Lion Men’s Golf Ranked No. 15 in Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll

NORMAN, Okla. – After a quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships last year, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team is voted No. 15 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Preseason Coaches Poll. The Golf Coaches Association of America announced on Friday. 

In the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Championships last year, the Lions were narrowly edged out by the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes, 3-2, its best finish in program history and only the second NCAA appearance. 

A&M-Commerce retains Zach Burch and Nathan McCulloch from that squad. Both earned PING/GCAA All-Region honors. 

This fall, the Lions embark on a new era with Ryan Hand taking over the men’s golf program. Before the turn of the calendar, A&M-Commerce competes in four tournaments beginning on September 20-21 at the Ruidoso Junior Golf Association Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches’ Poll – Preseason

Rank	University (First Place Votes)	Points	NCAA Finish
1	West Florida (4)	397	Semifinals
2	Arkansas Tech (10)	385	Champion
3	Georgia Southwestern	326	Runner-up
4	Lynn	319	DNQ
5	Central Missouri (1)	314	Quarterfinals
6	Barry (1)	300	DNQ
7	Indianapolis	288	Semifinals
8	Lincoln Memorial	284	DNQ
9	Lee	283	Quarterfinals
10	South Carolina Aiken	264	DNQ
11	Saint Leo	220	DNQ
12	Columbus State	194	9
13	Oklahoma Christian	153	DNQ
14	Florida Southern	142	DNQ
15	A&M-Commerce	141	Quarterfinals
16	Georgia College	138	DNQ
17	Nova Southeastern	133	DNQ
18	Henderson State	126	DNQ
19	North Georgia	106	DNQ
20	Limestone	101	DNQ
21	Young Harris	95	DNQ
22	CSU Pueblo	77	14
23	Clayton State	59	DNQ
24	Valdosta State	48	DNQ
T-25	Lander	46	DNQ
T-25	Washburn	46	12

Lion Athletics announces reorganization of strategic engagement unit.

Manck named Sr. Associate AD for Strategic Engagement; Mehta named Director of Strategic Communications.

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce Lion Athletics has announced a reorganization of its external relations office, now known as its “strategic engagement” unit. 

Josh Manck will lead the unit as Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Strategic Engagement and have oversight and direct contact with numerous constituents, prospective alumni and community partners, and leadership in many external unit strategies. Manck has been Lion Athletics’ primary communications officer since 2016. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity to expand my role within Lion Athletics to promote and support our Best In Class student-athletes,” Manck said. “Our strategic engagement team is full of rockstars, from experienced administrators to motivated students. I am confident they will all succeed in their specific roles, as we focus on engaging with various constituent groups, including Lion alumni, Lion Champions Fund donors, community supporters, season ticket holders, corporate partners, media, and more – all in pursuit of common goals.” 

Specifically, Manck’s unit will feature a lead person in the critical areas of philanthropy, ticket and corporate sales, strategic communications, and creative content. Additionally, Manck will be involved in various initiatives within each unit to maximize revenue and unit efficiencies. 

 

A&M-Commerce Football starts the season as No. 5 in D2Football.Com rankings.

COMMERCE – Just four days away from its season opener, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football is ranked No. 5 in the D2Football.com preseason poll, released Monday morning.

Under coach David Bailiff, who enters his second season of full competition, the Lions go into this season with 29 student-athletes that have already received their degrees. They also welcome numerous transfers and a talented crop of newcomers.

The Lions went 11-3 in 2019, falling in the regional round of the NCAA playoffs. Lone Star Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Dominique Ramse, leads this year’s team.

Two of the first three matchups to start the year come against ranked teams for the Lions, beginning with the season opener against No. 12 Colorado State-Pueblo on Thursday at 7:00 pm.

The second game is at home against a ranked opponent to start the year, No. 1 West Florida, on September 18 at 6:00 pm. You can find ticket information for the West Florida game, as well as all individual and season ticket packages, at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.

The game sandwiched between the two ranked teams comes against LSC foe Midwestern State at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on September 11 at 6:00 pm. You can find the ticket information for that game at LionAthletics.com/Arlington.

D2Football.com Top 25 Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	2019 Record
1	West Florida	13-2
2	Minnesota State	14-1
3	Ferris State	12-1
4	Northwest Missouri	12-2
5	TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE	11-3
6	Valdosta State	10-1
7	Lenoir-Rhyne	13-1
8	Colorado School of Mines	12-1
9	Slippery Rock	13-1
10	Notre Dame	12-2
11	Central Missouri	11-2
12	CSU-Pueblo	11-2
13	Ouachita Baptist	11-1
14	Harding	10-2
15	Indianapolis	9-2
16	Kutztown	11-2
17	Bowie State	11-1
18	Carson-Newman	9-3
19	Shepherd	10-3
20	IUP	10-2
21	Wingate	10-2
22	Tiffin	9-2
23	Lindenwood	9-4
24	Grand Valley	8-3
25	Angelo State	8-3