Junior Kenzie Rinehart (Deming, NM/Deming ) landed on the First-Team, while three other Lady Mustangs in junior Jordan Gutierrez (Albuquerque, NM/Valley ), junior Tessa Jones (Truth or Consequences, NM/Hot Springs ) and sophomore Lucy Benning (El Paso, TX/El Paso) were named to the honor roll as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Academic Teams were announced Monday.
Rinehart, from Deming, N.M., bolsters a solid 3.90 GPA and is majoring in accounting. This is the second straight year for Rinehart on the academic list after making honor roll last year. She has played in 14 games this season tallying 16 points, a block, six steals, six assists and 12 rebounds. She scored five points in a game twice this season versus Black Hills State and this past Saturday against Chadron State. She snagged two steals against Western State, had four rebounds against Black Hills State and two assists against Western State.
Gutierrez holds a 3.32 GPA and is majoring in medical technology biology-molecular and cell. Gutierrez, from Albuquerque, N.M., has had a great junior campaign so far as she leads the team in three-pointers with 29 and is second on the team in scoring at 9.1 per contest. She is also second on the team in assists with 33 and steals with 24. She has played in every game this season, starting 10. Gutierrez went for a career-high 29 points against CSU-Pueblo where she connected on seven three-pointers. She has gone for at least 10 points in a game seven times this year. She swiped four steals in a game against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State, while dishing out a high in assists with seven against New Mexico Highlands.
Jones returned to the team just past the start of the season and is once again on the list after making it last year. She holds a 3.67 GPA and is majoring in kinesiology. Jones, from Truth or Consequences, N.M., has played in 10 games posting 10 points, 32 rebounds, three blocks and nine steals. She recorded a high in points with four against Western State, grabbed six rebounds against Colorado Christian and Western State and came away with two steals versus Colorado Mines.
Benning lands on the list with a 3.51 GPA and is yet to declare a major. Benning, from El Paso, Tex., has been out this season due to injury.
The Academic Player of the Year, along with the 10 First Team All-Academic members, was voted on by the conference’s sports information directors. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters. Grade-point averages are based on grades prior to the Fall 2015 semester.