General | 4/25/2023 8:30:00 PM
DENTON, Texas (April 25, 2023) – A time to celebrate and honor the many accomplishments of our student-athletes – the 2023 Oakleys – were held on Tuesday night in Hubbard Hall.
The annual awards ceremony, hosted by the TWU Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), featured recognition for leadership, service, passion and athletic and academic success.
"SAAC has put so much work into planning and hosting the 2022-23 Oakleys Banquet," SAAC President
Laurel Jones said. "All of my fellow student-athletes and I accomplished so many amazing things this season, and The Oakleys is a night to celebrate each athlete, team, coach and athletic administrator. All of SAAC would like to send a huge thank you to Madison Seaver, as we truly could not do any of this without her! I am excited we had the opportunity to close the athletic season with one final night filled with friends, awards and fun!"
The night began by honoring an Outstanding Athlete for each sport, as selected by the head coach of each respective sport.
The Outstanding Athlete for each sport are listed here:
Outside of their sport-specific practices, each team also participates in strength and performance training with our Head Sports Performance Coach, Delaney Baxendale. To celebrate the student-athletes' hard work in the gym, Baxendale selected an individual to honor from each team for her All-Sports Performance Team.
"When thinking about an All-Sports Performance Team, I wanted to consider more than just who lifts heavy," Baxendale said. "The student-athletes who have been placed on this team are those who have consistently displayed a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, dedicated themselves to personal improvements in the weight room, and have shown leadership skills."
The All-Sports Performance Team is listed here:
Following the presentation of the All-Sports Performance Team, TWU Director of Athletics Sandee Mott presented the 2023 Pioneer Athletics Champion Award to an individual who went above and beyond in their service to our student-athletes and department.
"This award is given to an individual, couple, or business who has demonstrated outstanding support of the Pioneer teams and staff by sharing their time, talent and treasure," Mott said.
This year's recipient of the Pioneer Athletics Champion Award was Professor Liz Spoonts, the TWU Faculty Athletics Representative.
While we celebrate the present achievements of our student-athletes, these celebrations would not be possible without the giants who laid the foundation for what it means to be a Pioneer student-athlete. These women left a legacy of leadership, passion and tenacity, which our athletes continue to be inspired by to this day. In honor of these amazing women, current student-athletes are nominated by their coaches and then selected by the Athletic Department to receive these namesake awards.
First, the Kitty Magee Award honors Kitty Winter Magee, the first chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Magee was an associate professor at TWU until 1981, co-founder of the Pioneer Club for student-athlete scholarships, and a member of the TWU Athletics Hall of Fame. She was revered for her bold dedication to female athletics and TWU.
The 2023 Kitty Magee Award honoree is
Kyla Podges.
Podges, a senior member of TWU Gymnastics, will graduate this spring with a degree in Biology. During her senior season, Podges competed on floor, beam and bars, competing for the first time in her career on floor and earning multiple career highs on events throughout the season. She was also named an MIC Coaches Choice Award honoree.
"Kyla is an unbelievable student-athlete within our program and an advocate for TWU Athletics," TWU Head Gymnastics Coach
Lisa Bowerman said. "She has an absolute contagious joy and love for her sport, for her team and for her school. If there is an opportunity to do anything that could potentially help Kyla be an even better student-athlete, she is the first one in line to do it. If someone needs help with an event or needs a tutor, Kyla is the one to do it. If someone needs to be picked up, Kyla is there. She has a level of dedication and love for everyone around her that cannot even be put into words. Kyla is exactly the picture of enthusiasm, love, and devotion that I imagine Kitty Magee lived with."
Second, the Dianne Baker Award celebrates former TWU Head Softball Coach Dianne Baker. Baker, the head coach from 1997 to 2005, posted an amazing career coaching record of 785-462-3, establishing her among the winningest coaches in the NCAA. While coaching the Pioneers, she had a record of 285-165-2 and was named the 1999 and 2002 Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year. A TWU faculty member, a TWU Athletics Hall of Fame member, and a TWU Distinguished Alumna, Baker is revered for the intensity and passion she coached and played with.
The 2023 Dianne Baker Award recipient is
Alyssa LeBlanc.
LeBlanc joined the Pioneers this season and immediately made history. During the 2023 season, she has thrown two no-hitters. She currently has 18 home runs on the season. Additionally, she broke the TWU All-Time record for strikeouts on a season, previously 185. LeBlanc now holds the record with 271 strikeouts in 2023. She also broke the TWU All-Time Record for strikeouts in a game, formerly at 16, with 23 in a game—also, setting the Lone Star Conference record for strikeouts in a game.
"Alyssa broke two strikeout records against two top teams in the LSC," TWU Head Softball Coach
Gay McNutt said. "She took a line drive to the ribs from the first batter of the game this season, and she stayed in the game and went two-for-three at the plate with two home runs, three RBIs and only allowed one earned run and recorded 10 strikeouts. Alyssa has carried this team all season. With all of the ups and downs this season, she continues to stay strong without wavering."
Next, the Jo Kuhn award honors former TWU Director of Athletics and Coach Jo Kuhn. She served as the TWU Director of Athletics for 10 years (1982-92), while also coaching and teaching at TWU. Kuhn is also a member of the TWU Athletics Hall of Fame. She is revered for her strong, outstanding leadership.
The 2023 Jo Kuhn Award honoree is
Anaya Kashikar.
Kashikar, a sophomore artistic swimmer, was named to the 2023 Mountain Pacific Athletic Federation All-Academic Team. She swam A Technical, trio and team events this season and is celebrated as an incredible leader on the team.
"Anaya is the team co-captain, and she organized and maintained team events this season," TWU Head Artistic Swimming Coach Sara Lilly said. "She consistently reminded of and held the team to high standards and culture set in year one, and she was always positive through a challenging year."
The final namesake award is the Dr. Bettye Meyers Service Award. Dr. Bettye Meyers is known for her commitment to serving the TWU community and the greater community at-large. This award is given to the athlete who received the most community service hours throughout the year.
The 2023 Dr. Bettye Meyers Service Award recipient is
Laurel Jones.
Jones, a member of TWU STUNT, led SAAC this year in a focus on community service, giving back by serving on campus and in the community. With TWU STUNT, Jones guided the Pioneers to their most wins in program history and their highest national ranking to close the year.
Lastly, the coaches and administrators vote on the Pioneer Athlete of the Year Award.
The Pioneer Athlete of the Year honors the student-athlete with the overall highest athletics achievements of the past academic year.
The 2023 Pioneer Athlete of the Year is
Ashley Ingram.
Ingram wins the award for the second straight year. Named the 2022-23 Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year, Ingram guided the Pioneers to a historic season, winning the most games in program history, winning the most consecutive games in program history and recording the fewest losses. Additionally, the Pioneers also won the Lone Star Conference regular season title for the first time in program history. Following the season, Ingram was named to the All-LSC First Team, First Team All-D2CCA All-South Central Region, College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention.
"Ashley is selfless and always puts the team before herself," TWU Head Basketball Coach
Beth Jillson said. "She is a great communicator. She has courageous conversations with her team and teammates and is okay with hard conversations. Ashley has earned the respect of all of her teammates and leads by example daily in practice and in games. She is passionate, encouraging and an energy giver. Ashley is also committed to serving others. She does an incredible job of building community and bringing people together."
Next, Mott awarded the 2023 Athletic Director's Award to senior basketball student-athlete
Sadie Moyer.
Moyer, a four year member of TWU basketball, cemented her name in the Pioneer history books. Last year, she broke the single-season free throw percentage record, and this season, she became just the 11th Pioneer to score over 1,000 career points. In her four years at TWU, she is a three-time All-LSC honoree and a two-time CSC Academic All-District winner. In 2022, she was named to the South Central Regional All-Tournament team. Then, in 2023, she was named to the D2CCA All-South Central Region Second Team.
"Sadie embodies what it means to be a Pioneer," Mott said. "She has persevered through injuries and adversity. She works hard in everything she does, and she always plays with such passion. She has meant so much to this university throughout her four years here."
Following the Athletic Director's Award presentation, the 2023 SAAC awards were announced. Each year, SAAC nominates and votes upon four awards.
First, the Comeback Player of the Year Award is awarded to the athlete who suffered from an injury the previous season and worked to comeback this season.
The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year winner is
Madison Treu.
Treu, a member of Pioneer Pride Dance Team, led PPDT to a historic finish at NDA Nationals. PPDT placed fourth in the Pom category and third in the Spirit Rally category. Additionally, they placed second in Division II at ADTS Collegiate Championships.
Second, the Newcomer of the Year is awarded to a first year Pioneer athlete with notable achievements in their first season.
The 2023 Newcomer of the Year is
Jada Celsur.
In her freshman season, Celsur made an immediate impact on the TWU basketball team. She recorded a season-high 19 points on Feb. 9 against Texas A&M International. She was named to the LSC All-Freshman Team. Additionally, she hit the go-ahead buzzer beating three to seal the LSC regular season title for the Pioneers on Feb. 23 against UT Tyler.
Celsur's buzzer beating three was also awarded the 2023 Pioneer Performance of the Year award.
The final SAAC award, the Athletes' Choice Award, is awarded to an athlete who represents what it means to be a Pioneer—one who embodies passion for their sport, love for their teammates, and overall care for their community.
The 2023 Athletes' Choice Award winner is
Trixie Oche.
Oche compete with TWU volleyball for five seasons. She also served as the 2021-22 SAAC President. Oche closed her career with 424 total blocks, ranking third all-time in program history. She is also a three-time All-LSC honoree, LSC All-Academic Team member and an All-LSC Athletic Performance Team member. In 2019, Oche was named All-South Central Region Honorable Mention and an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention recipient.
Oche was also honored with the 2023 Chancellor's Award, which is awarded to the Pioneer who has demonstrated excellence in her sport and in the classroom and has been committed to positively promoting TWU Athletics on campus and in the community.
"Trixie boasts a high GPA and shows commitment to being the best in athletics and in academics," TWU Head Volleyball Coach
Jeff Huebner said. "She served as the SAAC President and a student-athlete representative on multiple interview committees. Trixie is the exemplary definition of TWU-first in all things. She has also held several roles working on campus, inside and outside of athletics, as a TWU Ambassador and within TWU Housing. Trixie stayed her bonus fifth year with us and really left her legacy as a leader and pivotal member of our department."
The night of celebration ended by honoring the 2022-23 Pioneer student-athletes graduates. They are listed below:
2022 Fall Graduates
2023 Spring Graduates
We are so thankful for a wonderful year of memories and continued commitment to empowering student-athletes through athletics.
-PIONEERS-
