2025-26 Honors Page
The Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies picked up numerous honors and surpassed historic milestones in the 2025-26 year. Aggies' teams, too, experienced some incredible successes. Men's soccer, women's soccer and women's volleyball each made it to the SAC Tournament, the first time in OPSU history that all three teams made it in the same year. The men's soccer team broke program records for most consecutive home shutouts and fewest goals allowed per game in a season. Panhandle State women's soccer set the program's single-season wins record and became the first team to earn a point against a ranked opponent, among a host of other single-season records it set. Volleyball tied its longest winning streak since 2021 with a five-match heater early in the SAC season on its way to becoming the first OPSU volleyball team to reach the SAC Semifinals, and it saw the program's first ever NAIA National Athlete of the Week winner. The 2025 Aggie football team became the first since 1990 to win its season-opener on the road, as it upset Peru State College. Women's basketball saw a five-win year-over-year improvement and tied for its most wins since the 2018-19 season. The baseball team defeated a ranked opponent and, separately, won six straight contests for their longest winning streak since 2019. OPSU men's and women's rodeo teams combined for five top-three finishes, including a trio of runner-ups and a team title, plus four occurrences of claiming an individual all-around champion. Furthermore, shooting sports improved in major ways since the fall of 2025, and the equestrian team recorded a program-first after a strong year, sending the same athlete to the West Region Semifinals and IHSA Nationals for back-to-back years.
Individual honors collected include one NAIA All-American, one NAIA National Athlete of the Week, one CSC Academic All-American, two national championship qualifiers, two SAC Players of the Year, one SAC Champion, 39 All-SAC performers, 24 SAC Athlete of the Week honors, 28 CSC Academic All-District selections and 43 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, while program records fell at rapid pace in both cross country and track & field. Additionally, head rodeo coach Shelbie Rose earned the NIRA's highest coaching honor of National Coach of the Year and was awarded the Central Plains Region Coach of the Year for a sixth consecutive time. Several milestones and program-firsts were also achieved across the board.
NAIA PROGRAMS
Baseball SEASON COMPLETE: HAD PROGRAM'S LONGEST WINNING STREAK (SIX GAMES) SINCE 2019, DEFEATED NO. 18 MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN FOR PROGRAM'S FIRST WIN VERSUS A RANKED OPPONENT SINCE 2021, FINISHED SEASON 12-32.
- David Garcia
- Alejandro Hernandez
- Jace Kushner
- Matao Laguna
- Tomas Medina
- Miguel Montano
- Kobe Morgan
- Genesis Nunez
- Zoilo Pimentel
- Timmy Trevino
Men's Basketball SEASON COMPLETE: SET PROGRAM RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH FEWER THAN 10 TURNOVERS, RECORDED MOST SINGLE-GAME REBOUNDS (65) AND HIGHEST SINGLE-GAME REBOUNDING MARGIN (PLUS-32) SINCE AT LEAST 2017 ON JAN. 17, FINISHED SEASON 6-21.
- Christian Campbell
- Aggie of the Week (Nov. 17-23)
- Reached 1,000 Career Points (Nov. 25)
- Aggie of the Week (Jan. 5-11)
- SAC Offensive Player of the Week (Jan. 19-25)
- Third Team All-SAC
- Mathieu Cardot
- Mike Carter
- Aaron Williams Jr.
- SAC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 3-9)
- Reached 1,000 Career Points (Dec. 11)
Women's Basketball SEASON COMPLETE: POSTED A FIVE-WIN YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENT, TIED FOR MOST SINGLE-SEASON WINS SINCE 2018-19, WON CONSECUTIVE SAC GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2020-21, MADE MOST SINGLE-GAME FREE THROWS (22) SINCE 2019, WON ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR HIGHEST TEAM GPA IN OPSU ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT, FINISHED SEASON 6-22.
Men's Cross Country SEASON COMPLETE: TOOK EIGHTH AT SAC CHAMPIONSHIPS, NAMED USTFCCCA NAIA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR.
Women's Cross Country SEASON COMPLETE: TOOK FIFTH AT SAC CHAMPIONSHIPS, PLACED TWO ALL-CONFERENCE RUNNERS.
Football SEASON COMPLETE: PICKED UP FIRST ROAD WIN IN SEASON-OPENER SINCE 1990, RUSHED FOR MOST SINGLE-GAME YARDS SINCE 2015 IN A 35-14 WIN OVER ARKANSAS BAPTIST, FINISHED SEASON 3-7.
- Elzie Barnett III
- Cache Barrett
- Tach Brewer
- Chance Guadiz
- Charles Holmes III
- Richmond Howell
- Rylan Johnson
- Dillon Laurer
- Jake Morones
- Nate Orta
- Demontray Pritchett
- William Rodriguez III
- Loren Snead
- Carlos Vazquez
- David Zeller
Men's Golf SEASON COMPLETE: RECORDED TWO TOP-FIVE TEAM FINISHES, PLACED SIXTH AT SAC CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Men's Soccer SEASON COMPLETE: TIED BEST SIX-GAME START IN PROGRAM HISTORY AT 4-1-1, BROKE PROGRAM RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE HOME SHUTOUTS (FOUR), ALLOWED FEWEST GOALS PER GAME IN PROGRAM HISTORY (1.35), MADE THE SAC TOURNAMENT, FINISHED WITH A 6-6-5 RECORD.
- Ayoup Bader
- Pablo Benavides
- Hew Brown
- Olai Caicoya
- Othman Gherab
- Aron Kanyai
- Nils Kienass
- Samuel Maduka
- Calum Murphy
Women's Soccer SEASON COMPLETE: BROKE PROGRAM'S SINGLE-SEASON WINS RECORD, PICKED UP FIRST POINT VERSUS RANKED OPPONENT IN PROGRAM HISTORY, SET SINGLE-SEASON PROGRAM RECORDS IN GOALS PER GAME (1.62) AND FEWEST GOALS AGAINST PER GAME (2.20), EARNED SIXTH SEED IN SAC TOURNAMENT, FINISHED WITH A 6-7-2 RECORD.
- Yaddelis Alderete
- Emily Chavez
- Emma Contreras
- Emma Daskalov
- AlaraLynn Gunderson
- Toriana Holt
- Sadie Law
- Celeste Maldonado
- Mallory Maltese
Softball SEASON COMPLETE: FINISHED WITH A 10-40 RECORD.
- Brooklyn Collins
- Aaliyah Dang-Gutierrez
- Haley Emmerson
- Trinity Higgins
- Erin Hornback
- Rylee Hrbacek
- Marin Jacobs
- SAC Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 9-15)
- Threw Five-Inning No-Hitter (Feb. 28)
- Aggie of the Week (Feb. 23-March 1)
- Aggie of the Week (March 30-April 5)
- Team Aggie Award Winner
- NAIA Scholar-Athlete
- SAC Golden Glove Winner
- Second Team All-SAC
- CSC Academic All-District
- Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete
- Kaylee Jund
- Gracie Lankford
- Summer Marron
- Flora Moreno
- Cassidy Stanhope
- Jazmin Torres
- Haeley Vasquez
- Liliana Vaquera
- Reighley Wilkerson
- Jocelyn Williams
Men's Track & Field SEASON COMPLETE: ACCOUNTED FOR NINE OUTDOOR ALL-SAC AWARDS, PLACED SEVENTH OUT OF 11 TEAMS AT THE SAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- Dillon Bruington
- Jason Granillo
- Wyatt Hamilton
- Ayden Hendershot
- Richmond Howell
- Diego Hernandez
- Alan Martinez
- Xavyer Mosqueda
- Set Indoor Shot Put Program Record (Dec. 6)
- Aggie of the Week (Dec. 1-7)
- Set Outdoor Hammer Throw Program Record (March 12)
- Set Outdoor Javelin Throw Program Record (April 3)
- Set Outdoor Javelin Throw Program Record (April 25)
- Aggie of the Week (April 20-26)
- Third Team All-SAC in Javelin Throw
- NAIA Scholar-Athlete
- David Okorie
- Joshua Samaron
- Gino Sapalo
- William Sirmans
- Christian Soto
- Austin White
- Won 4x100-Meter Relay at Spire Team Challenge (March 21)
- Aggie of the Week (March 16-22)
- Second Team All-SAC in 4x100-Meter Relay
- Third Team All-SAC in 4x400-Meter Relay
- Team Aggie Award Winner
Women's Track & Field SEASON COMPLETE: ACCOUNTED FOR 12 OUTDOOR ALL-SAC AWARDS AND ONE INDIVIDUAL SAC CHAMPION, PLACED SIXTH OUT OF 12 AT THE SAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- Akia Bowens
- Avery Brown
- Brittney Carrasco
- Shania Chavez
- Ki'Anna Jones
- Breyanna Kemp
- Set Indoor 400m Program Record (Dec. 6)
- Aggie of the Week (Dec. 1-7)
- Set Indoor 4x800-Meter Relay Program Record (Jan. 31)
- Won 4x100-Meter Relay at Dean Pryor Invite (March 12)
- Set Outdoor 200-Meters Program Record (April 9)
- Aggie of the Week (April 6-12)
- Won 200-Meters at SAC Championships (April 25)
- First Team All-SAC in 200-Meters
- Second Team All-SAC in 4x100-Meter Relay
- Third Team All-SAC in 4x400-Meter Relay
- Team Aggie Award Winner
- Ashlynn Perez
- Paizlie Reyna-Mata
- Neo Trim
- Carolina Valenzuela
- Set Indoor 4x800-Meter Relay Program Record (Jan. 31)
- Set Indoor 3k Program Record (Feb. 14)
- Aggie of the Week (Feb. 9-15)
- Won Mile at SPC West Texas Shootout (Feb. 21)
- Set Indoor Mile Program Record (Feb. 21)
- Set Indoor 800-Meters Program Record (Feb. 21)
- Set Outdoor 3k Steeplechase Program Record (April 9)
- Set Outdoor 3k Steeplechase Program Record (April 24)
- Second Team All-SAC in 3k Steeplechase
- Third Team All-SAC in 4x400-Meter Relay
Volleyball SEASON COMPLETE: TIED LONGEST WINNING STREAK (FIVE GAMES) SINCE 2021, SET SINGLE-SEASON NAIA PROGRAM RECORD (SINCE 2017) IN KILLS AND ASSISTS, EARNED FIFTH SEED IN SAC TOURNAMENT, BECAME FIRST TEAM IN PROGRAM HISTORY TO ADVANCE TO SAC SEMIFINALS, FINISHED WITH 16-15 RECORD.
- Taylore Alsaid
- Emma Coburn
- Elena Kagiali
- Aggie of the Week (Sept. 15-21)
- Aggie of the Week (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
- SAC Attacker of the Week (Oct. 6-12)
- SAC Attacker of the Week (Oct. 13-19)
- NAIA Attacker of the Week (Oct. 13-19)
- SAC Attacker of the Week (Oct. 20-26)
- SAC Attacker of the Week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)
- Broke NAIA Program Record (Since 2017) for Most Kills in a Season
- Broke NAIA Program Record (Since 2017) for Most Kills in a Match
- SAC Player of the Year
- SAC Attacker of the Year
- SAC Newcomer of the Year
- First-Team All-SAC
- CSC Academic All-District
- Third-Team NAIA All-American
- CSC Second-Team Academic All-America
- Team Aggie Award Winner
- OPSU Female Newcomer of the Year
- OPSU Female Athlete of the Year
- Winiffer Rodriguez
- Mia Sanchez
- Skyla Stark
- Nyah Ulmer
NON-NAIA PROGRAMS
Cheer SEASON COMPLETE
Equestrian SEASON COMPLETE: SAW 10 DIFFERENT ATHLETES EARN TOP-THREE PLACEMENTS IN AT LEAST ONE SHOW, QUALIFIED TWO ATHLETES TO REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, QUALIFIED ONE ATHLETE TO IHSA NATIONALS.
- Karlee Callahan
- Sydney Carey
- Nahomy Corral-Olivas
- Jolina Demann
- Ashlyn Eisenman
- Eva Johnson
- Top-Three Finishes in Reining (Oct. 18-19)
- Top-Three Finishes in Open Horsemanship (Oct. 18-19)
- Top-Three Finish in Open Reining (Nov. 22-23)
- Top-Three Finish in Reining (Feb. 7-8)
- Top-Three Finish in Open Horsemanship (Feb. 7-8)
- Advanced to Regional Championship in Reining
- Aggie of the Week (Feb. 16-22)
- Top-Three Finish in Open Reining (Feb. 21)
- Advanced to Regional Championship (Feb. 21)
- Advanced to Western Semifinals (Feb. 22)
- Top-Three Finish in Open Reining (March 21)
- Advanced to IHSA National Championship (March 21)
- Aggie of the Week (March 16-22)
- Team Aggie Award Winner
- Placed 11th in Open Reining at IHSA Nationals (May 2)
- Cami Kenny
- Taydem Perryman
- Mitchell Ullom
- Adaelia Wiebe
Men's Rodeo SEASON COMPLETE: CLAIMED FOUR SEPARATE TOP-FIVE TEAM FINISHES, PLACED RUNNER-UP IN TWO RODEOS, CLAIMED THE INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND CHAMPION TWICE, FINISHED SIXTH IN CENTRAL PLAINS REGION TEAM STANDINGS.
- Porter Hall
- Zane Kreikemeier
- Jack Phillips
- Riley Stark
- Luke Tippmann
- Top-Three Bareback Riding Average at Colby Rodeo (Sept. 11-13)
- Men's All-Around Champion at OSU Rodeo (Oct. 2-4)
- Aggie of the Week (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
- Top-Three Bareback Riding Average at Kansas State Rodeo (Feb. 19-22)
- Top-Three Bareback Riding Average at Garden City Rodeo (March 27-29)
- Top-Five Bareback Riding Average at SWOSU Rodeo (April 9-11)
- Top-Three Team Roping Average at FHSU Rodeo (April 16-18)
- Top-Five Bareback Riding Average at FHSU Rodeo (April 16-18)
- Men's All-Around Champion at FHSU Rodeo (April 16-18)
- Aggie of the Week (April 13-19)
Women's Rodeo SEASON COMPLETE: CLAIMED FOUR SEPARATE TOP-FIVE TEAM FINISHES, WON THE FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY RODEO, CLAIMED THE INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND CHAMPION TWICE, QUALIFIED ONE ATHLETE TO THE CNFR, FINISHED SIXTH IN CENTRAL PLAINS REGION TEAM STANDINGS.
- Helen Poer
- Aggie of the Week (March 23-29)
- Won Breakaway Roping Long Round at Garden City Rodeo (March 27-29)
- Won Breakaway Roping Average at Garden City Rodeo (March 27-29)
- Top-Three Breakaway Roping Average at SWOSU Rodeo (April 9-11)
- Won Breakaway Roping Long Round at OPSU Rodeo (April 23-25)
- Won Breakaway Roping Short Round at OPSU Rodeo (April 23-25)
- Won Breakaway Roping Average at OPSU Rodeo (April 23-25)
- Advanced to College National Finals Rodeo in Breakaway Roping
- Aggie of the Week (April 20-26)
- Team Aggie Award Winner
- Layni Masters
- Camree Slavin
- Kiley Slavin
- Falyn Thomson
Shooting Sports SEASON COMPLETE: PLACED 27TH AT DIVISION 3 ACUI NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
