Fourteen from Women’s Soccer earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete Recognition

A record-breaking 14 members of the OLLU women’s soccer team have earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition, each of whom carry a cumulative 3.5 grade point average or higher.

Last season, 12 soccer players from the OLLU women’s team earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition.

This year’s recognized athletes are:

Senior Samantha Benne, a Business Marketing and Communications/Public Relations major, has been part of the team since 2020. She played in 10 games this season, four as a starter, and she took six shots, two on goal. She earned a 3.97 GPA.

Senior Ijayla Criswell, a Biology major, has been with the team since 2020. She played in 16 games, 15 as a starter. She scored one goal this year. She marked a 3.55 GPA.

Senior Rachel Dziuba, a Biomathematics/Science major, has been part of the team since 2020. She played and started in 12 games, and she took eight shots, three on goal. She earned a 4.00 GPA.

Sophomore Bethany Garr, a Biology major, has been part of the team since 2022. She played in nine games, and she took eight shots, five on goal. She marked a 3.74 GPA.

Sophomore Lilliana Martinez, a Psychology major, has been part of the team since 2022. She played in five games and scored two goals. She marked a 3.66 GPA.

Senior Samantha Nava, a Biology major, has been part of the team since 2020. She played in 14 games, four as a starter. She had three assists. She earned a 4.00 GPA.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Olivas, a Kinesiology major, has been part of the team since 2022. She earned 3.82 GPA.

Junior Haven Ortiz, a Psychology and Criminal Justice major, has been part of the team since 2021. She played in 16 games, 15 as a starter. She scored one goal. She marked a 3.80 GPA.

Sophomore Gabrielle Pace, a Kinesiology major, has been part of the team since 2022. She played in three games. She earned a 3.55 GPA.

Senior Tess Pitcher, a Business Management major, has been part of the team since 2020. She played in 16 games, all as a starter. She recorded 66 saves and had a 9-4-2 record. She marked a 3.82 GPA.

Junior Lyndee Rheinberger, an Education major, has been part of the team since 2021. She played in 15 games, four as a starter. She scored three goals and had two assists. She earned a 3.90 GPA.

Graduate student Jaylin Seto, who is pursuing a master’s in Organizational Leadership, has been part of the team since 2018. She played in 14 games, 12 as a starter. She scored four goals and had five assists. She marked 36 shots, 20 on goal, and she scored a penalty kick. She earned a 4.00 GPA.

Senior Deanna Tarango, a Visual and New Media Arts major, has been part of the team since 2020. She started and played in 14 games. She marked a 3.86 GPA.

Senior Ez Valles, a Psychology and Social Work major, has been part of the team since 2020. She played in 15 games, 11 as a starter. She scored three goals and took six shots, five on goal. She earned a 3.52 GPA.

Five women’s soccer Academic All-District honorees are most ever at OLLU

Five from OLLU women’s soccer have been selected to the 2022 Academic All-District® Women’s Soccer Team. The program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

College Sports Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors of American – CoSIDA), such as OLLU’s 16-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.

The five honorees – the most ever from an OLLU team – are Rachel Dziuba, Sarah Miles, Samantha Nava, Riley Perez and Deanna Tarango. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.

Rachel Dziuba, a Biomathematics/Environmental Science major,  has been part of the Saints team since 2020. She played and started in all 19 games this year. She recorded 10 shots, four on goal. Dziuba was named to the 2022 RRAC All-Tournament Team and was part of the All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. Dziuba earned a 4.0 GPA.

Sarah Miles, a Computer Information Systems and Security major, has been part of the Saints team since 2019. She played in 15 games, 13 as a starter this year. Miles had one goal and two assists, and 11 shots, nine on goal. She earned a 3.94 GPA.

Samantha Nava, a Biology major, has been part of the Saints team since 2020. She played in 14 games, five as a starter. Nava had one assist, six shots and three on goal. She earned a 4.0 GPA.

Riley Perez, a Finance/Business Management major, has been part of the Saints team since 2019. This year, she played in 15 games, eight as a starter. Perez scored four goals and had 11 shots, five on goal. Perez marked a 3.89 GPA.

Deanna Tarango, a Visual and New Media Arts major, has been part of the Saints team since 2020. She played in 18 games, all as a starter. Tarango had one assist, four shots and three on goal. She was named to the 2022 RRAC All-Conference First Team. Tarango earned a 3.80 GPA.

The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.

Tarango and Polansky earn women’s soccer All-American Honorable Mentions

Baye Polansky (SR/Helotes, Texas) and Deanna Tarango (FR/El Paso, Texas) of OLLU women’s soccer were selected as NAIA All-American Honorable Mentions for their performance during the 2020 season.

Senior Polansky played a vital role in the Saints’ success this season. She led the team with seven goals, three of them being game-winning goals. Polansky tallied 23 goals, 10 assists and 61 shots on goal during her career at OLLU.

Tarango was a member of the incoming freshmen class. She was named Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Defensive Player of the Week for March 1-7. Tarango helped lock down opponent’s offense during 2020. The Saints held teams scoreless seven out of 12 games.

OLLU completed their first undefeated regular season this past year. They went 7-0 in conference play and defeated NCAA D2 St. Mary’s University to start the season.

The Saints will begin their 14th season in the fall of 2021.