The Tarleton State duo of Jordan Jones and Aly Coughlin were named Lone Star Conference Academic Athletes of the Year on Friday when league officials announced the LSC's annual academic awards for men's and women's indoor track and field.
Jones led a group of 11 standouts on the LSC Men’s All-Academic team, while Coughlin headlined a group of 11 on the LSC Women’s All-Academic team.
A senior criminal justice major from Stephenville, Texas, Jones set a season-best time of 7.29 in the 60m dash at the Howie Ryan Invitational.
Coughlin, a senior kinesiology major from Rockwall, Texas, has provisional marks and the top times in the LSC this season in the 3000m and 5000m. She ran the 3000m in 9:49.06 and the 5000m in 17:17.70, which are both school records.
To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.30 grade point average and have reached sophomore status both athletically and academically. The Academic Player of Year award and All-Academic Team are selected from the list of academically qualified players, with the league's sports information directors voting on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement.
Joining Jones on the men's all-academic team was fellow Texans Dylan Willett and Cade Hitzfeld; Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Bryce Martin and Michal Idziak; West Texas A&M’s Zach Daniel, Jon Ferrin, and Jacob Norris; Texas A&M-Commerce’s Turner Pool and Andrew Cobos, and Eastern New Mexico's Scott Wesselink.
On the women's team with Coughlin was WT's Bri Leeper, Libby Strickland, Lindy Paisly, and Jasmine Pitts; A&M-C’s Terra Truitt, TAMUK’s Kaina Martinez, Angelo State’s Amber Graham, Morgan Rodgers, and Claudia Ramirez; and ENMU’s Klaudia Szych.
Overall, 22 men and women were selected to the All-Academic teams including two three-time selections (Leeper, Strickland) and three repeat picks (Idziak, Daniel, and Wesselink).
2016 LSC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
MEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Jordan Jones |
Tarleton State |
Sr. |
Criminal Justice |
Stephenville, Texas |
| Bryce Martin |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Jr. |
Civil Engineering |
Salado, Texas |
| Zach Daniel |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sports and exercise science |
Crane, Texas |
| Dylan Willett |
Tarleton State |
Sr. |
Family and Consumer Sciences |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Michal Idziak |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Criminology |
Mosina, Poland |
| Turner Pool |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
So. |
Finance |
Frisco, Texas |
| Jon Ferrin |
West Texas A&M |
So. |
History |
Amarillo, Texas |
| Andrew Cobos |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
So. |
Marketing |
Lewisville, Texas |
| Cade Hitzfeld |
Tarleton State |
Sr. |
Civil Engineering |
Hico, Texas |
| Scott Wesselink |
Eastern New Mexico |
Jr. |
Wildlife & Fishery science |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Jacob Norris |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Sports and exercise science |
Forney, Texas |
LSC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Academic Player of the Year: Jordan Jones, Tarleton State
WOMEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Aly Coughlin |
Tarleton State |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Rockwall, Texas |
| Bri Leeper |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Broadcasting/Electronic Media |
Amarillo, Texas |
| Libby Strickland |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Health Science |
Amarillo, Texas |
| Terra Truitt |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
Jr. |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
Pampa, Texas |
| Lindy Paisly |
West Texas A&M |
So. |
Biochemistry |
Canyon, Texas |
| Jasmine Pitts |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Psychology |
Midlothian, Texas |
| Kaina Martinez |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Grad |
Communications |
Seine Bight, Belize |
| Amber Graham |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
Cisco, Texas |
| Morgan Rodgers |
Angelo State |
So. |
Pre Nursing |
Hamlin, Texas |
| Claudia Ramirez |
Angelo State |
Sr. |
Spanish |
Del Rio, Texas |
| Klaudia Szych |
Eastern New Mexico |
Sr. |
Biology |
Szczecin, Poland |
LSC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Academic Player of the Year: Aly Coughlin, Tarleton State