COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Recognized as the top academic teams in their respective sports in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Black Hills State University softball and women's basketball programs were announced as recipients of the RMAC's Brechler Award on Thursday afternoon. BHSU was one of six schools in the league with multiple program's earning the accolade.
The Yellow Jacket softball team is second all-time in conference history for the number of times they have won the Brechler Award and remains one of just two programs that have won the award multiple times. It is the third time (2013-14, 2022-23, and 2024-25) BHSU has received the award. Head coach
Ashlyn Englehorn's team posted a GPA of 3.719, had three student-athletes earn a 4.0, and had 14 above a 3.50. All 23 team members were above a 3.00 on the year. Individually,
Tyler Whitlock,
Taylor Dowden,
Audrey Fouras,
Adreanna Lance,
Ashlynn Pauwels, and
Laci Peskey were all named to the RMAC Academic Honor Roll, with Dowden and Whitlock earning spots on the First Team Academic All-RMAC. Additionally, Fouras, Dowden, and Whitlock were named CSC Academic All-District®.
Now tied for the most Brechler Award honors in the RMAC, Yellow Jacket women's basketball takes home the honor for the third time (2015-16, 2016-17, and 2024-25) in program history. Head coach
Rachel Erickson's team posted a GPA of 3.833, had four student-athletes earn a 4.0, and had 11 above a 3.50. All 14 team members were above a 3.25 on the year. Individually, the trio of
Kalla Bertram,
Morgan Hammerbeck, and
Gracie Haneborg were recipients of both the RMAC Academic Honor Roll and CSC Academic All-District®. Additionally, Bertram and Hammerbeck each received First Team Academic All-RMAC honors.
Established in 2012-13, the Brechler Awards recognize the conference's top team grade point average (GPA) in each of its 22 sports. Grades were used from the 2024-25 academic year. All student-athletes who were on the institution's NCAA eligibility list were included in the teams' GPA calculation. The team GPA is calculated by dividing the total quality points for each semester by the total number of credits. Team GPAs were submitted to the RMAC Office by each institution's compliance administrator.
The award is named after Paul W. Brechler, a former RMAC Commissioner (1976-1990), who, along with his wife Wanda, were the first inductees into the RMAC Hall of Fame. Paul was also the former athletic director of the University of Iowa and served as Commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The Brechler Award winners will be recognized during the 2025 RMAC Hall of Fame & Awards Banquet on Thursday, July 10, at the Colorado Springs Marriott. Doors will open at 5 p.m. MT, and the induction and awards ceremony will follow promptly at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at RMACSports.org/Tickets.
