Featuring TXST Women's Sports for Women's History Month
Mattingly Palmer, a senior from Georgetown, Texas, has been a strong presence for Texas State women’s golf since transferring from Baylor.
She won her first collegiate title at the 2023 Texas State Invitational and was named a WGCA All-American Scholar. In 2023-24, she posted a low round of 66 and recorded 58 birdies. A consistent performer with multiple top finishes, Palmer also excels academically, earning Sun Belt honors.
Sierra Dickson is a graduate guard for Texas State women’s basketball known for her leadership on and off the court.
A five-year contributor with over 130 games played, Sierra Dickson has posted career highs of 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. A standout marketing student, she’s earned Academic All-District and Sun Belt honors, serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is a multi-time Texas State Star of Excellence Award recipient.
Abigail Parra is a junior distance runner for Texas State, steadily climbing the ranks in cross country with impressive year-over-year growth.
In 2023, she set personal bests in the 4k (15:17.4), 5k (18:29.1), and 6k (21:59.4), placing 24th at the Sun Belt Championships and 66th at the NCAA South Central Regional. As a freshman in 2022, she competed in five meets, highlighted by a 16th-place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival. Known for her strong work ethic and consistent improvement, Parra is a key competitor for the Bobcats.
Ciara Trahan is a senior outfielder and standout contributor for Texas State softball, known for her speed, consistency at the plate, and defensive reliability.
A former Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and All-Sun Belt pick, Trahan set a program record with 61 hits as a freshman. In 2024, she started 38 games before a season-ending injury, tallying 40 hits, 26 runs, 18 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases with no errors. With over 150 career hits, she remains one of the Bobcats’ most impactful players.
Kiana Graham is a senior leader on the Texas State women’s tennis team and a top performer in both singles and doubles play.
Callie Creath is a graduate student and key addition to Texas State women’s tennis in 2023-24.
A 2023 ITA Scholar-Athlete, Graham also earned key fall wins in both singles and doubles. In 2022-23, she went 10-10 in singles and won top flights at two tournaments. A 5-star recruit out of Westwood HS, she was ranked No. 33 nationally and comes from a family of elite collegiate and Olympic athletes.
In her first season with the Bobcats, Creath posted 10 singles wins across courts 1–3 and went 4-3 in conference play. A four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, she previously played at Tennessee, where she totaled 24 singles wins and 16 doubles wins, and clinched multiple matches in SEC play.
Kaylie Smith made an immediate impact in her first season at Texas State, earning 2024 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
The transfer from Mississippi State started all 22 matches, scoring four goals and adding five assists, including a game-winner and a penalty kick in the Sun Belt semifinal. A dynamic midfielder, Smith logged over 1,500 minutes on the pitch and consistently created scoring opportunities.
Melanie Duron is a record-breaking junior thrower for Texas State, specializing in the shot put.
Taejha Badal is a standout junior sprinter for Texas State, holding school records in the 4x100m (43.85) and DMR (11:48.89).
A two-time Sun Belt First Team All-Conference honoree in 2023-24, Duron won both the indoor and outdoor conference titles and set the Texas State indoor shot put record at 16.76m. Duron also competed at the NCAA West Regional and holds multiple top-10 marks in program history.
A 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier and All-America Honorable Mention, Badal earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors for both indoor and outdoor seasons. Badal set PRs in the 100m (11.48) and 200m (23.44) and was a key contributor to the women’s team title at the SBC Championships.
Samantha Wunsch is a dominant outside hitter for Texas State, earning back-to-back First Team All-Sun Belt and All-Tournament honors in 2023 and 2024.
A 2024 AVCA All-Region selection, she led the Bobcats with 450.5 points and 3.72 kills per set this season. The four-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week has recorded over 20 kills in multiple matches and is a key force at the net on both offense and defense.
