COMMERCE – East Texas A&M University women's cross country runner Kaat De Staercke and football player Ozlo Rigby are this week's Dixie Turman State Farm Agency Student-Athletes of the Week. 

De Staercke (Zemst, Belgium) helped the Lion women place third at the Southwestern Showdown last Saturday, finishing second among Division I teams in the race. She timed 23:50.21 in the six-kilometer race for eighth. The Lion cross country teams return to the course on October 17 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the Weis-Crockett Invitational. 

Rigby (Panama City, Florida) was the hero on homecoming for the Lions as he drilled a game-winning 51-yard field goal with the clock expiring for a 20-17 win over UTRGV. He went a perfect 2 for 2 (36, 51) in field goal attempts and 2 for 2 in extra-point attempts in the Lions' thrilling win. The Lion football team is back in action on October 17 as well, playing at HCU. 

The Dixie Turman State Farm Agency Student-Athletes of the Week is awarded by Lion Athletics each week during the academic year in partnership with Dixie Turman State Farm Agency.
 
2026-27 DIXIE TURMAN STATE FARM STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Date	Female	Male
Sept. 1	Ariana Brown, Volleyball	Micah Simpson, Football
Sept. 8	Haley Mullaney, Volleyball	Samuel Pepe, Men's Cross Country
Sept. 14	Anete Randma, Women's Cross Country	Tramar Gilbert, Football
Sept. 21	Marie Baertz, Women's Golf	Jace Chaney, Men's Golf
Sept. 28	Allyson Reed, Soccer	Dylan Scott, Football
Oct. 5	Kaat De Staercke, Women's Cross Country	Ozlo Rigby, Football