A pair of student-athletes outstanding in the classroom and leaders in athletics have been named the 2026 Lone Star Conference Fred Jacoby Academic Athletes of the Year, announced Thursday (June 25).
West Texas A&M women's track and field champion
Blessing Akintoye and Angelo State baseball record holder
Austin Beck are recipients of the LSC's top academic honor for the 2025-26 year. Akintoye becomes the fifth women's track and field honoree while Beck is the seventh baseball player selected as an LSC Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year recipient.
A junior health science major carrying a 4.00 grade-point average, Akintoye
(Ogun state, Nigeria) was named to the just announced 2026 College Sports Communicators NCAA Division II District All-Academic Team in Track and Field after earning CSC Academic All-America First Team honors in 2025. Akintoye has been named LSC Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons and has been selected three times to LSC All-Academic Teams -- Indoor Track and Field (2025, '26) and Outdoor Track and Field ('26). She is an LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient each semester at WT.
Competing in sprint events, Akintoye claimed LSC Outstanding Track Athlete honors for the indoor season after winning both the 200 and 400-meter dashes, setting the LSC 400m indoor championship record. She capped her indoor season as the NCAA Division II Indoor 400m national champion and national runner-up in 4x400m relay. Akintoye took LSC outdoor titles in the 400m and 4x100m relay before helping West Texas A&M to the NCAA Division II national championship with the 400m and 4x400m relay titles. Akintoye was an LSC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team honoree.
Beck
(Allen, Texas) completed undergraduate work in exercise science and is a graduate student studying business administration with a 4.0 grade-point average. Named to the 2026 CSC Baseball Academic All-America First Team and CSC Academic All-District list, Beck received the 2026 Angelo State Male Athletic Academic Excellence Award in addition to leading the LSC Baseball All-Academic Team. He has garnered LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition each semester at ASU
Playing second base for the Rams, Beck is the first player in NCAA Division II baseball history to eclipse 300 runs scored and finished his career as the all-time runs scored leader in the Division. An LSC All-Conference First Team pick, Beck was named All-South Central Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association, National College Baseball Writers Association and the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association. He is the all-time leader in eight Angelo State statistical categories -- hits, games played and started, RBI, runs scored, stolen bases, triples and walks.
The LSC Academic Athlete of the Year awards are named in honor of late LSC Commissioner Fred Jacoby and are presented for the 19th year. Recipients are determined by vote of the conference sports information directors from the 19 student-athletes selected as the Academic Athlete of the Year in their respective Conference-sponsored sport during 2025-26 seasons.
2026 LSC FRED JACOBY ACADEMIC ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Women: Blessing Akintoye, West Texas A&M
(Track and Field)
Men: Austin Beck, Angelo State
(Baseball)
By Sport: The 2025-26 LSC Academic Athletes of the Year
ALL-TIME LSC FRED JACOBY ACADEMIC ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
| Women |
|
| 2026 |
Blessing Akintoye, West Texas A&M (Track and Field) |
| 2025 |
Grace Foster, Lubbock Christian (Basketball) |
| 2024 |
Sam Schott, UT Tyler (Softball) |
| 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 |
Bailey 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) |
| Men |
|
| 2026 |
Austin Beck, Angelo State (Baseball) |
| 2025 |
Brevin McCool, Lubbock Christian (Baseball) |
| 2024 |
Exequiel Rodriguez, Oklahoma Christian (Golf) |
| 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) |