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Willie Rooks named First Team All-District by NABC.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Texas A&M University-Commerce senior guard Willie Rooks has been named First Team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as announced Monday morning.
Rooks – a senior from Houston (North Forest) – was also recently selected to play in this weekend’s Reese’s/NABC Division II All-Star Game. He is the ninth Lion to earn First Team All-Region honors and is the first honoree on the NABC first team since Scooby Johnson in 2008. Reggie Reid earned second-team honors from the NABC last year.
Rooks was a First Team All-Lone Star Conference selection. He leads the Lions in scoring, rebounding and minutes played. Rooks made LSC history as the first player in conference history to record a triple-double in the LSC Tournament. He ranked fourth in the LSC in minutes played and was tied for the conference lead in three-pointers per game. Rooks also ranked sixth in the LSC in field goal percentage, 10th in rebounds and 11th in assists. He scored in double figures in 29 of the Lions’ 33 games of the season. He was also previously named second team all-region by the D2CCA.
2019 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION II ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS AND COACHES
South Central
First Team
Brennan Fowler, Lubbock Christian
Qua Grant, West Texas A&M
Connor Nichols, Colorado Mesa
Ben Sonnefeld, Colorado School of Mines
Willie Rooks, A&M-COMMERCE
Ashton Spears, St. Edward’s
Ryan Quaid, West Texas A&M
Second Team
Jarrett Brodbeck, Regis
Ben Clare, Colorado School of Mines
Gerad Davis, New Mexico Highlands
Chandler Jacobs, Dallas Baptist
Coach of the Year: Andre Cook, St. Edward’s
Willie Rooks invited to Reese’s/NABC Division II All-Star Game.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Texas A&M University-Commerce senior guard Willie Rooks has been invited to play in next week’s Reese’s Division II All-Star Game by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Rooks – a senior from Houston (North Forest) – was named an All-South Central Region selection last week after leading the Lions to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in his career. He is the first A&M-Commerce selection to the Division II All-Star Game.
Rooks was a First Team All-Lone Star Conference selection, leading the Lions in scoring, rebounding and minutes played, and he made LSC history as the first player in conference history to record a triple-double in the LSC Tournament. He ranked fourth in the LSC in minutes played and tied for the conference lead in three-pointers per game. Rooks also ranked sixth in the LSC in field goal percentage, 10th in rebounds and 11th in assists. He scored in double figures in 29 of the Lions’ 33 games of the season.
The 2019 Reese’s Division II College All-Star Game will be Friday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. The game will be during the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on the day between the semifinals and championship games.
The 2019 Reese’s® Division II College All-Star Game will have two teams of 10 senior student-athletes. They select two student-athletes from each of the eight regions in NCAA Division II with the four remaining selections made at-large.
Rashard Clark repeats as LSC Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce’s Rashard Clark has been named the Lone Star Conference Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, as announced by the LSC office Wednesday.
Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) repeats as LSC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and wins the award for the Lions for the fourth time, joining Luis “Ricky” Romero’s indoor honors in 2016 and 2017. The Lions have won the Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for four consecutive years.
Clark was one of the fastest men in the nation all season, capping a stellar year with a robust national meet. He came from behind as the anchor leg on the 4×400 meter relay team that won the Division II National Championship with the second-fastest time in Division II history at 3:08.34 – winning the race by .05 of a second and marking the fastest time since 1995. The relay repeated as National Champions.
He was the Division II National Runner-Up in the 400-meter dash with a time of 45.96 seconds, becoming only the second man in Division II history to break 46 seconds. Clark was also the Division II bronze medalist in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.18 seconds.
Clark was the Lone Star Conference Champion in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and 4×400 meter relay. He won the 400-meter dash at three of the four meets in which he competed in the event, and his 4×400 meter relay team was the top Division II time in every competition they ran.
“This is a huge honor for Rashard. He’s an extremely talented athlete, and he comes to practice every day with a mindset to get better and to be the best he can be. I’m blessed to work him. I think he’s an inspiration to a lot of people on our team, and a lot of them – both young and old – look up to him and see what he does. He’s a motivator and a driving force. I couldn’t be happier to coach him,” said A&M-Commerce head track and field coach George Pincock.
Minna Svaerd named LSC Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce’s Minna Svaerd has been named the Lone Star Conference Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, as announced by the LSC office Wednesday.
Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) is the Lions’ first-ever Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and second female winner overall, joining Kamryn McKee, who won outdoor honors in 2018.
Svaerd qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in three events – the 400-meter dash, pole vault, and 4×400 meter relay.
She claimed First Team All-American honors in the pole vault, establishing the Lone Star Conference and school record at 3.93 meters (12-10 ¾) to place sixth and reach the podium. She created record clearances in the event three times during the indoor season
Svaerd was also a Second Team All-American in her two running events, placing ninth in the 4×400 meter relay at 3:45.61, and 10th in the 400-meter dash at 55.14 seconds.
She was the Lone Star Conference champion in the 400-meter dash and pole vault and was also the pole vault champion at the Texas Tech Open.
“Minna wants to get things done every day at practice. She absolutely hates losing, takes it personally when she does, and comes back better the next time. She had a fantastic indoor season with two extremely fast races at the LSC Championships. She’s a very talented athlete, and I’m looking forward to what she can do in the outdoor season,” noted A&M-Commerce head track and field coach George Pincock.
Lions move to 14th in newest NFCA Coaches Poll.·
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is now the 14th ranked team in the nation in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association coaches poll. The NFCA released the stats Wednesday, and the Lions were ranked 15th last week. That is now 19 consecutive NFCA polls ranking the Lions nationally.
The Lions are coming off of a 2-3 weekend. The Lions took one game in their three-game road series against West Texas A&M. They then split a road series doubleheader against New Mexico Highlands. The Lions hit 15 home runs for the week.
The Lions are currently 22-9 on the season and 10-5 in conference play. They are one of four teams from the Lone Star Conference in the top 25. West Texas A&M is ranked 6th followed by A&M-Kingsville at 11th, A&M-Commerce at 14th and Angelo State tied for 24th.
The Lions return to action on Thursday for a home series against Western New Mexico as they return to LSC play. The teams will play in a doubleheader on Thursday beginning at 2:30 p.m. The teams will then play a single game on Friday at 1:00 p.m. Tickets to the series are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House or by purchase at the gates of the John Cain Family Softball Field.
2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll – March 20 (Week 5)
| Rank | School | Totals | 2019 Record | Previous Week |
| 1 | North Georgia (11) | 393 | 26-6 | 3 |
| 2 | Central Oklahoma (5) | 379 | 24-1 | 4 |
| 3 | West Florida | 367 | 27-4 | 2 |
| 4 | Chico State | 343 | 18-5 | 5 |
| 5 | Southern Arkansas | 324 | 22-6 | 6 |
| 6 | West Texas A&M | 315 | 22-6 | 8 |
| 7 | Concordia Irvine | 293 | 19-3 | 1 |
| 8 | Grand Valley State | 286 | 16-2 | 10 |
| 9 | Carson-Newman | 272 | 14-1 | 7 |
| 10 | UAH | 256 | 22-7 | 14 |
| 11 | Texas A&M Kingsville | 247 | 23-4 | 12 |
| 12 | Florida Tech | 220 | 23-7 | 11 |
| 13 | Valdosta State | 182 | 17-7 | 9 |
| 14 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 176 | 21-8 | 15 |
| 15 | Wayne State University | 174 | 17-4 | 16 |
| 16 | UC San Diego | 171 | 18-6 | 13 |
| 17 | Augustana | 159 | 16-4 | 18 |
| 18 | Colorado Mesa | 144 | 20-6 | 17 |
| 19 | Southern New Hampshire | 103 | 14-4 | 22 |
| 20 | Indianapolis | 84 | 19-7 | 24 |
| 21 | Mississippi College | 81 | 20-6 | 23 |
| 22 | Winona State | 48 | 13-3 | 25 |
| 23 | Lincoln Memorial | 43 | 23-5 | NR |
| 24t | Angelo State | 35 | 22-9 | RV |
| 24t | Western Oregon | 35 | 12-9 | RV |
Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Committed to a “Best In Class” student-athlete experience.
Office: 903.886.5131 | Mobile: 817.487.5136 |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
Physical Address: 2600 Neal Street | Commerce, TX 75429
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Marcus Jensen
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027 | Mobile: 801.624.8529
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Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience.