TAMUC – Sports

 

Four Lions advance to finals in the first day at NCAA Outdoor Championships.

KINGSVILLE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field teams advanced four entries to the finals in the first day of action at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday.

The highlight of the day for the Lions was the men’s 4×100 meter relay squad of DeQuan Dudley (Harvey, Ill.), Reggie Kincade (Everman), Stadrian Taylor (Lancaster), and Devon Sanders (Clarksville). The dynamic group recorded the top time in the field at 40.26 seconds to advance to the finals on Saturday evening at 5:20 pm.

Rashard Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) won his heat in the men’s 400-meter dash at 47.92 seconds to advance to the finals in that event at 7:20 pm Saturday.

Eboni Coby (Lancaster) ran a blistering 11.45 seconds in the women’s 100-meter dash to finish second in her heat for automatic qualification to Saturday’s 6:35 pm final with the third-quickest time in the field.

Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) rounded out the robust performance of the day in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, advancing to Saturday’s 7:20 pm final with the sixth-quickest qualifying mark.

The Lions have two chances to pick up points on Friday, with Josh Boateng (St. George’s, Grenada) and Joseph Brown (Mansfield) competing in the men’s discus and Chelsea Cheek (Baytown-Lee) competing in the women’s high jump. The Lions are also entered in six running preliminaries, including both 4×400 meter relays.

REMAINING SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MAY 24
4:30 pm – Men’s Discus Throw (Finals)
5:05 pm – Women’s High Jump (Finals)
5:35 pm – Women’s 200 Meter Dash (Prelims)
5:50 pm – Men’s 200 Meter Dash (Prelims)
6:20 pm – Men’s 800 Meter Run (Prelims)
6:55 pm – Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
7:50 pm – Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay (Prelims)
8:10 pm – Men’s 4×400 Meter Relay (Prelims)

SATURDAY, MAY 25
Italics indicates Thursday qualification
11:30 am – Women’s Javelin Throw (Finals)
5:05 pm – Men’s Shot Put (Finals)
5:20 pm – Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay (Finals)
6:05 pm – Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles (Finals)
6:25 pm – Men’s 400 Meter Dash (Finals)
6:35 pm – Women’s 100 Meter Dash (Finals)
7:05 pm – Men’s 800 Meter Run (Finals)
7:20 pm – Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles (Finals)
7:45 pm – Women’s 200 Meter Dash (Finals)
7:55 pm – Men’s 200 Meter Dash (Finals)
8:55 pm – Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay (Finals)
9:05 pm – Men’s 4×400 Meter Relay (Finals)

 

 

Lion student-athletes excel in the classroom in the spring 2019 semester.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce student-athletes excelled in the classroom in the spring 2019 semester, posting fantastic grades throughout all sports programs.

As a whole, the athletics department posted a grade point average of 3.08 for the fall semester, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.15. All told, six of the Lions’ 14 sports programs have grade point averages of 3.0 or better.

“With our unprecedented competitive success in 2018-19, celebrating this academic success is the perfect crowning achievement,” Director of Athletics Tim McMurray noted. “Our dedicated scholar-athletes, our servant leaders in the Thrower Student-Athlete Success Center, and our dedicated coaching staff have their fingerprints all over these hallmark numbers.
Additionally, the collaborative spirit of our Provost, Division of Academic Affairs, and five academic deans are truly Best in Class partners for student success.”

Standout sports programs in the spring semester included women’s golf (3.80), volleyball (3.52), soccer (3.51), softball (3.41), and men’s golf (3.26).

“The student-athletes at Texas A&M University-Commerce have continually set the bar with their academic performance,” said Judy Sackfield, deputy athletics director for student-athlete success. “I am pleased with the number of student-athletes who have achieved highest honors while continuing to serve the community on campus and in Commerce.”

In terms of individual academic accolades, 40 Lion student-athletes were named to the Texas A&M University-Commerce President’s List, and 49 student-athletes were called to the Dean’s List.

A total of 46 student-athletes were named to the Best In Class Honor Roll, which represents a perfect 4.0 term grade point average. Additionally, 62 Lions were called to the Athletics Director’s List for a term grade point average between 3.50 and 3.99, and 60 student-athletes were named to the Lion Honor Roll for a term grade point average between 3.00 and 3.49. Earlier this month, Lion Athletics celebrated a record 50 graduates at Spring 2019 commencement.

 

Emily Otto named Third Team All-American by D2CCA.

ROLLA, Mo.– Texas A&M University-Commerce pitcher Emily Otto has been named a Third Team All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association, as announced Wednesday. She is the first pitcher in school history to be called an All-American, and the fourth player in program history to receive All-America status.

Otto– a sophomore from Richmond (Lamar Consolidated)– set nearly every single-season pitching record during her 2018 campaign, helping the Lions to their second consecutive berth into the NCAA Tournament. She was named the D2CCA South Central regional Pitcher of the Year and was a First Team All-Region selection by both the D2CCA and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Otto was named the LSC Pitcher of the Year as well as a First Team All-LSC selection and a Gold Glove recipient. She was a four-time LSC Pitcher of the Week as well as a two-time National Pitcher of the Week.

Otto finished the season with a 28-8 record and set 10 different single-season program records. She finished the season with a 2.01 ERA with 25 complete games, 13 shutouts, two saves, 173 strikeouts, and held hitters to a .194 batting average. In just her second season, Otto is now the program career leader in strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. She set the program single-season records for wins, lowest ERA, fewest walks per seven innings, lowest opponent batting average, most appearances, most starts, most innings pitched, most strikeouts, most complete games, and most shutouts.

Otto and the Lions finished the 2018 season with a 40-14 record, advancing to the South Central Regional Championship game for the second consecutive season. The Lions finished as the second seed in the South Central Region, their highest regional ranking in the program’s five-year history. The Lions were nationally ranked throughout the entire season, including a ranking as high as No. 2 in the nation. The team finished in second place in the Lone Star Conference, the team’s most top finish in history. It was the team’s second consecutive 40-win season and the team’s third NCAA Tournament bid.

A&M-COMMERCE SOFTBALL ALL-AMERICA HISTORY

2019: Emily Otto (D2CCA 3rd Team)
2018: Mariah Jameyson (NFCA 1st Team, D2CCA 1st Team*, Fastpitch News 1st Team*, CoSIDA Academic All-America*)
Kinsie Hebler (NFCA 1st Team, D2CCA 1st Team, Fastpitch News Honorable Mention)
2017: Mariah Jameyson (NFCA 2nd Team, D2CCA 2nd Team, Fastpitch News 2nd Team)
2016: Kylene Hatton (CoSIDA Academic All-America)
*- indicates National Player of the Year distinction

 

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
Connect with us on our Lions’ Den Social Stream.

 

Marcus Jensen
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027 | Mobile: 801.624.8529
Follow us: @Lion_Athletics | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | LionAthletics.com
Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience.