TAMUC – Sports

VOLLEYBALL

Lions pull out five-set grinder against pesky WNMU to advance to second round of LSC Tournament.

STEPHENVILLE– The No. 2 seed Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team won a five-set match against No. 7 seed Western New Mexico University on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. The Lions fell behind 2-1 but rallied to win the final two sets to advance to the second round. The set scores were 21-25, 25-23, 13-25, 25-23 and 15-9.

The win brings the Lions to 21-10 on the season, and they advance to the semifinals of the LSC Tournament. The Mustangs fall to 9-20 on the season and eliminated from tournament play. The Lions advance to the second round for the first time since the 2013 season.

The Lions will face No. 6 seed Texas Woman’s on Friday, after TWU upset third seed and top-25 opponent Angelo State in four sets earlier in the day. The match between A&M-Commerce and TWU will be played at 5 p.m. at the Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. The winner will advance to the LSC Championship match on Saturday.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Layne Little led the Lions attack, posting 18 kills with a hitting percentage of .273. She also had two aces and five digs in the match.
– Neka Nelson had 12 kills, hitting .281.
– LSC Newcomer of the Year Shelley Chapron had 11 kills with three blocks, hitting .381 overall.
– LSC Academic Player of the Year Jaslyn Wacker added ten kills and two blocks.
– Rylie Fuentes led the team with 32 assists and had an ace. Gabriela Rosa added 22 assists and had 11 digs.
– Savannah Rutledge led the team with 21 digs and had two aces. Lacie Jessup had 17 digs.
– The Lions advance to the second round of the LSC Tournament for the first time since 2013.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back and forth battle early in the first set. The Mustangs built a two-point lead on multiple occasions, but the Lions fought back to tie the game at four all-early. The Lions then went on a three-point run to take their first lead of the match. There were seven early ties in the game as the teams were locked up at 11 halfway through the set.

The Mustangs then went on a run, putting together six consecutive points to take a 17-11 lead. WNMU pushed its lead to as many as seven points before the Lions responded with a run. Trailing 21-14, A&M-Commerce scored three points in a row to cut the lead back down. It was part of a 5-1 series that brought the Mustang lead to just three points. However, the Lions could not cut through the deficit and fell in the first set 25-21.

The Mustangs jumped out to another lead early in the second set, winning the first three points. The Lions battled back to tie the game at 6-all. The Lions then went on a run. Rutledge had two aces in a row to give the Lions a 9-7 lead. Nelson had back-to-back kills as the teams continued to battle. Halfway through the set, the Lions held a 13-12 lead.

Trailing 16-15, the Lions went on a run, taking five points in a row, including two kills from Mariyah Oliver and a kill and an ace from Little as the Lions built their largest lead of the match to that point at 20-16. WNMU battled back to take the next three points to keep the set from getting away and tied the game at 21. The score was tied once again at 22 and 23. Two late errors from WNMU gave the Lions the second set win at 25-23.

It continued to be an evenly matched battle to begin the third set as the teams split eight points. WNMU then scored three points in a row to take an early lead. The Lions battled back to within one before WNMU built its lead up again, scoring seven points in a row to lead 18-9. The Mustang lead was built to as many as 12 as the set got away from the Lions and WNMU won the game 25-13.

The Lions responded with a strong start to the fourth set, winning four of the first five points. Little had two early kills in the rally. With the Mustangs trailing 7-4, WNMU then went on a run, scoring six points in a row to take a three-point lead of their own. The Lions battled back to tie the set at 13-all.

A&M-Commerce then went on a run. With the set tied at 14-all, the Lions scored six of the next seven points, with two kills coming from Chapron. Trailing by five late, the Mustangs scored five of the following six points to bring the score to 24-23. However, the Lions scored the final to win the set 25-23, taking the match to a deciding fifth game.

After the teams split the first four points, the teams traded two-point rallies. Neither side wanted to go home early from the tournament as the teams were tied again at five and six. The Lions then started to pull away, scoring four points in a row to lead 10-6. The Lions continued to pile on as Little had four kills in the set, including two of the final three points and the Lions won the fifth set 15-9 to win the match.

 

FOOTBALL

No. 8 Lions open NCAA Division II Playoffs with a trip to No. 12 Winona State.

COMMERCE – The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions’ football team travels to No. 12 Winona (Minn.) State University to open the NCAA Division II Football Championship in a battle of one-loss teams in the regional quarterfinal round.

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Winona State University
WHERE: Winona, Minn. | Altira Federal Credit Union Stadium
WHEN: 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 18
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 9-1 overall. Winona State is 10-1 overall.
RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. Winona State is ranked No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 11 in the D2Football.com Media Poll.
SEEDINGS: A&M-Commerce is the fifth seed in Super Region Four. Winona State is the fourth seed. The winner of this game advances to the regional semifinal to play at top-seeded Central Washington, which received a bye.

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

VISIT PLAYOFF CENTRAL FOR INFORMATION ON WATCH PARTIES, ETC.

LIONS QUALIFY FOR 5TH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON
• The Lions have qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the third consecutive season and will play in the postseason for the fifth straight season.
• The Lions have made 14 overall trips to the postseason with a 10-7-1 record.

STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• The Lions ended the regular season at No. 8 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 38 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• It is A&M-Commerce’s 44th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.

LIONS TAKE OVER LSC LEAD IN ALL-TIME WINS
• The Lion victory over Tarleton was their 304th Lone Star Conference victory in football action.
• A&M-Commerce now has a three-game lead in the category of all-time LSC victories.
• A&M-Kingsville sits on 301 wins in LSC play.

CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 43 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 43 wins are still 20 behind J.V. Sikes’ 63 wins in fourth place.

1	Ernest Hawkins	1964-85	132-92-6
2	Eddie Vowell	1986-98	74-71-1
3	Bob Berry	1935-41, 46-50	72-34-8
4	J.V. Sikes	1954-63	63-34-4
5	Colby Carthel	2013-pres.	43-15
6	M.A. Smith	1951-53	30-2-1

TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
• While the trip to southeastern Minnesota may seem like one of the longer trips for the Lions, it is less than 1,000 miles according to Google maps, and thus does not break the top five terms regarding long trips.
• In fact, it is not that much longer than the most extensive conference trip for the Lions.
• From Commerce to Western New Mexico, the drive is 853 miles.
• From Commerce to Winona is only 63 miles further, at 916 miles.
• Winona is farther north than all but two of the Lions’ previous trips.
• The 1997 tour to North Dakota State is the most northerly trip, followed by the 1995 NCAA playoff trip to Portland State.

AGAINST THE NSIC
• It is the first season the Lone Star and Northern Sun conferences have been paired up in a super-region, and with the size of the NSIC (16 schools), that league no longer plays non-conference games in the regular season.
• The Lions are 1-1 all-time against the NSIC, splitting a home-and-home series with Upper Iowa in 2010 & 2011.
• A&M-Commerce won at Memorial Stadium in 2010, 30-10, and was edged by UIU in Fayette in 2011, 15-14. (Current receivers coach Yogi Gallegos passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the game).
• The Lions’ only other contest against a current NSIC member was in 1991 when ET beat Wayne State (Neb.) 54-16 at Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats were a Division II independent at the time.

LEAVING THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
• After playing Tarleton’s Texans last week, the Lions play Winona’s Warriors this week.
• It marks the first time since the beginning of the 2004 & 2005 seasons that the Lions have played non-animal mascots in consecutive weeks. The Lions opened with Southern Arkansas’ Muleriders those years, then played Tarleton in week two.

CONFERENCE LOYALTY
• Today’s game matches two teams who are charter members of their leagues.
• East Texas State Teachers College was a founding member of the Lone Star Conference in 1931.
• Winona State Teachers College was a founding member of the Northern Teachers Athletic Conference – NSIC predecessor – in 1932.

SENIORS BREAK SCHOOL RECORD
• With the win at Tarleton, the senior class broke the school record for wins in a four-year period. The previous record stood since the Tangerine Bowl runs of the early 1950s.

Years	Record
2014-17	37-10
1951-54	36-5-2
2013-16	35-14
1957-60	34-7
1972-75	32-13-1
1936-39	31-8
1990-93	31-16-1

THREE-HEADED MONSTER
• As you will read below, Luis Perez is very good at throwing the football to his teammates, who in turn, are quite adept at finding the end zone.
• Two Lion receivers tied for third in the Lone Star Conference regarding terms of receiving touchdowns, with another in fourth.
• Darrion Landry and Buck Wilson each have nine receiving touchdowns this season. D’Arthur Cowan is right behind them with eight. All eight of Cowan’s touchdown receptions have come in LSC play.

PEREZ SETS SCHOOL RECORD, LEADS THE NATION
• After 387 passing yards in Canyon against WT, Luis Perez’ passing average has vaulted him to the top of the Division II ranks. He is one of nine passers in Division II averaging over 300 yards passing per game.

Rk	Team	Cl.	Gms	A-C-I	TD	Yds	Avg
1	Luis Perez, A&M-Commerce	Sr.	10	385-277-6	36	3,429	342.9
2	Connor Jessop, Shepherd	Sr.	10	357-231-7	38	3,300	330.0
3	Tanner Garry, Slippery Rock	Sr.	11	437-268-9	32	3,522	320.2
4	Amir Hall, Bowie St.	Jr.	10	321-215-4	39	3,187	318.7
5	Grant Russell, Ohio Dominican	Sr.	10	305-221-3	30	3,182	318.2
6	Brook Bolles, Central Mo.	Jr.	11	396-223-12	21	3,485	316.8
7	Nick Rooney, Adams St.	Jr.	10	441-271-10	29	3,153	315.3
8	Y. Gavalas, LIU Post	Sr.	10	363-257-8	37	3,087	308.7
9	Javia Hall, Western N.M.	Sr.	10	458-255-12	24	3,006	300.6
10	Chas Stallard, Central Okla.	Sr.	11	361-238–6	28	3,209	291.7

• His last touchdown pass in the UTPB game broke his school record for touchdown passes in a season.
• The Lions have had their quarterback pass for 30 or more scores in each of the last four seasons. Before that, the record of 22 scoring passes in a season had stood for 52 years.

SINGLE SEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS

LEADERS
1.	36	Luis Perez	2017
2.	32	Luis Perez	2016
3.	31	Tyrik Rollison	2014
4.	30	Harrison Stewart	2015
5.	22	James Gray	1952

SINGLE SEASON PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1.	3,764	Tyrik Rollison	2014
2.	3,429	Luis Perez	2017
3.	3,326	Luis Perez	2016
4.	3,173	Harrison Stewart	2015
5.	2,861	Buster Faulkner	2004

• Perez is also the Lion career leader in three major passing categories.

CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1.	6,755	Luis Perez	2016-pres.
2.	5,955	Bob Bounds	1987-91
3.	5,800	Kyle Mackey	1980-83
4.	5,635	Terry Skinner	1973-77
5.	5,362	Tyrik Rollison	2013-14

CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS
1.	521	Luis Perez (487-724-11)	2016-pres.
2.	375	Bob Bounds (375-706-36)	1987-91
3.	372	Kyle Mackey (372-751-44)	1980-83
4.	367	Terry Skinner (367-813-45)	1973-77
5.	353	Adam Farkes (353-700-30)	2009-10

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1.	68	Luis Perez	2016-pres.
2.	51	James Gray	1951-53
3.	48	Harrison Stewart	2013-15
4.	43	Jim Dietz	1967-70
	43	Tyrik Rollison	2013-14

• He ranks first in Division II and ninth in all of the NCAA in career passing yards per game.

Rk	Team	Div	Cl.	Gms	A-C-I	Yds	TD	Yds/Gn
1	Luke Falk , Washington St.	FBS	Sr.	42	2,000-1,367-36	14,117	118	336.1
2	Mason Rudolph , Oklahoma St.	FBS	Sr.	39	1,319-831-24	12,404	85	318.1
3	Josh Rosen , UCLA	FBS	Jr.	28	1,099-666-25	8,679	54	310.0
4	Devlin Hodges , Samford	FCS	Jr.	31	1,243-858-23	9,600	76	309.7
5	Baker Mayfield , Oklahoma	FBS	Sr.	44	1,392-954-29	13,539	119	307.7
6	Chase Burton , Franklin	D-III	Sr.	37	1,211-817-20	11,299	120	305.4
7	Gage Gubrud , Eastern Wash.	FCS	Jr.	27	973-637-27	8,123	70	300.9
8	Riley Ferguson , Memphis	FBS	Sr.	22	802-498-17	6,579	59	299.0
9	Luis Perez , Tex. A&M-Commerce	D-II	Sr.	23	774-521-11	6,755	68	293.7
10	Ryan Sample , Benedictine (IL)	D-III	Sr.	30	1,133-647-34	8,806	82	293.5

KICKIN’ IT WITH KRISTOV
• Kicker Kristov Martinez became the all-time leading scorer with an LSC Player of the Week effort in the regular season finale at Tarleton.
• He scored 15 points in that game and had scored 10 points or more in five games this season. The four field goals at Tarleton tied a school single-game record.
• He has scored 88 points this season, which is his lowest scoring season to date behind 109 points in 2016 and 92 points in 2015. The 2017 total to date ranks 10th in school history. The late Saul Martinez scored 134 points in 2014 to set the school single-season record.

CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1.	289	Kristov Martinez (160 PAT, 43 FG)	2015-pres.
2.	281	Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG)	1990-93
3.	224	David Dell (104 PAT, 40 FG)	1995-98
4.	222	Aundra Thompson (37 TD)	1972-75
5.	219	Saul Martinez (126 PAT, 31 FG)	2013-14

CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS
1.	160	Kristov Martinez (160-167)	2015-pres.
2.	134	Billy Watkins (134-143)	1990-93
3.	126	Saul Martinez (126-130)	2013-14
4.	121	Leonard Allen (121-134)	1973-76
5.	105	Kevin Garman (105-113)	1981-84

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS
1.	49	Billy Watkins (49-84)	1990-93
2.	43	Kristov Martinez (43-59)	2015-pres.
3.	40	David Dell (40-61)	1995-98
4.	31	Saul Martinez (31-38)	2013-14
5.	29	Ha’a Bento (29-44)	2004-05
	29	Leonard Allen (29-52)	1973-76

FIREWORKS AFTER A SCORE
• The Lions have excelled on kickoffs, both when kicking the ball away, and when receiving the kickoff.
• The Lions rank 1st nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 12.82 yards per return.
• A&M-Commerce is 5th in the nation in kickoff return average at 27.24 yards per return.
• Winona State ranks 6th nationally in kickoff return average at 27.00 yards per return – 8.64 inches per return behind the Lions.

WILSON TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
• Buck Wilson returned a first-quarter kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown against West Texas A&M, earning LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• He is the fourth Lion on record with a 100-yard touchdown. Wilson is the 25th player in LSC history with a 100-yard kickoff return. He is the seventh player in Division II this season with a 100-yard kickoff return.

Bob Sloan	vs. Midwestern State, 1950
Marvin Brown	vs. Midwestern State, 1951
Gary Berry	vs. Sam Houston State, 1958
Buck Wilson	at West Texas A&M, 2017

• Wilson averages 31.7 yards per kickoff return on 11 returns. The NCAA requires returners to have 1.2 returns per game to qualify for the statistical rankings. Wilson averages 1.1 returns per game.
• If he met the return quantity qualification, Wilson would rank fourth in the nation in kick return yardage.
•WSU’s Jake Balliu ranks 10th nationally at 29.6 yards per return.

ON THE SCOREBOARD
• The Lions rank in the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• At 40.4 points scored per game, the Lions are 2nd in the LSC and 14th in the nation.
• At 14.9 points allowed per game, the Lions rank 1st in the LSC and 13th in the country.
• Winona State is ahead of the Lions in scoring defense – 8th nationally at 14.1 points allowed per game, which is third-best in the NSIC.

MULTI-FACETED ALL-AMERICAN ALONG WITH ACTUAL PUNTING INFO
• All-American tackle Jared Machorro has been fantastic on the left side of the offensive line, which you could have expected.
• Likely unexpected? He ranks 11th in the LSC in average punt yardage at 35.5 yards per punt.
• That’s just awesome.
• Actual punter Tristan Perry ranks fourth in the conference with 40.5 yards punting average.

LIONS ALL-TIME IN THE POSTSEASON

Jan 1, 1953	vs. Tennessee Tech	W 33-0	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1954	vs. Arkansas State	T 7-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1958	vs. Mississippi Southern	W 10-9	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Dec 31, 1958	vs. Missouri Valley	W 26-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Nov 25, 1972	Central State (Okla.)	W 54-0	NAIA Semifinal	Commerce
Dec 9, 1972	Carson-Newman	W 21-18	NAIA Champion Bowl	Commerce
Dec 6, 1980	at Central Arkansas	W 27-21	NAIA Quarterfinal	Conway, Ark.
Dec 13, 1980	Elon	L 6-14	NAIA Semifinal	Commerce
Nov 17, 1990	at Grand Valley State	W 20-14	DII First Rd

 

VOLLEYBALL

Jaryn and Jaslyn Wacker named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.

COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball program is represented by two players on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 6 Team, as announced Thursday.

Twin sisters Jaryn Wacker and Jaslyn Wacker have both earned Academic All-District accolades, advancing them to the Academic All-America ballot. It is the first time in six years that Lion volleyball has been on the Academic All-District team.

Both Wackers was named the Lone Star Conference All-Academic team at Wednesday night’s awards banquet before the conference tournament. They were both instrumental in leading the Lions to their first undefeated home season since 1987 and the highest Lone Star Conference finish since 1994. The Lions carry the No. 2 seed into the LSC Championship, starting today.

Jaslyn Wacker was named the LSC Academic Player of the Year, LSC All-Academic, and First Team All-LSC. She was an impact player on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, tying for the second most blocks in the conference with 129 and ranking fourth in blocks per set and second in hitting percentage. Jaslyn was second on the team with 290 kills and hit .325, leading the team with a point total of 380.0. She is a three-time All-LSC recipient and two-time LSC All-Academic team member.

Jaryn Wacker was named Honorable Mention All-LSC and LSC All-Academic. She was third on the team with 240 kills and had 46 blocks and 58 digs on the year. She is a first-time honoree on the All-LSC and All-Academic teams.

They announce the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams Wednesday, December 13.

NCAA DIVISION II – DISTRICT 6 (Heartland, Lone Star, Rocky Mountain)
FIRST TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	GPA	Major
Silvia Basso	Regis	So.	3.48	Business Management
Caitlin Broadwell	Colorado State-Pueblo	Sr.	3.72	Psychology
Anna Burton	Newman	Sr.	4.00	Nursing
MacKenzie Edwards	Colorado Mesa	Jr.	3.91	Mass Communications
Natasha Habert	Colorado-Colorado Springs	Sr.	3.98	Psychology
Casey Klobedans	Texas A&M-Kingsville	Sr.	3.63	General Business
Adrianna Knutson	Tarleton State	Jr.	3.82	Kinesiology
Hannah McManus	Tarleton State	Jr.	3.48	Kinesiology
Mikala Morris	Colorado State-Pueblo	Sr.	4.00	Political Science / Mass Communications / Spanish
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	So.	4.00	Exercise Science
Hailey Roberts	Tarleton State	Sr.	3.32	Kinesiology
Brianna Sotello	Angelo State	Sr.	3.38	Interdisciplinary Studies
Jaryn Wacker	A&M-COMMERCE	Jr.	3.95	Finance
Jaslyn Wacker	A&M-COMMERCE	Jr.	4.00	Accounting
Lexi Wick	Texas A&M-Kingsville	Sr.	3.32	Criminology

 

VOLLEYBALL

Chapron, Wacker win special awards, five players named to All-Conference teams.

STEPHENVILLE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team received multiple honors at the annual Lone Star Conference Championship banquet held Wednesday night. Sophomore Shelley Chapron was named LSC Newcomer of the Year while junior Jaslyn Wacker was named Academic Player of the Year. The Lions also had five players named to the All-Conference teams and two players named to the All-Academic team.

Wacker is the first player in A&M-Commerce volleyball history to be named Academic Player of the Year while Chapron is the second Lion volleyball player in history to be named Newcomer of the Year.

In addition to their unique awards, Wacker and Chapron were also named First Team All-LSC. Senior Layne Little was named Second Team All-LSC while junior Jaryn Wacker and senior Gabriela Rosa were named Honorable Mention All-LSC. The Wacker sisters were also both named to the All-Academic Team.

Chapron– a middle blocker from Houston– came to the Lions after playing her freshman year at St. Mary’s. An impact player in the middle, Chapron had 138 total blocks during the regular season, which led the conference. She was second in the conference in blocks per set and finished sixth in hitting percentage. Chapron also was a threat on the offensive end, hitting .300 with 231 kills on the year. It is the first All-LSC award of her career.

Jaslyn Wacker– a middle blocker from Austin– was an impact player on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. She was tied for the second most blocks in the conference with 129 and was fourth in blocks per set and second in hitting percentage. She was second on the team with 290 kills and hit .325, leading the team with a point total of 380.0. It is the third All-LSC award of her career and her second time making the All-Academic team.

Little– an outside hitter from Abilene– led the Lions with 300 kills on the season. She hit .212 on the year and was 14th in the conference in kills per set. An all-around player, Little also had 220 digs and 45 blocks to go with 20 service aces. It is the first All-LSC award of her career.

Rosa– a setter from Bayamon, Puerto Rico– led the team with 669 assists during the regular season. She averaged nearly six assists per set, which was 10th in the LSC. She totaled 23 service aces and was third on the team with 258 digs. It is the first All-LSC award of her career.

Jaryn Wacker– an outside hitter from Austin– was third on the team with 240 kills and had 46 blocks and 58 digs on the year. It is the first All-LSC award of her career and her first time making the All-Academic team.

The Lions are the second seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament, their highest finish in the LSC since 1994. They will face seventh seed Western New Mexico in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Thursday. The match will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. Should the Lions advance, they would play in the semifinal round on Friday at 5:00 p.m. with the championship match set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

2017 LSC VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

SPECIAL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Hailey Roberts, Tarleton State
Academic Player of the Year: Jaslyn Wacker, A&M-Commerce
Offensive Player of the Year: Hailey Roberts, Tarleton State
Defensive Player of the Year: Heather Verrill, Western New Mexico
Setter of the Year: Jordyn Keamo, Tarleton State
Libero of the Year: Andrea Aguilar, Eastern New Mexico
Newcomer of the Year: Shelley Chapron, A&M-Commerce
Freshman of the Year: Erin Clark, West Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Mary Schindler, Tarleton State

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Brianna Sotello	Angelo State	OH
Morgan Seaton	Angelo State	MB
Andrea Aguilar	Eastern New Mexico	L
Hailey Roberts	Tarleton State	OH
Jordyn Keamo	Tarleton State	S
Shelley Chapron	A&M-Commerce	MB
Jaslyn Wacker	A&M-Commerce	MB
Krystal Faison	A&M-Kingsville	OH
Lexi Wick	A&M-Kingsville	MB
Madison Brabham	A&M-Kingsville	RS
Crystal Thomas	West Texas A&M	MB
Heather Verrill	Western New Mexico	MB

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	S
Brooklyn Biel	Eastern New Mexico	MB
Aerielle Edwards	Midwestern State	L
Adriana Darthuy	Tarleton State	OH
Hannah McManus	Tarleton State	MB
Layne Little	A&M-Commerce	OH
Casey Klobedans	A&M-Kingsville	S
Miri Shade	Texas Woman’s	OH
Katy Ranes	Texas Woman’s	S
Selena Batiste	West Texas A&M	S
Erin Clark	West Texas A&M	OH
Kalie Lyle	Western New Mexico	OH

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE

Player	School	Position
Anna Graham	Angelo State	MB
Sundara Chinn	Angelo State	RS
Brook Conley	Cameron	S
Sarah Tuioti-Mariner	Eastern New Mexico	OH
Kristan Aduddel	Midwestern State	S
Amber Strange	Tarleton State	MB
Adrianna Knutson	Tarleton State	L
Gabriela Rosa	A&M-Commerce	S
Jaryn Wacker	A&M-Commerce	OH
Shelby Sheets	A&M-Kingsville	OH
Bailey French	Texas Woman’s	L
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	MB
Kamille Jones	West Texas A&M	OH
Ashley Mataele	Western New Mexico	L

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Player	School	Major
Jaslyn Wacker	A&M-Commerce	Accounting
Jaryn Wacker	A&M-Commerce	Finance
Meghan Parker	Angelo	Exercise Science
Kristan Aduddell	Midwestern State	Sports Administration
Caroline Noel	Texas Woman’s	Chemistry
Kelli McGhiey	Western New Mexico	Accounting
Casey Klobedans	A&M-Kingsville	General Business
Brianna Sotello	Angelo State	Interdisciplinary Studies
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	Mathematics
Hailey Roberts	Tarleton State	Kinesiology
Abbie Lynn	Angelo State	Exercise Science
Adrianna Knutson	Tarleton State	Kinesiology
Paige Dixon	Cameron	Biology
Bailey French	Texas Woman’s	Kinesiology

 

VOLLEYBALL

Lions jump one spot to No. 6 in NCAA Regional Rankings entering LSC Tournament.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is ranked sixth in this week’s NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings, which were released Wednesday by the NCAA. It is the final ranking release before the announcement of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship field.

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 tournament field will be announced by the NCAA on Monday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m.

The Lions are currently 20-10 entering this weekend’s Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship. A&M-Commerce wrapped up an undefeated home season with wins over UT-Permian Basin. The Lions last went undefeated in the Field House in 1987.

The Lions have won 14 of their last 17 matches and are 5-4 against teams in the current South Central Regional Rankings. The Lions swept their season series with West Texas A&M, split their series against Tarleton State, Angelo State, and A&M-Kingsville, and have a loss to Colorado School of Mines.

A&M-Commerce starts the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship as the second seed at 2:30 p.m. Thursday as the No. 2 seed against No. 7 seed Western New Mexico in the quarterfinal round at Tarleton State. The semifinal round would be played at 5 p.m. Friday, with the final round played at 3 p.m. Saturday.

NCAA South Central Regional Rankings – Nov. 15

Rk	Team	In Region	Overall
1	Regis	23-2	25-3
2	Tarleton State	22-4	26-5
3	Colorado School of Mines	23-4	23-4
4	Angelo State	19-7	21-8
5	Metro State	18-5	19-7
6	A&M-COMMERCE	18-9	20-10
7	Arkansas-Fort Smith	23-4	25-6
8	West Texas A&M	19-9	20-12
9	Texas A&M-Kingsville	20-11	21-11
10	Colorado Christian	15-10	16-10

 

SOCCER

Bunselmeyer’s first team honor leads Lion trio on D2CCA All-South Central Region teams.

CANYON – Three Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer players have earned Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association All-South Central Region honors, as announced Wednesday. Delaney Bunselmeyer made the first team all-region honors to advance to the All-American ballot, while forward Sophie Haywood and midfielder Michelle Kotlik were named second team all-region.

Bunselmeyer – a junior from Denton – was previously named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first team all-LSC, and CoSIDA Academic All-District after leading the Lion defense as A&M-Commerce had a 12-4-3 record in 2017. She led the defensive unit that allowed the fewest goals per game in the Lone Star Conference. It is her second season earning all-region honors as she was named third team all-region by the NSCAA in 2016.

Haywood – a senior from Hull, England – was named the LSC Academic Player of the Year, first team all-LSC, CoSIDA Academic All-District, and LSC All-Academic. She led the Lions with ten goals and tied for the LSC lead in game-winning goals. She was also named the 2016 LSC Newcomer of the Year as a junior.

Kotlik – a sophomore from Grapevine – was named the LSC Midfielder of the Year, first team all-LSC, CoSIDA Academic All-District, and LSC All-Academic. She had four goals and two assists on the season, commanding the midfield. It is her third career all-region honor, as she was named second-team D2CCA and NSCAA All-Region as a freshman in 2016.

The announcement of the D2CCA All-America team is on November 29. The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as essential elements of higher education. The CCA is a crucial communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.

2017 D2CCA NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer All-South Central Region Team

First Team

Pos	Name	School	Yr	Hometown
GK	Taylor Sargent	Rogers State	Jr.	The Colony, Texas
F	Trenadey Scott *	Angelo State	So.	Fort Worth, Texas
F	Cio Bargallo	Texas A&M-International	So.	Blanes, Spain
F	Mackenzie Bean	Colorado State-Pueblo	Jr.	Bothell, Wash.
F	Rosa Urista-Chico	Newman	Sr.	Wichita, Kan.
MF	Daisy Cardona	Rogers State	Sr.	Ventura, Calif.
MF	Destinee Williamson	Midwestern State	Sr.	Bedford, Texas
MF	Chelsea Martin	Texas Woman’s	Sr.	The Colony, Texas
MF	Tarah Patterson	Colorado-Colorado Springs	So.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
D	Emily Garnier	Colorado Mines	Sr.	Littleton, Colo.
D	Delaney Bunselmeyer	A&M-Commerce	Jr.	Denton, Texas
D	Viktoria Malmros	St. Edward’s	Sr.	Malmo, Sweden
D	Emily Townsend	Colorado Mines	Jr.	Katy, Texas

 * – Regional Player of the Year

Second Team

Pos	Name	School	Yr	Hometown
GK	Taylor Proctor	Colorado-Colorado Springs	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
F	Sophie Haywood	A&M-Commerce	Sr.	Hull, England
F	Rikki Fix	Regis	Sr.	Boise, Idaho
F	Colleen Howland	Newman	Jr.	Wichita, Kan.
F	Jennifer Kendall	Colorado Mines	Jr.	Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
MF	Michelle Kotlik	A&M-Commerce	So.	Grapevine, Texas
MF	Abigail Olmos	Dallas Baptist	Fr.	Kennedale, Texas
MF	Marlene van Mourik	West Texas A&M	So.	Hovborg, Denmark
MF	Haley Cole	Colorado Mines	Sr.	Katy, Texas
D	Amy Strath	Newman	Sr.	Aberdeen, Scotland
D	Maggie Saras	Regis	Sr.	Boise, Idaho
D	Delaney Schmidt	Dallas Baptist	Fr.	Burleson, Texas
D	Maggie Scales	Dallas Baptist	So.	McKinney, Texas