Athletics Honors Student-Athletes at 2024 Legacy Awards

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M Athletics honored the best of the best at the 2024 Legacy Awards at the Ford Hall of Champions on Monday. The Legacy Awards recognize Texas A&M student-athletes’ accomplishments for various academic, service, leadership and athletic endeavors from March 2023 to March 2024.

Highlighting the night was the announcement of Tyrece Radford from the men’s basketball team and Alexis Ortiz from the equestrian team as the Men’s and Women’s Distinguished Letterman Award winners, which is the highest honor given to a student-athlete at Texas A&M.

The Distinguished Letterman Award

The Distinguished Letterman Award is considered the highest honor bestowed upon a student-athlete in their tenure at Texas A&M. It is given to a student-athlete who displays extraordinary talent and honor in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service.

Winners:
Tyrece Radford (Men’s Basketball), Alexis Ortiz (Equestrian)

Radford ranks as a transformational figure in Texas A&M basketball history as he helped lead the Aggies to two NCAA Tournament berths and an appearance in the NIT Championship game in three seasons in Aggieland. He finished his career in the maroon and white as the program’s only guard to accumulate more than 1,000 points and 600 rebounds after scoring 1,408 points and reeling in 636 boards in 106 games. In 2023-24 Radford became the first Aggie guard to post 500 points and 200 rebounds in a single season with 510 and 202. Among all players, he was the eighth 500/200 player in school history. Last season, Radford helped lead the Aggies to second round of the NCAA Tournament while finishing No. 2 on the team in points, rebounds, assists and free throws attempted and made.

Ortiz is the current SAAC President, served as the Vice President of Selfless Service last spring and is an active member of the 12th Man Foundation’s Collegiate Council, Athletics Council, Student Senate and the MSC Board of Directors, while working as an Amplify U and Mays Business School intern. In her role as the SAAC President, she leads the student-athlete organization by planning monthly meetings with nearly 30 student-athlete representatives. Ortiz also leads six vice presidents to provide assistance and insight into their work and responsibilities. As the VP of Selfless Services, she communicates with outside organizations and companies to create volunteer opportunities for student-athletes and increased student-athlete volunteer participation by 26% in 2023. Along with her volunteer opportunities, she earned multiple academic honors including NCEA Honor Roll, AD Honor Roll Fall and Dean’s Honor Roll Spring.

Athlete of the Year

This award is presented to the top male and female student-athletes based upon athletic excellence over the past year.

Winners:
Wade Taylor IV (Men’s Basketball), Lamara Distin (Women’s Track & Field)

Taylor led the men's basketball team to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and to the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2018 while ranking among the SEC leaders in points per game (19.1), assists (145), steals (66), 3-pointers (98), free throws made (161) and free throw percentage (.847). A first-team All-SEC and NABC All-District selection, Wade set the school record for 3-pointers in a season, breaking the old record of 86 by Josh Carter in 2006-07. He was named to the 2024 SEC All-Tournament Team after leading all scorers with 82 points (27.3 points/G) and tallying a pair of 30-point games in Nashville. He set Texas A&M records in the NCAA Tournament with a career-high seven 3-pointers vs. Nebraska and his 25 total points vs. the Cornhuskers were the second-most scored by an Aggie in the NCAA Tournament. Off the court, Taylor was a recent recipient of the coveted Buck Weirus Spirit Award. 

Distin dominated the SEC and NCAA high jump scene by adding a pair of SEC titles at the 2023 Outdoor and 2024 Indoor Championships, bringing her career total to five SEC high jump titles. Distin logged a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2023 outdoor and 2024 indoor national championships, garnering her fifth and sixth First-Team All-America honors. At the 2024 SEC Indoor Championships, she broke the NCAA Indoor high jump record clearing 2.00m/6-6.75, becoming the first collegiate woman to clear the 2.00m mark indoor or outdoor.

Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete Award

The Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award recognizes a male and female student-athlete who balances athletics and scholarship while maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA.

Winners:
Kenner Taylor (Men’s Tennis), Chloe Stepanek (Women’s Swimming & Diving)

Taylor currently carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as he pursues his Master’s in Real Estate degree in the Mays Business School after earning his bachelor’s degree in finance and business honors with a 3.86 GPA. The 2023 Distinguished Letterman Award winner, Taylor was a cum laude graduate as well as receiving University Honors. Taylor is Texas A&M’s nominee for the 2024 Brad Davis Community Service postgraduate scholarship, and he is a three-time member of the SEC Community Service Team for men’s tennis. A team captain, Taylor is involved the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he’s written two educational books on tennis.

Stepanek boasts a flawless 4.0 GPA while majoring in biomedical sciences. She has earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors three times in her career. The 2023 and 2024 SEC Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for Swimming & Diving, Stepanek has been accepted to Texas A&M’s Masters of Kinesiology program. In the pool, Stepanek earned four All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA Championships, including a fifth-place finish in the 200 free, to help her become a 13-time All-American through four seasons in Aggieland. She brought home a bronze medal in the 200 free from SEC Championships this season, nearly taking down her own school record in the event to make the fourth individual podium trip of her career at the meet. Stepanek also helped the 400 medley relay team place third at SECs and notch at top-10 finish at NCAAs this season. Texas A&M’s school record holder in the 200 free with a time of 1:42.40, Stepanek also holds top-four times in program history in the 50 free and 100 free.

The Aggie Commitment Breaking Barriers Award

This award recognizes a current Student-Athlete or in some cases a group of multiple student-athletes who meet the following criteria:

• Collaborates with team, campus, and/or community groups in the creation and implementation of initiatives and projects that are indicative of a servant leader
• Demonstrates the core values through exceptional character and leadership on and off the field of play
• Be of such stature and accomplishment in all areas of life that teammates, coaches, students, faculty, staff, and all former students of Texas A&M University will take pride in and be inspired by their recognition..

Winner:
F.A.C.E. Mental Health - Devan Thomas, Kendall Austin, Maeve O'Donovan, Avery DeYoung, Mattie Gustin (all Equestrian), Alex Sanchez (Men’s Swimming & Diving)

F.A.C.E. Mental Health was involved in numerous outreach activities within the community, athletics and the university in order to promote mental health and help diminish the stigma regarding mental health services. The organization acts as a student-led peer support group for each other. They meet once a month and these meetings are an opportunity for student-athletes to support each other. All student-athletes are invited to attend these monthly meeting. F.A.C.E. hosted one panel this year in the Spring, which fell on mental health awareness week. 

Lohman Inspiration Award

The Lohman Inspiration Award recognizes a student-athlete at Texas A&M who has demonstrated integrity and tenacity in overcoming incredible challenges in pursuit of his or her education. This person makes a commitment to working with and learning from others, as well as being a good role model for others who struggle.

Winners:
Andersson Garcia (Men’s Basketball), Madison Preston (Softball)

Garcia grew up in a low-income family in the Dominican Republic. He learned to play basketball while wearing borrowed shoes that were two sizes too small in most cases and always worn out. Now, Garcia collects extra or slightly worn basketball shoes of size 14 or bigger and donates them to less-fortunate young people that love basketball in his home country. Garcia moved from the Dominican to the United States to pursue his dream of playing basketball. When he arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he didn't know any English. Today, Garcia confidently speaks with the media in his second language and recently ordered his coveted Aggie Ring. On the basketball court, Garcia was named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team, led the league in rebounding and set school records for offensive and total rebounds in a single season.

Preston shattered glass ceilings in her journey of balancing motherhood and being a Division I softball pitcher. After not playing the 2021 and 2022 seasons to focus on raising her daughter, Preston decided to give softball a final go for the 2023 season in an unforgettable comeback season. In her first appearance back in the circle, Preston registered a career-high eight strikeouts in a five inning no-hit game. Later in the season, she bettered her career-high striking out nine batters in two occasions. Preston highlighted her season earning a win against No. 3 Tennessee pitching 6.0 innings and striking out eight, while yielding one run.

Newcomer of the Year Award

This award recognizes a freshman or transfer student-athlete in his or her first year at Texas A&M who has made significant athletic contributions.

Winners:
Jace LaViolette (Baseball), Miranda Grana (Women’s Swimming & Diving)

LaViolette earned Freshman All-America honors from five different organizations after a historic first season in Aggieland in 2023. The outfielder slashed .287/.414/.632 and belted a Texas A&M single-season freshman record 21 home runs. In addition to leading the team in homers, LaViolette also topped the 2023 squad in RBI (63) and stolen bases (18).  LaViolette, who was named to the USA Collegiate National Team, ranked inside the top 10 among the SEC in homers, RBI and walks (48). During conference play, LaViolette led all players with an .835 slugging percentage. He’s continued his strong play as a sophomore as he’s helped lead the Aggies to a No. 1 ranking.

Grana finished her freshman season as a three-time All-American finishing top 10 in the 100 back, 200 back and 400 medley relay. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native score 81 points at the SEC Championships and was the team’s highest point-scorer at the meet bringing home a bronze medal in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly and with the 400 medley relay, while also helping the 200 medley relay place sixth and the 200 free relay place 10th. She finished her rookie campaign as the school record holder in the 100 back and the second-fastest swimmer in program history in the 200 back. Grana also medaled third place at the 2023 Pan American Games in the 4x100m medley relay for Mexico.

Center for Student-Athlete Services Award

This award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated consistent dedication to their academics by utilizing resources, improving their academic performance, and always giving their best effort. Possess discipline needed to be successful in the classroom while upholding the Aggie Core Values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service, and have served as role models for others who utilize the Center for Student-Athlete Services.

Winners:
Le’Veon Moss (Football), Ifena Cos-Okpalla (Volleyball)

Moss, through his hard work and dedication, has made incredible strides academically in a short amount of time at Texas A&M. He often spends extra time in learning center to complete his assignments and study for exams, and his academic achievements have steadily increased. On the field, Moss rushed for nearly 500 yards last season while producing five touchdowns. 

Cos-Okpalla spent countless hours and put in an unmeasurable amount of hard work and dedication towards her academic growth. She earned AD Honor Roll in back-to-back semesters and was named to the 2023 SEC Honor Roll. Cos-Okpalla has used her time wisely between classes and practice to get work completed and on track for graduation.

Selfless Service Award

This award is given to the individual who has shown the greatest commitment to selfless service through a combination of the number of hours, number of projects completed, and willingness to encourage others to serve.

Individual Winner:
Rylee Shufelt (Equestrian)

Team Winner:
Equestrian

Shufelt serves as the Vice President of Selfless Service for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During her time with the group, she has completed over 88 hours of service across 35 projects, including AggiesCAN, REVved up to Read, Aggieland Humane Society, and Baylor Scott and White NICU.

Coach Tana McKay’s equestrian team completed well over 700 service for an average of 15 hours of service hours per student-athlete. The Aggies’ service hours impacted 28 organizations, including REVved Up to Read (27 times throughout the year), The Big Event, BCS Together, AggiesCAN and Brazos Valley Food Bank.

Team GPA Award

The team GPA award is given to the team with the highest grade-point average during the Spring 2022 and Fall 2023 semesters.

Winner:
Soccer

Head coach G Guerreri’s Aggie soccer team maintained its classroom excellence as exhibited by recent academic numbers. The Aggies posted a 3.470 team GPA for the fall, lifting their cumulative team GPA to 3.460. The success was across the board with 24 Aggies earning a spot on the AD Honor Roll with GPAs of 3.0 and above for the semester, including freshmen, and 15 landing on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, for athletes with at least 24 semester hours and either a 3.00 cumulative GPA or a 3.00 GPA over the preceding academic year. The Aggies also sparkled in the NCAA metrics. Ol' Sarge's charges earned a 1000 Single-Year Academic Progress Rate for 2022-23 and a four-year APR average of 993. The squad's Graduation Success Rate checked in at 90 and the Federal Graduation Rate scored 83,Texas A&M's GPA was buoyed by five 4.0s in the fall semester, including active players Kate Colvin, Ella Goodwin, Georgia Leb and Margo Matula. In addition, Jazmine Wilkinson landed on the Dean's Honor Roll and MaKhiya McDonald earned Distinguished Student recognition. The Aggies had six players earn College Sports Communicators Division I Academic All-District Team spots, including 2024 returnees Macy Matula, Taylor Pounds and Jazmine Wilkinson.

Student-Athlete Engagement Award

This award is presented to a student-athlete who has been heavily involved in all elements of the student-athlete engagement program, including leadership, career development, and selfless service. They have also served as advocates and mentors for other students who are looking to get involved in the athletics department.

Winner:
Millie Landon (Equestrian)

Landon served as the W(E)3 Executive Officer during the 2023-24 year. W(E)3 (We cubed) is a group that encourages, equips, empowers, and unifies female student-athletes at Texas A&M through mentorship and professional development. Landon served a strong role in helping to host meetings and planning events to aid in the personal and professional development of female student-athletes. She has completed the Brand U Professional Development Program and has consistently attended career development events, as well as the Horizon Performance Emerging Leaders Course.

Aggie Comeback Award

This award recognizes a student-athlete who has overcome athletic related injury and/or illness during their career at Texas A&M and has utilized resources provided through the athletic training staff and sports medicine program to comeback to performing in their sport. 

Winner:
Ainias Smith (Football), Logan Lednicky (Volleyball)

Smith suffered a broken leg in the fourth game of the 2022 season against Arkansas but remained an integral part of the team as a leader. Eligible for the NFL Draft in 2022, Smith chose to return to campus and rehabilitate the injury with the Texas A&M athletic training staff. He was elected as team captain again for 2023 season and earned All-SEC First Team honors as an all-purpose player and return specialist. The do-it-all Smith totaled 1,204 all-purpose yards, 285 punt return yards and 103 kick return yards while leading the team with 53 catches for 795 yards and two touchdowns. His 14.3 yards per punt return average was good for eighth nationally, while he also averaged 14.7 yards per kick return.

Lednicky’s 2022 season ended halfway through the year after being one of the top opposites in the SEC. She came back stronger better than ever in 2023, finishing the season with 340 kills and 97 blocks before being named to the All-SEC Team, as well as earning AVCA South Region recognition. Lednicky’s success continued as she also made the USA Collegiate National Team.

12th Man of the Year Award

This award honors a walk-on student-athlete who embodies the spirit of the 12th man on our teams and in our athletics department.

Winners:
Jace Hutchins (Baseball), Maddie Livingston (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field)

Hutchins is a tremendous example of the 12th Man spirit. Connected to the Texas A&M baseball program for most of his life, Hutchins was slated to play a large role on the Aggies’ pitching staff but two major operations on his arm have kept him off the mound. Despite not pitching at all in 2023, Hutchins was voted the Marion Pugh Spirit Award winner at the end of the season. He returned in the Fall of 2023 hoping to compete, but realized after a month of fall practice that he would never be able to pitch again. The career-ending injuries haven’t deterred Hutchins, who has mentored the 2024 Aggies as a student assistant coach. 

Livingston made her presence felt on the cross country course this fall, as the junior led the team by example all season long. She was the highest placing Aggie in six of the seven races in 2023. Most notably she placed first at the Texas A&M Invitational, the first win of her career. She spearheaded the Maroon & White women's first trip back to the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time in 23 years.

Team of the Year Award

This award honors a walk-on student-athlete who embodies the spirit of the 12th man on our teams and in our athletics department.

Winners:
Women’s Tennis

Head Coach Mark Weaver led the Texas A&M women’s tennis team to its second-straight undefeated SEC regular season title, finishing the year 13-0. The program then reached the SEC Tournament final for the third-consecutive season. Advancing in the postseason, the Aggies won a trio of matches at home to advance to the Elite 8 in back-to-back years. The Maroon & white received a plethora of postseason honors, as Mary Stoiana was the first Aggie to be named SEC Player of the Year, while coach Weaver and associate head coach Jordan Szabo were awarded their second-straight SEC Coach of the Year and ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year honors, respectively. 

All-Aggie Academic Team

This award recognizes the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA on each respective team.

• Shaylee Ackerman – Softball
• Katelyn Buckley – Women’s Track & Field / Cross Country
• Ellie Gerbrandt – Equestrian
• Kayal Gownder – Women’s Tennis
• Levi Hancock – Football
• Sam Hankins – Men’s Track & Field
• Lauren Hogan – Volleyball
• Shawn Mohseni – Men’s Swimming & Diving
• Jennie Park – Women’s Golf
• Taylor Pounds – Soccer
• Endyia Rogers – Women’s Basketball
• Vishnu Sadagopan – Men’s Golf
• Chloe Stepanek – Women’s Swimming & Diving
• Kenner Taylor – Men’s Tennis
• Wade Taylor IV – Men’s Basketball
• Troy Wansing - Baseball