23 Wildcats honored by LSC
Three Wildcats named top academic athletes
ABILENE – Three Abilene Christian spring-sport athletes have been named the top academic athletes in their respective sports, and they are part of a 23-athlete contingent of Wildcats who have been named to academic all-Lone Star Conference teams.
ACU senior pole vaulter Val Gorter was named the LSC Female Track Academic Athlete of the Year, while Joel Wells was named the LSC Baseball Academic Athlete of the Year and Jason Ray was named the LSC Men's Tennis Academic Athlete of the Year.
Gorter was joined on the women's academic all-LSC track and field team by her fellow pole vaulters in senior Katie Eckley and sophomore Angie Aguilar. Eckley, Gorter and Aguilar are all competing this weekend at the NCAA Division II track and field outdoor national championship meet at ACU's Elmer Gray Stadium.
Wells – who carried a 3.88 grade point average while majoring in biology – led the Wildcats with 56 RBI on the season as ACU won the LSC South Division baseball title and reached the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament in Cleveland, Miss. Wells was a first team all-LSC South Division selection at designated hitter.
Joining Wells on the academic all-conference team were second baseman C.J. Goularte and sophomore pitcher Ben Maynard. Catchers Alec Sowards and J-Bob Thomas, as well as pitcher Justin Whitlock, were each named to the commissioner's honor roll.
Ray played No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles for the Wildcats, who won the LSC title before losing to Midwestern State, 5-4, in the NCAA Division II Central Region championship match. Ray was joined on the academic all-conference team by Kevin Beedy, George Carstens, Evan Puglia and Casper Steenkamp. Bryce Hicks was a commissioner's honor roll selection, making five of six players in ACU's singles lineup academic all-LSC selections.
The women's tennis team placed five players on the academic all-LSC team, including three on the first team. Ashley Hawk-Caperton, Rachel Taylor and Holly Lindloff were all first team selections, while Allison Tetrick and Lauren Yarbrough were named to the commissioner's honor roll.
Three players on the ACU softball team, which reached the regional tournament for the first time in school history, were voted to the academic all-LSC team. Senior second baseman Kristin Alvarado was named to the first team, while sophomore pitcher Allison Crouse and Katie Mehrhoff were named to the commissioner's honor roll.
