ENMU Athletics News

Bachman and Sabiston Earn LSC Scholar-Athlete Awards

Many Other Student-Athletes Recognized For Their Achievements at ENMU

By Nicole Holcomb

Eastern New Mexico student-athletes Caroline Bachman (BS 21) and Liam Sabiston (BS 21) earned the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Scholar-Athlete Award for 2020–21, as announced by the conference office.

Each academic year, the LSC presents a Scholar-Athlete Award to one male and one female student-athlete at member institutions. These student-athletes represent the outstanding accomplishments in athletics, scholarship, and leadership that are on display at each LSC campus during the year.

To be eligible for this special honor, student-athletes must have participated at least two years in their sport and be a member of the graduating class.

Caroline Bachman

Bachman spent four years as a member of the ENMU cross country and track and field programs. She is a three-time track and field LSC All-Academic Team honoree. During her junior year, at the Indoor LSC Championships, she placed 14th in the 800-meter and helped the Greyhound 4x400 relay team to a fourth-place finish.

Liam Sabiston

Sabiston spent three years with the Greyhounds baseball team as a pitcher. During the 2021 season, he made 14 appearances on the mound with a 0-1 record and one save. In 29.2 innings of work, he had an 11.83 ERA with 21 strikeouts.

ENMU also saw 97 student-athletes named to the 2021 Spring Lone Star Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, highlighting those who achieved a minimum 3.30 GPA while maintaining their status on the current athletic roster. Thirty-five Greyhounds had a 4.0 GPA in the Spring 2021 semester.

The ENMU football squad boasted the highest team GPA out of all LSC football programs.

Athletic Leadership Changes

By Todd Fuqua

Eastern New Mexico scored a major coup when it landed Dr. Paul Weir as its next director of Athletics.

Paul Weir

Weir comes to Portales, New Mexico, after having been the only person to be the head men’s basketball coach at both the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. He is currently an adjunct faculty member for UNM’s Anderson School of Management.

New ENMU Head Football Coach Tye Hiatt comes to Portales from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. As the offensive coordinator, he helped Shepherd post a 10-3 record and secure a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Tye Hiatt

He takes over a program that had success under coach Kelley Lee, winning the 2019 Heritage Bowl before the COVID-19 pandemic effectively canceled all practice and competition on the ENMU campus.

Coach Abbey Barnum took on the women’s soccer position in March of 2020, while Coach Brent Owen was named men’s basketball coach in May of 2020.

Abbey Barnum

Brent Owen

Neither have coached the Greyhounds in a game due to COVID restrictions but worked during the 2020–2021 school year to keep their athletes focused and ready to compete when their respective seasons kick off this coming academic year.

Amanda Fefel

In July, Eastern announced Amanda Fefel as the new softball coach, coming to ENMU from Division I Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where she served as pitching coach.

As of this publication’s print deadline, four candidates for the women’s basketball coaching position interviewed on the Portales campus, with an announcement to be made as the school year begins in August.