Three Seniors Earn Top Honors at Athletic Banquet :: Montalvo, Ybarra and Moses received the department's highest honors.

May. 2, 2005

University of Texas-Pan American seniors Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.), Isaac Ybarra (Mission, TX/Sharyland H.S.) and Amy Moses (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) received the Athletic Department's highest honors at the 2005 UTPA Athletic Banquet held at the McAllen Country Club on Sunday (May 1).

Montalvo and Ybarra were co-winners of the Male Student-Athlete of the Year honors while Moses was a unanimous selection for Female Student-Athlete of the Year laurels.

Montalvo has been a fixture in the UTPA lineup for four years, including starting in 26 of 28 games during the 2004-05 campaign. He surpassed career-highs in 15 statistical categories and ranked second among all NCAA Division I Independent players in assists per game (3.1) and seventh in steals per game (1.1). The heart and soul of the Broncs' lineup averaged 8.2 points per game and led the team in assists (87), steals (32) and minutes played (881).

The Broncs' point guard was named to the Academic All-Independent team with a 3.667 grade point average while taking graduate classes in Counseling. He graduated from UTPA in May of 2004 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and was one of two NCAA student-athletes to be honored at the NACDA Convention in Dallas, TX, with the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Sportsmanship Award.

Ybarra became UTPA's first male Indoor All-American after finishing seventh at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships. He set a school record in the 35-lb. weight throw with a toss of 69-2.5 and captured three indoor individual titles during the season at the Houston Hyatt Indoor Invitational, Leonard Hilton Invitational and LSU Twilight.

The Mission, TX, native finish the indoor season ranked 13th in the nation and set a program record with a throw of 206-6 during the outdoor season en route to finishing fifth at the NCAA Division I Regional Championships and advancing to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. He captured individual titles at the Angela Proctor Classic, Rice Bayou Classic and Rice Twilight. Ybarra is majoring in pre-medicine.

Moses is one of the most decorated female student-athletes to ever wear the Lady Broncs' uniform as she became the first female Indoor All-American in school history, finishing sixth at the NCAA Indoor National Championships. She was also the first UTPA female to score a point during indoor national competition. The Lady Broncs' senior set a school record in the 20-lbs. weight throw with a toss of 71-8 at the Last Chance Meet in Gainesville, FL, which also set a new Canadian national record.

The Edinburg North High School product notched five throws of 69-0 of better at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships in 2005 and recorded individual titles at the Houston Indoor Classic and Hyatt Regency Invitational. She earned runner-up honors at the LSU Twilight that season. She was a Dean's List first honors selection during the 2004 spring semester and garnered Dean's List second honors in the fall semester. Moses is a biology major.

Louie Alamia (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.), Hector Gandara (Mission, TX/Pratt C.C.), Colin Norris (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Cochrane H.S.) and Jeremy Salvo (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada/Centennial S.S.) were also nominated for Male Student-Athlete of the Year while Heather Bravo (Las Vegas, NV/Durango H.S.), Rowena Hamlet (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Lorne Park S.S.), Karla Hernandez (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.), Stefanie Maynard (Pflugerville, TX/Pflugerville, TX) and Molly Schamel (Hector, NY/Yavapai College) were up for the Female Student-Athlete of the Year honors.

Gandara and freshman Tynesha Pierce (Houston, TX/Westfield H.S.) were also honored as the Male and Female Newcomer of the Year at the UTPA Athletic Banquet.

Gandara was named Independent Runner of the Year following a victory at the NCAA Division I Independent Cross Country Championships. He garnered first team All-Independent honors and earned Runner of the Week honors after he finished 13th overall out of 185 runners at the Auburn Invitational. He was the Broncs' top runner five times and captured an individual championship at the Texas State Invitational. He earned Dean's List second honors in the spring of 2004.

Pierce played a prominent role in the UTPA women's basketball program's record breaking season and earned a place on the All-Independent Newcomer team honors at the conclusion of the season. She was cited with honorable mention All-Independent honors and also earned Newcomer of the Week laurels on three occasions. She led the Lady Broncs in total points (243), field goals made (102) and scoring average (9.0). She ranked second in rebounds (121) and rebounds per game (4.5). Pierce ranked 10th among all NCAA Division I Independent players in field goal percentage.

Tim Haines (Mission, TX/Blinn College), Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.), David Trevino (Brownsville, TX/Hanna H.S.) and Kyle Tudi (Phoenix, AZ/Chaparral H.S.) were also nominated for Male Newcomer of the Year laurels while Amber Kelly (Houston, TX/J.F. Dobie H.S.), Megan McGuire (Grafton, OH/Avon Lake H.S.) and Sabrina Montalvo (Rio Grande City, TX/Rio Grande City H.S.) were up for Female Newcomer of the Year accolades.

Schamel, a member of the women's basketball team, was selected as the recipient of the Ann LaMantia Award, which is presented annual to a female student-athlete that has excelled in the classroom. Salvo, a member of the men's tennis team, was presented with the Lou Hassel Award for the senior male student-athlete who has achieved the highest grade point average.

The UTPA women's basketball team was honored with the Image Award, which is given to a program that demonstrates a commitment to community service, athletic integrity and academic excellence. The Lady Broncs were active in the Adopt-A-School program and hosted a Trek-or-Treat to prove a safe alternative during Halloween and helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. Some of the Lady Broncs' other community service projects included caroling at a Comfort House during the holiday season, visiting Winter Texas Parks and holding a free clinic to over 100 local girl scouts.

Tony Forina, host of the Sportsline on ESPN Radio 1240 AM, served as the master of ceremonies.

UTPA Sports Information