RUSTON – Back on May 4, 2015, the blue carpet was rolled out for the very first time at the inaugural Techspys.
Fast forward to this past Monday night when Louisiana Tech Athletics celebrated its top individual and team accomplishments as part of the 10th annual Techspys award show inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
The year-end "ESPY Awards"-style event, hosted by Gavin Kelly, highlighted all of the academic, athletic, and community service achievements of LA Tech Student-Athletes. The show featured 18 Techspy awards as well as individual awards for community service, top GPA, and Tenets of Tech.
Male Presidential Award presented by University President Dr. Jim Henderson
ABRAHAM DELFIN | FOOTBALL
The offensive lineman had a stellar career in the classroom as a two-time Academic All-District honoree, six-time CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient, six-time CUSA Academic Medalist, and three-time CUSA All-Academic selection. He carried a 3.91 cumulative GPA while getting his master's degree in business administration. On the football field, he played in 63 career games on the offensive line and was a two-time All-CUSA Honorable Mention selection.
Female Presidential Award presented by University President Dr. Jim Henderson
JOHANNON MURRAY | TRACK AND FIELD
The three-time CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient graduated in May of 2023 in Marketing and currently carries a 4.00 GPA while getting her master's degree in business administration. She has a combined seven top-6 finishes at the CUSA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and has reached the podium on three occasions including two third place finishes in the Pentathlon in 2022 and 2023. She became first Bulldog in program history to win the CUSA Outdoor Championship in the Heptathlon.
Male Performance of the Year presented by Boris Teske and Mike DiCarlo
RODNEY HEATH JR. | MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Heath Jr. qualified for the men's 100m NCAA Championships with the first-ever program sub-10 100m spring going 9.99 to finish with the 10th overall time at the NCAA Regionals. He became the first Bulldog since 2019 to reach the NCAA Championships.
Female Performance of the Year presented by Boris Teske and Mike DiCarlo
OLGA BIENZOBAS | TENNIS
After dropping the first set, 6-4, to LSU's Kinaa Graham who came into the contest ranked 56th in the country, Bienzobas fought back to win the second set by the same score. The senior had the upper hand the entire time in the third-set tiebreaker, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before ultimately winning it, 10-4, for what was the second-highest ranked singles win in program history.
Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year presented by Dr. Dickie Crawford
ISAIAH CRAWFORD | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Crawford was named CUSA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming just the fourth player in league history to win both. The fifth-year senior, who was also a First Team All-CUSA and First Team All-District selection, averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He also totaled 68 steals and 55 blocks.
Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year presented by Dr. Dickie Crawford
ALLIE LEIENDECKER | BOWLING
Leiendecker finished in the top 25 in nine of the teams 11 events with three top 5 finishes and a tournament MVP at the SIWBC II. She was named Second Team All-America, becoming the first Bulldog to be a five-time All-American. She ranks No. 8 in strike percentage at 54.7% and No. 14 in scoring average at 20.79 per frame. Her average of 208.06 on the season ranks third in the country.
Male Rookie of the Year presented by Mario Byrd
MICHAEL RICHARD | FOOTBALL
Richard was named Second Team Freshman All-America by The Athletic and CUSA Freshman of the Year after tallying 32 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries in his first season as a Bulldog. He led all CUSA freshmen with seven pass breakups and had an 83.5 coverage grade which was the fourth-best mark among all CUSA defensive backs.
Female Rookie of the Year presented by Mario Byrd
KYRA TAYLOR | SOCCER
Taylor was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year and First Team All-CUSA. She appeared in all 20 matches with eight starts while scoring nine goals, which tied the LA Tech record for a freshman. She had three multi-goal games, which also set a freshman record, while leading the Bulldogs in points with 18.
Male Newcomer of the Year presented by Elton Taylor
ETHAN BATES | BASEBALL
Bates was named Third Team All-America and a two-time All-Conference USA selection as a utility player and relief pitcher. He started 56 of 57 games as a position player while also making 25 appearances on the mound as the primary closer. His 16 homers ranked second on the team. He also recorded 14 multi-hit games. As a pitcher, he posted a team-best ERA of 3.02 with a 4-3 overall record and 10 saves, tied for the second most in a single season in program history.
Female Newcomer of the Year presented by Elton Taylor
LAUREN ALBRECHT | VOLLEYBALL
Albrecht started all 28 matches at setter for the Bulldogs. The transfer from Fairmont State played in all 97 sets with 416 assists, 162 digs, and 21 service aces. She had 23 matches with 10+ assists including 14 of 15+ and 8 of 20+.
Male Play of the Year presented by Connor Smith
THOMAS HENSON | GOLF
With a spot in the CUSA Match Play finals on the line, Henson won the head-to-head matchup on the 19th hole against Middle Tennessee, draining a 20-foot putt.
Female Play of the Year presented by Connor Smith
KATELIN COOPER | SOFTBALL
With the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Katelin Cooper stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Down to her last strike, she smashed a 2-run, walk-off homer over the right-field wall to give the Bulldogs a 7-5 win over Sam Houston in the Conference USA opener.
Team of the Year presented by Ryan Ivey
TENNIS
The team team posted a 20-6 overall record in 2023, the second most victories in program history. They had their highest finish ever in CUSA while advancing to the semifinals of the CUSA Tournament for the first time ever. The Bulldogs were nationally ranked in the last six ITA collegiate team polls, ranking as high as No. 64 in the country and finishing the season ranked No. 73. They also finished ranked No. 5 in the ITA Southern Region and had three Bulldogs earn All-CUSA honors.
Team Community Service Award presented by Shy Glass
SOCCER
Male Team GPA Award presented by Dr. Donna Thomas
GOLF
Female Team GPA Award presented by Dr. Donna Thomas
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Top Male GPA Graduating Senior presented by Dr. Heath Tims
Will Patrick
Top Female GPA Graduating Senior presented by Dr. Heath Tims
DaLoria Boone
Community Service Award Individual Winners presented by Shy Glass
Baseball – Reed Smith
Football – Patrick Rea
Golf – Riley Hnatyshyn
Bowling – Allyson Sand
Men's Basketball – Will Allen
Softball – Kaylee Grealy
Soccer – Alma Cedefors
Volleyball – Meghan Scharpenberg
Women's Basketball – Robyn Lee
Men's Track and Field – Marshall Ellis
Women's Track and Field – Nariah Parks
Men's Cross Country – Dillon Moree
Women's Cross Country – Victoria Datta
GPA Award Individual Winners presented by Dr. Heath Tims
Baseball – Slade Netterville
Football – Gabe Pugh
Golf – Gray Kingrea
Bowling – Jenna Stretch
Men's Basketball – Ben Ponder
Softball – Nicole Hammoude
Soccer – Alma Cedefors, Madita Ehrig, and Kyra Taylor
Tennis – Zoie Epps and Tiffani Nash
Volleyball – Jailen Hurley
Women's Basketball – Evelyn Goetz
Men's Track and Field – William Estes
Women's Track and Field – Daloria Boone and Johannon Murray
Men's Cross Country – Arie Linton
Women's Cross Country – Rebecca Quebedeaux
Tenets of Tech Winners presented by Kaylyn Murphy
Volleyball – Lauren Albrecht
Football – Jack Turner
Softball – Caroline Easom
Bowling – Danielle Jedlicki
Baseball – Logan McLeod
Soccer – Emma Jones
Tennis – Zoie Epps
Golf – Thomas Henson
Men's Track and Field – Rodney Heath Jr.
Women's Track and Field – Tonie-Ann Forbes
Men's Cross Country – Hayes Gill
Women's Cross Country – Rebecca Quebedeaux
Men's Basketball – Daniel Batcho
Women's Basketball – Jianna Morris
