SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Texas State Athletic Department presented academic excellence certificates or star of excellence awards to 95 student-athletes at the 25th Annual Bobcat Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony on Monday night in the Warren Reception Room of the Football End Zone Complex.
 
Scholar-Athletes of the Year Awards were presented to one male and one female Bobcat student-athlete who excelled in academics, demonstrated leadership qualities and provided service to the University and community. In addition, postgraduate scholarships were given to one male and one female student-athlete.
 
Football's James Sherman was named the male Scholar-Athlete of the Year after completing his bachelor's degree in political science last December. A four year letterman as a kicker for the football team, Sherman is a three-time Bobcat Academic Excellence and one-time Star of Excellence recipient.

He was named to the Sun Belt Commissioner's List three times, and is a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), current SAAC president and vice-chair of the Sun Belt Conference SAAC. He also is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action, and begins serving as a senator for the Texas State Student Government later this month.
 
In addition, Sherman has been invited to play for Team USA in the World Championships, where he will compete against a variety of countries and help with camps and events to build the sport of American football in China.
 
Soccer's Rachel Grout was named the female Scholar-Athlete of the Year after earning seven Star of Excellence awards and being named to the Dean's List seven times. She also was awarded the Ingram Engineering and Texas State achievement scholarship after maintaining a 3.97 GPA in industrial engineering.
 
Grout was named a 2017 All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-American Third-Team and United Soccer Coaches Academic All-South Region Third-Team selections. She also participated in the Hays and Caldwell County Heart Walk and the "Got Your Back" five-kilometer run to support the Central Texas Medical Center Foundation Emergency Cancer Fund.
 
Zelor Massaquoi of the women's basketball team earned the Jean Smith postgraduate scholarship after transferring from Grand Canyon University and beginning her MBA degree in computer information systems last fall. She plans to earn her master's degree in August 2019.
 
Men's basketball player Deris Duncan received the male postgraduate scholarship award. Duncan is expected to graduate Summa Cum Laude in psychology next December and plans to pursue a master's degree in exercise and sports science and a Ph.D. in sports psychology.
 
The Emmett Shelton team academic awards were given to one men's and one women's teams that earned the highest GPA in the 2017 spring and 2017 fall semesters. The men's golf team earned the men's award for the fifth straight year with a combined 3.254 GPA and the tennis team won the women's award for the third consecutive year with a 3.63 GPA.
 
Star of Excellence awards were presented to individuals who participated in a varsity sport at Texas State and had a 4.0 GPA in one or two semesters in the 2017 spring and fall semesters.
 
The Star of Excellence recipients include football players Nikolas Foster, Marcus Ripley, Gabe Schrade and Hunter White; Hugo Esposito and Giles Gill of the men's golf team; Chase Bracher, Ben Collerton, Kyle Denomme, Cade Michael of the men's track and field team; soccer's Kelly Barbalias, Kathryn Budde, Chandler Cooney, Kaylee Davis, Megan Doyle, Sarah Everett, Haley Groff, Rachel Grout, Elizabeth Havenhill, Sydney Kammer, Jordan Kondikoff,  Heather Martin,  Renny Moore,  Jessica Pikoff and Kalen Sanderfer; women's basketball's Ericka May; women's golfer MacKenzie Walters; softball's Alex Cruz, Meagan King, Hailey MacKay, Kylie Matula, Jaclyn Molenaar and Tara Oltmann; women's track and field's Allyson Godfrey, Sarah Godfrey, McKynzie King, Kaylee Krenek,  Kendra Long and  Kylah Smith, Joy Chia Ming Ming and Sofia Murcia of the women's tennis team, volleyball's Sara Martin,  Megan Porter and Shelby Vasconcellos-Murphy.
 
The academic achievement certificates were presented to student-athletes who maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher in one or two semesters in the 2017 spring and fall semesters.
 
The certificates were awarded to baseball players Travon Benton, Broc Bosse, Anthony Pagano,  Braden Pearson,  Brayden Theriot and Noah Walker; football players John Brannon, Spencer Irvine, Jacob Meeker-Hackett,  Michael Ross,  Tommy Simmons,  Chandler Speights,  Joseph Gonzales, Austin Krawczyk, John Lilly, James Sherman and Anthony J. Taylor; Deris Duncan and Quentin Scott of the men's basketball team; Logan Lockwood and Calvin Ross of the men's golf team; track and field's Jose Angel Gonzalez,  Samuel Hussey, Jordan Janer,  T'Mond Johnson, Oliver Ryborg Kjeldsen, Trenton Koestler, Michael Madu and Cody Miller; Jamie Brown, Kassi Hormuth, Alyssa Phelan, Brooke Ramsey, Holly Streber, Kayla Streber and Genesis Turman of the soccer team; women's basketball's  Bailey Holle, Brooke Holle and Toshua Leavitt; Sasikarn Somboonsup and Sean Yi Yip of the women's golf team; softball's  Jaelyn Young; track and field's  Lauren Brogger, Mylana Hearn, Raquel Robinson and Devina Schneider; Flavia Gutierrez, Julia Navajo-Melendez and Ana Perez of the women's tennis team; and volleyball's Halee Brewer and Konner Wood.
 
In addition 36 student-athletes who graduated in the past year also earned academic awards. They included baseball player Joseph Powell, football players Elijah King,  Brett Kocian,  Kolby Kolek,  Gabe Loyd,  Eric Luna,  Tryston Mizerak, Javante O' Roy, Dila Rosemond, Louis Rubin and Tyler Siudzinski; basketball player Kavin Gilder-Tilbury; men's golfers David Faraudo Godinez and Anthony McGeorge; Tyrone Jackson, Dexter Lee, Roman Rodriguez and  Cody Schulz of the men's track and field team; soccer players Taylor Allen, Ali Jones, Maddie Nichols, Lauren Prater and Caitlynn Rinehart; women's golfer Millie Saroha; Quincy Charleston, Alexis Fryar and Kimberlin Naivar of the softball team; Nia Dorner, Abby Hani and Julie Lange of the women's track and field team;  Pippa Carr, Katy Collins and Eva Dench of the women's tennis team; along with volleyball players Emily Shelton and Kelsey Weynand.