Men's Cross Country

2021-22 ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams

RICHARDSON, Texas – Seventeen student-athletes from eight different member universities headline the 2021-22 American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams, the league office announced on Wednesday.
 
The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients include A.J. Liu of UT Dallas in baseball, Andrew Eberhardt of LeTourneau in men's basketball, Kerigan Bradshaw from Ozarks in women's basketball, Griffin Davis from UTD in men's cross country, Rachel Morrison from East Texas Baptist in women's cross country, Cody Harral of Hardin-Simmons in football, Hank Crain from ETBU in men's golf, Karen Alvarez of UTD in women's golf, Raymond Kennedy from Mary Hardin-Baylor in men's soccer, Mercy Mummert of HSU in women's soccer, Bayleigh Grogan of UMHB in softball, James Moore from Hardin-Simmons in men's tennis, Suzuka Nishino from UTD in women's tennis, Brandon Powell of ETBU in men's track & field, Chisom Bright-Osigwe from ETBU and Kelby Tidwell of McMurry in women's track & field, and Annika Canaba from Sul Ross State in volleyball.
 
UT Dallas senior outfielder A.J. Liu won the award for the second time. He collected first team All-ASC honors for the second straight season while leading the Comets to a second consecutive ASC championship. He closed the season with a .386 batting average with 17 doubles and six home runs. He was second on the team in average, home runs, doubles, hits (63) and runs scored (81) and third in RBI (52). Liu was named second team All-Region by the ABCA and collected third team honors by D3baseball.com. In 2021, he was named second team All-Region by both organizations. He is a two-time Academic All-ASC selection for the Comets. Liu had a 3.89 GPA in Healthcare Management.

LeTourneau senior Andrew Eberhardt earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a 3.60 GPA. His campus leadership included serving as a student worker in the student life office and the front desk lead at Solheim Arena. He also served as a team lead for his Filter Design Project and Digital Electronics Final Project. In the community, Eberhardt worked the Buckner Christmas Event, wrapping Kicks for Kids – Church event, Motion Church Birthday Party, Longview Trick or Treat. His athletics accomplishments include National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 10 First Team, D3hoops All-Region 10 Team, All-ASC First Team, ASC All-Tournament Team and a three-time conference Player of the Week.

Ozarks senior Kerigan Bradshaw excelled in the classroom and on the basketball court to finish her career as one the most decorated student-athletes in the Eagles' NCAA Division III era. Bradshaw graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors with a 3.98 GPA as a Chemistry major and will attend the prestigious University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy. She minored in Business Administration, American Studies and Biology. On the court, she led the team in scoring (13.0), assists (3.1) and steals (1.2) en route to earning All-Conference honors. Bradshaw is a three-time All-Conference performer and Academic All-Conference Team member, as well as ASC Player of the Week. Additionally, she has been on the Academic All-District Team and President's List. Away from basketball, Bradshaw was in a leadership role within the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee serving as secretary this year. She finished her career ranked among the program's top-25 in career assists (184) and scored 822 points and hit 60 three-pointers.

UT Dallas junior Griffin Davis was named first team All-ASC for the second straight season after a fifth-place finish at the ASC Championships this past fall. Davis is now a three-time All-ASC performer over his career, earning second team honors as a freshman in 2019. He competed in all seven meets for the Comets this fall, recording four top 10 finishes. Davis was the Comets' top finisher at the NCAA D-III Region X Championships, placing 38th, as UTD recorded its best-ever regional finish (13th). He is a two-time Academic All-ASC selection for the Comets. Davis has a 4.00 GPA in Computer Science.

East Texas Baptist graduate student Rachel Morrison was three-time top 25 finisher at ASC Championships in her career, culminating with a career-best 22nd-place finish in 2022. She participated in the NCAA Championship Regional twice. Morrison had a personal-best third place finish at the Nicole Lehman Invitational in 2019. She helped with Operation Christmas Child and has volunteered at local charities and schools in Marshall. Morrison compiled a 3.98 GPA in Kinesiology.
Hardin-Simmons junior punter Cody Harral was an All-Conference selection and also played for the Cowboy baseball team. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors with a 4.00 GPA in Biology (Pre-Med).

East Texas Baptist senior Hank Crain repeats as the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's golf. He was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree. Crain is in the Sigma Beta Delta Business Honor Society and has a 3.94 GPA in Business. He is a three-time All-ASC selection, including back-to-back seasons on the First Team. Crain earned All-Region honors in 2021 and finished fourth at the 2022 ASC Championship. Crain helped with Operation Christmas Child and First Tee (helping children with golf lessons in Marshall, Texas).

UT Dallas junior Karen Alvarez also earned the women's golf Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second time. She was selected to compete as an individual at the NCAA Division III Championship this spring. A first team All-ASC honoree and the ASC Golfer of the Year, Alvarez collected the NCAA Elite 90 Award for women's golf for the second straight season. A five-time ASC Golfer of the Week this season, Alvarez set the UTD single-season record with a 77.05 scoring average, breaking her own record from a year ago. Playing in a school-record 21 rounds in 10 tournaments, she set school record with 44 birdies in a season and now hods the Comet career record for wins (6) and eagles (2). Alvarez recorded eight top 10 finishes over the 2021-22 season, including medalist honors twice. Alvarez placed seventh at the ASC Championships this spring, finishing in the top 10 for the second straight spring. Alvarez is a two-time Academic All-ASC honoree and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and Academic All-America this spring with a 4.00 GPA in Marketing.

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior Raymond Kennedy had a 3.72 GPA average as a Mechanical Engineering major. He was named First Team All-ASC and started all 17 games for UMHB as a defender. He played 1,520 minutes and contributed to a defense that allowed a conference-low 17 goals this season. The Cru's 0.99 goals-against average also ranked third in the ASC.

Hardin-Simmons sophomore Mercy Mummert was a First Team All-ASC selection and was a COSIDA Academic All-District selection. She led the Cowgirl defense that allowed just nine goals on the year. Mummert posted a 4.00 GPA in Biology.

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior Bayleigh Grogan graduated with a perfect 4.00 GPA as a Pre-Physical Therapy major. She was a first-team All-ASC selection this season, throwing six complete games and two shutouts in 103.1 innings pitched. Grogan gave up just 32 earned runs in 400 at-bats. She finished among the top five in several Cru career pitching categories, including third in total wins.

Hardin-Simmons junior James Moore helped the Cowboys to the American Southwest Conference title and earned All-Conference honors at No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles. He has a 4.00 GPA in Finance.

UT Dallas junior Suzuka Nishino earned ITA All-America status in both the fall and spring for the Comets over the 2021-22 academic year. Nishino opened the year by winning the singles title at the ITA Regional, advancing to the ITA Cup. She then earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Individual Championships in the spring, advancing to the Round of 16. Nishino posted an 11-2 singles record this spring (primarily at No. 2) and 10-3 in doubles play (primarily at No. 3). She was named All-ASC and First Team All-ASC East for the second straight season after leading the Comets to a third straight and fourth all-time ASC Championship. Nishino is a two-time Academic All-ASC honoree with a 3.88 GPA in Biology. She was also the 2021-22 ASC Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year.

East Texas Baptist sophomore Brandon Powell qualified for NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100 meter relay. He was an All-ASC First Team honoree after winning the high jump, 4x100 meter relay an 4x400 meter relay at the 2022 ASC Championship. Powell also placed third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200. He was first ETBU student-athlete to compete in three events at NCAA Championships. He was an Academic All-ASC Selection, making the President's and Dean's List with a 3.95 GPA in Business Administration. Powell helps with FCA and Operation Christmas Child on campus.

East Texas Baptist sophomore Chisom Bright-Osigwe qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & field Championships in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. She was the first Tiger female to compete in two events at the NCAA Championships and just the second to qualify for nationals. She is a two-time All-ASC First Team honoree, winning the 100 and 200 in 2022 as well as placing second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump. Bright-Osigwe placed 12th in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Championships, missing the finals by just 0.02 seconds. She earned USTFCCCA All-Region Indoor honors in the 60 and 200 meters and Outdoor honors in the 100 and 200 meters. She is a two-time Academic All-ASC with a 4.00 in Speech Communication, making the President's List. Bright-Osigwe helped with Operation Christmas Child and the FCA.

McMurry senior Kelby Tidwell won the ASC High Point Athlete award in back-to-back seasons for women's track & field, scoring 43.5 points over eight events. In just 16 months of competing in pole vault, she has won two conference championships and qualified for nationals on the final day of the regular season with a clearance of 3.71 meters. Tidwell also broke the ASC meet record in the heptathlon with 4,067 points and was named the Most Outstanding Field Athlete in a vote of the coaches. She was named McMurry's Bev Ball Award winner as the top overall female athlete on campus. Tidwell is also extremely accomplished in the classroom, graduating with a 3.97 GPA in Mathematics Grades 7-12. She also won McMurry's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award given to the senior with the highest GPA department-wide.

Sul Ross senior Annika Canaba repeated as the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year in volleyball, earning the ASC Most Valuable Player, All-Conference First Team and AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors. She averaged 3.94 kills, 4.33 assists and 2.41 digs per set while hitting .345 and had a conference-high eight triple-doubles. Canaba was also an All-Conference selection in softball. She was the 2020-21 ASC Woman of the Year and has a 3.88 GPA in Sports Administration.

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 12 ASC member institutions and three affiliate members select a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each sport.
 
ASC 2021-22 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams
* Designates the Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each sport
2 Two-time Distinguished Scholar-Athlete of the Year

 
Baseball
A.J. Liu* 2 UT Dallas Sr. Healthcare Management Plano, Texas
Kyle McLaughlin Belhaven Fr. Business Administration Covington, La.
EJ Sanchez Concordia Texas So. Communications Georgetown, Texas
Jase Jones East Texas Baptist Sr. Business Mount Enterprise, Texas
Gannon Azios Hardin-Simmons Jr. Business Cedar Park, Texas
Rylee McGee Howard Payne Sr. Engineering Science Freeport, Texas
Jared Schurig LeTourneau Sr. Business Frisco, Texas
Ryan Farmer Mary Hardin-Baylor So. Engineering Manvel, Texas
Derek Hostas McMurry Sr. Physics w/Engineering Iowa Park, Texas
Alex Ray Ozarks Sr. Business Administration Franklin, Texas
Carsen Thor Sul Ross State So. Business Administration Tomball, Texas
 
Men's Basketball
Andrew Eberhardt * LeTourneau Sr. Biomedical Engineering Pearland, Texas
Donovan Givens Belhaven Jr. Computer Info. Systems Jackson, Miss.
Zaid Harris Concordia Texas Sr. Biology Houston, Texas
Jayden Williams East Texas Baptist Jr. Business Administration Fort Worth, Texas
Austin Brewer Hardin-Simmons Fr. Math Stamford, Texas
Harold Myert Howard Payne Jr. Engineering Science Austin, Texas
Luke Feely Mary Hardin-Baylor So. Finance Argyle, Texas
Elias Garcia McMurry Jr. Multimedia & Graphic Design Houston, Texas
Dawson Alt Ozarks Fr. Physical Education Pryor, Okla.
Julian Paredes Sul Ross State Gr. Kinesiology Canutillo, Texas
James Curtis UT Dallas Jr. Mathematics Round Rock, Texas
 
Women's Basketball
Kerigan Bradshaw * Ozarks Sr. Chemistry Harrison, Ark.
Kourtne Lee Belhaven So. Nursing Raceland, Miss.
Natalie Velardez Concordia Texas Jr. Kinesiology Levelland, Texas
Taylor Singleton East Texas Baptist Sr. Biology Friendswood, Texas
Samantha Tatum Hardin-Simmons Jr. Marketing Grapevine, Texas
Trynadee Greenwell Howard Payne Jr. Kinesiology Burnet, Texas
Malacia Guy LeTourneau Jr. Psychology Burnet, Texas
Ashley Faux Mary Hardin-Baylor So. Pre-Physical Therapy Frisco, Texas
Emily Holland McMurry Fr. Mathematics Grades 7-12 Mansfield, Texas
Marley Rokas Sul Ross State Fr. Political Science San Antonio, Texas
Jordan Rudd UT Dallas Sr. Speech Pathology Brownsville, Texas
 
Men's Cross Country
Griffin Davis * UT Dallas Jr. Computer Science Austin, Texas
Jacob Ismir Concordia Texas Jr. Mathematics Fort Worth, Texas
Mack Broussard East Texas Baptist Gr. Business Hankamer, Texas
Chris Freeman Hardin-Simmons So. Business Administration Stafford, Texas
Lorien Nightingale LeTourneau Sr. Aviation Njoro, Kenya
Sean Reid Mary Hardin-Baylor Sr. International Business Killeen, Texas
Ethan Turner McMurry So. Computer Science Fort Worth, Texas
Misael Perez Ozarks Sr. Mathematics/Psychology Clarksville, Ark.
Christian Corbett Sul Ross State Jr. Kinesiology & Human Perf. El Paso, Texas
 
Women's Cross Country
Rachel Morrison * East Texas Baptist Gr. Kinesiology Nederland, Texas
Meghan Kevil Concordia Texas Sr. Business Administration Crawford, Texas
Shelby Schmidt Hardin-Simmons Jr. Accounting Midland, Texas
Sierra Benner LeTourneau So. Business Tyler, Texas
Holly Dasher Mary Hardin-Baylor Jr. Education Katy, Texas
Ashlea Shea McMurry Fr. Business Administration Bulverde, Texas
Marcella Valladares Ozarks So. Psychology/Business Admin. Russellville, Ark.
Ivett Ramos Sul Ross State So. Kinesiology & Human Perf. Presidio, Texas
Elizabeth Chimitt UT Dallas Jr. Accounting Round Rock, Texas
 
Football
Cody Harral* Hardin-Simmons Jr. Biology (Pre-Med) Ballinger, Texas
Tyler James Austin Sr. History Wills Point, Texas
Cole Gaddy Belhaven So. Health Care Administration Jacksonville, Ala.
Cory Stang East Texas Baptist Sr. Kinesiology Magnolia, Texas
Casey Dufner Howard Payne Jr. Kinesiology Austin, Texas
Sante Parker, Jr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Sr. Computer Science Katy, Texas
Reagan Sullivan McMurry Jr. Political Science Fort Worth, Texas
Nick Hackett Southwestern Sr. Mathematics Lone Oak, Texas
Ozias Wright Sul Ross State So. Kinesiology Killeen, Texas
Jackson O'Neil Texas Lutheran Jr. Theology/Sociology Katy, Texas

Men's Golf
Hank Crain * 2 East Texas Baptist Sr. Business Prescott, Ark.
Ashton Anderson Belhaven Fr. Sports Medicine Luling, Texas
Jorge Arnaud Concordia Texas So. Business Administration San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico
Bobby Johnson Hardin-Simmons Sr. Business Abilene, Texas
Jake Angerstein Howard Payne So. Finance Early, Texas
Parker Mitas Mary Hardin-Baylor Fr. Engineering The Woodlands, Texas
Erk Nithipol McMurry Jr. Mathematics Bangkok, Thailand
Ryan Kropp UT Dallas Sr. Mechanical Engineering Brighton, Colo.
 
Women's Golf
Karen Alvarez * 2 UT Dallas Jr. Marketing Katy, Texas
Makaela Lauritsen Concordia Texas Sr. Business Administration Lakeway, Texas
Emily Watson East Texas Baptist Sr. Athletic Training Canton, Texas
Riley Leonard Hardin-Simmons Jr. Business Administration Decatur, Texas
Mallory Garcia Howard Payne So. Mathematics Brownwood, Texas
Baylee Van Houten LeTourneau Sr. Accounting Spring, Texas
Sarah Kmiecik Mary Hardin-Baylor So. Marketing Houston, Texas
Charlotte Ruhl UC Santa Cruz Fr. Human Biology Dusseldorf, Germany
 
Men's Soccer
Raymond Kennedy * Mary Hardin-Baylor Sr. Mechanical Engineering Waxahachie, Texas
Dalton Morgan Belhaven Sr. Business Administration Ellisville, Miss.
Victor Gomez Concordia Texas Sr. Business Administration Austin, Texas
Garrett Garvin East Texas Baptist Sr. Business Administration Ovila, Texas
Jaden Barnwell Hardin-Simmons So. Computer Science Orlando, Fla.
Eduardo Flores Howard Payne Sr. Software Engineering Houston, Texas
Oliver Placencia LeTourneau Jr. Sports Communication Fort Worth, Texas
Dylan Caudle McMurry Fr. Business Administration San Angelo, Texas
Lorfils Milord Ozarks Sr. Business Administration Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nana Prempeh Sul Ross State Jr. Industrial Technology Odessa, Texas
Kane Kidwell UT Dallas So. Business Administration Mansfield, Texas
 
Women's Soccer
Mercy Mummert * Hardin-Simmons So. Biology Albuquerque, N.M.
Anna Crane Belhaven Jr. Nursing Pearl, Miss.
Kaelyn Riley Concordia Texas Fr. Pre-Nursing Southlake, Texas
Brianna Mickshaw East Texas Baptist Gr. Education Katy, Texas
Delaney Castor Howard Payne Sr. History Irving, Texas
Kara Gipson LeTourneau Jr. Psychology Fort Worth, Texas
Maren Fields Mary Hardin-Baylor So. Pre-Physical Therapy Keller, Texas
Tagan Hansen McMurry Sr. Exercise Sci. & Human Perf. Wichita Falls, Texas
Breezie Davis Ozarks Sr. Accounting/Business Admin. Coweta, Okla.
Aylin Pereyra Sul Ross State Gr. Criminal Justice/Sports Admin. El Paso, Texas
Peyton Guidry UT Dallas So. Information Tech. & Systems Katy, Texas

Softball
Bayleigh Grogan * Mary Hardin-Baylor Sr. Pre-Physical Therapy Wimberley, Texas
Macy Ziskin Belhaven So. Sports Medicine Brookhaven, Miss.
Emily Schmuck Concordia Texas Fr. Pre-Nursing Etiwanda, Calif.
Kathryn Reed East Texas Baptist Sr. Finance/Accounting Axtell, Texas
Mason McCord Hardin-Simmons Sr. Marketing Greenville, Texas
Alexia Perkkio Howard Payne So. Mathematics Caldwell, Texas
Jade Merrell LeTourneau Sr. Kinesiology McKinney, Texas
Angelica Abila McMurry Sr. Pre-Physical Therapy Wimberley, Texas
Sierra Jasna Ozarks Sr. Biology Sallisaw, Okla.
Jodie Vaughn Sul Ross State Sr. Biology Andrews, Texas
Nicole Peters UT Dallas Sr. Speech Pathology Allen, Texas

Men's Tennis
James Moore* Hardin-Simmons Jr. Finance Flower Mound, Texas
Matthew Ridden Belhaven Sr. Public Relations Gladstone, Australia
Andres Padilla Concordia Texas Jr. Business Administration Houston, Texas
Slade Austin East Texas Baptist Jr. Finance Arlington, Texas
Micah Hunter Howard Payne So. Kinesiology Waco, Texas
Nathan Schmidt LeTourneau Sr. Mechanical Engineering Tulsa, Okla.
Ethan Kittredge Mary Hardin-Baylor Fr. Accounting McKinney, Texas
Reid Smith McMurry Jr. Biomedical Science Pampa, Texas
Jan Puvill Fuertes Ozarks Fr. Business Administration Barcelona, Spain
Kyle Villalon Sul Ross State So. Industrial Technology Corpus Christi, Texas
John Edwards UT Dallas Sr. Business Administration McKinney, Texas
 
Women's Tennis
Suzuka Nishino * UT Dallas Jr. Biology Coppell, Texas
Judith Mills Belhaven Jr. Social Work Pontotoc, Miss.
Isabella Wiik Concordia Texas Jr. Nursing Katy, Texas
Corinne Hall East Texas Baptist Sr. Finance Victoria, Texas
Landry Laywell Hardin-Simmons Jr. History Thorndale, Texas
Zoe Sprayberry Howard Payne So. Mathematics Bonham, Texas
Bailey Deatherage LeTourneau Sr. Kinesiology Alvarado, Texas
Adrianna McElwain Mary Hardin-Baylor Fr. Biology Friendswood, Texas
Bridgette Fly McMurry So. Computer Science Wautuga, Texas
Anna Ryan Ozarks Sr. Business Administration Woodville, Miss.
Marley Rokas Sul Ross State Fr. Political Science San Antonio, Texas
 
Men's Track and Field
Brandon Powell * East Texas Baptist So. Business Administration Wills Point, Texas
Kelton Kemp Belhaven Gr. MBA Hazlehurst, Miss.
Rick Platas Concordia Texas Jr. Criminal Justice Premont, Texas
Parnelle Shands Hardin-Simmons Jr. Business Administration Dinwiddie, Va.
Jacob White LeTourneau Jr. Mechanical Engineering League City, Texas
Sutton Welch McMurry Jr. Political Science Abilene, Texas
Colby Dorcely Ozarks Jr. Bus. Admin./Political Sci. Petionville, Haiti
Trent Sakakini UT Dallas Jr. Mechanical Engineering Frisco, Texas
 
Women's Track and Field
Chisom Bright-Osigwe * East Texas Baptist So. Speech Communication Mesquite, Texas
Kelby Tidwell * McMurry Sr. Mathematics Grades 7-12 Post, Texas
Desire Tackett Belhaven So. Public Relations Flint, Mich.
Kallie Krenz Concordia Texas So. Biology Lockhart, Texas
Logan Haller Hardin-Simmons Sr. Finance Austin, Texas
Tashianna Gray LeTourneau So. Psychology Longview, Texas
Brynne Blackmar UT Dallas Sr. Biomedical Engineering Houston, Texas
 
Volleyball
Annika Canaba * 2 Sul Ross State Sr. Sports Administration Alpine, Texas
Ellie Jones Belhaven Fr. Biological Sciences Nesbit, Miss.
Sarah Ghormley Concordia Texas Jr. Behavioral Science Bastrop, Texas
Avery Reid East Texas Baptist Fr. Nursing Fulshear, Texas
Lauren Sullivan Hardin-Simmons Fr. Biology Plano, Texas
Kaitlyn Elsten Howard Payne So. Allied Health Science Caddo Mills, Texas
Kianna Crow LeTourneau Sr. Accounting Spring, Texas
Kayla Janikula Mary Hardin-Baylor Sr. Pre-Physical Therapy Kingwood, Texas
Adile Leal McMurry Jr. Nursing Clute, Texas
Rachel Baxter UT Dallas So. Business Katy, Texas