OLLU honored and recognized the accomplishments of student athletes throughout the 2013-2014 season during its third annual Big Blue All-Sports Athletic Banquet. The event was held in the Mabee Gymnasium and was emceed by Jay Tope, the Voice of the Saints. Head coaches gave a review of their seasons and presented awards to members of their teams.

After individual awards, OLLU presented the second annual Top Saint awards. The head coaches of each team nominated one player who excelled in academics, athletics and community service as a member of his or her team in 2013-2014. The names and accomplishments of the nominees were then sent to the selection committee for voting of the Top Big Blue Saint award. Members of the selection committee included Courtney Dailey, President of the OLLU University Programming Council; Kimberly Gibson, PhD, Director for the Center for Women in Church and Society; Club Men’s Basketball Coordinator Alejandro Ramirez; Santos Vargas, OLLU alumnus and member of the faculty at OLLU; and Alma Bustillo, OLLU Family Relations Coordinator. This year’s winner was soccer’s Alyssa Mora, who has been an OLLU student-athlete since 2011. After graduating from Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio, she attended Angelo State University and then transferred to OLLU her sophomore year. Every year, she volunteers as a mentor for an elementary school in the Northside San Antonio School District and for the YMCA doing soccer clinics. She has received numerous academic and athletic awards and was the women’s soccer team captain for two years. This past year, she earned a 3.8 GPA.

The last award that was presented was the inaugural Top GPA Award given to the team who earned the highest GPA during the previous academic year. Winning was the women’s tennis team that finished with a 3.29 GPA in 2012-2013. Last year’s team included: Summer Almanza, Leslie Cooper, Valeria Gonzalez, Alexia Guarneros, Jessica Perez, Brisa Ramirez, and Lauren Zanketti. Read full article online.