Are You Ready For Some Futbol?
What an exciting couple of weeks we have had on the HSU campus and it gets even more exciting this weekend.
It was not a surprise to see the women’s soccer team win the American Southwest Conference title. It is not a given for the Cowgirls to win, but of late it almost seems that way. Congrats to Woody and the Cowgirls for their seventh straight ASC title.
For their reward, the Cowgirls hit the air to California for a tough opening round weekend and HSU beat No. 4 Puget Sound and No. 16 Claremont Mudd Scripps to advance to the sectional tournament. Next up is a showdown with Trinity.
The Tigers beat the Cowgirls in the season opener 1-0 in overtime and expect another nail-bitter in the series between the battle-tested rivals. If the Cowgirls can find a way through this weekend a nice reward is on the other side as the Final Four will be played in San Antonio. There is plenty of work ahead for that to happen, but HSU may have its best team and the scary thing is they start just one senior.
The Trinity game will be aired on the Internet and there are links here. If you can’t make it to San Antonio be sure to listen in.
For the Cowboy soccer team it has been an exciting couple of weeks. First the Cowboys won the ASC title at Mary Hardin-Baylor on penalty kicks. After that win, the NCAA did what the NCAA does when HSU and UMHB are in the NCAA Tournament and they paired them together in the first round.
Again the Cowboys came out on top and advanced to the second round on Sunday evening at No. 2 Trinity. After a shaky first half that somehow ended scoreless, the Cowboys settled down and took it to the Tigers in the second half for a 2-0 win. You can see Chris O’Brien’s go-ahead goal here. It was probably the biggest win in HSU men’s soccer history and it was the first time an ASC team had advanced past the second round.
The Cowboys will play at Loras College this weekend, fighting for a Final Four berth. HSU plays Whitworth on Saturday night and the game will be video webcasted. A win would put them in the sectional finals against the Loras-Dominican winner.
Now some editorializing on my part – this is a blog by the way.
The Cowboys have showed some tremendous heart the last two weeks in winning three games in very hostile environments. The two wins at UMHB (actually the first one counts as a tie in the records, but the championship rings show who won) were great. There were very vocal crowds that made it a tough environment to play. Soccer fans are closer to the action than probably any other sport and soccer fans are not known for being the most cordial.
With the action on the field and in the stands, it makes victory that much more exhilarating. A big win brings out a lot of emotion and there is nothing wrong with that. As hard as the kids work all year to see them celebrate is rewarding. It sometimes rubs the losing team and crowds the wrong way, but for the most part our kids handle themselves in the right way. To be able to celebrate with their teammates, coaches and friends is part of the reward and they should be able to enjoy them.
Some people complain about too much celebration, which is more out of line than any of the celebrating I have witnessed over the last two weeks. Let the kids be kids. These moments don’t come around that often and they should enjoy them.
Personally, I hope that both soccer teams get to celebrate on another’s teams field again this weekend. Good luck to both teams, you have already made your school proud and anything you do from here on out is icing the cake. Enjoy it, because it doesn’t last forever.
Some other notes of recent success and hopefully more to come.
The Cowboy football team closed out its season with five straight wins and secured an 18th straight winning season. Congrats to the Cowboys for fighting back from a tough 1-4 start. Character is built by how you respond to adversity and Coach Keeling and the boys should be commended for what they did to end the season. It was not an easy feat.
The Cowgirl volleyball team ended its successful run this season with a trip to the ASC Championship game. The Cowgirls gave it their all in a tough-five set loss to then undefeated Texas-Dallas. Kaela Parnell and Chelsie Fowler were named all-region for their efforts. Parnell was the ASC MVP.
Freshman Lindsey Hinton had a nice run in the NCAA Cross Country regionals with a 63rd place finish in the 189-runner field. She is the first Cowgirl to participate in the NCAA regionals in the two years of the program.
Footballers Lee Grounds, Garrison Hardin and Paul Thebeau, soccer players Amy Kuykendall, Sarah Stansell, Becca Gault and Lindsay Cogburn and volleyball players Erin Davis and Kaela Parnell were all named academic all-district. The all-district teams are the top student-athletes in Division II, III and NAIA in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico and Louisiana. It is a big honor and HSU had by far the most players honored in the district among ASC and Division III teams.
The basketball teams get moving this weekend with the first games. The Cowgirls play in the Trinity Tournament against Trinity on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday they will play St. Olaf at 5 p.m. The men open up Sunday at Baylor. All HSU basketball games can be heard on www.hsuathletics.com with Jay Ashby and/or Chad Grubbs on the call. The men will be home next Tuesday night for a game with Southwestern.
Stay tuned to www.hsuathletics.com for all of the up-to-date information on HSU Athletics and we hope to see you at the game.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It's A Special Thing To Be A Senior
It is that time of year again and no I am not talking about the baseball playoffs or college football or the other great things about the fall.
One of the things I have come to enjoy and hate at the same time has become Senior Days. Coach Keeling always says it is a special thing to be a senior. I use to think it was just coachspeak, but the more I am around college athletics the more I realize like his more often than not exactly right.
Those Senior days are so emotional for the players, parents and coaches. We try hard to take of our seniors and show them how much they are appreciated. For this sometimes big ol’ gruff guy, those senior days often soften me up and I have to admit I have had to wipe the tears away a few times.
It really is a special thing to be a senior. For our kids that go through what they do on a daily basis year round to compete in what is really just a few games is remarkable. To make it through four years is pretty much mind boggling.
The commitment level is something they will take with them for life. The friendships they will take for life. College athletics is really about molding young men and women for life. I am so thankful that I get to be a small part of that. Winning is great, but life lessons are also learned from the tough loss. Coming together for a common goal those are things that any employer should be looking for.
In this blog I am going to copy a couple of things I have seen several places, but I took them directly from a former player’s Facebook page. It is from someone that knew what it was like to play through pain, both physical pain and emotional. I saw him in near tears and obvious pain getting a treatment on a painful foot in my hotel room when I was rooming with the athletic trainer on a road trip. It was that same painful treatment every day of the season just so he could practice and play a game for what. I think the following quote tells you for what.
“People don't play sports because it's fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn't imagine their life without it. It's part of them, the Hate/Love relationship; it's what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitationals, countless pairs of different types of shoes, water, Gatorade, & coaches you hate, but appreciate. They live for the way it feels when you beat the team next to you by 1 point in overtime, and you know those 2 extra sprints you ran in practice were worth it. They live for the way you become a family with your team, they live for the countless songs you sing in your head when you’re running ALL those suicides. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the pain, heartaches, and the memories, and it’s who THEY ARE. It's who WE ARE. WE ARE ATHLETES.”
A pet peeve of mine is when people just automatically downplay Division III athletics. You hear quotes like it is just like high school or glorified intramurals. Division III athletics is so much more than that. It is the same as other levels, but a football player might run a 4.6 instead of a 4.4 or a lineman might be 6-1, 250 rather than 6-5, 325. It doesn’t mean they are here because they couldn’t play at a scholarship school. Some of them that is true, but we have a lot of players that turn down scholarships to come to Hardin-Simmons and other schools like them.
This quote comes from the same person referenced above, but it was written by a former Division III player and is kind of the Division III creed, but the words ring so true.
“It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making Sports Center. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat, to compete. We do it all for our teammates. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 200,000 fans, sometimes for 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are still students first. We don't sign autographs for money. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick, or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. Lift, throw, run, kick, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. Still the next day in class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride; in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's all over; when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim: College Athletes.”
As we come to the end of our fall sport seasons and you see a senior, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate them and how much you care about them and what they have done for our university.
One of the things I have come to enjoy and hate at the same time has become Senior Days. Coach Keeling always says it is a special thing to be a senior. I use to think it was just coachspeak, but the more I am around college athletics the more I realize like his more often than not exactly right.
Those Senior days are so emotional for the players, parents and coaches. We try hard to take of our seniors and show them how much they are appreciated. For this sometimes big ol’ gruff guy, those senior days often soften me up and I have to admit I have had to wipe the tears away a few times.
It really is a special thing to be a senior. For our kids that go through what they do on a daily basis year round to compete in what is really just a few games is remarkable. To make it through four years is pretty much mind boggling.
The commitment level is something they will take with them for life. The friendships they will take for life. College athletics is really about molding young men and women for life. I am so thankful that I get to be a small part of that. Winning is great, but life lessons are also learned from the tough loss. Coming together for a common goal those are things that any employer should be looking for.
In this blog I am going to copy a couple of things I have seen several places, but I took them directly from a former player’s Facebook page. It is from someone that knew what it was like to play through pain, both physical pain and emotional. I saw him in near tears and obvious pain getting a treatment on a painful foot in my hotel room when I was rooming with the athletic trainer on a road trip. It was that same painful treatment every day of the season just so he could practice and play a game for what. I think the following quote tells you for what.
“People don't play sports because it's fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn't imagine their life without it. It's part of them, the Hate/Love relationship; it's what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitationals, countless pairs of different types of shoes, water, Gatorade, & coaches you hate, but appreciate. They live for the way it feels when you beat the team next to you by 1 point in overtime, and you know those 2 extra sprints you ran in practice were worth it. They live for the way you become a family with your team, they live for the countless songs you sing in your head when you’re running ALL those suicides. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the pain, heartaches, and the memories, and it’s who THEY ARE. It's who WE ARE. WE ARE ATHLETES.”
A pet peeve of mine is when people just automatically downplay Division III athletics. You hear quotes like it is just like high school or glorified intramurals. Division III athletics is so much more than that. It is the same as other levels, but a football player might run a 4.6 instead of a 4.4 or a lineman might be 6-1, 250 rather than 6-5, 325. It doesn’t mean they are here because they couldn’t play at a scholarship school. Some of them that is true, but we have a lot of players that turn down scholarships to come to Hardin-Simmons and other schools like them.
This quote comes from the same person referenced above, but it was written by a former Division III player and is kind of the Division III creed, but the words ring so true.
“It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making Sports Center. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat, to compete. We do it all for our teammates. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 200,000 fans, sometimes for 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are still students first. We don't sign autographs for money. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick, or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. Lift, throw, run, kick, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. Still the next day in class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride; in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's all over; when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim: College Athletes.”
As we come to the end of our fall sport seasons and you see a senior, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate them and how much you care about them and what they have done for our university.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Seasons Change ...
What is going on in Abilene, we have actually had a fall-like fall. The weather has been brisk and damp, we have had cold and warm. I think I kind of like this actually having seasons.
Speaking of seasons, if you look on your calendar it is almost basketball season. Can you believe the teams will hit the gym for the first time on Thursday for real practices?
It has been an interesting fall around here. Going into the football season every team has optimism and I think rightfully so in the case of the Cowboys. Lots of starters returning, led by an All-American quarterback it looked like it would be a banner year. Several injuries later and the Cowboys are 2-4 and looking just to survive the season.
One thing about this year there has been no quit in the Cowboys. I have watched every second of every game and I have not seen very many plays, if any, the entire year where the Cowboys did not give great effort. That has been a trademark of the Cowboys teams of the past. They play hard and give maximum effort. It is sad that the Cowboys big postseason plans came to screeching halt thanks to some significant injuries. The silver lining is the Cowboys will return a lot of experienced talent for next year. If some of the injured guys come back healthy next year the expectations will again be high for this team.
The Cowgirl soccer team is a couple minutes away from an unbeaten record, as it stands they are 10-1 and have won 10 straight games. HSU has increased its ASC unbeaten streak to 114 straight games and the Cowgirls have a stranglehold on another regular-season title. The amazing thing about the Cowgirls is they are a relatively young team. Three of the top four scorers on the team are freshmen.
The men’s team has also put themselves in a great position to host the conference tournament. The Cowboys need to win their five remaining games, including one against Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Cru, led by former Cowboy Brad Bankhead is 7-1. The Cowboys are in second-place at 5-0-2 in league play.
The men’s team has the right to host the tournament this year if both the men’s and women’s teams win the ASC. If both HSU team’s won the regular season, the women’s tournament would be at the No. 2 team and HSU would be the No. 1 seed.
The volleyball team has come on strong and is now 12-5 on the year and in first place in the ASC West. The Cowgirls have a big match at McMurry on Wednesday and then will co-host the ASC Crossover with McMurry this weekend. Friday night the Cowgirls will celebrate senior night to honor Sam Lucien, Chelsie Fowler and Kaela Parnell. The winner of the ASC East hosts the ASC Tournament this season.
The women’s cross country team has been more competitive this year and has a chance for a strong finish at the ASC meet this year. The men have struggled to field a full team.
The golf and tennis teams are about through the fall non-traditional seasons. Both have had solid seasons.
Be sure to come out and support your HSU teams this weekend. This is a busy weekend for everyone, but our kids enjoy your support.
Speaking of seasons, if you look on your calendar it is almost basketball season. Can you believe the teams will hit the gym for the first time on Thursday for real practices?
It has been an interesting fall around here. Going into the football season every team has optimism and I think rightfully so in the case of the Cowboys. Lots of starters returning, led by an All-American quarterback it looked like it would be a banner year. Several injuries later and the Cowboys are 2-4 and looking just to survive the season.
One thing about this year there has been no quit in the Cowboys. I have watched every second of every game and I have not seen very many plays, if any, the entire year where the Cowboys did not give great effort. That has been a trademark of the Cowboys teams of the past. They play hard and give maximum effort. It is sad that the Cowboys big postseason plans came to screeching halt thanks to some significant injuries. The silver lining is the Cowboys will return a lot of experienced talent for next year. If some of the injured guys come back healthy next year the expectations will again be high for this team.
The Cowgirl soccer team is a couple minutes away from an unbeaten record, as it stands they are 10-1 and have won 10 straight games. HSU has increased its ASC unbeaten streak to 114 straight games and the Cowgirls have a stranglehold on another regular-season title. The amazing thing about the Cowgirls is they are a relatively young team. Three of the top four scorers on the team are freshmen.
The men’s team has also put themselves in a great position to host the conference tournament. The Cowboys need to win their five remaining games, including one against Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Cru, led by former Cowboy Brad Bankhead is 7-1. The Cowboys are in second-place at 5-0-2 in league play.
The men’s team has the right to host the tournament this year if both the men’s and women’s teams win the ASC. If both HSU team’s won the regular season, the women’s tournament would be at the No. 2 team and HSU would be the No. 1 seed.
The volleyball team has come on strong and is now 12-5 on the year and in first place in the ASC West. The Cowgirls have a big match at McMurry on Wednesday and then will co-host the ASC Crossover with McMurry this weekend. Friday night the Cowgirls will celebrate senior night to honor Sam Lucien, Chelsie Fowler and Kaela Parnell. The winner of the ASC East hosts the ASC Tournament this season.
The women’s cross country team has been more competitive this year and has a chance for a strong finish at the ASC meet this year. The men have struggled to field a full team.
The golf and tennis teams are about through the fall non-traditional seasons. Both have had solid seasons.
Be sure to come out and support your HSU teams this weekend. This is a busy weekend for everyone, but our kids enjoy your support.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Time and Place
OK, I like to think I know a little about sports. I did choose early in my life what I wanted to do and have a wonderful job that I love covering sports. I will have fun with our coaches telling them what I think about their strategy and lineups and those kinds of things. For the most part, they know that it is my way of trying to keep them loose.
We at Hardin-Simmons are blessed to have great coaches, who first love their kids and second love their job. It is not all about wins and losses, but the wins sure are nice and the losses sure are painful. I have yet to come across coaches that didn’t want to win and would do whatever they thought was right to win.
All of our coaches put in a ton of time every day to have successful programs and there is not one of them that does not prepare his or her team to win a game. Not one that has ever gone out of their way to try to lose a game. The coaches do what they have been trained to do to make their teams successful.
What people on the outside looking in don’t see is the time and effort the coaches put into recruiting, practicing, fundraising, promoting, being counselors on and off the field or court, preparing game plans, watching film and all of that comes before the actual game.
Most rational people understand the job they do, but when irrational people think that they know more about what is going on with a team and they think they know how to deal with it bugs me to no end. Coaches understand that dealing with parents or fans is also part of the job, but remember there is always a time and a place for everything.
The emotion of a big win or a tough loss makes people handle emotions in a different way. One thing we at HSU have always done, at least since I have been here, is win with class. When it happens we lose with class as well. Every game that is played there is a winner and a loser and it is not always your team that wins.
I encourage each and every fan out there to savior the wins and be disappointed in the losses, but always remember that our coaches and our kids give every amount of effort they have into winning. It does not always happen. If you have a problem with a loss, deal with it personally. Don’t take it out on the kids or coaches, because I can promise you one thing they take every loss as hard if not harder than any fan out there.
We at Hardin-Simmons are blessed to have great coaches, who first love their kids and second love their job. It is not all about wins and losses, but the wins sure are nice and the losses sure are painful. I have yet to come across coaches that didn’t want to win and would do whatever they thought was right to win.
All of our coaches put in a ton of time every day to have successful programs and there is not one of them that does not prepare his or her team to win a game. Not one that has ever gone out of their way to try to lose a game. The coaches do what they have been trained to do to make their teams successful.
What people on the outside looking in don’t see is the time and effort the coaches put into recruiting, practicing, fundraising, promoting, being counselors on and off the field or court, preparing game plans, watching film and all of that comes before the actual game.
Most rational people understand the job they do, but when irrational people think that they know more about what is going on with a team and they think they know how to deal with it bugs me to no end. Coaches understand that dealing with parents or fans is also part of the job, but remember there is always a time and a place for everything.
The emotion of a big win or a tough loss makes people handle emotions in a different way. One thing we at HSU have always done, at least since I have been here, is win with class. When it happens we lose with class as well. Every game that is played there is a winner and a loser and it is not always your team that wins.
I encourage each and every fan out there to savior the wins and be disappointed in the losses, but always remember that our coaches and our kids give every amount of effort they have into winning. It does not always happen. If you have a problem with a loss, deal with it personally. Don’t take it out on the kids or coaches, because I can promise you one thing they take every loss as hard if not harder than any fan out there.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
And So It Begins
After a long offseason, our teams finally hit the courts and fields for the first time this week and what an exciting week it was.
After a shaky first half the Cowboys showed off some of why the preseason expectations were so high for the program. The Cowboys were behind 21-7, but put on a 41-10 rout on Whitworth over the last 31 minutes of the game. We saw some very encouraging signs from a team that has said its goal is to win every game.
The defense recorded four sacks and the top three tacklers for the Cowboys in the game were defensive linemen. I will do some research on it this week, but I can’t remember a time that the Cowboys top three tacklers in a game were all defensive linemen.
The offense also hit its stride after a couple of stumbles in the first half. The kicking game also improved greatly over the game as special teams led directly to 21 points for Whitworth in the first half.
Playing With a Heavy Heart
It was also a sad week around the football program as HSU Athletic Hall of Famer Larry Wartes passed away. Larry has been a fixture at HSU games for the last 20 years as son Alan is the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator and for the last four years grandson Seth Higgins has been a Cowboys on the varsity and and JV team.
In a beautiful ceremony on Friday, it was evident what a great man Larry was and the lives he touched. Seth spoke to the crowd on behalf of the family and it was amazing to see someone so young give a poised and exceptionally poignant message.
Our prayers are with Alan, Sharon, Abbey and Erin along with Seth and the whole Wartes family.
Soccer
The soccer team played to a tie with Division II UT-Permian Basin in its opener. Chris Hunter scored the goal for the Cowboys, who looked like they are poised to compete for a conference title.
The Cowgirls lost in overtime to arch-rival Trinity, but All-American goalkeeper Christi Carr was stellar with 12 big saves.
Both teams are home this weekend for an exciting event on campus. They will host the ASC-SCAC challenge on Friday and Saturday. Friday the Cowgirls will play Austin College at 10 a.m. on Friday and Rhodes on Saturday at noon. The Cowboys play Trinity on Friday at 4 p.m. and Southwestern on 5 p.m. Saturday.
Come out and support the soccer teams this weekend.
Volleyball
The Cowgirls picked up two regional wins on Saturday with 3-0 blankings of Dallas and Hendrix. The Cowgirls are 2-1 on the year after a close loss to perennial South region power Austin College on Saturday.
HSU will play in the Southwestern Tournament this weekend in Georgetown.
Cross Country
The cross country teams will have their first true race of the season on Saturday at Nelson Park. The teams competed in a Twilight relay last Tuesday against McMurry and ACU.
After a shaky first half the Cowboys showed off some of why the preseason expectations were so high for the program. The Cowboys were behind 21-7, but put on a 41-10 rout on Whitworth over the last 31 minutes of the game. We saw some very encouraging signs from a team that has said its goal is to win every game.
The defense recorded four sacks and the top three tacklers for the Cowboys in the game were defensive linemen. I will do some research on it this week, but I can’t remember a time that the Cowboys top three tacklers in a game were all defensive linemen.
The offense also hit its stride after a couple of stumbles in the first half. The kicking game also improved greatly over the game as special teams led directly to 21 points for Whitworth in the first half.
Playing With a Heavy Heart
It was also a sad week around the football program as HSU Athletic Hall of Famer Larry Wartes passed away. Larry has been a fixture at HSU games for the last 20 years as son Alan is the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator and for the last four years grandson Seth Higgins has been a Cowboys on the varsity and and JV team.
In a beautiful ceremony on Friday, it was evident what a great man Larry was and the lives he touched. Seth spoke to the crowd on behalf of the family and it was amazing to see someone so young give a poised and exceptionally poignant message.
Our prayers are with Alan, Sharon, Abbey and Erin along with Seth and the whole Wartes family.
Soccer
The soccer team played to a tie with Division II UT-Permian Basin in its opener. Chris Hunter scored the goal for the Cowboys, who looked like they are poised to compete for a conference title.
The Cowgirls lost in overtime to arch-rival Trinity, but All-American goalkeeper Christi Carr was stellar with 12 big saves.
Both teams are home this weekend for an exciting event on campus. They will host the ASC-SCAC challenge on Friday and Saturday. Friday the Cowgirls will play Austin College at 10 a.m. on Friday and Rhodes on Saturday at noon. The Cowboys play Trinity on Friday at 4 p.m. and Southwestern on 5 p.m. Saturday.
Come out and support the soccer teams this weekend.
Volleyball
The Cowgirls picked up two regional wins on Saturday with 3-0 blankings of Dallas and Hendrix. The Cowgirls are 2-1 on the year after a close loss to perennial South region power Austin College on Saturday.
HSU will play in the Southwestern Tournament this weekend in Georgetown.
Cross Country
The cross country teams will have their first true race of the season on Saturday at Nelson Park. The teams competed in a Twilight relay last Tuesday against McMurry and ACU.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
We're Back
All of the fall sports have reported to campus and practice is under way for everything except soccer. They will start in the morning with testing and will both practice at 2:30 in the afternoon.
All of the fall rosters are on the web site now on the individual home page of each sport.
We will have pictures and previews up in the next few days for everyone.
I posted some volleyball video from the first practice this morning on to the site and you can expect some for soccer tomorrow afternoon.
It is amazing how you go for almost a month after Summer II until everyone gets here and the campus is almost dead, but when all of the freshmen get here for NSO and everyone returns it is a rush to see them back.
Stay tuned for hsuathletics.com, we are adding new content almost by the hour.
It is that time of year and you can start to get the feeling in the air of what is about to come.
Good luck to our teams this season, may they stay injury free and have competitive seasons.
All of the fall rosters are on the web site now on the individual home page of each sport.
We will have pictures and previews up in the next few days for everyone.
I posted some volleyball video from the first practice this morning on to the site and you can expect some for soccer tomorrow afternoon.
It is amazing how you go for almost a month after Summer II until everyone gets here and the campus is almost dead, but when all of the freshmen get here for NSO and everyone returns it is a rush to see them back.
Stay tuned for hsuathletics.com, we are adding new content almost by the hour.
It is that time of year and you can start to get the feeling in the air of what is about to come.
Good luck to our teams this season, may they stay injury free and have competitive seasons.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Put On The Pads Boys
The Cowboys put on the pads for the first time this year.
I have added some Video of that.
Things have looked very good so far. The defense is flying around and the Cowboys have added at least two and maybe more gamebreakers on the offensive side of the ball. There was a lot of talk between the offense and defense on the first day of pads and some competitive drills.
The team is working towards its first scrimmage on Saturday, with the young guys going at 10 a.m. and the older guys at 2 p.m. at Shelton.
The cross country team reported on Sunday evening and had their first run at 6 a.m. I was not out there for that one, but I will get some video soon.
Volleyball starts up on Wednesday and the soccer teams start on Thursday. I will have video from all three of those sports on hsuathletics.com.
I have added some Video of that.
Things have looked very good so far. The defense is flying around and the Cowboys have added at least two and maybe more gamebreakers on the offensive side of the ball. There was a lot of talk between the offense and defense on the first day of pads and some competitive drills.
The team is working towards its first scrimmage on Saturday, with the young guys going at 10 a.m. and the older guys at 2 p.m. at Shelton.
The cross country team reported on Sunday evening and had their first run at 6 a.m. I was not out there for that one, but I will get some video soon.
Volleyball starts up on Wednesday and the soccer teams start on Thursday. I will have video from all three of those sports on hsuathletics.com.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
It's Been A While
Okay, I admit it two things are ironic about my last blog. The first it was titled Keeping in Touch and yet I haven’t blogged since May 19th. The other is by not keeping up with the blog over the summertime it just lends itself to the misconception that we just take off for the summer and do nothing in athletics.
I will agree that the pace is a little slower in the summer, but if you kept the pace we do around here in athletics for the entire year the normal person would be totally burnt out in a year or less.
All of that being said I can’t tell you how excited that I can see right around the corner the fact that I will hear whistles blowing and pads popping and the sound of Heger saying you aren’t going to get a ring like that.
When you see over 150 games in about an eight month span and then you go four months not seeing much it all you really do start to miss the games. I have said in this space before that is one of the best things about my job is I get paid to watch a lot of games. By the Fourth of July I start to get the itch again to see a game.
I agree the content slows down in the summer but over the next few weeks you are going to see a lot of new stories and information on the web site, along with all of the schedules for 2008-09 (most of them are already up) and the fall sports rosters will be up soon after everyone reports. I will be updating the season previews in the next week or so and before you know it we will back into the game routine.
One of the things that you will see a lot more of this season is video. Not necessarily video streams of games (although you may see some) we are going to have interviews with coaches and players frequently and we are going to have more video highlights of games as well. I am going to have a new camera this year and we are going to make this more of reality than before.
Here are a few of the things that have gone on since I last blogged in the athletic department.
Ashley Huston won about 100 awards for her amazing season. The most amazing is she was named the Honda Award Winner as the Division III Female Athlete of the Year. She also won ASC Female Athlete of the Year, was the national field athlete of the year, was Academic All-American and was selected as the ASC representative for NCAA Woman of the Year. She truly had an amazing year, including three individual NCAA titles.
The summer time is always a fun time of the year, because not only are there always freshmen announcing they are coming to campus, there is always a buzz about some transfers. We will see some of those in a few weeks at football practice and the Cowgirl basketball team will now feature the two best rebounders in the ASC from a year ago.
On a sad note, Susan Keeling was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and has spent a lot of the summer under chemotherapy and radiation. The chemo part is over, but we still need to pray for Susan and Jimmie and the family.
We have not had any coaching staff changes in the offseason, which is a good thing in building continuity in our programs. We have had some of those years where we were pretty good in a lot of sports and this year seems to be looking that way.
Just wanted to say congratulations to a pair of former Cowboy and Cowgirls that ended up getting married, who have just added future HSU student-athletes.
Zane and Beth (Ulrickson) Jillson and Garet and Becca (Neal) Black have both recently had new additions to the HSU family.
Don’t forget to signup for our Hardin-Simmons Athletic Department page on Facebook. If you are a facebooker and want to join you can click here. Twitter is something new to me, but I think it is a great way to get information out quickly. You can join the twitter page here.
I promise it won’t be two months before I update again.
I will agree that the pace is a little slower in the summer, but if you kept the pace we do around here in athletics for the entire year the normal person would be totally burnt out in a year or less.
All of that being said I can’t tell you how excited that I can see right around the corner the fact that I will hear whistles blowing and pads popping and the sound of Heger saying you aren’t going to get a ring like that.
When you see over 150 games in about an eight month span and then you go four months not seeing much it all you really do start to miss the games. I have said in this space before that is one of the best things about my job is I get paid to watch a lot of games. By the Fourth of July I start to get the itch again to see a game.
I agree the content slows down in the summer but over the next few weeks you are going to see a lot of new stories and information on the web site, along with all of the schedules for 2008-09 (most of them are already up) and the fall sports rosters will be up soon after everyone reports. I will be updating the season previews in the next week or so and before you know it we will back into the game routine.
One of the things that you will see a lot more of this season is video. Not necessarily video streams of games (although you may see some) we are going to have interviews with coaches and players frequently and we are going to have more video highlights of games as well. I am going to have a new camera this year and we are going to make this more of reality than before.
Here are a few of the things that have gone on since I last blogged in the athletic department.
Ashley Huston won about 100 awards for her amazing season. The most amazing is she was named the Honda Award Winner as the Division III Female Athlete of the Year. She also won ASC Female Athlete of the Year, was the national field athlete of the year, was Academic All-American and was selected as the ASC representative for NCAA Woman of the Year. She truly had an amazing year, including three individual NCAA titles.
The summer time is always a fun time of the year, because not only are there always freshmen announcing they are coming to campus, there is always a buzz about some transfers. We will see some of those in a few weeks at football practice and the Cowgirl basketball team will now feature the two best rebounders in the ASC from a year ago.
On a sad note, Susan Keeling was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and has spent a lot of the summer under chemotherapy and radiation. The chemo part is over, but we still need to pray for Susan and Jimmie and the family.
We have not had any coaching staff changes in the offseason, which is a good thing in building continuity in our programs. We have had some of those years where we were pretty good in a lot of sports and this year seems to be looking that way.
Just wanted to say congratulations to a pair of former Cowboy and Cowgirls that ended up getting married, who have just added future HSU student-athletes.
Zane and Beth (Ulrickson) Jillson and Garet and Becca (Neal) Black have both recently had new additions to the HSU family.
Don’t forget to signup for our Hardin-Simmons Athletic Department page on Facebook. If you are a facebooker and want to join you can click here. Twitter is something new to me, but I think it is a great way to get information out quickly. You can join the twitter page here.
I promise it won’t be two months before I update again.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Keeping In Touch
One of the things that I have set as a goal for the sports information department is to get more of our former players and coaches back in touch with Hardin-Simmons. I just want to let you know of several different things that we are doing on the web site to help you stay involved.
First, we have set up a Hardin-Simmons Athletic Department page on Facebook. If you are a facebooker and want to join you can click here. We are also adding a twitter page. Twitter is something new to me, but I think it is a great way to get information out quickly. You can join the twitter page here.
Another thing I am going to try to do is add articles about former players and coaches that have gone on to other places. If you see articles that have HSU athletic-related ties, send me the address and we are adding them on the web site.
All of this information can be found under the Keeping In Touch Tab on the web site.
I also encourage you to sign up for the letterman’s golf tournament that will be held on June 19 at Fairway Oaks.
You can contact me by phone (325) 670-1473 or e-mail (cgrubbs@hsutx.edu) or you can contact anyone on the staff through our athletic department directory.
First, we have set up a Hardin-Simmons Athletic Department page on Facebook. If you are a facebooker and want to join you can click here. We are also adding a twitter page. Twitter is something new to me, but I think it is a great way to get information out quickly. You can join the twitter page here.
Another thing I am going to try to do is add articles about former players and coaches that have gone on to other places. If you see articles that have HSU athletic-related ties, send me the address and we are adding them on the web site.
All of this information can be found under the Keeping In Touch Tab on the web site.
I also encourage you to sign up for the letterman’s golf tournament that will be held on June 19 at Fairway Oaks.
You can contact me by phone (325) 670-1473 or e-mail (cgrubbs@hsutx.edu) or you can contact anyone on the staff through our athletic department directory.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Busy Weekend Ahead ... Come on Out
I apologize for taking so long to update the blog, the spring is just such a hectic time for me.
It is not like I haven’t had some things to write about. First of all Ashley Huston needs to get a tip of the cap for her performance at the indoor NCAA Championships. She placed fourth in the high jump and won the pentathlon to score enough points for HSU to finish eighth as a team. She has already automatically qualified for the outdoors in the heptathlon and has provisionally qualified in the high jump, long jump and 100 hurdles. The Cowgirls could have two or three other qualifiers for the spring outdoor meet and right now RaceBerry Jam has them picked to placed third, based on athletes that have qualified so far. Not bad for a first year program.
Congratulations to the two diamond sports. They both have a chance to clinch ASC West Division titles this weekend. The Cowboys will play Texas Lutheran at Hunter Field this weekend and if they win the series they will be the No. 1 seed from the ASC West and will have their second straight ASC West title. This team is exciting to watch, they have already set the record for home runs in a season in the Division III era and Regan Dixon has hit a school-record 14 home runs this season. Come out and enjoy the nice weather and support the Cowboys this weekend.
The softball team is in first place in the ASC West and has won 19 of their last 20 games. They play second place Howard Payne this weekend at Ellis Field starting at 2 p.m. on Friday. If you did not see it, freshman Taylor Namey had a huge weekend at Concordia last week, especially the Friday doubleheader when she hit five home runs in the two games. She has tied Arin Spence’s school home run record with 11 this season.
The tennis teams will compete at McMurry this weekend in the ASC Tournament. The women won their 11th straight ASC West title and they are the favorites in the women’s tournament. They will play at 8:30 on Saturday morning. The men play Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.
The spring sports are starting to wind down their season’s and before you know it summer will be here. We have had another good year at Hardin-Simmons that could turn out to be great over the next month and a half.
I hope to see you at the games this weekend.
It is not like I haven’t had some things to write about. First of all Ashley Huston needs to get a tip of the cap for her performance at the indoor NCAA Championships. She placed fourth in the high jump and won the pentathlon to score enough points for HSU to finish eighth as a team. She has already automatically qualified for the outdoors in the heptathlon and has provisionally qualified in the high jump, long jump and 100 hurdles. The Cowgirls could have two or three other qualifiers for the spring outdoor meet and right now RaceBerry Jam has them picked to placed third, based on athletes that have qualified so far. Not bad for a first year program.
Congratulations to the two diamond sports. They both have a chance to clinch ASC West Division titles this weekend. The Cowboys will play Texas Lutheran at Hunter Field this weekend and if they win the series they will be the No. 1 seed from the ASC West and will have their second straight ASC West title. This team is exciting to watch, they have already set the record for home runs in a season in the Division III era and Regan Dixon has hit a school-record 14 home runs this season. Come out and enjoy the nice weather and support the Cowboys this weekend.
The softball team is in first place in the ASC West and has won 19 of their last 20 games. They play second place Howard Payne this weekend at Ellis Field starting at 2 p.m. on Friday. If you did not see it, freshman Taylor Namey had a huge weekend at Concordia last week, especially the Friday doubleheader when she hit five home runs in the two games. She has tied Arin Spence’s school home run record with 11 this season.
The tennis teams will compete at McMurry this weekend in the ASC Tournament. The women won their 11th straight ASC West title and they are the favorites in the women’s tournament. They will play at 8:30 on Saturday morning. The men play Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.
The spring sports are starting to wind down their season’s and before you know it summer will be here. We have had another good year at Hardin-Simmons that could turn out to be great over the next month and a half.
I hope to see you at the games this weekend.
Monday, March 2, 2009
10 Years And Counting
This week marks my 10th anniversary at Hardin-Simmons and what a topsy-turvy ride it has been.
We have had great teams and bad teams, gone through tough times and shared the thrills of victory and the agony of defeat. I have been very fortunate to be along for the ride for the last 10 years.
I have seen seven new sports added to the lineup with men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and cross country as well as softball. I have seen the Grape Street Complex go from a rocky, dirty lot that was full of horses to a beautiful athletic complex – with a softball field, a pair of soccer fields, a track and two fieldhouses.
In 10 years I have seen coaches come and go and for the most part I have been in the athletic department longer than anyone other than coaches Keeling, Coleman and Wartes and athletic director John Neese. Marcus Wood and I came at the same time. When you work in athletics for a living you see plenty of people come and go in your life, whether it is coaches or players or support staff.
In my time at HSU I have seen games in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, California, Wisconsin (more times than I want to count), Minnesota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Massachusetts. I also don’t want to count the number of miles I have driven to scenic outposts like Alpine, Clinton, Miss., Pineville, La.; Clarksville, Ark. It is crazy when you take a four and a half hour trip to East Texas Baptist and you feel like it is a home game.
All of those times on the road also are some of my best memories as well. I have seen many memorable things and many humorous things. To the road crew over the years – John Neese, John Wilson, Phil Ashby, Jimmy Pogue, Al Pickett and Tim McCarry it has been a blast and it is one of the favorite parts of my job.
Traveling on the road is not all about the games for the Road Crew. We usually find interesting things to see or do. We have seen baseball games in Oakland, Chicago, Minnesota and Milwaukee. We saw a humongous airplane (the Spruce Goose) in Oregon and they some big Art place in Chicago, while I sat in the car. We saw the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn.; along with the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield and the Space Needle in Seattle. We have seen the Mississippi River, the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Rainier.
Traveling is a fun part of the job, but my favorite part of working at Hardin-Simmons is the students. Getting to play a role in their collegiate playing experience gives me a huge amount of gratification. With very few exceptions we have been blessed with good kids at Hardin-Simmons. Do they always do the right thing? No. They are 18-22 year olds and they make mistakes. However, for the most part they do the right things on and off the playing venue and it is a blessing to have my daughter grow up around such great role models.
Do I have my favorites? Of course, that is only human nature. Do I have the ones that I don’t like? I can count on probably less than one hand the number of players I have come across in 10 years that I can say I don’t like.
I have had the opportunity to publicize 78 All-Americans, 35 ASC Titles winning teams and 36 teams that have played in the NCAA Tournament. We have had two teams make it to the NCAA Semifinals and two more to the Elite Eight.
The thing that I get to see every day that most casual fans don’t is what our kids go through to be at Hardin-Simmons and the sacrifices they make to play sports. They work hard year round to stay in the best possible condition and many are doing that while taking a full class load and working a part-time or even a full-time job.
After working in a Division I school, I saw the type of people and athletes that are on that level and it makes me appreciate where I am even more the older I get. Are the D1 kids more athletically talented? For sure. Are they better people? Not even close. I get to work with great kids every day and I thank each of them for letting me be a small part of their lives.
From the star All-American to the last player on the depth chart they all serve their roles and most importantly they all play because they love the game. It is not about being on television, or playing in front of thousands of people. For our kids it is about playing for their teammates, their schools and themselves. They do it for little public notoriety, but if you think that they don’t do it for the love of the game go to a locker room after the season has ended and you know exactly what it means to them.
Another great thing about my job is working with a great group of coaches and administrators. We have coaches that work very hard at what they do and they have great pride in maintaining the great legacy and reputation we have at Hardin-Simmons. There is a reason that HSU has more than 20 more ASC titles than the next closest competitor. It is because we have great people, who work hard and do things the right way. I appreciate all of the coaches for letting me do my job. They all are very cooperative to my needs and they always allow me to get close to their programs.
I also want to thank John Neese. He hired me to come here and we have a great relationship in and out of the office. He used to be an SID and he knows how the job needs to be done. He basically has given me all of the tools that I have needed over the years to run the sports information office and we have been on the cutting edge of sports information at the Division III level.
We were the first Division III school to do livestats for our home events and we were the first school to have an outside company host our web site. We also broadcast a high number of events on the Internet.
To all of the parents out there it has been a pleasure getting to know your child. I have had the occasional psycho-parent that likes to complain for no apparent reason, but I have had far more positive feedback from parents. I always encourage factual corrections and more often than not those come from parents.
I would like to give a special tip of the cap to Pat and Mitchell Harris. I have been at HSU for 10 years now and for nine of those there has been a Harris either coaching or playing on the women’s basketball team. Kristen played her final game on Sunday and it will be sad not to see them at games as often, because they did not miss many over the last nine years.
I also want to thank my wife Lori for putting up with me for all this time. She has spent lots of lonely weekends at home while I have been working events both home and away. When we first came here we thought we would be here three or four years and be on down the road. However, we have started to really put down our roots and Abilene and would like to be here forever. Our daughter was born here and we love Abilene.
I really can't believe it has been 10 years since I stepped out of the hotel I was living in and saw a orange sky and the wind was blowing 30 MPH or more and I thought ‘What have I done?’. It has been a great ride and I hope it lasts a lot longer.
We have had great teams and bad teams, gone through tough times and shared the thrills of victory and the agony of defeat. I have been very fortunate to be along for the ride for the last 10 years.
I have seen seven new sports added to the lineup with men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and cross country as well as softball. I have seen the Grape Street Complex go from a rocky, dirty lot that was full of horses to a beautiful athletic complex – with a softball field, a pair of soccer fields, a track and two fieldhouses.
In 10 years I have seen coaches come and go and for the most part I have been in the athletic department longer than anyone other than coaches Keeling, Coleman and Wartes and athletic director John Neese. Marcus Wood and I came at the same time. When you work in athletics for a living you see plenty of people come and go in your life, whether it is coaches or players or support staff.
In my time at HSU I have seen games in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, California, Wisconsin (more times than I want to count), Minnesota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Massachusetts. I also don’t want to count the number of miles I have driven to scenic outposts like Alpine, Clinton, Miss., Pineville, La.; Clarksville, Ark. It is crazy when you take a four and a half hour trip to East Texas Baptist and you feel like it is a home game.
All of those times on the road also are some of my best memories as well. I have seen many memorable things and many humorous things. To the road crew over the years – John Neese, John Wilson, Phil Ashby, Jimmy Pogue, Al Pickett and Tim McCarry it has been a blast and it is one of the favorite parts of my job.
Traveling on the road is not all about the games for the Road Crew. We usually find interesting things to see or do. We have seen baseball games in Oakland, Chicago, Minnesota and Milwaukee. We saw a humongous airplane (the Spruce Goose) in Oregon and they some big Art place in Chicago, while I sat in the car. We saw the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn.; along with the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield and the Space Needle in Seattle. We have seen the Mississippi River, the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Rainier.
Traveling is a fun part of the job, but my favorite part of working at Hardin-Simmons is the students. Getting to play a role in their collegiate playing experience gives me a huge amount of gratification. With very few exceptions we have been blessed with good kids at Hardin-Simmons. Do they always do the right thing? No. They are 18-22 year olds and they make mistakes. However, for the most part they do the right things on and off the playing venue and it is a blessing to have my daughter grow up around such great role models.
Do I have my favorites? Of course, that is only human nature. Do I have the ones that I don’t like? I can count on probably less than one hand the number of players I have come across in 10 years that I can say I don’t like.
I have had the opportunity to publicize 78 All-Americans, 35 ASC Titles winning teams and 36 teams that have played in the NCAA Tournament. We have had two teams make it to the NCAA Semifinals and two more to the Elite Eight.
The thing that I get to see every day that most casual fans don’t is what our kids go through to be at Hardin-Simmons and the sacrifices they make to play sports. They work hard year round to stay in the best possible condition and many are doing that while taking a full class load and working a part-time or even a full-time job.
After working in a Division I school, I saw the type of people and athletes that are on that level and it makes me appreciate where I am even more the older I get. Are the D1 kids more athletically talented? For sure. Are they better people? Not even close. I get to work with great kids every day and I thank each of them for letting me be a small part of their lives.
From the star All-American to the last player on the depth chart they all serve their roles and most importantly they all play because they love the game. It is not about being on television, or playing in front of thousands of people. For our kids it is about playing for their teammates, their schools and themselves. They do it for little public notoriety, but if you think that they don’t do it for the love of the game go to a locker room after the season has ended and you know exactly what it means to them.
Another great thing about my job is working with a great group of coaches and administrators. We have coaches that work very hard at what they do and they have great pride in maintaining the great legacy and reputation we have at Hardin-Simmons. There is a reason that HSU has more than 20 more ASC titles than the next closest competitor. It is because we have great people, who work hard and do things the right way. I appreciate all of the coaches for letting me do my job. They all are very cooperative to my needs and they always allow me to get close to their programs.
I also want to thank John Neese. He hired me to come here and we have a great relationship in and out of the office. He used to be an SID and he knows how the job needs to be done. He basically has given me all of the tools that I have needed over the years to run the sports information office and we have been on the cutting edge of sports information at the Division III level.
We were the first Division III school to do livestats for our home events and we were the first school to have an outside company host our web site. We also broadcast a high number of events on the Internet.
To all of the parents out there it has been a pleasure getting to know your child. I have had the occasional psycho-parent that likes to complain for no apparent reason, but I have had far more positive feedback from parents. I always encourage factual corrections and more often than not those come from parents.
I would like to give a special tip of the cap to Pat and Mitchell Harris. I have been at HSU for 10 years now and for nine of those there has been a Harris either coaching or playing on the women’s basketball team. Kristen played her final game on Sunday and it will be sad not to see them at games as often, because they did not miss many over the last nine years.
I also want to thank my wife Lori for putting up with me for all this time. She has spent lots of lonely weekends at home while I have been working events both home and away. When we first came here we thought we would be here three or four years and be on down the road. However, we have started to really put down our roots and Abilene and would like to be here forever. Our daughter was born here and we love Abilene.
I really can't believe it has been 10 years since I stepped out of the hotel I was living in and saw a orange sky and the wind was blowing 30 MPH or more and I thought ‘What have I done?’. It has been a great ride and I hope it lasts a lot longer.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Welcome Spring Time
It’s that crossover time of year, where basketball is wrapping up and the spring sports are in full gear. Just last Saturday we had seven teams competing, so you have plenty of chances to get out and support your HSU teams.
It has been a roller coaster year for the men’s hoops teams, but the Cowboys go into this weekend’s games tied for third place in the ASC West Division. They close the season with four straight games on the road, but they are all against teams that the Cowboys are tied with or below in the conference standings. It would be quite an accomplishment for this team to make it to the ASC Tournament and as we have seen in the past anything can happen once you get into the tournament. The ASC is probably a one bid conference this season so it could be an all out battle royal in Richardson for the tournament. UTD has not clinched, but they are in the driver’s seat to host.
The Cowgirls continue to rack up the victories and they are one game behind McMurry in the standings. HSU needs help to host the ASC Tournament. The Cowgirls need to win out and have someone beat McMurry. HSU would have the tiebreaker over McMurry if HSU wins out and they ended in a tie, by virtue of HSU sweeping Concordia and McMurry losing to Concordia. The Cowgirls are looking for their 11th straight 20-win season.
Congrats to Lindsey Newcombe for being selected to the D3Hoops.com team of the week. She won her fourth ASC West Player of the Week this week. She is putting together one of the best seasons in Cowgirl history.
Congratulations go out to Ashley Huston who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor meet in the pentathlon. She won the Texas Tech meet last weekend.
The Cowgirl tennis team opened the season with a win over Division I Prairie View A&M.
The basketball teams had senior day last Saturday and the six seniors were recognized. Mollie Brawner and Kristen Harris for the women’s team and Marcus Smith, Terrence Willis, Rian Stubbs and Rob Yeatts all got starts ton Saturday. Smith is out of the season with a broken foot, but he participated in the opening tip and was immediately subbed out.
Stay tuned to www.hsuathletics.com for all of the new of HSU athletics. Also, the dates have been set for the Lettermen’s Golf Tournament (June 19) and the Joe Black Golf Tournament (Sept. 11). There is also a reunion of 20 years of Cowboy football being planned alongside the lettermen’s tournament.
It has been a roller coaster year for the men’s hoops teams, but the Cowboys go into this weekend’s games tied for third place in the ASC West Division. They close the season with four straight games on the road, but they are all against teams that the Cowboys are tied with or below in the conference standings. It would be quite an accomplishment for this team to make it to the ASC Tournament and as we have seen in the past anything can happen once you get into the tournament. The ASC is probably a one bid conference this season so it could be an all out battle royal in Richardson for the tournament. UTD has not clinched, but they are in the driver’s seat to host.
The Cowgirls continue to rack up the victories and they are one game behind McMurry in the standings. HSU needs help to host the ASC Tournament. The Cowgirls need to win out and have someone beat McMurry. HSU would have the tiebreaker over McMurry if HSU wins out and they ended in a tie, by virtue of HSU sweeping Concordia and McMurry losing to Concordia. The Cowgirls are looking for their 11th straight 20-win season.
Congrats to Lindsey Newcombe for being selected to the D3Hoops.com team of the week. She won her fourth ASC West Player of the Week this week. She is putting together one of the best seasons in Cowgirl history.
Congratulations go out to Ashley Huston who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor meet in the pentathlon. She won the Texas Tech meet last weekend.
The Cowgirl tennis team opened the season with a win over Division I Prairie View A&M.
The basketball teams had senior day last Saturday and the six seniors were recognized. Mollie Brawner and Kristen Harris for the women’s team and Marcus Smith, Terrence Willis, Rian Stubbs and Rob Yeatts all got starts ton Saturday. Smith is out of the season with a broken foot, but he participated in the opening tip and was immediately subbed out.
Stay tuned to www.hsuathletics.com for all of the new of HSU athletics. Also, the dates have been set for the Lettermen’s Golf Tournament (June 19) and the Joe Black Golf Tournament (Sept. 11). There is also a reunion of 20 years of Cowboy football being planned alongside the lettermen’s tournament.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Catching Up
What a historic day for our country, it is an amazing day when you see something that has never happened before. I hope President Obama is ready for the huge undertaking of getting our country back in order.
I apologize for taking so long to update my blog. Sometimes things just start flying by and you forget some things. It amazes me that it is already the 20th of the month.
Not only has it been a historic day for our country, I was telling coach Briggs earlier today that she made some history – not really her but her team. In particular the starting five of Haylee Allen, Lindsey Newcombe, Bo Warm, Kristen Harris and Mollie Brawner all have GPAs of 3.55 or above and this morning I nominated all five for Academic all-American. That is a first for me to nominate the whole starting lineup. No wonder they have been doing so well on the court, they are a smart group.
If you have not seen the Cowgirls play, they are really an exciting team to watch. They play extremely well together as a team and do not care who is the leading scorer. In fact four players average more than 12 points per game and the team is averaging close to 87 points per game over the last 10 games or so. They have so many ways to beat you on the offensive end. This team really, really has a chance to do some damage in March. They are 11-3 with two 1-point losses. In case you haven’t noticed, the ASC continues to be a brutally tough league. Outsiders don’t see how tough it is, especially the top eight or nine teams.
As for the men’s team, the Cowboys snapped a seven-game losing streak on Saturday against Texas Lutheran. Casey Riddle was great down the stretch and willed the team to victory with 13 straight points in the final five minutes, then Carlos Singer hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play. I must admit I was particularly happy for Casey’s performance. I have always admired the underdog and Casey has persevered his way into the starting lineup and took advantage of it. I also like seeing kids from small towns succeed. So many times the kids from small schools are overlooked and all they really need is a chance.
The Cowboys continue to work really hard and is getting better and better. The good thing is that at least three of the spots for West teams are up for grabs and the Cowboys are right in the mix for one of those three spots.
Thursday night HSU hosts Howard Payne and everyone needs to come out and support the teams. They really appreciate it when you come to the games and make noise.
Congrats to the track team on their first meet last weekend at Texas Tech. They will run two of the next three weekends at Texas Tech to conclude the indoor season.
Spring sports are firing up practices over the next few days and will be going before we know it.
Just a note of condolences to Sul Ross State on the loss of Jermaine Swearington, an All-ASC running back. He was killed in Midland earlier this week. Ironically, it was on the one year anniversary of the death of our own Brentdrick Walker.
Another person I would like for you to keep in your prayers is David Bates. David was the longtime bus driver for the Cowboys and Cowgirls and he was the team's number one fand and official's number one nightmare. He always was so good to our coaches and players and always got us to places safe and secure. Dave has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and we really need to keep him in our prayers.
I apologize for taking so long to update my blog. Sometimes things just start flying by and you forget some things. It amazes me that it is already the 20th of the month.
Not only has it been a historic day for our country, I was telling coach Briggs earlier today that she made some history – not really her but her team. In particular the starting five of Haylee Allen, Lindsey Newcombe, Bo Warm, Kristen Harris and Mollie Brawner all have GPAs of 3.55 or above and this morning I nominated all five for Academic all-American. That is a first for me to nominate the whole starting lineup. No wonder they have been doing so well on the court, they are a smart group.
If you have not seen the Cowgirls play, they are really an exciting team to watch. They play extremely well together as a team and do not care who is the leading scorer. In fact four players average more than 12 points per game and the team is averaging close to 87 points per game over the last 10 games or so. They have so many ways to beat you on the offensive end. This team really, really has a chance to do some damage in March. They are 11-3 with two 1-point losses. In case you haven’t noticed, the ASC continues to be a brutally tough league. Outsiders don’t see how tough it is, especially the top eight or nine teams.
As for the men’s team, the Cowboys snapped a seven-game losing streak on Saturday against Texas Lutheran. Casey Riddle was great down the stretch and willed the team to victory with 13 straight points in the final five minutes, then Carlos Singer hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play. I must admit I was particularly happy for Casey’s performance. I have always admired the underdog and Casey has persevered his way into the starting lineup and took advantage of it. I also like seeing kids from small towns succeed. So many times the kids from small schools are overlooked and all they really need is a chance.
The Cowboys continue to work really hard and is getting better and better. The good thing is that at least three of the spots for West teams are up for grabs and the Cowboys are right in the mix for one of those three spots.
Thursday night HSU hosts Howard Payne and everyone needs to come out and support the teams. They really appreciate it when you come to the games and make noise.
Congrats to the track team on their first meet last weekend at Texas Tech. They will run two of the next three weekends at Texas Tech to conclude the indoor season.
Spring sports are firing up practices over the next few days and will be going before we know it.
Just a note of condolences to Sul Ross State on the loss of Jermaine Swearington, an All-ASC running back. He was killed in Midland earlier this week. Ironically, it was on the one year anniversary of the death of our own Brentdrick Walker.
Another person I would like for you to keep in your prayers is David Bates. David was the longtime bus driver for the Cowboys and Cowgirls and he was the team's number one fand and official's number one nightmare. He always was so good to our coaches and players and always got us to places safe and secure. Dave has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and we really need to keep him in our prayers.
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