Oregon State athletics director, a Fresno State alumnus, hospitalized in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Scott Barnes, a former Fresno State athlete and the current athletics director for Oregon State, is being treated at a Fresno hospital after experiencing a medical emergency on Saturday night.

Barnes was at Fresno State's Top Dog Awards ceremony, where he was the Outstanding Alumni Award honoree for the Division of Athletics.

On Sunday night, Oregon State said Barnes was showing signs of improvement, adding that he has been able to communicate with family members.

"All of us within the Oregon State University community are very grateful for the medical care that Scott continues to receive and we all are encouraged by the progress in his condition that is being seen," Oregon State President Jayathi Y. Murthy said in a statement.

Doctors were able to help Barnes within moments on Saturday because of another honoree in attendance. Dr. Danielle Campagne was the Distinguished Alumna honoree and interim Chief of Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno. She rushed to help Barnes and several of her fellow emergency physicians who had come to celebrate.

In a statement to Action News, Dr. Campagne said she was "honored to have been there to provide emergency medical care" and added that the thoughts and prayers of her and her colleagues were with Barnes and his family.

When ambulances arrived, they quickly rushed the 60-year-old Barnes to Saint Agnes Medical Center for further treatment.

Although he now lives and works in Oregon, Barnes has strong ties to Fresno. He moved to the city as a child and played basketball for Fresno State for two seasons in the 1980s. His wife, Jody, is also a former Bulldog athlete. Barnes has been athletic director at Oregon State since 2016 after holding the same role at Pittsburgh and Utah State.

In a statement on Sunday, the Pac-12 said "Scott Barnes is a dear friend, trusted colleague and incredibly loved man across the Oregon State and Pac-12 families and the entire college sports community. Our thoughts are with Scott and his family at this time."

The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this report.