May 20, 2020 411 PM
ALPINE — Two recent Sul Ross State University graduates have been named SRSU Man and Woman of the Year in an announcement Tuesday, May 12. Tristen Licon of El Paso and Katherine Haile of Sisterdale were tapped as the top male and female students for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Each spring the president announces the outstanding man and outstanding woman among the senior class at the Honors Convocation, but due to the pandemic, the ceremony did not take place this year. To be eligible for this honor, students must be nominated by the faculty and staff.
Candidates for the honor must also have applied and cleared to graduate in May (or graduated in the fall or summer of previous year), have an overall grade-point-average of 3.00, display qualities of good citizenship and leadership, be active in student and/or community activities and not be a previous recipient of the award.
Tristen Licon, who graduated this month with a degree in strength and conditioning, and history, is a three-year letterman for the Lobo Men’s Basketball Team. On the court, Licon was named a 2020 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Region West Second Team and a D3 Hoops.com All-South Region Second Team selection.
Earlier accomplishments from the 2019-2020 season include ASC West Division Player of the Year, All-Conference Team and All-West Division First Team. The El Paso native led the Lobos to their third West Division title, averaging 19.3 points per game, ranking fifth in the ASC, along with 53 steals. He also recorded 5.5 rebounds per game with 80 assists and shot 40.9 percent from three-point range.
Licon broke his career-best for points in a game three times during the 2019-2020 season. His earlier best of 25 in 2018-2019 was broken after a 32-point performance against Colorado College on November 29, 2019. He then broke it again with 33 against Mary Hardin-Baylor on February 6 before making history again two days later with 34 against Concordia.
He joined the 1,000-point club in his Sul Ross career with a 21-point performance on January 25 against University of the Ozarks.
For his career, he was a six-time ASC West Division Player of the Week recipient. He is the fourth all-time leading scorer in SRSU history since Sul Ross joined the NCAA in 1996. Off the court, Licon was a Lobo Ambassador and was president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He served as counsellor at numerous basketball camps including Texas Tech (Lubbock), Beyond the Goal (Meadow), Tanalian Bible and Basketball Camp (Alaska) and the Matt Mahoney Basketball Camp (Lubbock).
Academically, Licon was an American Southwest Conference (ASC) Springs Sports Distinguished Scholar Athlete and an ASC Academic All-Conference honoree.
“Tristen has brought pride and distinction not only to our men’s basketball program but also to our university,” President Bill Kibler said. “He has represented Sul Ross with tremendous honor and has been such a positive influence and mentor to his teammates and younger people.”
Katherine Haile is a May 2020 graduate with a degree in natural resource management.
She has garnered several academic accolades while also serving as president of several student organizations.
Haile was the 2019 recipient of the Outstanding Range Student in Texas and the Outstanding Wildlife Student through the Texas Chapter of Wildlife Society. She was also named the Sul Ross Outstanding Upperclassman in Natural Resource Management in 2018.
Haile was recognized with individual and team placements at the Plant Identification Contest in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She also placed first in Membership Plant ID at the Texas Society for Range Management in 2018.
On campus, Haile was a three-year member (VP and President) of the Range and Wildlife Club. She was also a three-year member of the Student Government Association (SGA) and served one year as SGA Treasurer. Haile also served three years as a member and officer in the Cattleman’s Club and the Sul Ross Honors Club and Program.
Earlier this year, Haile participated in pronghorn translocation from Pampa to Barnhart, Texas. She has assisted with eight Borderlands Research Institute research projects and has helped organize campus organization fundraising activities, including a turkey shoot. Haile also assisted in organizing two Mule Deer Foundation district banquets. She was also a 2018 Wildlife Conservation Camp College Mentor.
In 2018 and 2017, Haile helped capture and collect data for the East Foundation and Wagner Deer Captures. Presentations include: National Society for Range Management (2020 Speech Contest and Poster Session); Texas Chapter of Wildlife Society (2020 Presentation/2019 Poster Session); Annual Sul Ross Undergraduate and Graduate Symposium (2020 Presentation/2019 Poster Session); Texas Section of the Society for Range Management (2019 Poster Session/2018 Poster Session); Borderlands Undergraduate Research Symposium (2019 Presentation/2018 Presentation).
“Katherine is such an example of successful student involvement,” Kibler said. “Her participation and commitment as an active member and officer in our campus organizations and her stellar performance in the classroom has prepared her for lifelong success in society and the workforce.”
2020 SRSU HONORS CONVOCATION AWARD WINNERS
Animal Science
Samantha Osborne- Outstanding Student in Agricultural Education
Kayla Duff- Outstanding Student in Animal Production
Laura Hamilton- Outstanding Student in Pre-Vet Award
Elizabeth Jolly- Outstanding Graduate Student
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Nikolas Moreno- Clifford B. Casey Book Award
Tyler Phillips- Outstanding History Major Phi Alpha Theta Award
Jessica Turner- Outstanding Political Science Student of the Year
Jeremiah Boatright- Outstanding Psychology Student of the Year
Biology, Geology and Physical Sciences
Jonathan Carrasco- Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biology
Lauren Garrett- Outstanding Graduate Student in Biology
Lily Newton- Julius Dasch Outstanding Undergraduate Student
Dan Olive- Lance Forsythe Memorial Outstanding Graduate Student
Heather Dudley- Outstanding Non-Traditional Geology Student
Carley Belew- Outstanding Student in Introductory Chemistry
Halie Guillen- James G. Houston Organic Chemistry Award
Business Administration
Geoffrey Calderon- Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Business Administration
Allison Hays- Outstanding Student in Master of Business Administration
Computer Science and Mathematics
Dalton Schott- Outstanding Freshman in Computer Science
Alfredo Baeza- Outstanding Senior in Computer Science
Harlem Ramos- Outstanding Freshman in Mathematics
Hanna Walker- Outstanding Senior in Mathematics
Sebastian Walter- Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Gilley Mathematics Excellence
Education
Jamaine Washington- Education Excellence -Counseling
Bonnie Sayers- Education Excellence -Educational Diagnostician
Genevieve Nava- Education Excellence -Educational Leadership
Patricia Garcia- Education Excellence -General Education
Monica Salmon- Outstanding Intern Teacher
Miriam Carmona- Albert B. Tucker Reading Specialist
Amanda Fisher- Outstanding Clinical Teacher
Fine Arts and Communications
Jose Angeles- Charlotte Senneff Art Supply Award for Outstanding Art Major
Yasmine Barron- Big Bend Arts Council Art Supply Award for Outstanding New Art Major
Cristian Sanchez- Theatre Freshman of the Year
Ember Rutledge- Outstanding Freshman in Music
Aiden Elliott- Outstanding Music Student
Chani Spear- Outstanding Communication Student
Homeland Security and Criminal Justice
Kate Rubio- Outstanding Criminal Justice Undergraduate Student of the Year
Jay Simon- Outstanding Homeland Security Undergraduate Student of the Year
Robert Aguilar- Outstanding Criminal Justice Graduate Student of the Year
Angel Gomez- Outstanding Homeland Security Graduate Student of the Year
SRSU Honors Program
Katherine Haile- Honors Program Graduate
Kyla Klehm- Honors Program Graduate
Victoria Romo- Honors Program Graduate
Henry Segovia- Honors Program Graduate
Mary Villareal- Honors Program Graduate
Kinesiology
Victoria-Ann Carby- WH Perryman Physical Education Award-Scholarship
Britney Berumen- WH Perryman Physical Education Award-Scholarship
Ivett Ramos- WH Perryman Physical Education Award-Scholarship
Languages and Literature
Leatrice Ynostrosa- Outstanding English Major
Natural Resource Management
Caleb Hughes- Outstanding Underclassman Student in Natural Resource Management
Preston McKee- Outstanding Upperclassman Student in Natural Resource Management
Matthew Hewitt- Outstanding Graduate Student – Conservation Biology
Alejandro Trevino- Outstanding Graduate Student – Range
Taylor Daily- Outstanding Graduate Student – Wildlife
Mason Tidmore – Outstanding Field Volunteer
