Eastern New Mexico University Athletic Director Dr. Greg Waggoner has announced the list of the 2016-17 Academic Athletes of the Year for the spring. The Greyhounds that were selected contributed to their respective programs both in competition and in the classroom.
Ezra Bagwell and Alexis Aguirre from the track & field team repeated as their squad’s Student Athlete of the Year. Susannah Chandler from the softball team earned the distinction for the second time in three years.
“These student-athletes each represent the very best among their team and all of Greyhound Athletics,” Waggoner said. “Their commitment to both academics and the pursuit of excellence in their respective sports is indicative of their work ethic, commitment, time management, passion and character.”
Susannah Chandler, a criminal justice major with a minor in psychology also earned the honor two years ago. She was sixth in the LSC with 14 doubles and batted .303 for the season. She was second in the team in homeruns (8) and runs batted in (32). Chandler posted 15 multiple-hit games over the season and drove in multiple runs on 11 occasions. She registered a superlative game against Southeastern Oklahoma, and went three-for-four at the plate with a pair of homers and a double.
Scott Klein, a physical education major, picked up five wins for the Greyhounds this season. He posted a 4.53 earned-run average and allowed opponents to hit just .210 over 55.2 innings of work. Through February and early March, the senior right-hander won his first four decisions, which included games against Wayland Baptist and Lemoyne Owen. He went six innings and scattered three hits to garner the final win of the season at University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
Tierra Gray graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BBA in accounting. She was the Southwest Regional Breakaway Roper Champion of the year earning 592.5 points, 170.5 ahead of the reserve champion. Gray led the women’s rodeo team to a second-place finish in the region that is headed to the NIRA National College Rodeo Finals. Throughout the year, she competed against 147 individuals at each of the 10 rodeos.
Wesley Gudgell, an animal and dairy science major, competed in the calf roping, team roping and steer wrestling for Eastern throughout the 2016-17 season.
Bagwell, an electric engineering major, competed in the decathlon throughout the indoor and outdoor track & field season. He posted 4,323 points in the Lone Star Conference Heptathlon at the end of the indoor season, with a second-place finish in the 1,000m dash. Bagwell competed in six meets during the outdoor season and took third-place in the 1,500m segment of the decathlon at the conference championships.
Alexis Aguirre, a biology major, garnered USTFCCCA All-South Central Region for her outstanding performance in the javelin throw. Her season-best toss of 143′-2″ at the LSC Outdoor Championships was the 20th-best in the nation and the top throw at the event. Aguirre also was a standout performer for the volleyball team, which won 19 games to post its first winning season since the 2004 season.
