The University of Texas at Tyler's 2015-16 athletic year showcased dominance with two national championships, a national runner-up finish, and a total of 17 championships across various sports. Notable achievements include Whitney Simmons earning multiple All-American honors and the women's basketball team reaching the elite eight for the first time in history. The university continued to thrive academically and athletically, with no program finishing with a losing season and several coaches receiving prestigious awards.

2. “I will never forget the joy on the faces of the players when they made
that last out to win a national championship.”
– Mike Reed
UT Tyler softball coach
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
“I’m beside-myself ecstatic. I’m blessed
beyond measure to be able to compete
for this school and for the opportunities
given to me all season long.”
– Whitney Simmons
UT Tyler student-athlete
NATIONAL RUNNER-UP
“Each individual player made personal advancements in their games over the year
for this to happen. I would define our program as one of the best all-around
women’s golf programs in the country.”
– Grant Spencer
UT Tyler golf coach
“Thanks to all our
student-athletes,
parents, and supporters
who make Patriot
Athletics and UT Tyler
THE place to be.”
– Dr. Howard Patterson
UT Tyler Vice President
for Student Affairs
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Celebrate and file the 2015-16 collegiate athletic
year as one of continued domination by the
University of Texas at Tyler’s 17 athletic programs, with
two NCAA Division III national championships, a national
runner-up finish, 10 NCAA postseason appearances,
eight American Southwest Conference Championships,
17 ASC individual champions, nine all-Americans, four
academic all-Americans, 20 all-region performers, 93
all-conference selections and 106 academic all-
conference honors.
In total, UT Tyler competed in 328 games, meets and
tournaments from Sept. 1, 2015 to May 30, 2016,
when the softball team swept No. 11 Messiah College
with a pair of 3-0 and 7-0 wins to earn the 2016
NCAA DIII National Championship just two days before
Whitney Simmons unleashed a 59.13 mark to win the
NCAA DIII National Championship in the hammer throw.
The Patriot team sports amassed a staggering 210-68-
5 record throughout the year, while there were eight
cross country meets won and eight golf tournament
titles earned.
Along the way, UT Tyler student-athletes gained national
notoriety with Simmons earning a pair of all-American
honors with superior performances at the NCAA DIII
Indoor and Outdoor Championships, while Morgan
Monzingo (women’s soccer), Chestley Strother (women’s
soccer), Michelle Obach (women’s basketball), Stephanie
Tutt (women’s golf), Laura Lindsey (women’s golf), Raven
Rodriguez (softball) and Kelsie Batten (softball) securing
all-America status. Batten and Lindsey became the first
two student-athletes in UT Tyler history to earn all-
America honors in all four years, with Batten closing
out her career with an ASC record of 118 wins and
being named the National Softball Player of the Year.
Simmons, who will return for her senior season next
year, has already secured five all-America honors in
her career.
UT Tyler won ASC team titles in men’s and women’s
cross country, women’s basketball, men’s track and
field, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s golf and
baseball. Individual championships were won by Morgan
Loth (golf), Simmons (field), Brittany Brunson (track,
cross country), Krista Painter (track), Conner Benson
(track), Keiundas Wade (field), Matt Godwin (field), Aaron
Hurd (track), Miles Zeorlin (track), Ali Yazdanshenas
(field) and Matthew Markert (cross country).
Coined and proven as Champions Territory, the UT
Tyler campus hosted a total of 176 events throughout
the year, which included nine postseason tournaments
and 37 neutral-site contests. The Patriots were an
astonishing 119-18-2 in team sports at home, while the
men’s and women’s cross country teams won ASC titles
on their home course and the women’s basketball team
won the ASC Championship on the Herrington Patriot
Center court. The basketball team, which ran through
the ASC with a 15-0 record and had a program-record
22-game winning streak, also hosted the regional
tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 80-
58 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in their final home
game of the year.
Home domination was highlighted by the women’s
basketball team, which went 16-0 on its home court
and finished the season with a program-best 30-2
record and the first trip to the Elite 8 in program
history after earning an 81-77 overtime win over No. 2
George Fox in the Sweet 16. The men’s soccer team
was 8-0-2 at home and won the ASC regular-season
championship. The women’s soccer team went 11-0 at
home and secured the program’s first-ever ASC regular-
season championship and finished the year at 17-1-2
with its second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.
The Patriot softball team was 22-2 at home, including
five NCAA tournament wins at Suddenlink Field en route
to a 49-5 overall record and the national championship.
The final game played at home came with the Patriots
dogpiling after earning a 2-0 win over Linfield to win the
NCAA DIII Tyler Super Regional. The men’s and women’s
golf teams both won their home tournament in the fall
and advanced to the national tournament, while the
men’s basketball team was 8-3 at home, and volleyball
went 6-4 in a season where they would go 20-12 and
advance to the postseason.
2015-16 CHAMPIONS TERRITORY

4. UT Tyler’s long list of successes also includes securing six
regular-season ASC championships in men’s and women’s
soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s basketball
and softball. The development of these programs was no
fluke, and its leadership was rewarded when Dr. Howard
Patterson was named the Under Armour DIII Athletics
Director of the Year. Chris Bizot earned ASC Men’s Tennis
Coach of the Year, Kendra Hassell was recognized as
the D3hoops.com South Region Coach of the Year and
ASC Coach of the Year, Bob Hepler earned ASC Men’s
Track and Field and Cross Country Coach of the Year
honors. Grant Spencer secured ASC Women’s Golf and
Cross Country Coach of the Year, Kenny Jones won
ASC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year and Stefani Webb
earned NSCAA West Region and
ASC Coach of the Year honors.
Mike Reed, who led the UT Tyler
softball team to the NCAA DIII
Championship, was named the ASC
Coach of the Year and then to
the NFCA National Coaching Staff
of the Year. Historically speaking,
UT Tyler has eight national
championships on its resume, 139
ASC titles and 127 all-Americans.
Not a single program had a losing
season in 2015-16 and we’re
already looking forward to more
success in 2016-17 season.
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2015-16 PATRIOT CHAMPIONS

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6. 2015-16 PATRIOT HONORS
Nine All-America Honors
Whitney Simmons
Outdoor Track and Field
Hammer Throw National Champion
Morgan Monzingo
Women’s Soccer
NSCAA All-America
Chestley Strother
Women’s Soccer
NSCAA All-America
Raven Rodriguez
Softball
NFCA All-America
Kelsie Batten
Softball
NFCA All-America
Laura Lindsey
Women’s Golf
WGCA All-America
Michelle Obach
Women’s Basketball
WBCA All-America
Whitney Simmons
Indoor Track and Field
5th-Place Weight Throw
Stephanie Tutt
Women’s Golf
WGCA All-America
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Four Academic All-America Honors
Laurel Boyd
Women’s Soccer
Raven Rodriguez
Softball
Vanessa Carrizales
Softball
Jackie Mendez
Softball

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2015-16 PATRIOT HONORS
20 All-Region Performers
Melissa Miller
Women’s Soccer
Morgan Monzingo
Women’s Soccer
Chestley Strother
Women’s Soccer
Nikki Gordon
Women’s Soccer
Michelle Obach
Women’s Basketball
Buddy Hallman
Men’s Golf
Alex Trivanovich
Men’s Golf
Kelsie Batten
Softball
Kaylee Prather
Softball
KK Stevens
Softball
Trevor Self
Men’s Soccer
Daniel Budd
Men’s Tennis
Arthur Fagundes
Men’s Tennis
Trenton Buchhorn
Baseball
Alex Bishop
Baseball
Leandro Cid-Fernandez
Men’s Soccer
Lucas Pereira
Men’s Soccer
Raven Rodriguez
Softball
Vanessa Carrizales
Softball
Laura Lindsey
Women’s Golf

8. 2015-16 PATRIOT HONORS
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NFCA National
Player of the Year
Kelsie Batten
Softball
ASC Pitcher
of the Year
Kelsie Batten
Softball
USTFCCCA West Region
Field Athlete of the Year
Whitney Simmons
Field Events - Hammer
ASC Players of the Year
Michelle Obach
Women’s Basketball
Raven Rodriguez
Softball
Daniel Budd
Men’s Tennis
ASC Track Championship
High Point Athlete
Conner Benson
Men’s Track and Field
Keiundas Wade
Men’s Track and Field
Whitney Simmons
Women’s Track and Field
ASC Field Athletes of the Year

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2015-16 PATRIOT HONORS
Five ASC Distinguished Scholar Athletes
Conner Benson
Men’s Track and Field
Frankie Fischer
Men’s Tennis
Krista Painter
Track and Field
Raven Rodriguez
Softball
Michelle Obach
Women’s Basketball
Arthur Fagundes
Men’s Tennis
ASC Newcomer of the YearASC Midfielders of the Year
Leandro Cid-Fernandez
Men’s Soccer
Chestley Strother
Women’s Soccer
Vanessa Carrizales
Softball
Matthew Markert
Cross Country
Two Scholar-Athlete
Medal of Honor
Melissa Miller
Women’s Soccer
ASC Defensive
Player of the Year
Morgan Monzingo
Women’s Soccer
ASC Offensive
Player of the Year
ASC Freshman of the Year
Lucas Pereira
Men’s Soccer
Aaron Hurd
Men’s Track and Field
Pablo Gomez
Men’s Tennis
Alexandra McKissick
Women’s Tennis

10. 2015-16 PATRIOT HONORS
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Leadership Honors
Dr. Howard Patterson
Athletic Director
Under Armour Athletics Directors of the Year
Chris Bizot
Tennis
ASC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year
Kendra Hassell
Women’s Basketbal
ASC Coach of the Year
D3hoops.com South Region Coach of the Year
Bob Hepler
Cross Country/Track and Field
ASC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
ASC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
Kenny Jones
Men’s Soccer
ASC Coach of the Year
Mike Reed
Softball
NFCA National Coach of the Year
NFCA West Region Coach of the Year
ASC Coach of the Year
Grant Spencer
Cross Country/Women’s Golf
ASC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
ASC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year
Stefani Webb
Women’s Soccer
NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year
ASC Coach of the Year

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