RICHARDSON, Texas – Eleven student-athletes from six different member universities headline the 2019 American Southwest Conference Winter-Spring Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams, the league office announced on Monday.
 
The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients include Casey Combs of East Texas Baptist in baseball, Jordan Gray of ETBU in men’s basketball, Victoria Pena from UT Dallas in women’s basketball, Ben Balen from Concordia Texas in men’s golf, Olivia Robinson of Mary Hardin-Baylor in women’s golf, Melissa Livermore of UT Dallas in softball, Giovanni Zamboni from UTD in men’s tennis, Kathy Joseph from UTD in women’s tennis, Mack Broussard from ETBU and Michael Harris of Ozarks in men’s track & field and Alexis Segura of LeTourneau in women’s track & field.
 
East Texas Baptist graduate student Casey Combs was a D3baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-America selection, West Region Player of the Year, ASC Player of the Year, All-ASC First Team, ASC Hitter of the Week, and was on the D3baseball.com Team of the Week. He was also a Third Team Google Cloud Academic All-America selection by CoSIDA. Graduating in December with a 3.58 in business cum laude, he had a 4.0 in graduate school in the Masters of Business Administration program. In the ASC this year he was first in home runs (13), second in batting average (.417), hits (68), and total bases (119), fourth in RBI (48), and fifth in stolen bases (19 and threw out 14 base runners as a catcher. Combs was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 27th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.

Graduate student Jordan Gray from ETBU was a Google Cloud Academic All-District by CoSIDA selection. He graduated with 3.89 GPA in December and had a 4.0 in the Masters of Business Administration program. He earned All-ASC East Division Honorable Mention this year and is a two-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection. Battling an injury early in the year, Gray finished playing in 17 games averaging 11.8 points per game making 40 three-pointers and assessing 50 assists and 29 steals.

UT Dallas junior guard Victoria Pena was named the ASC East Division Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Comets to their second ASC title in three years. She led the Comets with 15.7 points per outing while adding 5.2 rebounds and a team-best 3.8 assists per contest. She was a 34.8 percent shooter from three-point range and shot 79.6 percent from the foul line. Also named to the All-ASC squad for the second straight season, Pena was listed as fifth team All-America by Women’s DIII News and tabbed honorable mention All-America by the WBCA. She was also named to the ASC East’s All-Defensive Team and listed Google Cloud Academic All-District by CoSIDA this season with a 3.88 GPA in Accounting. A three-time ASC East Player of the Week this year, Pena led the Comets to their third straight divisional title. The Comets posted a 25-5 overall record, going 14-2 and winning the ASC East, while closing the season ranked No. 22 in NCAA D-III.

Junior men’s golfer Ben Balen from Concordia Texas shot three straight rounds of even-par or better rounds at the ASC Championships and claimed individual medalist honors. Balen and the Tornados also secured their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Division III Championships by winning the ASC Championship, where they finished fourth as a team for the second year in a row. For the season, Balen finished with two top-five finishes on the season and had a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.
 
Olivia Robinson, a junior women’s golfer from Mary Hardin-Baylor, earned the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for the second straight year. She was a Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team selection by CoSIDA and also earned WGCA All-West Region honors. She was the ASC Women’s Golfer of the Year and also won individual medalist honors at the ASC Championship. She earned Academic All-ASC honors for the second straight year and was a First Team All-ASC selection. Robinson led the ASC with a 77.39 stroke average and won three individual titles while leading UMHB to the ASC title and a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf National Championship. She will be named a WGCA All-American Scholar later this summer and graduated in three years with a 3.86 GPA in Mass Communication.
  
The most decorated student-athlete in UT Dallas history, senior outfielder Melissa Livermore will leave the Comets as the school’s only four-time All-American, earning first team honors from the NFCA this season, and the first UTD player ever to be named the ASC Softball Player of the Year. Livermore etched her name in the NCAA Division III record book this season with 195 career stolen bases, not only sitting atop the D-III list but ranking No. 10 all-time among all NCAA divisions. She also set the ASC career record for hits (276) and broke UTD career marks for games played (170), games started (170), runs scored (179) and batting average (.467). A four-time first team All-ASC selection, she was a two-time ASC Player of the Week this season and listed as Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team by CoSIDA. Livermore was UTD’s recipient of the ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor and is a three-time Academic All-ASC selection for the Comets with a 3.85 GPA in Healthcare Studies.
 
UTD junior Giovanni Zamboni was named All-ASC and First Team All-ASC West in singles for the second consecutive season while leading the Comets to their first ASC Championship since 2013. Zamboni closed the spring with a 14-0 singles mark at No. 2 for the Comets, going 5-0 in ASC West play. He was 9-6 at doubles this season, playing at the top spot for the Comets with partner Mario Jelev. Zamboni was named the ASC West Player of the Week once this season and listed Academic All-Conference for the second straight spring. He helped the squad to a 16-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in ASC West play. He has a 3.87 GPA in Finance.

Junior Kathy Joseph from UT Dallas repeats as the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year after being named the ASC West Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season while guiding the Comets to their first ASC Championship since 2013. Joseph was 12-0 at No. 1 singles this spring and added a 13-1 mark at No. 1 doubles with partner Sindhu Ravula, with the duo’s lone loss coming in the second round of the NCAA Division III National Championship. Joseph and Ravula became the first-ever UTD doubles team to be chosen to complete for the NCAA D-III Individual Championships this spring. She was an All-ASC and first team All-ASC West performer for the second straight season while leading the UTD women to a 12-2 overall record and a perfect 6-0 ASC West mark. The Comets won the ASC West for the second straight season and hosted the ASC Championship Tournament for the first time in program history. A two-time ASC West Player of the Week this season, she was named Academic All-ASC for the second straight year and listed as Google Cloud Academic All-District by CoSIDA this spring with a 3.95 GPA in Biomedical Engineering.
 
Sophomore Mack Broussard produced the best year ever as an East Texas Baptist track & field athlete, winning three ASC individual titles and being named the ASC Outstanding Track Athlete, ASC High Point Athlete of the Championship, and All-Conference. The two-time All-ASC member won the 2019 ASC Championship in the 10,000 meter run, 5,000 meter run, and 1,500 meter run, helping the Tigers to a third place finish and the program’s most points gained at the ASC Championships (136.5 points). He was the ASC Track Athlete of the Week once this year and also named USTFCCA All-Region. Broussard was an Academic All-ASC selection and last year was the ASC Outstanding Freshman while also being named All-ASC winning the 10,000 meter run. He has a 3.45 GPA in Business.
 
Ozarks sophomore Michael Harris was also the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s cross country in the fall. He has also been named USTFCCCA All-Region, ASC Cross Country Newcomer of the Year, ASC Runner of the Week, Track ASC Co-High Point Athlete of the Meet, USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and All-Conference during his career. He is a five-time individual ASC Track Champion. An ASC Academic All-Conference selection, Harris has been on the school's President's List and Dean's List with a 3.68 GPA in Health Science. His volunteer work includes serving as the assistant track coach at Clarksville High School.
 
Junior Alexis Segura of LeTourneau also was the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women’s cross country in the fall. She became the second individual ASC track & field champion in program history this spring by winning the 1,500 meters while finishing second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and sixth in the 800 meters. A three-sport standout for LETU, Segura also ran cross country for the YellowJackets and was the ASC individual champion and finished 12th at the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional Cross Country meet while also playing soccer during the fall season. She was a Google Cloud Academic All-District by CoSIDA with a 4.00 GPA in Kinesiology – Sport Management.

Overall, 104 student-athletes were named to the American Southwest Conference 2019 Winter-Spring Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams.
 
The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams recognize student-athletes who achieve a high level of academic achievement (a 3.20 grade-point average or better) while competing as a starter or important reserve on their team. From that list – limited to one nominee per school in each ASC championship sport – the sports information directors from the 13 ASC member institutions and one affiliate member select a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each sport.
 
ASC 2019 Winter-Spring Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams
+ Designates the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each sport
 
Baseball

Casey Combs *	East Texas Baptist	Gr.	Business	Southlake, Texas
Trip Benson	Belhaven	Jr.	Accounting	Ripley, Miss.
Josh Burns	UT Tyler	Sr.	Marketing	Center, Texas
Chase Edwards	Ozarks	Jr.	Business Administration	Chandler, Ariz.
Joshua Gerig	Howard Payne	Sr.	Business Administration	Fort Worth, Texas
Andrew Harlan	LeTourneau	Sr.	Electrical Engineering	Lewisville, Texas
Jett Hartley	Sul Ross State	So.	Criminal Justice	Littlefield, Texas
Brett Hudspeth	Hardin-Simmons	Jr.	Business Management	Plano, Texas
Blaine McRay	McMurry	Sr.	Ex. Sci. & Human Performance	Burleson, Texas
Matt Mikusek	UT Dallas	Sr.	Marketing	Irving, Texas
Mitch Patterson	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Sr.	Finance	Magnolia, Texas
Andrew Robinson	Louisiana College	Jr.	Accounting	Shreveport, La.
Matthew Williams	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Accounting	Austin, Texas

 
Men’s Basketball

Jordan Gray *	East Texas Baptist	Gr.	Business	Lindale, Texas
Brandon Bullock	McMurry	So.	Computer Science	Houston, Texas
Shadd Cole	Howard Payne	Gr.	Sport & Wellness Leadership	Stephenville, Texas
Joe Hoeup	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Business Administration	Santa Rosa, Calif.
Justin Jones	Belhaven	Jr.	Business Administration	Holladay, Utah
Tristen Licon	Sul Ross State	So.	Kinesiology	El Paso, Texas
Caleb Loggins	LeTourneau	Sr.	Business Administration	Lewisville, Texas
Davis Moore	UT Tyler	Jr.	Psychology	Martin’s Mill, Texas
Kelden Pruitt	UT Dallas	So.	Finance	Heath, Texas
Travis Schultz	Louisiana College	Sr.	Health & Physical Education	Reeves, La.
Cory Wilhelm	Ozarks	Jr.	Biology (Biomedical)	Ratcliff, Ark.

 
Women’s Basketball

Victoria Pena *	UT Dallas	Jr.	Accounting	Helotes, Texas
MyKaela Alfred	UT Tyler	So.	Kinesiology	Tyler, Texas
Lauren Brooks	Belhaven	Sr.	Sport Management	Jackson, Miss.
Kim Childress	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Sports Management	Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Kaycie Dunkerley	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Nursing	Azle, Texas
Kaitlyn Ellis	Hardin-Simmons	So.	Criminal Justice	Breckendridge, Texas
Angalyn Latin	Sul Ross State	Sr.	Kinesiology	Houston, Texas
Skyler Reyna	McMurry	Jr.	Psychology	San Antonio, Texas
Kendall Rollins	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Management	Fulshear, Texas
Delanei Stephens	Ozarks	Jr.	Biology	Coal Hill, Ark.
Alexandria Thorne	LeTourneau	Jr.	Criminal Justice	Flint, Texas
Anastasia Willis	Howard Payne	Jr.	Athletic Training	Katy, Texas

 
Men’s Golf

Ben Balen *	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Undecided	Freeland, Mich.
Jake Clarke	Belhaven	So.	Accounting	Clinton, Miss.
Brice Cooper	UT Dallas	Sr.	Healthcare Leadership &Mgmt	Conroe, Texas
Cort Crawley	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Sr.	Accounting	Deer Park, Texas
Michael Hunt	McMurry	Jr.	Accounting	Sweetwater, Texas
Reed Shelley	Howard Payne	Sr.	Marketing	Fort Worth, Texas
Tyler Uhlig	UT Tyler	Sr.	Marketing	Magnolia, Texas
Nick Vella	Hardin-Simmons	So.	Business Administration	Colleyville, Texas

 
Women’s Golf

Olivia Robinson *	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Mass Communication	Pasadena, Texas
Cali Brockway	Howard Payne	Jr.	Kinesiology	Terrell, Texas
Kendalyn Ferguson	McMurry	Jr.	Mathematics	Childress, Texas
Katelyn Hicken	UT Tyler	Sr.	Political Science	Frisco, Texas
Loren Nevers	Concordia Texas	So.	Business Marketing	Comfort, Texas
Lindy Patterson	UT Dallas	So.	Biomedical Engineering	McKinney, Texas
Sarah Shi	UC Santa Cruz	So.	Economics	Xian, China
Taylor Thompson	Hardin-Simmons	Jr.	Business Administration	Munday, Texas

 
Softball

Melissa Livermore *	UT Dallas	Sr.	Healthcare Studies	Frisco, Texas
MacKenzie Anderson	East Texas Baptist	Sr.	Education/History	Hawley, Texas
Colleen Bentke	UT Tyler	Sr.	General Business	Brenham, Texas
Shelby Bergeron	Louisiana College	Sr.	Business Administration	Morgan City, La.
Hailey Guillen	Sul Ross State	So.	Biology	El Paso, Texas
Kaycee Koiner	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Exercise Science	Krum, Texas
Megan Madden	Ozarks	So.	Accounting	Flower Mound, Texas
Macey Mize	LeTourneau	Sr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Waco, Texas
Anna Peyton Montesi	Belhaven	Sr.	Chemistry	Indianola, Miss.
Adrienne Nairn	McMurry	Sr.	Business Management	Frisco, Texas
Audrey Simpson	Howard Payne	Sr.	Marketing	Cuero, Texas
Payton Walker	Concordia Texas	Sr.	Business Administration	Liberty Hill, Texas
Hannah Wolfe	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Accounting	Robinson, Texas

 
Men’s Tennis

Giovanni Zamboni *	UT Dallas	Jr.	Finance	Milan, Italy
Mark Casarez	Sul Ross State	So.	Criminal Justice	El Paso, Texas
Andrew Deutsch	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Business Administration	Greenwood, La.
Joseph Diaz	McMurry	So.	Nursing	Fort Stockton, Texas
Mauricio Gonzalez	Belhaven	Sr.	Sports Medicine	Leon, Mexico
Jimmie Henson	LeTourneau	Jr.	Biology	Sunnyvale, Texas
Gabriel Hidalgo	UT Tyler	Jr.	Marketing	Barquisimento, Venezuela
Alex Hunt	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Education	Odessa, Texas
Hoanh Le	Concordia Texas	Sr.	Business	Phan Thiet, Vietnam
Melle Van Duijn	Ozarks	Jr.	Philosophy/Spanish	Nelson, New Zealand
Cole Weiss	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Marketing	Frisco, Texas

 
Women’s Tennis

Kathy Joseph *	UT Dallas	Jr.	Biomedical Engineering	Williston, Vt.
Cassidy Ainsworth	Belhaven	So.	International Studies	Denham Springs, La.
Erin Blanchard	Howard Payne	So.	Family Studies	Rockdale, Texas
Kelsey Doege	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Biology	Monahans, Texas
Karlee Hart	Ozarks	Jr.	Bus. Admin./Health Sci.	Van Buren, Ark.
Shannon Kelly	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Sr.	Elementary Education	Keller, Texas
Elisa Kendall	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Athletic Training	Houston, Texas
Alexandra McKissick	UT Tyler	Sr.	Criminal Justice	Houston, Texas
Alexis Popovich	Concordia Texas	Sr.	Business	Austin, Texas
Samantha Ritz	McMurry	Sr.	Psychology	Rowlett, Texas
Katharine Waldthausen	LeTourneau	Sr.	Political Science	Konigstein, Germany

 
Men’s Track and Field

Mack Broussard *	East Texas Baptist	So.	Business	Hankamer, Texas
Michael Harris *	Ozarks	So.	Health Science	Elkins, Ark.
Alex Hindman	LeTourneau	So.	Business Administration	Seminole, Texas
Sammy Magallan	Hardin-Simmons	So.	Athletic Training	Sanderson, Texas
Chase Morgan	Belhaven	Gr.	Business	Titusville, Fla.
Kade Trompler	UT Tyler	So.	Kinesiology	Bonham, Texas
Raul Villalpando	Concordia Texas	Sr.	Marketing	San Antonio, Texas
Jacob Williams	McMurry	So.	Physics/Engineering	Goldthwaite, Texas

 
Women’s Track and Field

Alexis Segura *	LeTourneau	Jr.	Kinesiology – Sport Management	Austin, Texas
Brooklen Butler	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Hospitality Management	Chireno, Texas
Kennedy Connor	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Criminal Justice	Rockwall, Texas
Savannah Freeman	McMurry	Sr.	Exercise Science	Mart, Texas
MySherie Johnson	Louisiana College	Jr.	Media Production/Journalism	Marksville, La.
Lydia Lippincott	Belhaven	Gr.	Theater	Cedar Hill, Texas
Bayli Luke	Concordia Texas	So.	Biology	Houston, Texas
Hannah Smith	Ozarks	Sr.	Accounting	Blue Eye, Mo.
Emma Snyder	UT Tyler	Jr.	Marketing	Colleyville, Texas