TAMUC

 

Lion All-American Danny Mason added to Denver Broncos’ active roster

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Former Texas A&M University-Commerce linebacker Danny Mason has been added to the active roster of the Denver Broncos, as announced this week. Mason previously was a Bronco in the 2015 offseason and training camp. Though he did not make the active roster, Denver signed Mason to the practice squad after the final roster cuts. They later waived him on Sept. 29, 2015.

Mason then spent time on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad to finish the 2015 season and trained with the team in the 2016 offseason. He spent a month on the roster during training camp and the preseason. In four games of preseason action for the Bears, Mason tallied four tackles.

Mason was named a second team All-American at A&M-Commerce in 2012 by Beyond Sports Network and was the Lone Star Conference Linebacker of the Year that season. He earned All-LSC First Team honors twice in his Lion career. He had 280 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, 16 pass breakups, 15 quarterback hurries, and two interceptions in four seasons as a Lion.

According to The Denver Post, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said “We brought Mason in. That provides depth, so we don’t burn Von [Miller] out. That’s important now. We’re down to Von with no Shane and no Shaq. Being smart with Von is a priority.”

The Broncos open their preseason schedule on Thursday, August 10, at the Chicago Bears.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team is ranked 15th nationally in the Division II Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as released by United Soccer Coaches on Friday.

The Lions went 15-6-1 overall last year, winning the Lone Star Conference regular season championship and advancing to the NCAA Division II South Central Region championship game. A&M-Commerce soccer has made four consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.

“It’s nice to be ranked in the preseason, but we have a lot of work to do to improve on that ranking with a tough schedule,” said Neil Piper, who is entering his 20th season as A&M-Commerce’s head soccer coach.

The Lions return six starters from the 2016 LSC champion team, including all-region players Michelle Kotlik and Delaney Bunselmeyer, and LSC Newcomer of the Year Sophie Haywood. A&M-Commerce is scheduled to play six games against NCAA Tournament participants from last season.

A&M-Commerce opens the 2017 season on Labor Day weekend as part of a season-opening classic in Commerce. The Lions play Florida Tech on Friday, September 1, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a match against Central Oklahoma on Sunday, September 3, at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling Lion Sales & Service at (903)468-8756, or visiting the LSS Box Office in the Field House during business hours.

United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Women – National – Preseason Ranking – Aug. 3, 2017

Rank	School	Prev.	W-L-T
1	Western Washington	1	24-0-1
2	Grand Valley State	2	23-2-1
3	Columbus State	3	21-3-0
4	Kutztown	4	20-5-0
5	Central Missouri	5	21-2-0
6	Colorado School Of Mines	6	20-3-1
7	Bridgeport	7	18-4-0
8	West Florida	8	19-5-0
9	West Chester	9	19-1-1
10	California-San Diego	10	19-3-0
11	Truman State	11	15-2-4
12	Adelphi	12	16-4-1
13	North Georgia	13	15-3-3
14	Fort Hays State	14	15-5-3
15	A&M-COMMERCE	15	15-6-1
16	Barry	16	11-4-2
17	Saint Leo	17	13-4-1
18	LIU Post	18	15-4-2
19	Minnesota State-Mankato	19	16-3-3
20	East Stroudsburg	20	16-5-2
21	Limestone	22	18-2-0
22	Sonoma State	23	12-3-3
23	St. Edward’s	24	15-1-3
24	Charleston (W. Va.)	25	15-4-0
25	Carson-Newman	RV	17-4-1

The record shown is the team’s final 2016 record.
Also receiving votes: Rockhurst University, University of Central Oklahoma, Azusa Pacific University, Central Washington University, Nova Southeastern University, Midwestern State University, Colorado State University-Pueblo, McKendree University, Minot State University, Rollins College, University of Missouri-St. Louis

 

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce quarterback Luis Perez and offensive tackle Jared Machorro have been named First Team Preseason Division II All-Americans by HERO Sports, as announced Friday.

This honor is the second preseason All-American for both Perez and Machorro, with Perez honored by Lindy’s magazine and Machorro honored by Street & Smith’s magazine. The duo will lead the Lions on the hunt for their fourth straight Lone Star Conference title. A&M-Commerce was picked as the LSC favorite in the preseason poll at Media Day in July.

Perez, a senior from Chula Vista, Calif., was named the LSC’s co-Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after earning first team all-LSC laurels following the completion of the 2016 season. He was a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy and named as an honorable mention All-American by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette.

Perez became the third Lion trigger man with 3,000 passing yards in a season and threw a school record 32 touchdown passes in 2016. His 3,326 passing yards in a season ranks second in A&M-Commerce history and ranks 11th in A&M-Commerce history for passing yards in a career. He was exceptional regarding interceptions, throwing only five picks during the 2016 season. He had eight games of over 250 yards passing and five games of over 300 yards passing, with a season-best 396 yards at Panhandle State. At Eastern New Mexico and UT-Permian Basin, he had five touchdown passes with wins.

Perez has also earned multiple awards in 2017 before the season. He has been named a preseason All-American by Lindy’s college football preview magazine, and in July they called Perez as a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.

Machorro, a senior from Coldspring, will anchor the Lion offensive line that led the Lone Star Conference in scoring and allowed only five sacks in 2016. He was named second team All-American by the Associated Press Little All-America team, D2CCA, and American Football Coaches Association, a third team All-American by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette, and honorable mention All-American by D2Football.com. He was a first team all-LSC honoree and earned two all-region honors.

The Lions report for preseason camp on Saturday, with practices scheduled to begin on Monday morning. A&M-Commerce kicks off the 2017 season at defending national runner-up North Alabama on Thursday, August 31, at 6 p.m. in Florence, Ala.

The home opener is on Saturday, September 9, at 6 p.m. when the Lions welcome William Jewell to Memorial Stadium.

Tickets are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling Lion Sales & Service at (903) 468-8756, or visiting the LSS Box Office in the Field House during business hours.

HERO SPORTS 2017 PRESEASON DIVISION II FOOTBALL ALL-AMERICANS
FIRST TEAM

QB	Luis Perez	A&M-COMMERCE
RB	Marty Carter	Grand Valley State
RB	Max Mickey	Sioux Falls
WR	Brody Oliver	Colorado School of Mines
WR	Damon Gibson	Minnesota-Moorhead
TE	Tanner Hudson	Southern Arkansas
OL	Jared Machorro	A&M-COMMERCE
OL	Lavonte Hights	Shepherd
OL	Alex Cappa	Humboldt State
OL	Taylor Nikithser	California (Pa.)
OL	Gavin de los Santos	Harding

 

DL	Marcus Martin	Slippery Rock
DL	Zach Sieler	Ferris State
DL	Myles Humphrey	Shepherd
LB	Kyle Kitchens	Catawba
LB	Kevin Haynes	Central Washington
LB	Osband Thompson	Tuskegee
LB	Collin Schlosser	Grand Valley State
DB	Joshua Simmons	Limestone
DB	Drew Hebel	Black Hills State
DB	Jay Watkins	Indiana (Pa.)
DB	Dustin Rivas	Colorado Mesa

 

K	Ryan Sheehan	Colorado Mesa
P	Jonathan King	Carson-Newman
AP	Paul Revis	Western Oregon