Angelo State University

Six players on the Angelo State University Rams baseball team have been named to the 2025 NCAA Division II All-South Central Region teams by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The No. 1 Rams lead the region with four players earning first-team honors, including second baseman Austin Beck, starting pitcher Dax Dathe, left fielder Jacob Guerrero and designated hitter Chase Pendley. Beck, an exercise science major from Allen, is batting .385 with 48 RBI, 63 runs scored and 35 stolen bases. He set a new Lone Star Conference record for career runs scored this season, as well as a new team record for career stolen bases. Dathe, a coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration student from Round Rock, earns his second straight first-team all-region nod. He is currently 8-1 with a 3.15 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. Opponents are only batting .195 against him this season. Guerrero, an accounting major from Colleyville, makes the all-region first team for the third straight season. He is batting .406 and leads the team in hits (84), doubles (19), total bases (129) and runs scored (72), and he is second in stolen bases (20). Pendley, an interdisciplinary studies major from Prosper, marked his debut season with the Rams by batting .410 with 77 hits, 13 doubles, 3 triples and 47 RBI. He also added 13 stolen bases, and he was the MVP of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. Rams third baseman Lane Hutchinson, a management major from Slaughter, La., was named to the all-region second team in his first season at ASU. He is batting .383 with 12 doubles, 5 home runs and a team-high 75 RBI, which is second in the conference. First baseman Ethan Flodstrom, a management major from Port Angeles, Wash., earned all-region honorable mention in his debut season for the Rams. He is batting .398 with 18 doubles, 7 home runs, 49 RBI and a team-high 53 walks. He also leads the LSC with a .571 on-base percentage. Rams head coach Kevin Brooks was also named the NCBWA South Central Region Coach of the Year as the Rams won the LSC regular-season and LSC Tournament titles. They currently sit at 46-8 as they host a South Central Regional this weekend. See more details at angelosports.com.

Angelo State University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Norris-Vincent College of Business have announced the winners of the 2025 BizPitch student entrepreneurship competition following the recent live finals event in the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center. The BizPitch competition began in January when individual ASU students or teams of up to four students were invited to submit video pitches of their ideas for new business startups. A panel of ASU business faculty and SBDC specialists selected five finalists to make live pitch presentations to a panel of judges made up of local business professionals. More details are available at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University honored its 2025 Outstanding Graduate Students, as well as the recipients of four superlative awards, during the recent Graduate Research Symposium and Awards Ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. The honorees were nominated by faculty in their respective academic departments, and each received a certificate of recognition. The complete list of honorees, listed by their hometowns and fields of study, is available at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University's chapter of the Alpha Chi national collegiate honor society recently inducted 19 new members for the spring 2025 semester during a ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. Alpha Chi is one of the nation's most prestigious honor societies that is open to undergraduate students majoring in all academic disciplines. To be eligible, students must rank in the top 10% of seniors at their college or university, or in the top 7.5% of juniors. ASU is located in Alpha Chi Region I, and Dr. Karl Havlak, College of Science and Engineering, is the head faculty advisor for the ASU chapter. Dr. Dennis Hall, College of Science and Engineering, is the Region I secretary/treasurer and serves on the Alpha Chi National Council. The complete list of inductees, listed by hometown and major, is available at angelo.edu/news.

YooJin Choi, a senior physics major at Angelo State University, was selected to represent ASU and present her research project at the recent 2025 Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol event in Austin. Choi presented her research poster on her project titled "Capturing Cellular Dynamics: A Force Center Model Inspired by the Game of Life," which she completed under the mentorship of Dr. Michael C. Holcomb, assistant professor of physics. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Choi has also received two ASU Faculty Mentored Research Grants for various projects, has worked as a tutor in the Math Lab and served as a physics tutor in ASU's Supplemental Instruction peer-tutoring program. She has also held leadership positions in the Society of Physics Students, Women in Physics and STEM Nexus student organizations, and she has been inducted into the Alpha Chi and Sigma Pi Sigma national honor societies. Additionally, she has been active as a percussionist in the ASU Ram Band, Drumline and Symphonic Band. Choi is scheduled to graduate with her Bachelor of Science degree in May. She has been offered a Distinguished Graduate Student Assistantship at Texas Tech University and will head to Texas Tech this fall to pursue her doctoral degree in physics. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Eighteen Angelo State University students have been elected to represent the ASU student body in the Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2025-26 academic year. Kianna Ortiz of Amarillo has been elected SGA president for 2025-26, and Kaleb Lankford of San Angelo has been elected vice president. The other 16 electees will serve as representatives of the specific academic departments that include their major. Those electees by hometown and department are: Wyatt Popham of Leakey - Agriculture Andrew Cherucheril of Rowlett - Commercial Aviation Bray Bowers of San Angelo - Communication and Mass Media Emerson Carter of Boerne - Teacher Education Calvin Blackert of Abilene - Engineering Justine Koester of Scott AFB, ILL. - English and Modern Languages Priscilla De Los Santos of Eagle Pass - History Phelo Rodgers of Boyd - Kinesiology Hunter Fontenot of Midland - Management and Marketing Arianna Cantu of San Angelo - Management and Marketing Kaitlyn Guevara of Copperas Cove - Political Science and Philosophy David Owl of Houston - Psychology Joshua Partin of San Angelo - Psychology William Pierce of Holland - Security Studies and Criminal Justice Lorenzo Robles of Chilton - Security Studies and Criminal Justice Guenevere Davenport of Saint Hedwig - Visual and Performing Arts The 18 SGA officers were chosen via campus-wide electronic voting and were verified on April 11.

Benjamin Martin of Fort Worth, a senior music major at Angelo State University, has earned a 2024-25 Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award from the Presser Foundation in Philadelphia that includes a $3,000 scholarship and the title of Presser Scholar. The Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award annually celebrates students, selected by their music faculty during their final year of study, "who have achieved a high level of music and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and contributed to an inclusive community." It is the most prestigious undergraduate honor in music at Angelo State. A graduate of Aledo High School, Martin will graduate from ASU in May with his Bachelor of Music degree with all-level teacher certification. His primary instrument is trumpet, and he was the winner of ASU's 2022 Concerto Competition. He has performed as a member of the ASU Ram Horns, ASU Trumpet Ensemble, ASU Symphony Orchestra, ASU Brass Ensemble, ASU V/V (Five for Five) Brass Quintet and ASU Symphonic Band. He has also conducted performances by the Symphonic Band and accompanied the ASU Chorale in concert. Additionally, Martin has made the ASU Dean's List every semester. Besides the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award, he has received the ASU Friends of Art and Music Education (FAME) Scholarship, ASU Music Scholarship and Sean W. Vick Memorial Scholarship. Following his graduation from ASU in May, Martin plans to work as a public school band director in Texas. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University conferred 645 undergraduate and graduate degrees on 641 graduates during the 2024 fall commencement exercises on Dec. 14, 2024, at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena in San Angelo, Texas. The full list of fall 2024 ASU graduates is available at angelo.edu/commencement.

Hailey Lowden of San Angelo, a senior computer science major at Angelo State University, has been selected to participate in the National Security Agency's (NSA) 2025 Future Computing Summer Internship Program at the NSA Laboratory for Physical Sciences in Catonsville, Maryland. The 10-week internship program was established in 2022 with the goal to expose participating students to High Performance Computing (HPC), a field critical to national security, discovery and technological innovation. Lowden is the first ASU student to earn a place in the prestigious program. Under the mentorship of NSA professionals, she will gain valuable hands-on experience and enhance her technical skills while working on a research project aimed at advancing HPC capabilities. As a NSA intern, Lowden will also receive an $850 weekly stipend, as well as funded transportation, lodging and meals. At the conclusion of her internship in August, she will present the results of her research to NSA senior leaders, technical personnel, and research and academic partners. A student worker in ASU's award-winning Regional Security Operations Center, Lowden is also an active member of the Guardians of the Grid cybersecurity student organization and a regular on the ASU Dean's List. She has previously competed in the Hivestorm collegiate cyber defense competition through the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), and placed in the top 100 in the nation. She was also captain of the ASU team that competed in the CIAS Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, has announced the students achieving the Dean's List for the 2024 fall semester. To be eligible for the ASU Dean's List, full-time undergraduate students must maintain a 3.25 or better grade point average on a 4.0 scale. The complete fall 2024 Dean's List is available at angelo.edu/commencement.

The Angelo State University Trumpet Ensemble has been selected to compete in the Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition at the 48th Annual International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Conference May 28 - June 1 in Anaheim, Calif. Students from top music schools and conservatories across the U.S. and around the world applied to take part in the competition by submitting recordings in Solo, Jazz, Ensemble and Youth categories. The ASU Trumpet Ensemble was selected to compete in the Ensemble category based on its submitted recording of "Seven for Five" by Erik Morales, under the direction of Dr. John Irish, professor of music. Also selected to compete are students from throughout the U.S. and from national academies in Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University honored the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Students from each if its five academic colleges during the recent Graduate Research Symposium and Awards Ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. The 19 honorees were nominated by faculty in their respective academic departments, and each received a certificate of recognition. Three additional superlative awards were also conferred. The complete list of honorees is available at angelo.edu/news.

The Angelo State University Handball Club won the inaugural Doug Randolph Cup at the recent Spring 2024 Aggieland Classic at Texas A&M University in College Station. The Doug Randolph Cup competition featured a round-robin format with the ASU team facing off in head-to-head matchups against teams from the University of Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri State University. In its three matches, the ASU Handball Club outscored UT, 150-43, outscored Texas A&M, 111-97, and outscored MSU, 139-78, for a total of 400 points to finish at the top of the standings. Individually for ASU: Aoife Holden went 3-0 in women's singles (90 points) Taigan Rivers & Kinzi Jo Leon went 2-1 in women's doubles (83 points) Austin Colwell & Israel Lopez Jr. went 2-1 in men's doubles (76 points) Jonathan White & Dylan Whitley went 1-2 in men's doubles (62 points) Diarmuid Mulkerrins went 3-0 in men's singles (89 points) The new tournament is named in honor Doug Randolph, an avid handball player and founder of the Lubbock-based Randolph Foundation for Higher Education Inc. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

More than 150 Angelo State University student-athletes have made the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2023 spring semester. To be eligible, student-athletes must have at least a 3.30 grade point average (GPA) for the semester and be on the current roster. ASU's 156 honorees include 58 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Kaylen Shetler of Chesapeake, Va., a junior in the Angelo State University Honors Program, has received the 2022-23 Robert A. Kilmarx Award for the Best Military, Intelligence or National Security Strategic Analysis Paper from the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) in Washington, D.C. An intelligence and analysis/mathematics double-major, Shetler won the Kilmarx Award for her paper titled "Defining Weapons of Mass Destruction in a New Age of Cyberwarfare." The award also includes a $1,000 prize and publication of her paper in the CSPC online anthology, The Fellows Review, this summer. Shetler submitted her paper as the centerpiece of her 2022-23 CSPC Presidential Fellowship, and she is one of only five students out of a cohort of 48 Fellows to be selected for an award. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University honored its 2022 Outstanding Graduate Students during the annual Graduate Research Symposium and Awards Ceremony on April 29. Students representing 22 different graduate degree programs and all five of ASU's academic colleges were recognized during the ceremony. The complete list of honorees, listed by their hometowns, colleges and degree programs, is available at angelo.edu/news.

Congratulations to Halli Hanna of Wall on her first solo flight! Halli is one of our Commercial Aviation students, and on Aug. 13 she became the first ASU Ram to solo in one of our newly badged DA20 aircraft. Check out the Angelo State logo on the tail! This picture is Halli taxiing for her first solo flight. See more details about our Bachelor of Commercial Aviation degree at angelo.edu.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Keaghan Holt of Seguin as the student regent for the Texas Tech University System (TTU System) Board of Regents for the 2021-22 academic year. Holt is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in health science professions at Angelo State University. She becomes the 16th student to serve on the TTU System Board of Regents and the fourth from ASU. She will serve a one-year term, effective as of June 1, and her first Board of Regents meeting will take place Aug. 5-6 in Lubbock. See the full story at angelo.edu/news.

Olivia Hessock of Abilene, a freshman management major at Angelo State University, has been named the 2020-21 Girl Scout of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6873 in Abilene. Hessock's latest ongoing service project could last for quite a while. Assisted by her church, Zion Lutheran, and other helpers, she taught children at All God's Children after-school day care to construct tied fleece blankets for children in Child Protective Services. See the full story on the Abilene Reporter-News website.