Kingsville - Texas A&M-Kingsville Athletics announced the recipients of the 2024-2025 end-of-year athletic awards on Wednesday.

Receiving top honors as this year's Gil E. Steinke Award winners are seniors Ronald Grueso Mosquera of men's track & field and Ayanna Jackson of volleyball. The remaining department awards can be found below celebrating the exceptional effort and achievements of student-athletes in the previous academic and athletic year.

GIL E. STEINKE AWARD – MALE - Ronald Grueso Mosquera | FEMALE - AYANNA JACKSON

The Gil E. Steinke award is given to the top male and female athletes of the year in the Javelina Athletic Department.

Senior Ronald Grueso Mosquera put together one of the greatest individual years in Javelina Track and Field history. In his first and only season in the blue and gold, he became TAMUK T&F's first individual National Champion since 2018 when he won the men's shot put at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships with an incredible, 18.92m throw. The individual title served as the cherry on top of a weekend that has already seen Grueso Mosquera finish as the National Runner-Up in the men's discus the day prior. He was a crucial piece of the Javelinas' national sixth-place finish in those championships.

In his final collegiate year, Grueso Mosquera put together quite the collection of hardware, finishing as a four-time Lone Star Conference individual Champion, a three-time First Team All-American, both the LSC and USTFCCCA South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year and, of course, a National Champion.

Senior Ayanna Jackson was nothing short of exceptional in her final season with the Javelinas. Printing her name everywhere in the Javelina Volleyball record book, her 483 career total blocks tie her with Ada Ihemelu ('99) for the second-most ever by a Javelina. She also boasts the second-best attack percentage in program history (.337), the second most total points (1722.5) and the third most solo blocks (84). Jackson was also named a first-team all-conference selection and was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association all-american honorable mention team.

Texas A&M-Kingsville Volleyball has reached new heights with Jacskon at the helm, reaching the LSC tournament three times. The 2023 season was the highlight of her time win the Javelinas, reaching the LSC tournament championship finals for the first time in program history and being selected the the NCAA Division II South-Central region tournament.

SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - MALE - Jackson Allen, Football | Female - Jazmin Ray, Track and Field

The Scholar-Athlete award is given to the male and female student-athletes compiling the highest GPA during their educational career at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Allen, a five-year member of the Javelina football team, helped pave the way for the Javelinas' third-consecutive seven-win season last year. A captain on the 2024 Javelina football team, Allen posted career highs in every statistical category this year with 36 catches, 432 yards and four touchdowns. Allen completed his masters degree in the spring of 2025.

Ray was named the Lone Star Conference's Outdoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year this spring. She completed her MBA with a 4.0 GPA after graduating with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering while carrying a 4.0. She holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in the triple jump and finished as a First Team All-American in the event during the outdoor season, placing sixth at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor National Meet.

JUNE DOTTERWEICH AWARD – Vitiana Robert, Women's Track and Field

The June Dotterweich Award was established by Dr. Frank Dotterweich in memory of his wife, June, and the recipient is a female student-athlete who has excelled in the classroom and competition. 
Robert made history this spring as the first winner of the NCAA's Elite 90 Award in Javelina history. The prestigious award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships. Just a few months later, during the outdoor season, Robert was named to the LSC All-Academic Team as well. 

She boasted an incredibly impressive year on the track as well, as she ran the first leg of the 4x400m relay that, this year along, broke both the indoor and outdoor school records, won the event during the both the LSC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and finished as First and Second Team All-Americans during the indoor and outdoor seasons respectively.

ATHLETE CAREER AWARD - Tyler Palmer, Football

The Athlete/Career award was established by Dr. Stewart Cooper, long-time chair of the University's health and kinesiology department, and is given to a student-athlete who has lettered in at least one sport, has been an intramural participant and who is planning a career in coaching. 

Palmer, a native of Shiner, Texas, was a four-year member of the Javelina Football team dating back to the 2021 season where he came to Texas A&M-Kingsville as a quarterback. Palmer will begin his coaching career this upcoming fall, where he will be an assistant coach at Pleasanton High School. 

FRED McINTIRE AWARD – D'Cambren Verrett, Football

The Fred McIntire award is given to a member of the Javelina football program who has at least a 2.50 GPA, preferably majoring in engineering or mathematics, and has been in college at least two full semesters.

Verrett has been a key piece to the backend of the Javelina defense each of the past two seasons he has been with the program. The native of Houston, Texas, played in all eleven games this season with 34 total tackles, four pass breakups and a 98-yard pick-six against Western New Mexico.

FOOTBALL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Travis Bielefeld

The Football Achievement Award was established by Dr. Frank Dotterweich in memory of his wife, June. The selected student-athlete must have at least a 2.50 GPA, be a letter winner, be achieving in school and community service and have completed at least two full semesters of college work.

Bielefeld had a breakout season in his redshirt-freshman season, finishing fourth on the team with 44 tackles while adding four TFL's. Bielefeld is also a member of the Student Academic Advisory Committee which helps support student athletes and the greater community of Kingsville.  

DICK HITCHENS AWARD - Tyler Schumann, baseball

The Dick Hitchens Award is presented annually in memory of the attorney from Kingsville and goes to a student-athlete majoring in history or political science.

Schumann, a Fulshear Texas native, was exceptional in his first season with Javelina Baseball. Taking home the LSC's freshman of the year honors, Schumann tossed 43 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 48.2 innings of work. His best performance came in a 2-0 complete game shutout against Texas A&M-International, where he would be named LSC and NCBWA Regional pitcher of the week.

JOHNNY MARROQUIN AWARD - Ayanna Jackson, volleyball

The Johnny Marroquin award was established by Mary Marroquin in honor of her husband, Johnny, and is given to a student-athlete who will be teaching and coaching after graduation.

Jackson is one of the most decorated student athletes in the history of Javelina Athletics. On top of her achievements in the 2024-25 academic year, Jackson was named the LSC's freshman and defensive player of the year in her first season with the Hogs, was named as an all-american in the 2022 and 2023 season and is a three time first-team all-conference selection for the LSC.

FRED & JOAN NUESCH AWARD - Luis Aguilar

The Fred & Joan Nuesch award is given to a student worker from the Javelina Athletic Communications, preferably majoring in journalism or mass communications, with plans to become a sports journalist. It was established at the time of Fred Nuesch's retirement as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information after 35 years in the position.

Aguilar is an education major with a focus in social studies grades 4-8. He was an essential piece to the success of all Javelina home events in the fall semester, assisting the athletic department with broadcast production, gameday operations as well as guiding new student workers through gameday tasks.