UMHB Selected to Win 2021 Women’s Golf Championship

2020-21 ASC Women’s Golf Schedule

RICHARDSON, Texas – Mary Hardin-Baylor was selected to win the 2021 American Southwest Conference Women’s Golf Championship in a vote of the league’s head coaches, the conference office announced Monday (February 1). 

The Cru received 73 points and five out of nine first-place votes in the poll. UMHB is the two-time defending ASC champions, having won the Championship in 2018 and 2019. Under the 2019 ASC Coach of the Year Jackie Ralston, the Cru won all four tournaments they competed in during the fall.

Second in the poll was UT Dallas with 66 points and three first-place votes. East Texas Baptist followed them with 52 points. 

Rounding out the poll were Hardin-Simmons (51); Concordia Texas (48); UC Santa Cruz (45/1); LeTourneau (31); McMurry (21); and Howard Payne (15).  

Sixteen golfers are among those to watch in 2021. Nominated by the head coaches, the watch list includes three who earned All-Conference honors. 

The spring season begins Monday, February 8. The ASC Women’s Golf Championship is April 19-20, 2021, at The Hideout Golf Club in Brownwood, Texas. 

2021 ASC Preseason Women’s Golf Poll

Team (First)	Votes	2019 Championship Finish
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor (5)	73	1st
2. UT Dallas (3)	66	3rd
3. East Texas Baptist	52	5th
4. Hardin-Simmons	51	4th
5. Concordia Texas	48	2nd
6. UC Santa Cruz (1)	45	6th
7. LeTourneau	31	7th
8. McMurry	21	8th
9. Howard Payne	15	9th

2021 Golfers to Watch

Name	Cl.	Team	Hometown
Madyson Milliorn *	Sr.	Concordia Texas	Houston, Texas
Tiana Shobe	Jr.	Concordia Texas	Lubbock, Texas
Emily Watson	Jr.	East Texas Baptist	Canton, Texas
Brooke Hinerman	So.	Hardin-Simmons	Mansfield, Texas
Madison McGarrh	So.	Howard Payne	McKinney, Texas
Mallory Garcia	So.	Howard Payne	Brownwood, Texas
Shelby Allen	Jr.	LeTourneau	Rockwall, Texas
Baylee Van Houten *	Jr.	LeTourneau	Spring, Texas
Sydney McConnell	Fr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Tyler, Texas
Sarah Kmiecik	Fr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Houston, Texas
Maddie Vermillion	Sr.	McMurry	Arlington, Texas
Kylee White	Jr.	McMurry	Mansfield, Texas
Gillian Mendoza	So.	UC Santa Cruz	Rowland Heights, Calif.
Alyssa Yee	Fr.	UC Santa Cruz	Davis, Calif.
Karen Alvarez	Fr.	UT Dallas	Katy, Texas
Marissa Langer *	Sr.	UT Dallas	Katy, Texas

2019 All-Conference *

Cochran, Jackson, Johnson, Johnson Selected for Men’s Hoops Weekly Honors

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: January 28-30, 2021

TRI-EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Charlie Cochran, Jr., F, East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist junior forward Charlie Cochran (Louisville, Ky.) averaged a double-double on the week at 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game to lead the Tigers to a pair of wins. He had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting with 11 boards and two blocks in a 78-56 victory against Belhaven. In Thursday’s 72-59 win over Louisiana College, Cochran had 17 points and nine rebounds, going 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from outside. It is Cochran’s third Player of the Week award of the season.

TRI-EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Deonte Jackson, Fr., G, LeTourneau

LeTourneau freshman guard Deonte Jackson (Nacogdoches, Texas) had a steal and game-winning basket with five seconds left in the YellowJackets’ 78-76 victory over Louisiana College. He had 24 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals in the game. In a 92-90 win against Belhaven, Jackson posted 27 points, going 6-of-8 from three-point range, and dished out seven assists. He averaged 25.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game for the week.

TRI-EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bryson Johnson, Sr., G, Ozarks

Ozarks senior guard Bryson Johnson (Katy, Texas) averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles to a 2-0 record. He hit the game-winning bucket with 10.7 seconds left in a 71-70 win against Sul Ross State. Against the Lobos, Johnson posted 17 points, six boards, eight assists, and three steals. He followed with 25 points, going 13-of-16 at the stripe, five rebounds, and seven assists in a 94-88 victory over Howard Payne.

WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josiah Johnson, So., G, Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore guard Josiah Johnson (Big Sandy, Texas) earned his fifth Player of the Week honors of the season by posting double-doubles in each of the Cru’s victories, averaging 33.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He also shot 56 percent (22-of-39) from the field and 47 percent (9-of-19) from three-point range and posted 33 points, 11 boards, and eight assists in UMHB’s 104-74 win over McMurry. He followed with 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and five steals in a 91-65 win against Hardin-Simmons.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

EAST DIVISION 

UT Dallas senior guard Dimitrius Underwood (Mesquite, Texas) averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game as the Comets split a pair of home ASC games last week. In Thursday’s 107-55 win over Howard Payne, Underwood posted his 33rd career double-double, six-shy of the ASC all-time mark, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He followed up with 27 points and eight assists in a loss to Sul Ross State in a 2020 ASC divisional championship clash. He had four steals in each contest.

Louisiana College senior guard Kae’ron Baker (Navasota, Texas) posted 32 points in a loss at LeTourneau, marking his third 30-point performance of the season. For the week, he averaged 19.5 points. 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game as the Wildcats went 0-2.

Belhaven sophomore guard Luke Couch (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) had a game-high 36 points in a 92-90 loss at LeTourneau. He averaged 25.0 points for the week, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game in a pair of losses for the Blazers.

WEST DIVISION

McMurry junior forward DJ Worrell (El Paso, Texas) led the War Hawks in scoring with 18.5 points to go with 9.0 rebounds per game as they went 1-1 on the road. He had 20 points and 13 boards in a loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor for his fourth double-double year. Worrell followed with 17 points, all coming in the second half, in an 80-77 victory at Concordia Texas.

Sul Ross State senior guard Tristen Licon (El Paso, Texas) started his week with 25 points in a 71-70 loss at Ozarks. He bounced back with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals in an 85-77 victory at UT Dallas. For the week, Licon averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steals.

Nightingale, Dasher Selected as Runners of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS OF THE WEEK

Meets: January 30, 2021

MEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Lorien Nightingale, Sr., LeTourneau

LeTourneau senior Lorien Nightingale (Njoro, Kenya) won the 8K Concordia Invitational in Round Rock, Texas, with a time of 26:22.1. It was his first career victory and helped the YellowJackets to a second-place finish. It is Nightingale’s second Runner of the Week in his career. 

WOMEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Holly Dasher, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore Holly Dasher (Katy, Texas) won the 6K Concordia Invitational in 23:37.2. Her performance helped the Cru to a team title.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES – MEN

UT Dallas freshman Graeme Maclean (Fairview, Texas) placed second at the Concordia Invitational in his collegiate debut. His 8K time of 26:58.2 led the Comets to a team title.

Hardin-Simmons senior River Smith (Waco, Texas) finished third at the Concordia Invitational, leading the Cowboys to a third-place finish in 27:04.0.

East Texas Baptist senior Mack Broussard (Hankamer, Texas) placed seventh at the Rhode Invitational in Memphis with an 8K mark of 27:24.5 against top teams in the South/Southeast Region.

McMurry freshman Ethan Turner (Fort Worth, Texas) made his collegiate debut at the Concordia Invitational and placed fifth with an 8K time of 27:29.7.

Concordia Texas sophomore Rick Platas (Premont, Texas) led the host Tornados with an 8K time of 28:00.2 at the Concordia Invitational, placing 10th.

Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman Diego Aranda (San Antonio, Texas) was the Cru’s top finisher in 28:29.3, placing 13th in the 8K Concordia Invitational.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES – WOMEN

McMurry freshman Janeth Chacon (El Paso, Texas) placed second in 24:15.7 at the 6K Concordia Invitational, ranking just ahead of her sister Jazmin Chacon.

Hardin-Simmons junior Brittany Acosta (Fort Worth, Texas) ran the Concordia Invitational 6K in 24:58.8, placing fourth.

UT Dallas sophomore Hannah Bennett (Washington, Ill.) finished fifth at the 6K Concordia Invitational in Round Rock, Texas, with a personal best 25:14.3 mark. She helped the Comets finish third as a team.

East Texas Baptist freshman Madelynn Smith (Tucson, Ariz.) finished 22nd in her collegiate debut at the Rhodes Invitational in Memphis, Tenn. She had a 6K time of 25:48.6.

Webster, Hampton, Harris, Tatum Named Players of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: January 28-30, 2021

EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brooke Webster, G, Fr., East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist freshman guard Brooke Webster (Rockwall, Texas) scored 17 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, in just 10 minutes in a 91-36 victory against Louisiana College. She was 7-of-8 from the field and posted four steals. She followed with 12 points and five steals in a 97-66 win over Belhaven. Webster averaged 14.5 points, and 4.5 steals per game for the week while shooting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) overall and 5-of-7 from outside.

TRI-WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Vania Hampton, F, So., Sul Ross State

Sul Ross State sophomore forward Vania Hampton (Austin, Texas) picked up her fifth double-double of the season in an 81-49 win at Ozarks. She scored 19 points with ten boards, four assists, and three steals and shot 9-of-13 from the field to earn her second Player of the Week of the season.

TRI-WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Chelsey Harris, G, Sr., Howard Payne

Howard Payne senior guard Chelsey Harris (Waco, Texas) scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting to pass the 1,000-career point mark as the Lady Jackets won at Ozarks 85-69. She also had three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the victory for her second career Player of the Week.

TRI-WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samantha Tatum, G, So., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons sophomore guard Samantha Tatum (Grapevine, Texas) led the Cowgirls to a pair of road wins with 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. She shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from outside. In a 73-49 win at Concordia Texas, Tatum had 18 points and five boards and followed that with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in a 71-64 victory at Mary Hardin-Baylor. 

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

EAST DIVISION

Ozarks senior guard Kamryn McKinney (Sallisaw, Okla.) averaged 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Eagles in a pair of losses. She shot 46 percent (6-of-13) from the three-point line. She scored 17 points against Sul Ross State and 19 versus Howard Payne. 

WEST DIVISION

Mary Hardin-Baylor junior guard Bethany McLeod (Liberty Hill, Texas) averaged 11.5 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game as the Cru split last week. She shot 73 percent (8-of-11) from the field and was 6-of-7 at the line.

McMurry forward sophomore Destiny Mathews (Palestine, Texas) averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for the War Hawks. She matched her season-high with 21 points and seven rebounds in a loss at Concordia Texas.

Concordia Texas sophomore guard Madi Maxwell (Wichita Falls, Texas) scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go with four rebounds and a pair of steals with Tornados’ loss at Hardin-Simmons. She followed with nine points, 12 boards, four assists, and five steals in a 67-61 win against McMurry. For the week, she averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per contest.