Valdez Earns NAIA National Academic Honor
 Posted May 22, 2007
 UTB/TSC junior women's golfer Annette Valdez has been named a recipient of the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete award, presented to student-athletes for their achievements on the playing field and in the classroom.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be a junior or senior, possess a minimum of a 3.50 GPA and have been at the university or college for a minimum of one full academic year.

Valdez, who received other awards this past academic year, said that being a NAIA Scholar Athlete is a great way to cap off the school year. “I am really excited about this award,” Valdez said.  “I want to thank my coaches for being understanding and giving me time to do school work. They place a lot of emphasis on my education.”

Women's Golf Coach Robert Lucio was proud of Valdez' accomplishments.

“Annette is a very humble individual,” Scorpion Women’s Golf coach Robert Lucio said.  “She brings stability to the team and combines common sense with a brilliant mind.  That combination gives her the opportunity to do whatever she wants to do when she graduates. Annette epitomizes what the university looks for in student athletes.”

Valdez is the first Scorpion student-athlete to receive this special recognition.

“We are very proud of Annette and her contributions to our athletic department and our university," Scorpion Director of Athletics Dan Huntley said. "She has set the bar high for our other student-athletes to reach in the future. We can now expect that our student-athletes will strive and receive this recognition in the future.  Our coaches are doing a great job in recruiting student-athletes that are committed to excellence in the classroom and on the field, court, or course.”