Southland Conference Announces 2018 Track & Field All-Academic Teams
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – UIW junior Garett Cortez and Northwestern State senior De’Shalyn Jones are the 2018 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athletes of the Year, the league announced Tuesday in conjunction with all-academic selections. Southland yearly awards are presented by
Ready Nutrition.
Cortez, a Schertz, Texas, native, has a 3.86 GPA in sports management in the Masters in Business Administration program with a minor in communication arts. He won the 1,500m at the Southland Outdoor Championships in 2018 with a new personal best time of 3:46.95. His championship victory was one of five wins for the junior, who earned two third-place finishes (3,000m and 5,000m) at the 2018 indoor championships. Cortez has made the Dean’s List at UIW every semester.
Jones, a three-time all-academic selection for the Lady Demons, earned her second consecutive Southland Conference Female Athlete of the Year Award and Runner of the Year honor following the 2018 conference outdoor meet, where she again swept the 100m and 200m dashes and was part of the winning 4x100m and 4x400m squads. She helped NSU reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 4x100m, the first time the program has qualified a women’s relay for the national meet. Jones capped her career with 11 Southland golds. She set three school records (100m, 200m, 4x400m) in 2018, raising her total to five that she holds (100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m, 4x400m).
McNeese led the way on the men’s side with six total selections, followed by Abilene Christian, UIW and Stephen F. Austin with four each. Lamar and Sam Houston State each garnered three selections while Central Arkansas had a pair. Houston Baptist, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana earned one honoree each.
On the women’s side, Abilene Christian collected seven spots to lead all schools. UIW, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin earned five all-academic honorees each, followed by Northwestern State (4), McNeese (3) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3).
Six student-athletes across both all-academic teams posted 4.00 GPAs. McNeese senior Fisher Hamilton registered a perfect GPA with a major in business administration while fellow Cowboy Nemanja Kovilijac posted a 4.00 in chemical engineering.
Four women earned 4.00 marks – McNeese junior Morgan Woods (elementary education), Stephen F. Austin sophomore Taryn Surratt (music), Houston Baptist junior Ana Kriletic (psychology) and UIW senior Myah Antwi (M. health administration).
Southland Conference Track & Field All-Academic Teams are selected by a 50% rule. Of the total number of nominees, half are named all-academic selections. Honorees are nominated and voted upon by head coaches, sports information directors, and academic staff members from each university. Student-Athletes of the Year are voted on by the Southland awards committee, consisting of one administrator from each member school.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year: Garett Cortez, UIW
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year: De’Shalyn Jones, Northwestern State
2018 Southland Conference Men’s Track & Field All-Academic Team
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
| Blaze Brownlow* |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
3.81 |
Finance |
| Ryan Cleary*2 |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
3.82 |
Accounting |
| Kai Schmidt* |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
3.63 |
|
| Alex Hanson* |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.22 |
Marketing |
| Garett Cortez*2 |
UIW |
Jr. |
3.86 |
M.B.A |
| Brian O’Bonna*2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
3.26 |
|
| Cormac Kelly* |
Lamar |
Sr. |
3.00 |
|
| John Lemke* |
McNeese |
Gr. |
3.33 |
M.B.A |
| Tyler Adams*3 |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
3.42 |
Engineering Technology |
| Joshua Hernandez* |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.47 |
Kinesiology |
| Maverick Bowleg* |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
3.20 |
Marketing |
| Charles Fentress* |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
3.40 |
Kinesiology |
| Kerry Gleason*3 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
3.23 |
Kinesiology |
| Antonio Ruiz* |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
3.20 |
Engineering Physics |
| Chad Horstmann |
Stephen F. Austin |
So |
3.87 |
Sports Business |
| Garrett Larson |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
3.25 |
Construction Management |
| Fisher Hamilton |
McNeese |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Business Administration |
| Ryan Simmons2 |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
3.86 |
Accounting |
| Zachary Jewell |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.54 |
Environmental Science |
| Lentz Similien |
McNeese |
Jr. |
3.45 |
Health & Human Performance |
| Nathan Jones |
McNeese |
Sr. |
3.41 |
Health Education |
| Hiram Morales |
McNeese |
Sr. |
3.45 |
Health & Human Performance |
| Ceaser Stephens |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
3.19 |
Fine & Graphic Arts |
| Rodney Littlejohn |
UIW |
Jr. |
3.39 |
Rehab Science |
| Nemanja Kovilijac |
McNeese |
So. |
4.00 |
Chemical Engineering |
| Keith Fallon |
Lamar |
Sr. |
3.83 |
|
| Clinton Cole |
UIW |
Jr. |
3.10 |
Rehab Science |
| Colin Sepulveda |
UIW |
Jr. |
3.37 |
Biology |
| Daniel Shelton2 |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
3.32 |
Kinesiology |
2018 Southland Conference Women’s Track & Field All-Academic Team
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
| Alexandria Hackett* |
Abilene Christian |
Gr. |
3.97 |
Accounting |
| Michaela Hackett* |
Abilene Christian |
Gr. |
3.97 |
Accounting |
| Hannah Noble* |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
3.85 |
Marketing |
| Sarea Alexander* |
UIW |
Sr. |
3.17 |
Athletic Training |
| Morgan Woods*2 |
McNeese |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Elementary Education |
| Grace McKenzie* |
McNeese |
Jr. |
3.74 |
HHP – Exercise Science |
| De’Shalyn Jones*3 |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
3.20 |
Psychology |
| Tristyn Allen*2 |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.50 |
Mass Communication |
| Jamie Eckford* |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.04 |
Public Health |
| Camry Grigsby* |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
3.08 |
Public Health |
| Kristine Hanks* |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
3.33 |
Criminal Justice |
| Kaylee Bizzell* |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
3.63 |
Nursing |
| Allyson Girard* |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
3.73 |
Health Science |
| Sashane Hanson*2 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
3.44 |
Biomedical Science |
| Alanna Arvie |
McNeese |
So. |
3.72 |
Biology Pre-Med |
| Fadeke Adeola |
New Orleans |
Gr. |
3.81 |
Ma. Biological Science |
| Halie Daniel |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.95 |
Criminal Justice |
| Taryn Surratt |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
4.00 |
Music |
| Ana Kriletic2 |
Houston Baptist |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Psychology |
| Hannah McWilliams3 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
3.73 |
Marketing |
| Jacqueline Rushford |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
3.97 |
Health & Exercise Science |
| Jasmyn Steels |
Northwestern State |
So. |
3.56 |
Psychology |
| Samantha Brashears |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
3.91 |
Accounting |
| Danielle Martinez2 |
UIW |
Jr. |
3.84 |
Marketing |
| Victoria Jackson |
UIW |
So. |
3.65 |
Biology |
| Natalia Redondo |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
3.66 |
Spanish |
| Caitlin Lennon |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
3.42 |
Accounting |
| Gabrielle Estrada |
UIW |
Sr. |
3.94 |
Communication Arts |
| Dakota Mayr |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
3.20 |
Business Administration |
| Irene Akwitti |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
3.79 |
Nursing |
| Farydah Inoussa |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
3.07 |
Biological Science |
| Myah Antwi |
UIW |
Sr. |
4.00 |
M. Health Administration |
| Hannah Naquin |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
3.58 |
Psychology |
| Sierra Bennett |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
3.97 |
|
| Keri Banks |
Lamar |
Sr. |
3.66 |
|
| Jessica Coleman |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
3.31 |
Biology |
| Clarissa Smith2 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
3.89 |
Biology/Chemistry |
| Carnley Graham2 |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
3.92 |
Environmental Science |
| Sophie Morrow |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
3.87 |
|
| Lonnie Smith |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
3.08 |
Kinesiology |
| Rachel Durler |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
3.87 |
Marketing |
*
Automatic selection
2 Two-time all-academic selection
3 Three-time all-academic selection