Angelo State University

Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, conferred 830 undergraduate and graduate degrees on 825 graduates during the 2023 spring commencement exercises on May 12-13 at the ASU Junell Center/Stephens Arena. A full list of the graduates is available on the ASU website at angelo.edu/commencement.

Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, has announced the students achieving the Dean's List for the 2023 spring 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 spring 2023 Dean's List is available at angelo.edu/commencement.

Four players on the Angelo State University Rams baseball team have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II All-South Central Region Team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Junior left-handed pitcher Kade Bragg of Ennis snagged the top honor as he was named the South Central Region Pitcher of the Year, as well as making the all-region first team. He is 12-1 this season with a 1.21 ERA, the lowest in all of NCAA D-II. He is also tied for the most wins in D-II. Joining Bragg on the all-region first team is senior outfielder Jacob Guerrero of Colleyville. Guerrero is hitting .449 for the season, the fourth-highest average in NCAA D-II. He has also chipped in 51 RBI in 50 games. Making the all-region second team for the Rams are junior designated hitter Tripp Clark of Waco and junior starting pitcher Braxton Pearson of Georgetown. Clark is hitting .360 this season and leads the Rams in home runs (9) and RBI (58). Pearson has posted a 7-1 record in 11 appearances with a 2.44 ERA and one save. The Rams are hosting a South Central Regional this weekend as the top seed. See more details at angelosports.com.

Angelo State University track and field athletes Oussama El Bouchayby of Marrakesh, Morocco, and Maricia Spence of Christiana, Jamaica, have been singled out for special awards for their performances at the 2023 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships. El Bouchayby earned the Cap Shelton Award for Outstanding Male Track Athlete after earning the most individual points at the championship meet by winning both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. Spence earned both the Wes Kittley Award for Outstanding Female Track Athlete and David Noble Award for Outstanding Female Field Athlete. She was the high-point earner for the entire championship meet with 50, claiming 22 in track events and 28 in field events. She won the 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, heptathlon (new meet record) and long jump. Both El Bouchayby and Spence also earned USTFCCCA All-South Central Region honors and will represent ASU at the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colo. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Twenty-three members of the Angelo State University Rams and Rambelles track and field teams have earned a total of 38 All-South Central Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2023 outdoor season. The top five individuals in each event and members of the top three relay teams in each relay event earn all-region honors. The No. 6 Rams have 13 student-athletes who posted 16 all-region performances, while the No. 8 Rambelles have 10 student-athletes who posted 22 all-region performances. Both the Rams and Rambelles finished second at the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships, and a total of 21 ASU student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colo. See more details and a list of all ASU all-region selections at angelosports.com and on the USTFCCCA website.

A total of 25 Angelo State University track and field athletes have earned All-Lone Star Conference accolades for their performances at the 2023 LSC Outdoor Championships. The Rams put 12 athletes on the All-LSC team, including six on the first team and six on the second team. The Rambelles earned 13 All-LSC selections, including five on the first team, six on the second team and two on the third team. Both the Rams and Rambelles finished second at the conference meet. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village, the second baseman for the Angelo State University Rambelles softball team, has been named to the 2023 All-South Central Region first team by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Lerma led the Rambelles this season in batting average (.372), hits (61) and stolen bases (58). She tied the team record for steals in a season, and her 58 steals still leads all of NCAA D-II. This marks Lerma's second all-region honor this year, having previously been named to the NFCA All-South Central Region first team. She was also named to the All-Lone Star Conference first team and LSC All-Academic Team, as well as winning the LSC Golden Glove for her defense. Now a graduate student, Lerma finished her ASU career ranked second in career stolen bases (146), fourth in runs scored (187) and walks (124), and seventh in on-base percentage (.472). She is now eligible for D2CCA All-America honors. See more details at angelosports.com.

Kade Bragg of Ennis, a junior left-handed pitcher for the Angelo State University Rams baseball team, has been named the 2023 Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year. In his first season at ASU, Bragg dominated the LSC, posting an 11-1 record with one save and a 1.07 ERA, which is the lowest ERA in all of NCAA Division II. With a 12-1 overall record, he tossed 75.2 innings and gave up only nine earned runs while notching 98 strikeouts to only 30 walks. Also named to the All-LSC first team, Bragg led the LSC in wins and ERA, as well as opposing batting average (.162), total runs allowed (12), hits allowed (43) and home runs allowed (2). Bragg helped lead the Rams to a 44-8 overall record and the LSC regular season title. They are hosting the LSC Tournament Championship this weekend. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University Rambelles softball players Paxton Sheurer of Mansfield and Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for their success on the field and in the classroom during the 2023 season. Scheurer, the Belles' third baseman, graduated this spring with her master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology. On the field, she batted .329 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI on her way to being named to the All-Lone Star Conference first team and LSC All-Academic Team for the second straight year. Lerma, the Belles' second baseman, has already earned her bachelor's degree in finance and is pursuing her MBA. She hit .372 this season with a team-high 61 hits and 58 stolen bases. She made the All-LSC first team and LSC All-Academic Team for the third straight season while also winning her third straight LSC Golden Glove for defense. This marks the second straight CSC Academic All-District selection for both Scheurer and Lerma, who will both now move to the Academic All-America ballot. Both earned CSC Academic All-America second-team honors last season. See more details at angelosports.com.

Six players from the Angelo State University Rams baseball team have been named to the Lone Star Conference All-Defensive Team for their performances during the 2023 regular season. With the top team fielding percentage in all of NCAA Division II (.983), it's no surprise the Rams dominated the LSC All-Defensive Team, filling six of the 10 positions. ASU honorees are junior pitcher Aaron Munson of San Antonio, senior catcher Tyler Boggs of Grand Junction, Colo., senior first baseman Jordan Williams of Round Rock, junior third baseman Kamden Kelton of Cedar Park, sophomore shortstop Justin Harris of The Woodlands, and senior outfielder Thomas Cain of Flower Mound. Williams is the first LSC player to make the All-Defensive Team four times, and Boggs makes the team for the second straight season. The Rams won the LSC regular-season title and are hosting the LSC Tournament Championship this weekend. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Nine players from the Angelo State University Rams baseball team have been named to the All-Lone Star Conference Teams for their performances during the 2023 regular season. The top honor went to junior left-handed pitcher Kade Bragg of Ennis, who was named LSC Pitcher of the Year and to the All-LSC first team. He is joined on the All-LSC first team by junior starting pitcher Braxton Pearson of Georgetown, junior outfielder Jacob Guerrero of Colleyville and junior designated hitter Richard "Tripp" Clark of Waco. Making the All-LSC second team for the Rams are junior starting pitcher Aaron Munson of San Antonio and sophomore shortstop Justin Harris of The Woodlands. Three Rams made the All-LSC third team, including junior relief pitcher Scott Ellis of Bakersfield, Calif., senior outfielder Thomas Cain of Flower Mound and sophomore utility player Austin Beck of Allen. Beck was also named to the LSC All-Academic Team. The Rams won the LSC regular-season title, currently sit at 44-8 overall, and are hosting the LSC Tournament Championship this weekend. The Rams' coaching staff was also named LSC Coaching Staff of the Year. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village, a senior on the Angelo State University Rambelles softball team, has earned 2023 All-South Central Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). The Belle's second baseman, Lerma was named to the all-region first team - and this marks the third straight year she has earned NFCA all-region recognition. She led the team in batting average (.372) and hits (61) this season, and her 58 stolen bases tied the ASU single-season record and currently leads all of NCAA Division II. In her final season for the Belles, Lerma has also been named to the All-Lone Star Conference first team and LSC All-Academic Team, and she earned her third straight LSC Golden Glove. She finishes her ASU career ranked second all-time in stolen bases (146), fourth in runs scored (187) and walks (124), and seventh in on-base percentage (.472). See more details at angelosports.com.

Angelo State University tennis players Ramitha Irrinki of Round Rock and Eva Schwartz of L'isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, France, have been selected to the 2022-23 Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization. To be eligible, student-athletes must have attended their institution for at least a calendar year, competed in more than 50% of their team's contests, and have at least a 3.5 a grade point average (GPA). Irrinki is a sophomore biology major who went 18-3 in singles and 13-11 in doubles this season. Schwartz is a junior international business major who went 18-5 in singles and 20-3 in doubles. They helped lead the ASU Rambelles to the Lone Star Conference Tournament final and a berth in the NCAA D-II South Central Regional. Both will now be eligible for the CSC Academic All-America Team. See more details at angelosports.com.

Angelo State University's chapter of the Alpha Chi national honor society recently inducted its spring 2023 class of 34 new student members during a special initiation ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. Alpha Chi is one of the nation's most prestigious collegiate honor societies that is open to students majoring in all academic disciplines. To be eligible, students must rank in the top 10% of seniors or in the top 7.5% of juniors at their college or university. See the full list of inductees, listed by their hometowns, at angelo.edu/news.

Four players on the Angelo State University Rambelles softball team have earned All-Lone Star Conference honors for their performances during the 2023 regular season. Second baseman Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village and third baseman Paxton Sheurer of Mansfield were named to the All-LSC first team. First baseman Bailey Martinez of Albuquerque, N.M., was named to the All-LSC second team, and pitcher Genesis Armendariz of Hobbs, N.M., was named to the All-LSC third team. Lerma leads the Belles with a .377 batting average and leads NCAA Division II in steals with 58. She is also tied for the ASU single-season record for steals. Scheurer is hitting .321 with a team-high 15 homers and 51 RBI. Martinez is hitting .341 overall, and her .366 batting average in LSC play is tops on the team. Armendariz has a 14-11 record with 11 complete games and 106 strikeouts in 140.2 inning pitched. This markes the third All-LSC honor for Lerma, the second for Scheurer and Armendariz, and the first for Martinez. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University Rambelles softball players Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village and Keilei Garcia of Hemet, Calif., have both earned Lone Star Conference Golden Glove Awards for the defensive play during the 2023 regular season. Lerma, a senior second baseman, wins her third straight Golden Glove. She owns a .990 fielding percentage and has recorded 117 putouts and 75 assists. She was also named to the All-LSC first team and LSC All-Academic Team. Garcia, a junior catcher, earns her second straight Golden Glove. She has a .987 fielding percentage and has thrown out 11 stolen base attempts, second-best in the LSC. Lerma and Garcia are also two of only three players to start all 53 games for the Rambelles this season - and ASU is one of only two teams to have multiple 2023 Golden Glove winners. The Rambelles continue their season this week at the LSC Tournament. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Ashlyn Lerma of Highland Village and Paxton Scheurer of Mansfield, infielders on the Angelo State University Rambelles softball team, have been named to the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team for their performance on the field and in the classroom during the 2023 season. Lerma, a senior second baseman, has already earned her ASU undergraduate degree in finance and is pursuing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. This is her third straight year to make the LSC All-Academic Team. On the field, she leads the Belles with a .377 batting average and leads all of NCAA Division II with 58 stolen bases. Scheurer, a senior third baseman, has already earned her ASU undergraduate degee in psychology and is set to receive her ASU master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology. This is her second straight LSC All-Academic Team selection. On the field, she is batting .321 with a team-high 15 homers and 51 RBI. Lerma and Scheurer are the only teammates to make the 2023 LSC All-Academic Team. The Belles continue their season this week at the LSC Tournament. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Six members of the Angelo State University Rams and Rambelles track and field teams swept three of the four Lone Star Conference Athlete of the Week honors for Week 7 of the outdoor season ending April 30. Shiean Walters of Lubbock was named the LSC Women's Track Athlete of the Week, Abby Zamzow of Bowie was named the LSC Women's Field Athlete of the Week, and the Rams 4x400-meter relay team was named the LSC Men's Track Athletes of the Week. All competed at the Oliver Jackson Invitational in Abilene. Walters took first place in the 400 meters with a time of 53.73. Zamzow took third in the triple jump with a mark of 40-5.5 (12.33 meters), an NCAA Division II provisional mark. The Rams 4x400-meter relay team took first place with a time of 3:10.05. The Rams 4x400-meter relay team includes Prince Frimpong of Kumasi, Ghana; Bossman Pinkrah of Accra, Ghana; Emmett Seals Jr. of Rowlett; and Oussama El Bouchayby of Marrakesh, Morocco. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Emily Maxey of Phoenix, Ariz., has been selected to receive Angelo State University's 2023 Presidential Award as the top graduate in her class, and she will be recognized at ASU's May 12-13 commencement ceremonies. Emily Maxey was nominated by the Department of Physics and Geosciences. She is a physics and computer science double major with mathematics minor, and she graduates with High University Honors after completing the Honors Program curriculum. She received numerous scholarships, including the ASU Distinguished Scholarship, Distinguished Honors Scholarship, Alvin New Family Honors Scholarship, Chase Physics Scholarship and Dr. Mills Memorial Scholarship. Her stellar academic performance earned her induction into the Sigma Pi Sigma national physics honor society. She was also actively engaged in campus affairs, serving as secretary and president of the Honors Student Association and outreach coordinator for the Society of Physics Students, and participating in the Women in Physics organization. She also served the Department of Computer Science as a tutor and Summer Code Camp instructor. Maxey excelled in undergraduate research, earning two separate Undergraduate Faculty-Mentored Research Grants and presenting at regional and national physics, science and honors conferences. Additionally, she secured highly competitive external placements, including a Research Experience for Undergraduates in applied computing at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a software engineering internship with the Data Science and Machine Learning Team at CarMax's technology hub in Richmond, Virginia. She has been awarded a Distinguished Graduate Student Assistantship to pursue a Ph.D. in physics at Texas Tech University and plans to pursue a career in university teaching and research. See the full news release at angelo.edu/news.

Cameron Poole of Kerrville, a senior animal science major at Angelo State University, was selected to represent ASU and present her research project at the recent 2023 Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol event in Austin. The event only takes place in odd-numbered years when the Texas Legislature is in session. Each institute of higher education in Texas is allowed to select one student to present a research poster project. Poole presented her research poster on her project titled "The Effects of Chelated Minerals on Conception Rates in Rambouillet Ewes," which she completed under the mentorship of Audrey Meyer, ASU instructor in agriculture. Poole is scheduled to graduate with her bachelor's degree in May. She is minoring in biology and chemistry, and she plans to earn her ASU master's degree before heading to medical school. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University has announced its Presidential Award and Distinguished Student Awards winners for the Class of 2023 that will graduate later this month. They will be recognized at ASU's May 12-13 commencement ceremonies. Emily Maxey of Phoenix, Ariz., has been selected to receive the 2023 Presidential Award as the top graduate in her class. Five other ASU graduating seniors have been selected for Distinguished Student Awards from their respective academic colleges. See the full news release at angelo.edu/news.

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.