Leslie Campuzano, Cora Welch named Second Team All-LSC.

DALLAS – Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer student-athletes Leslie Campuzano and Cora Welch have been named to the All-Lone Star Conference Second Team, as announced Thursday at the annual LSC championship banquet. 

Campuzano– a junior from Garland (Lakeview Centennial)– led the team and finished fifth in the LSC with 23 points, scoring seven goals and also assisting on nine more. She ranked second in the LSC in, shots, shots on goal, and assists and was eighth in goals scored. She scored two game-winning goals and played more than 1,600 minutes on the year. This is the second All-LSC award of her career. 

Welch– a junior from Plano (Plano Senior)– was the catalyst of the Lion defense, leading A&M-Commerce to nine shutouts on the season, the second-most in the conference. Welch played more than 1,600 minutes on the year and was disruptive in each game of the year. She was a one-time Defensive Player of the Week and also had one goal and one assist on the season with nine shots on goal. This is the first All-LSC award of her career. 

The Lions finished the season with a 10-8-1 record and a 7-6-0 record in conference play, earning the seventh seed in the LSC Tournament. It was the team’s seventh consecutive season with an LSC Tournament berth.

2019 LSC WOMEN’S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

SPECIAL AWARDS

Player of the Year: Maggie Scales, DBU

Goalkeeper of the Year: Hope Koym, DBU

Defensive Player of the Year: Maggie Scales, DBU

Midfielder of the Year: Avery McNeme, Angelo State

Forward of the Year: Haley Knesek, Lubbock Christian

Newcomer of the Year: Desiree Morgas, Eastern New Mexico

Freshman of the Year: Reagan Dykes, St. Edward’s

Coach of the Year: Michelle Lenard, DBU

FIRST TEAM
Player	Team	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown
Avery McNeme	Angelo State	Midfielder	Jr.	Lubbock, Texas
Kaci Parks	DBU	Forward	Jr.	Plano, Texas
Delaney Schmidt	DBU	Forward	Jr.	Burleson, Texas
Abigail Olmos	DBU	Midfielder	Jr.	Kennedale, Texas
Emmy Niece	DBU	Defender	Sr.	Kirkwood, Mo.
Maggie Scales	DBU	Defender	Sr.	McKinney, Texas
Hope Koym	DBU	Goalkeeper	Sr.	Odessa, Texas
Haley Knesek	Lubbock Christian	Forward	Sr.	Aledo, Texas
Allison Scott	Lubbock Christian	Midfielder	Jr.	Lubbock, Texas
Hailey Phipps	Lubbock Christian	Defender	Sr.	Santa Clarita, Calif.
Sarah Preston	St. Edward’s	Midfielder	So.	Oviedo, Fla.
Jenna Lipscomb	St. Edward’s	Defender	Sr.	Cedar Park, Texas
Hannah Kelley-Lusk	West Texas A&M	Forward	Jr.	Farmington, N.M.

 

SECOND TEAM
Trenadey Scott	Angelo State	Forward	Sr.	Fort Worth, Texas
Gabrielle Heller	DBU	Defender	So.	Bastrop, Texas
Desiree Morgas	Eastern New Mexico	Midfielder	So.	El Paso, Texas
Celia Duarte	Lubbock Christian	Midfielder	Fr.	Mansfield, Texas
Imani Morlock	Midwestern State	Midfielder	Sr.	Rio Rancho, N.M.
Eli Chavez	St. Edward’s	Forward	Jr.	Austin, Texas
Sarah Avant	St. Edward’s	Defender	So.	Houston, Texas
Annabel Sweeney	St. Edward’s	Goalkeeper	Jr.	Spring, Texas
Leslie Campuzano	A&M-Commerce	Forward	Jr.	Garland, Texas
Cora Welch	A&M-Commerce	Defender	Jr.	Plano, Texas
Jazmine Navarro	Texas Woman’s	Midfielder	Jr.	Tyler, Texas
Brittany Jones	Texas Woman’s	Defender	Sr.	Wylie, Texas
Khaline Jacob	West Texas A&M	Forward	Sr.	Siparia, Trinidad & Tobago

Shelley Chapron named CoSIDA Academic All-District.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce senior volleyball standout Shelley Chapron has been named to the Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. 

First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team (if necessary) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December. 

Chapron is a senior public health major from Houston (St. Pius X) who earned the Lone Star Conference All-Academic distinction as a junior in 2018. She has been named to the President’s List four times, Best In Class Honor Roll five times, and LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times, and has won the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award twice. 

She was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2017 and 2018, First Team All-LSC in 2017 and 2018, and the 2017 LSC Newcomer of the Year.

On the court, the two-time All-American is having another stellar season, recording more than 300 kills and averaging a career-high 3.1 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .398. As a server, Chapron has doubled her season-high with 34 service aces and also has totaled 121 blocks on the year, serving as a deterrent to opposing hitters on a nightly basis. She has earned one Offensive Player of the Week and one Defensive Player of the Week award so far on the year. 

Chapron and the Lions wrap up the 2019 regular season this week with a pair of matches against UT Tyler. The first match will be in Tyler on Friday evening, followed by the Senior Day match in Commerce at 2:00 pm on Saturday. 

Name	School	Yr.	Major
Megan Ashton	UT Permian Basin	Jr.	Chemistry
Shelley Chapron	A&M-Commerce	Sr.	Public Health
Kasie Gilfert	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Liberal Arts
Lindsey Jin	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Mechanical Engineering
Timmi Keisel	Chadron State	Gr.	Education (UG) / Education (G)
Alyssa Kelling	Metro State	Sr.	Human Performance & Sport
Jessa Megenhardt	Metro State	Jr.	Biology
Grace Nelson	Colorado-Colorado Springs	Sr.	Psychology
Abby Tiesman	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering

 

Second-half surge gives Lions 69-54 win over Ouachita Baptist on Education Day presented by Alliance Bank.

COMMERCE- The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team cruised to a 69-54 win over Ouachita Baptist on Thursday afternoon in the annual Education Day game, presented by Alliance Bank. A&M-Commerce hosted a crowd of more than 1,400, comprised primarily of students from local school districts, with some coming from as far as southern Oklahoma. After a tightly-contested first half, the Lions came out firing in the third quarter to pull away for their third consecutive win to begin the season.

The win brings the Lions to 3-0 on the year, while the Tigers fall to 0-3. The Lions return to action on Nov. 21 as they host St. Mary’s in the first game of Lone Star Conference play. The game will be played at 5:30 pm at the Field House, followed by the Lion men’s basketball team against the Rattlers at 7:30 pm.

Tickets for the doubleheader are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME

On the Education Day crowd: “It’s good to come home and get a win in front of our amazing crowd. I really want to thank everyone who put this game together, our Education Day game. It’s always great to have all of the kids here. We had a huge faculty and staff turnout as well, so I want to thank the president for allowing them to come. This environment was amazing. You come to college to play in environments like this.”

On the play of Bryant and Jones: “We had some returners really step up in this one. I thought Alexus Jones was unbelievable. She didn’t miss a shot. Alexis Bryant also played well. Both of them had 15 points, and Alexis Bryant was dominant on the boards in the game. She had nine in the first half and five more in the second. I thought she played great.”

On the room for improvement: “It’s fun to have teachable moments when it comes to a win. We have high expectations for ourselves. Even though we won by 15, I don’t think we played our best game. That’s exciting to win by 15 at home and feel like you have a lot of room for improvement. Next week we start conference play. We have our work cut out for us with two very good teams coming in.” 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Alexus Jones (Aledo) had 15 points in the game, hitting all six of her shots from the field. She also had two rebounds, two steals, and a block in her 15 minutes of play.

– Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) also had 15 points and had a double-double with a career-high 14 rebounds. She also had three assists and a pair of blocks.

– Chania Wright (DeSoto) also finished in double figures with 13 points and led the team with four assists.

– The teams combined for 48 turnovers in the game, with each committing 24.

– A&M-Commerce had 19 offensive rebounds in the game, scoring 19 second-chance points. The team also scored 20 points off of turnovers and 36 points in the paint.

– The Lions are 3-0 for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2012-13.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The Lions got off to a hot start, scoring seven points in a row early in the game to establish a lead. Bryant had five early points as the Lions led 9-4 at the midway mark of the quarter. After Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) had consecutive buckets, OBU began to climb back in the quarter and finished on a 6-2 run to take a 15-14 lead into the second quarter.

The Lions again got off to a good start to start the second quarter, beginning on an 8-0 run over four minutes. Jones scored a three-pointer and also a three-point play, giving A&M-Commerce a 22-15 lead. It was back and forth the rest of the quarter as the Lions went into halftime with a 30-26. 

Bryant had nine points at the half to lead the Lions, while also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. The Lions shot 39 percent in the first half, while OBU shot 41 percent. 

The Lions came out on fire to start the second half and shot the lights out, shooting 64 percent from the field. A&M-Commerce began the half on a 15-0 run, fueled by Jones and Wright. Jones had 11 points in the rally, getting inside the paint multiple times. The Lions pushed their lead to as many as 22 in the quarter, taking a 54-36 lead into the final quarter. 

After a back and forth start to the fourth quarter, OBU went on a small run to cut the Lion lead to 13 points. The Lions clamped down in the final minutes to leave with the 15-point win.

Alex Shillow named CoSIDA Academic All-District.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce safety Alex Shillow has been named to the Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. 

First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team (if necessary) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December. Shillow is the only Academic All-District selection from the Lone Star Conference in 2019. 

Shillow is a redshirt junior safety from Pflugerville who has excelled in every aspect of his collegiate career. He is the national chair of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and president of the A&M-Commerce SAAC, which has won last the last three Lone Star Conference SAAC Cups. He was a 2019 nominee for the American Football Coaches’ Association’s Good Works Team and recipient of the NACDA John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. 

He has been named to the President’s List four times, Dean’s List two times, and LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll six times, and was the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award winner twice. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management in August. 

On the field, the 2017 National Champion has 151 career tackles with four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a blocked kick returned for a two-point conversion, and 4.5 tackles for loss. He has 35 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and three pass breakups in the 2019 season. The Lions have gone 32-6 in Shillow’s three seasons in the blue and gold. 

Shillow and the Lions wrap up the 2019 regular season in a critical regional battle at Angelo State at 3:00 pm on Saturday.

Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Major
QB	Ryan Schlichte	Minnesota State	Sr.	Social Studies Teaching
RB	Austin Micci	Colorado State – Pueblo	Sr.	Business Management (UG) / MBA (G)
RB	Justin Taormina	Minnesota State	Jr.	Management
WR	Dakota Larson	Northern State	So.	Environmental Science
WR	Shane Zylstra	Minnesota State	Sr.	Biomedical Science
TE	Preston Guerra	Colorado State – Pueblo	Jr.	Business Management
OL	Nathan Belisle	Minnesota State	Sr.	Accounting
OL	Tyson Kauffman	Concordia-St. Paul	Jr.	Biology
OL	Rich Kelly	Concordia-St. Paul	Sr.	Biology
OL	Dan List	Colorado State – Pueblo	Sr.	History
OL	Cody Ullestad	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering
OL	Nick Zimmerman	Sioux Falls	Gr.	Business, Management, & Marketing
K	Ethan Knudson	Wayne State (Neb,)	Sr.	Industrial Technology & Construction Management
ST	Stevann Brown	Chadron State	Sr.	Education
DL	Calder Forcella	Chadron State	Sr.	Education
DL	Kolbie Foster	Wayne State (Neb.)	Sr.	Family Consumer Science & Fashion Merchandising
DL	Zach Mohs	Northern State	Sr.	Biology / Chemistry
DL	Dan Monson	Minnesota Duluth	Sr.	Civil Engineering
LB	Alex Goettl	Minnesota State	Sr.	Biology
LB	Cole Peterson	South Dakota Mines	So.	Undeclared
LB	Kyle Rosenbrock	Colorado State – Pueblo	Sr.	Engineering
DB	Gunnar Feldhege	Bemidji State	So.	Wildlife Biology
DB	Ben Gutschow	St. Cloud State	Sr.	Pre-Dental
DB	Geoff Keating	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering
DB	Alex Shillow	A&M-Commerce	Gr.	Sports Management (UG) / MBA (G)

Lions dip to fourth in Regional rankings heading into the final regular-season week.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is the fourth-ranked team in the South Central Region in the NCAA’s second rendition of the regional rankings, as announced Wednesday. 

The Lions are currently 22-5 on the season, with a 20-4 record against in-region opponents. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. The winner of each conference’s postseason tournament receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Regional Tournament, as well as the other six top-ranked teams in the regional rankings. 

The South Central Regional Championship tournament will be Dec. 5-7 and hosted by the highest seed. The winner of this single-elimination tournament will advance to the Elite Eight, held this year in Denver, Colo. 

Five teams from the Lone Star Conference are in the rankings. Angelo State is ranked second with a record of 21-2 in the region, followed by Arkansas-Fort Smith in fifth, West Texas A&M in the sixth, and Tarleton in seventh. 

The Lions have two matches remaining in the regular season before the LSC Championship Tournament. The Lions face their travel partner UT Tyler and will play a home-and-home series against the Patriots. The teams will meet in Tyler on Friday at 6 p.m. and will then face off at the Field House in Commerce at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets to Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office inside the Field House during business hours.

NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings – Nov. 13, 2019

Rk.	School	In region	Overall
1	Regis	21-1	23-3
2	Angelo State	21-2	23-2
3	Colorado School of Mines	18-6	19-6
4	A&M-Commerce	20-4	22-5
5	Arkansas-Fort Smith	21-5	22-5
6	West Texas A&M	18-4	19-5
7	Tarleton State	14-6	18-9
8	Metro State	18-4	19-6
9	Dixie State	18-6	18-7
10	Colorado Mesa	15-6	16-9

Last-minute goal sinks Lions in 1-0 loss to St. Edward’s in LSC Quarterfinal.

AUSTIN – The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team lost a hard-fought 1-0 match to St. Edward’s in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference tournament on Tuesday afternoon. After turning aside 13 SEU shots on goal in the first 88 minutes, a last-minute goal gave the Lions the loss, ending their season. 

The defeat brings the Lions to 10-8-1 on the season, while the Hilltoppers improve to 12-5-2. They advance to the semifinal round of the LSC tournament. 

HEAD COACH NEIL PIPER AFTER THE GAME

– On the result: “It was a tough way to end the game. We looked the more likely to score in the last 15 minutes, so it was a devastating ending to the season.”

– On his team’s fight: “I’m proud of the effort and execution of the game plan. Jen Peters was terrific in goal for us. The stats were a little misleading. It was a very spirited contest.” 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Jen Peters (Allen) had a career day, setting a career-high with 12 saves in the match. The Lions had 13 saves as a team on the day, as Rylie Robertson (Rockwall) also made the team save.

– The Lions took three shots in the match, but Edwards held without a shot on goal.

– Leslie Campuzano (Garland – Lakeview Centennial) had two shots while Kara Blasingame (Oswego, Ill.) also had a shot.

– St. Edward’s had 21 shots in the match, including 14 shots on goal. Their goal came in the 89th minute of the match. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Hilltoppers took control from the beginning and held possession for much of the contest. The Lions held off several shots in the opening minutes, keeping shots off the goal. Campuzano found space for a shot in the ninth minute, but it was wide. 

Peters was then put to the test, and passed each one, as the Hilltoppers had four shots on goal in a matter of six minutes. Peters would make four more saves in the closing minutes of the first half, and Campuzano would have another shot go wide as the Lions went into halftime with a 0-0 scoreless tie. 

The Lions again did not possess the ball much in the second half, as they were held to just one shot, which came from Blasingame in the 78th minute. Peters made four saves in the second half, and another save was made by Robertson. 

With the match looking like it would go into extra time, the Hilltoppers made one final attack. A long kick from the goalkeeper was headed forward, and an SEU player made their way past the Lion defense and fired the ball into the net in the 89th minute. The Lions could not find a way to tie the game, and the final buzzer sounded. 

Chapron earns LSC Defensive Player of the Week.

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce middle blocker Shelley Chapron has received the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. It is her second Player of the Week award of the season and the sixth of her A&M-Commerce career. 

Chapron– a senior from Houston (St. Pius X)– was a defensive menace for the Lions last week in their two four-set road wins, recording 13 blocks over two matches, thwarting multiple attacks from the opposition. Against WT, Chapron had seven blocks and was a factor in altering multiple Lady Buff attacks, as she led the Lion defense to hold WT to a .125 hitting percentage. Chapron was again effective against ENMU, recording six more blocks in the team’s win. Chapron was a major component in holding the Greyhounds to a .139 percentage on the attack. Over the week, the Lion defense held hitters to .132, and Chapron averaged more than 1.6 blocks per set to go along with her impressive offensive performance. 

Chapron and the Lions return to action next week in the final week of the regular season. The Lions will face their travel partner UT Tyler in a home-and-home series. The teams will meet in Tyler on Friday at 6:00 pm and will then meet at the Field House in Commerce on Saturday at 2:00 pm. 

Tickets to Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office inside the Field House during business hours. 

2019 LONE STAR CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive
Sept. 10     Shelley Chapron, A&M-Commerce
Sept. 17     Lauren Kersey, Tarleton State
Sept. 23     Tatyana Tuialii-Umi, Tarleton State
Oct. 1        Selena Batiste, West Texas A&M
Oct. 8        Sundara Chinn, Angelo State
Oct. 15      Bina Njikam, A&M-Commerce
Oct. 22      Melissa McNeil, St. Edward’s
Oct. 29      Lexie Johnston, UAFS
Nov. 5       Anna Demmer, UAFS
Nov. 12     Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State

Defensive
Sept. 10     Sofia Tonga, Tarleton State
Sept. 17     Keely Hardin, DBU
Sept. 23     Makenna Hanssen, Angelo State
Oct. 1        Chandler Vogel, West Texas A&M
Oct. 8        Makenna Hanssen, Angelo State (2)
Oct. 15      Sofia Tonga, Tarleton State (2)
Oct. 22      Maya Smalls, St. Edward’s
Oct. 29      Morgan Schwarz, Lubbock Christian
Nov. 5       Anna Demmer, UAFS
Nov. 12     Shelley Chapron, A&M-Commerce

Setter
Sept. 10    Kayla Brannon, Tarleton State
Sept. 17    Strealy Sizelove, DBU
Sept. 23    Amari Franklin, Tarleton State
Oct. 1        Lindsey Ledyard, Angelo State
Oct. 8        Meghan Parker, Angelo State
Oct. 15      Celeste Vela, A&M-Commerce
Oct. 22      Celeste Vela, A&M-Commerce (2)
Oct. 8        Gabby Emery, West Texas A&M
Nov. 5        Kayla Brannon, Tarleton State (2)
Nov. 12      Meghan Parker, Angelo State (2)

No. 23 Lions close out the regular season with a key regional battle at Angelo State.

COMMERCE – The No. 23 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team plays its final regular-season game of 2019 this weekend, traveling to Angelo State University for a game with NCAA Division II playoff implications. 

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Angelo State University

WHERE: San Angelo | LeGrand Stadium

WHEN: 3:00 pm on Saturday, November 16

RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Lone Star Conference after defeating UT Permian Basin, 44-13. Angelo State is 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the LSC after a 20-17 overtime loss at Eastern New Mexico.

RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 23 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 22 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. Angelo State is receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 23 in the D2Football.com Media Poll.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)

LIVE VIDEO: http://www.lonestarconferencenetwork.com/commerce/

LIVE STATS: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=tame

TELEVISION: The game will be televised live on Nexstar stations throughout the Southwest – CHANNEL INFORMATION

ALL-TIME vs. THE RAMS

• The Lions and Angelo State are meeting for the 51st time overall and 22nd time in San Angelo.

• ASU holds a 27-21-2 edge in the all-time series. It is the third meeting at LeGrand Stadium, which opened in the 2014 season. The Lions won 41-40 in 2014, and 62-14 in 2016.

• The Rams are 14-6-1 over the Lions in San Angelo.

• A&M-Commerce has won the last five games in the series and six of the previous seven.

• In the last meeting in San Angelo, scored the game’s final 55 points in a 62-14 win, including four non-offensive touchdowns.

• Jalon Edwards-Cooper had a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown in the contest. 

SENIORS SUCCEED OVER CAREER SPAN

• The 2019 senior class claimed the school record for wins by a class with win No. 44 in-game No. 52.

• The UTPB game gave this year’s class the school record for most games played by a senior class.

• This year’s senior class is also in second behind with the 1951-54 class for the highest winning percentage by a class.

 Years Record Pct

2016-19 46-8 85.2

2015-18 43-10 81.1

2014-17 42-10 80.8

1951-54 36-5-2 86.0

2013-16 35-14 71.4

1957-60 34-7 82.9

1972-75 32-13-1 70.6

1936-39 31-8 79.5

1990-93 31-16-1 65.6

NO SMALLS FEAT

• Quarterback Miklo Smalls has established himself as one of the most accurate efficient passers in the LSC and Division II.

• Smalls has won the LSC Offensive Player of the Week award three times, including last week’s performance at West Texas A&M.

• He completed 18-of-28 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a touchdown. He was responsible for both touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which broke a 20-all tie.

• At Tarleton, he had season highs with 29 completions, 39 attempts, and 288 yards.

• Against Midwestern State, Smalls completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the game with five touchdown passes and 186 yards through the air. He also had 24 rushing yards.

• He completed passes to nine different receivers, and different receivers caught all five touchdowns.

• He also won Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his game against Eastern New Mexico, completing 13-of-15 passes for 243 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

• His passing efficiency rating of 297.413 in that game is the second-best single-game performance by a quarterback in Division II this season.

•His 86.7 completion percentage in the game is seventh-best in the nation this year of passers with 15 or more attempts in a game.

•His 69.8 percent (180-of-258) completion percentage for the season ranks sixth in Division II.

• Smalls ranks 13th in the nation in passing efficiency at 164.1.

• He also ranks in the top 25 nationally in completions per game, passing touchdowns, passing yards per game, and yards per pass attempt. 

RAMSEY IS ELECTRIC

• Junior defensive back and return specialist Dominique Ramsey has been one of the most electric players in all of Division II whenever he touches the ball.

• He is a double major student-athlete in mathematics and electrical engineering.

• He won his second LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honor for the Western New Mexico game, thanks to a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

• He now ranks second in the nation in kickoff return average at 37.5 yards per return. He was not allowed to return a kickoff at West Texas A&M.

• He also ranks second in the LSC and ninth in the nation in punt return average at 14.7 yards per return.

• In the Midwestern State game, he recorded 150 all-purpose yards, including a highlight-reel 65-yard kickoff return to open the game and set the Lions’ first score up on a short field. He also dazzled on two scintillating punt returns. The Lions scored within five plays after each of his kick and punt returns.

• All told, Ramsey had 65 kick return yards, 48 punt return yards, 14 interception yards, 15 rushing yards, and eight receiving yards.

• He had two interceptions in the game, including a key snag in the end zone near the end of the first half to snuff out an MSU scoring threat, which would have narrowed the deficit in a key spot. He also had an interception to help seal the game in the fourth quarter. He also made five key tackles in open space on the perimeter to limit MSU yards after the line of scrimmage.

• At Tarleton, he had a 55-yard kickoff return on the way to 112 return yards with 95 kickoff return yards and 17 punt return yards. He also had eight tackles.

• Earlier this season, his 55-yard punt return for a touchdown in the ENMU game earned him Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors. 

JAKE IS THIS YEAR’S MR. AUTOMATIC

• Junior kicker Jake Viquez extended his career-long in field goals twice in last week’s game with makes of 47 and 48 yards vs. UT Permian Basin.

• His 48-yarder is the longest made kick in the LSC this season.

• For the season, he is 10-of-13 on field-goal attempts and 42-of-44 on PAT attempts.

• His 8.0 kicking points per game ranks second the LSC.

• He has also been fantastic on kickoffs, as the Lions rank 11th in the nation in kickoff return defense. 

JEMAL STEPS UP

• Junior runningback Jemal Williams started the season as a linebacker and has moved over to offense after a string of injuries plagued the Lions.

• The Minot State transfer had his first career century game against UT Permian Basin, carrying the ball for career highs of 18 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

• He had 109 total yards, eclipsing his previous best of 103 total yards, which was set against WT.

• He recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown at WT. 

TO BE THE BEST, BEAT THE BEST

• According to NCAA calculations of strength of schedule, the Lions are facing the second-strongest schedule in Division II this season.

• The Lions’ cumulative opposition’s record is 61-38 for a percentage of .615, only one-tenth of a percentage point behind Millersville (Pa.).

• The next-closest cumulative strength of schedule in Super Region Four and the LSC is Eastern New Mexico at .576. 

On this day in Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State Football (7-3) :

• 1957 – The Lions trek to San Marcos and beat Southwest Texas State, 32-13.

• 1963 – ET picks up a 10-0 shutout of Lamar Tech in Beaumont.

• 1968 – The Lions thrill the home crowd with a 51-14 romp over Southwest Texas State at Memorial Stadium.

• 1974 – East Texas routs Angelo State in the home finale, 49-7.

• 1975 – Angelo State exacts revenge from the previous year’s beating by taking out East Texas, 51-0.

• 1985 – The Lions earn a 21-0 road win over Howard Payne in Brownwood.

• 1991 – East Texas clinches the LSC title and an NCAA Division II playoff berth with a 39-7 pounding of Cameron at home.

• 1996 – A&M-Commerce wins the season finale, 56-17, over Tarleton State in Stephenville.

• 2002 – The Lions are beaten in Wichita Falls by Midwestern State to close the season, 56-20.

• 2013 – Quarterback Harrison Stewart had a solid day for A&M-Commerce, completing 26 of his 51 attempts for a career-best 392 yards and five touchdowns as for the second-straight week he connected with wide receiver Seth Smith for three touchdown strikes. Smith finished the day with 10 catches for 175 yards, including the scoring plays of 21, 78 and 33 yards. The Lions lost the regular-season finale to Eastern New Mexico, 42-35, at home.

 

Dyani Robinson named Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.

COMMERCE– Texas A&M University-Commerce guard Dyani Robinson has been named the Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week by Lion Athletics. 

In her collegiate debut, Robinson– a freshman from Cypress (Langham Creek)– was a dynamic scorer for the Lions in both of their wins to open the season. In her first game against Metro State, Robinson drained all three of her triples, scoring nine points in the team’s 69-51 win, as well as four rebounds and two assists. Robinson then exploded in the Lions’ 33-point rout of CSU-Pueblo, hitting two more threes and also getting penetration in the lane, scoring 18 points in 20 minutes. In her two games, she shot 53 percent from the field and better than 71 percent from behind the arc, and was also perfect from the free-throw line. 

The Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week will be awarded by Lion Athletics each week during the academic year.

2019-20 UNDER ARMOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Sept. 10 – Timon Kemboi, Men’s Cross Country

Sept. 17 – E.J. Thompson, Football

Sept. 24 – Cora Welch, Soccer

Oct. 1 – Sydney Andersen, Volleyball

Oct. 8 – Brandi Stalder, Women’s Cross Country

Oct. 15 – Dominique Ramsey, Football

Oct. 22 – Shelley Chapron, Volleyball

Oct. 29 – Miklo Smalls, Football

Nov. 5 – Leslie Campuzano, Soccer

Nov. 12 – Dyani Robinson, Women’s Basketball

 

 

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” experience for all.