Angelo State University

William "Will" Hollis of Brady, a student official in Angelo State University's intramurals program, earned All-America honors as one of the top student officials at the recent 2023 NIRSA National Basketball Championships at the University of Maryland. Over 30 student officials refereed games between 60 participating college and university intramural basketball teams at the national tournament. Hollis is the first-ever ASU student official to be named an All-American for basketball. A 2021 ASU alum, Hollis is now a graduate student in ASU's coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration program. He earned the right to officiate at the national tournament by being selected as one of the top three student officials at the NIRSA Region IV Basketball Tournament in February at the University of Missouri. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Talena Murray of Carnbee, Trinidad and Tobago, a senior on the Angelo State University Rambelles track and field team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week for Week 6 of the outdoor season ending April 23. Competing at the McMurry Invitational in Abilene, Murray won the javelin with a throw of 146'8" (44.70 meters). Her throw was also an NCAA Division II provisional mark and ranks eighth overall in the division this season. Murray and her teammates are back in action this weekend at the Oliver Jackson Twilight meet in Abilene as a final preparation for the LSC Outdoor Championships May 4-6 in Lubbock. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University honored its 2023 Outstanding Graduate Students, as well as the recipients of four superlative awards, during the annual 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. Additionally, winners of the four superlative awards were selected from among the Outstanding Graduate Students by a separate committee. See more details and a complete list of honorees at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Norris-Vincent College of Business have announced the winners of the 2023 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. Competing for cash prizes, the finalists each made eight-minute live presentations to the judges and answered judges' questions during the finals event. The cash prizes are for the winners to use as seed money for their new ventures. See more details and a complete list of the winners at angelo.edu/news.

Jackson Berry of Waco, a junior pitcher on the Angelo State University Rams baseball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week for Week 12 of the season ending April 23. Called on as a last-minute starter in Game 2 of ASU's doubleheader against St. Edward's on April 22, Berry tossed a complete game to lead the Rams to a 7-1 victory. He scattered five hits over seven innings with just one walk and seven strikeouts to improve his record to 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA. The victory also clinched the LSC regular-season title for the Rams, who will wrap up the regular season this weekend with a 4-game road series at West Texas A&M. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University's Ram Powerlifting Club brought home three awards, including one national championship, from the 2023 U.S.A. Powerlifting Collegiate National Meet in Arlington. Melissa Nunez of Monahans won the Gold Medal in the 97-pound weight class of the Women's Collegiate Raw contest to earn a national title for ASU. Natalie Walker of Greenville took third place in the Women's Collegiate Raw 105-pound weight class - and the Ram Powerlifting women's team placed fourth overall in the team competition. Also contributing to the fourth-place team medal were Marissa Nunez of Monahans, Annabelle Butts of Lubbock, Emily Ramos of Poteet, Kira Palmer of San Augustine and Kylie Bliton of Florence. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Sawyer Lloyd of Wall, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Belles basketball team, has been named the 2022-23 Small College Women's Player of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC). The TABC award is just the latest for Lloyd, who has already earned multiple All-America accolades, as well as being named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Academic Player of the Year. Currently pursuing her master's degree in coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration, Lloyd helped lead the Belles to a LSC Tournament title and to the round of 32 in the NCAA Division II Tournament by averaging 15.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Belles assistant coach Andy Ellis joined Lloyd in earning TABC honors as Small College Assistant Coach of the Year. See more details at angelosports.com.

Maria Sierra Sanz of Gijon, Spain, a senior on the Angelo State University Rambelles golf team, has been named to the All-Lone Star Conference first team for her performances during the 2022-23 season. Building on her All-LSC honorable mention season in 2021-22, Sierra Sanz claimed two individual titles this season. She placed first at the Concho River Classic in September 2022 and at the King Alfred Spring Invitational in March. She also helped lead the Belles to four top-four team placings this spring while averaging 75 strokes per round, and she is currently ranked No. 42 in NCAA Division II. Sierra Sanz and her teammates are competing at the LSC Championships this week and hoping to solidify their regional ranking to qualify for the NCAA D-II West Regional. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Dianela Rodriguez of Mexico City, Mexico, a senior on the Angelo State University Belles tennis team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Player of the Week for Week 11 of the season ending April 16. As the Belles won their final two matches of the regular season over Dallas Baptist and UT Tyler, Rodriguez went 4-0, winning at No. 1 singles and No. 3 doubles in both matches. She improved her singles record to 15-3 to lead Angelo State to a runner-up finish in the LSC standings. Her Player of the Week award is the icing on the cake for Rodriguez, who earlier this week was named the LSC Women's Player of the Year and Senior of the Year. The Belles are back in action today against UT Tyler in the quarterfinals of the LSC Tournament. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University's chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) national honor society recently inducted its spring 2023 class of 47 new student members during a special initiation ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. PKP is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for students in all academic disciplines. Invitations to join PKP are extended to juniors in the top 7.5% of their class, and to seniors and graduate students in the top 10% of their class. See the full list of inductees, listed by their hometowns, at angelo.edu/news.

Letizia Corsini of Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, a freshman on the Angelo State University Belles tennis team, has been named the 2022-23 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year. Heading into the LSC Tournament, Corsini is 16-4 overall in singles and has a 6-2 conference record. She was also named to the All-LSC second team for singles, and she is ranked No. 55 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Additionally, Corsini teamed with senior Dianela Rodriguez of Mexico City, Mexico, in doubles, and they earned All-LSC Honorable Mention as a doubles team. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Dianela Rodriguez of Mexico City, Mexico, a senior on the Angelo State University Belles tennis team, has been named the 2022-23 Lone Star Conference Women's Player of the Year and Senior of the Year. It's her second straight Player of the Year award. Rodriguez won eight matches in No. 1 singles and seven at No. 3 doubles in LSC play to lead the Belles to a runner-up finish in the LSC regular-season standings (7-2). She won in straight sets against six nationally-ranked conference opponents, and she is ranked No. 14 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in singles. She is just the third player in LSC history to win consecutive Player of the Year awards. Additionally, Rodriguez was named to the All-LSC first team for singles. She also teamed with Letizia Corsini of Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, in doubles, and the pair earned All-LSC Honorable Mention as a doubles team. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Fourteen Angelo State University student-athletes were honored with 2022-23 Holland's Awards at the ASU Athletics Department's annual Holland's Sports Banquet on April 18. One Holland's Award winner is selected for each ASU sport as voted on by their teammates for exmplifying what it means to be an ASU student-athlete in competition, in the classroom and in the community. See more details and the entire list of award winners at angelosports.com.

Ramitha Irrinki of Round Rock, a junior on the Angelo State University Belles tennis team, has been named to the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team for her performance on the court and in the classroom during the 2022-23 season. The LSC All-Academic team is chosen by the league's sports information directors based on both athletic and academic achievement. To be eligible, student-athletes must have played in at least 50% of the team's contests, reached sophomore athletic and academic standing, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution and have a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale for their entire collegiate career. A kinesiology major, Irrinki is a regular on the ASU Dean's List and the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll, and she was named a 2022 Scholar-Athlete by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. On the court this season, she is 15-2 overall in singles and 6-1 in the LSC. She is also 11-9 in doubles paired primarily with Ayda Guler of Sydney, Australia. See more details 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.

Halle Summers of Spring, a biology major at Angelo State University, won a research presentation award at the Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) national biological honor society's South Central Regional Convention in Cedar Hill. Students from throughout the region delivered oral or poster presentations of their research projects in several different sessions. Summers won second place in her session for her oral presentation on her research project titled "DNA Barcoding of Peromyscus from the Davis Mountains in Texas." She and her fellow ASU chapter members were also named the Outstanding Chapter in District 2 for the 2022-23 academic year. District 2 includes all the college and university Tri-Beta chapters in Texas. Additionally, the ASU chapter won first place for its scrapbook entry in the Outstanding Chapter History competition, earned a first-place prize for Number of Delegates, and was also honored for acting as host for the regional convention. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University track and field athletes Maricia Spence of Christiana, Jamaica, and Elvis Krykov of Limassol, Cyprus, have swept the Lone Star Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors for Week 4 of the outdoor season ending April 9. Spence was named LSC Female Field Athlete of the Week after winning the heptathlon at ASU's annual David Noble Relays. She finished with 5,513 points, the best mark in all of NCAA Division II this season. She also posted a leap of 20'-0.5" (6.11 meters) to win the heptathlon's long jump event, the sixth-best in NCAA D-II this season. Kryukov was named LSC Male Field Athlete of the Week after winning the decathlon at the David Noble Relays. He had the top marks in the discus and the javelin on his way to 7,296 points, the best decathlon result in all of NCAA D-II this season. Both the ASU Rams and Rambelles claimed first place overall at their home meet. They will be back in action on April 27 at the Oliver Jackson Twilight meet in Abilene. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Devoux Deysel of Garsfontein, South Africa, and Oussama El Bouchayby of Marrakech, Morocco, members of the Angelo State University Rams track and field team, have been named the Lone Star Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Week and Track Athlete of the Week, respectively, for Week 3 of the outdoor season ending April 2. Deysel earned LSC Field Athlete of the Week honors after finishing seventh in the javelin at the Texas Relays in Austin. His throw of 244'-0" (74.37 meters) ranks second overall in NCAA Division II this year and 52nd in the world. El Bouchayby continued his impressive haul of honors with the LSC Track Athlete of the Week award. Also at the Texas Relays, he won the 800 meters with a time of 1:45.31, the fastest time in the world this year. It's also the second-fastest time in NCAA D-II history. The ASU track and field teams are hosting the annual David Noble Relays this week through Friday. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

The Angelo State University Angelettes dance team won a national championship and had two other top placings at the recent ADTS American Dance Collegiate Nationals competition at the University of North Texas in Denton. The 12-member ASU Angelettes took first place in the Collegiate Division II Hip Hop competition to win the national championship. They also finished as second runner up in the Collegiate D-II Jazz competition and in the Collegiate D-II Overall standings. They posted the highest scores in team history on their way to winning the team's first-ever national title. See more details and a list of team members at angelo.edu/news.

Seven Angelo State University theatre students have been either selected or nominated for prestigious individual awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region 6 for their work on the ASU Theatre production, "Equus," earlier this spring. In all, "Equus" earned 10 individual and group honors, including recognition for Excellence in Overall Company Collaboration. The individual student awards include: Charlotte Branch of Bartlett - Excellence in Sound Design Emma Cullen of Ballinger - Excellence in Lighting Design Kailey Gembler of Bandera - Excellence in Stage Management Darcy Saucedo of Austin - Excellence in Scenic Design Additionally, three ASU student actors were nominated for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships, with scholarship winners to be announced at the KCACTF Region 6 Festival: Nataniel Brown-Schilling of Harker Heights Genesis Garza of McAllen Grant Jackson of Benjamin ASU staff costumer Mayra Torres and her student Costume Design Team were also recognized for Excellence in Horse Head Design. ASU Theatre will be notified in December whether "Equus" has been selected for performance at the KCACTF Region 6 Festival in Abilene next spring. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Oussama El Bouchayby of Marrakesh, Morocco, a freshman on the Angelo State University Rams track and field team, has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week for the week ending April 2. This marks the second straight week he has won the national award. Competing at the Texas Relays in Austin, El Bouchayby won the 800-meters invitational with a new meet-record time of 1:45.31, which also ranks No. 1 overall in the world this year. It's also the second-fastest time in NCAA Division II history. El Bouchayby is the first D-II athlete to earn back-to-back USTFCCCA weekly honors this year. The ASU track and field teams will compete at home this week as they host the annual ASU David Noble Relays, beginning on Wednesday. See more details at angelosports.com.

Steve Webb of St. Louis, Mo., a graduate student guard on the Angelo State University Rams basketball team, has been named the Non-Division I All-Texas Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Texas Defensive Team by Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball for the 2022-23 season. In his first season at ASU, Webb spearheaded the Rams' defense that allowed just 65.5 points per game and forced 15.1 turnovers per game, both ranking fourth in the Lone Star Conference. He also topped the LSC in steals (54) on his way to being named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year and to the LSC All-Defensive Team. He was also named to the D2CCA All-South Central Region second team. Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball also named ASU head coach Vinay Patel the Non-DI Texas Coach of the Year after he led the Rams to a 26-7 overall record, including 19-3 in LSC play and 13-0 at home. See more details at angelosports.com and on the Dave Campbell's website.

Dianela Rodriguez of Mexico City, Mexico, a senior on the Angelo State University Belles tennis team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Player of the Week for Week 8 of the season ending March 26. As the Belles posted home victories wins over Lubbock Christian (6-1) and Midwestern State (6-1), Rodriguez went undefeated in both No. 1 singles and No. 3 doubles. She also notched the match-clinching singles win in both contests and improved her personal winning streak to seven matches. She teamed with freshman Letizia Corsini to win the doubles matches. The Belles will be back in action on the road this weekend at St. Mary's and Our Lady of the Lake. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Kade Bragg of Ennis, a junior on the Angelo State University Rams baseball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week for Week 8 of the season ending March 26. This marks the second straight week he has won the award. On the road against Lubbock Christian on March 25, Bragg tossed a one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts to lead the Rams to a 5-0 victory. He allowed just a first-inning single and one walk over the seven innings. He is now 8-0 this season, leads the LSC in wins and hits allowed (18), is second in strikeouts (64) and has allowed just two earned runs in 48.2 innings. His ERA of 0.37 is the lowest in all of NCAA Division II. Bragg and his Rams teammates are off this weekend before returning to action with a home series against Texas A&M International on April 6. See more details at angelsports.com and on the LSC website.

Sawyer Lloyd of Wall, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Belles basketball team, has been selected for the Non-Division I All-Texas Women's Basketball Team (first team) and the All-Texas Defensive Team by Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball for the 2022-23 season. As she helped lead the Belles to the Lone Star Conference Tournament title, Lloyd posted career highs of 15.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while also topping the LSC in assists (163) and steals (92). She also became the Belles' all-time assists leader and was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year and Academic Player of the Year. In addition to the All-LSC first team and LSC All-Academic Team, Lloyd has been named to the NCAA Division II All-South Central Region first team by D2CCA and earned NCAA D-II All-America honorable mention from the Women's Basketball Coaching Association. See the official announcement on Dave Campbell's website.

Oussama El Bouchayby of Marrakech, Morocco, a middle-distance runner on the Angelo State University Rams track and field team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for the 2023 season. A freshman kinesiology major, El Bouchayby won the NCAA Division II national championship in the 800 meters and set a new national record with his time of 1:46.78. He also anchored the Rams' 4x400-meter relay team to a fifth place national finish. At the LSC Indoor Championships, he won the 800 meters and placed second in the mile. His many accolades for the indoor season include being named to the All-LSC first team, USTFCCCA All-South Central Region, and to the NCAA D-II All-America first team. El Bouchaybe is also excelling in the outdoor season. He has been named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week after winning the 800 meters at the Masked Rider Open in Lubbock. His time of 1:46.86 is the seventh-fastest time in NCAA D-II history. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Shiean Walters of Coleman, a junior on the Angelo State University Rambelles track and field team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for the 2023 season. An exercise science major, Walters won the LSC title in the 400 meters and ran a leg on the Belles' LSC champion 4x400-meter relay team. She was also the national runner-up in the 400 meters and a member of the runner-up 4x400-meter relay team that posted two of the top three times in NCAA Division II history. Her many accolades for the indoor season include making the All-LSC first team, LSC All-Academic Team, USTFCCCA All-South Central Region Team, and NCAA All-America first team. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Maria Sierra Sanz of Gijon, Asturias, Spain, a senior on the Angelo State University Rambelles golf team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Golfer of the Week for Week 15 of the 2022-23 season ending March 21. At the King Alfred Spring Invitational at Eagle's Bluff Country Club in Bullard, Sierra Sanz captured her second individual tournament victory of the season. She carded a 1-over-par 72-72-70 to win by three strokes. Her 37 pars were the most in the 40-player field as she also led the Rambelles to the overall team title, besting St. Mary's on a tiebreaker. Sierra Sanz also won the Concho River Classic in San Angelo earlier in the season. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Two members of the Angelo State University Rambelles track and field team have swept the Lone Star Conference Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors for Week 1 of the outdoor season ending March 19. Junior middle-distance runner Shadae Findley of Manchester, Jamaica, was named the LSC Women's Track Athlete of the Week, and junior multi-event athlete Maricia Spence of Christiana, Jamaica, was named the LSC Women's Field Athlete of the Week. At the Wes Kittley Invitational in Abilene last weekend, Findley won the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.96, the fastest time in the LSC this season and sixth-fastest in all of NCAA Division II. Spence won the javelin throw with a personal-best mark of 132-3 (40.30 meters) and also helped the ASU 4x100-meter relay team finish first with a time of 46.75. Findley, Spence and their Rambelles teammates will be back in action this weekend at the Masked Rider Open at Texas Tech University. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Kade Bragg of Ennis, a junior pitcher on the Angelo State University Rams baseball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance during Week 7 of the season ending March 19. Following the No. 3 Rams' loss in Game 1 of their home series against St. Mary's, the lefty Bragg tossed a gem in Game 2 to lead the Rams to a 6-1 victory. He threw a complete game with seven strikeouts, scattering four hits and allowing only one unearned run. He improved his record to 7-0 with a 0.43 ERA, which both rank first in the LSC. For the season, opposing batters are hitting just .121 against Bragg, and he is tied for first in NCAA Division II in wins and is second in ERA. His 56 strikeouts in 41.2 innings ranks ninth in D-II. Bragg and the Rams next face a key road series at Lubbock Christian this weekend. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.