2025 UIL Sponsor Excellence Award Winners

Date: Feb 10, 2026
Category: AcademicsAthleticsGeneral Information Music

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUSTIN — The University Interscholastic League is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 UIL Sponsor Excellence Award, celebrating 15 sponsors who have demonstrated unparalleled commitment to students' extracurricular development in Texas.

The award, now in its 35^th year, was created to identify and recognize outstanding sponsors who enable students to develop and refine their extracurricular talents to the highest degree possible within the education system.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges in the areas of academics, athletics and music from nominations submitted by school principals and superintendents across the state.

“The passion, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication of our sponsors, coaches, and directors are what transform interscholastic competition into life‑changing opportunities for students,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Jamey Harrison. “Their leadership lights the path for young people to discover their potential, and the UIL is honored to celebrate these remarkable individuals with this prestigious award.”

Each winner will receive $1,000 and a symbolic memento from the UIL in recognition of their achievements in the pursuit of educational excellence through interscholastic competition. The League continually strives to strengthen and promote the role of extracurricular activities in Texas through programs like the UIL Sponsor Excellence Award.

The UIL Sponsor Excellence Award winners for 2025 are as follows:

Ruben Baldazo – Dallas Skyline High School
Ruben Baldazo has led Dallas Skyline’s boys soccer for nine years and the cross country program for five, serving as head coach for the past three. He expanded the Skyline JV Soccer Tournament from 8 to 16 teams and hosts annual cross country meets that support UIL schools across the region. Under his leadership, the varsity boys soccer team has reached the UIL state playoffs for three straight years, earning a district championship and two runner‑up finishes. In cross country, his efforts expanded the program from 12 to nearly 60 athletes and leading the varsity boys to their first regional qualification in 12 years.

“I believe that athletics play a powerful role in a student’s overall education,” Baldazo said. “Sports like soccer and cross country teach lessons that go far beyond the field or course. They build discipline, resilience, teamwork, and character – qualities that help students succeed in life, not just in competition.”

Vanessa Chapa – McAllen High School
Vanessa Chapa has over 20 years of experience in UIL speech, debate, and academics, coaching multiple events and serving extensively as a judge, tabulator, presenter, and committee member at district, regional, and state levels. She spent 14 years as a UIL academic coordinator, rebuilding a struggling program into a team of nearly 100 students, expanding course offerings, and hosting UIL invitational meets that funded academic travel and growth. Her coaching success includes more than 100 district placements, dozens of regional qualifiers, multiple state qualifiers, and two regional champions.

“Competition provides a multidimensional platform for learning, as students test their limits, overcome barriers, and engage with a world beyond their campus or hometown,” Chapa said. “It provides students with additional sources of motivation, celebrations for success, and an avenue to connect with the world around them.”

Jerod Fikac – Cuero High School
With 22 years of experience in education, Jerod Fikac has coached multiple sports at the junior high and high school levels, including football, track and field, baseball, and basketball. He currently serves as head football coach and athletic director at Cuero High School. As an assistant football coach, he was part of state championship teams in 2005 and 2011, and as head coach, his teams reached the state semifinals in 2018 and 2022. As athletic director, he has overseen historic achievements, including the girls basketball program’s first-ever state runner‑up finish in 2025 and the volleyball team’s deepest postseason run in school history in 2024.

“The field and courts provide more than just a place to compete,” Fikac said. “They are platforms where student-athletes learn, grow, and develop into young adults. Through athletics, they gain lessons in discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and leadership that extend far beyond the game.”

Linus Fuhrmann – Lindsay High School
Linus Fuhrmann has spent more than 25 years coaching middle and high school math and number sense, building successful programs that have earned numerous district championships. His high school number sense team has reached the UIL state meet 21 times, winning 16 state titles along with multiple runner‑up and top‑three finishes. He has coached six individual state champions and many top state performers. Beyond competition, he mentors students, promotes UIL academics, trains other schools, helps run meets, and even drives the bus when needed.

“I believe that discipline and hard work equal success,” Fuhrmann said. “I also emphasize team goals over individual goals. When students are competing, students should represent their schools with class.”

Sylvia Garza – Magnolia West High School
Sylvia Garza has devoted 28 years to UIL choir and eight to UIL music theory, consistently leading students to superior ratings in concert & sight‑reading, ensemble contests, and solo competitions. Several of her students have earned “Outstanding Performer” honors at TSSEC, including one in music theory. She has served the profession through 11 years as the TMEA Region 9 honor choir coordinator, and judging UIL contests across the Brazos Valley and Rio Grande Valley.

“Now more than ever, students need opportunities, both group and individually, to build collaboration, patience, curiosity, delayed gratification, grit, and a place that normalizes the uncomfortable,” Garza said. “We build these foundational skills through trial and error, through coming close but falling short, self-evaluation, peer evaluation, peer collaboration, and through the passionate perseverance of acquiring a very specific goal over a long period of time.”

Jeremy Gentry – Groveton High School
Jeremy Gentry has coached a wide range of UIL events, with 16 years specializing in literary criticism and additional experience in copy editing, headline writing, debate, ready writing, and current issues. He has served as a junior high and high school academic coordinator; hosting meets and mentoring multiple campuses while providing clinics and academic enrichment opportunities. His literary criticism teams have earned three consecutive state championships (2022–2024), numerous individual state titles, and consistent team and individual state qualifications. His students have also earned state medals in copy editing, advanced to state in headline writing, and qualified for regionals across several events.

“The experience of preparing and competing creates a rich, team-oriented environment in which our students learn to work together to navigate difficult subject matter and overcome educational and emotional obstacles, preparing them for life in school and beyond,” Gentry said. “Our school’s atmosphere benefits greatly from having a common, tangible goal though UIL academics.”

Eric Gray – Gilmer High School
For 27 years, Eric Gray has been the head band director at Gilmer High School. He has hosted UIL solo & ensemble and concert & sight‑reading events and has held numerous statewide leadership roles, including on the UIL Marching Band Rules Advisory Committee. Under his leadership, Gilmer has earned 25 UIL sweepstakes awards, multiple state marching contest bronze medals (2021, 2022, 2024), and a state championship in 2025. Hundreds of his students have achieved first‑division UIL ratings, seven have earned distinguished performer honors, and many have placed in region and the Texas All‑State Band.

“When a set of standards to be met is placed in front of an individual, a choice is made to focus your attention and energy on meeting those standards or deem them as unworthy of your time and move on,” Gray said. “It has been my experience that those individuals that rise to the challenge, learn skills and have experiences that will serve them well beyond their high school years.”

Esther Harrison – Shelbyville High School
Esther Harrison has devoted more than 40 years to UIL academics, coaching multiple events for grades 2–8 and high‑school number sense while serving as Shelbyville ISD’s academic coordinator since 1984. Under her leadership, Shelbyville ISD has earned numerous sweepstakes titles at all levels, two regional championships, and the 2025 2A state academic championship. Her programs have produced 221 state qualifiers, 99 state medalists, and 28 state champions, with students advancing to state every year since 1993. She also directs multiple district and invitational meets, builds cross‑district partnerships and presents at conferences.

“UIL activities foster a competitive environment for the students to push their boundaries and rise above their own personal expectations,” Harrison said. “It teaches students the benefits of pursuing knowledge and a work ethic while building character and creating leaders of tomorrow.”

Lyndsay Hodges – Cy-Fair High School
Lyndsay Hodges has 26 years of experience, including 18 as a head volleyball coach and nine as a head golf coach, with additional roles in softball, soccer, and middle‑school track. She has organized tournaments, presented at coaching clinics, and served in multiple leadership positions. Hodges helped start the volleyball program at Clear Falls High School where she led her teams to consistent playoff appearances, a 2013 state semifinal, and a 2014 6A state runner‑up finish. She has coached an AVCA All‑American, a Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, and many collegiate athletes.

“It is my job to teach these kids how to adapt and adjust to a busy life; to lean in to what they love and work through their tough moments,” Hodges said. “They learn that ‘student’ will always come before ‘athlete’, and that the expectation isn’t just to pass, it is to excel.”

Brett Howard – Canyon High School
Over the past five years, Brett Howard has sponsored multiple UIL academic events, including CX and LD debate, congressional debate, extemporaneous speaking, interpretation, and current events, while also supporting junior high A+ academics. He has hosted district CX meets for several years and served in statewide roles, including the UIL LD Topic Selection Committee and the UIL Region Advisory Committee, as well as presenting at UIL conferences. Under his leadership, Canyon High School has achieved major competitive success, including a CX state championship in 2023, a state runner‑up finish in 2025, multiple top‑16 state appearances, national‑level competition, and state‑level recognition in congress, extemporaneous speaking, interpretation, and LD debate.

“The goal of education and of every educator is to create lifelong learners,” Howard said. “UIL activities are not merely contests, they are classrooms that extend beyond walls and grades, where students learn resilience, integrity, teamwork, and respect. The trophies will fade, but the confidence, leadership, and lifelong learning UIL cultivates will last forever.”

Cheri Jay-Wienecke – Lometa High School
Cheri Jay-Wienecke has 21 years’ experience coaching a wide range of UIL events, including LD debate, CX debate, poetry, prose, extemporaneous speaking, and congress. She has served on multiple UIL advisory committees, provided extensive clinics and support to programs across the state, sponsored junior high speaking events and presented at UIL conferences. Her students have earned 20 state championships, dozens of state medals, at least 10 state finalist finishes, and more than 25 state qualifications. In 2024–2025, Lometa qualified students in congress, LD, CX, and won the Conference 1A state championship in poetry, finishing second overall in the academic team standings.

“I remind my students that every person we meet has something to teach us, no matter the skill level,” Jay-Wienecke said. “Awards and good grades are great, but what truly makes me proud is seeing my kids graduate from college, enter the workforce, and live their dreams.”

Shelby Nickells – Leander Rouse High School
Shelby Nickells has coached UIL copy editing, news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, headline writing, and ready writing for the past six years. Since 2023, she has served as the UIL academic coordinator for Rouse High School and frequently assists at invitational meets by proctoring and grading journalism events. Nickells has built a consistently competitive journalism and writing program, producing district, regional, and state‑level achievers while leading and supporting the broader UIL academic program.

“While UIL journalism is an individual event, working together as individual competitors to combine as a team to win the meet teaches kids to collaborate as a team,” Nickells said. “Clear, concise communication is one of the most vital skillsets one can have in any industry, so to prepare these kids with those skills in high school is my essential mission as a journalism advisor.”

Leigh Petty – Tuscola Jim Ned High School

Leigh Petty has served as a UIL academic coordinator at both Roscoe Highland High School (2010–2019) and Tuscola Jim Ned High School (since 2022), organizing events that promote student participation and celebrate academic success. She has coached multiple UIL events, including CX debate, extemporaneous speaking, congressional debate, prose, poetry, and current issues. As a CX debate coach for 11 years, she has led teams to two bronze medals, one silver medal, and the Conference 1A state championship in 2017. At Jim Ned, her teams reached the 3A state octofinals in 2023 and 2025. Petty also coached informative and persuasive speaking students to strong regional and state performances.

“I believe competition is an essential extension of the educational experience, providing students with meaningful opportunities to apply classroom knowledge, develop resilience, and discover their individual strengths,” Petty said. “Through academic and extracurricular contests, students learn the value of preparation, discipline, and teamwork while gaining confidence in their abilities.”

Mike Reed – Gordon High School
Mike Reed has 26 years of coaching experience, with 24 years as athletic director and head coach in football and track. Reed has led his teams to four football state championships, three state football runner‑up finishes, and three state track championships. His honors include 11 district coach of the year awards, seven regional coach of the year awards, multiple statewide coach of the year awards, the 2025 Texas Girls Track Coach of the Year and the 2025 National Boys Track Coach of the Year.

“In athletics and other educational programs, competition is not defined solely by winning, but by the opportunity to develop discipline, resilience, teamwork, and integrity,” Reed said. “Athletics serve as a vital part of education, preparing students to become responsible citizens and leaders, equipped with the life lessons necessary for future success.”

Amberley Tanner – Northwest Steele High School
Amberley Tanner has coached UIL prose, poetry, debate, extemporaneous speaking, and congress since 2001, while also coaching current issues, journalism, accounting, social studies, and directing and adjudicating one‑act play for many years. She has served more than nine years as a UIL academic coordinator, hosted numerous contests, and supported UIL programs in Title I and developing schools. Tanner’s students have earned multiple overall district championships, top speech team awards, a state championship in chemistry, a 3rd‑place state finish in poetry, numerous state finalist finishes in interpretation and congress, qualified for state in debate, and district championships across many academic and speech events.

“On my campus I have wanted to cultivate a culture of teamwork and the notion that we are so much stronger together,” Tanner said. “UIL offers a broad range of events that allows all students to participate in a competition that not only provides opportunities to learn and excel but an opportunity to explore a subject area that they are passionate about in a new exciting way.”

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