General 4/15/2020 2:21:00 PM Ryan Shumaker
Rodriguez of Softball and Moinat of Track and Field Named Senior Athletes of the Year
Eastern New Mexico seniors Elysa Rodriguez and Ivar Moinat have been selected as the Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year as voted open by ENMU athletic department staff members and head coaches.
Each student-athlete was nominated by their respective head coach for consideration for the award based upon their outstanding athletic performances during the 2019-20 seasons. Both student-athletes excelled on the field of play despite having their athletic seasons cut short due to the NCAA’s respond to COVID-19.
Rodriguez led Eastern New Mexico softball to an overall record of 11-8 and a Lone Star Conference record of 5-1, placing the Hounds in second place in the LSC standings when the season was ended. She led the squad with a .409 batting average after starting in all 19 contests and posted the 10th highest amount of doubles in the LSC with seven on the year.
The Tuscon, Ariz. native was especially potent in the six LSC games for the Hounds, posting a batting average of .500 in league play including a day in which she went 4-for-6 back on Mar. 11 to help the Greyhounds secure a doubleheader sweep over arch-rival West Texas A&M. Those wins broke a 35 game losing streak for the Hounds against the Lady Buffs and solidified Eastern New Mexico as a contender in the LSC thanks to Rodriguez and a Hound offense that ranked fourth in the LSC with a team batting average of .313.
Rodriguez recorded nine multi-hit games throughout the season and failed to record a hit in just four out her 19 games played. She led the team with 19 runs from her leadoff spot in the batting order and crossed home plate at least once in 13 games this season.
Moinat was equally impressive this spring as he continued to excel on the track as a Greyhound. Despite only being able to compete during the indoor track and field season, Moinat continued to exceed at the national level, posting the fourth fastest 800-meter time in all of Division II and qualifying for the NCAA Division II Indoor National Track and Field Championships, which was canceled due to the NCAA’s response to COVID-19.
His time of 1:50.39 at the Texas Tech Shootout on Feb. 14-15 qualified Moinat for his third National Championship meet as a Greyhound for his career. He finished in 12th place in the 800 meter run at last year’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships and in seventh place in the 800 meter run at last year’s Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Moinat finished in the top three in six different races this 2020 spring season, including a win in the 600 meter run at the New Mexico Team Open on Feb. 1 with a personal best time of 1:20.31. He finished better than four different Division I runners in that race alone.
He was a USTFCCCA All-South Central Region selection this spring and earned All-LSC Academic Team honors as well for his performance in the classroom. He finished in fourth place at the LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.16.
