TAMUC – Sports

Texas A&M University-Commerce announces a contract for head volleyball coach Craig Case.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce has announced a multi-year contract for head volleyball coach Craig Case, effective immediately.

The seventh head coach in Lion volleyball history, Case has led the Lions since the 2010 season and has compiled an overall record of 130-114 (.533), the second-most wins in program history. In 2017, he led the Lions to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament for the first time since 1988.

“It has been an honor and joy to call A&M-Commerce and my home since 2010, and I can’t explain how excited I am to continue that,” Case said. “I love our program, our athletics department, our university, and our community. I can’t wait to keep representing all of those entities and doing what it takes to make them proud of our program.

“I would like to thank President Ray Keck and Tim McMurray for extending this opportunity and having faith in me to lead our program to greater success. I love our “Best in Class” mission and for what it stands. I love doing my best every day to make that mission a reality for our student-athletes. On top of that, everyone in our athletic department from the top down shares and supports that mission. To be in such a great environment is every coach’s dream.”

Case has coached three All-Americans, six All-Region players, six Lone Star Conference major award winners, 26 all-Lone Star Conference players, 10 Lone Star Conference All-Academic players, and the program’s first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-America.

“Having worked with Craig and his talented staff for three years, it is a privilege to sign him to a multi-year contract,” McMurray said. “We are fortunate to have a leader who embraces the student-athlete experience, is committed to a culture of compliance, is resource conscious, and produces positive results on the court.”

Case’s teams have improved their record in each of the last three seasons, earning second place in the Lone Star Conference in 2017, their highest finish since 2002 and best in a non-divisional format since 1994. The Lions went undefeated in the Field House for the first time in 30 years last season, going 11-0 in front of the home crowd.

Entering his ninth season as head coach at A&M-Commerce, Case is the longest-tenured head coach in the history of the Lion Volleyball program.

“Beyond our volleyball program, everyone in the department and the university is amazing to work with them. We’ve got a great academics staff, great compliance staff, great athletic training staff, great strength and conditioning staff, and great administrative staff overall. Add to that the wonderful support we get from the university and it all adds up to this being one of the best jobs in the nation. I couldn’t be more blessed with this opportunity,” Case added.

Case previously served as head coach at St. Gregory’s (Okla.) and Valley City (N.D.) State and has been a collegiate head coach for 13 seasons, earning 186 victories.

In a corresponding move, Case has promoted Sarah Carthel to Associate Head Coach. Carthel just completed her fifth season with Lion Volleyball and is a decorated former student-athlete and well-respected coach throughout the Lone Star Conference and the nation.

“We are so pleased to have Craig Case leading our talented young women that represent our institution and our volleyball program,” said President Dr. Ray Keck. “Having had the chance to work with this program directly, including the prospective student-athletes who visit campus and our current team, I am so impressed by the job that he and Sarah do in mentoring our ladies on and off the court.”

 

160 Lions named to Fall 2017 LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce is represented by a conference-best 160 student-athletes on the Fall 2017 Lone Star Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, as announced by the LSC office on Wednesday.

The Commissioner’s Honor Roll announcement is at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters with student-athletes qualifying based on grade point average for the current semester. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.30 GPA for the current semester and be on the roster.

In addition to having the most student-athletes on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Lions had 44 student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 term grade point average. A total of 1,213 student-athletes throughout the league’s 11 institutions received recognition on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Adam Abusnineh	Fr.	Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Houston, Texas
Jon Aguilar	Sr.	Football	Learning & Technology	Lubbock, Texas
Laura Alicke	Fr.	Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Bad Lausick, Germany
Eryka Anderson	Fr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Plano, Texas
Dorian Armstrong	Sr.	Men’s Basketball	General Studies	Detroit, Mich.
Steven Baker	Grad	Football	Biological Sciences	San Antonio, Texas
Shanecia Baker	Jr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Interdisciplinary Studies	Tyler, Texas
Justin Barlow	Jr.	Football	General Studies	Los Angeles, Calif.
Brandon Bascue	Fr.	Football	General Business	Flower Mound, Texas
Lauren Bentley	Fr.	Women’s Golf	Undecided	League City, Texas
Kara Blasingame	Fr.	Women’s Soccer	Undecided	Oswego, Ill.
Garrett Blubaugh	So.	Football	Biological Sciences	Keller, Texas
Mason Boswell	Fr.	Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Katy, Texas
Kate Brodnax	Grad	Volleyball	MBA	Austin, Texas
Lexi Bubenchik	Fr.	Women’s Golf	Undecided	New Concord, Ohio
Srdan Budimir	Jr.	Men’s Basketball	Electrical Engineering	Karadjordjevo, Serbia
Zachary Burch	Fr.	Men’s Golf	Undecided	Lubbock, Texas
Bryse Burris	Fr.	Football	Undecided	Irving, Texas
Leslie Campuzano	Fr.	Women’s Soccer	Undecided	Garland, Texas
Ivy Carey	Fr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Fort Worth, Texas
Kieston Carter	Sr.	Football	Couseling	Mexia, Texas
Shelley Chapron	So.	Volleyball	Undecided	Houston, Texas
Chelsea Cheek	So.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Baytown, Texas
Monica Cherry	Sr.	Softball	Sports & Recreation Management	Forney, Texas
Jude Christine	Fr.	Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Sainte-Luce, Martinique
Mackenzie Clark	Jr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Business Administration	Garland, Texas
Jessica Clay	Sr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Tomball, Texas
Kortlan Connely	Fr.	Athletic Training	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Cedar Hill, Texas
Trey Conrod	Jr.	Men’s Basketball	General Studies	Kilgore, Texas
Jazsmin Coronado	Fr.	Women’s Soccer	Undecided	Red Oak, Texas
Jessika Coronado	So.	Women’s Soccer	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Red Oak, Texas
Myca Crum	So.	Women’s Soccer	Undecided	Fort Worth, Texas
Kati Culpepper	Jr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	General Studies	Amarillo, Texas
Travis Dafft	Fr.	Football	Undecided	Prosper, Texas
Riley Davidson	Fr.	Volleyball	Undecided	Commerce, Texas
Dylan Davis	Fr.	Football	Undecided	Sunnyvale, Texas
Princess Davis	Jr.	Women’s Basketball	All Level Kinesiology	Shreveport, La.
Katie Dean	Jr.	Softball	Marketing	Whitesboro, Texas
Courtnee Dooley	Sr.	Athletic Training	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Lancaster, Texas
Raini Dorman	Fr.	Football	Undecided	Henderson, Texas
Caitlin Duty	Jr.	Women’s Soccer	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Crandall, Texas
Celeste Emeott	Sr.	Women’s Golf	Business Administration	Plano, Texas
Kylie Ferguson	So.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Grandview, Texas
Vita Riera Ferrantelli	Fr.	Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Miami, Fla.
Kendric Ford	Fr.	Football	Undecided	Dallas, Texas
Rylie Fuentes	So.	Volleyball	Wildlife Conservation	Robinson, Texas
Paige-Lee Garris	Fr.	Women’s Golf	Undecided	West Palm Beach, Fla.
Katie Givens	Fr.	Women’s Soccer	Undecided	Rockwall, Texas
Nicole Gonelli	Fr.	Volleyball	Undecided	Round Rock, Texas
Jordan Gray	Fr.	Football, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Frisco, Texas
Taylor Green	Fr.	Women’s Basketball	Undecided	Georgetown, Texas
Joshua Hall	Fr.	Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Psychology	Portland, Texas
Blake Hartford	So.	Men’s Golf	Undecided	Spring, Texas
Deionte Haywood	Jr.	Football	Psychology	Costa Mesa, Calif.
Sophie Haywood	Sr.	Women’s Soccer	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Hull, England
Kinsie Hebler	So.	Softball	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Cypress, Texas
Sophie-Charlott Hempel	Fr.	Women’s Golf	Undecided	Pirmasens, Germany
Dylan Henderson	So.	Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Dallas, Texas
Jacob Henderson	Fr.	Athletic Training	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Mesquite, Texas
Baylea Higgs	Sr.	Softball	Interdisciplinary Studies	Arlington, Texas
Sarah Hogan	Jr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Psychology	Gatesville, Texas
Kendall Holmes	So.	Football	All Level Kinesiology	Tyler, Texas
Chloe Horn	Fr.	Softball	Undecided	Commerce, Texas
Mariah Jameyson	Sr.	Softball	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Seattle, Wash.
Lacie Jessup	Sr.	Volleyball	Accounting	Irving, Texas
Easton Jones	Fr.	Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Wylie, Texas
Jazmynn Kennebeck	Fr.	Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Rowlett, Texas
Kayla Kilcrease	Jr.	Softball	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Kerens, Texas
Michelle Kotlik	So.	Women’s Soccer	Sociology	Grapevine, Texas
Leo Lara	Fr.	Men’s Basketball	Sports & Recreation Management	Santa Rosa, Texas
Ruth Leach	Fr.	Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Whitesboro, Texas
Lauren Leslie	Jr.	Women’s Golf	Management	Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas
Preston Lienemann	Jr.	Volleyball	Public Health	Loveland, Colo.
Layne Little	Sr.	Volleyball	History	Abilene, Texas
Sir Morgan Loudd	Fr.	Football, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Waco, Texas
Justice Luce	Jr.	Football	Psychology	Fairview, Texas
Katherine Lyles	So.	Women’s Golf	Finance	Daingerfield, Texas
Kristov Martinez	Jr.	Football	Management	Edinburg, Texas
Samantha Martinez	Fr.	Softball	Undecided	Ennis, Texas
Kendall Mathis	Fr.	Football	All Level Kinesiology	Maud, Texas
Autumn McGowan	Fr.	Athletic Training	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Fort Worth, Texas
Kamryn McKee	Sr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Kinesiology & Sports Studies	Lewisville, Texas
Jenna McLaughlin	Jr.	Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	Interdisciplinary Studies	Sunnyvale, Texas
Tate McMillan	Fr.	Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Undecided	Humble, Texas
Desmond McNiel	Fr.	Men’s Basketball	Construction Engineering	Whitewright, Texas
Dallas Millin	Fr.	Men’s Golf	Finance	Wright, WY
Trevor Montgomery	Jr.	Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

 

Lions move up to No. 10 in NABC Coaches’ Poll, setting up monster LSC weekend.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team has risen two spots to No. 10 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Poll, as released Tuesday.

After defeating Tarleton State in their only action last week, the Lions have moved their record to 14-1 overall and lead the Lone Star Conference with a 7-0 record with two more games remaining in the first loop through the LSC round robin schedule.

Those two games left in the first round have emerged as colossal matchups in the conference and national scene, as West Texas A&M is ranked No. 7 and UT Permian Basin is ranked No. 11. It is the Lions’ highest national ranking since ending the 2004-05 season ranked No. 5.

The Lions travel to Odessa on Thursday to take on No. 11 UT-Permian Basin for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. Saturday will see the Lions go to Canyon for the NCAA Division II National Showcase game against No. 7 West Texas A&M for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff. That game will be broadcast online on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN family of mobile apps. All Lion basketball games are broadcast on the Lion Sports Network, with KETR 88.9 FM as the flagship station, streaming online at KETR.org.

NABC/Division II Rankings
(Jan. 16, 2018 – Poll No. 8)

		Record	Points	Last
1.	West Liberty, W.Va. (15)	15-0	399	3
2.	Northwest Missouri State (1)	14-1	381	4
3.	Lincoln Memorial, Tenn.	15-1	370	5
4.	Queens, N.C.	16-1	339	1
5.	Ferris State, Mich.	18-1	330	7
6.	Bellarmine, Ky.	14-1	321	2
7.	West Texas A&M	16-1	311	8
8.	Northern State, S.D.	18-1	290	9
9.	Western Oregon	15-1	275	10
10.	A&M-Commerce	14-1	239	12
11.	UT Permian Basin	14-2	229	6
12.	Virginia State	15-1	226	13
13.	West Florida	15-1	215	15
14.	Morehouse, Ga.	14-0	180	20
15.	Findlay, Ohio	17-2	166	16
16.	Wheeling Jesuit, W.Va.	13-2	142	19
17.	Dallas Baptist, Texas	14-2	129	23
18.	West Chester, Pa.	14-1	119	17
19.	Barry, Fla.	11-3	103	11
20.	Claflin, S.C.	17-1	81	NR
21.	Valdosta State, Ga.	14-2	66	NR
22.	Christian Brothers, Tenn.	13-3	49	18
23.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	14-3	39	14
24.	Southern Nazarene, Okla.	12-1	37	NR
25.	William Jewell, Mo.	14-2	31	NR

                                          
Others receiving votes: Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 24, Minot State (N.D.) 18, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 17, Western Washington 13, California Baptist 12, Kutztown (Pa.) 11, Cal Poly Pomona 10, Colorado School of Mines 10, Chaminade (Hawai’i) 7, Central Missouri 5, Bridgeport (Conn.) 3, Cal State San Marcos 3.

Dropped out: Fort Lewis (21), Colorado School of Mines (22), California Baptist (24), Cal Poly Pomona (25).

Records are through games of Jan.14, 2018.

 

Lion Athletics Announces Administrative Reorganization.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce Director of Athletics Tim McMurray has announced a reorganization of the Lion Athletics Executive Team, along with administrative staff additions and adjustments.

The Lion Athletics Executive Team now consists of Judy Sackfield, Deputy Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Success (formerly Senior Associate Athletics Director); Josh Manck, Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications (formerly Associate Athletics Director for Communications); Conner Moreno, Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations (formerly Assistant Athletics Director – Internal Operations); Katelyn Severance, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Administration (formerly Associate Athletics Director for Compliance); Taylor Phelps, Executive Director – Lion Champions Fund; and Morgan Phelps, Administrative Associate to the Athletics Director / Chief of Staff.

“On the heels of a historical fall for our student-athletes in the classroom, our NCAA Award of Excellence nomination for community engagement, and our historic football and volleyball NCAA accolades, it is a sensible time to maximize efficiency and alignment in our administration,” McMurray said.

“We have consolidated two positions and realigned several others to maximize efficiencies and skill sets of our talented administrative team. I am so pleased to have Judy, Josh, Conner, Katelyn, and Taylor take on additional responsibilities and form collaborative approaches across our external, internal, and student-athlete success units. It will truly be ‘Best in Class’ for our student-athletes and coaches.”

In addition to executive team realignment, several deserving athletics staff members have had their duties realigned recently. Victoria Kisluk is now Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Success, Austin Weyant is Assistant Director of Compliance, AJ Audet is Athletics Facilities and Operations Manager, and Taryn Driver is now External Operations Coordinator.

Driver (Volleyball, Class of 2017) and Taylor Phelps (Men’s Basketball, Class of 2014) are both A&M-Commerce Honors College alumni and former student-athletes. Working closely with Manck and his communications/marketing team, it gives external relations a team-approach that has already paid dividends during the NCAA National Championship for football and men’s and women’s basketball early season crowds.

“Our approach to our Best in Class mission from a staff perspective is simple – spend time developing people that are passionate, talented, and committed to taking the initiative. With our new organizational structure and our talented administrators, those three key elements are already flourishing,” McMurray noted.