ASC Announces Fall Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

1/29/2015 10:40:55 AM

Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

RICHARDSON, Texas – Six student-athletes from five different member universities headline the Fall 2014 American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams, the league office announced on Thursday (Jan. 29).

The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete recipients include East Texas Baptist senior Landon Price in men’s cross country; Texas Dallas sophomore Sam Hartke in women’s cross country; Louisiana College senior Beau Brewer in football; Hardin-Simmons senior Matt Pitcock in men’s soccer and senior Julianne Kucera in women’s soccer, and Mary Hardin-Baylor junior Kendall Pye in volleyball.

Overall, 64 student-athletes were named to the American Southwest Conference Fall 2014 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams.

HSU senior Matt Pitcock and UMHB junior Kendall Pye each received their second Distinguished Scholar-Athlete awards.

The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams recognizes student-athletes who achieve a high level of academic achievement (a 3.20 grade-point average or better) while competing as a starter or important reserve on their team. From that list – limited to one nominee per school in each ASC championship sport – the sports information directors from the 12 ASC member institutions select a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each sport.

Matt Pitcock (Plano, Texas / Plano East HS) is the first two-time ASC Men’s Soccer Distinguished Scholar-Athlete claiming honors in 2012 and 2014. An ASC Academic All-Conference selection, Pitcock is a business management major with a 3.95 grade point average and received all-region honors from the NSCAA. A first-team all-conference selection, Pitcock was named the ASC Championship Tournament most valuable player after leading Hardin-Simmons to its second consecutive conference title. He finished his career ranked in the top 10 in school history in goals and assists.

Kendall Pye (College Station, Texas / A&M Consolidated HS) has a 4.00 grade point average with a major in mathematics and is the first two-time ASC Volleyball Distinguished Scholar-Athlete claiming honors in 2013 and 2014. A two-time all-conference selection, Pye named the ASC Championship Tournament most valuable player after leading Mary Hardin-Baylor to its first conference title since 1998 and its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. A CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team member, Pye is also a two-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection.

Landon Price (Mount Vernon, Texas / Mount Vernon HS) is a religion and missions major with a 3.89 grade point average. An Academic All-Conference selection, Price graduated in December with Dean’s List honors and is currently enrolled at East Texas Baptist as a graduate student. One of the best runners in program history, Price finished fourth at the ASC Championship and later competed in his second consecutive NCAA Division III South / Southeast Regional Meet. A two-time first team all-conference selection, Price broke the ETBU 8K record and recorded three top-five finishes last fall.

Sam Hartke (Chugiak, Alaska / Chugiak HS) holds a 3.95 grade point average with a major in biomedical engineering. A two-time all-conference selection, Hartke placed 15th as the ASC Championship and helped lead UTD to its best finish in team history at second place. An Academic All-Conference selection, Hartke competed in six meets last fall and finished 115th at the NCAA Division III South / Southeast Regional Meet.

Beau Brewer (Diana, Texas / New Diana HS) received first team all-conference honors after racking up a league-best 112 tackles, 60 solo stops, five forced fumbles and tied for second in sacks (6.5). Named All-American by D3Football.com, Brewer finished his career with the second-most tackles in a single season in school history. A health and physical education major with a 3.57 grade point average, Brewer is a three-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection and was a team captain for three consecutive seasons.

Julianne Kucera (Richardson, Texas / Lucas Christian Academy) is an ASC Academic All-Conference selection and is a biology major with a 3.94 grade point average. Kucera is the third consecutive Hardin-Simmons player named the ASC Women’s Soccer Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. A three-time first team all-conference selection, Kucera led HSU with 12 goals and five assists and was named the ASC Championship Tournament most valuable player after leading the Cowgirls to their 12th consecutive league title. Kucera received national recognition both on and off the field as a first team All-American and a Scholar All-American by the NSCAA and was a CoSIDA / Capital One Academic All-American.

ASC Fall 2014 Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Teams
(Sport's Distinguished Scholar-Athlete*)

Men’s Cross Country

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Landon Price*	East Texas Baptist	Sr.	Religion and Missions	Mount Vernon, Texas
Riley Zoch	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Education	Giddings, Texas
Taber Miyauchi	LeTourneau	So.	Engineering	Grand Lake, Colo.
Kirk Hodel	McMurry	So.	Physics	Kerrville, Texas
Samuel Binns	Ozarks	So.	English	Hot Springs, Ark.
Clay Howell	Texas Dallas	Sr.	Computer Science	Sugarland, Texas
Gerardo Viera	Texas-Tyler	Jr.	Finance/Mathematics	Mesquite, Texas

Women’s Cross Country

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Sam Hartke*	Texas Dallas	So.	Biomedical Engineering	Chugiak, Alaska
Haley Van Klompenburg	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Behavioral Science	The Woodlands, Texas
Shelby Taylor	East Texas Baptist	So.	Elementary Education	Flint, Texas
Kristen Steele	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Nursing	North Richland Hills, Texas
Whitney Judd	LeTourneau	So.	Undeclared	Azle, Texas
Alyssa Fields	McMurry	Sr.	Information Technology	Alpine, Texas
Megan Wallace	Ozarks	Sr.	Mathematics	Malvern, Ark.
Shelby Stegent	Sul Ross State	So.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Eustace, Texas
Bethany Cox	Texas-Tyler	So.	Nursing	New Orleans, La.

Football

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Beau Brewer*	Louisiana College	Sr.	Health/Physical Education	Diana, Texas
Evan Simpson	East Texas Baptist	Gr.	Education	Dew, Texas
Jimmie Simpson	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Business Management	Waco, Texas
Richard Young	Howard Payne	So.	Business Administration	Gunter, Texas
Trey Thedford	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Exercise Science	Ganado, Texas
Mark Tijerina	McMurry	Sr.	Sociology	Sinton, Texas
Christian Schwantner	Sul Ross State	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	El Paso, Texas

Men’s Soccer

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Matt Pitcock*	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Business Management	Plano, Texas
Matt Ruhe	Concordia Texas	Sr.	Kinesiology	The Woodlands, Texas
Chandler Frazier	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Religion	Deer Park, Texas
Danny Canaviri	LeTourneau	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering	Herleysville, Pa.
Travis Alexander	Louisiana College	So.	Management/Marketing	Pearl River, La.
Isaiah Minick	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Sr.	Economics	Chang Mai, Thailand
Jacob Howdeshell	McMurry	Sr.	Physics	Missouri City Texas
Travis Leach	Ozarks	Jr.	Mathematics	Denton, Texas
Zack Hansen	Texas Dallas	Sr.	Accounting	Kingwood, Texas
Trevor Self	Texas-Tyler	Jr.	Civil Engineering	New Braunfels, Texas

Women’s Soccer

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Julianne Kucera*	Hardin-Simmons	Sr.	Biology	Richardson, Texas
Nicole Henderson	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Pre-Nursing	Highland Village, Texas
Sasha Kotowych	East Texas Baptist	Jr.	Kinesiology	Humble, Texas
Kelsie Piland	Howard Payne	Jr.	Psychology	Pleasanton, Texas
Kaitlynn Conway	LeTourneau	Jr.	Mechanical Engineering	Damascus, Md.
Erin Biggs	Louisiana College	Sr.	Biology	Ponchatoula, La.
Charis Brantley	Mary Hardin-Baylor	So.	Exercise Science	College Station, Texas
Kristen Grant	McMurry	Sr.	Business Administration	Copperas Cove, Texas
Hannah Carter	Ozarks	Jr.	Biology	Tulsa, Okla.
Courtney Walton	Texas Dallas	Jr.	Biology	Frisco, Texas
Morgan Monzingo	Texas-Tyler	So.	Pre-Nursing	Cedar Hill, Texas

Volleyball

Name	University	Cl.	Major	Hometown
Kendall Pye*	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Jr.	Mathematics	College Station, Texas
Katie Baker	Concordia Texas	Jr.	Kinesiology	Corpus Christi, Texas
Mallory Sanders	East Texas Baptist	So.	Kinesiology	Mansfield, Texas
Ellen Dees	Hardin-Simmons	Jr.	Exercise Science	Leander, Texas
Allison Eaton	Howard Payne	Jr.	Family Studies	Briggs, Texas
Alyssa Eden	LeTourneau	So.	Nursing	Jacksonville, Texas
Kayla Hines	McMurry	Sr.	Psychology	Robinson, Texas
Kaitlyn Thomas	Sul Ross State	Jr.	Kinesiology/Sport Science	Del Rio, Texas
Bethany Werner	Texas Dallas	Sr.	Biology	Plano, Texas
Courtney Criswell	Texas-Tyler	So.	Kinesiology	Poteet, Texas

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