All-Time Recipients
 
RICHARDSON, Texas –– Twenty-Six graduating student-athletes from the 13 American Southwest Conference member institutions are honored by the conference and their institutions as 2018-19 ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipients.
 
The ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor is presented to one male and one female member of the graduating class who has compiled the most outstanding record in academics, athletics and leadership over their collegiate career. The award is presented annually by the Faculty Athletics Representative at each conference member institution.
 
Recipients of the 2018-18 ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor represent 13 different conference sports and include individuals who graduated with academic honors, hold admission to graduate-level programs, are members of academic honor societies and campus organizations; competed on national, conference or division title teams; earned Academic All-America, ASC All-Academic, Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, All-Conference and All-America honors; and who served as volunteers, tutors and mentors within the campus and the community.
 
ASC 2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor Award Recipients

Member	Scholar-Athlete	Major(s)	Sport(s)	Hometown
Belhaven	Tanner Rogers	Business Administration	Football	Florala, Ala.
	Lauren Whiting	Education	Volleyball	Southaven, Miss.
Concordia Texas	Rob Oakley	Mathematics	Soccer	Houston, Texas
	Emily Villines	Mathematics	Cross Country/Track	Huntsville, Texas
East Texas Baptist	Beau Billings	Biology	Cross Country/Track	Mansfield, Texas
	Mullika Seekhieo	Kinesiology	Tennis	Tyler, Texas
Hardin-Simmons	Alex Hunt	Education	Tennis	Odessa, Texas
	Kenne Kessler	Biology – Pre-Med	Soccer	Highland Village, Texas
Howard Payne	Reed Shelley	Marketing	Golf	Fort Worth, Texas
	Kaitlyn Harrison	Athletic Training	Soccer	Watauga, Texas
LeTourneau	Andrew Harlan	Electrical Engineering	Baseball	Lewisville, Texas
	Sarah Harder	Early Child-6th Gr. Education	Soccer	Pearland, Texas
Louisiana College	Jamarcus Fitzpatrick	Sports Media	Football	Shreveport, La.
	Shelby Bergeron	Accounting	Softball	Morgan City, La.
Mary Hardin-Baylor	Robbie West	Business Marketing	Football	Teaguem Texas
	Elissa Freberg	Biology – Pre-Med	Soccer	Friendswood, Texas
McMurry	Blaine McRay	Exercise Sci. & Human Perf.	Baseball	Burleson, Texas
	Samantha Ritz	Psychology	Tennis	Rowlett, Texas
Ozarks	Thomas Ross	Mathematics	Soccer	Heath, Texas
	Hannah Smith	Accounting	Cross Country/Track	Blue Eye, Mo.
Sul Ross State	Fabian Baeza	Kinesiology	Football	Van Horn, Texas
	Kelly Swenson	Kinesiology	Soccer	Round Rock, Texas
UT Dallas	Brice Cooper	Bus. Admin./Healthcare Leadership & Mgmt	Golf	Conroe, Texas
	Melissa Livermore	Healthcare Studies	Softball	Frisco, Texas
UT Tyler	Davis Moore	Psychology	Basketball	Martin’s Mill, Texas
	Colleen Bentke	Business	Softball	Brenham, Texas

 
Biographical information provided by each student-athletes' Faculty Athletic Representative and Sports Information Director.

BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY
 
Tanner Rogers | Business Administration | Football| Florala, Ala.
Tanner Rogers has been a four-year member, three-year starter, and senior captain on the football team.  A business major, he was named to the 2018 American Southwest Conference Outstanding Sportsman Team of the Year, served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and represented the University and the ASC at the 2019 NCAA Convention held in Orlando, Fla. He has already secured a job following graduation with Puckett Machinery, where he is currently working an internship.

Lauren Whiting | Education | Volleyball | Southaven, Miss.
Lauren Whiting has been a four-year starter on the volleyball team. An elementary education major, she has earned both Dean’s List and President’s List honors.  She has also twice been recognized as NCCAA All-Region and has been a team captain since her sophomore season. Her campus service includes two years on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as active membership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Campus Recreation Team.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TEXAS
 
Rob Oakley | Mathematics | Soccer | Houston, Texas
Rob Oakley was a three-year letterman for the men’s soccer team, where he played 40 games in goal for the Tornados. Oakley finishes his career atop the program’s record books for a goalkeeper, including first in save percentage with a .762 mark, a goals against average of 1.00, shutouts with 13 total and had 21 wins during his tenure. He was also a three-time All-American Southwest Conference honoree, earning third-team accolades in 2016, honorable mention in 2017 and was a first team selection in 2018. In the classroom, Oakley was outstanding as well, posting a 3.84 GPA while majoring in mathematics. For his academic performance, Oakley was a two-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection.

Emily Villines | Mathematics | Cross Country/Track & Field| Huntsville, Texas
Emily Villines was a four-year letterman for the cross country team and competed for two seasons with the track & field team as well. During her cross country career, Villines tallied four individual meet wins and was an All-ASC First Team selection all four years, becoming the fourth female runner in the conference’s history and the first in the program’s history to be named to the first team for times. She also was the third runner in the program’s history to earn all-conference honors all four years. Villines finished her career with the program record time for the 6K race, the second-best time in program history for the 5K race and the most individual meet wins in a career with four. In track & field, Villines, was just as dominant, setting the school record in the 5,000 meter run and the 10,000 meters. For her performance on and off the track, Villines was named the 2018 ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year while also earning all-conference honors. In December, she graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 with a degree in mathematics.

EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
 
Beau Billings | Biology | Cross Country/Track & Field | Mansfield, Texas
Beau is a three-time American Southwest Conference Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year Award winner and is an All-ASC First Team member for cross country. The three-time Academic All-Conference selection has run in two NCAA Regional championships and helped ETBU to their top their best program finish of third in the 2018 ASC Cross Country Championships. This past season, Billings had three top 10 finishes, claiming eighth at the ASC Championships. In track & field, he was third in the 1,500 meter run as the Tigers finished in third place with the most points in program history. A member of the Dean’s List since his freshman year, he is also a two-time member of the President’s List and has earned an ETBU Honors Scholarship and biology scholarship. He has led team Bible studies and workouts, volunteered his time as a distance track coach at Marshall High School for both boy’s and girl’s teams, and helped at a local pet shelter.
 
Mullika Seekhieo | Kinesiology | Tennis| Tyler, Texas
Mullika Seekhieo is an American Southwest Conference champion that has been a four-year student-athlete at ETBU. The three-time All-ASC selection helped the Tigers to their first ASC Tournament championship in 2017 along with their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and win and the 2019 ASC East Division Championship. In the East Division, she is a four-time All-ASC first-team selection earning three in singles play and one in doubles and has been Player of the Week once. She has helped ETBU into the regional rankings the past three years with the program being nationally ranked as high as 34th in 2017. Outside of athletics, Seekhieo has volunteered her time at several places including Crockett Elementary and Sam Houston Elementary schools, the Special Olympics, and Hear for the Hungry. She is the vice president of the service sorority Delta Pi Theta, a member of the Chemistry Club, and a biology laboratory assistant.
 
HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY
 
Alex Hunt | Education | Tennis | Odessa, Texas
Alex Hunt is one of the top athletes at Hardin-Simmons. Despite not practicing a lot with the team in the fall because of student teaching, he advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Regional. He has played at No. 1 singles and doubles for four years and was the 2019 ASC West Most Valuable Player and Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year on the court. Hunt is the leader of a young Cowboy team that has three freshmen in the lineup. He carries a 3.90 GPA as an Education major and is planning to pursue a master's degree from HSU will serving as the graduate assistant for the Cowboys.
 
Kenne Kessler | Biology – Pre-Med | Soccer | Highland Village, Texas
Kenne Kessler was named an All-American and an Academic All-America for the second straight season. She also earned her second ASC Offensive Player of the Year award and was named the CoSIDA Academic Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. She led the Cowgirls to four straight ASC titles and to the Final Four and four straight Sweet 16s. She is now playing professionally in Spain.

HOWARD PAYNE UNIVERSITY
 
Reed Shelley | Golf | Marketing | Fort Worth, Texas
Reed Shelley has been a mainstay of the Howard Payne golf program since it was reestablished. A Marketing major with a 3.88 GPA, he has demonstrated a professional attitude in the classroom as well on the links. In his senior season, Shelley averaged 80.8 over 23 rounds with a season low round of 74.
 
Kaitlyn Harrison | Athletic Training | Soccer | Watauga, Texas
Kaitlyn Harris has led the Lady Jacket women's soccer program both on and off the pitch. A double major and an honor's program student, she has maintained a 4.00 GPA in the classroom. On the field, she ended her season with 32 shots including 12 on goal. A three-time All-Conference honoree, Harris is also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Chi Alpha Omega sorority and is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY
 
Andrew Harlan | Electrical Engineering | Baseball | Lewisville, Texas
Andrew Harlan is a four-year player for the LeTourneau baseball team and has helped the YellowJackets qualify for two of their five all-time postseason appearances. Serving as a team captain, Harlan carries a 4.00 GPA and has also served as a supplemental instruction leader for students on campus taking Circuits I the past two years. He has thrown the third-most innings as a pitcher in LeTourneau baseball history and the eighth-most strikeouts all time. Harlan is a two-time honorable-mention All-ASC selectionand will graduate this spring with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
 
Sarah Harder | Early Childhood-6th Grad Education | Soccer | Pearland, Texas
Sarah Harder concluded her playing career for the YellowJacket women’s soccer team this past fall as a four-time All-ASC selection and helped LeTourneau to four consecutive ASC Championship appearances while carrying a 4.00 GPA throughout her career. The Pearland, Texas native was able to continue playing in her senior year while also student-teaching full-time and became the first LeTourneau University female student-athlete to be named CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, being named to the First Team. Serving as a team captain, Harder helped lead the 2018 YellowJackets to the ASC Championship semifinals for the first time in school history while finishing her career with the sixth-most games played in LETU women’s soccer history.
 
LOUISIANA COLLEGE
 
Jamarcus Fitzpatrick | Sports Media | Football | Shreveport, La.
Jamarcus Fitzpatrick started every game for the Wildcats at left guard as one of the leaders on the offensive line. During the season, he continuously served as a teacher and guide for the younger members of the line while also serving as a coach’s captain for the team for the second year in a row. In the classroom, Fitzpatrick shined as the leader of the student run media department, responsible for weekly newscasts and campus journalism, primarily in the sports field, and maintained a 3.81 grade point average. He spearheaded the creation of a new media entity know as “The Den TV”, involving students in the program in the covering of Louisiana College athletics.
Shelby Bergeron | Accounting | Softball | Morgan City, La.
As a four-year member of the Louisiana College softball team, Shelby Bergeron has been a leader both on and off the field since day one. Her success on the field has translated directly into the classroom with a near 4.00 GPA closing in on the end of her senior year. On the field she holds the career record for stolen bases and became the first Wildcat to steal 100 bases in a career. She is having one of the best seasons to date at the plate in her final campaign, earning All-Conference honors for the third time.
 
UNIVERISTY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR
 
Robbie West | Business Marketing | Football | Teague, Texas
Robbie West was a three-year letterman, played for two National Champions and one National Runner-Up. He was a member of three ASC championship teams and was two-time ASC Academic All-Conference honoree. West missed one season due to injury. He works with a middle school mentorship program.
 
Elissa Freberg | Biology – Pre-Med | Soccer | Friendswood, Texas
Elissa Freberg was a Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team, ASC All-Conference and three-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection. She was a member of the Honors Program, tutors for the UMHB Center for Academic Excellence, an ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete nominee and member of first NCAA postseason qualifier in program history.
 
MCMURRY UNIVERSITY
 
Blaine McRay | Exercise Science & Human Performance | Baseball | Burleson, Texas
Blaine McRay is a significant contributor to the McMurry baseball team, but more importantly holds a cumulative GPA of 3.63.  He was a member of the McMurry Scholar-Athlete Leadership Academy as a sophomore. He is one of the leading hitters with a .314 batting average and third ranks third on the team in doubles, earning All-ASC Honorable Mention. McRay is a two-time ASC Academic All-Conference performer and was selected as the University's Male Scholar-Athlete Academic Award Winner.

Samantha Ritz | Psychology | Tennis | Rowlett, Texas
Samantha RItz has played at the top singles spot all season and held an 11-8 overall singles record in 2019, earning All-Division Second Team honors. In the classroom, she has a more impressive record, posting a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a psychology major with a business minor. Ritz has enjoyed a season that has seen her ranked as high as 21 in the regional rankings. In addition to her stellar play on the court, she also serves as the president of her social club and is the vice president of the McMurry Student Foundation. She has been a member of the Dean’s List every semester at McMurry and is a two-time ASC Academic All-Conference performer.
 
UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS
 
Thomas Ross | Mathematics | Soccer | Heath, Texas
As a mathematics major with minors in computer science and accounting, Thomas Ross became the eighth student-athlete in school history to earn national Academic All-America honors when he was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Men’s Soccer First Team. Ross, who won the American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s soccer in the fall, produced an All-Conference 2018 season, recording eight assists and scoring two goals while helping the Eagles to the postseason. His 12 points ranked third on the team. A 2018 December graduate, Ross owned a 3.99 grade point average and was a three-time member of the ASC Academic All-Conference Team and a two-time All-Conference performer. He received a spot on the USC Scholar All-South Region Team in 2017 and 2018. His 19 career assists rank sixth all-time at Ozarks.
 
Hannah Smith | Accounting | Cross Country/Track & Field| Blue Eye, Mo.
Accounting major Hannah Smith finished her cross country and track career with multiple program records. In track & field, she was named the 2018 American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year and ASC Track Athlete of the Year. The owner of three ASC individual championships in track and back-to-back All-Conference track awards, she set the conference track championship record (18:47) in the 5,000 meters last season. Smith placed third at the 2018 ASC Cross Country Championships and competed in three NCAA III Regional Cross Country Championships during her career. She owns the program 5K cross country record (19:16). Over four years, Smith achieved All-Academic All-Conference, ASC Track Athlete of the Week, ASC Cross Country Runner of the Week and USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors. Following the 2017-2018 academic year, she was named the University’s Female Athlete of the Year.
 
SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY
 
Fabian Baeza | Kinesiology | Football | Van Horn, Texas
Fabian Baeza has been involved in many service projects while at Sul Ross State, including – painting in a daycare, highway cleaning, coaching youth teams, volunteering with Kiwanis and on-campus projects. He was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an Academic All-Conference selection and Distinguished Scholar-Athlete nominee. Baeza has also done research as a McNair Scholar on concussions in football.

Kelly Swenson | Kinesiology | Soccer | Round Rock, Texas
Kelly Swenson was a Dean’s List and Honor Society member all four years while at Sul Ross. She also earned the W.H. Perryman Outstanding Kinesiology Student award and was a part of the National Society of Leadership and Success with Sigma Alpha Pi. Swenson was an ASC Academic All-Conference selection three-times and a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. She served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for four years, including an officer for two, was a peer mentor for two years and a part of the Dean’s Student Council for Kinesiology for two years. Swenson also did many service projects on campus and helped within the community with trash pick-up and working in the food pantry in Alpine. On the field, she was a two-time All-Conference goalkeeper.
 
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS
 
Brice Cooper | Business Administration/Healthcare Leadership & Management | Golf | Conroe, Texas
UT Dallas senior Brice Cooper was a two-time All-ASC selection for the Comets, earning first teams honors during his final season. As a senior, Cooper placed fifth at the ASC Championships to earn All-Tournament recognition while leading his squad to a third place finish. He participated in four ASC Championships over his career, recording a pair of top 10 performances. A three-year member of UTD's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Cooper was active in community service individually, as part of his golf team and through SAAC-sponsored activities throughout his career. He will end his time at UTD as a three-time Academic All-ASC selection.
 
Melissa Livermore | Healthcare Studies | Softball | Frisco, Texas
The most-decorated student-athlete in school history, UT Dallas senior Melissa Livermore is a four-time first team All-ASC selection for the Comets, earning Player of the Year distinction as a senior. A three-time All-America for UTD already in her career, Livermore became the NCAA Division III all-time leader in stolen bases during her final season and will leave UTD ranked in the top 10 among base steals from all NCAA divisions. After nearly re-writing the UTD softball record book, Livermore also set ASC records for hits and steals during her career. She will be a three-time Academic All-ASC pick for the Comets at the end of her career and was named Academic All-American by CoSIDA as a junior.
 
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER
 
Davis Moore | Psychology| Basketball | Martin’s Mill, Texas
Davis Moore was a three-year letterwinner for the Patriots in basketball, playing in 68 games. He was the 2018 ASC East Division Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. He will be a two-time Academic All-Conference selection while majoring in Psychology.
 
Colleen Bentke | Business | Softball | Brenham, Texas
Colleen Bentke was the 2018 ASC Pitcher of the Year and a NFCA Second Team All-America Selection. A two-time All-ASC First Team pick, she recorded a career 1.23 ERA with 45 wins and 240 strikeouts over her career.