Vicky Back and Ashley Bassett nominated for 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year – FULL NCAA RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – Texas A&M University-Commerce student-athletes Vicky Back and Ashley Bassett have been announced as nominees for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year Award, as released Tuesday.
Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award. Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school candidates.
“To be certain, it is a distinct honor anytime you have a candidate for this type of national recognition,” A&M-Commerce Director of Athletics McMurray said. “To have two very deserving young ladies nominated in one year is outstanding. Vicky Back and Ashley Bassett epitomize the term ‘scholar-athlete,’ and it shines through their commitment in the classroom, in competition, and in service to others. They exemplify our Best in the Class mission.”
Back recently received the honor of being a Lone Star Conference Scholar-Athlete from A&M-Commerce. She finished her A&M-Commerce career ranked first in total minutes played, eighth in total points (71), tied for ninth in assists (15), and tied for tenth in goals scored (28). In the 2016 season, Back became the first player in A&M-Commerce soccer history to be named a First Team All-American, earning that honor from the National Socer Coaches Association of America, the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association, and Hero Sports. Also, Back was one of the first two student-athletes in program history to be named an NSCAA Scholar All-American. She was a four-time All-American, five-time All-Region player and a four-time First Team All-LSC selection, making her the most decorated player in program history.
Bassett finished her A&M-Commerce career as the school record holder in the outdoor 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles and the 4×400 meter relay and the indoor record holder in the 600-yard dash and the 4×400 meter relay. She was twice named All-Region and is a six-time All-Lone Star Conference athlete, including back-to-back championships in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles. She had 11 first place finishes and 39 finishes in the top three. She is a three-time NCAA Division II Championships qualifier, earning All-American status in the 400-meter hurdles as a senior.
Nominated were a record 543 student-athletes from across the country for the award by their institutions. Following each conference’s selection of two Woman of the Year nominees, The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine.
The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
The school nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, with 229 from Division I, 117 from Division II and 197 from Division III. The candidates competed in 21 different women’s sports, and 122 were multisport athletes during their time in college – including Bassett, who competed in both indoor and outdoor track and field.
Back and Bassett is two of seven nominees from the Lone Star Conference. A&M-Commerce is the only school in the LSC to have multiple candidates this year.
131 Lions named to Spring 2017 LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce is represented by 131 student-athletes on the Spring 2017 Lone Star Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, as announced by the LSC office on Tuesday.
They announce the Commissioner’s Honor Roll at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters with student-athletes qualifying based on grade point average for the current semester. For student-athletes to be eligible, they must have a minimum 3.30 GPA for the current semester and be on the roster.
In addition to leading the conference with the most scholar-athletes posting a perfect 4.0-grade point average – as 44 Lions had excellent marks in the spring term – the Lions led the league with 131 overall on the honor roll when comparing sports which A&M-Commerce sponsors. Gibired were a total of 1,116 student-athletes across all sports, and all schools.
Student | Yr. | 4.0 GPA | Sport(s) | Major | Hometown |
Yangmi Kang | Grad | * | Athletic Training | Health, Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Japan |
Jeffrey Williams | Grad | * | Athletic Training | Health, Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Palm Harbor, Fla. |
Richard Cooper | Sr. | * | Football | General Studies | Angleton, Texas |
Weston Zeller | Sr. | * | Men’s Basketball | Industrial Engineering | Grants, N.M. |
Austin Yaeger | Sr. | * | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Curriculum and Instruction | Irving, Texas |
Natalie Hessong | Sr. | * | Women’s Basketball | Accounting | Corpus Christi, Texas |
Marisa Delgado | Sr. | * | Women’s Golf | History | Keller, Texas |
Emily Taylor | Sr. | * | Women’s Golf | Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Howe, Texas |
Alexandra Vansickle | Sr. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Human Performance | Winfield, Kan. |
Terra Truitt | Sr. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field, Cross Country | Masters of Social Work | Pampa, Texas |
Ashley Phillips | Sr. | * | Women’s Soccer | Psychology | Arlington, Texas |
Haley Vanschaick | Sr. | * | Women’s Soccer | Sports and Recreation Management | Mesquite, Texas |
Kieston Carter | Jr. | * | Football | All Level Kinesiology | Mexia, Texas |
Jonathan Aguilar | Jr. | * | Football | Learning and Technology | Lubbock, Texas |
Florian Obst | Jr. | * | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Master of Business Administration | Emmering, Germany |
Turner Pool | Jr. | * | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field, Cross Country | Finance & Accounting | Frisco, Texas |
Mariah Jameyson | Jr. | * | Softball | All Level Kinesiology | Seattle, Wash. |
Cherie Jackson | Jr. | * | Softball | Biological Sciences | Carrollton, Texas |
Selena Rima | Jr. | * | Softball | Human Performance | Spokane, Wash. |
Monica Cherry | Jr. | * | Softball | Sports and Recreation Management | Forney, Texas |
Tyler Oppenheim | Jr. | * | Softball | Sports and Recreation Management | Marble Falls, Texas |
Sophie Haywood | Jr. | * | Women’s Soccer | Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Hull, England |
Raven Porter | Jr. | * | Women’s Soccer | Public Health | Fort Worth, Texas |
Isaac Asrat | So. | * | Men’s Basketball | Biological Sciences | Plano, Texas |
Jeremiah Earle | So. | * | Men’s Golf | Mathematics | Corinth, Texas |
Ciera Nunez | So. | * | Softball | Human Performance | Amarillo, Texas |
Kayla Kilcrease | So. | * | Softball | Human Performance | Kerens, Texas |
Jaslyn Wacker | So. | * | Volleyball | Accounting | Austin, Texas |
Savannah Himes | So. | * | Volleyball | All Level Kinesiology | Greenville, Texas |
Jaryn Wacker | So. | * | Volleyball | Finance | Austin, Texas |
Shelley Chapron | So. | * | Volleyball | Pre-Nursing | Houston, Texas |
Maggie Waites | So. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Biological Sciences | Vicksburg, Miss. |
Sarah Hogan | So. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Psychology | Gatesville, Texas |
Katherine Holleman | So. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field, Cross Country | Accounting | Greenville, Texas |
Tanner Lange | Fr. | * | Football | Psychology | Richardson, Texas |
Joshua Lucas | Fr. | * | Football | Sports and Recreation Management | Garland, Texas |
Kensie Hebler | Fr. | * | Softball | Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Cypress, Texas |
Abreanna Harrison | Fr. | * | Women’s Basketball | History | Wichita Falls, Texas |
Katherine Lyles | Fr. | * | Women’s Golf | Finance | Daingerfield, Texas |
Madeline Shubert | Fr. | * | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field, Cross Country | Criminal Justice | Rowlett, Texas |
Garrett Blubaugh | R-Fr. | * | Football | Biological Sciences | Keller, Texas |
Michael Peschka | R-Fr. | * | Football | Mathematics | Arlington, Texas |
Ryan Guevara | R-Fr. | * | Football | Pre-Nursing | Canyon, Texas |
Jasmyn Poe | R-Fr. | * | Women’s Basketball | Finance | Kennedale, Texas |
Mandolyn Peterson | Sr. | Athletic Training | Human Performance | Greenville, Texas | |
Jessica St. Aubin | Sr. | Athletic Training | Sports and Recreation Management | Rockwall, Texas | |
Jeremiah Walters | Sr. | Football | General Studies | Oakland, Calif. | |
Jared Cate | Sr. | Football | Master of Business Administration | Boyd, Texas | |
De’Andre Carson | Sr. | Men’s Basketball | Sports and Recreation Management | Austin, Texas | |
Laramie Graham | Sr. | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Technology Management | Springtown, Texas | |
December Rivers | Sr. | Softball | Criminal Justice | Spring, Texas | |
Ashley Mireles | Sr. | Volleyball | Interdisciplinary Studies | Georgetown, Texas | |
Selasie Koto | Sr. | Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Computer Science | Justin, Texas | |
Shachar Elisha | Sr. | Women’s Soccer | Computer Science | Ramat Gan, Israel | |
Victoria Back | Sr. | Women’s Soccer | Master of Psychology | York, England | |
Anitra Wright | Sr. | Women’s Soccer | Technology Leadership | Fort Worth, Texas | |
Anissa Arenas | Sr. | Women’s Soccer | Sports and Recreation Management | Lubbock, Texas | |
Richard Whitaker | Jr. | Football | Sports and Recreation Management | Denton, Texas | |
Jordan Brown | Jr. | Men’s Golf | Accounting | Mansfield, Texas | |
Jessie Williams | Jr. | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Technology Management | Sulphur Springs, Texas | |
Terrell Russell | Jr. | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | General Studies | Ennis, Texas | |
Erick Quiroz Osornio | Jr. | Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field | Finance | Greenville, Texas | |
Lacie Jessup | Jr. | Volleyball | Accounting | Irving, Texas | |
Princess Davis | Jr. | Women’s Basketball | Kinesiology and Sports Studies | Shreveport, La. | |
Lauren Parker | Jr. | Women’s Basketball | Business Administration | Chicago, Ill. |