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 28 as part of the Eighth Annual Mulespy Awards.
 
Garnering the department's top two athletic honors were Mulerider Football's Judd Barton, who was named the Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year, and Mulerider Softball's Brinson Rogers, 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 Matthew Whitten and Mulerider Women's Basketball's Marlee Bright. In continual recognition of Murphy USA's strong partnership with Southern Arkansas University and Mulerider Athletics, Murphy USA's VP and CIO, Michael Verdesca, was in attendance to present some remarks on behalf of the organization and help present both scholar honors, which were first awarded in 2017.
 
Twenty-four student-athletes made up the fifth 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 Athletic Representative Dr. Scott White and Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Operations Sage Fowler. With five classes now inducted following the 2021 inaugural ceremony, the chapter roll now stands at 114 outstanding Mulerider scholar-athletes.
 
A small graduation ceremony for 16 student-athletes who are graduating in May, but will not be able to attend the May 9^th and 10^th graduation dates due to participation in their respective conference tournaments. Jeff White, '97, also briefly spoke on the Mulerider Club and of its impact; past, present, and future, on Mulerider Athletics after serving as the club chair this past year.
 
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 Women's Basketball's Marlee Bright and Mulerider Baseball's Beau Leonards. For the Newcomer of the Year award, Mulerider Softball's Sophia Stoddard and Mulerider Men's Tennis' Jinsei Tajima claimed the hardware.
 
Seventeen outstanding student-athletes were honored, while 85 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
Judd Barton (Football)
 
Barton, a native of Alexandria, Louisiana, recorded one of the most electric seasons by a quarterback in the Blue and Gold as Barton was named the GAC's 2024 Offensive Player of the Year and named the conference's quarterback for the All-GAC First Team and was voted as the league's Offensive Player of the Week for five different weeks, which was the most by any Mulerider in the program's history in the GAC. He is the first Mulerider to be nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy since newly-added SAU Sports Hall of Famer Karonce Higgins was in the race for the honor in 2018.
The Bayou State descendant led the GAC in multiple offensive categories, as well as ranking in the top three of the league's statistical categories such as a 66.2 completion percentage, a 152.2 passing efficiency rating, 16 passing touchdowns, 2,350 passing yards, 213.6 passing yards per game, 180 points responsible for, and 16.4 points responsible for per game. The GAC's Offensive Player of the Year was just as dangerous on the ground as he was through the air, as he recorded 13 rushing touchdowns and led the league in offense, averaging 267.2 yards per game.
In a career-best effort, Barton accounted for 374 passing yards on the road against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs along with three passing touchdowns after completing 26 out of 44 passes. The junior also rushed the ball ten times, accounting for 23 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
For the season, the Alexandria, Louisiana native recorded six games with 200+ passing yards as well as nine contests with a passing touchdown. Five of those games had multiple scores through the air. For the whole season, Barton threw just three interceptions, and did not throw one since week three against Ouachita Baptist. He registered six outings with 70+ yards rushing and six with a rushing touchdown, along with three of those scoring three touchdowns.
 
Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year
Brinson Rogers (Softball)
 
The native of Statesboro, Georgia is having one of the best campaigns in the circle that the Mulerider Softball program has ever seen. The senior has accounted for broken record after broken record as she has most recently become the program's leader in strikeouts in a single season with 269 and has doubled the program's record for shutouts in a season with 18 thus far.
Brinson surpassed the 1,000 career strikeout mark this season after her first fanned batter against Arkansas-Monticello inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex. Rogers currently sits at 1,044 career strikeouts.
The Peach State native has not only set new standards for future Mulerider pitchers, but has also set the standard for the Great American Conference and the nation. This season, Brinson has accumulated ten GAC Pitcher of the Week honors and is the conference's record-holder for the most of the plaudit in a season. Nationally, Rogers holds the record for the most weekly recognitions by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as she has been named the NFCA's DII National Pitcher of the Week four times this season, the most by any pitcher or player.
Rogers was a key factor for Mulerider Softball's fifth regular season title, as she leads the group into the GAC Championship Tournament being the one seed and boasts stats such as leading the league in complete games with 23, earned run average with 0.87, games started with 29, hits allowed per seven innings with 3.38, innings pitched with 193.0, strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings with 9.9, and in WHIP with 0.77. Brinson not only leads the conference in categories such as these, but also leads the NCAA, not just Division II, in shutouts and victories with 26.
 
Murphy USA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Matthew Whitten (Football)
 
A native of Princeton, Louisiana, Whitten is a Kinesiology-Coaching major with a 3.90 undergraduate GPA and a 4.0 graduate GPA.
Whether it was on the gridiron, in the classroom, or in the community or even at other Mulerider sporting events, Whitten's collegiate time in Magnolia was well spent. Whitten is a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree as well as a member of Chi Alpha Sigma since the 2022-2023 academic year. Matthew also received the outstanding student award in the human performance and sport science department: K-12 Physical Education and Health for the 2023-2024 academic year. The senior was also selected to the Great American Conference Academic Honor Roll this past season.
Matthew gave back to the community through his service at East Side Elementary, Magnolia Middle School, and around campus initiatives. Matthew was also chosen for Shape Arkansas, a non-profit organization of teachers researchers and college students that advocate for health and physical education across the state.
In his senior season, Whitten totaled 274 receiving yards on 21 receptions while playing in all 11 games. In his career, Matthew competed in 39 games for Mulerider Football and totaled 64 receptions, 992 receiving yards, and ten touchdowns over three seasons.
 
Murphy USA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Marlee Bright (Women's Basketball)
 
The Amity, Arkansas native is a Physical Education and Health K through 12 major that boasts a 4.0 undergraduate GPA.
One word to describe Bright's academic year up to this point is ELITE, as the junior point guard was named one of the GAC's six Elite Scholar Athletes this last season. Bright was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team and was just inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma earlier in the show. The junior has given back to the community in many different ways as she has assisted with Columbia Christian School's PeeWee Basketball Practices, Magnolia High School's concession stand for volleyball games, sorted books for SAU Tech's Adult Education, Trick or Treat for Halloween at the Boys and Girls Club, putting up Christmas lights at the Crowell's, picking up trash around the SAU campus, and pack food for food drives at Asbury Methodist Church.
During her time at Southern Arkansas University, Marlee has also been a part of the Leadership Team for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as a Huddle Leader during an FCA Camp. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Bright was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week on a pair of occasions this last season and led the conference in multiple statistical categories while also ranking highly in NCAA Division II for the same marks. The Natural State native was fifth in Division II for her assist/turnover ratio with a 2.45, eighth in the nation for her steals per game with 3.14, and was ninth nationally for her total steals with 91, a single-season program.
 
Male Comeback Player of the Year
Beau Leonards (Baseball)
 
The Frisco, Texas native has played in his first full season for the Mulerider Baseball team after returning from a pair of tommy john surgeries in previous seasons.
Beau has been the regular seven-inning game starter over the weekends this season. The Texan has recorded one complete game this year while being second on the team in qualifying ERA, throwing 62 and two-thirds innings, striking out 61 batters. Leonards' opponents are hitting just .247 against the Southpaw. Leonards' has made 13 starts this year, which is the most in his career, while currently ranking tied for eighth in the GAC for batters struck out. After a 13-strikeout and zero earned run complete game against Ouachita Baptist, Beau claimed his first GAC Pitcher of the Week honor. The senior has been a key arm for the Muleriders this season as they finished second in the regular season standings.
 
 
Female Comeback of the Year
Marlee Bright (Women's Basketball)
 
The Amity, Arkansas native played one of, if not the largest, roles for the Mulerider Women's Basketball team as the junior started in all 29 contests under first-year head coach Darrick Matthews after playing in just 21 outings and not seeing a start in the 2023-2024 campaign.
Bright was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week on a pair of occasions this last season and led the conference in multiple statistical categories while also ranking highly in NCAA Division II for the same marks. The Natural State native was fifth in Division II for her assist/turnover ratio with a 2.45, eighth in the nation for her steals per game with 3.14, and was ninth nationally for her total steals with 91, a single-season program. Following November, Bright was named to the NCAA DII's all-stats starting five for that month. To cap off her accolades for the campaign, she was named an Elite Scholar-Athlete at the GAC Basketball Tournament Banquet.
 
Male Newcomer of the Year
Jinsei Tajima (Men's Tennis)
 
Tajima, a native of Waw-Kah-Yaw-Muh, Japan, has delivered a highly impressive first year as a Mulerider. The senior transfer has made an immediate impact for the Mulerider Men's Tennis team in his one season with the group.
For the majority of the season, Tajima played at the 4, 5, and 6 lines in singles and recorded 17 wins in singles play, with 12 of those wins coming in the spring. For doubles, the senior accounted for 16 wins, 9 of which took place in the spring while playing at lines 2 and 3. During his senior season at SAU, Jinsei reached 60 career singles wins and 50 career doubles wins while also winning a pair of tournaments in the fall.
 
Female Newcomer of the Year
Sophia Stoddard (Softball)
 
A native of Bountiful, Utah, Stoddard has provided security for the Muleriders' defense and at the plate. The catcher's awareness behind the plate has set Southern Arkansas up with one of the top batteries in the conference and the nation.
The grad-transfer has kept base runners honest as Stoddard is second in the Great American Conference for runners caught stealing with ten this season and ranks 36th nationally in the statistical category. Stoddard has not only been handling business behind the plate, but has also been Southern Arkansas' top batter this season in terms of percentage with a .362 batting average, along with leading team 27 in hits with 51.
 
Outstanding Athletes
Austin Adair (Baseball)
Christian Caldwell (Men's Basketball)
Te'Quaza Chambers (Women's Basketball)
Wesley Maxwell (Men's Cross Country)
Logan Warren (Women's Cross Country)
Haven Williams (Cheerleading)
Dawson Scott (Football)
Logan McDonald (Men's Golf)
Aubrey Marx (Women's Golf)
Regan Dillon (Softball)
Frode Neumann (Men's Tennis)
Amelie Gindl (Women's Tennis)
Joe Duirden (Men's Indoor Track and Field)
Irieyanna Wilson (Women's Indoor Track and Field)
Keith Smith (Men's Outdoor Track and Field)
Diamond Brunn (Women's Outdoor Track and Field)
Macie Shaver (Volleyball)
 
2025 Induction Class of the SAU Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma
Savannah Clausen (Softball)
Cassidy Lear (Softball)
Grant Roosma (Baseball)
Will Blake (Men's Golf)
Marlee Bright (Women's Basketball)
Corie Byrd (Softball)
Casey Cobb (Football)
Anderson Colley (Men's Track and Field)
Allie Cooper (Volleyball)
Luke Cote (Men's Golf)
Regan Dillon (Softball)
Anaya Ervin (Women's Track and Field)
Hayden Helton (Football)
Aubrey Marx (Women's Golf)
Nate Mennie (Football)
Ariana Morris (Women's Track and Field)
Hayden Nitz (Football)
Jackson Regan (Baseball)
Keith Smith (Men's Track and Field)
Caleb Sollars (Baseball)
Riley Stanford (Women's Basketball)
Breyonna Steward (Women's Track and Field)
Ashton Yarbrough (Baseball)
Ava Zindler (Women's Track and Field/Cross Country
 
2024-25 Senior Student-Athletes
Baseball
Tyler Abrego | Argyle, Texas
Austin Adair | Pflugerville, Texas
Jeremy Adorno | Kissimee, Florida
Peyton Ballard | Hot Springs, Arkansas
Clay Burrows | Jacksonville, Arkansas
Carter Claerhout | Red Deer, Alberta
Joshua Flaugher | Bremerton, Washington
Jayden Hill | Frisco, Texas
Beau Leonards | Frisco, Texas
Landon McAllister | Springdale, Arkansas
Mikey McGinnis | Houston, Texas
Brandon Nicoll | Langley, British Columbia
Josh Phillips | Cypress, Texas
Grant Roosma | Austin, Texas
Jack Roubik | Edmond, Oklahoma
Trace Shoup | El Dorado, Arkansas
Sean Sieve | Granbury. Texas
Jackson Sorey | Sheridan, Arkansas
Jaden Woolbright | Benton, Arkansas
 
Men's Basketball
Christian Caldwell | Natchitoches, Louisiana
Kris Cook | Los Angeles, California
BJ Davis | Nashville, Tennessee
Jaren Harris | Los Angeles, California
CJ Ray | Four Oaks, North Carolina
Marcus Rodgers Jr. | Denver, Colorado
 
Women's Basketball
Te'Quaza Qua Chambers | Plain Dealing, Louisiana
Jada Gasaway | Lake Charles, Louisiana
Haylee Mitchell | Tulsa, Oklahoma
Crystal Ortiz | Sallisaw, Oklahoma
Riley Stanford | Benton, Louisiana
Addy Tremie | Sulphur, Louisiana
Chloe Wilbanks | Leesville, Louisiana
 
Cheerleading
Raylen James | North Little Rock, Arkansas
Haven Williams | Sherwood, Arkansas
 
Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
Korbin McAuliffe | El Dorado, Arkansas
Derrick Onyeador | Arlington, Texas
Dontrelle Robinson | Nashville, Arkansas
 
Women's Cross Country/Track and Field
Kelis Boutte | Jeanerette, Louisiana
Alexis Martin | Magnolia, Arkansas
Alyzah McGlasson | East Sundown, Texas
Kailyn Thomas | Houston, Texas
Logan Warren | Katy, Texas
Irieyanna Wilson | Allen, Texas
 
Football
Steven Adair | Wagoner, Oklahoma
Deonta Barnes | Lexington, Mississippi
Judd Barton | Alexandria, Louisiana
Thomas Bowman | Belton, Texas
Tyler Bruton | Pearland, Texas
Zaccheus Burnett | Jackson, Mississippi
Elvin Calhoun | Palestine, Texas
Teris Consonery | New Orleans, Louisiana
Mekhi Davis | Houston, Texas
Rasheen Green | Katy, Texas
Colton Grier | League City, Texas
DK Henderson Jr. | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Seth Johnson | Gibsland, Louisiana
Damon LeGrande | Lake End, Louisiana
Tre'von Letts | Neosho, Missouri
Jakarion Lockett | Macon, Mississippi
Kendall Reid | Texarkana, Texas
Kadyn Roach | Magnolia, Arkansas
Gavin Roe | Haughton, Louisiana
Jariq Scales | Osceola, Arkansas
Andrew Schreiner | Lake Jackson, Texas
Dawson Scott | Mexia, Texas
Hosea Singleton | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Melvin Smith Jr. | Bossier City, Louisiana
 
 
Men's Golf
Alex Gerrard | Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Wil Griffin II | Hot Springs, Arkansas
Colby Light | Spring Hill, Arkansas
Logan McDonald | Bryant, Arkansas
 
Women's Golf
Taylor-Rose Hubbard | Frisco, Texas
 
Softball
Savannah Clausen | Arvada, Colorado
Jenna Huey | Rimrock, Arizona
Cassidy Lear | Greenbrier, Arkansas
Jalyn McGuffin | Somerset, Texas
Brinson Rogers | Statesboro, Georgia
America Rubio | El Paso, Texas
Sophia Stoddard | Bountiful, Utah
Jocelyn Ulrich | Aztec, New Mexico
 
Men's Tennis
Tim Fischer | Frankfurt, Germany
Lluc Pasqual | Vic, Barcelona, Spain
Jinsei Tajima | Wakayama, Japan
 
Women's Tennis
Inna Serpukhova | Kharkiv, Ukraine
Honoka Yoshimura | Fukuoka, Japan
 
Volleyball
Kayte Delong | Overland Park, Kansas
Alexa Heard | Little Rock, Arkansas
Jada Hudson | Grand View, Texas
Mary Insalaco | North Little Rock, Arkansas
Lauryn Moultrie | Fairburn, Georgia
Isla Olivas | Fort Worth, Texas
Landry Rogers | Salado, Texas
Macie Shaver | Prosper, Texas
Ava Tanner | Brock, Texas
Carlin Whaley | Magnolia, Arkansas