OLLUNewsletter

Dental Services Available on Campus with Texas Mission of Mercy

Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) will bring its large-scale free dental clinic to Our Lady of the Lake University on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, marking the first time the organization has hosted an event at OLLU. TMOM’s mission is to improve oral health and quality of life for underserved Texans by providing access to free, basic dental care through mobile clinic events.

The clinic is expected to treat approximately 400 to 500 patients each day. Services will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with patients lining up beginning at 5 a.m. both mornings.

Patients attending the clinic will complete registration, have their vital signs checked, receive dental X-rays, and then undergo treatment. Services will include cleanings, fillings, and extractions — all provided free of charge, with no insurance required.

Hundreds of volunteers, including dentists, dental hygienists, medical assistants, and registration staff, will support the two-day event. Registration will take place in OLLU’s main building, X-rays will be conducted in the MARC, and treatment areas will be located in the UWAC.

A special blessing for volunteers and staff will be held at Sacred Heart Chapel on Thursday before the clinic begins.

TMOM has hosted clinics in communities across Texas, but this appears to be the organization’s first event at OLLU and potentially its first major clinic in San Antonio. The outreach is expected to bring significant activity to campus while providing critical dental care to hundreds of community members in need.

ESTAR West and Prosper West Unite to Strengthen San Antonio’s Westside

Two organizations dedicated to advancing economic opportunity on San Antonio’s Westside are joining forces under the leadership of CEO Ryan Kuhl, creating a stronger collaborative effort focused on community growth, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood revitalization.

Photo credit: Analco Gonzalez. Westside community members meet at the remodeled Basilica Frocks building on Martin & Zarzamora on May 20 to hear of the organizations’ merger and a status report on the historic Westside’s housing status.

ESTAR West was established with support of the Aspen Institute’s Latinos & Society Program to assist Westside entrepreneurs and small businesses through a collaborative network of resources, partnerships, and community-based initiatives. The organization works to ensure local businesses can thrive while preserving the culture and character of the historic Westside.

Prosper West San Antonio – with its tagline of Prosperity without Displacement — focuses on fostering economic development, revitalizing commercial corridors, supporting small businesses, and promoting redevelopment that benefits residents while honoring the history and identity of the community. Together, the organizations aim to expand opportunities for residents and strengthen long-term economic sustainability across the Westside.

Our Lady of the Lake University continues to support these efforts through community partnerships and by serving as home to the MAESTRO Entrepreneur Center, a university tenant dedicated to supporting small Westside businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, and business development resources.

As part of this growing partnership, OLLU will also host the annual “State of the Westside” gathering later this September at Thiry Auditorium. The event brings together civic leaders, nonprofit organizations, business owners, educators, and residents to discuss opportunities, challenges, and future investments shaping the Westside.

The collaboration reflects a shared vision among community partners to support inclusive growth while preserving the cultural heritage and economic vitality of San Antonio’s Westside.

Annual Performance Evaluations Now Open for OLLU Staff

The 2025–2026 Staff Annual Performance Evaluation period is now open from May 18, 2026, through June 12, 2026, and we ask that all evaluations be completed on or before Friday, June 12, 2026, through Teamflect in Microsoft Teams. This review period covers the current academic year, June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026, and provides an important opportunity to reflect on accomplishments, recognize contributions, and support continued growth across our campus community.

Please note that annual evaluations are not required for employees hired within six months before May 31, 2026, as those employees will have already received a 90-day evaluation. For guidance on completing the Staff Performance Evaluation, please refer to the instructions available on the HR SharePoint site. We are grateful for your support and for the time and care you dedicate to this important process, and we encourage you to complete your evaluations promptly to ensure they are submitted on time.

Campus Voices Matter: Help Improve Housekeeping Services at OLLU

Your feedback matters. As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a clean, safe, and welcoming campus environment, we encourage all faculty, staff, and students to take a few moments to complete the monthly housekeeping services survey.

Your input helps us better understand what is working well, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen the overall quality and responsiveness of housekeeping services across campus. Honest and constructive feedback is essential as we continue working toward operational excellence and an exceptional campus experience for our community.

Please complete the survey by clicking on the button below:

Survey

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and help us improve our campus environment.

United in Purpose: OLLU Moves Closer to Its 1,800 Enrollment Goal

Dear OLLU Community,

As we move forward with our Fall 2026 enrollment efforts, we want to recognize the progress we have made together and keep our focus on the path ahead. Our current enrollment is 1,232, which reflects the commitment, collaboration, and care shown across the OLLU community.

With a goal of 1,800 students, we are continuing to build momentum, and every registration brings us closer to that finish line. Enrollment is a shared responsibility, and each interaction with prospective and current students makes a meaningful difference. We can all help strengthen this effort by sharing our OLLU experience with future Saints, supporting the students already part of our community, and staying engaged in campus-wide collaboration.

As you continue to see the enrollment thermometer across campus, please remember that every step forward matters. Together, through focus, unity, and shared purpose, we can reach our goal and continue building a thriving OLLU community.

Welcome Our New Saints: OLLU’s Two-Part Orientation Program Prepares First-Year Students for Success

The entire Our Lady of the Lake community can’t wait to welcome our newest Saints this summer! We’re thrilled to help our first-year students kick off their journey with an orientation experience that’s energizing, informative, and packed with resources to set them up for success.

Our two-part orientation program — Lake Day Orientation and Blue Nation Welcome— is designed to help students fully prepare and connect with our community before their first day of classes.

🌊 Part 1: Lake Day Orientation

All incoming freshmen students are required to attend one of the following dates:

Tuesday, June 2
Thursday, June 18
Saturday, July 18

Lake Day Orientation is a fun and informative full-day event for students and their families to get a feel for what life at OLLU is all about.

At Lake Day, students will:

Connect with professors, staff, and fellow Saints
Dive into OLLU’s mission, values, and vibrant campus culture
Explore support services and resources for their academic and personal success
Chat directly with faculty about their major and minor
Get personalized support for financial aid, advising, and more!

💙 Part 2: Blue Nation Welcome

Students will be able to kick off their OLLU adventure with energy and confidence! Blue Nation Welcome is a dynamic, two-day program taking place Friday & Saturday, August 14–15, 2026, right before classes begin. Students will meet their classmates, get familiar with the campus, and be ready to start their first semester strong!

👉 Ready to learn more? Head over to the Orientation web page today!

We can’t wait to see our new students on campus — Go Saints!

OLLU Softball Continues Championship Tradition with Grit, Heart and Saints Pride

The OLLU Saints Softball team continues to show why the program remains one of the strongest in Saints Athletics. Entering the 2026 season ranked No. 12 in the NAIA preseason poll after a dominant 47-9 overall record and a 27-1 mark in conference play, the Saints have continued to bring energy, focus, and competitive play to every game.

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From big hits at the plate to key defensive stops, the Saints are competing with confidence and teamwork while representing OLLU with pride. That success carried into the postseason, where OLLU captured the 2026 RRAC Championship and advanced into the NAIA national tournament, further underscoring the program’s high standard of excellence.

The program reflects the dedication of student-athletes who balance academics, athletics, and leadership on and off the field. As the season progresses, OLLU Softball remains focused on competing at a high level and pushing toward postseason success — one game at a time.

Go Saints! 🥎💙

Check out their schedule and current bracket standing.

Bracket_Softball

Saints Post Multiple Top Finishes at Trinity Invite

San Antonio, Texas- At the Trinity Invite in San Antonio, the women of Our Lady of the Lake University produced several strong performances across the track and field events, highlighted by success in the sprint races, relays, and jumps.

Freshman Alex Wells led the way for the Saints in the sprint events. In the women’s 100 meters, Wells placed third overall with a time of 12.21 seconds against a competitive field that included athletes from St. Thomas and Trinity. Fellow freshman Morgan Young also delivered a strong effort, finishing fifth overall in 12.44.

Wells returned later in the meet to post another standout performance in the women’s 200 meters. Competing against NAIA-level competition, she finished second overall with a time of 24.95 seconds, trailing only Huston-Tillotson’s Chaleica Booker. Her result marked one of the top sprint performances of the day for OLLU.

In the women’s 400 meters, junior Morghan Neely recorded a third-place finish with a time of 59.31 seconds, continuing a consistent outdoor campaign for the Saints in the quarter-mile event.

OLLU also found success in the distance races. Junior Daylah Vega placed third in the women’s 1500 meters with a time of 5:19.78, while senior Liliana Hernandez finished fourth in 5:24.54. Senior Mia Curiel and freshman Claudia Lopez added sixth- and eighth-place finishes respectively, giving the Saints multiple scoring performances in the event.

Vega and Lopez later competed in the women’s 800 meters alongside the rest of the OLLU middle-distance group. Vega crossed in 2:40.90, while Lopez finished in 2:41.57.

The Saints earned one of their top results of the meet in the women’s 4×800-meter relay. The team of Madison Perez, Mia Curiel, Monica Sanchez, and Liliana Hernandez captured first place with a winning time of 9:34.93, giving OLLU a relay title at the Trinity Invite.

In the hurdles, sophomore Kymberli Cavazos represented the Saints in both hurdle events. Cavazos recorded a time of 17.48 in the 100-meter hurdles before returning to place third overall in the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 1:09.09. Senior Bethany Garr also competed in the 400 hurdles, finishing fifth in 1:14.45.

OLLU continued to perform well in the field events. Sophomore Jeslynn Flores tied for second place in the high jump after clearing 1.55 meters, matching one of the top marks of the competition. Sophomore Jadae Freeman placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 5.30 meters and added a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 10.88 meters.

Baseball Falls To Royals

SALINA, Kan. – Top-seeded Johnson (Tenn.) used a 5-run fourth inning and a 7-run seventh inning to pull away from the fourth-seeded Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) Saints for a 20-10 victory in the first round of the Salina Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Dean Evans Stadium.

The victory boosts the Royals record to 38-12 heading into Tuesday’s match-up with the host Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes at 2:30 p.m. at Dean Evans Stadium. Our Lady of the Lake falls to 34-19 and will face Concordia (Neb.) in an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Travis Hobbensiefken put the Royals up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning with a RBI single that scored JJ Menesini who walked earlier in the inning.

OLLU tied it on Diego Zuniga‘s homer in the second, but Johnson grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the inning as Luke Wilson singled to bring home Christian Altamirano who walked and moved up on a passed ball in the inning.

Johnson’s five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning game on a 2-run double by Luke Wilson, a Hobbensiefken RBI single, an error on a double steal and a RBI single by Izaak Fernandez to put the Royals up 7-1.

OLLU came back with four runs in the top of the fifth inning as Drew Saucedo singled to bring in Benjamyn Hovda, a wild pitch allowed Christian Martinez to score, Joshua Milton had a RBI single and Zuniga knocked home a run with a hit.

The Saints got within a run on a single by Brett Atkinson in the sixth, but got no closer. Johnson put two on the board in the sixth, the first run coming on a wild pitch and the second on Altamirano’s single.

OLLU added two more in the seventh on a single by Hivda to score Gonzalez and Juan Garcia‘s RBI double, but Johnson would pull away in the bottom of the inning with seven runs.

Mitchell Birdsall hit a 3-run homer to start the scoring, and was followed by Joseph Brown’s RBI double, a RBI single by Altamirano and JJ Menesini’s 2-run ground-rule double.

Jack Kalisky homered for OLLU in the eighth, but the Royals would end it on the run-rule in the bottom of the frame. Braden Frank singled to bring in Andrew Wilford, Altamirano singled home a run and Grayson Shehan would close things out with a 2-run single to left center to push the Royals out to a 20-10 lead.

Hovda had four hits for Our Lady of the Lake to lead the Saints. Donovan Gamez took the loss allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, with four walks in an inning-plus of work as OLLU used seven pitchers in the game.

Altamirano had four hits for the Royals and Wilson added three as Johnson had 20 hits in the game. Three players drove in three runs each. Kaleb Townsend got the win going five innings, allowing five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.

Saints Rally To Take Down St. Thomas

Klamath Falls, Oregon- Our Lady of the Lake delivered an explosive offensive performance to earn a 13-7 victory over St. Thomas in a game filled with momentum swings and clutch hitting. The Saints collected 20 hits and scored in six different innings, overpowering St. Thomas late to secure the win.

OLLU wasted no time setting the tone offensively. Arianna Alejandro led the charge from the top of the lineup, finishing with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while also adding a stolen base. Reanna Aguirre matched that effort with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs of her own. Lilly Rocha provided one of the game’s biggest moments with a three-run home run as part of a three-hit outing, while Marisa Rosales stayed red hot at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBIs.

Caitlin Casas was another major contributor for the Saints, recording three hits and scoring three runs, including two doubles that kept pressure on the St. Thomas defense throughout the afternoon. Marina Litterio added an RBI double, while Alyssa Guzman chipped in with an RBI single as OLLU continued to pile on offense inning after inning.

Despite the final margin, St. Thomas battled early behind a powerful performance from Jade Fayad. Fayad finished with two hits, including a five-run home run that helped keep the Celts within striking distance. Alahnis Berrios added a double and scored twice, while Emma Edwards recorded two hits in the loss.

The game remained competitive through the middle innings as St. Thomas collected nine hits overall, but OLLU’s offense proved too consistent to contain. The Saints capitalized on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to regain control late in the game.

Inside the circle, Annika Litterio started for OLLU and worked through four innings before Valeria Vielma entered in relief. Vielma shut the door over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three to earn the win and improve to 11-3 on the season.

St. Thomas starter Johana Magaldi took the loss after allowing nine runs over 4.1 innings, while Christina Ortiz pitched the final 1.2 innings in relief.