Eastern New Mexico’s Ezra Bagwell and West Texas A&M’s Valda Kabia named the Lone Star Conference Academic Athletes of the Year on Friday when league officials announced the LSC's annual academic awards for men's and women's indoor track and field.
Bagwell highlighted the 11 standouts on the LSC Men’s All-Academic team, while Kabia led a group of 11 on the LSC Women’s All-Academic team.
A senior electronic engineering major from Clayton, New Mexico, Bagwell was named to the LSC academic team for the third straight year. He is ranked in the top 20 in the LSC in the 60m hurdles and long jump.
Kabia, a senior sport and exercise science major from Richmond, British Columbia, currently ranks first in the LSC in 60-meter and 200-meter dash. The reigning 200m LSC Indoor Champion holds the school record in the event.
To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.30 grade point average and have reached sophomore status both athletically and academically. The Academic Athlete of Year award and All-Academic Team are selected from the list of academically qualified players, with the league's sports information directors voting on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement.
Joining Bagwell on the men's all-academic team was Angelo State’s Maxime Lapeyrie, Dragan Pesic, and Cameron Cross; DBU’s Stetson Rayas; Tarleton State’s Lorenzo Jones; Texas A&M-Commerce’s Steven Sanchez; Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Dean Wallace and Lane Michna; and West Texas A&M’s Giovanni Pieters and Briggs Wittlake.
On the women's team with Kabia were teammates Aubrey Watson and Madison Thetford; ASU’s Mia Van Oudsthoorn, Taylor Hall, and Ophelie De Oliveira; DBU’s Leah Lewis; ENMU’s Kiana Covington; Midwestern State’s Mercy Yermo; TSU’s Gretzel Jimenez; and TAMUK’s Racheal Somoye.
Overall, 22 men and women were selected to the All-Academic teams including a three-time selection in Bagwell and two repeat selections (Yermo and Jimenez).
2019 LSC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
MEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Maxime Lapeyrie |
Angelo State |
So. |
Communications |
Corcellos les Monts, France |
| Dragan Pesic |
Angelo State |
Grad |
Coaching, Rec, and Sport Admin. |
Centinje, Montenegro |
| Cameron Cross |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
San Angelo, Texas |
| Stetson Rayas |
Dallas Baptist |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
El Paso, Texas |
| Ezra Bagwell |
Eastern New Mexico |
Sr. |
Electronic Engineering |
Clayton, New Mexico |
| Lorenzo Jones |
Tarleton State |
So. |
Kinesiology |
Dallas, Texas |
| Steven Sanchez |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
Jr. |
Kinesiology & Sports Studies |
New Braunfels, Texas |
| Dean Wallace |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
So. |
Kinesiology |
Geronimo, Texas |
| Lane Michna |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Jr. |
Agricultural Business |
Lorena, Texas |
| Giovanni Pieters |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Master of Business Admin. |
Aalter, Belgium |
| Briggs Wittlake |
West Texas A&M |
So. |
Biology |
Amarillo, Texas |
LSC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year: Ezra Bagwell, Eastern New Mexico
WOMEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Mia Van Oudsthoorn |
Angelo State |
So. |
Exercise Science |
Roodskool, Kroonstad, South Africa |
| Taylor Hall |
Angelo State |
Grad |
Coaching, Rec, and Sport Admin. |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Ophelie De Oliveira |
Angelo State |
Grad |
Coaching, Rec, and Sport Admin. |
Viviers du Lac, France |
| Leah Lewis |
Dallas Baptist |
Jr. |
Education |
College Station, Texas |
| Kiana Covington |
Eastern New Mexico |
Sr. |
Anthropology |
El Paso, Texas |
| Mercy Yermo |
Midwestern State |
Jr. |
Humanities & Exer. Physiology |
Bandera, Texas |
| Gretzel Jimenez |
Tarleton State |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
Waco, Texas |
| Racheal Somoye |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Business Administration |
Houston, Texas |
| Valda Kabia |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sport and exercise science |
Richmond, British Columbia |
| Aubrey Watson |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Sport and exercise science |
Amarillo, Texas |
| Madison Thetford |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Marketing |
Amarillo, Texas |
LSC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year: Valda Kabia, West Texas A&M