The men’s basketball team is proud to announce the signing of three incoming freshmen. Elijah Davis, Colby Borak and Mitchell Martinez will join the Saints in the fall of 2020.

Head Coach Chris Dial said, “The men’s basketball program is excited for these young men to join the Saints family. We are looking forward to their development at OLLU and they have great potential to improve the culture of the team.”

Davis attended Pebble Hills High School. He is a shooting guard, and he also played football while in high school. Davis boasts a 35.5 inch vertical.

Another newcomer to the Saints is shooting guard Colby Borak. Borak will be graduating from Franklin High School. He averaged 3.9 points per game in his high school career and tallied 3.3 rebounds per game during his senior season.

Mitchell Martinez joins the Saints from Eastwood High School. He is a power forward and averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Mitchell shot an impressive 57 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line.

The softball team is proud to announce the signing of incoming freshman Kaylen Estrada. She will join the team in 2020-2021.

The softball team’s spring 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 crisis. The NAIA mandated that all spring sports be canceled. The Saints are scheduled to play a limited fall 2020 lineup then get set for their official spring season in February 2021.

Estrada is from Waco, Texas, and attended University High School. She chose OLLU because “OLLU feels like a home away from home.”

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “Our first opportunity to evaluate Kaylen was at our prospect camp in November and she really stood out from the crowd. As a catcher, her leadership and volume on the field are big reasons she is a Saint today. I also believe that she can develop into a very good college hitter.”

Estrada’s hobbies include watching Law and Order SVU, being with family and friends and taking naps. Her athletic role model is her brother Juan Salas. She was named to the Second Team All-District and awarded the Clutch Player of the Year award and Leadership Award.  

The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) has announced that OLLU has been awarded the 2019-2020 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. Teams were honored with this year’s award, which highlights programs coached by ABCA members that posted a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2019-2020 academic year. The Saints baseball team earned a 3.06 GPA, and this year marks the first time the men have won this award.

Head Coach Bryan Aughney said “I am very proud of our group of players who continued to get things done in the classroom. It was hard to have our season cut short, but that didn’t deter our student-athletes from taking ownership of their academics. It’s something we talk about each day, and I was very pleased with our team as they continued to stay the course. It shows we are not only continuing to get better on the field each year, but we are doing it with the right guys.”

“In light of the challenges faced by so many programs across the country, we are humbled to be able to honor teams for their outstanding academic achievements,” said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. “It is a testament to the leadership of our member coaches and the commitment of their student-athletes who persevered during an unprecedented academic year.”

Coaches were able to nominate their teams for the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award following the conclusion of their spring semesters prior to the nomination deadline of July 17. To be honored, teams had to meet the following criteria:

• Must be a high school or college team
• Head coach must be a current ABCA member
• Team must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale during the 2019-2020 academic year (Due to some schools changing to Pass/Fail grading, spring semester grades were not required to be included in the cumulative calculation).

The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams are the nation’s oldest, founded in 1949, and the ABCA’s awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/Diamond Regional and National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has announced the 2020 NAIA Men ITA Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams. Academia is a key aspect of the college tennis experience. Collegiate tennis players add to the rich intellectual community found on college campuses across the nation. The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men’s tennis team has been recognized, as well as Gabriel Braga, Artur Etzberger, Caio Ravagnani, Sebastian Rodriguez, Murilo Salviato and Vinicius Silva. This is the first time the Saints have earned ITA academic awards.

Student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court. In 2020, 225 NAIA male student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete and 44 men’s tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.

To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:

• have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
• be listed on the institutional eligibility form

To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:

• have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
• all student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
• all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year

The Saints men’s team earned a 3.374 GPA. Braga marked a 4.0 GPA, Etzberger, a 3.5, Ravagnani, a 3.8, Rodriguez, a 3.5, Murilo, a 3.7 and Silva, a 3.8.

The men’s soccer team is proud to announce the signings of incoming freshmen Orlando Medina and Javier Pena. They will join the team in 2020.

Medina played for Cypress Ridge High School in Houston and Texas United Real Juniors Club. He earned Academic All-District honors and made it to the second round of the playoffs while at Cypress Ridge. His club team won first place in district and third place in state.

Pena attended John Jay High School in San Antonio and earned All-District honors his sophomore year. He played in a development academy in Mexico and will be majoring in criminal justice.

The Saints will begin their 14th season in August 2020.

OLLU has announced the signing of Raul Gonzalez Jr. to the men’s golf team.

Gonzalez will join the team this academic year after graduating from McAllen Memorial High School in McAllen, Texas.

The golf team had to cancel its official spring 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The men will regroup to play a handfull of tournaments  in the fall land then get set for their spring 2021 season.

Gonzalez plans to major in business at OLLU.

The softball team is proud to announce the signing of incoming freshman Desiree Rojas. She will join the Saints squad in 2020-2021.

The softball team’s spring 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 crisis. The NAIA mandated that all spring sports be cancelled. The Saints are scheduled to play a limited fall 2020 lineup and then get set for their official spring season in February 2021.

Rojas is a San Antonio native and attended the Business Careers High School. She will be majoring in biology. Throughout her varsity career, she has batted .379 at the plate and gathered 99 hits.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “Desiree is a very good softball player who will give us depth on the pitcher’s mound and corner infield. She has pitched in several big games and has an excellent changeup. I believe that she can be one of our better hitters as she has demonstrated a powerful swing in high school and select ball.”

Rojas enjoys watching Netflix and her athletic role model is UCLA softball player Rachel Garcia. Throughout high school, she has been named to second-team all-district and first-team all-district twice for third base.

The softball team is proud to announce the signing of incoming freshman Devan Miller. She will join the team in 2020-2021.

The softball team’s spring 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 crisis. The NAIA mandated that all spring sports be canceled. The Saints are scheduled to play a limited fall 2020 lineup then get set for their official spring season in February 2021.

Miller is a native of Marion, Ohio, and attended River Valley High School. Her primary position is first base, and she also plays third base.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “Devan was our first commit in the 2020 class. She is a powerful corner infielder with great hands and an above-average arm. I saw her in a summer camp in Detroit and am happy that she is coming to OLLU. She possesses a tremendous work ethic that will serve her well at the college level.”

Miller’s hobbies include traveling, working out and spending time with her friends and family. Her athletic role model is professional softball player Jessica Warren. Throughout high school, she earned the Golden Glove Award in 2018, received an honorable mention for All-District in 2018 and was named to the second team MOAC.

Pursuing excellence and coping with changes to spring classes due to COVID-19, a total of 965 student-athletes earned the distinction of Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Scholar-Athlete for the 2019-2020 academic year. OLLU is proud to announce its largest class of scholar-athletes – 147 – who have earned Scholar-Athlete recognition.

Each of the individuals on the list achieved a 3.0 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale while competing in one of the RRAC’s sanctioned sports. The total number of honorees reached a higher level than last year’s 938 total.

The cumulative GPA for all 147 OLLU students during the 2019-2020 season is also a historic best at 3.17. See below for a historical overview:

Season	Cumulative Team GPA	Scholar Athletes (3.0-Above)
2019-2020	3.17	147
2018-2019	2.94	120
2017-2018	3.08	96
2016-2017	2.81	105
2015-2016	2.85	96
2014-2015	2.89	86
2013-2014	3.02	83
2012-2013	2.81	82
2011-2012	2.82	49
2010-2011	2.92	52

Of OLLU’s 147 student-athletes (some played two sports and are counted separately) honored in 2019-2020, 17 earned a 4.0, 70 earned between a 3.5-3.99 GPA and 60 earned between a 3.0-3.49 GPA. 

OLLU had the most scholar-athletes than other members of the conference. After OLLU was the University of the Southwest at 111, followed by LSU-Alexandria with 110, Texas A&M University – Texarkana with 105, Texas College with 98, Jarvis Christian College with 84, Huston-Tillotson University with 83, the University of Houston-Victoria with 77, LSU-Shreveport with 71, Wiley College with 48 and Paul Quinn College with 45.

Below is a complete list of the 2019-2020 OLLU Scholar Athletes:

NAME	SPORT
Joey Baker	Baseball
Ryan Chapa
Jorge Collazo Jr.
Connor Dayton
Jose Diaz
Miguel Galindo
Alex Garza
Logan Garza
Adrian Gonzalez Jr.
Matthew Klar
Layne Klostermann
Francisco Martinez
Daniel Melecio
Matt Mihalov
Jacob Mitchell
Jacob Montejano
Andrew Ogletree
John B. Ortega II
Bryce Putnam
Jose Ramirez III
Nico Ybarra
Ruben Monzon	Basketball-Men
Michael Saladin
Edvin Tedesjo
Aidan Torres
Estefan Trevino
Finn Wilczek
Tiffany Lopez	Basketball-Women
Jamia Miller
Kasey Saldana
Angeline Sanchez
Zerina Shatri
Suzuna Shoji
Alexandra Strawhorn
Tani Talamantez
Natalia Trevino
Alexis White
Lena Wilson
Antonio Bustamante	Cross-Country-Men
Isaac Martinez
Andrew Moczygemba
Hector Puente
Nathaniel Rodriguez
Miguel Segura
Andrea Gandara	Cross-Country-Women
Lindsey Broussard
Gloria Cervantes
Sabrina Garcia
Peyton Lammons
Nadia Sifuentes
Kimber Watson
Diego Garcia	Golf
Raul Gutierrez
Joshua Sturt
Kane Ybarra
Bernard Alvarenga	Soccer-Men
Connor Bagley
Joseph Baker
Luan Balestieri
Miguel Barrera
Carlos Beltran
Gustavo Borba
Carlos Cabrera
Giovanni Cardenas
Juan Martin Chica
Scott Couper
Jose Delgado
Randy Dominguez
Charbel Elbayeh
Mitchell Medrano
Jack Parker
Raul Posadas
Patrick Pye
Miguel Sanchez
Guillermo Serrano
Pedro Tavarez
Samuel Villegas
Dawson Brinkley	Soccer-Women
Liliana Briseno
Victoria Castro
Taylor DeBroskey
Olivia Eagleson
Mikaela Gilbert
Savannah Hernandez
Sarah Miles
Sophia Mora
Emily Morin
Riley Perez
Baye Polansky
Ilaina Brenes Rodriguez
Jaylin Seto
Haley Smith
Brianna Yanez
Erika Zapata
Jessica Zapata
Kayla Dreese	Softball
Katelyn Esparza
Jennifer Estrada
Ysa Gonzales
Kennah Kennedy
Ciera Martinez
Jalin Oliva-St. Romain
Kaitlyn Salazar
Kelly Anne Salinas
Alexis Valdez
Deandra Vera
Gabriel Braga	Tennis
Artur Etzberger
Caio Ravagnani
Sebastian Rodriguez
Murilo Salviato
Vinicius Silva
Antonio Bustamante	Track and Field-Men
Ryan Fuentes
Tamaj Gordon
Isaac Martinez
Andrew Moczygemba
Hector Puente
Nathaniel Rodriguez
Miguel Segura
Chandler Sennette
Clayton Townsend
Colton Townsend
Lindsey Broussard	Track and Field-Women
Gloria Cervantes
Aundrea Culliver
Amanda Esparza
Sabrina Garcia
Peyton Lammons
Natalie Martinez
Patience Okpe
Brianna Pantoja
Lauren Perry
Audren Pineda
Miki Romain
Nadia Sifuentes
Amaya Stuefen
Alondra Toledo
Kimber Watson
Sadie Ballesteros	Volleyball
Valerie Bolanos
Natalie Fazio
Ashley Maldonado
Alyssa Marquez
Amanda Esparza
Anyssa Rivera
Anissa Tamez

The 2020 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Women’s All-Academic Teams have been announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Senior Miki Romain was named to the All-Academic Team as part of the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Women’s Indoor Track and Field team after earning a 3.5 GPA. Only indoor was considered for the award this year due to the cancellation of the outdoor season.

Criteria for the award is a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, winners from the indoor season must have achieved an “A” or “B” standard in a championship event, certified by their place on the NAIA descending order lists on TFRSS for Indoor Track and Field.

In addition, the Saints received the 2020 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Women’s All-Academic Team after earning a 3.4 GPA. Members of the team are listed below:

Broussard, Lindsey

Castro, Maricela

Cervantes, Gloria

Culliver, Aundrea

Esparza, Amanda

Espericueta, Robbie Sue

Garcia, Sabrina

Joseph, Destiny

Joyner, Peyton

Lammons, Peyton

Martinez, Natalie

Okpe, Patience

Pantoja, Brianna

Parker, Makhayla

Perry, Lauren

Pineda, Audren

Romain, Miki

Sifuentes, Nadia

Stuefen, Amaya

Toledo, Alondra

Watson, Kimber