The women’s golf team returned to Ames Tuesday to allow themselves time in the grieving process.
Athletic Director Jamie Pollard released a letter to Iowa State fans and students before a press conference with the media on Tuesday.
“We will honor her with a video tribute and a moment of silence, prior to the marching band playing the national anthem,” Pollard said. “The tribute will take place at approximately 10:50 a.m. We strongly encourage all Cyclone fans to be in their seats by 10:45 a.m. to pay tribute and show her grieving teammates, coaches and friends, what it feels like to be fully embraced by Cyclone Nation.”
In addition, Pollard revealed that Barquin Arozamena will be awarded a posthumous diploma in civil engineering by the university.
“What I hope we can do is use Saturday as a wonderful platform to help all of us — the community, the institution and athletics program, and most importantly those young ladies on the team and our coaching staff — to begin the healing process,” Pollard said.