Senior Ezra Bagwell and junior Kandice Miles from the Eastern New Mexico track and field teams were selected as the 2019 Academic Greyhounds of the Year on Wednesday.
The Academic Greyhounds of the Year are awarded to one male and one female Eastern New Mexico student-athlete that have performed at the highest levels both academically and athletically. Each program had one nominee that was selected by the head coach and the winners were voted upon by the Eastern New Mexico head coaches and athletic administrative staff.
Bagwell was selected as the male Academic Greyhound of the Year after wrapping up a phenomenal academic and athletic career in the ENMU track and field program. The Clayton, N.M. native was the recipient of the Lone Star Conference Male Academic Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons on top of being named to the LSC All-Academic Team in each season.
The multi-events competitor put together a strong finish in his final year in the program, setting the ENMU indoor record with a score of 4537 in the heptathlon event at the LSC Indoor Championships. Bagwell also set the second-best 60-meter hurdles mark in program history at the championship meet after crossing the finish line in 8.96. Bagwell was also a member of the 4×400-meter relay team that set the third-best indoor mark in program history with a 3:19.59 set at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.Bagwell graduated from Eastern New Mexico in May with his Bachelor’s of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology with a 4.0 GPA.
On the women’s side, Miles was selected after a phenomenal 2019 season both in on the track and in the classroom. The junior sprinter earned two USTFCCCA All-American accolades after leading the 4×100-meter relay team to a fifth place finish while also placing ninth in the 200-meter prelims at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Miles, along with senior sprinter Danee Bustos, became the first women’s track and field athletes in the history of the program to earn three career All-American honors. Miles also set a first for Eastern New Mexico track and field became the first women’s competitor to ever compete in three NCAA Championship events in one season along with teammate Maijah Mathis.
On top of earning a pair of All-American awards, Miles was also a USTFCCCA All-South Central recipient in the 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay. Miles earned All-Lone Star Conference First Team accolades after placing second at the LSC Outdoor Championships in both the 100-meter and 200-meter events, setting a personal best 11.60 in the 100-meter and breaking the ENMU record in the 200-meter with a time of 23.87. Miles also helped lead the 4×100-meter squad to a third place finish in the conference championship meet, shattering the program record with a 45.56.
Miles set a pair of program records in the 4×400-meter relay during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. At the LSC Indoor Championships, the relay team posted a 3:54.92 and followed it up with another record-setting performance during the outdoor season with a 3:54.65 at the West Texas A&M Invitational.
Along with her phenomenal athletic achievements, the Houston, Texas product has been just as strong in the classroom. Miles has cumulated a 3.697 GPA while majoring in Business Administration at Eastern New Mexico the last three years.
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