Tag Archives: Academic All-American

Isaac Martinez selected to the Academic All-America Team

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OLLU’s Isaac Martinez has been selected to the 2022 Academic All-America® men’s track and field/cross-country team as a second-team selectee by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). CoSIDA members, such as OLLU’s 15-year member Patricia Constantin, submit nominees for consideration. The organization boasts more than 3,000 members, and all are eligible to vote for all sports teams each year.

Martinez led the cross-country team to its seventh Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) title and a seventh trip to the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Wash. He earned All-Conference honors after finishing fifth in a slate of 37 runners in the 8000m with a time of 26:13. OLLU hosted the meet at the Windcrest Golf Club in nearby Windcrest, Texas.

Martinez is a senior from Weslaco, Texas, and a graduate of Weslaco High School. At the RRAC Track and Field Championships in April, Martinez won the 5000m with a time of 16:45.00 and the 10,000m with a time of 34:52.52. Martinez earned a 4.0 GPA this past academic year and has a 3.92 cumulative GPA.

Martinez is slated to complete his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in August.

The NAIA Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2021-2022 NAIA Academic All-America® program. For more information regarding the Academic All-America® program, visit https://academicallamerica.com/.

Soccer’s Brinkley and Pye named to Academic All-America NAIA Soccer Team

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OLLU soccer student-athletes Dawson Brinkley and Patrick Pye have been selected to the Academic All-America® NAIA Soccer teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Brinkley was named to the first team, while Pye made the second team.

The NAIA Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2020-2021 NAIA Academic All-America® teams program. 

Brinkley, a junior forward from San Antonio, played in all 12 of OLLU women’s soccer games this past spring. She had one goal while taking 12 shots, eight on goal. Brinkley is second all-time in goals with 33 (38 is the record). In 2018, Brinkley broke the season record for most goals with 21, she was second in shots on goal with 41 (46 is the record), and she had the most shots in a season with 77. She also holds the record for most game-winning goals with eight.

Brinkley has accumulated a wide variety of individual awards, as well, including NAIA All-American Honorable Mention (2018), two All-Conference First Team awards (2018/2019), three conference Offensive Player of the Week awards (2018/2019), and two All-Tournament awards (2018/2019). Brinkley was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2018. In addition, she has earned conference Scholar-Athlete awards in all three of her years at OLLU. She earned a cumulative 3.8 GPA. She will enter her senior year at OLLU this fall.

Pye, a junior transfer student from Norwich, Norfolk, U.K., started at OLLU in 2019. As a defender, he played eight of 10 games for the Saints this year and marked one goal, 10 shots and one shot on goal. He was selected to the conference’s All-Conference First Team this year, and last year, he made the Second Team. Pye earned conference Scholar-Athlete honors in both his years at OLLU, earning 4.0 GPAs. He will enter his senior year at OLLU this fall.

Since 1952, CoSIDA has presented these awards annually to student-athletes to recognize their outstanding academic and athletic achievements. The achievements of student-athletes in the classroom and on the playing fields and courts indicate their passion as true student-athletes.

CoSIDA member Patty Constantin, OLLU’s Sports Information Director, nominated several student-athletes. Two were selected from the women’s soccer team as recipients (Mikaela Gilbert) and one from the men’s soccer team. CoSIDA receives about 20,000 nominations throughout the academic year across all championship sports. From those nominations, approximately 5,000 student-athletes receive all-district recognition. First-team all-district selections advance to the national ballot. CoSIDA members vote, and 1,500 student-athletes receive Academic All-America honors.

Many women’s soccer student-athletes from OLLU have received this honor. They include 2011: Abby DuLaney; 2012: Emily Backus; 2012: Rebekah Valenta; 2013: Erika Thompson; 2014: Erika Thompson; 2014: Teegan Luckemeyer; 2015: Erika Thompson; 2015: Teegan Luckemeyer; 2016: Brooke Cousins; 2019: Dawson Brinkley. The following received Academic All-American honors: 2012: Rebekah Valenta; 2015: Erika Thompson; 2016: Brooke Cousins.

Men’s soccer student-athletes who have received All-District honors were 2011: Gary Hamilton; 2015: Jared Poling; 2018: Jorge Cavazos and Adrian Delgado. The following received Academic All-American honors: 2011: Gary Hamilton; 2018: Jorge Cavazos.

For more information on the Academic All-America® program, go to https://academicallamerica.com/.