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LeTourneau University Athletics Announces NCAA Division III Week Activities.
LONGVIEW, Texas – The LeTourneau University Athletic Department is proud to announce their participation in the Ninth Annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) “Division III Week,” a favorable opportunity for all individuals associated with Division III to observe and celebrate the impact of athletics and student-athletes on the campus and the surrounding community.
In conjunction with Division III Week, LETU will be participating in and hosting a variety of events and activities, focusing on academic, athletic, and community service initiatives. This week, LeTourneau University is joining 450 NCAA Division III member schools and 194,000 student-athletes who play varsity sports in the NCAA’s largest division, playing for the love of the game while excelling in the classroom and demonstrating leadership, community service, and campus involvement. A full schedule of events is below.
Monday, April 1
The announcement of DIII Week Festivities and Student-Athlete Academic Achievement List – Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Fall 2018
Tuesday, April 2
LeTourneau University senior student-athlete luncheon – each senior student-athlete will invite one faculty/staff member that has had a positive impact on their time at LeTourneau and ask them to lunch to thank them for their effect.
Wednesday, April 3
LeTourneau University women’s Tennis vs. East Texas Baptist University – Davis Tennis Courts, 3:00 pm.
LeTourneau University men’s tennis vs. East Texas Baptist University – Davis Tennis Courts, 4:00 pm.
Why DIII Video Release
One student-athlete from each sport discusses why they chose LeTourneau University and Division III in a video that the LeTourneau University athletic department is releasing.
Thursday, April 4
LeTourneau University men’s and women’s track and field at Stephen F. Austin Invitational, Nacogdoches.
Party on the patio – All LeTourneau University students are invited to come to enjoy free hot dogs, refreshments, games and live music by DJ Chris Frazier as part of a student-athlete “sendoff” for weekend athletic events on the road.
Friday, April 6
SAAC Student-Athletes read to South Ward Elementary School – Student-Athletes that make up the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will meet with students at South Ward Elementary in Longview to read books to them and reach out to the community.
LeTourneau University men’s and women’s track and field at Stephen F. Austin Invitational, Nacogdoches
LeTourneau University Softball at East Texas Baptist University, 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, in Marshall
LeTourneau baseball at East Texas Baptist University – 7:00 pm, in Marshall
Saturday, April 7
LeTourneau University softball at East Texas Baptist University at noon in Marshall
LeTourneau University Baseball at East Texas Baptist University at 1:00 and 3:30 pm in Marshall
LeTourneau University men’s and women’s track and field at Stephen F. Austin Invitational, Nacogdoches
LeTourneau University men’s and women’s tennis at University of the Ozarks, 10:00 am in Clarksville, Arkansas
Sunday, April 7
LeTourneau University men’s golf at American Southwest Conference Championship Preview Meet, Kerrville
These events are part of Division III’s Identity Initiative, which was introduced in 2010 to sharpen the division’s identity and to enable schools and conferences to more effectively explain why they prefer to compete in Division III. The initiative has been guided by a strategic-positioning platform, describing Division III as a place where student-athletes can “follow your passions and develop your potential,” within an approach that combines rigorous academics, competitive sports and an opportunity to pursue other interests.
Sprints, Relays Lead LeTourneau Track to Close Out Texas State Invitational.
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Competing for the third time in three days, the LeTourneau University men’s and women’s track and field teams would be led by their relay teams and sprinters at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational on the campus of Texas State University on Saturday, March 30.
The LETU women would be limited in their action on the day, but made the most of their opportunities as the 4×100 meter relay team of Kristyn Matthews, Tori Field, Georgianna Roeder, and Ro Galloway set a school record with a time of 50.96. Rebekah Stevenson placed a new season-best mark in the javelin with a score of 27.34 meters (89 ft. – 8 in.) while Lexi Funk recorded a mark of 19.11 meters (62 ft. – 8 in.). Funk would also compete in the 100-meter hurdles and finish with a time of 18.26, just behind Field who recorded a time of 17.70.
In the only other event for the LeTourneau women on Saturday, the trio of Galloway (26.68), Hayley Anguiano (wind-aided 28.82) and Matthews (wind-aided 30.23) would all compete in the 200 meters to finish out the action.
Over on the men’s side, it would be the 4×400 meter relay team of Dalton Heichelheim, Solomon Siniard, Colton Pounders, and Collin Jones setting a school-record with a time of 3:27.35 while the 4×100 meter relay team of Siniard, Jones, Jack Miller, and Stanley Williams narrowly missed out on a school-record by finishing seventh with a time of 43.22.
Other running events for the YellowJackets saw Pounders record time of 16.78 in the 110-meter hurdles while Williams put up a wind-aided time of 22.52 as three other LeTourneau athletes would compete in field events. Javaughn Dantzler would tie a season-best mark in the triple jump with a score of 12.68 meters (41 ft. – 7.25 in.) while Alex Hindman (40.58 meters, 133 ft. – 1 in.) and Adrik Kling (34.51 meters, 113 ft. – 2 in.) both scored season-best marks in the javelin.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau will kick off two weeks in East Texas when they travel south to Nacogdoches, Texas to take part in the Carl Knight Invitational on the campus of Stephen F. Austin University April 4-6. The Heptathlon and Decathlon will get underway on Thursday, April 4 with the rest of the events scheduled to get underway Friday, April 5.
LeTourneau Men’s Tennis Wins ASC Opener Over Belhaven 7-2.
LONGVIEW, Texas – Getting ready to face off with four of their final six matches against American Southwest Conference competition, the LeTourneau University men’s tennis team would earn a big 7-2 victory over Belhaven University to kick off the stretch at the Davis Tennis Courts in Longview, Texas on Friday, March 29.
Winning their second-straight match, the YellowJackets improved to 8-6 overall and 1-0 in conference play while the Blazers fell to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in ASC play.
Starting in singles play, LETU would see BU pick up a win at number one singles over Jimmie Henson by a score of 6-1, 6-3 before seeing Christian Farris respond at number two singles with a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win. Giving LeTourneau the lead would be Zac Crowley-Kurth with a 6-3, 6-1 win at number three singles and be followed up by a 7-5, 6-3 win by Nathan Schmidt at number four singles. Keeping things going for LETU would be Paulo Cressio with a 6-4, 6-1 win at number five singles while a 6-0, 6-0 victory at number six singles by Bobby Clark gave the YellowJackets a team victory.
Doubles action would see LETU add to their lead with an 8-0 win by Henson and James Estrada at number one doubles while Schmidt and Clark picked up an 8-0 win at number three doubles. Cressio and Crowley-Kurth would pair up at number two doubles, but be unable to pull out a win in an 8-6 defeat.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau will battle East Texas Baptist University in what will be a matchup of the top two teams in the ASC East Division on Wednesday, March 29 at 4:00 pm. ETBU will be coming off an 8-1 road defeat to Texas-Tyler on Friday afternoon and will enter Wednesday’s match with a 5-7 record.
LeTourneau Baseball Splits Friday Doubleheader With Louisiana College.
LONGVIEW, Texas- Coming off a 13-1 loss in game one Thursday night, the LeTourneau University baseball team redeemed themselves with a 5-3 victory in game two against Louisiana College before falling in the series finale by a score 10-3 at Conrad-Vernon Field on Friday, March 29.
The split moves the YellowJackets to 16-11 overall and 6-3 in American Southwest Conference action while the Wildcats move to 20-6 overall and 8-4 in ASC play.
Game One:
Louisiana College carried their hot bats from Thursday into the twin bill opener as the Wildcats opened the contest scoring three runs off four hits. Jacob Faubion helped the YellowJackets chip away at the LC lead in the bottom half of the second as he sent a sacrifice fly to right field to score Noah Mahoney from third. Lee Hosie followed by hitting a two-RBI single to score Eli Birriel and Will Bradshaw which tied things up at 3-3 heading to the third.
The next three innings of action would go scoreless to keep the game at 3-3 as a total of four hits between the two squads would be had in the middle stage of the game before seeing LeTourneau breakthrough in the bottom of the sixth. After two quick outs to lead off the inning, Faubion would manage to find his way on base with a single to start what would become a two-out rally as Hosie came through big once again by sending a double down the left field line to score Faubion from first and give the YellowJackets their early lead of the series. Weston McKinley added one more run with an RBI single through the left side to extend the lead to 5-3 as LETU would be just three outs away from a win.
The Wildcats would be unable to record a hit in the final frame as sophomore Kolton Eberlan came in to retire the side and secure the YellowJacket victory and tie the series at one game each.
Andrew Harlan earned the win on the mound for the YellowJackets after tossing six innings while giving up just six hits and two earned runs. The save by Eberlan was his fourth of the year, making his fourth save of the year and first save since March 9. Hosie led LETU offensively, recording two hits and a team-high three RBI as just four other YellowJackets saw a single in the contest.
Game Two:
LC wasted no time getting on the board in game two, bringing across four runs off five hits in the first inning of action. The YellowJackets had to wait until their second at-bat to respond when senior Jacob Jones led off the inning by drawing a walk before Cody Lee brought him around on a two-run home run over the left field fence.
The Wildcats managed to get both runs back in the top of the third off a two-RBI single up the middle as LC increased their lead back to four at 6-2. Louisiana College would manage to hold the YellowJacket offense scoreless over the next four-plus innings while tacking on four additional runs to push their lead to 10-2.
LeTourneau would find one final surge come in the bottom half of the seventh inning when Birriel would reach base on a leadoff double and come around to score off a Wildcat error to make the score 10-3. The YellowJackets would be unable to find any further offensive production in the final two innings as they fell in game three, suffering a 2-1 series loss.
Raul Martinez took his first loss of the season giving up seven hits and six earned runs in 2.1 innings of work while Konner Gayle, Eberlan and Jared Schurig each also saw action on the mound for the YellowJackets. Lee and Birriel each had a team-high two hits while two other YellowJackets (Brandon Ramirez, Bryce Brueggemeyer) would account for the other two LETU hits.
What’s Next?
LETU will be back in action on Friday, April 5 against their East Texas rival, East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas at 7:00 pm. The series will feature two of the top five teams in the ASC standings as the two squads both have a .667 winning percentage in conference action.
LeTourneau Track Pushes Through On Day Two In San Marcos.
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Looking to set the tone for final day action tomorrow, the LeTourneau University men’s and women’s track and field teams would continue to put up personal-best marks at the Texas State University Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas on Friday, March 29.
There are no team scores kept through the first two days, with the meet running simultaneously with the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas and featuring a mix of collegiate athletes from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA.
Getting things started this morning for the YellowJackets was Georgianna Roeder to finish out the heptathlon, putting up marks of 5.03 meters (16 ft. – 6 in.) in the long jump and 23.06 meters (75 ft. – 8 in.) in the javelin while also running a time of 3:01.88 in the 800 meters. The three events closed out the seven-event multi-event for Roeder with a school-record total of 3,377 points.
Also competing for the LeTourneau women on Friday afternoon/evening was Rebekah Stevenson in the hammer throw (29.80 meters, 97 ft. – 9 in.) while Tori Field put up a mark of 4.79 meters (15 ft. – 8.75 in.) in the long jump. LETU would also have the trio of Ro Galloway (12.93), Kristyn Matthews (13.29) and Hayley Anguiano (13.82) compete in the 100 meters while Lexi Funk put up a time of 1:13.42 in the 400-meter hurdles.
LeTourneau’s lone competitor in the 400 meters was Kennady Poling who would put up a time of 1:06.64 while Alexis Segura posted a time of 11:56.30 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The only other event featuring LeTourneau women on Friday was the 1,500 meters as Victoria Hood (5:26.63), and McKenzie Craycraft (5:36.73) both competed in the event.
On the men’s side, three LeTourneau athletes competed in day two of the decathlon as Collin Jones (5,881 points), Arvin Hrushka (5,736 points) and Keishaun McMillian (4,134 points) all set new personal-bests in the multi-event. Hrushka followed up a day one total of 2,962 points with marks of 36.68 meters (117 ft.) in the discus, 3.94 meters (12 ft. – 11 in.) in the pole vault, and 38.73 meters (127 ft. – 0 in.) in the javelin throw to go along with times of 17.90 in the 110 meter hurdles and 4:46.79 to best the 11-competitor field in the 1,500 meters. Jones would put up marks of 30.45 meters (99 ft. – 11 in.) in the discus, 4.54 meters (14 ft. – 10.75 in.) in the pole vault, and 43.25 meters (141 ft. – 10 in.) in the javelin throw while also running times of 17.01 in the 110-meter hurdles and 5:08.37 in the 1,500 meters. McMillian managed to put up times of 22.76 in the 110-meter hurdles and 5:55.82 in the 1,500 meters as well as marks of 33.52 meters (109 ft. 11 in.) in the discus, 2.64 meters (8 ft. – 8 in.) in the pole vault, and 37.41 meters (122 ft. – 9 in.) in the javelin.
Other results for LETU on the men’s side saw Stanley Williams (6.99 meters, 22 ft. – 11.25 in.) and Javaughn Dantzler (6.58 meters, 21 ft. – 7.25 in.) in the long jump while Jack Miller (4.85 meters, 15 ft. – 11 in.), Austin Parrish (4.55 meters, 14 ft. – 11 in.) and Alex Hindman (4.55 meters, 14 ft. – 11 in.) all competed in the pole vault. Running events would see LeTourneau get times of 56.73 from Colton Pounders in the 400-meter hurdles, 50.25 from Solomon Siniard in the 400 meters, 52.52 in the 400 meters from Dalton Heichelheim and 4:08.91 in the 1,500 meters from Lorien Nightingale.
What’s Next?
One more day of action remains for the YellowJackets in San Marcos, Texas to close out the Texas State Bobcat Invitational. The work is slated to begin at 9:00 am for the LeTourneau women while the men will see their first events start at 12:30 pm on Saturday, March 30.
LeTourneau Softball Goes 1-1 On Day One Against Howard Payne
LONGVIEW, Texas- After securing a 6-3 victory in game one, the long-ball was unable to carry the LeTourneau University softball team past Howard Payne in game two as part of a 7-4 loss to end the night at the LETU Softball Field in Longview, Texas on Friday, March 29.
LETU moves to 16-10 overall and 13-7 in American Southwest Conference action while Howard Payne improves to 11-14 on the season and 7-10 in ASC action.
Game One:
Just three hits were recorded between the two offenses through three innings of action as LETU waited for a third inning surge to put the first runs on the board. Senior Macey Mize took matters into her own hands as she sent a no-doubt home run over the left field wall to score Kennedi Dillow who would reach base earlier in the inning on an infield single as LeTourneau took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning.
LeTourneau would do more damage in the bottom half of the fifth when Mize tripled to right field to score Dillow for the second time in the game along with Emilee Anderson to double the LeTourneau lead. Ethel Warren and Taylor Nichols each added an RBI of their own in the inning as part of a four-run, four-hit output in the frame to extend the lead to 6-0.
Howard Payne used three hits and two LeTourneau errors in the top of the sixth to add a run to the board to cut the deficit to five at 6-1 and would hold the LETU offense scoreless in the bottom of the sixth. HPU gave themselves a sliver of hope in the top of the seventh inning as they sent a two-run home run over the left field wall to cut the lead to 6-3 but would see their rally end as the LETU defense retired the final two batters of game one to double up HPU 6-3.
Bailey Richey tossed a complete game for her sixth victory of the season, allowing just eight hits and striking out four batters in the contest. Dillow led LETU with three singles in the match while Mize followed with two, and four other YellowJackets recorded hits in the win.
Game Two:
HPU would be the first to strike in game two as they strung together five hits in the top of the third to give themselves a 5-0 lead after two scoreless innings to begin the game. Howard Payne would then add to their total in the fifth inning off a two-out RBI single to center field to extend their lead to 6-0.
LeTourneau would finally put a run on the board in the bottom half of the fifth when Samantha Akers sent a solo shot over the left field wall to light a spark in the LETU offense. Haydn Parker continued the long-ball rally, posting a home run of her own over the left-center wall to score Dillow and pull LeTourneau within three at 6-3.
HPU used a sacrifice fly a half-inning later to get a run back and make the score 7-3 and would ultimately hold off an LETU rally in the bottom of the seventh as a leadoff single by Kiley Banks, and an RBI single from Mize posed the last potential push for the LETU offense. HPU managed to hold on for the three-run victory, taking game two by a score of 7-4 to send things to a Saturday morning rubber match.
Leigh Luker took the loss for LETU as she allowed seven hits and five runs through 3.2 innings of work. Four LETU hitters saw multi-hit games as Mize, Parker, Nichols and Katelyn Trombley recorded two hits each. HPU finished the game with just 10 hits compared to 12 for LeTourneau but would take advantage of two LETU errors in the contest.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau and Howard Payne will close out their three-game series on Saturday, March 30 at 11:00 am.
LeTourneau Women’s Tennis Grabs 8-1 Win Over Belhaven
LONGVIEW, Texas – Playing in their only match of the week, the LeTourneau University women’s tennis team would run through doubles play unscathed and nearly pull off a 9-0 sweep before settling for an 8-1 home victory over Belhaven University in American Southwest Conference action at the Davis Tennis Courts in Longview, Texas on Friday, March 29.
The win gives LETU a 6-7 overall record and 1-0 mark in the ASC while the visiting Blazers slipped to 2-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Coming out strong in doubles action, the YellowJackets would get an 8-2 win at number one doubles from Katharine Waldthausen and Maddison Brackenreg while Terin Murray and Gracie Favela shut out their opponents at number two doubles 8-0. Finishing off the 3-0 start to the match would be Lauren Rockwell and Samantha Trevino with an 8-3 win at number three doubles.
In singles play, Waldthausen would go with a 6-2, 6-2 win at number one singles while Brackenreg earned a 6-0, 6-0 number two singles win. Number three singles would Favela win 6-1, 6-1 while Murray earned a 6-3, 6-0 at number four singles. The number five singles match would feature Rockwell finishing off her opponent 6-1, 6-1 as the final match at number six singles featuring Trevino with only the last one set due to the team win being clinched (7-6 {7-3} defeat for Trevino).
What’s Next?
Originally scheduled for Saturday morning, the LeTourneau women will have to wait until Wednesday, April 3, to take on East Texas Baptist University in ASC play with the first serve scheduled for 3:00 pm. ETBU is 9-4 overall and 1-0 in the ASC heading into a non-conference match against Texas-Tyler on Friday.
LeTourneau Baseball Drops Series Opener To Louisiana College 13-1.
LONGVIEW, Texas – In their first American Southwest Conference game since February 24, the LeTourneau University baseball team would be downed by a hot-hitting Louisiana College by a final score of 13-1 in game one of a three-game series at Conrad-Vernon Field on Thursday, March 28.
LETU falls to 15-10 overall and 5-2 in the ASC while the Wildcats, who are receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com top 25 poll, run their win streak to 15 to improve to 19-5 overall and 7-3 in the ASC.
Louisiana College would break out for three runs in the first and add a single-run in the third as the YellowJackets would be held to just one hit through the first five innings of play. The Wildcats turned a 4-0 lead into a 9-0 lead following a five-run fourth inning on five hits as six of the first seven batters of the inning would reach base including a three-run home run to cap off the series.
LC managed to tack on one run in the sixth on an RBI single before seeing momentum killed on a double-play and lineout to end the inning in consecutive at-bats. They would give up one run to LeTourneau in the bottom of the sixth as Jacob Jones, and Noah Mahoney combined for two hits with two outs to score the run.
Another run by Louisiana College in the top of the seventh pushed the Wildcat lead back to 10 at 11-1 following a one-out walk, double, and an RBI groundout before scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth. LETU would be unable to get any offensive production put together throughout the game as the final 10 batters of the game for the YellowJackets were retired in order.
A combination of five pitchers would be used by LeTourneau in the contest, with freshman Lance Koch throwing 3.2 innings and allowing three runs on six hits to lead LETU. Strikeouts would be problematic for the YellowJackets as 12 strikeouts were recorded by Wildcat pitchers compared to just two walks and three hits. Louisiana College would blast out 21 singles in the game with seven hits going for extra-bases.
What’s Next?
Tomorrow will feature a 1:00 pm doubleheader between the two squads to close out what will be an early weekend due to the potential for rain on Saturday. Game one will consist of a seven-inning game with game two being nine innings which will take place approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Matt Kinney
Sports Information Director
Office: 903-233-3735
Cell: 903-736-7669
MattKinney@letu.edu
www.letuathletics.com