Four Lions earn First Team All-American honors from USTFCCCA.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Following a successful NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, four Texas A&M University-Commerce student-athletes have been named First Team All-Americans the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. 

Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka), Dorian Andrews (Dallas – Skyline), Micky Ferdinand (Micoud, St. Lucia), and Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) all earned All-American status after podium finishes last weekend. 

Perera is the national champion in the men’s high jump after clearing 2.26 meters (7′ 5″), five and a half inches taller than the nearest competitor. He set the fourth-highest clearance in Division II history, the Sri Lankan national record, and the A&M-Commerce record. He earned the Lions’ sixth indoor national championship and had previously been named the South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year. It is his first All-American honor. 

Andrews was the national runner-up in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.90 seconds, only one-hundredth of a second off his school record. He finished just .07 of a second behind national champion Trevor Bassitt of Ashland. His third time earned First Team All-American status indoors, and his fourth overall All-American award was also an outdoor second-team All-American in 2019.

Svaerd earned the bronze medal in the women’s 400-meter dash, winning her heat at 55.49 seconds and finishing behind Grand Valley State’s Nicole Sreenan and Pittsburg State’s London Futch. Her third All-American honor is in the indoor 400 meters, fifth indoor First Team All-American honor, seventh overall indoor All-American, and 10th total All-American honor. 

Ferdinand tied for the bronze medal in the men’s high jump by clearing 2.09 meters (6′ 10 ¼”), sharing third place honors with Deveyonn Brown of Minnesota State. It is his first career in All-American honor.

Lion Athletics and CASPR Group Team Tackle COVID-19.

The sweeping agreement reached to install COVID-fighting technology to protect the university’s athletics department and student-athletes

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce and CASPR Group announced a partnership that will see the Lion Athletics install CASPR’s award-winning disinfection technology throughout its athletics facilities. 

The A&M-Commerce Lions are flagship members of the Lone Star Conference and represent the university in Division II intercollegiate sports. Nearly 450 student-athletes in 14 sports represent the Lions. 

“CASPR technology has quickly established itself as a Best in a Class partner for Lion Athletics and our institution,” said A&M-Commerce Director of Athletics Tim McMurray. “Throughout this pandemic, we have placed safety, health, and risk mitigation as our highest priority for our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. It is a true point of difference that CASPR aligns with us on these guiding principles.” 

“We are excited to partner with Texas A&M University-Commerce as they tackle the challenges of this pandemic,” said CASPR CEO and TAMUC alum Scott Wheeler. “More and more universities recognize that the entire environment must be treated, air and surface if we are going to win the fight against COVID-19. It also helps that the technology works against bacteria, such as staph, especially within an athletic environment.” 

Under the agreement, we installed CASPR throughout Lion Athletics’ facilities to provide 24/7 continuous disinfection to the lobby, meeting rooms, offices, and locker rooms for all sports, including Football, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Golf, Volleyball, and Track & Field. 

We installed CASPR technology within TAMUC’s existing HVAC systems to treat most of the air and surfaces within the facility. Individual portable units went up to ensure optimal coverage in hard-to-reach spaces. Independent lab tests show CASPR technology effectively reduces up to 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, and mold, including SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. 

About CASPR Group

CASPR Group is on a mission to make the world indoors a better place. As the leader in intelligent environmental indoor technology, our solutions work to ensure the indoor air we breathe is the healthiest it can be, living out our well-being and our performance in the process. Our award-winning continuous disinfection technology based on photocatalysis creates safe hydrogen peroxide levels to attack viruses, bacteria, and mold at the molecular level. The innovative technology is entirely automated and does not require an operator to work. The company is in Addison, Texas, and you can learn more by visiting www.casprgroup.com.

 

The No. 3 Lions push win streak to 10 games with double shutout sweep of UT Permian Basin.

ODESSA – The No. 3 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team ran its winning streak to ten games with a pair of shutouts over UT-Permian Basin on Sunday. 

The Lions won the first game 6-0, then earned an 8-0 run-rule game in six innings in the second game. 

A&M-Commerce is now 14-4 overall on the season with an 8-0 Lone Star Conference record, while UT Permian Basin is 3-15 overall and 1-7 in league play. 

It marked the Lions’ first road trip of the season, and they now return home for the next five doubleheaders. Next week’s schedule features Midwestern State on Friday, March 19, at 4:00 pm and Texas Woman’s on Sunday, March 21, at 1:00 pm. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game One)

– Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) earned another shutout win in the circle, working around six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. UTPB stranded 10 Falcons on base.

– Kinsie Hebler (Cy-Falls) was 2-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs.

– Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) and Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas High) went 2-for-4.

– Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) had two RBIs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions started the scoring in the first inning, as Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) led off with a single and scored on an Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain) double. Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) was hit by a pitch and replaced by Da’Jia Davis (Hewitt Midway). That duo scored on LeBlanc’s two-run double to make it a 3-0 game. 

Otto stranded Falcons in scoring position in the first and four innings, and the Lions added a trio of runs in the fifth to pull away. Dugi singled, and Modrego reached on an error, and that pair moved to score position, where Hebler’s single plated them. A UTPB error later in the inning allowed pinch-runner McKenna Cross (Beaumont – Monsignor Kelly Catholic) to score and make it a 6-0 contest. 

The Lions could not bring an early end to the game, stranding runners on second in the final three innings, but Otto preserved the shutout with little drama. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game Two)

– Dugi, LeBlanc, and Slider each had two hits in the game, while Boley reached every appearance with a hit and three walks.

– LeBlanc earned her fifth shutout of the season, moving to 10-2 on the season in the circle, allowing only two hits, with three strikeouts and no walks. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions did the majority of their damage in the second inning. Slider singled, Samantha Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) walked, and a pitch hit Schaefer to load the bases. Dugi and Modrego plated the first two runs with singles, and back-to-back doubles by Boley and LeBlanc scored three more to give the Lions a 5-0 lead. 

Dutton walked and stole second in the third and was plated by Dugi’s single plated her. Serina Aguilar (Spring – Woods) drew a pinch-hit bases-loaded walk in the fourth, and the game-winner in the sixth scored when the Falcons threw the ball away on a double steal, allowing Aguilar to score.

LeBlanc continued her dominant run, as only one runner reached second base in the whole game. Both Falcons who earned a hit was erased quickly, with one caught stealing and eliminated on a double play.

 

Third-seed Lions’ NCAA run closes with 97-79 loss to second-seed Southwestern Oklahoma in regional semifinals.

CANYON – In a game that exhibited both teams’ fast-paced styles to the fullest, the third-seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team came out on the wrong end of a 97-79 scoreline Saturday. They fell to second-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Semifinal. 

The Lions see their season end with a final record of 14-4, while the 18-3 Bulldogs advance to Monday’s regional final against undefeated Lubbock Christian. The Lions were in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third straight season, and Friday’s regional quarterfinal win over Southern Nazarene was the first national tournament win from A&M-Commerce since 2007. 

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE (Jason Burton, Keekee Nowlin, Dyani Robinson) 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The fast-paced game saw the teams combine for 159 field goal attempts. The Lions shot 40.5 percent (30-of-74) from the field, while the Bulldogs shot 40-of-85 (47.1 percent).

– Dyani Robinson (Cy-Creek) led all scorers with 25 points.

– Two Lions recorded double-doubles, with DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. She also passed out a team-high four assists.

– SWOSU turned the Lions over 26 times and converted that into 30 points. Conversely, the Lions could only turn the Bulldogs’ 15 turnovers into six points.

– The Lions had a 49-45 rebounding advantage. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Southwestern was the top dog in the first quarter, with a scorching shooting frame. The Lions were held to five points in the first 4:37 until Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) converted a three-point play to cut the SWOSU lead to 15-8. Even with a 50 percent field goal rate in the first quarter, the Lions trailed 29-18 after 10 minutes as Southwestern shot 63.2 percent from the floor. 

That script flipped in the second quarter, thanks to early three-point plays from Robinson and Keekee Nowlin (Bryan) and a great stretch in the final stages. The Lions had a seven-point run to get the lead down to six points at 37-31 with 5:28 left in half. With just under three minutes left before halftime, Louis started a 9-0 Lion volley which included a three-point play from Faith Bland (St. Louis, Mo.). A Robinson jumper with a minute to play gave the Lions a 45-43 lead, but SWOSU scored four points in the final seconds of the period. The Bulldogs led 47-45 at the intermission.

 The third quarter saw SWOSU outscore A&M-Commerce by 10 points, as the Lions were unable to find their shooting stroke at only 27.8 percent (5-of-18) in the period. Even with those struggles, the Lions were just behind by seven until Bethany Franks scored five straight for Southwestern. The Bulldog lead stood at 70-58 with 10 minutes to play. 

A&M-Commerce started the fourth quarter with a Robinson triple, which created an 11-5 run. That rally cut the lead to 75-69 with 7:23 to play. Kernal converted a three-point play with 4:35 to go, but the Lions could only make two more baskets from that point. The 2-of-10 shooting runs to end the game, while the Bulldogs made five field goals and three free throws, sealed the win for the higher seed.

Andrews takes silver, Svaerd earns bronze – Lion men are eighth as a team at NCAA Indoor Nationals.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field teams completed a fantastic weekend at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday. 

Dorian Andrews (Dallas – Skyline) was the national runner-up in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, and Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) finished third in the women’s 400-meter dash. In conjunction with Friday’s 1-3 finish in the men’s high jump by Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka) and Micky Ferdinand (Micoud, St. Lucia), every Lion who competed in the meet earned a top-three finish.

HEAD COACH GEORGE PINCOCK AFTER THE MEET 

Andrews earned his national runner-up silver medal in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.90 seconds, only one-hundredth of a second off his school record. He finished just .07 of a second behind national champion Trevor Bassitt of Ashland. 

Andrews’ placement earned the men’s team its fifth consecutive top ten team finish at the indoor nationals – with only three competitors. 

Svaerd added to her lengthy career resumé with her bronze medal in the 400-meter dash. She won her heat at 55.49 seconds and finished behind Grand Valley State’s Nicole Sreenan and Pittsburg State’s London Futch.

MEN’S TEAM TOP 10

1	Ashland	70
2	Grand Valley State	53
3	West Texas A&M	39
4	Lee (Tenn.)	34
5	Pittsburg State	30
6	Colorado School of Mines	26
7	Lincoln (Mo.)	25
8	A&M-COMMERCE	23.5
9	Tiffin	22
10	Missouri Southern	21

ALL-TIME FINISHES AT NCAA DIVISION II INDOOR NATIONALS
2004 – 33rd, 3 points
2014 – Did not score
2015 – 12th, 21 points
2016 – 8th, 27 points
2017 – 9th, 22 points
2018 – 5th, 29 points
2019 – 8th, 24 points
2020 – No Meet
2021 – 8th, 23.5 points