Texas A&M-Kingsville’s D.J. Delancy and West Texas A&M’s Miriam Zanovello – both track and field student-athletes with 4.0 grade-point averages – earned 2023 Lone Star Conference Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year awards, presented by Barnes & Noble College. The conference’s top academic honors were announced by the league office on Wednesday (July 12).
Delancy earned the title of LSC Fred Jacoby Male Academic Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year, holding off Lubbock Christian’s Tariq Bakkali (soccer) and Rowan Mackenzie (basketball). Delancy joins Angelo State’s David Goggin (2015-16) and West Texas A&M’s Dustin Vaughan (2013-14) as the only back-to-back male winners.
Delancy, a graduate student in Biology and Biomedical Sciences major from Bethel Town, has maintained a perfect GPA throughout his athletic career as a thrower. He won the 2022 and 2023 LSC Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year award and was the 2022 LSC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year. At this year’s LSC Indoor Championships, he finished third in the shot put (16.44m).
Zanovello was named LSC Fred Jacoby Female Academic Athlete of the Year ahead of Lubbock Christian’s Tiarra Delrosario (softball) and Angelo State’s Kira Miller (soccer). Zanovello joins Lady Buffs standouts Laura Iwuchukwu (2014), Lauren Thedford (2011) and Emily Brister (2008-09) as winners of the award.
Zanovello, a senior Chemistry major from Chivasso, Italy, won the 2023 LSC Academic Athlete of the Year award in both indoor and outdoor track and field. She also took the top academic outdoor honor in 2022. Zanovello, who helped guide a NCAA Division II outdoor national title in 2022, had the second-best long jump (5.86m) and triple jump (12.55m) in the country this year.
Delancy and Zanovello have both appeared on the LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times.
The awards, which are named in honor of late LSC Commissioner Fred Jacoby, were voted on by the conference’s sports information directors. To be eligible, student-athletes must have won the top academic award for their respective sport during the 2022-23 season.
2023 LSC FRED JACOBY ACADEMIC ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Presented by Barnes & Noble College
Male
D.J. Delancy, Texas A&M-Kingsville (Track and Field)
Female
Miriam Zanovello, West Texas A&M (Track and Field)
ALL-TIME LSC FRED JACOBY ACADEMIC ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Male
2023 D.J. Delancy, Texas A&M-Kingsville (Track and Field)
2022 D.J. Delancy, Texas A&M-Kingsville (Track and Field)
2021 Alexander Vencel, West Texas A&M (Soccer)
2020 Alex Shillow, Texas A&M-Commerce (Football)
2019 Ezra Bagwell, Eastern New Mexico (Track and Field)
2018 Dillon Vaughan, West Texas A&M (Football)
2017 Turner Pool, Texas A&M-Commerce (Cross Country, Track and Field)
2016 David Goggin, Angelo State (Baseball)
2015 David Goggin, Angelo State (Baseball)
2014 Dustin Vaughan, West Texas A&M (Football)
2013 Dustin Vaughan, West Texas A&M (Football)
2012 Zack Cohen, Angelo State (Baseball)
2011 Kirk Jewasko, Incarnate Word (Baseball)
2010 Brad Rutherford, Abilene Christian (Baseball)
2009 Andrew Foshee, Central Oklahoma (Baseball)
2008 Tyler Cooper, West Texas A&M (Basketball)
Female
2023 Miriam Zanovello, West Texas A&M (Track and Field)
2022 Paxton Scheurer, Angelo State (Softball)
2021 Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler (Track and Field)
2020 Maddi Chitsey, Lubbock Christian (Basketball)
2019 Greta Lazzarotto, Midwestern State (Tennis)
2018 Kami Norton, Angelo State (Track and Field)
2017 Kami Norton, Angelo State (Track and Field)
2016 Katie MacLeay, Angelo State (Volleyball)
2015 Ewa Zaborowska, Harding (Track and Field)
2014 Laura Iwuchukwu, West Texas A&M (Volleyball)
2013 Vrazel, Texas Woman’s (Softball)
2012 Bailey Vrazel, Texas Woman’s (Softball)
2011 Lauren Thedford, West Texas A&M (Volleyball)
2010 Lauren Craig, Midwestern State (Softball)
2009 Emily Brister, West Texas A&M (Basketball)
2008 Emily Brister, West Texas A&M (Basketball)