MAGNOLIA, Ark. - In its annual effort to cap off the year, Southern Arkansas University and the Mulerider Athletics family gathered together inside a transformed W.T. Watson Center to celebrate its student-athletes, coaches, and programs on Monday, April 27 as part of the Ninth Annual Mulespy Awards.
 
Garnering the department's top two athletic honors were Mulerider Men's Track and Field Keith Smith, who was named the Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year, and Mulerider Softball's Emma Duncan, who claimed the Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year award. The player of the year awards are given to the top Male and Female Athlete in a given year at SAU regardless of classification and that possesses conduct that has been a positive influence for good, and exemplifies the ideals of Auburn Smith and Dr. Margaret Downing; each an SAU Sports Hall of Famer that left an indelible mark on Mulerider Athletics during their storied tenures at the University.
 
For their outstanding academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and athletic ability, the Murphy USA Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were presented to Mulerider Football's Casey Cobb and Mulerider Softball's Kassie Rhodes. In continual recognition of Murphy USA's strong partnership with Southern Arkansas University and Mulerider Athletics, Murphy USA's Enterprise Leader Philanthropy and Community Relations, was in attendance to present some remarks on behalf of the organization and help present both scholar honors, which were first awarded in 2017.
 
Thirty-nine student-athletes made up the sixth induction class of the SAU Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma; the first, and only, national scholar-athlete society to honor four-year collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition. The ceremony was conducted by SAU Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Scott White and Assistant Director of Athletics for Internal Operations Haley Holzem. With six classes now inducted following the 2021 inaugural ceremony, the chapter roll now stands at 153 outstanding Mulerider scholar-athletes.
 
A small graduation ceremony for 13 student-athletes who are graduating in May, but will not be able to attend the May 8^th and 9^th graduation dates due to participation in their respective conference tournaments.
 
In 2018, through feedback from the SAU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, two new award categories were established with the Male and Female Newcomer of the Year Awards, and the Male and Female Comeback Player of the Year Awards with both now being presented annually. Capturing the honors in the comeback category were Mulerider Volleyball's Allie Cooper and Mulerider Football's Tutt McGlothan. For the Newcomer of the Year award, Mulerider Softball's Maddie Leal and Mulerider Men's Tennis' Jonas Sommer claimed the hardware.
 
Seventeen outstanding student-athletes were honored, while 72 senior student-athletes were recognized and gifted a special wrist watch to commemorate their time as a Mulerider.
 
Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year
Keith Smith (Men's Track and Field)
 
Smith, a native of Jefferson, Texas has had a historical season thus far for the Mulerider Men's Track and Field team. Not only is he currently ranked third nationally in the triple jump making him a qualifier for the second year in a row for the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but he also holds two program records for the Muleriders.
 
During his indoor season, the Texan placed first in three out of four meets he competed in with the only time he didn't win being the first meet of the season in which he placed second. At the Gorilla Classic indoor meet, Keith set a new indoor triple jump program record leaping 15.55 meters. The mark was also a provisional mark qualifying him for the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships. Smith went on to win Great American Conference Track Athlete of the Week for his performance and entered the national meet ranked fifth in the nation. At the national indoor meet, Smith placed sixth overall with a jump of 15.36 meters earning him First Team All-American Honors. Smith is the only known Indoor All-American in the history of the Muleriders Track and Field program.
 
His dominant performances have carried over into his outdoor season. Kieth has competed in three meets during the outdoor season thus far. In his first outdoor event of the season, Keith won the LA Classic meet by almost a full meter with a jump of 15.69 meters besting multiple Division I athletes in the field. Smith then recorded another first-place finish at the Carl Kight meet again besting multiple Division I athletes with a jump of 15.27 meters. The best performance of his outdoor season came at the Dan Veach Invitational recording a jump of 15.77 meters to not only win the meet but rank him third in the nation. The mark is also good for the outdoor triple jump program record and is also a personal best. Not only did Smith win the triple jump at the Dan Veach but was also part of the four by one-hundred-meter relay who placed first.  Keith will again compete for the Muleriders at the NCAA National Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the second season in a row.
 
Keith becomes the first member of the Mulerider Track and Field program to claim the Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year award since the Mulespy's began in 2017.

 
Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year
Emma Duncan (Softball)
 
The Canadian standout adds her name to an elite list, becoming just the eighth Mulerider Softball player—and the fifth pitcher—to earn the Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year honor since the inaugural Mulespy Awards in 2017. Even more impressively, she continues a dominant trend in the circle, becoming the third-straight Mulerider Softball pitcher to claim the award.
Duncan has firmly established herself as one of the premier arms not only in the Great American Conference, but across the entire Central Region. This season, she's set the standard week in and week out—leading the league in Pitcher of the Week honors with three selections and standing as the only pitcher in the GAC to earn the recognition multiple times.
Her season has been nothing short of outstanding. During her time in the Blue and Gold, the graduate student surpassed the 600-career strikeout milestone, now sitting at 188 through 47 games. That total already marks a single-season career high at the NCAA level, further cementing her dominance in the circle. Duncan currently leads the GAC across a host of statistical categories, while also ranking among the Central Region's elite in nearly every major pitching metric. She sits inside the top five with her 17 complete games, 1.39 earned run average, 29 games started, 4.05 hits allowed per seven innings, 181.1 innings pitched, 8 shutouts, 188 strikeouts, 0.89 WHIP, and 25 victories—while leading the region outright in games started, innings pitched, shutouts, and wins.
As Duncan continues to anchor the staff, she and Mulerider Softball now turn their focus to the final stretch of the regular season. The squad will take the field one last time at the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex for a crucial GAC series before setting their sights on a return trip to Bentonville for the Great American Conference Championship Tournament.

 
Murphy USA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Casey Cobb (Football)
 
A native of Farmersville, Louisiana, Cobb is a Business Administration major with an emphasis in Finance and Financial Analysis. Cobb completed his undergraduate degree with a 3.97 GPA as he walked across the stage in December of 2025 with Summa Cum Laude honors.
 
Whether it was on the gridiron, in the classroom, in the community, or at other Mulerider sporting events, Cobb's collegiate time in Magnolia was well spent. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Cobb received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors as well as being named Second team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America team. He was also nominated to the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team making him one of nine Division two players nominated for the award. Cobb was also named to the Great American Conference Academic Honor roll team.
 
Cobb gave back to the community through volunteering at Eastside Elementary, the Boys and Girls Club, McNeil Headstart program, Mulerider movers, as well as the Mulerider Youth Football Camp. 
 
Across campus, Cobb was involved in SAAC, Chi Alpha Sigma honor society, presidents' ambassadors, the business student advisory council, the business student advisory investment council, and the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
 
In his senior season, Cobb played and started in all 11 games for the Muleriders totaling 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, five sacks, three quarterback hurries and one safety.

 
Murphy USA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Kassie Rhodes (Softball)
 
The native of Quitman, Arkansas, is a Physical Education & Health K through 12 major that boasts a 3.88 undergraduate grade point average.
Rhodes has played a pivotal role for Southern Arkansas' student-athletes, as well as student-athletes across the nation. The member of Mulerider Softball has served two years as an officer for Southern Arkansas' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, being the committee's secretary in 2024-25, and now serving as SAAC's president for the 2025-26 school year. During her time with SAAC, Kassie has been an advocate for student-athletes while taking part in NCAA legislative decisions. The local of Quitman, Arkansas, had a major impact on SAAC's Make-A-Wish Fundraiser of $10,000 to send a child to Disney World, as Rhodes spent 31 plus hours on the assignment with planning, development, execution, and implementation of the project.
Whether it was during the school year or during the summer, Kassie contributed to whatever community she resided in. While in Magnolia, Rhodes constantly assisted at the CCAPS Animal Shelter. During her summers, she made significant contributions to young girls' softball careers, as she assisted in softball pitching clinics, as well as volunteering as an assistant coach for a local youth softball team. Also, for Rhodes, she was inducted into this year's class of Chi Alpha Sigma.
 
On the field, through 44 games this season, Rhodes has started in 16 of her 19 appearances, while completing six games and pitching one shutout. Up to that point in the season, she recorded a record of 15-2 and had accounted for 42 strikeouts.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2025-26 Murphy USA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Kassie Rhodes.

 
Male Comeback Player of the Year
Tutt McGlothan (Football)
 
The Cotton Valley, Louisiana native played his first full season for the Mulerider football program this year after returning from a torn ACL just over a year ago.
 
Tutt was the starting safety going forward for the Muleriders after earning the spot in week three. Tutt had a breakout season striking fear in opposing offenses playing all 11 games recording 38 total tackles with 22 of them being solo tackles and 16 assists putting him with the fifth most on the team. The Louisianan recorded four interceptions to tie for the team lead while also ranking second in the GAC. McGlothan also had a massive 99-yard interception return for a touchdown which puts him only behind the former Mulerider, now Kansas City Chiefs player Melvin Smith Jr's 100-yard pick six. To end his first campaign with the Muleriders, Tutt received Third Team All-GAC honors at the safety position.  McGlothan becomes the second football player to win the award since the inaugural Mulespy's.

 
 
Female Comeback of the Year
Allie Cooper (Volleyball)
 
After redshirting her freshman season and spending the 2023 and 2024 campaigns learning behind a pair of all-conference middle hitters, the Brownsboro, Texas native emerged this fall as a force to be reckoned with—keeping Great American Conference defenders guessing and on their heels all season long.
Entering her fourth year in the Blue and Gold, Cooper transformed from a player with just 15 career kills into one of the team's most reliable offensive weapons, surpassing that mark multiple times in single matches. Throughout the season, Allie delivered eight double-digit kill performances, highlighted by a career-best 18-kill showing on her home floor against Harding.
In her first full season of action, the junior made her presence felt on both sides of the net—leading the Muleriders with a .337 attack percentage and 68.0 total blocks, while finishing second on the team with 253 kills. It was a breakout campaign that showcased her growth, confidence, and ability to anchor the middle.

 
Male Newcomer of the Year
Jonas Sommer (Men's Tennis)
 
Sommer, a native of Germany has delivered a highly impressive first year as a Mulerider. The Freshman has made an immediate impact for the Mulerider Men's Tennis team in his first season with the group.
 
Jonas and his doubles partner Uwe Diehl (oo-vay Deal) have been consistently ranked inside the top 15 doubles pairings in Division two this season amassing a 19-11 record in doubles play. The duo ranked as high as fourth in the nation this year and are currently ranked twelfth at mainly lines one and two.  Sommer has also played a major role in singles play for the men amassing a 19-8 record in singles play at lines four and five. In his fall season, the German claimed a Great American Conference individual title. He has been named the MIAA/GAC Athlete of the Week twice this season for his consistent performances and has also picked up wins in singles play over numerous top ranked teams this season. Jonas repeats for Mulerider tennis this season taking home the honor.

 
Female Newcomer of the Year
Maddie Leal (Softball)
 
Becoming the third-straight member of Mulerider Softball to earn the honor, the Houston, Texas native arrived for her final collegiate season and wasted no time making her presence felt—igniting the Mulerider offense from the very first pitch.
Through 47 games, Leal has been a key piece behind Team 28's offensive surge, setting the tone as the lead-off hitter and pacing the squad with a .451 batting average, 65 hits, 40 walks drawn, and a .564 on-base percentage. Each of those marks ranks among the top two in the Great American Conference, cementing her as one of the league's most consistent threats at the plate.
And she hasn't just been getting on base—she's been turning opportunities into runs. Ranking second on her team and third in the GAC, the graduate student has crossed the plate 50 times, averaging 1.06 runs per game, proving to be a constant catalyst at the top of the lineup.

 
Outstanding Athletes
Wyatt Fielding (Baseball)
Roderick Williams Jr. (Men's Basketball)
Marlee Bright (Women's Basketball)
Wesley Maxwell (Men's Cross Country)
Rylee Robinson (Women's Cross Country)
Judd Samples (Cheerleading)
Jay Todd Baker (Football)
Luke Cote (Men's Golf)
Brianna Chamoun (Women's Golf)
America Rubio (Softball)
Frode Neumann (Men's Tennis)
Jolina Mass (Women's Tennis)
Keith Smith (Men's Indoor Track and Field)
Diamond Brunn (Women's Indoor Track and Field)
Keith Smith (Men's Outdoor Track and Field)
Jordan Collins (Women's Outdoor Track and Field)
Sadie Kabisch (Volleyball)
 
2025 Induction Class of the SAU Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma
Kelsie Adams (Softball)
Kassie Rhodes (Softball)
Addison Anderson (Volleyball)
Kaleo Anderson (Football)
John Appleton (Men's Track and Field)
Emalea Bailey (Softball)
Kinsley Birdwell (Softball)
Makarios Brown Jr. (Football)
Ambree Collinsworth (Women's Track and Field)
Brinklee Dauenhauer (Volleyball)
Jayla Davila (Women's Track and Field)
Matthew Elder (Football)
Isaac Gass (Men's Cross Country)
Lou Hughes (Men's Track and Field)
Easton Hurley (Baseball)
Christian Johnson (Men's Track and Field)
Rhett Johnson (Football)
Sadie Kabisch (Volleyball)
Jackie Kelner (Softball)
Bree Kirk (Women's Track and Field)
Roksana Kokocha (Women's Tennis)
Tyler Maull (Football)
Frode Neumann (Men's Tennis)
Cheyenne Olson (Women's Cross Country)
Lyndon Orr (Men's Cross Country)
Joseph Parker (Football)
Madyson Pence (Women's Cross Country)
Zac Pennington (Men's Basketball)
Kylie Pugh (Women's Track and Field)
Hunter Pye (Men's Cross Country)
Rylee Robinson (Women's Cross Country)
Jamesha Skinner (Women's Track and Field)
Ryan Slunder (Baseball)
Braden Stafford (Football)
Jett Stephenson (Men's Golf)
Denevion Tell (Men's Basketball)
Lena Walter (Softball)
Noah Weeks (Football)
Jalynn Wilson (Football)
 
2024-25 Senior Student-Athletes
Baseball
Dylan Broadway | Cypress, Texas
Cole Clepper | Pflugerville, Texas
Cody Edwards | San Antonio, Texas
Carter Gaston | Homer, Louisiana
Eli Hutcherson | Cabot, Arkansas
Nate June | Frisco, Texas
Jacob Lang | Krugerville, Texas
Hayden Oglesby | Lantana, Texas
Jackson Regan | Bryant, Arkansas
Ayden Slott | Willis, Texas
Caleb Sollars | Benton, Arkansas
Glynn Wilson | Rhome, Texas

 
Men's Basketball
Jair Horton | Nashville, Tennessee
Chase Jenkins | Titusville, Florida
Greg Moore Jr. | Knoxville, Tennessee
Troy'reon Ramos | Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Donavhn Sanford | Dallas, Texas

 
Women's Basketball
Marlee Bright | Glenwood, Arkansas
Shiloh Fletcher | Howe, Oklahoma
Elena Lijo-Rodriguez | A Coruna, Spain

 
Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
John Appleton | Bakersfield, California
Joseph Boyd | Lewisville, Texas
Anderson Colley | El Dorado, Arkansas
Isaac Gass | Hot Springs, Arkansas
Gage Jordan | Jamestown, Louisiana
Trysten Richey | Mena, Arkansas
Keith Smith | Jefferson, Texas

 
Women's Cross Country/Track and Field
Diamond Brunn | Killeen, Texas
Jordan Collins | Huntsville, Texas
Anaya Ervin | Houston, Texas
Air-ee-ahna Morris | West Memphis, Arkansas
Madyson Pence | Quitman, Texas
Kylie Pugh | Lovelady, Texas
Jordan Smith | El Dorado, Arkansas
Breyonna Steward | El Dorado, Arkansas
 
Cheerleading
Judd Samples | Magnolia, Arkansas
 
Football
Anterius Beard | Mount Pleasant, Texas
Casey Cobb | Farmersville, Louisiana
Dylan Crippen | Cypress, Texas
Nathan Earle Jr. | Cypress, Texas
Ken Ellison | Houston, Texas
D'Verryon Foster | DeSoto, Texas
Dale Gray | Magnolia, Arkansas
Brenton Hamilton | Mesquite, Texas
Vernon Henderson | Dallas, Texas
Hunter Hewitt | Austin, Texas
Greg Hooks | Osceola, Arkansas
Tridell Talley Jr. | Arlington, Texas
Clary Smiley | Natchitoches, Louisiana
Braeden Wade | Carthage, Texas
Kendall Williams | Tatum, Texas
Zay Woods | Carthage, Texas

 
 
Men's Golf
Will Blake | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
 
Women's Golf
Emma Hester | Sheridan, Arkansas
 
Softball
Kelsie Adams | Van Alstyne, Texas
Corie Byrd | Sweeny, Texas
Regan Dillon | Bryant, Arkansas
Emma Duncan | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Canada
Paris Endris | Bossier City, Louisiana
Samantha Gonzalez | Santa Monica, California 
Maddie Leal | Houston, Texas
Sophia Luetticke | Chillicothe, Missouri
Payton Owens | Tupelo, Oklahoma
Brooklyn Reed | Hope, Arkansas
Kassie Rhodes | Quitman, Arkansas
America Rubio | El Paso, Texas
Lena Walter | Pomona, Kansas
 
Women's Tennis
Taylor Conway | Bixby, Oklahoma
 
Volleyball
Samantha Ward | Round Rock, Texas
Sadie Kabisch | Henrietta, Texas