EastTexasRadio.com Powered by Ten Stations
FOOTBALL
RICHARDSON, Texas – All 10 American Southwest Conference teams will be on the gridiron in week nine of the 2017 season Saturday.
Texas Lutheran University (4-3, 4-2 ASC) will travel to Brownwood, Texas to face Howard Payne University (1-6, 1-5 ASC) at 1:00 pm. The fifth-ranked Hardin-Simmons University (6-1, 5-1 ASC) will host Southwestern University (4-3, 4-2 ASC) in Abilene at 1:30 pm. The No. 1 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (7-0, 6-0 ASC) will also be in Abilene when they face McMurry University (2-5, 2-4 ASC) for a 2:00 pm start.
The night games feature Sul Ross State University (4-3, 3-3 ASC) hosting East Texas Baptist University (5-2, 4-2 ASC) in Alpine, Texas at 6:00 pm. Louisiana College (2-5, 1-5 ASC) will travel to Jackson, Miss. to face Belhaven University (1-6, 0-6 ASC) at 6:00 pm.
WEEK 6 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brian Baca, QB, So., East Texas Baptist East Texas Baptist sophomore quarterback Brian Baca (Pittsburg, Texas / Pittsburg HS) threw for 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. He came up 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 defensive lineman Donavon Hailey (Corsicana, Texas / Corsicana HS) blocked a field goal on the opening possession of the game for Texas Lutheran. He 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.
ASC IN THE POLLS
Mary Hardin-Baylor remained at no. 1 in the D3football.com and AFCA Top 25 Polls after their 45-7 win over Belhaven. Hardin-Simmons stayed at no. 5 in the D3football poll and no. 6 in the AFCA after picking up a 33-30 road win at Texas Lutheran.
D3FOOTBALL.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK
East Texas Baptist University sophomore quarterback Brian Baca (Pittsburg, Texas / Pittsburg HS) and Hardin-Simmons University sophomore safety DedricktSrambler (Midland, Texas / Lee HS), D3football.com Team of the Week named both.
Baca threw for 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.
Strambler 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.
FREDENBURG REACHES 200 WINS
Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Pete Fredenburg picked up his 200th career win on Sept. 30. He is now 203-38 and is the only head coach in Cru history. For Fredenburg, 133 of those wins have come in ASC play, and 32 more have come in NCAA postseason competition.
HAWKINS AND PARSONS SELECTED AS CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Hardin-Simmons senior safety Matthew Hawkins (Aledo, Texas / Aledo) and East Texas Baptist senior linebacker Ty Parsons (Rowlett, Texas / Dallas Christian) are semifinalists for the National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy which recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. They are among 181 nominees across all divisions of college football. Nominees must be a senior or graduate student with at least a 3.2-grade point average, outstanding football ability, and demonstration of leadership and citizenship. The announcement of the finalists is on Nov. 1.
ASC FOOTBALL IN THE NFL
The American Southwest Conference is responsible for two of the seven former NCAA Division III student-athletes that made initial 53-man rosters in the National Football League. Jerrell Freeman from UMHB is an ASC Hall of Honor inductee and has been in the NFL since 2012. He is beginning his second season with the Chicago Bears and recorded ten tackles in their opening game against the Atlanta Falcons and is now on the reserve/injured list. Louisiana College offensive tackle Jeremy Vujnovich has started all seven games for the Indianapolis Colts this season.
ASC EXPANDS TO 10 TEAMS
Southwestern and Texas Lutheran begin their first year with the ASC as football affiliate members after competing in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The additions signaled a return to a 10-team football alignment for the first time since 2005 and made the ASC the 10th NCAA Division III conference with at least ten football teams.
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR PRESEASON FAVORITE TO WIN ASC
Mary Hardin-Baylor has been picked to win the 2017 American Southwest Conference football title after a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors, and media members, the ASC office announced August 18. Cru junior quarterback/wide receiver T.J. Josey was selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. UMHB senior defensive tackle Haston Adams was the Defensive Player of the Year, and Hardin-Simmons senior return specialist Alex Bell was the Special Teams selection.
ASC PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Four student-athletes from two ASC member institutions were named D3football.com Preseason All-Americans. Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Haston Adams made the First Team at defensive tackle. Hardin-Simmons tallied three selections – return specialist Alex Bell on the First Team, junior wide receiver Reese Childress on the Second Team and sophomore offensive tackle Jonathan Castaneda on the Second Team.
MCMURRY’S WRIGHT ON FRED MITCHELL WATCH LIST
They named Sophomore kicker Tanner Wright from McMurry to the 2017 Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award Kick-Off Watch List. He is one of 36 kickers on the list from NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA schools. Wright was a Second Team All-Conference and All-NCCAA First Team selection as a freshman as he went 8-for-10 on field goals and averaged 58.3 yards per kick on kickoffs.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
LeTourneau, Concordia Texas Picked Division Favorites in Men’s Basketball
RICHARDSON, Texas – LeTourneau University and Concordia University Texas have been picked to win the 2017 American Southwest Conference East and West Division titles, respectively, in men’s basketball following a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors, and select media members, the ASC office announced Wednesday
LeTourneau (22-6 / 12-4 ASC) received 97 points and nine of a possible 17 first-place votes to lead the East Division. The YellowJackets, under East Division Coach of the Year Dan Miller, won their division and reached the finals of the ASC Championship Tournament a year ago.
Concordia Texas (19-8 / 12-6 ASC) was picked to win the West Division with 68 points and received nine first-place votes. The Tornados, under head coach Stan Bonewitz, reached the ASC Championship semifinals last year.
In the East, the University of Texas at Dallas (12-15, 8-8 ASC) was voted second with 93 points and four first-place votes. The University of Texas at Tyler (15-11, 8-8 ASC) was picked third with 83 points and a pair of first-place tallies.
Sul Ross State (13-13, 9-7 ASC) were picked second with 55 points and three first-place votes. They were followed by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (16-10, 9-7 ASC) with 54 points.
The 2017-18 ASC Men’s Basketball Watch List is composed of 33 players nominated by the head coaches and returns three all-conference selections, 13 all-division recipients, and two award winners.
The 2017-18 season marks the 22nd in league history. Regular season play begins November 15. Slated for February 22-24 at the site of the West Division No. 1 seed is the three-day, eight-team, the single-elimination conference tournament. The ASC Championship Tournament features the top four seeds from both divisions. An automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship will be on the line.
ASC Men’s Basketball Preseason Polls
East Division
| No. | Team (First-place votes) | Pts. | 2016-17 Record (ASC) |
| 1. | LeTourneau (9) | 97 | 22-6 (12-4) |
| 2. | UT Dallas (4) | 93 | 12-15 (8-8) |
| 3. | UT Tyler (2) | 83 | 15-11 (8-8) |
| 4. | East Texas Baptist | 74 | 15-11 (6-10) |
| 5. | Louisiana College (1) | 58 | 9-14 (5-11) |
| 6. | Belhaven# (1) | 33 | 4-21 (n/a) |
| 7. | Ozarks | 31 | 8-17 (2-14) |
# Ineligible for 2018 ASC Championship / NCAA Championship (Div. III Provisional)
West Division
| No. | Team (First-place votes) | Pts. | 2016-17 Record (ASC) |
| 1. | Concordia Texas (6) | 68 | 19-8 (12-4) |
| 2. | Sul Ross State (3) | 55 | 13-13 (9-7) |
| 3. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 54 | 16-10 (9-7) |
| 4. | Hardin-Simmons (2) | 42 | 24-7 (13-3) |
| 5. | McMurry (1) | 27 | 9-16 (4-12) |
| Howard Payne | 27 | 12-12 (8-8) |
% Ineligible for 2018 ASC Championship / NCAA Championship (Div. III Reclassifying)
ASC Men’s Basketball Preseason Watch List
East Division
| Name | Pos. | Class | School |
| Ron Davis | G | Sr. | Belhaven |
| Brent Webber | G | Jr. | Belhaven |
| Rick Hodum | G | So. | Belhaven |
| Landin Brown | G | So. | East Texas Baptist |
| Robby Dooley | G | So. | East Texas Baptist |
| Jordan Gosey | F | Sr. | East Texas Baptist |
| Caleb Loggins DH | F | Jr. | LeTourneau |
| Alec Colhoff # | G | Sr. | LeTourneau |
| Nate West | G | So. | LeTourneau |
| Timothy Stokes | G | Jr. | Louisiana College |
| D’Aaron Davis | G/F | Jr. | Louisiana College |
| Travis Schultz | F | Jr. | Louisiana College |
| Dylan Gray | F | Sr. | Ozarks |
| Caleb Banks # | G | Sr. | UT Dallas |
| Dimitrius Underwood Y F | G | So. | UT Dallas |
| Jon Hatcher | G | Sr. | UT Dallas |
| Melvin Anthony 2 | F | Sr. | UT Tyler |
| Skyler Hadden H | G | Sr. | UT Tyler |
| Emeka Obukwelu | F | So. | UT Tyler |
2016-17 East Division Freshman of the Year Y
2016-17 East Division First Team Selection #
2016-17 East Division Second Team Selection 2
2016-17 East Division Freshman Team F
2016-17 East Division Defensive Team D
2016-17 East Division Honorable Mention H
West Division
| Name | Pos. | Class | School |
| Ben Page H | F | Sr. | Concordia Texas |
| Joe Neal *# | G/F | Jr. | Concordia Texas |
| Ephriam Price 2 | G | Jr. | Concordia Texas |
| Caleb Spoon | G | Sr. | Hardin-Simmons |
| Joe Hoeup | G | Jr. | Hardin-Simmons |
| Khyce Randall *# | G | Sr. | Howard Payne |
| Rickey Guillory 2 D | G | Sr. | Howard Payne |
| Justin Gammel | F | Sr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Braden Hammond H | G | Sr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Aubrie King H | F | Sr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| LaRandall Scroggins H | F | Sr. | McMurry |
| Caleb Thomasson *# | C | Sr. | Sul Ross State |
| Brock Anders | F | Jr. | Sul Ross State |
| C.J. Ross N D H | G | Sr. | Sul Ross State |
2016-17 All-ASC Selection*
2016-17 West Division First Team Selection #
2016-17 West Division Newcomer of the Year N
2016-17 West Division Second Team Selection 2
2016-17 West Division Defensive Team D
2016-17 West Division Honorable Mention H
GOLF
McGinley and Patterson Named ASC Golfers of the Week
Ryan McGinley of Concordia Texas and Lindy Patterson of UT Dallas earn ASC Golfers of the Week
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE GOLFER OF THE WEEK
Competitions: October 23-25, 2017
MEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK: Ryan McGinley, So., Concordia Texas
Concordia University Texas sophomore Ryan McGinley (Austin, Texas / Westlake HS) shot a -2, 70-70=140 to win the Abilene Intercollegiate. His score helped the No. 7 Tornados win the tournament by 23 strokes.
WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK: Lindy Patterson, Fr., UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas freshman Lindy Patterson (McKinney, Texas / McKinney HS) earned Golfer of the Week for the second time this season after recorded the first-ever sub-par round in program history as she placed third at the Abilene Intercollegiate. Patterson shot a 78-70=148 with a school-record second round.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
MEN
Concordia Texas sophomore Logan Young (Normangee, Texas / Normangee HS) was runner-up to teammate Ryan McGinley with a 72-69=141 (-1) at the Abilene Intercollegiate.
Hardin-Simmons University junior Luke Smith (Montgomery, Texas / Home School) placed third at the Abilene Intercollegiate with a +1, 71-72=143.
McMurry University sophomore Lane Roye (Fort Worth, Texas / Boswell HS) earned NCCAA All-American honors by placing 10th at the NCCAA National Championships in Palm Coast, Fla. He shot a 78-76-72=226.
WOMEN
The University of Texas at Tyler junior Katelyn Hicken (Frisco, Texas / Frisco Centennial HS) shot a 77-79-81=237, placing second overall at the mostly NCAA Division II Henderson State Fall Invitational.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor senior McKenna Ralston (Temple, Texas / Temple HS) finished fourth in Abilene with a 74-75=149.
Concordia Texas sophomore Madyson Milliorn (Houston, Texas / Deer Park HS) finished sixth at the Abilene Intercollegiate with a 77-80=155. She made five birdies over the two rounds.
CROSS COUNTRY
RICHARDSON, Texas – The 2017 American Southwest Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships are set to run Saturday, October 28 in Round Rock, Texas at Old Settlers Park hosted by Concordia University Texas.
The men’s 8,000-meter race will begin at 8:15 a.m., followed by the women’s 6k at 9:00 a.m.
The University of Texas at Tyler men have won 11 of the last 12 titles and seven in a row. The University of Texas at Dallas is the defending women’s champion, as is Comet senior Lindsey Rayborn.
The University of the Ozarks sophomore Michael Harris has the top 8k time of 26:45.1 entering the Championship. Freshman Mack Broussard of East Texas Baptist University follows at 26:49.0 and junior 2016 second place finisher Michael Field from LeTourneau University third at 27:06.2.
Other athletes in the season top 10 include – Will McIlroy and Matthew Cecotti of UT Tyler, Tyler Rohrman, Abraham Martinez and Tyler Sanchez of McMurry University, Andres Uriegas of UT Dallas and Nathaneal Rankin from Ozarks.
Rayborn has the top 6k time of the season at 22:47.7. Sophomore Sydney Tencate from Hardin-Simmons University, who came in fourth at the Championships in 2016, is second at 22:51.0 They are followed by senior Rachel Willis from UT Tyler.
Other women in the season top 10 include – Emily Villines of Concordia University Texas, Hollee Ratliff from UT Dallas, Alexandra Fulton, Tiffany Cox, and Sadi Dolbear-Craven of McMurry, Kristiana Welch from LeTourneau and Paulina Rodriguez of UT Tyler.
Full results, award winners, and photos plus course information will be available at the ASC Cross Country Championships Central page.
Cody Usher
Assistant Commissioner
American Southwest Conference