Student-Athletes Honored at Academic Awards Banquet
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico Athletic Department hosted its annual Lobo Scholar-Athlete Banquet at the UNM Student Union Building on Monday night, with women’s soccer’s Amelia Bierle and women’s track and field’s Larimar Rodriguez receiving UNM Bookstores/Dining and Food Services Post Graduate Scholarships to highlight the evening.
The awards were some of the many handed out at the department’s largest academic banquet. In addition, 267 student-athletes were named Lobo Scholar-Athletes for having a 3.2 cumulative GPA.
In addition, the 2019 UNM All-Academic Team, made up of the top academic performer on each team, was announced. The team members were Brayden Merritt (baseball), Makuach Maluach (men’s basketball), Emily Lines (women’s basketball), Emily Nenninger (beach volleyball), Toby Cooke (men’s cross country), Lydia Hallam (women’s cross country), Camillo Dünninger (men’s track & field), Steffi Jones (women’s track & field), David Zavala (football), Mark MacGrath (men’s golf), Reva Morris (women’s golf), Tyler Theis (men’s skiing), Katharine Irwin (women’s skiing), Simon Spangenberg (men’s soccer), Gwen Maly (women’s soccer), Andrea Howard (softball), Klara Farkas (swimming and diving), Stepan Holis (men’s tennis), Yue Lin “Polly” Chen (women’s tennis), Victoria Spragg (volleyball) and Hannah Herring (spirit).
For team awards, the most improved award went to football, while the Athletic Director’s Cup for the top academic program went to beach volleyball. Track and field senior Mark Haywood was named the winner of the PACKS Program Award, and Weini Kelati (WXC/WTrack) and Anthony Mathis (men’s basketball) were named the Lobo Club Student-Athletes of the Year.
Additionally, women’s track and field’s Larimar Rodriguez was named the winner of the Lobo Scholars Program Innovation Award.
One of the top honors bestowed is the Director’s Chair Awards. Presented to student-athletes that graduate with a 4.00 grade point average, three were awarded director’s chairs with the Lobo logo and their names inscribed on the chairs: Mark MacGrath (men’s golf), Benjamin Berend (men’s skiing) and Katharine Irwin (women’s skiing).
A non-academic award was presented as well, as the Loren Dils Courage Award went to softball’s D’Andra DeFlora.