General | 4/24/2025 2:54:00 PM
DENTON, Texas (April 24, 2025) – A cornerstone quality of the Texas Woman's athletics is celebration – celebrating the big moments, the small successes and all the excellence - together.
As the academic year begins to wind down, the Pioneers gathered together to celebrate an incredible year and present the annual awards at the 2025 Oakleys on Monday, April 21 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. The Pioneers also shared recaps from all nine sports and celebrated all the success from this year.
"The Oakley's is something that all of our athletes look forward to every year," said TWU SAAC President
Clayre Pullin. "It's a night that all of the athletes get dressed up and come together to celebrate each team and their achievements. Our SAAC representatives and athletes have worked so hard this year to host this banquet, and the hard work gets displayed every year at the Oakley's! TWU Athletics has accomplished so much this year, and I love being able to highlight that with all of our athletes, coaches, support staff, and Athletics Council in one room. All of SAAC would like to give a huge THANK YOU to
Delaney Baxendale who has done so much for every single athlete, and we could not have done any of this without her! I'm glad we got to get everyone together for a fun night of activities and recognition!"
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:
Along with their sport-specific practices, each team does strength and conditioning training to improve their overall performance in their sport. To celebrate the student-athletes' hard work in the gym,
Delaney Baxendale selected an individual to honor from each team for her All-Sports Performance Team.
The All-Sports Performance Team is listed here:
While we celebrate the present achievements of our student-athletes, these celebrations would not be possible without the giants who left their legacy and truly defined 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 2025 Kitty Magee Award honoree is
Scout Huffman.
In her fifth year with the TWU basketball team, Huffman helped lead the Pioneers to another historical season. This season, TWU closed with just two losses – the fewest in program history. They also claimed their third straight Lone Star Conference Regular Season Title and second straight LSC Tournament Title. They closed the season with their second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. During the season, Huffman started every game for the Pioneers. She eclipsed the 1,000 point mark during the season. She averaged 58.2% from the field and 89.8% from the free throw line. At the close of the regular season, she was honored with her first career All-LSC First Team honor. While balancing basketball, Huffman pursues a degree in Biology – Pre-Med and serves as a Division II National SAAC Member, representing the LSC.
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 2025 Dianne Baker Award recipient is
Bailey Upton.
In her freshman year with the TWU Gymnastics team, Upton was a mainstay in the Pioneers' vault, beam and floor lineup. She was named the Midwest Independent Conference Newcomer of the Year and a WCGNIC First Team All-American on beam and floor. She has career highs of 9.800 on vault, 9.850 on beam and 9.875 on floor.
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 2025 Jo Kuhn Award honoree is
Faith Perez.
Although injured for a majority of the 2024-25 season, Perez served as a captain of the wrestling team and lead by example both on and off the competition mat. She works hard in the classroom and pursues excellence in all she does. She works alongside the coaching staff and also helps lead the team operations, such as moving mats. Perez is a huge advocate for her teammates and helps encourage them to be their best.
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 2025 Dr. Bettye Meyers Service Award recipient is
Sydney Kurtz.
Kurtz, a senior for TWU soccer, remains passionate about serving the TWU and Denton community and inspires others to give back. Kurtz also works diligently as an officer for TWU's SGA, working to provide a voice for all students.
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 2025 Pioneer Athlete of the Year is
Ashley Ingram.
Ingram wins the award for the fourth straight year. In her senior season, Ingram was named a two-time All-American and earned the title of Academic All-American for the second straight season. She became the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in program history. Additionally, Ingram started every game for the Pioneers. She helped guide TWU to their third straight LSC Regular Season Title, second straight LSC Tournament Title and second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. Ingram was named to the All-LSC First Team, LSC All-Academic Team, LSC All-Defensive Team, LSC Tournament MVP, D2CCA All-Region and NCAA South Central Regional All-Tournament Team.
Ingram was also honored with the 2025 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. Ingram graduates this spring with a Kinesiology degree – Pre-Occupational Therapy and plans to pursue a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy.
Next, Mott awarded the 2025 Athletic Director's Award to senior artistic swimming and STUNT athletes, who were the first four year members of the program's. The seniors truly laid the foundation of excellence and preserved to grow their respecitive programs. The seniors honored were
Maribella Falconer,
Ashley Latchford,
Anaya Kashikar,
Laura Klein Paredes,
Kailen Smalls and
Kaitlin Abanto.
Mott also awarded the 2025 Pioneer Athletics Champion Award to Corin Walker. The award is given yearly to an individual or group who went above and beyond in their service to our student-athletes and department.
Walker during her time at TWU has been an invaluable supporter of Pioneer Athletics. She can always be seen at all events with pom-poms in hand and decked out in maroon. Walker has supported the Pioneers in the stands and in the classroom, always advocating for their success.
Following the Athletic Director's Award presentation, the 2025 SAAC awards were announced. Each year, SAAC nominates and votes on 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 come back this season.
The 2025 Comeback Player of the Year winner is
Kayla Glover.
Glover returned to the TWU Basketball starting lineup this year after dealing with injuries off-and-on for the past two seasons. Glover helped guide the Pioneers to success, as they claimed their third straight LSC Regular Season Title, second straight LSC Tournament Title and second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Second, the Newcomer of the Year is awarded to a first-year Pioneer athlete with notable achievements in their first season.
The 2025 Newcomer of the Year is
Gabby Elliott.
After transferring to TWU this year, Elliott helped lead TWU Basketball to success. She played 446 minutes for the Pioneers this season and averaged 51.8% from the field. She also grabbed 145 rebounds and scored 177 points on the year.
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 2025 Athletes' Choice Award winner is
Hadyn Collie.
Collie earns the award for the second straight season. This year, Collie helped lead the Pioneers to a historical season, as Basketball claimed their third straight LSC Regular Season Title, second straight LSC Tournament Title and second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. Collie served as a positive vocal leader on the team and displayed a strong team-first mentality.
The night of celebration ended by honoring the 2023-24 Pioneer student-athletes graduates. They are listed below:
2024-25 Graduates
The night concluded with the awarding of the inaugural Oakley's Cup, which was created to support the all-around growth of student-athletes through teamwork across all departments, community outreach, academic achievement, and athletic performance. The 2025 Oakley Cup winner was TWU Gymnastics.
We are thankful for a historical year of incredible memories and continued commitment to empowering student-athletes through athletics.
-PIONEERS-
