Angelo State University

Maribel Lopez of Del Rio, a second-year graduate student at Angelo State University, has earned an internship in the office of U.S. Congressman August Pfluger for the 2023 spring semester. Lopez is pursuing her master's degree in homeland security at Angelo State. She is particularly interested in immigration and human trafficking. She is one of two Texas college students selected to intern in Rep. Pfluger's Washington, D.C., office this spring. Her duties will include answering phone calls, working on legislative research, and helping with other daily office functions. Pfluger, a republican, represents the 11th District of Texas.

Kevon Godwin of Blountstown, Florida, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Rams basketball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week for Week 11 of the season ending Jan. 22. This marks the third time Godwin has earned the weekly honor this season. As the Rams went 2-0 for the week with road wins over St. Mary's University and St. Edward's University, Godwin spearheaded the offense, shooting 69.2% from the field and 81.8% from three-point range. He scored 21 points against St. Mary's and then topped that by pouring in 26 points against St. Edward's. He is now averaging 16.9 points per game and leads the LSC in three-point shooting percentage (42.1%). See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC Website.

Four members of the Angelo State University track and field teams, two Rams and two Rambelles, have been named Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field Preseason Athletes to Watch leading into the 2023 season. Elvis Kryukov of Limassol, Cyprus, and Oussama Elbouchayby of Marrakech, Morocco, earned preseason honors for the Rams. Maricia Spence of Christiana, Jamaica, and Shiean Walters of Colemen earned the preseason honors for the Rambelles. Kryukov was an indoor first-team All-American last season in the heptathlon and is the reigning NCAA Division II outdoor national champion in the decathlon. Elbouchayby is a freshman distance runner in his first season at ASU. Spence was an indoor second-team All-American last season in the pentathlon, and Walters was an indoor all-region selection in the 400 meters and 4x400 relay. See more details on the LSC website.

Angelo State University intramural flag football teams, including the inaugural unified team of ASU students and Special Olympics athletes, posted two top-four placings at the 2023 NIRSA National Flag Football Tournament held Jan. 6-8 in Round Rock. In the Unified Division, ASU's The Untouchables fell just short of playing for a national championship, losing in the semifinals to a team from the University of Florida, 32-26. Along the way, they won their pool by defeating teams from Colorado State University and the University of Wisconsin, and followed that up with another win over CSU to advance to the semifinals. William Gilmore of San Angelo, a Special Olympics (SO) athlete on The Untouchables, was named an All-American in the Unified Division representing ASU. In the Co-Rec Division, ASU's Troll Tide also advanced to the national semifinals, defeating teams from Georgia Southern University and the University of Maryland before dropping the return match with Georgia Southern, 13-12, in their semifinal. William Hollis of Brady was named a Co-Rec All-American for ASU. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant of Amarillo and Sawyer Lloyd of Wall, both juniors on the Angelo State University Belles basketball team, have been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Players of the Week for Week 9 of the season ending Jan. 8. McGhee-Pleasant picked up her second Offensive Player of the Week nod after posting a double-double in both of the Belles' wins over No. 13 West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian. She scored a season-high 22 points against WTAM and added 12 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. She then posted 16 points and 11 rebounds against LCU, including the game-winning jumper with under a second to play. She ranks third in the LSC in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Lloyd snagged her third straight LSC Defensive Player of the Week honor and fourth in the last five weeks. She led the Belles' defense that held both WTAM and LCU to season lows in shooting percentage. She totalled 10 steals and 12 rebounds over the two games, along with 13 points and 15 assists. She leads the LSC averaging 1.9 steals per game. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Kevon Godwin of Blountstown, Fla., and Steve Webb of St. Louis, Mo., both guards on the Angelo State University Rams basketball team, have been named the Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Players of the Week for Week 9 of the season ending Jan. 8. Godwin picked up his second LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor after averaging 18.5 points per game as the Rams went 2-0 for the week with home wins over West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian. The junior guard shot 59.1% from the field and made six of 11 from three-point range. He ranks sixth in the LSC averaging 15.5 points per game. Webb picked up his first LSC Defensive Player of the Week honor as he led the Rams' defense that held both WTAM and LCU to season lows in shooting percentage. He snagged multiple steals in both games and is second in the LSC averaging 1.9 steals per game. It was the Rams' first home win over WTAM since 2016. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Sawyer Lloyd of Wall, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Belles basketball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for Week 8 of the season ending Jan. 1. This marks the third time she has won the LSC's weekly defensive honor this season. As the Belles swept road games at Western New Mexico (54-50) and Eastern New Mexico (73-63), Lloyd picked up right where she left off in 2022. Against WNMU, she posted 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. She then went off against ENMU with 19 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, five assists and two more blocks. It was her fifth double-double of the season, and she now leads the LSC in steals per game (2.8). Lloyd and the Belles will host West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian this week at ASU's Junell Center/Stephens Arena. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University conferred 643 undergraduate and graduate degrees on 640 graduates during the 2022 fall commencement exercises on Dec. 10, 2022, at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena in San Angelo, Texas. 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 2022 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 2022 Dean's List is available at angelo.edu/commencement.

Angelo State University Rams basketball players Kevon Godwin of Blountstown, Fla., and Fredelin De La Cruz of El Seibo, Dominican Republic, have been named the Lone Star Conference Players of the Week for Week 5 of the season ending Dec. 4. After the Rams started conference play 2-0 for the week with wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M-International, Godwin was named LSC Offensive Player of the Week and De La Cruz was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week. Godwin, a junior guard, scored a career-high 31 points against A&M-Kingsville - and then added a game-high 19 points against A&M-International. De La Cruz, a senior forward, led the Rams defense that held both opponents to a combined 38% shootin from the field. He also posted a double-double against A&M-Kingsville with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Rams sit at 5-1 overall as they head into LSC games this week at Arkansas-Fort Smith and Oklahoma Christian. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University Belles basketball players Sawyer Lloyd of Wall and Madeline Stephens of Lubbock have been named the Lone Star Conference Players of the Week for Week 5 of the season ending Dec. 4. After leading ASU to a 2-0 start in conference play with wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M-International, Lloyd was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors and Stephens was named LSC Offensive Player of the Week. Lloyd, a junior guard, had a game-high five steals against A&M-Kingsville - and then three steals and two block against A&M-International to go with a game-high 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Stephens, a junior forward, had 10 points and 10 rebounds against A&M-Kingsville - and then 19 points and 8 rebounds against A&M-International. The Belles are now 6-1 heading into road games this week at Arkansas-Fort Smith and Oklahoma Christian. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Kira Miller of Frisco, goalkeeper for the Angelo State University Rambelles soccer team, has been named a 2022 All-American by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) organization. In her final season at ASU, Miller led the Lone Star Conference in shutouts (10) and set a new ASU career record for saves (311). She was named the LSC Goalkeeper of the Year and Academic Player of the Year, and she was selected to the All-South Central Region first team by USC and the Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). This is her second year to earn USC All-America honors. Miller also finishes her ASU career as the all-time leader in wins (56), shutouts (38) and minutes played (8,044). See more details at angelosports.com.

Seven players from the Angelo State University Rams football team have been named to the 2022 NCAA Division II Super Region 4 All-Region Teams by the Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) following the Rams' undefeated regular season. Three Rams were named to the all-region first team: linebacker Daron Allman of Killeen, offensive lineman Jacob Long of Waco, and cornerback Andrew Pitts of McKinney. Four Rams were named to the all-region second team: defensive lineman Weston Bauer of Brady, linebacker Micah Flowers of Missouri City, running back Nate Omayebu III of Sherman, and safety K'hari Watson of Keller. The Rams went 11-0 to post their first undefeated regular season since joining NCAA Division II and claim their first outright LSC championship since 1984. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Rams are the No. 1 seed in Super Region 4 heading into their quarterfinal matchup against Colorado School of Mines on Dec. 3. See more details at angelosports.com.

Five players on the Angelo State University Rambelles soccer team have earned 2022 All-South Central Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches organization. Graduate student goalkeeper Kira Miller of Frisco and senior defender Cassidy Hill of Forney were named to the all-region first team. She holds ASU all-time saves record (311) and was also named Lone Star Conference Goaltender of the Year and Academic Player of the Year. Hill played every minute for the Rambelles this season and was named the LSC Defender of the Year. Junior midfielder Katelin Heise of Lubbock, sophomore forward Grace Jordan of Fort Worth and senior forward Reagan Urbany of Austin were named to the all-region second team. Heise was selected to the All-LSC first team, while Jordan and Urbany were All-LSC second-team selections. The Rambelles finished second in the LSC this season and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional for the second straight year. See more details at angelosports.com.

Angelo State University Belles players Payton Brown of Lubbock and Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant of Amarillo have been named the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Players of the Week for Week 4 of the season ending Nov. 27. The pair led the Belles to a 70-63 win over No. 5 Eckerd College in their lone game of the week. Brown, a senior guard, was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week. McGhee-Pleasant, a junior forward, was named LSC Offensive Player of the Week. Brown played all 40 minutes against the Tritons, posting three steals and six rebounds to go along with 13 points. McGhee-Pleasant scored a team-high 21 points and also added eight rebounds and three assists. The Belles are now 4-1 heading into games this week against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Angelo State University Belles volleyball players Caleigh Enax of Haslet and Sydney Mundkowsky of Gatesville have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for their performance on the court and in the classroom during the 2022 season. Enax, a sophomore defensive specialist, has a 3.74 GPA majoring in exercise science. She led the Belles with 446 digs this season and added 45 service aces. Mundkowsky, a junior outside hitter, has a 3.64 GPA majoring in psychology. She led the Belles with 225 kills and was ASU's lone All-Lone Star Conference selection. The pair will now move on to the CSC Academic All-American ballot, which is voted on by sports information directors from across all of NCAA Division II. See more details at angelosports.com.

A team of Angelo State University political science students earned team and individual awards at the 26th annual Eugene Scassa Mock Organization of American States (ESMOAS) Collegiate Summit of the Americas Conference earlier this month at Baylor University. ESMOAS is an academic parliamentary debate program that brings together the nation's best and brightest college students to debate the issues facing the nations in North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean that are members of the Organization of America States (OAS). Student teams represent delegations from those nations. ASU team members were: Gabriela Avila of Robstown Jorge Fernandez of San Angelo Isabella Lawrence of Brownwood Maria Miranda of Arlington Ian Moreno of RobyAnge Nyantungane of Manor During the ESMOAS Summit of the Americas Competition, the ASU team won a Distinguished Team Position Paper Award representing the Dominican Republic - and Avila won an individual Distinguished Resolution Award for her policy resolution titled "Enhancing Women's Democratic Participation and Strengthening Women's Engagement in Civic Society." See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University's chapter of the Alpha Chi national honor society recently inducted its fall 2022 class of 24 new student members during a special initiation ceremony in the Houston Harte University Center. Alpha Chi is one of the nation's most prestigious honor societies and is open to 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. See the full list of inductees, listed by hometown and major, at angelo.edu/news.

Angelo State University Rams football players Cason Brown of Schulenburg and Kason Philips of Stephenville have been named to the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team for the 2022 season. The All-Academic Team is selected 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 their team's contests, reached sophomore athletic and academic standing, and have a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA for their entire collegiate career. Brown, a graduate student tight end, is pursuing his master's degree in coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration. Philips, a sophomore running back, is majoring in marketing at ASU. Both were also selected to the All-LSC first team as they helped lead the Rams offense that ranked first in the LSC in total offense and scoring. The Rams went 11-0 to win the LSC Championship, are ranked No. 2 in the nation, and are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Andrew Pitts of McKinney, a sophomore cornerback on the Angelo State University Rams football team, has been named the 2022 Lone Star Conference Defensive Back of the Year. Also an All-LSC first team selection, Pitts led the LSC with six interceptions and scored two defensive touchdowns. He also helped anchor the Rams' defense that ranked first in the LSC in rushing defense, passing defense and scoring defense, allowing an average of just 216.5 yards and 11.7 points per game. The Rams went 11-0 to win the LSC Championship, are ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II, and are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

A two-student team representing Angelo State University's Bass Anglers Club has qualified to compete at the 2023 Major League Fishing (MLF) College Fishing National Championship next summer at a location to be announced. ASU team members Ty Smoot of Poteet and Robert Vance of San Angelo qualified for the national tournament field by placing in the top 10 at the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI tournament held Nov. 11-14 at Lake of the Pines in northeast Texas. Smoot and Vance placed fourth out of 138 two-person teams representing over 35 colleges and universities from Texas and surrounding states. Their total five-bass catch weight was 17 pounds, 6 ounces - and their fourth-place finish also earned a $500 prize for the ASU Bass Anglers Club. See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Weston Bauer of Brady, a senior defensive end on the Angelo State University Rams football team, has been named the 2022 Lone Star Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year. Also an All-LSC first team selection, Bauer helped anchor the Rams' defense that ranked first in the LSC in rushing defense, passing defense and scoring defense, allowing an average of just 216.5 yards and 11.7 points per game. He recorded 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The Rams went 11-0 to win the LSC Championship, are ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II, and are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Jacob Long of Waco, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Rams football team, has been named the 2022 Lone Star Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year. Also an All-LSC first team selection, Long anchored the undefeated Rams' offense that ranked first in the LSC in yards per game (427.6), scoring (32.7 ppg) and touchdowns (46). The Rams went 11-0 to win the LSC Championship, are ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II and are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Nate Omayebu III, a junior running back on the Angelo State University Rams football team, has been named the 2022 Lone Star Conference Offensive Back of the Year. This marks the second straight year he has earned the award. Omayebu topped 1,000 yards for the second straight season, piling up 1,065 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns to lead the ASU offense that topped the LSC in rushing. He also caught 14 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, and he was named to the All-LSC first team for the second straight year. The Rams won the LSC Championship, are ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II and are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

Twenty-one players from the Angelo State University Rams football team have been named to the 2022 All-Lone Star Conference Teams following the Rams' undefeated regular season. Thirteen Rams were named to the All-LSC first team, five Rams made the All-LSC second team, and three Rams earned All-LSC honorable mention. ASU also claimed five conference superlative awards, and head coach Jeff Girsch was named LSC Coach of the Year. The Rams went 11-0 to post their first undefeated regular season since joining NCAA Division II and claim their first outright LSC championship since 1984. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Rams are the No. 1 seed in Super-Region 4 heading into the playoffs and have a first-round bye. Their first playoff game will be at home on Nov. 26 against either Bemidji State or Winona State. See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.

William Hennig of Paint Rock and Garath Vetters of Kingsland, both physics majors at Angelo State University, won top prizes for their research presentations at the 2022 Physics Congress (PhysCon) in Washington, D.C. PhysCon is held every three years and is the largest conference in the nation for physics and astronomy undergraduate students with more than 1,200 participants. Competing against about 400 other student research entries: Hennig was named Top Presenter in the Statistical/Thermal/Non-Linear/Complex Systems category for his poster and presentation on his project titled "Equilibration Times of 3D Edwards-Anderson Spin Glasses." Vetters was named Top Presenter in the 100 Years of Momentum category for his poster and presentation on his project titled "Detecting Cosmic Rays on Earth's Surface and Above." Both Hennig and Vetters received a $100 award and a year's subscription to the Wolfram Mathematica software system. Nicholas Swartz of Abilene was also a finalist for his project titled "Modeling, Constructing, and Testing an Electromagnetic Rail Gun with Python." See more details at angelo.edu/news.

Five players on the Angelo State University Rambelles soccer team have been named to the 2022 Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization. Junior midfielder Katelin Heise of Lubbock, senior defender Cassidy Hill of Forney, sophomore forward Grace Jordan of Fort Worth, graduate student goalkeeper Kira Miller of Frisco, and junior midfielder Valerie Solis of Arlington were honored by the CSC. The CSC Academic All-District Team is selected to recognize student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA. The Rambelles recently ended their season at the NCAA Division II Tournament after posting a 13-4-3 record. See more details at angelosports.com.

Three members of the Angelo State University Rambelles soccer team have earned All-South Central Region honors for the 2022 season from the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Goalkeeper Kira Miller of Frisco and defender Cassidy Hill of Forney have been named to the all-region first team, and junior midfielder Katelin Heise of Lubbock has been named to the all-region second team. Miller set a new ASU record for career saves (311) and was also named Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, LSC Academic Player of the Year and to the All-LSC first team. Hill led the ASU defense that allowed just 16 goals in 20 matches and was also named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-LSC first team. Heise notched four goals and four assists as a key box-to-box midfielder and was also named to the All-LSC first team. The Rambelles finished the season at 13-4-3 overall and 8-3-1 in the LSC while advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament. See more details at angelosports.com.

Kaila Garnett of Plano, a freshman outside hitter on the Angelo State University Belles volleyball team, was named to the 2022 All-Lone Star Conference Tournament Team. Despite the Belles being knocked out in the first round by LSC champs West Texas A&M, Garnett had a strong match, recording a team-high seven kills and a .636 attack percentage. For the season, Garnett was third on the Belles with 202 kills and she posted 50 blocks and 45 digs. See more details at angelosports.com.

Sawyer Lloyd of Wall, a junior guard on the Angelo State University Belles basketball team, has been named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2022 season. As the Belles swept road games against MSU-Denver and Western Colorado, Lloyd poured in a total of 44 points, including 20 against MSU-Denver and a game-high 24 against WCU. She also posted a double-double against WCU with 11 rebound to go with her 24 points. Over the two games, she also recorded nine assists and six steals, and she shot 60% from the field. Next up for the Belles are two more road games at Missouri Southern (Nov. 17) and Ouachita Baptist (Nov. 19). See more details at angelosports.com and on the LSC website.