AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Competitions: April 4-7, 2019
MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Matthew Cecotti, So., UT Tyler
UT Tyler sophomore Matthew Cecotti (Lindale, Texas) posted a career-best time in the 1,500 meters at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational, winning the event in 3:58.55. His time ranks 49th in the nation. This is Cecotti’s second Athlete of the Week award of the season and sixth of his career.
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Sean Germany, So. , McMurry
McMurry sophomore Sean Germany (Abilene, Texas) placed fourth in the triple jump at the David Noble Relays in San Angelo, Texas with a leap of 14.91 meters (48 ft.-11 in.). His mark ranks second in the nation, giving Germany his fourth Athlete of the Week award of the year. He also ran the 100-meter dash in 11.19 seconds.
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Hannah Smith, Sr., Ozarks
Ozarks senior Hannah Smith (Blue Eye, Mo.) ran a 5:11.15 in the 1,500 meters to place eighth overall at the Little Rock Open Saturday. Smith’s time was her fastest of the 2019 outdoor season. This is her third career Athlete of the Week honors.
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Georgianna Roeder, Fr., LeTourneau
LeTourneau freshman Georgianna Roeder (McKinney, Texas) set a school record by finishing with 3,448 points in the heptathlon at the Carl Knight Invitational hosted by Stephen F. Austin. Besting her previous attempt by 71 points, she currently ranks 32nd in NCAA Division III in the heptathlon.
OTHER TOP MEN’S PERFORMANCES
LeTourneau sophomore Austin Parrish (Carthage, Texas) jumped an outdoor season-best 4.73 meters (15 ft. – 6.25 in.) at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational to put himself 14th in NCAA Division III.
Louisiana College freshman Ryan Smith (Livonia, La.) had a good day on the track at the McNeese Springtime Classic with three top-five finishes to his name. He placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:01.24. He was also a member of the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams that took second and fourth respectively at the meet.
Concordia Texas sophomore Sam Stewart (Galveston, Texas) broke his own school record in the 1,500 meters on Friday at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational, finishing in a time of 4:10.22 and placing ninth in the event.
Concordia Texas senior Gabriel Spivey (San Antonio, Texas) recorded his second best jump of the season in the long jump, reaching a distance of 7.11 meters (23 ft.-4 in.) to finish fifth in the event out of 24 competitors at the Carl Knight Invitational on Friday.
East Texas Baptist sophomore Mack Broussard (Hankamer, Texas) finished third, just five seconds off the winner, in the 5,000 meters at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational with a time of 15:12.76. He was the top Division III runner in the event.
OTHER TOP WOMEN’S PERFORMANCES
UT Tyler sophomore Michael McGeary (Woodsboro, Texas) set the school record in the shot put with a mark of 12.57 meters (41 ft.-3 in.), placing fifth at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational. Her shot put ranks 37th in NCAA Division III this season. McGeary was also third in the hammer throw at 45.28 meters (148 ft.-7 in.).
Louisiana College sophomore Gracie LaCroix (Jena, La.) threw a season-best mark of 35.02 meters (114 ft.-11 in.) in the javelin at the McNeese Springtime Classic, earning a fourth-place finish at the meet. She was the only non-DI athlete to place in the top five in the event. The mark was the second longest throw of her career.
East Texas Baptist freshman Almalisseth Rodriguez (Houston, Texas) was the top D-III runner in the 5,000 meters at the SFA Carl Knight Invitational, placing seventh in 19:19.87. She also ran the 1,500 meters in 5:30.00.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE TENNIS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Matches: April 2-7, 2019
WEST DIVISION WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kathy Joseph, Jr., UT Dallas
UT Dallas junior Kathy Joseph (Williston, Vt.) claimed her second consecutive Player of the Week award and sixth of her career while posting a perfect mark in both singles and doubles over the Comets three matches in Abilene over the weekend. Currently ranked No. 5 in the NCAA D-III West Region, she improved to 7-0 on the season in singles with three wins, including a three-set victory over fifth-ranked regionally Caroline Kutach of Trinity (Texas) on Saturday. Joseph and partner Sindhu Ravula also went 3-0 over the weekend, improving to 7-0 on the spring. The duo is currently ranked No. 12 in the West Region in doubles and blanked Trinity’s Mary Kaffen and Zoe Kaffen, the No. 3-ranked doubles tandem in the region.
EAST DIVISION WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Elisa Kendall, Jr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist junior Elisa Kendall (Houston, Texas) went 2-0 on the week gaining two points in the 8-1 win over LeTourneau to secure first place in the East Division. In doubles play, she teamed with Tiffany Stankiewicz for an 8-0 blanking. Kendall also won at No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-4 against the YellowJackets to earn her fourth career Player of the Week honors.
WEST DIVISION MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alex Hunt, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons senior Alex Hunt (Odessa, Texas) went 2-0 at both No. 1 singles and doubles in ASC West Division play. He earned a 6-3, 6-2 win at over UT Dallas and won 6-0, 6-0 versus Howard Payne. Hunt also teamed with Nathaniel Schoendorf for an 8-5 win against the Comets and an 8-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets. This is Hunt’s third Player of the Week of the year and ninth of his career.
EAST DIVISION MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jimmie Henson, Jr., LeTourneau
LeTourneau junior Jimmie Henson (Sunnyvale, Texas) picked up two big points for LeTourneau in their only match of the week as the YellowJackets took control of the ASC East Division with an 8-1 win over East Texas Baptist at home. Henson and doubles teammate Christian Farris won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles against the Tigers, then he secured a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 1 singles. This is his second career Player of the Week award.
OTHER WOMEN’S PERFORMANCES
UT Tyler freshman Chloe Chawner (Holfirth Yorkshire, England) went 1-1 at No. 1 singles and No 2 doubles in El Paso over the weekend. She suffered losses to NCAA Division I UTEP, but rebounded for a 6-4, 6-1 win against D-II foe Western New Mexico. Chawner teamed with Vicotria Kniffen for an 8-1 doubles victory against the Mustangs.
Concordia Texas senior Alexis Popovich (Austin, Texas) went 2-0 on Thursday in the Tornados’ 8-1 domination of Texas Lutheran. At line two doubles, Popovich and partner Kaitlin Stevens would roll to an 8-2 victory. Popovich followed it up with a win at line one singles in straight sets.
OTHER MEN’S PERFORMANCES
UT Dallas freshman Haydn Steffes (The Hills, Texas) was a perfect 4-0 on the court as he sparked the Comets to a pair of ASC West road wins over the weekend. Steffes was 2-0 in singles play, playing No. 4 for UTD while teaming up with partner Ashwin Vaithianathan for two victories at No. 2 doubles.
Concordia Texas freshman Joshua Bode (Austin, Texas) picked up two wins in the Tornados’ shutout of Texas Lutheran on Thursday, notching a single-season program record ninth win of the season. Bode, along with Esteban Arredondo, took care of business at line one doubles handily with an 8-4 win. At line one singles, Bode captured a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: April 1-7, 2019
CO-HITTER OF THE WEEK – Emily Bounds, C, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior catcher Emily Bounds (Moody, Texas) helped the Cru to a two-game sweep of No. 5 Texas Lutheran, batting 5-for-6 (.833). In the Cru’s 6-2 win, Emily went 2-for-3 at the plate. Her third-inning single advanced the go-ahead base runner to third. That runner went on to score the Cru’s opening run on the next at-bat with Bounds’ pinch runner scoring two batters later. She followed that with an RBI in the fourth inning, playing a part in three of UMHB’s six runs. In UMHB’s 2-1 win, Bounds hit singles in all three of her at-bats. With her third single, Bounds advanced the Cru’s game-tying runner into scoring position, then scored the go-ahead run to seal the win for the Cru.
CO-HITTER OF THE WEEK – Melissa Livermore, OF, Sr., UT Dallas
UT Dallas senior outfielder Melissa Livermore (Frisco, Texas) once again etched her name into the ASC record book, becoming the league’s all-time hits leader during the Comets’ three-game home series with Ozarks over the weekend. Livermore went 7-for-10 in the sweep of the Eagles, giving her 261 career hits in her four years with UTD, breaking the old ASC record (259), previously held by UT Tyler’s Joey Cronin (2010-13). Livermore was 5-for-6 from the plate in Friday’s doubleheader sweep of Ozarks, tying the league record. She broke the mark with her first plate appearance in Sunday’s 15-3 win over the Eagles, eventually finishing the contest 2-for-4. She added five stolen bases, four runs scored and two RBI in the three-game sweep to earn her second Hitter of the Week award of the season and third of her career.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Emily Levario, RHP, Jr., McMurry
McMurry junior right-hander Emily Levario (Midland, Texas) picked up her first career win with a six-inning, complete game shutout of Belhaven in an 8-0 victory. She struck out two batters without allowing a walk and only giving up three hits. Levario retired 12 straight batters between the second and sixth innings.
PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE
Concordia Texas senior center fielder Olivia Kaase (Cypress, Texas) recorded a hit in all three games in the Tornados’ series against Sul Ross State. In the series finale, Kaase was influential in Concordia Texas’ 6-1 victory, going 3-for-4 from the plate and driving in a run. It was her fourth multi-hit game of the season and her second three-hit performance of the season. For the week, she hit .750 (6-for-8) with a pair of RBI.
LeTourneau freshman shortstop Taylor Nichols (Center, Texas) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a pair of solo home runs in a series at No. 3 East Texas Baptist.
Hardin-Simmons junior first baseman/pitcher Taylor Hinojos (Snyder, Texas) hit .444 (5-for-9) with a home run, five RBI and two runs scored in the series at Howard Payne.
Ozarks freshman second baseman Paige Lee (Jerusalem, Ark.) hit .454 (5-for-11) in four games with a home run and two runs scored. She was 2-for-3 with a solo blast in the series finale at UT Dallas.
East Texas Baptist senior third baseman MacKenzie Anderson (Hawley, Texas) hit .545 (6-for-11) with a double, two homers, eight RBI and six runs as the No. 3 Tigers went 4-0 on the week. She had a career game last Monday against Ozarks in the final game of the series with 6 RBI while going 3-of-3 with a home run in a 7-3 win. Against LeTourneau, Anderson had two RBI with a home run in a 6-2 victory in game two.
Belhaven junior shortstop/left fielder Marlee Blackwell (Louin, Miss.) hit .600 (6-for-10) with a double, triple, home run, six RBI and 10 runs scored as the Blazers took two out of three games from McMurry.
Howard Payne junior right fielder Alexis Sullivan (Brea, Calif.) led the Lady Jackets to a 2-1 weekend against Hardin-Simmons, hitting 8-for-12 with six RBI. She recorded three doubles and a triple.
PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE
Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman righty Kat Reed (Axtell, Texas) threw a complete-game in the Cru’s 6-2 win over No. 5 Texas Lutheran, limiting the Bulldogs to just five hits in the contest. Reed allowed only four base runners in the first five innings of action, then forced a fly out and recorded a strikeout, forcing the Bulldogs to strand two runners in the sixth inning. Reed sealed the win with a three-up, three-down seventh inning. She totaled six strikeouts in the contest, walking just one batter.
Concordia Texas sophomore right-hander Taylor Verinsky (Lumberton, Texas) allowed only three runs in 11 innings of work for the Tornados in their series against Sul Ross State. In the series finale, Verinsky would go the distance, allowing only two runs as CTX used a five-run inning to catapult to a 6-2 win over the Lobos. It is the second win of the season for Verinsky.
Ozark’s senior righty Abby Mork (Aurora, Colo.) appeared in three games for Ozarks during the week. Mork did not allow an earned run in her appearance against No. 3 East Texas Baptist. Mork also recorded a pair of hits in limited time at the plate.
UT Dallas sophomore right-hander BriAnna Young (Farmers Branch, Texas) posted a pair of wins, improving her to 7-4 on the season, as she pitched the Comets to a three-game sweep of Ozarks over the weekend. Young tossed 8.1 total innings in her two starts, scattering five hits. She recorded her first shutout of the season Friday, pitching 5.0 innings in an 8-0 win over Ozarks to open a three-game set. She then tossed the opening 3.1 frames Sunday in UTD’s 15-3 victory in the series finale.
East Texas Baptist freshman right-hander Preslye Cox (Rusk, Texas) went 2-0 on the week with wins over Ozarks and LeTourneau. She came in relief in the game on Monday for a five-inning, 7-3 win over the Eagles with five strikeouts and only gave up one hit with no runs. Cox then earned a complete game, 6-2 victory over the YellowJackets with four strikeouts, allowing two runs.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: April 2-7, 2019
HITTER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Burciaga, 2B, Sr., UT Dallas
UT Dallas senior second baseman Ryan Burciaga (Katy, Texas) hit .700 (7-for-10) with eight RBI and seven runs scored as he powered the Comets to a three-game home sweep of Ozarks over the weekend. He finished the set with four extra-base hits, swatting a pair of home runs. Burciaga was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored in Friday’s opener against the Eagles, a 4-2 Comet victory. He was then 3-for-4 with five RBI, adding a double and his first home run of the weekend in an 11-6 UTD win in Friday’s second game. Burciaga closed the series Sunday with a 2-for-4 performance with three RBI and a pair of run scored, blasting his second long ball of the weekend.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Alan Underwood, RHP, Fr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist right-hander Alan Underwood (Port Arthur, Texas) moved to 3-0 on the year, going eight innings in a 12-2 win over LeTourneau. He recorded five strikeouts and limited the YellowJackets to five singles and an unearned run with no walks. He retired the first six batters of the game and had a 1-2-3 fifth.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE
UT Tyler sophomore shortstop Tanner Roach (Whitehouse, Texas) hit .538 (7-for-13) with two doubles, a triple, a home run, five RBI, nine runs scored and three RBI in the Patriots three-game sweep at Belhaven. In the Game two 11-1 win, he was 3-for-5 with three runs, a triple, double and RBI. Roach tied the school record with five runs scored while going 4-for-5 with three RBI and his first career home run in the series finale, a 12-6 victory.
Concordia Texas senior infielder Carson Cox (Cotulla, Texas) had at least two hits in all three of the No. 21/22 Tornados’ games against Sul Ross State this past weekend, including a 3-for-5 performance at the plate in the 14-10 slugfest that CTX came up short to the Lobos on Saturday. In Friday’s doubleheader, Cox had two hits in each game, including a run scored and a run batted in as the Tornados outlasted the Lobos 9-7. In the nightcap, Cox would go 2-for-3 with a pair of walks as CTX clinched the series win with a 4-2 victory. For the week, Cox hit .538 (7-for-13) with a double, home run, three RBI and four runs scored.
Louisiana College senior utility player Deauton Delgado (Shreveport, La.) had a big week for the Wildcats as they went a perfect 4-0, including a three-game sweep of McMurry over the weekend. He went 7-for-13 (.538) at the plate with three doubles, a home run, eight batted in, and seven runs scored. Delgado also added four walks on the week, with three in the series finale. He even picked up his fifth win of the season on the mound with a complete game, allowing one unearned run with seven Ks.
Hardin-Simmons junior designated hitter John Tople (Abilene, Texas) had a huge week, hitting .500 (5-for-10). Tople had a double, home run and drove in six runs in a 13-12 loss at No. 4 Trinity.
East Texas Baptist senior designated hitter/left fielder Seth Mikeska (Pearland, Texas) was a threat every time he came to bat against LeTourneau, earning four extra-base hits, six RBI and four runs scored while hitting .750 (9-of-12). In the 6-5 walk-off win in game one, he had the first run of the game and was a part of the tying run in the sixth inning on Landen Barns’ home run. In game two, a 12-2 win, he was 3-of-5 with four RBI on the double and a homer. Mikeska then was 3-of-4 in game three with an RBI and run scored in the 7-6, extra-inning, weather-delayed loss. Overall, he had three hits with at least one run and RBI in each contest.
Ozark’s junior designated hitter Chase Edwards (Chandler, Ariz.) belted two home runs, including a grand slam, during the week for Ozarks. Edwards drove in six runs, recorded two doubles and posted a .857 slugging percentage in four games.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES ON THE MOUND
UT Tyler junior righty Austin Schneider (Keller, Texas) struck out nine in a complete-game, 11-1, eight-inning win at Belhaven. He retired batters in order in five of the eight frames and faced just five batters over the minimum.
Concordia Texas junior Taylor Barksdale (Burnet, Texas) allowed only two hits over five innings of work while striking out seven Sul Ross State hitters as the Tornados came from behind for a 4-2 win. Barksdale held Lobo batters to a .118 average, walking only one and giving only two runs, picking up his fourth win of the year.
Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman right-hander Cameron Whitman (Belton, Texas) struck out 10 batters in seven innings of a 3-2 loss to Hardin-Simmons. He scattered eight hits and allowed three earned runs.
Louisiana College junior righty Andrew Robinson (Shreveport, La.) made two starts on the week and picked up two wins as the Wildcats beat in-state foe Centenary and swept conference opponent McMurry. Robinson pitched a total of nine innings on the week, allowing just two runs, despite giving up a season-high 12 hits. He struck out six batters and did not walk anyone.
Hardin-Simmons sophomore left-hander Hayden Clark (Dallas, Texas) scattered eight hits over 7.2 innings as he improved to 5-2 with a win over Mary Hardin-Baylor. He allowed just one earned run and struck out six in the outing.
UT Dallas junior right-hander Logan McPherson (Springtown, Texas) made two appearances with a 0.00 earned run average as the Comets swept Ozarks in a three-game series over the weekend. McPherson made his first appearance of the weekend in the Comets’ 4-2 in over Ozarks Friday in the series opener, recording his third save of the season. McPherson scattered two hits with no walks in 2.0 innings of work. He returned to the mound in the series finale, an 8-1 UTD victory, to secure the sweep for the Comets. In 2.1 scoreless innings, Logan recorded six strikeouts without giving up a single hit in a non-save situation.
Ozark’s senior righty Corey Steward (Wichita, Kan.) pitched the final inning in a tight game against No. 29 Hendrix to pick put the save in a 6-5 win. For the week, Steward appeared twice and did not allow an earned run.