TAMUC – Sports

 

SOCCER

Four Lions win postseason awards from LSC, and the team picks up 13 individual honors.

SAN ANGELO– Four members of the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team have been awarded individual postseason awards from the Lone Star Conference. Senior Sophie Haywood was named Academic Player of the Year. Junior Delaney Bunselmeyer was named Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore Michelle Kotlik was named Midfielder of the Year, and Leslie Campuzano was named Freshman of the Year. The annual Lone Star Conference Championship Banquet announced the awards.

Haywood, Bunselmeyer, and Kotlik were also named First Team All-Lone Star Conference. Sophomore defender Jazsmin Coronado joined them. Campuzano took home Second Team All-LSC honors and on the second team with her was junior goalkeeper Caitlin Duty. Kotlik and Duty on the LSC All-Academic Team joined Haywood.

Haywood– from Hull, England– is the fourth Lion to win the Academic Player of the Year award and the first since 2014. In addition to shining in the classroom, the Human Performance major also was a leader on the field for the Lions. She led the team with ten goals and was the LSC co-leader in game-winning goals. She was second in the LSC in goals and points and fourth in shots. It is the second All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career and her first All-Academic selection.

Bunselmeyer– from Denton– is the second Lion ever to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, after Vicky Back won the award in 2016. Bunselmeyer was the leader of the stingiest defense in the LSC, holding opponents to 0.72 goals per game and a 0.071 shot-to-goal percentage. She also scored two goals and had four assists. It is the second All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career

Kotlik– from Grapevine– is the first Lion ever to win Midfielder of the Year. She had four goals on the year and two assists. Two of her four goals were game-winning goals, which tied for sixth in the LSC. It is the second All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career and her first All-Academic selection.

Campuzano– from Garland– is the fourth Lion to win Freshman of the Year and the first since 2013. She co-led the team with five assists and had three goals to finish third on the side in points. She tied for sixth in the conference in assists. It is the first All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career.

Coronado– from Red Oak– received the first All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career. Duty– from Crandall– led the conference in save percentage and in fewest goals allowed. She was also second in the conference in shutouts. It is the second All-LSC selection of her A&M-Commerce career and her second All-Academic selection.

2017 LSC WOMEN’S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

SPECIAL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Trenadey Scott, Angelo State
Academic Player of the Year: Sophie Haywood, A&M-Commerce
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sammy Cude, Angelo State
Defensive Player of the Year: Delaney Bunselmeyer, A&M-Commerce
Midfielder of the Year: Michelle Kotlik, A&M-Commerce
Forward of the Year: Trenadey Scott, Angelo State
Newcomers of the Year: Cassandra Moosburger, Angelo State, and Ariel Lopez, Eastern New Mexico
Freshman of the Year: Leslie Campuzano, A&M-Commerce
Coach of the Year: Travis McCorkle, Angelo State

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Delaney Bunselmeyer	A&M-Commerce	Defender
Callie Smith	Angelo State	Defender
Cheyenne Orozco	West Texas A&M	Defender
Jazsmin Coronado	A&M-Commerce	Defender
Keyara Zuniga	Eastern New Mexico	Defender
Micah Wilson	Midwestern State	Defender
Trenadey Scott	Angelo State	Forward
Sophie Haywood	A&M-Commerce	Forward
Destinee Williamson	Midwestern State	Forward
Michelle Kotlik	A&M-Commerce	Midfielder
Chelsea Martin	Texas Woman’s	Midfielder
Hanna Mattinson	Midwestern State	Midfielder
Elizabeth Rodriguez	Angelo State	Midfielder
Sammy Cude	Angelo State	Goalkeeper

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Alexis Lawrence	Texas Woman’s	Defender
Sarah Stewart	Midwestern State	Defender
Hayden Zuniga	Eastern New Mexico	Defender
Kelsey Byrd	UT Permian Basin	Defender
Marissa Brezgiel	Angelo State	Defender
Leslie Campuzano	A&M-Commerce	Forward
Ariel Lopez	Eastern New Mexico	Forward
Cassandra Moosburger	Angelo State	Forward
Analise Watson	Angelo State	Midfielder
Noir Hawash	West Texas A&M	Midfielder
Avery McNeme	Angelo State	Midfielder
Kelly Cannistra	Midwestern State	Midfielder
Khadidra Debesette	West Texas A&M	Midfielder
Caitlin Duty	A&M-Commerce	Goalkeeper
Alejandra Camarillo	Eastern New Mexico	Goalkeeper
Chenoa Crites	UT Permian Basin	Goalkeeper
Courtney Dippel	West Texas A&M	Goalkeeper

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Samantha Silvestre	West Texas A&M	Defender
Taylor Robinson	Midwestern State	Midfielder
Morgan Sibson	Angelo State	Midfielder
Deonna Green	UT Permian Basin	Midfielder
Jazmine Navarro	Texas Woman’s	Midfielder
Jessica Diaz	West Texas A&M	Midfielder
Courtney Burnette	Midwestern State	Goalkeeper

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Player	School	Major
Sophie Haywood	A&M-Commerce	Human Performance
Michelle Kotlik	A&M-Commerce	Sociology & Criminal Justice
Caitlin Duty	A&M-Commerce	Human Performance
Chelsea Martin	Texas Woman’s	Child Development
Marlene van Mourik	West Texas A&M	Management
Courtney Dippel	West Texas A&M	Sports & Exercise Science
Kenya Brooke	Eastern New Mexico	Undeclared
Callie Smith	Angelo State	Exercise Science
Elizabeth Rodriguez	Angelo State	Biology
Ally Warren	Angelo State	Pre-Nursing
Loni Byers	Angelo State	Finance

 

 

MEN’S GOLF

Wilfredo Sanchez named LSC Men’s Golfer of the Week after the tournament win.

RICHARDSON – Named the Lone Star Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week, as announced Thursday by the conference office was Texas A&M University-Commerce senior golfer Wilfredo Sanchez.

Sanchez, from the Woodlands, picked up his first individual title as a Lion medalist honors at The Classic at Firewheel Golf Course. He led the Lions to a 28-stroke victory, pushing their GolfStat ranking to eighth in the nation. Sanchez shot 2-over par 218 (73-68-77) in the 54-hole event, winning by a stroke. He led the tournament with 14 birdies and was tops in par five scoring.

Sanchez has played in all four tournaments for the Lions this season, shooting at or under par in seven of his 12 rounds. He has averaged rounds of 71.58 this season, finishing in the top 10 in two of his tournament appearances.

The Lions have now concluded their fall season, achieving top four finishes in all four tournaments, including two tournament wins. The Lions will return to the links in February.

LSC MEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 14 – Brayden Cruth, West Texas A&M
Oct. 5 – Blake Hartford, A&M-Commerce
Oct. 19 – Trip Hobson, Midwestern State
Oct. 26 – Clayton Keck, Midwestern State
Nov. 2 – Wilfredo Sanchez, A&M-Commerce

 

SOCCER

Soccer dips to seventh in regional rankings despite four-match win streak to finish the season.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team is ranked seventh in the South Central Region in the third rendition of the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. The Lions were ranked sixth in last week’s rankings. The rankings were released Wednesday by the NCAA.

It is the final release of this year’s regional rankings, which will determine the NCAA Tournament field at the end of the season. The conference tournament champions from the Lone Star, Rocky Mountain Athletic, and Heartland conferences, as well as three at-large teams from those leagues, will qualify for the South Central Regional Tournament, which will begin Nov. 10.

The field for the NCAA Division II Tournament will be released Monday, November 6. The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the region will host the first and second round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 10 and 12. The top seed in the West Region will then host the South Central Regional Championship on Nov. 17.

The Lions finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-3-3 and an in-region record of 11-3-3. Despite losing to the Lions on Sunday, Angelo State moved into first place in this week’s rankings. Regis leapfrogged the Lions, which ran from eighth to fifth from last week. The Lions are 3-2-1 against teams in the current rankings, with a season-sweep of ASU, a win against Dallas Baptist, and a tie against St. Edward’s.

The Lions are currently on a four-match winning streak, including finishing the season with a 1-0 win over LSC regular-season champion ASU. The Lions are the second seed in the LSC Tournament. They will face the winner of West Texas A&M and Texas Women’s in a match slated for Wednesday evening in Canyon. A&M-Commerce’s semifinal match will be on Friday at 5 p.m. in San Angelo, followed by ASU’s second round match against the winner of Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico. The LSC championship match, which yields an automatic bid into the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, will be held on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

NCAA South Central Regional Rankings – Nov. 1

Rk	Team	In Region	Overall
1	Angelo State	12-2-1	13-3-1
2.	Colorado Mines	14-2-1	14-2-1
3.	Midwestern State	11-6-1	11-6-1
4.	Dallas Baptist	13-3-2	13-3-2
5.	Regis	13-2-2	13-2-2
6.	St. Edward’s	11-3-4	11-3-4
7.	A&M-COMMERCE	11-3-3	12-3-3
8.	Colorado-Colorado Springs	12-4-0	12-4-0

 

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball ranked seventh in first NCAA Regional Rankings.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is ranked seventh in the South Central Region in the initial NCAA Regional Rankings. The rankings were released Wednesday by the NCAA.

The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland 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 five top-ranked teams in the regional rankings.

The Lions are currently 17-9 and are on a three-game winning streak after a grind-it-out 3-2 win over Cameron on Tuesday. They calculated these rankings before Tuesday’s victory.

The Lions have won three matches in a row and are winners of 11 of their last 13 matches. A&M-Commerce is 4-4 against teams in the current South Central Regional Rankings. The Lions split their season series against Tarleton State, Angelo State, and A&M-Kingsville and have a win against West Texas A&M and a loss to Colorado School of Mines. The Lions host another matchup against West Texas A&M on Nov. 11 to conclude the regular season.

The Lions are now on the road for their final two road matches of the regular season. They will face Western New Mexico on Friday at 7:00 p.m. CDT in Silver City, N.M. The Lions will then make the trek to Portales, N.M., to face Eastern New Mexico on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Lions will conclude the regular season with home matches Nov. 10-11.

NCAA South Central Regional Rankings – Nov. 1
(Records as of Oct. 30)

Rk	Team	In Region	Overall
1.	Regis	20-2	22-3
2.	Tarleton State	18-4	22-5
3.	Colorado Mines	19-4	19-4
4.	Angelo State	14-7	16-8
5.	Metro State	15-5	16-7
6.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	19-4	21-6
7.	A&M-COMMERCE	14-8	16-9
8.	West Texas A&M	17-7	18-10
9.	Texas A&M-Kingsville	16-10	17-10
10.	Colorado Mesa	16-5	16-6

 

SOCCER

Caitlin Duty named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time.

RICHARDSON–Texas A&M University-Commerce goalkeeper Caitlin Duty has been named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced Wednesday by the conference office. It is the second time Duty has won the award this season.

Duty – a junior from Crandall – was a brick wall for the Lions last week, saving all seven shots that came her way. She had two saves in the Lions’ 2-0 win over UT Permian Basin. She then had five saves in the Lions’ 1-0 shutout win over Angelo State. With the two shutouts, Duty now has eight such outings this season. Duty leads the LSC in save percentage and goals against this season and is second in the conference in shutouts.

The Lions are currently on a four-match winning streak, ending the regular season with a 12-3-3 record. They are the second seed in the LSC Tournament and receive a first-round bye. They will face the winner of West Texas A&M and Texas Women’s in a match slated for Wednesday evening in Canyon. A&M-Commerce’s second round match will be on Friday at 5 p.m. in San Angelo. The LSC championship match, which yields an automatic bid into the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offensive
Sept. 6 – Sophie Haywood, A&M-Commerce
Sept. 13 – Destinee Williamson, Midwestern State
Sept. 20 – Avery Lewis, Midwestern State / Trenadey Scott, Angelo State
Sept. 27 – Trenadey Scott, Angelo State (2)
Oct. 4 – Noir Hawash, West Texas A&M
Oct. 11 – Sabrina Munguia, A&M-Commerce
Oct. 18 – Kelly Cannistra, Midwestern State
Oct. 25 – Trenadey Scott, Angelo State (3)
Nov. 1 – Khaline Jacob, West Texas A&M

Defensive
Sept. 6 – Maddie Vickroy, Texas Woman’s
Sept. 13 – Caitlin Duty, A&M-Commerce
Sept. 20 – Callie Smith, Angelo State
Sept. 27 – Courtney Dippel, West Texas A&M
Oct. 4 – Courtney Burnette, Midwestern State
Oct. 11 – Alejandra Camarillo, Eastern New Mexico
Oct. 18 – Sammy Cude, Angelo State
Oct. 25 – Callie Smith, Angelo State (2)
Nov. 1 – Caitlin Duty, A&M-Commerce (2)

 

GOLF

Sanchez, Lions close out fall schedule with championships at ‘The Classic at Firewheel.’

GARLAND – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team and senior Wilfredo Sanchez earned championships at The Classic at Firewheel on Tuesday to close out the fall season.

The Lions followed the strength of two solid rounds Monday to earn the championship with a score of 888 (289-287-311, +23).

Sanchez had been tied for the lead going into the day but outpaced that player by a stroke and won the title with a score of 218 (73-68-77, +2). The win is Sanchez’ first top-five finish of the season.

Lucas McCubbin placed sixth with a score of 224 (69-79-76, +8), tying for the Lions’ low round of the day with Nick Louy, who placed ninth at 226 (73-77-76, +10).

Blake Hartford was 10th at 227 (74-71-82, +11) and Joe Wolcik place 17th (78-71-84, +17).

It is the Lions’ second tournament victory in four chances this season. A&M-Commerce placed in the top four of all of their fall events.

The Lions conclude the fall season and will take a break until February. The first of five spring tournaments will be the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational in San Antonio on February 19-20.

Rank	Team	Scores			Total	Par
1.	A&M-Commerce	289	287	311	887	+23
2.	Arkansas-Monticello	305	301	309	915	+51
3.	UT Permian Basin	323	291	307	921	+57
4.	Newman	307	313	309	929	+65
5.	UT Dallas	308	304	319	931	+67
6.	UT Dallas B	313	301	319	933	+69
7.	Jacksonville College	312	308	315	935	+71
8.	Centenary	333	330	353	1016	+152

 

A&M-Commerce	289	287	311	887	+23	1st
Wilfredo Sanchez	73	68	77	218	+2	1st
Lucas McCubbin	69	79	76	224	+8	t-6th
Nick Louy	73	77	76	226	+10	9th
Blake Hartford	74	71	82	227	+11	10th
Joe Wolcik	78	71	84	233	+17	t-17th

 

VOLLEYBALL

Six Lions notch double-digit kills as team grind out a five-set win over Cameron.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team won a hard-fought five-set match against Cameron on Tuesday. The Lions had six hitters finish with 10 or more kills in the game. The set scores were 24-26, 25-20, 25-16, 24-26 and 15-11.

The win brings the Lions to 17-9 on the season and 12-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The Aggies fall to 7-18 and 3-13 in conference play. The Lions swept the season series against Cameron.

The Lions will head out on their longest road trip of the season as they travel to Silver City, N.M. for a match against Western New Mexico. The match will start at 7 p.m. CDT at Drag’s Court. The Lions will then face Eastern New Mexico on Saturday at 7 p.m. CDT in Portales.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions had six attackers end with double-digit kills, the most of the season.
– Jaslyn Wacker led all hitters with 16 kills with a .316 hitting percentage. She added two blocks and three digs.
– Shelley Chapron had 13 kills with a .400 hitting percentage. She led the team with seven blocks.
– Layne Little had 14 kills, one block, and two digs. Neka Nelson had 11 kills and three blocks.
– Mariyah Oliver had ten kills and four blocks. Preston Lienemann also had ten kills.
– Gabriela Rosa had 27 assists and 18 digs in the match. Savannah Rutledge led the Lions with 19 digs while Rylie Fuentes led the team with 29 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENEDAfter splitting the first four points of the first set, the Lions took three in a row, including two on kills from Lienemann to take an early 5-2 lead in the game. The Lions held that three-point advantage until the Aggies scored four points in a row to take a 12-11 lead midway through the first set.

Rutledge then had two aces as the Lions regained the lead on a three-point rally. CU responded with a three-point rally of its own. The teams battled back and forth as the Aggies held a 24-22 advantage late. The Lions scored two in a row to tie the set and force extra points. However, CU took the last two points and won the first set 26-24.
The Lions started the second set on fire, scoring six points in a row to take an early 6-1 lead. The Aggies responded with a five-point rally to cut the lead to just one point. A&M-Commerce built its lead back up to three midway through the set before the Aggies scored six points in a row to take a 15-12 lead. The Lions fought back to tie the game at 18-all. A&M-Commerce then went on a rally, scoring six points in a row, including consecutive kills from Nelson to lead 24-18 and Nelson’s kill gave them the 25-20 second set win to tie the match.

The Lions quickly built a five-point lead in the third set, including consecutive kills from Wacker. The Lions led 13-7 halfway through the game. The Lions built their lead to as many as ten behind the swinging of Wacker and Nelson. The Aggies cut the lead to six before A&M-Commerce took the final three points to make the third set 25-16.
The Aggies got out to an early lead in the fourth set. The Lions responded with a four-point rally to take a 9-8 lead. The teams battled back and forth as they traded leads and ties. With the Lions leading 18-16, the Aggies then went on a run, scoring five points in a row to take a 21-18 lead. The Lions then had a three-point rally to tie the set. The Lions went up 23-22 before the Aggies made two in a row to take the lead. Wacker tied the score at 24 to force extra points, but CU again responded to take the final two and force a fifth set, winning set four 26-24.

The Aggies took a 3-1 lead before the Lions answered back to tie the set at 3-all in the early stages of the fifth game. The Lions then took the lead. Leading by one, the Lions took four of the next five points to lead 13-9 late in the game. Nelson had two late kills as the Lions took the deciding set 15-11.