Track & Field Earns Seven Building Champions Awards

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Rachel Bernardo and Bryce Deadmon highlighted the night for the track & field program winning the Distinguished Letterman Awards on Tuesday night during the eighth-annual Building Champions Awards held virtually on the Texas A&M YouTube channel.

Other member of the track & field program that finished the night winning an award include Tyra Gittens (Athlete of the Year), Athing Mu (Newcomer of the Year), Jon Bishop (Bill Erwin Scholar Athlete of the Year) and Natalie Scheifele (Selfless Service Award). Jean Jenkins also finished the night winning the TAC Breaking Barriers Award as a member of The B.L.U.E.print.

Track & field won an award in six of the eight categories that varied from academic, service, leadership and athletic endeavors.

Rachel Bernardo, Bryce Deadmon (Distinguished Letterman Award)

The Distinguished Letterman Award is the highest award presented to a student-athlete once a year by the athletics department. The individual is someone who displays extraordinary talents in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service.

Bernardo has been one of the most involved student-athletes amongst any sport at Texas A&M. She is the SAAC president and upon graduation is pursuing her master’s at the University of Central Florida. Most recently, she was awarded the Buck Weirus Spirit award given by the Association of Former Students. Bernardo has played a vital role in the annual AggiesCAN. Throughout her career she has been named to the SEC honor roll on four occasions and has been an NCAA Cross Country regional qualifier twice. She has two personal best marks that rank amongst the Texas A&M all-time top-12 lists.

Deadmon is the ideal student-athlete. Already a graduate of Texas A&M University with his bachelor’s in sport management, Deadmon is graduating with his master’s degree in marketing and is still one of the best in his sport and event. Along with being a student-athlete, Deadmon is highly involved in his fraternity O?F. On the track, Deadmon has obtained seven All-America honors and is a five-time SEC champion. Among the best 400m runners in Texas A&M history, Deadmon has left his name on 13 Aggie all-time top-12 marks.

Tyra Gittens (Athlete of the Year)

Gittens won the 2021 indoor pentathlon and high jump national championships and also placed third in the long jump. She scored 26 points to help the Aggies claim second place in the team standings at the NCAA Championships. Her 26-point performance is third most all-time by a single female athlete at the NCAA Championships. Gittens was named the USTFCCCA National Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA South Central Regional Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. At the conference level, she won the 2021 SEC Indoor high jump and long jump titles. She claimed the Cliff Harper Award being the top point scorer at the meet with 23 points. During the regular season she set an all-time collegiate record in the pentathlon with a score of 4,746 points. Gittens also set three Texas A&M indoor school records throughout the 2021 indoor season.

In the 2021 outdoor season, the multi-athlete currently leads the NCAA in the heptathlon with a mark of 6,274 points. Her mark bettered her previous school by 200 points. 

Athing Mu (Newcomer of the Year)

During the 2020 indoor season, Mu set four Texas A&M school records and three all-time collegiate records. She was a two-time all-american at the NCAA indoor championships finishing second as an individual in the 400m and was a member of the national championship 4x400m relay team. Mu won the 2021 SEC Indoor 800m title. During the indoor season she earned eight weekly accolades, four USTFCCCA, three SEC and one USATF. She was also named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year.

Mu has continued to shine in the outdoor season breaking the all-time collegiate 800m record and American U-20 record with a time of 1:57.73. She has set school records in the 800m and 1,500m (4:16.06).

Jon Bishop (Bill Erwin Scholar Athlete of the Year)

For the second-consecutive year, Bishop is named the Male Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient. Most recently, Bishop received a $10,000 post graduate scholarship given by the NCAA. He is a two-time All-SEC athlete, once in indoor track & field (2020) and once in cross country (2019). Bishop was an NCAA cross country championships qualifier (2017), and has four career bests that rank in the Aggie all-time top-12 lists. Along with excelling in the field of play, Bishop has been named to the SEC Honor Roll on six occasions and was the 2020 SEC Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Natalie Scheifele (Selfless Service Award)

The Selfless Service Award is presented to the student-athlete who has demonstrated the greatest commitment to serving the Texas A&M campus and community.

Scheifele is a SAAC rep and has participated in 16 different service opportunities throughout the year. Some of the organizations and projects include Aggie Fellowship of Christian Athletes, REVved up to Read, SAAC’s Gig ‘Em mail Pen Pal program with the Boys and Girls Club and the Big Event.

Jean Jenkins/The B.L.U.E.print (TAC Breaking Barriers Award)

Jean Jenkins serves The B.L.U.E.print as the social media coordinator and is a founding member of the student-athlete led organization. Launched in the summer of 2020 the B.L.U.E.print (Black Leaders who Undertake Excellence) provides leadership opportunities and a sense of community while empowering Black individuals to use their voice. Recently, Jenkins and fellow Aggie student-athletes Karlina Sample (President, Soccer), Ciera Johnson (Vice President, Women's Basketball), Keldrick Carper (Community Relations Coordinator, Football), Brian Williams (Co-Community Relations Coordinator, Football) and Chase Lane (Treasurer, Football) have also won the Texas A&M Accountability, Climate, and Equity (ACE) Awards – Diversity Service Team Award 2021.

Notable events held by The B.L.U.E.print included during Black History Month were a month long book club, a Grab-N-Go dinner highlighting African American culture and cuisine and a partnership with the Brazos Valley African American Museum community outreach.