Tag: Jaylin Seto

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.

Women’s soccer ties Louisiana Christian University

The OLLU women’s soccer team tied the conference match on Oct. 21 against the Louisiana Christian University (LCU) Wildcats. The 1-1 draw moves the Saints’ record to 7-4-2 on the year and 6-3-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), while LCU moves to 9-3-1 and 7-2-1 in conference play.

Both teams took one shot apiece in the first 20 minutes, with Zoi Arkirvaki netting the Wildcats’ lone tally in the 22nd minute. Sara Garza would put the Saints on the board off a Jaylin Seto corner kick four minutes into the second half.

The Saints and Wildcats both had chances to take the lead late, with OLLU’s Allison Kostoch and LCU’s Alicia Gurrusquieta missing shots off the crossbar. Saints goalie Tess Pitcher and Wildcats keeper Jaycee Woods would save further chances in the final minutes.

“We went down a goal early, but there was a belief amongst everyone that we would come back,” Head Coach Victoria Vazquez said. “We found a breakthrough with a set piece and were able to capitalize. We played well and it was an exhilarating game.”

Four Saints join San Antonio Athenians for Summer Competitions

The OLLU women’s soccer team has four players representing the university with the San Antonio Athenians Soccer Club this summer. Rachel Dziuba, Madison Herrera, Tess Pitcher and Jaylin Seto will be playing for the Athenians in three matches over the next month.

The club will face the San Antonio Runners on June 24 and finish up play with a match against Luxoria on July 1. The squad fell to ATX Blues 1-0 on June 2 in the season opener. OLLU’s Interim Head Coach Max Cruz is on the Athenians staff as an assistant coach. The group is an elite women’s soccer team that develops players and showcases local talent. They compete in the United Women’s Soccer (UWS) League and host home games and international friendlies at Soccer Central. The UWS is a second-division pro-am women’s soccer league.

Cruz commented, “Coaching with the Athenians team has been a great experience in terms of professional development and educational purposes. Seeing our OLLU players compete at this level is not only beneficial to the program but to our players. It is providing our players a professional environment along with competition level that is challenging them. Dziuba, Herrera, Pitcher and Seto are putting OLLU on the map, and I am proud of how they have been p

Soccer’s Jaylin Seto balances academics, athletics and internships

The life of a student-athlete is often hectic. Balancing academics by itself can be difficult for many college students, but when one adds sports and a job, that is a challenge not many can juggle. College students need to be determined and diligent to have a successful and rewarding outcome. At OLLU, Jaylin Seto (SR/Houston, Texas) is one of the most successful student-athletes the university has ever seen.

Seto is entering her senior year as a member of the women’s soccer program. The 5’6″ midfielder has tallied eight goals and 17 assists in her collegiate career. Seto also has three game-winning goals as a Saint. She helped lead the Saints to their first undefeated regular season as the assists leader during a challenging 2021 spring season that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She guided the Saints to its first-ever undefeated regular season. The team’s only loss was at the conference tournament, where they lost 1-0 to end the season. Prior to that, Seto was a member of the 2019 team that captured the regular season and tournament titles. She’s hoping this year will give them the opportunity to make it to nationals.

Seto is currently interning as a physical therapist at the University Health Pavillion near the University of Texas at San Antonio campus. She had to wait over a year to secure the internship due to COVID-19. Seto’s internship includes observing how physical therapists deal with patients and nursing injuries. She plans to stay in Texas and look for a job in physical therapy at a university following graduation. Seto is pursuing a degree in kinesiology.

While most athletes leave campus for the summer to be with family and friends, Seto stayed at OLLU to work with the campus recreation program. Her main duties are keeping the gym clean and working in the workout room while also taking part in her summer courses online. She also works at Walmart. Her typical day consists of completing homework from 7 a.m. to midnight or later, interning, training for the upcoming soccer season in August and working at Walmart.

Seto played with the San Antonio Athenians semi-pro team in the United Women’s Soccer League to start the summer. Although she gained valuable experience, she could not continue playing for the team due to time constraints.

Seto holds her OLLU teammates accountable and said, “I keep up with my teammates on social media and see that they are practicing. I also try and work out in the weight room a few times a week.” She trains with teammate Liliana Briseno (SR/San Antonio, Texas) on a weekly basis.

Academics are a top priority in Seto’s life. She has made the Dean’s List three times. She contributed to her team being ranked first among OLLU teams with a 3.57 overall GPA for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Seto prefers an in-person curriculum compared to online, which made learning during COVID-19 especially difficult. When the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) announced that fall sports would be moved to the spring of 2021, the women’s soccer players had already scheduled their classes for that term. Athletes specifically choose classes based on when their sport is in season, so balancing tougher courses with an unpredictable season presented challenges.

Seto excels away from the classroom as well. She is a two-time First-Team All-Conference winner and is the fifth-place record holder in assists. She also is a three-time All-Conference Scholar-Athlete. During her senior year at Gregory Portland High School in Portland, Texas, she was the team MVP and was awarded Second-Team All-State honors.

With only a year left at OLLU, Seto is determined to lead the Saints to another successful season. She looks forward to graduation and continuing her career in physical therapy.  “I am thankful for all my family and supporters, as well as God. Without them, I would not be able to do what I do,” Seto said.