DALLAS, Texas – East Texas Baptist graduate student
Tristen Maddox was selected as the 2024-25 American Southwest Conference Female Athlete of the Year recipient for the third season in a row and is the first three-time Athlete of the Year in ASC history. LeTourneau graduate student
Dane Jones and Hardin-Simmons senior
Charlie Patterson were selected as the 2024-25 American Southwest Conference Co-Male Athlete of the Year recipients, the league office announced Tuesday.
The ASC Athlete of the Year award recognizes a male and a female student-athlete whose athletic accomplishments best contributed to their sport, their institution's overall athletic program and to the conference during the past athletic year and is presented for the 25th time in 2024-25. Selection is made from campus nominees with the recipients chosen by vote of the conference sports information directors.
Hardin-Simmons moved to second overall among institutions with eight total ASC Athletes of the Year while East Texas Baptist has five and LeTourneau earns their first honors. Maddox increased the total number of softball selections to nine, while Jones improved the baseball number to eight and Patterson brought the football count to 12. Maddox is the first athlete to win the award three times.
Maddox, a shortstop from Mission, Texas was named a Honda Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) National Player of the Year Finalist, NFCA National Player of the Year, and NFCA All-America First Team. She was also the Marshall, Texas Regional Most Outstanding Player and All-Tournament Team, NFCA National Hitter of the Week (Mar. 4) and an All-ASC First Team selection. Maddox helped ETBU softball capture the NCAA Regional Champion title and their 13th ASC Championship. The Tigers were also the ASC Regular Season Champions and were the No. 1 team in national rankings all season. Maddox also helped the Tigers to eight wins over nationally ranked opponents.
Maddox led the ASC in at-bats (160), runs scored (57), doubles (19), home runs (16), RBI (55) and slugging percentage (.844). She broke ETBU career records this season for games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI and hit by pitch. Maddox also broke six ASC career records in at-bats (743), runs scored (247), doubles (74), RBI (235) and total bases (548). Some highlights from Maddox’s 2025 campaign include a game-tying 2-run homerun over St. Thomas in the bottom of the seventh inning during the NCAA Regional Championship game and a game-winning double to drive in three runs at No. 25 Hardin-Simmons in the top of the 7
th inning.
For her career, Maddox is a four-time NFCA All-American with three of those selections being First Team. She is also a two-time NFCA National Player of the Year, the 2024 CWSA Women’s National Player of the Year and the 2023 NFCA Gold Glove winner. Maddox is also a four-time NFCA All-Region selection, has been on the NFCA Watch List Three times and is a seven-time ASC Hitter of the Week. She has also earned a pair of ASC Player of the Year awards and is a five-time All-ASC First Team honoree.
Jones, an outfielder from Keller, Texas, was tabbed ASC Player of the Year and consensus All-American. He earned first team ABCA All-America and second team D3baseball.com All-America honors. Jones hit .408 with a program-record 21 home runs with 60 RBIs, 54 runs scored, nine doubles, an .882 slugging percentage, and a 1.398 OPS in 40 games played. His homers and RBIs set program season records.
In ASC games alone in 2025, Jones hit .446 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in just 16 games played. Jones hit seven home runs in a four-game series at Hardin-Simmons that landed him ASC, D3baseball.com, and NCBWA weekly honors. Jones had 18 multi-hit games with a program-record 22-game hitting streak and 16 multi-RBI games. Jones currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in homers (second) and slugging percentage (third).
In his fifth year with the YellowJackets, Jones came into the season already holding the program's career home run record and finished with 62 homers, setting an ASC record. Jones broke LeTourneau's career record for hits with 243 and set records for career runs scored (180), RBIs (198), doubles (47), and slugging percentage (.713) during the year. Jones' career RBI total is also an ASC all-time record.
Jones helped the YellowJackets post a 23-20 record with an 11-5 conference mark to earn a piece of the ASC Regular Season Champion title. LeTourneau then made it to the ASC Championship game, falling by just one run to East Texas Baptist.
Patterson, a linebacker from Auburn, Illinois, had one of the most distinguished seasons in the history of ASC football. The ASC Defensive Player of the Year, was named a first-team All-American by D3football.com, the Associated Press, Walter Camp and the American Football Coaches Association. Patterson led the ASC in sacks with eight and finished the season with 14 tackles for loss and 80 total tackles.
Patterson was one of six finalists for the Cliff Harris Award, given to the top small college defensive player in the nation. He was named an AFCA All-American, was the Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year by D3football.com, and a Gagliardi semifinalist. Patterson was also named to the Hampshire Honor Society for a career GPA above 3.2.
Patterson helped the Cowboys to their second straight ASC title after going 6-0 in conference action. Hardin-Simmons went into the NCAA playoffs as the No. 2 overall national seed with a 10-0 regular season record. Patterson graduated this year with a nursing degree with honors.
2024-25 Athlete of the Year Nominees
# Athlete of the Year
| Women |
|
|
| # Tristen Maddox |
Softball |
East Texas Baptist |
| Lexi Templin |
Soccer |
Hardin-Simmons |
| Morgan Nix |
Volleyball |
LeTourneau |
| Izzy Crow |
Golf |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Sofia Trevino |
Golf |
UT Dallas |
Men |
|
|
| # Dane Jones |
Baseball |
LeTourneau |
| # Charlie Patterson |
Football |
Hardin-Simmons |
| Max Karseno |
Tennis |
East Texas Baptist |
| Durand Hill |
Football |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Trent McCown |
Baseball |
UT Dallas |
Annual ASC Athlete of the Year Award Recipients
| Year |
Men |
Women |
| 1999-2000 |
Brad Parris, McMurry (track & field) |
Ogonna Merritt, McMurry (basketball) |
| 2000-01 |
(co) Aaron Kernek, Austin (football) |
Talitha Belcher, McMurry (basketball, track & field) |
|
(co) Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
|
| 2001-02 |
Robert Moore, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball) |
| 2002-03 |
Preston Meyer, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kendra Anderson, Hardin-Simmons (basketball) |
| 2003-04 |
Cody Fredenburg, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Brittany Cary, McMurry (golf) |
| 2004-05 |
Cody Brotherton, McMurry (track & field) |
Holly Glover, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf) |
| 2005-06 |
Aaron Crais, Texas Lutheran (baseball) |
Sandi Clark, Louisiana College (softball) |
| 2006-07 |
Josh Kubiak, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2007-08 |
Jerrell Freeman, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Meia Daniels, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2008-09 |
Hann Ollison, McMurry (track and field) |
Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons (track & field) |
| 2009-10 |
Jake Mullin, McMurry (football, baseball) |
Ayrika Henderson, East Texas Baptist (softball) |
| 2010-11 |
Ben McLaughlin, Louisiana College (football) |
Amy Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2011-12 |
Kevin Cunningham, McMurry (track and field) |
Brittany Roberson, Howard Payne (basketball) |
| 2012-13 |
Javicz Jones, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Katie Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2013-14 |
Kyle Schleigh, UT Dallas (basketball) |
Lauren Robenalt, UT Tyler (softball) |
| 2014-15 |
Connor Bertsch, Concordia Texas (baseball) |
McKenzie Ralston, Mary Hardin-Baylor (golf) |
| 2015-16 |
Conner Combs, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Kelsie Batten, UT Tyler (softball) |
| 2016-17 |
Teidrick Smith, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Whitney Simmons, UT Tyler (track & field) |
| 2017-18 |
Haston Adams, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kenne Kessler, Hardin-Simmons (soccer) |
| 2018-19 |
Casey Combs, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Melissa Livermore, UT Dallas (softball) |
| 2020-21 |
Josiah Johnson, Mary Hardin-Baylor (basketball) |
Kathy Joseph, UT Dallas (tennis) |
| 2021-22 |
Jefferson Fritz, Mary Hardin-Baylor (football) |
Kennedy Carruth, Belhaven (softball) |
| 2022-23 |
Sayers Collins, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Tristen Maddox, East Texas Baptist (softball) |
| 2023-24 |
Sayers Collins, East Texas Baptist (baseball) |
Tristen Maddox, East Texas Baptist (softball) |
| 2024-25 |
(co) Dane Jones, LeTourneau (baseball) |
Tristen Maddox, East Texas Baptist (softball) |
|
(co) Charlie Patterson, Hardin-Simmons (football) |
|