SACE February Champions of the Month
3/9/2022 7:08:00 PM | Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, Champions of the Month
Student-Athletes from Football, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country and Volleyball selected as February Champions of the Month
WACO, Texas – MJ Ruhman (football), Dale Bonner (men's basketball), Cate Urbani (women's cross country) and Lauren Briseño (volleyball) have been selected as the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE) February Champions of the Month.
This award recognizes student-athletes who achieve their personal bests in the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
Each of these student-athletes was nominated by a SACE team member based upon their embodiment of each of the four pillars.
Named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the Fall 2021 semester, Ruhman has a 3.71 GPA this semester as a pre-engineering major. "He always exemplifies a positive attitude and helps those around him," assistant academic coach Brandon Stanley said. "MJ is a pleasure to be around and is the definition of academic success."
A freshman from The Woodlands, MJ is the son of former Texas A&M and NFL offensive lineman Chris Ruhman. "Academics at Baylor is a great tool that will help me accomplish my goal of becoming an electrical engineer," MJ said, "and will help me pursue many great careers with that through the connections at Baylor."
After transferring from Division II Fairmont State, Bonner took on a significant role in helping the third-ranked men's basketball team win its second-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship and also scored his 1,000th career point this season. A junior communications major from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Dale said "being recognized for my success on and off the court means a lot."
Bonner, a SAAC representative who went through the Leadership Institute last fall, "has truly exemplified what it means to be an elite student-athlete," said Lauren Kirby, Director of Learning Support. "He consistently shows up to academic appointments with a productive and positive attitude. Dale is always prepared and is proactive in his communication with professors and support staff."
Urbani, who went to the FCA weekend Advance Feb. 11-13, hasn't let an injury keep "her from growing in her faith and encouraging others to do the same," said John Maurer, Director of Sports Ministry. She was a scoring runner in the Aggie Opener cross country meet in the fall, placing 25th with a 4.1K time of 15:19.6.
"Through FCA and Baylor Sports Ministry, God is providing a group of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ," said Cate, a freshman from Bellaire, Texas, majoring in exercise physiology and religion. "FCA is especially meaningful, because we all connect over sports as well as shared faith. We point each other to Christ in struggles that we have all gone through . . . staying committed to our sport while keeping our identity in God."
Briseño, a freshman libero/defensive specialist from San Antonio, was one of five Baylor players who participated in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program Feb. 25-27 in Colorado Springs. Playing in every match and all but one set for the Bears in the fall, she averaged 1.84 digs per set and finished with seven service aces.
Majoring in health, kinesiology and leisure studies, Briseño is on pace to earn her personal-best and a spot on the Big 12 Honor Roll this semester. "She has been working hard by consistently coming to study hall even over the amount of required hours, really being engaged in her tutor sessions and one-on-one academic meetings" said assistant academic coach Caitlyn Shumate. Lauren said the "Baylor academic community sets their athletes up for success. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities they have given me to create a path for my career."
This award recognizes student-athletes who achieve their personal bests in the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
Each of these student-athletes was nominated by a SACE team member based upon their embodiment of each of the four pillars.
Named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the Fall 2021 semester, Ruhman has a 3.71 GPA this semester as a pre-engineering major. "He always exemplifies a positive attitude and helps those around him," assistant academic coach Brandon Stanley said. "MJ is a pleasure to be around and is the definition of academic success."
A freshman from The Woodlands, MJ is the son of former Texas A&M and NFL offensive lineman Chris Ruhman. "Academics at Baylor is a great tool that will help me accomplish my goal of becoming an electrical engineer," MJ said, "and will help me pursue many great careers with that through the connections at Baylor."
After transferring from Division II Fairmont State, Bonner took on a significant role in helping the third-ranked men's basketball team win its second-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship and also scored his 1,000th career point this season. A junior communications major from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Dale said "being recognized for my success on and off the court means a lot."
Bonner, a SAAC representative who went through the Leadership Institute last fall, "has truly exemplified what it means to be an elite student-athlete," said Lauren Kirby, Director of Learning Support. "He consistently shows up to academic appointments with a productive and positive attitude. Dale is always prepared and is proactive in his communication with professors and support staff."
Urbani, who went to the FCA weekend Advance Feb. 11-13, hasn't let an injury keep "her from growing in her faith and encouraging others to do the same," said John Maurer, Director of Sports Ministry. She was a scoring runner in the Aggie Opener cross country meet in the fall, placing 25th with a 4.1K time of 15:19.6.
"Through FCA and Baylor Sports Ministry, God is providing a group of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ," said Cate, a freshman from Bellaire, Texas, majoring in exercise physiology and religion. "FCA is especially meaningful, because we all connect over sports as well as shared faith. We point each other to Christ in struggles that we have all gone through . . . staying committed to our sport while keeping our identity in God."
Briseño, a freshman libero/defensive specialist from San Antonio, was one of five Baylor players who participated in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program Feb. 25-27 in Colorado Springs. Playing in every match and all but one set for the Bears in the fall, she averaged 1.84 digs per set and finished with seven service aces.
Majoring in health, kinesiology and leisure studies, Briseño is on pace to earn her personal-best and a spot on the Big 12 Honor Roll this semester. "She has been working hard by consistently coming to study hall even over the amount of required hours, really being engaged in her tutor sessions and one-on-one academic meetings" said assistant academic coach Caitlyn Shumate. Lauren said the "Baylor academic community sets their athletes up for success. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities they have given me to create a path for my career."
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