Texas A&M-Commerce’s Turner Pool and Angelo State’s Kami Norton were named Lone Star Conference Academic Athletes of the Year on Wednesday when league officials announced the LSC’s annual academic awards for men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
Pool earned the men’s top honor, while Norton earned the women’s highest academic honor.
The Lions Pool led a group of 11 track and field stars on the LSC Men’s All-Academic Team, while the Rambelles Norton was joined by 10 standouts on the LSC Women’s All-Academic Team.
A junior finance and accounting major from Frisco, Texas, Pool claimed his third academic honor this year. He was named Academic Runner of the Year in cross country and indoor track and field acclaim as well. Pool ranks in the top seven of the conference performance list in the 1500-, 5000-, and 10,000-meters.
Norton, a junior kinesiology major from Albany, Texas, earned her second academic distinction after earning indoor track and field top honor as well. She ranks second in the nation in the heptathlon with an automatic qualifying mark and personal best 5,409 points.
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 based on both academic and athletic achievement.
On the men’s all-academic team with Pool was teammate Chase Graham, Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Bryce Martin, James Passley, and Christian Garcia; Eastern New Mexico’s Ezra Bagwell and Scott Wesselink; ASU’s Kendell Wimberly; West Texas A&M’s Jacob Norris, Zach Daniel, and Blake Whalen.
Martin and Daniel earned academic acclaim for the third time, while Pool, Passley, and Norris were repeat selections.
Joining Norton on the women’s side was teammates Morgan Rodgers, Taytum Morris, Amber Graham, and Talli Morrison; Midwestern State’s Stefanie Blaine; WT’s Jasmine Pitts; TAMUK’s Mariah Noyola and Kaina Martinez; ENMU’s Coley Norcross; and A&M-C’s Alexandra VanSickle.
Pitts, Rodgers, Noyola, and Graham claimed a spot on the all-academic team for the second straight year.
Overall, 22 men and women were selected to the All-Academic teams.
2017 LSC OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
MEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Turner Pool |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
Jr. |
Finance/Accounting |
Frisco, Texas |
| Bryce Martin |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Civil Engineering |
Salado, Texas |
| Ezra Bagwell |
Eastern New Mexico |
So. |
Engineering Technology |
Clayton, N.M. |
| James Passley |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Civil Engineering |
Portland, Jamaica |
| Kendell Wimberly |
Angelo State |
So. |
Pre-Civil Engineering |
Whitney, Texas |
| Jacob Norris |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sport and exercise science |
Forney, Texas |
| Christian Garcia |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Eagle Pass, Texas |
| Zach Daniel |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sport and exercise science |
Crane, Texas |
| Blake Whalen |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Accounting |
Dubuque, Iowa |
| Scott Wesselink |
Eastern New Mexico |
Sr. |
Biology |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Chase Graham |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
Sr. |
Technology Management |
Springtown, Texas |
LSC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Academic Player of the Year: Turner Pool, Texas A&M-Commerce
WOMEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Player |
Team |
Yr. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Kami Norton |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
Albany, Texas |
| Stefanie Blaine |
Midwestern State |
So. |
Chemistry |
Arlington, Texas |
| Jasmine Pitts |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Midlothian, Texas |
| Morgan Rodgers |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
Nursing |
Hamlin, Texas |
| Mariah Noyola |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Jr. |
Business Management |
Harlingen, Texas |
| Kaina Martinez |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Communications |
Seine Bight, Stann Creek, Belize |
| Taytum Morris |
Angelo State |
So. |
Kinesiology |
Brady, Texas |
| Coley Norcross |
Eastern New Mexico |
Jr. |
Eldorado High School |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Alexandra VanSickle |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
Sr. |
Human Performance |
Winfield, Kan. |
| Amber Graham |
Angelo State |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Cisco, Texas |
| Talli Morrison |
Angelo State |
So. |
Social Work |
Cherokee, Texas |
LSC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Academic Player of the Year: Kami Norton, Angelo State