The Red River Athletic Conference has announced that two A&M-Texarkana student athletes have been named as the 2024-25 Red River Athletic Conference Etier Character Athletes of the Year. The conference announced that seniors Baylee Stautzenberger and Jonathan Rios won the awards in an announcement on Monday, June 30, 2025.
Now in its ninth year, the award is given annually to one male and one female RRAC student-athlete who best represent the tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character program (respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership). To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their respective RRAC member institutions. All nominees were considered finalists, and the winners were selected in voting by the RRAC Champions of Character Committee.
The awards were posthumously named for Betty Etier, an NAIA and RRAC Hall of Famer, RRAC Eligibility Chair for 18 years, and an associate professor/faculty athletics representative at Huston-Tillotson University (Texas). Etier made a lasting impression on everyone involved in the RRAC and helped shape the conference from its beginning.
“We are extremely proud of Baylee and Jonathan for being named the RRAC Etier Champions of Character for 2025,” said A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Ross Alexander. “These awards speak to their level of servant leadership both on and off of the playing field. Having both the male and female winners from A&M-Texarkana this year is a testament to the kind of student athletes we are attracting at A&M-Texarkana and further illustrates why expanding athletics is a critical part of the university’s growth strategy.”
Stautzenberger, a senior softball player from Moran, Texas, earned a 3.82 GPA while completing her undergraduate degree and working on her MBA in Management. She was named second-team all-conference this year as well. Always a team leader and supportive teammate, Stautzenberger encouraged her peers and initiated optional team activities and Bible studies. Her involvement also stretched across the broader athletic department as a gameday operations assistant with the TAMUT sports information department for the last two years. Stautzenberger donated her time to multiple campus organizations which took part in numerous community service projects. She has also served on the TAMUT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the RRAC Association of Student-Athletes. Stautzenberger plans on completing her MBA and exploring opportunities in sports business.
“Earning the RRAC Champion of Character Award is a testament to the kind of person Baylee Stautzenberger is every day,” said TAMUT softball coach Tony McKnight. “She plays with heart, leads with humility, and serves with integrity—on and off the field. This honor is a reflection of who she is when no one is watching, and that’s the true mark of a champion.”
Rios, a senior baseball player from Socorro, Texas, posted a 3.93 GPA as an accounting major at TAMUT. He served as a team captain with a seat on the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a role as a Student Ambassador for the university. Rios participated in numerous community service events such as the “Soaring Tigers Program” in partnership with the Texarkana Independent School District. He and other teammates read to elementary school students and participated in other events with local schools. Rios was twice a nominee for the Scott Bruner Award for Visionary Student Leadership while also earning the Accounting Student of the Year award and being selected for the Eagle Aspire Group. Rios demonstrated his servant leadership while holding a work-study position with the baseball program which included responsibilities for team laundry, ground crew work, and field maintenance. He also attended study halls to assist teammates with homework and academic projects. Rios plans to return to TAMUT as a coach while pursuing his master’s degree.
“Jon is a walking example of what you look for in a student-athlete,” says TAMUT baseball coach Chase Brewster. “He is obviously phenomenal on the field but, off the field, he is everything you could ask for also. He is our leader and our team captain. There were days when he hit fourth in the lineup for us and washed the uniforms – all in the same day. No task was too big or small for him. He was a big brother to so many of our younger players, and a first-year head coach’s dream to be around. He made all our lives easier.”
“Baylee and Jonathan represent everything we strive for in our athletic department- character, leadership, and a heart for others,” said Ryan Wall, A&M-Texarkana Director of Athletics. “Being named the conference Champions of Character is a testament to who they are both on and off the field. I couldn’t be more proud of them. They lead with humility, compete the right way, and make everyone around them better.”
About Eagle Athletics
Texas A&M University-Texarkana is a member of the NAIA’s Red River Athletic Conference. The university fields teams in 21 sports including men’s and women’s basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, as well as baseball (men), softball (women), volleyball (women), beach volleyball (women), and coed esports, dance, and cheer.
About Texas A&M University-Texarkana:
As a member of The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M University-Texarkana is a comprehensive regional university that provides students with academically challenging, engaging and rewarding educational experiences through quality teaching, scholarship, student support services, co-curricular programming, research, and service.
