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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UT Dallas, Mary Hardin-Baylor Favored as Division Champions in Women’s Basketball
RICHARDSON, Texas – The University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor have been picked to win the 2017 American Southwest Conference East and West Division titles, respectively, following a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information director, and select media members, the ASC office announced Tuesday.
UT Dallas (25-4, 15-1 ASC) received 104 points and all 10 of 16 first-place votes to lead the East Division. Head coach Polly Thomason and the Comets are coming off an ASC Championship run and a trip to the NCAA Championship Regional, which they hosted.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (18-9, 10-6 ASC) was picked to win the West Division with 62 points and six out of 12 first-place votes. The Cru, under head coach Mark Morefield, were the runners-up in the West last season and advanced to the ASC Championship semifinals.
The University of Texas at Tyler (20-7, 11-5) received five first-place votes in the East Division after advancing to the ASC semifinals a year ago.
Howard Payne University (15-11, 12-4) received four first-place votes in the West after winning the division a year ago.
The 2017 ASC Women’s Basketball Watch List is composed of players nominated by the head coaches and returns one all-conference selection, four all-division recipients, and three individual award winners. Leading the list of returning players is the All-ASC selection and reigning West Division Player of the Year Jaela Dejean (Houston, Texas / Concordia Chicago) of Concordia Texas.
The 2017 season marks the 22nd in league history. Regular season play begins Wednesday, November 15. The three-day, eight-team, the single-elimination conference tournament is February 22-24 at the site of the East Division No. 1 seed. The ASC Championship Tournament features the top four seeds from both divisions. An automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship will be on the line.
ASC Women’s Basketball Preseason Polls
East Division
| No. | Team (First-place votes) | Pts. | 2016-17 Record (ASC) |
| 1. | UT Dallas (10) | 104 | 25-4 (15-1) |
| 2. | UT Tyler (5) | 98 | 20-7 (11-5) |
| 3. | Louisiana College (1) | 79 | 10-16 (7-9) |
| 4. | LeTourneau | 58 | 13-13 (10-6) |
| 5. | Belhaven# | 50 | 14-11 (n/a) |
| 6. | East Texas Baptist | 40 | 3-22 (1-15) |
| 7. | Ozarks | 28 | 10-15 (5-11) |
# Ineligible for 2017 ASC Championship / NCAA Championship (Div. III Provisional)
West Division
| No. | Team (First-place votes) | Pts. | 2016-17 Record (ASC) |
| 1. | Mary Hardin-Baylor (6) | 62 | 18-9 (10-6) |
| 2. | Howard Payne (4) | 58 | 15-11 (12-4) |
| 3. | Concordia Texas (1) | 52 | 16-10 (9-7) |
| 4. | Hardin-Simmons (1) | 32 | 8-16 (4-12) |
| 5. | McMurry% | 27 | 9-15 (5-11) |
| 6. | Sul Ross State | 21 | 10-16 (7-9) |
% Ineligible for 2017 ASC Championship / NCAA Championship (Div. III Reclassifying)
ASC Women’s Basketball Preseason Watch List
East Division
| Name | Pos. | Class | School |
| Ke’Asia Gray | G | Jr. | Belhaven |
| Lauren Lee S | C | Sr. | East Texas Baptist |
| Keauna Whitfield | G | Fr. | LeTourneau |
| Madison Mayfield | F | Fr. | LeTourneau |
| Brooke Jones # | C | Sr. | Louisiana College |
| Kourtney McGhee # | G | Sr. | Louisiana College |
| Zharian Maxmillion F | F | So. | Louisiana College |
| Hailey Ostrander | G | Jr. | Ozarks |
| McKenzie Petty | G | Sr. | UT Dallas |
| Madison Steele | F | Sr. | UT Dallas |
| Megan Badejo | C | Sr. | UT Dallas |
| Alex Kochner | G | Sr. | UT Tyler |
| Demi Cumby | G | Sr. | UT Tyler |
2016-17 East Division Second Team Selection #
2016-17 East Division Freshman Team F
2016-17 East Division Defensive Team D
2016-17 East Division Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year S
West Division
| Name | Pos. | Class | School |
| Jaela Dejean *$WD | G | Sr. | Concordia Texas |
| Mercedes Ellison H | G | Jr. | Concordia Texas |
| Kaycie Dunkerley | F | Fr. | Concordia Texas |
| Valarie Matlock D | G | Jr. | Howard Payne |
| Presley McKethan | G | Sr. | Howard Payne |
| Jada Evans | G | Sr. | Howard Payne |
| Kendall Rollins RT | G | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Alicia Blackwell T | G | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Hannah Holt #FY | G | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Sham Hunter 2 | G | Sr. | McMurry |
| Skyler Reyna TD | F | So. | McMurry |
| Taylor Gass | G | Jr. | Sul Ross State |
| Erica Solomon-Powell | G | So. | Sul Ross State |
| Reginique Coleman | F/C | Fr. | Sul Ross State |
2016-17 All-ASC Selection*
2016-17 West Division Player of the Year*
2016-17 West Division First Team Selection $
2016-17 West Division Second Team Selection 2
2016-17 West Division Honorable Mention 2
2016-17 West Division Defensive Team D
2016-17 West Division Freshman of the Year R
2016-17 West Division Freshman Team T
2016-17 East Division Second Team Selection #
2016-17 East Division Freshman Team F
2016-17 East Division Freshman of the Year Y
VOLLEYBALL
Miller, Lay, Jones & Evans Named ASC Volleyball Players of the Week
Paige Miller and Karina Lay of East Texas Baptist, Jasmine Jones of McMurry and Haleigh Evans of Mary Hardin-Baylor earn Volleyball Players of the Week.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Matches: October 17-21, 2017
EAST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Paige Miller, OH, Jr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist University junior outside hitter Paige Miller (Kerrville, Texas / Tivy HS) hit .486 with 4.44 kills and 3.11 digs per set as the Tigers went 3-0 on the week. She hit .538 with 14 kills and no errors against Belhaven and had 13 kills with a .500 attack rate against Louisiana College. Miller finished the week with 13 kills and hit .423 against Belhaven. She also recorded six aces on the week.
EAST DIVISION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Karina Lay, L, So., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist sophomore libero Karina Lay (Frisco, Texas / Liberty HS) recorded 42 digs (4.67 per set) as the Tigers went 3-0. She tallied 19 digs in a sweep over LeTourneau, ten against Louisiana College and 13 versus Belhaven.
WEST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jasmine Jones, OH, Jr., McMurry
McMurry University junior outside hitter Jasmine Jones (Mansfield, Texas / Legacy HS) led the War Hawks to a 3-0 week by hitting .284 with 2.85 kills per set. She connected on 16 kills in a victory at Howard Payne.
WEST DIVISION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Haleigh Evans, L, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor
University Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore libero Haleigh Evans (Edna, Texas / Edna HS) averaged 6.14 digs per set (43 total) in a pair of wins against Concordia Texas. She had 21 digs in Tuesday’s match and 22 on Friday for the fourth Player of the Week award this season and sixth of her career.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Hardin-Simmons University senior middle blocker Grace Schulz (Mansfield, Texas / Mansfield HS) hit .261 with 34 kills (3.4 per set) and eight blocks as the Cowgirls went 2-1 on the week.
The University of Texas at Dallas freshman middle blocker Alana Geymer (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) averaged 3.00 kills per set and hit .252 in the No. 22 Comets’ four matches against national competition. She had double-digit kills in three games, including 20 in a five-set loss to No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan.
Mary Hardin-Baylor junior middle blocker Maddie Frerich (Brackettville, Texas / Brackett HS) led the Cru by hitting .565 with 2.14 kills per set with a pair of wins over Concordia Texas. She tallied 15 kills with just two errors and had ten total blocks in the two victories.
The University of Texas at Tyler senior outside hitter Brieanne Brown (Belton, Texas / Belton HS) helped lead the Patriots to a four-set win over No. 22 UT Dallas with 12 kills, six digs and three blocks in the four-set win.
Concordia University Texas freshman middle blocker Marjani Myles (Houston, Texas / St. Pius HS) had 20 kills (2.86 per set) and hit .277 in the Tornados’ two losses to Mary Hardin-Baylor.
LeTourneau University freshman middle blocker Hailey Matthews (Splendora, Texas / Splendora HS) recorded 39 kills (3.25 per set) and hit .223 as the YellowJackets went 3-1 on the week. She finished with 15 kills in a sweep over Belhaven and had 12 kills and 18 digs against Louisiana College.
Defensive
Hardin-Simmons sophomore libero Mary Johnson (Dallas, Texas / Plano West HS) recorded 48 digs (4.80 per set) as the Cowgirls went 2-1 on the week.
McMurry junior libero Odalis Rodriguez (El Paso, Texas / Chapin HS) averaged 5.00 digs per set as the War Hawks went 3-0 and extended their win streak to six matches. She tallied 27 digs in a comeback five-set win at Howard Payne.
UT Dallas sophomore middle blocker Lauren Schilling (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan HS) averaged 1.06 blocks per set as the No. 22 Comets played in four matches. She recorded seven blocks in a four-set loss at UT Tyler then had five blocks against No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan.
UT Tyler freshman outside hitter Brianna Bellehumeur (Frisco, Texas / Frisco HS) recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 15 digs, and 13 kills in a four-set victory over No. 22 UT Dallas.
Concordia Texas sophomore libero Sydney Dudney (Austin, Texas / Austin HS) averaged 2.86 digs per set with 20 in the Tornados’ pair of losses to Mary Hardin-Baylor.
LeTourneau freshman defensive specialist Cam Taylor (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave HS) recorded double-doubles and average 4.54 assists and 2.31 digs per set as the Yellow Jackets went 3-1 on the week. She also tallied five service aces.
MEN’S SOCCER
Pereira, Trost, Chavez & Botello Win ASC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
Lucas Pereira of UT Tyler, David Trost of LeTourneau, Alex Chavez of McMurry and Bryant Botello of East Texas Baptist win the Men’s Soccer Players of the Week for the eighth week of the season.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE MEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: October 17-21, 2017
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lucas Pereira, MF, Jr., UT-Tyler
The University of Texas at Tyler junior midfielder Lucas Pereira (Barcelona, Spain) scored the ninth goal of his season in a 2-0 win against Ozarks. The score proved to be the game-winning goal of the contest.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – David Trost, F, Jr., LeTourneau
LeTourneau University junior forward David Trost (Stillwater, Okla. / Stillwater HS) scored a goal in each game as the YellowJackets went 1-1 on the week. Trost scored the game-tying goal with 12 minutes left in regulation in a 3-2 overtime loss to Belhaven. He gave LETU an insurance goal in a 2-0 victory over Louisiana College.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alex Chavez, GK, Sr., McMurry
McMurry University senior goalkeeper Alex Chavez (Galveston, Texas / Ball HS) had four saves in a shutout 1-0 victory against No. 21 Mary Hardin-Baylor. He also picked up five saves in a 1-1 overtime tie with Concordia Texas to earn his third Player of the Week award of the year.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bryant Botello, GK, Jr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist University junior goalkeeper Bryant Botello (Spring, Texas / Woodlands College Park HS) allowed one goal with ten saves as the Tigers went 1-0-1. He recorded six saves in a 2-1 victory against Louisiana College, then added four saves in a scoreless draw with Belhaven.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Concordia University Texas senior forward Alejandro Labastida (Austin, Texas / McNeil HS) scored the game-tying goal in the Tornados’ 2-1 win over Hardin-Simmons.
University of the Ozarks junior midfielder Daniel Cruz (Garland, Texas / Garland HS) notched his third goal of the season in a 3-0 non-conference victory at Hendrix.
The University of Texas at Dallas senior midfielder Daaron McFarling (Fairview, Texas / Lovejoy HS) had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win against UC Santa Cruz.
Defensive
Concordia Texas junior defender Nash Cole (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements HS) recorded an assist on the game-tying goal in the Tornados’ 2-1 win over Hardin-Simmons. He also helped limit opponents to just one goal a game.
LeTourneau senior goalkeeper Miguel Cabrera (Arcadia, Calif. / Dodge City CC) came up with five saves against Belhaven in a 3-2 overtime loss. He then picked up a shutout with a save in a 2-0 win against Louisiana College.
UT Dallas freshman defender Jared Ray (Frisco, Texas / Independence HS) scored his first career goal with the game-winner in a 3-2 win over UC Santa Cruz.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Murin, Funk & McAdams Earn ASC Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
Hannah Murin of East Texas Baptist, Carrye Funk of LeTourneau and Maddie McAdams of Hardin-Simmons take home the Player of the Week honors for the eighth week of the season.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: October 17-21, 2017
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Murin, F, Fr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist freshman forward, Hannah Murin (Mansfield, Texas / St. Paul’s Prep) had a career week, scoring four goals with three assists in a pair of wins that pushed the Tigers’ winning streak to 12 games. She posted a hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Louisiana College. Murin added a goal and three assists in a 5-1 victory over Belhaven.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carrye Funk, GK, Sr., LeTourneau
LeTourneau University senior goalkeeper Carrye Funk (Lake Jackson, Texas / Brazoswood HS) recorded a pair of shutouts as the YellowJackets picked up a couple of wins. Funk recorded four saves each in a 2-0 win over Belhaven and a 5-0 victory against Louisiana College.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Maddie McAdams, D, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons University senior defender Maddie McAdams (Abilene, Texas / Wylie HS) helped lead the No. 6 Cowgirls’ backline that allowed just three shots on goal in two games with a 7-0 shutout of Concordia Texas and a 2-0 win against No. 25 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Concordia University Texas junior midfielder Victoria Herrera (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson HS) scored the first goal of the game in the Tornados’ 2-0 win over McMurry.
LeTourneau senior defender Kennedy Keer (Gambrills, Md. / Arundel HS) recorded a goal and an assist in the YellowJackets’ 2-0 win against Belhaven. She also picked up an assist in a 5-0 shutout of Louisiana College.
The University of Texas at Dallas junior forward Jacquie Kaufman (Naperville, Ill. / Benet Academy) tallied four assists as the Comets won two games. She recorded three assists in a 5-0 win over Southwestern. Kaufman picked up another assist in a 4-0 road win at Sul Ross State.
Hardin-Simmons junior forward Kenne Kessler (Highland Village, Texas / Marcus HS) posted two goals and two assists as the No. 6 Cowgirls won a pair of games. Kessler had a goal and two assists in a 7-0 win against Concordia Texas. She also scored in a 2-0 victory against No. 25 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
The University of Texas at Tyler sophomore midfielder Miranda Reyna (Pflugerville, Texas / Pflugerville HS) scored the first two goals of her career in 3-0 win over Ozarks.
Defensive
Concordia Texas sophomore goalkeeper Shelby Franco (Hurst, Texas / LD Bell HS) recorded her fifth shutout of the year with two saves in the Tornados’ 2-0 victory against McMurry. She also had eight saves in a loss to No. 6 Hardin-Simmons.
UT Dallas junior defender Megan Chavez (El Paso, Texas / Chapin HS) anchored the Comets to a pair of shutout wins last week. In a 5-0 non-conference win against Southwestern, UTD did not give up a shot attempt. They only allowed six shots on goal in a 4-0 victory over Sul Ross State.
Howard Payne University senior keeper Nicole Goodwin (Austin, Texas / Lake Travis HS) recorded 11 saves in a 1-0 loss at Sul Ross State.
East Texas Baptist sophomore goalkeeper Karrigan Falber (Spring, Texas / Klein HS) collected a shutout with five saves in a 5-0 win against Louisiana College.
CROSS COUNTRY
Belhaven Duo Named ASC Runners of the Week
Owen Taylor and Brooklyn Schumaker of Belhaven earn the final ASC Cross Country Runner of the Week awards of the year.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS OF THE WEEK
Meets: October 21, 2017
MEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Owen Taylor, Sr., Belhaven University’s senior Owen Taylor (Fayette, Ala. / Fayette County HS) led the Blazers with an 8k time of 29:22.1 at the St. Louis Fall Classic.
WOMEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Brooklyn Schumaker, Sr., Belhaven
Belhaven senior Lindsey Rayborn (Moscow, Idaho / Logos HS) had a 5k time of 21:27.5, placing 34th at the St. Louis Fall Classic, hosted by St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
Brian Baca and Caleb Taylor of East Texas Baptist, Dedrick Strambler and Donavon Hailey of Hardin-Simmons earn the ASC Football Players of the Week for week eight.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: October 21, 2017
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brian Baca, QB, So., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist sophomore quarterback Brian Baca (Pittsburg, Texas / Pittsburg HS) threw two Tiger records in his first career start with 659 yards and seven touchdowns in their 68-35 win over Louisiana College. He recorded four one-play drives with TD strikes of 17, 25, 83 and 72 yards. Baca was 36-for-56 passing with a long throw of 83 yards.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Caleb Taylor, LB, Sr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist senior linebacker Caleb Taylor (Alba, Texas / Alba-Golden HS) had an all-around game on defense with 14 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, a forced fumble and two breakups in the Tigers’ 68-35 victory over Louisiana College. Taylor also batted a ball that led to an interception for his second Defensive Player of the Week honors of the season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dedrick Strambler, S, So., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons University sophomore safety Dedrick Strambler (Midland, Texas / Lee HS) intercepted a pass with 1:27 to play to preserve a 33-30 victory over Texas Lutheran. The Bulldogs were driving a potential game-tying or game-winning score. Strambler also came up with nine tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Donavon Hailey, DL, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons defensive lineman Donavon Hailey (Corsicana, Texas / Corsicana HS) blocked a field goal on the opening possession of the game for Texas Lutheran and added an extra blocked point later in the game in the No. 5 Cowboys’ 33-30 win against the Bulldogs. The four points could have been the difference in the contest. Hailey also posted a pair of tackles.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Hardin-Simmons junior wide receiver Devonte’ Walker (Anson, Texas / Anson HS) recorded 11 catches for 125 yards and a spectacular one-handed touchdown reception in the No. 5 Cowboys’ 33-30 win over Texas Lutheran.
Texas Lutheran University junior quarterback Kyle Grona (Fredericksburg, Texas / Fredericksburg HS) was 14-for-23 passing for 158 yards on 22 carries for 81 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 33-30 loss to Hardin-Simmons. Grona had TD runs of four, six and one yards.
Howard Payne University freshman running back Hunter Batten (Bryan, Texas / Bryan HS) ran for 211 yards on 24 carries, including a 63-yard run that set up a Yellow Jacket touchdown in their 52-15 loss to Sul Ross State.
Louisiana College senior wide receiver Shedrick Davis (Baton Rouge, La. / Central HS) caught seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats’ loss to East Texas Baptist.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman quarterback Carl Robinson III (Killeen, Texas / Ellison HS) accounted for two touchdowns and 115 total yards as he split time under center. He was 5-for-8 passing for 91 yards and a score and rushed eight times for 24 yards and a touchdown in the top-ranked Cru’s 45-7 win over Belhaven.
Defensive
Texas Lutheran freshman safety James Bell (Houston, Texas / Lamar HS) led the Bulldogs with a career-best 14 tackles with one tackle for a loss and an interception in their 33-30 loss to No. 5 Hardin-Simmons.
Louisiana College freshman linebacker Julius Johnson (Kaplan, La. / Kaplan HS) tied for the team-high with nine tackles, six solos, with a three-yard tackle for loss and a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Wildcats’ defeat to East Texas Baptist.
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior cornerback Kris Brown (Sealy, Texas / Sealy HS) posted four tackles, had a pass breakup and returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown in the top-ranked Cru’s 45-7 win versus Belhaven.
Special Teams
Texas Lutheran senior punter Logan Thompson (Red Oak, Texas / Red Oak HS) limited No. 5 Hardin-Simmons in the punt return game and helped the Bulldogs in the field position battle with five punts for an average of 35.60 yards, and three punts inside the 20.
Sul Ross State sophomore kicker Eli Lopez (Austin, Texas / Austin HS) was 7-for-7 in extra point attempts and hit a season-long 36-yard field goal in a 52-15 win against Howard Payne.
Howard Payne senior punter Caisson Montieth (Comanche, Texas / Comanche HS) recorded five punts for 226 yards, 45.2 average and a long of 72 in their loss to Sul Ross State.
East Texas Baptist graduate student kicker Ryan Travis (Jacksonville, Texas / Jacksonville HS) hit a pair of field goals and was 8-for-9 on extra points in the Tigers’ 68-35 win over Louisiana College. Travis made field goals of 24 and 35 yards and had 11 kickoffs for 623 yards and three touchbacks.
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior kicker John Mowery (Cedar Park, Texas / Leander HS) scored nine points while going 6-for-6 on extra points and hitting a 31-yard field goal in the top-ranked Cru’s 45-7 win against Belhaven. Mowery also recorded three touchbacks on kickoffs.