Bailiff, Smith, Walker to represent Lions at SLC Football Media Day

LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team kicks off its inaugural Division I season in the Southland Conference on Wednesday with the 2022 Southland Conference Football Media Day, presented by BuyB1.com, at the L’Auberge Casino and Resort in Lake Charles on Wednesday morning. 

Joining coach David Bailiff in the Lion contingent to Louisiana are senior running back J.T. Smith (Klein Oak) and senior linebacker Dee Walker (Moultrie, Ga.). The trio will work through several sessions on Wednesday, including the Southland Conference Media Day show on ESPN+. The Lions expect to be live on ESPN+ for their session at 11:00 am. You can view the live stream of the broadcast HERE. 

The coaches and student-athletes will also participate in social media segments, which fans can follow live on the Southland Conference Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. 

In their first season in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the Lions begin to play in the Southland Conference this fall. The season starts on September 1 against Lincoln (California) at home inside the Earnest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium. The kick-off is 7:00 pm. The first conference game comes at Southeastern Louisiana on October 8. 

Season tickets are now on sale for the six home games. You can purchase General Admission season tickets at LionAthletics.com/Tickets and get more information about reserved chairback seats HERE. 

The Media Preview Guide can be found HERE (PDF).

 

Men’s Basketball receives Academic Excellence honors. Three Lions receive NABC Honors Court.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team received the Team Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Tuesday morning. Also, NABC Honors Court went to three student-athletes. 

The Lions received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the second year. This award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by teams with cumulative grade point averages (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2021-22 season. 

“I am really proud of our team’s effort in the classroom this year, having earned the Academic Excellence award for the second straight year,” said coach Jaret von Rosenberg. “In our program, we have a saying of being ‘May Ready,’ and this honor shows that our student-athletes are ‘May Ready’ in all aspects, not just on the floor. Thank you to everyone in the Thrower Center for their tireless efforts in guiding our student-athletes to success.” 

Additionally named to the NABC Honors Court are Augustine Ene (Carrollton – Creekview), Alex Peavy (San Antonio – Smithson Valley), and Carson Tuttle (Mukilteo, Wash.). To receive the honor, Men’s Basketball, student-athletes need a cumulative GPA above 3.2.

This spring, while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last seven years, the Lion men’s basketball program had two student-athletes posts perfect 4.0 term GPAs, one student-athlete named to the AD’s list, and three receive Lion Honor Roll.

Lion Volleyball earns USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for a fifth straight year.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the seventh time in the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball program history, the sixth time in the last seven years, and for the fifth straight year, the Lions have earned the United State Marine Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2021-22 academic year. 

“It is remarkable and a true testament to our program and the efforts by the Thrower Center for us to receive the AVCA Team Academic Award for the fifth straight year,” said coach Craig Case. “Academic success is one of the foundations of our program, and I am proud of our team for their continued success in the classroom.”

Around the country, over 1,200 collegiate and high school volleyball teams have earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this year. Initiated in 1992-93 by the AVCA, the award volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. 

The Lions, now competing in Division I and the Southland Conference this fall, are one of six teams from the conference to receive this award. They are also one of nine teams that competed in the Lone Star Conference last season to be honored. 

ALL-TIME AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARDS

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