2023-2024: Cross Country – ran in all 6 XC meets for ACU. A highlight was finishing 79th (1st ACU finisher) at the prestigious Chile Pepper XC Festival in Fayetteville with a 5K PR time of 18:40. A illness led to a 77th place at the WAC championship and 2 weeks later impacted a 142nd place at the South Central Region meet. Indoors – placed 5th in the Charlie Thomas Invitational 5K in College Station in her only indoor meet of the year. Did not compete in the conference championship. Outdoors – ran in 4 meets, highlighted by 3rd place finish in the Corky/Crofoot Invitational steeple run at Texas Tech. 

2022-2023: Cross Country – medical redshirt. Indoors – competed in 4 meets for ACU indoors, highlighted by a 7th place finish in the TTU Red Raider Open 3K and a 12th place finish in the Pittsburg State Inv 3K. Ended the indoor season by placing 22nd in the WAC Indoor Championship 3K. Outdoors – took a medical redshirt for the season after sustaining an injury in the Wes Kittley Invitational, the first meet of the season.

2021-2022: Cross Country – placed 21st in the WAC championship race – 6th best among freshmen. Also placed 4th in the Naimadu Classic XC race at the ACU XC course.  Indoors – in her first collegiate conference track meet, she finished 7th in the 5K and 9th in the 3K at the WAC Championship. She also finished 5th in the Red Raider Open 3K earlier in the season and 8th in the Pittsburg State Inv 3K with a PR time of 10:14.79. Outdoors – finished 7th in the steeplechase (PR time of 10:35.41) and 18th in the 5K (PR time of 17:23.98) at the WAC championship. Also finished 10th in the Texas Relays steeplechase and won the Oliver Jackson Twilight steeplechase at Elmer Gray Stadium.

Before ACU: Tessa did not compete in HS track until her senior year, concentrating instead on soccer. However, during her HS senior season, she showed great potential quickly – finishing 3rd in the NM 5A XC (leading Rio Rancho HS to the state 5A championship), then in the spring she finished 2nd in both the NM 5A 1600 and 3200.

Personal: Tessa was a 2021 graduate of Rio Rancho HS in New Mexico, where she was also a National Honors Scholar and on the Honor Roll, finishing in the Top-25 graduates. Her parents are Clay and Shawna Holderman, and she has 3 brothers, J. Cole, Jack and Macen. She is a Kinesiology/Pre-Physical Therapy major at ACU and a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, Women of ACU Scholarship, and a Royce L. Money Scholarship, as well as a student in the Honors College. She has been Dean’s List each semester at ACU. Tessa is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has also been active in the not-for-profit, Simple Charity, at ACU, as well as volunteering at the Highland Church of Christ.

Why did you choose ACU? I love the people here! The team energy is so special and everyone is so kind.