Month: October 2024

Welcome new Director of Assessment and Accreditation

Please help us welcome our new Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Dr. Liliana Gutierrez to the OLLU community.

Dr. Gutierrez has a rich background in higher education, bringing 25 years of experience and expertise in institutions, administration, assessment, and accreditation. She has held positions at St. Philip’s College (SPC), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). With a B.A. in English from California State University, Los Angeles, and both an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from UTSA, her research focuses on underrepresented and non-traditional students, particularly the influence of parents’ education on children’s aspirations. She also enjoys teaching as an adjunct faculty member in the Alamo Colleges District. Additionally, she serves as Vice-President for Student Parents Empowered, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that student parents in Texas have the support and resources needed to succeed in post-secondary education. 

Outside of her professional life, Dr. Gutierrez has been married for 19 years and is a mother to two daughters, aged 17 and 11. She is dedicated to being a role model for her girls and enjoys family time, outdoor activities, and jewelry making.

Dr. Healy takes part in 50th anniversary celebration for APA Minority Fellowship Program

Dr. Deborah Healy, Professor of Psychology and Program Chair, recently took part in the 50th anniversary celebration of the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). The celebration took place Oct. 10 at the Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

The MFP is focused on training diverse professionals who are committed to serving communities of color. The MFP has led to a notable impact on the behavioral health field and the mental health outcomes and life experiences of marginalized communities across the nation and the world. Over the past 50 years, MFP has trained over 2,300 fellows. MFP alumni have gone on to make significant achievements in their professional careers. Several OLLU students have been MFP fellows.

Ekpenyong concludes historic run as runner-up at National Championships

Men’s tennis player David Ekpenyong finished his historic singles performance in the NAIA national championship match at the ITA Cup on Oct. 13. He became the first OLLU student-athlete to compete for an individual national championship in school history.

Head Coach Dave Watts commented, “I’m really proud of David and his run in the tournament. Between Kyllian (Savary) reaching the quarterfinals of nationals last year and David making it to the final this year, they really set the bar for the program. Taking three players to nationals this year was huge for us. Kyllian and David played singles, while Kyllian also played doubles with Aymeric Bruno. David beating the No. 1 seed in the first round was a big confidence booster for him. His semifinal match was no walk in the park either. Thankfully, he was resilient enough to make it through. Ultimately, we are both very disappointed that he didn’t win the final and aren’t satisfied with runner-up. There is still so much room to improve. Hats off to Santiago Villarruel at Georgia Gwinnett College. He is a very experienced competitor, and we learned a lot by playing him today. This just adds fuel to the fire and we will come back stronger in the spring. I fully expect our team to compete with any team in the country this spring.”

Ekpenyong showcased a record-breaking singles performance by reaching the championship match. He started the tournament by shocking No. 1 seed Perry Gregg from Holy Cross College 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. He followed the upset by racing past Francisco Perez Esnaola from the University of Northwestern Ohio 6-2, 6-0. Ekpenyong matched up with No. 4 seed Octavio Volpi in the semifinals. He defeated the Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) standout in a thrilling three sets (6-4, 4-6, 7-5).

Standing in his way was Santiago Villarruel, a player from powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett College. The Grizzlies have marked four consecutive NAIA national championships and a total of 10 since 2014. Ekpenyong battled with long rallies but was unable to claim the championship as Villarruel won 6-3, 6-3. Ekpenyong’s journey through the draw included victories over highly ranked ITA opponents.

Kyllian Savary (singles/doubles) and Aymeric Bruno (doubles) also qualified for the ITA Cup NAIA division.

Full results:
DOUBLES
Aymeric Bruno/Kyllian Savary (W1/L2): lost to Zolio Rios/David Leon (Tennessee Wesleyan University) – 4-6, 1-6; lost to Ben Starman/Joren Stevens (Midland University) – 1-6, 3-6; defeated Luke Geduldt/Victor Bourguignon (Union College) – 3-6, 6-3, (11-9)

SINGLES
David Ekpenyong (W3/L1): defeated (1) Perry Gregg (Holy Cross College/Notre Dame) – 5-7, 6-2, 7-5; defeated Francisco Perez Esnaola (University of Northwestern Ohio) – 6-2, 6-0; defeated (4) Octavio Volpi (Tennessee Wesleyan University) – 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; lost to Santiago Villarruel (Georgia Gwinnett College) – 3-6, 3-6

Kyllian Savary (W0/L1): lost to David Leon (Tennessee Wesleyan University) – 2-6, 5-7; wd. (ret)

Women’s soccer impresses in 4-1 victory over TAMUSA

The women’s soccer squad downed Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) 4-1 on Saturday. The Saints improve to 6-3-1 overall and 5-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Jaguars drop to 3-3-1 overall and 3-5-1 in conference.

History
The Saints were 1-0-2 against the Jaguars prior to the game.

Game recap
The Saints started the scoring just six minutes into the contest. Ez Valles drew a penalty and proceeded to score on the penalty kick. OLLU unfortunately scored an own goal at the 16th minute to even the game.

Leah Tapia put the Saints ahead again at the 25th minute with an assist from Allison Kostoch. The Saints took a one-goal lead into the break.

The scoring stalled until the 85th minute when Vivianna Gutierrez put the Saints up by two goals. Angela Garcia added the fourth goal from far out that was placed perfectly over the goalkeeper’s head. The Saints won 4-1 backed by 19 total shots.

Samantha Valadez improved to 6-3-1 in net with four saves. Emerson Weiler and Dusty Van Huss were both shown yellow cards. The Saints have won five straight contests.

What’s next
OLLU plays at Xavier University of Louisiana on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Saints are in fifth place in the RRAC, while the Gold Nuggets top the standings at 8-3 overall and 7-0 in conference.

Men’s soccer falls short in action-packed contest versus TAMUSA

The men’s soccer team lost to Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) 3-2 on Saturday. The Saints move to 3-8-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Jaguars improve to 5-3-1 overall and 5-2-0 in conference.

Head Coach Shane Hurley commented, “It was a tough match. Hats off to our guys who played hard for 90 minutes.”

History
The Saints were 1-2 against the Jaguars prior to the game.

Game recap
The first half was dominated by both offenses. Andres Rocha put the Saints in front at the seventh minute with an assist from Tim Talabi. The Jaguars gathered multiple corner kicks later in the frame and were rewarded with a goal. Andre Reis evened the match at the 39th minute with an unassisted goal. The half ended with three shots by the Jaguars in the final minutes. Harry Acklam, Thomas Sauceda and Cade Ryan were shown yellow cards in the frame.

The second half had 19 fouls and five yellow cards. Ronald Aguilar scored on a ball from Garrington Baker at the 46th minute to give the Jaguars their first lead of the game. Rocha scored again at the 62nd minute to make it 2-2. His goal was assisted by Alessandro Sierra. Christian Guerrero scored a minute later for the Jaguars, which would prove to be the winning goal. The Saints pressured with multiple shots in the last 15 minutes but were unable to convert. Both teams ended with 14 total shots. Dominic Pena made two saves in the loss. The Jaguars had five corner kicks while the Saints took two. 

What’s next
OLLU heads to Metairie, La., to face Xavier University of Louisiana on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Volleyball achieves two significant milestones in sweep of LCU

The volleyball team achieved two significant milestones this weekend, adding to their impressive 2024 season. Head Coach Scott Mattera recorded his 200th career win after Friday’s match, and Camila Ramirez became the Saints’ all-time leader in kills. The Saints swept Louisiana Christian University (LCU) in straight sets on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. They now stand at 14-7 overall and 7-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference, while LCU drops to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in conference.

History
The Saints have been 9-0 against the Wildcats since 2021, allowing only two set wins in those nine matches.

Matchday on Oct. 11
The Saints showcased their dominance at the start of the match, going up 8-1 before the LCU coach called a timeout. The Wildcats could only muster eight points, while the Saints led by nine. Camila Ramirez served three points, with kills from Anais Velasquez and Mia Francis, as the Saints went up 24-13. A kill from Makaelyn Perez ended the first set, with the Saints winning 25-14.

Lauren Reynard served six straight points to put the Saints at 7-1. Attack errors plagued the Saints, and the Wildcats took advantage by closing the score gap by two at 7-9. The Saints jumped back in to go up 15-9. LCU again tried to close the gap by coming as close as one point, but their efforts proved futile as the Saints closed out the set with a 25-21 win.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the match in the third set, going up 4-2. The Saints tied the set at four and never looked back. They reached 20 points, while the Wildcats were still stuck at nine. Kills from Francis and Velasquez completed the Saints’ sweep, with the 25-12 win.

Significant stats
The Saints recorded 51 kills for a .351 hitting percentage while limiting the Wildcats to just 23 kills for a .063 hitting percentage.

Camila Ramirez and Mia Francis both turned in 14 kills. Lauren Reynard finished with 22 assists, while Arianna Morena had 14. Chanisty Villarreal Bermea recorded four service aces, and Tina Trevino marked 25 digs.

With the win on Friday, Head Coach Scott Mattera achieved a significant milestone in his career, recording his 200th career victory. This includes 103 wins at OLLU and 97 wins at Concordia University-Nebraska as a head coach. Coach Mattera’s achievement also marks him as OLLU volleyball’s winningest coach, surpassing the record of inaugural Head Coach Mark Lee, who had 102 wins during his eight years at OLLU.

LCU’s Kate Campbell was the only Wildcat to have double-digit kills with 10.

Matchday on Oct. 12
Despite the Wildcats’ early momentum, the Saints quickly regrouped and took the lead, demonstrating their resilience. They sealed the set with a series of powerful kills from Francis, Velasquez, and Perez, winning 25-19.

The Saints returned to the court for the second set with the same mentality, and nothing the Wildcats tried worked. OLLU trounced LCU to lead 14-3. The Wildcats scored just 12 more points, and the Saints closed out the game with a 25-15 win.

The third set was a testament to the Saints’ unity and teamwork. Despite a close start, the team continued to secure key points. Kills from Urbanczyk, Bir, and Velasquez sealed the 25-17 win and a 3-0 match.

Significant stats
OLLU turned in 40 kills for a hitting percentage of .214. LCU finished with 23 kills for a hitting percentage of .022.

Camila Ramirez led the Saints with 11 kills. She came into the season with 839 kills and, so far, has accumulated 228 kills. She now has 1,067 and has joined the Saints 1,000 Club. Ramirez broke Kendall Groff’s record from 2013-2016 of 1,061 kills to become OLLU’s all-time leader.

Reynard marked 19 assists, and Moreno had 13. Tina Trevino finished with 23 digs.

What’s next
The Saints will now prepare for their next challenge, a crucial RRAC match against Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The teams will then return to San Antonio for their second match on Oct. 19 at noon, where the Saints will look to continue their winning streak.

Men’s cross-country places fourth at OLLU invite

OLLU hosted the ninth annual OLLU Cross-Country Invitational at the Windcrest Golf Course Oct. 12. The men placed fourth in the meet.

Head Coach Brett Charlton commented, “This was a great meet for our cross-country program. We had 11 men’s teams competing. It was the biggest invite in program history. The men who competed today ran extremely well. We rested several of our top five after they had a good showing at the DBU meet last week. This allowed several other guys to try and make a case to run at the conference meet. Severral of our men ran personal bests.”

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) won the meet with a total of 19 points. The team had the top four players, plus ninth-place, 20th place and 43rd place finishers. Coming in second was University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, followed by the University of St. Thomas. After OLLU were Angelo State University, Trinity University, Texas Lutheran University, Hardin-Simmons University and Schreiner University.

Leading the way for the Saints was Jayden Turrubiates, for marked a 26:30 in the 8000m for 13th place. In 14th place was Vincent Garza with a time of 26:37, followed by Jose Perez with 26:53, JoseCarlos Hernandez with 27:10, Kruz Malesich with 27:19, Andrew Ruiz with 27:29, Ryan Aldana with 27:40, Robert Rios with 28:39, Robert Rios with 28:39 and Dominic Alonzo with 31:30.

What’s next
The Saints will get set to host the highly anticipated Red River Athletic Conference Championship Meet on Nov. 1 at Windcrest Golf Course in Windcrest, Texas. The men have won the conference championships nine years in a row. 

Women’s cross-country places fifth

The women’s cross-country team placed fifth out of nine teams at the OLLU Invitational held at the Windcrest Golf Course on Oct. 12.

Head Coach Brett Charlton commented, “This was a great meet for our cross-country program. We had 14 women’s teams competing. It was the biggest invite in program history. The women had a good meet. There is definitely a lot to build off of heading into our conference meet. We had several big personal bests. It was a confidence-boosting meet for our ladies.”

The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley won the meet with 24 points. Five runners finished in the top 10 overall. Midwestern State University placed second, followed by Angelo State University, Trinity University, and OLLU. After OLLU were Texas A&M International University, the University of St. Thomas, Texas Lutheran University, and Schreiner University.

Leading the way for the Saints was Valeria Pena, who had a time of 23:14 in the 6000m for 21st place. Leilani Leza marked a time of 23:44, followed by Liliana Hernandez with 24:03, Victoria Bartlett with 24:09, Claudia Lopez with 24:32, Jasmine Hernandez with 24:33, and Daylah Vega with 26:33. A total of 80 runners participated.

What’s next
The Saints will get set to host the highly anticipated Red River Athletic Conference Championship Meet on Nov. 1 at Windcrest Golf Course in Windcrest, Texas. The women have won the conference championship the last five years and a total of nine time since the program began competing in 2009.

Two from OLLU selected for HACU Enlace Mid-level Leadership Program

OLLU’s Academic Dean Candace Zepeda, PhD, and Professor of History Valerie Martinez, PhD, have been selected for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Enlace Mid-level Leadership Program. In its second cohort, the Enlace Program will welcome 54 participants from across the nation.

The six-month leadership development program for mid-level college and university professionals is designed to increase the number, variety, and quality of Latino/a talent in leadership positions at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and in higher education overall. Selectees will participate in programming covering academic and student affairs management, regional institutional accreditation, diversity, equity and inclusion, and higher education advocacy issues. Participants will also interact with a professional search firm.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for OLLU to participate in quality leadership training that will impact our students and our entire community,” said President Abel A. Chávez, MBA, PhD. “I greatly appreciate Dr. Zepeda and Dr. Martinez for stepping up and taking on this program.”

The sessions will be delivered through a series of online meetings and also in person sessions that will take place in November 2024 at HACU’s Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado, and at the National Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C., in April 2025. The program will conclude with a graduation ceremony.

Both Dr. Zepeda and Dr. Martinez are being supported by a Mellon Foundation grant for their participation in the program.

Thursday is World Mental Health Day

OLLU’s Salud Center and Active Minds organization will mark World Mental Health Day on Thursday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Mall Area. The groups will share information on ways to tend to your mental wellbeing.

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is working to make mental wellbeing a global priority. It is presenting 10 ways to take action. Visit the council’s website at: World Mental Health Day 2024 « Mental Health First Aid.