Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Bobcat Track & Field, Women’s Basketball, Soccer & Volleyball

Non-conference women’s basketball slate finalized 

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State women’s basketball head coach Zenarae Antoine announced the non-conference portion of the schedule for the upcoming 2019-20 season on Friday morning.

“Being competitive in our preseason schedule is important for our preparation for Sun Belt Conference play,” Antoine said. “The league finished the ’18-19 season with an RPI of 12 out of 32 conferences. That does not happen unless we all schedule “up” as we head into conference play. We are excited for the test that both TCU and Kansas, among other schools that competed for a title in their respective conferences, will provide. Of course, we kept the I-35 rivalry going with a home game against UTSA. This season will be competitive and exciting for our fans.”

Non-conference schedule
Texas State will square off with 11 opponents outside the Sun Belt, represented by nine conferences, seven different states, and all three NCAA divisions. The schedule features six home games and five road games before the 18-game conference schedule begins on Jan. 2 in San Marcos.

Season 54 of Bobcat women’s basketball will begin with a home game against Texas Lutheran on Nov. 5 at Strahan Arena. The Bulldogs will enter the contest off a year in which head coach Mel Dixon led his team to a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and birth into the NCAA DIII Championships.

Texas State will host archrival UTSA on Dec. 4 as the vaunted I-35 rivalry continues. The Bobcats have emerged with victories in four of the last five meetings with the Roadrunners, to include a 68-60 triumph in San Antonio a season ago.

The remainder of the games scheduled for Strahan Arena are UT-Permian Basin (Nov. 16), New Orleans (Nov. 27), Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (Nov. 30), and Alcorn State (Dec. 30).

On the road, Texas State will be challenged early and often during the non-conference schedule. TXST will take on Oral Roberts (Nov. 8) after the two teams met in San Marcos last season. The Golden Eagles finished the season 18-13, to include a defeat of the Bobcats.

Next, Texas State will travel to the famed Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. The Bobcats will enter the 16,300-set “Phog” on Nov. 24.

Texas State will next invade the northeast to play a pair of games against Dartmouth and Morgan State. The Big Green, a member of the Ivy League, will play hosts to the Bobcats on Dec. 15 in Hanover, N.H. at Leede Arena. TXST will face the Lady Bears of Morgan State on Dec. 18 in Baltimore.

The final road test of the non-conference slate will be the toughest for Texas State. On Dec. 22 the Bobcats will head north to Fort Worth to take on the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU finished the ’18-19 campaign with a record of 24-11 and an appearance in the semifinals of the 2019 Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Horned Frogs lost a talented trio of seniors, to include the top two scorers from a season ago but will return three starters from a deep roster. 

Soccer Named Preseason Favorites, Dominate All-Sun Belt and Specialty Awards

Photo of Kaylee Davis and Heather Martin

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team, the defending Sun Belt Conference regular-season champions, were selected as the conference preseason favorites by the league’s head coaches.

The Bobcats also had five pre-season All-Sun Belt honorees and swept the individual specialty honors as announced by the conference office Thursday afternoon.

TXST totaled 108 points behind six first-place votes to stand atop the table for the first time in a preseason poll since 2010. South Alabama came in second with 103 points and a lone first-place selection followed by Little Rock (98 pts) and Coastal Carolina (88 pts), both of which received two first-place votes.

Georgia State tallied 72 points to come in fifth. Arkansas State totaled 63 points to take sixth to edge out Appalachian State by two points. Rounding out the poll was Troy (43 pts), Louisiana (39 pts), Georgia Southern (31 pts) and ULM (20 pts), respectively.

Of the Bobcats’ five All-Sun Belt preseason selections, Kaylee Davis, Jordan Kondikoff, Heather Martin and Genesis Turman were repeating picks from last season. Sarah Everett was the fifth TXST player named to the squad and is a first-time honoree. Davis and Martin took home the conference’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

Davis is coming off an 18-goal campaign that tied the Texas State season record and was tied for the third-most in the nation. Seven of her tallies were match-winners to set a new program single-season mark. Her performance on the pitch saw her named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Third Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast First Team, All-Sun Belt First Team and receive both the conference’s Player of the Year and Offensive of the Year accolades. The Allen, Texas native was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List earlier this month.

Martin set new Bobcat single-season records with a 0.45 GAA, .919 save percentage and nine solo shutouts last year. Her save percentage and GAA ranked second and seventh, respectively, in the nation. She enters 2019 having allowed zero or one goal in 19 consecutive matches. The Midlothian, Texas native is a two-time All-Sun Belt First Team selection, the reigning league Defensive Player of the Year and the only player in Sun Belt history to be named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week three times in multiple seasons.

Kondikoff is a two-time All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree. Last season, she scored two goals and shared the team lead with five assists. The Mesquite, Texas native played and started all 20 matches in the midfield and led TXST with 1,750 minutes played. She enters the season two assists shy of cracking the program’s career top 10 in assists.

Turman was an All-Sun Belt First Team pick last season after she netted two goals and was credited with five assists. She scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory last season at Appalachian State while two of her assists came in a 92-second span in the second half of a 3-0 win at Troy. The Allen native played on the backline, in the midfield and as a forward at different points in 2018.

Everett appeared in 19 matches, starting 16 of them while serving as the Bobcats’ primary free-kick taker last season. The junior defender attempted 16 shots and placed 11 of them on goal. She was a part of a backline that recorded 10 shutouts on her way to earning All-Sun Belt Second Team accolades.

Texas State begins the 2019 campaign with an exhibition match at Baylor on Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. The regular season kicks off with three of the first four matches at the Bobcat Soccer Complex starting with Incarnate Word on Aug. 23 and Prairie View A&M on Aug. 25.

2019 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Texas State (6) – 108 pts
2. South Alabama (1) – 103 pts
3. Little Rock (2) – 98 pts
4. Coastal Carolina (2) – 88 pts
5. Georgia State – 72 pts
6. Arkansas State – 63 pts
7. Appalachian State – 61 pts
8. Troy – 43 pts
9. Louisiana – 39 pts
10. Georgia Southern – 31 pts
11. ULM – 20 pts

Preseason All-Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Team

• Hannah Miller, Coastal Carolina (Sr., F, Lenexa, Kan.)
• Doro Greulich, Little Rock (Sr., F, Potsdam, Germany)
• Kaylee Davis, Texas State (Sr., F, Allen, Texas)
• Fanney Einarsdotir, Little Rock (So., MF, Kopavagur, Iceland)
• Brooke Shank, Georgia State (Sr., MF, Cedar Park, Texas)
• Brenna McPartlan, South Alabama (So., MF, Lancashire, England)
• Jordan Kondikoff, Texas State (Sr., MF, Mesquite, Texas)
• Bergr Asgeirsdottir, Little Rock (Jr., D, Selfoss, Iceland)
• Sarah Everett, Texas State (Jr., D, Austin, Texas)
• Genesis Turman, Texas State (Sr., D, Allen, Texas)
• Heather Martin, Texas State (Sr., GK, Midlothian, Texas)

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

Kaylee Davis, Texas State (Sr., F, Allen, Texas)

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

Heather Martin, Texas State (Sr., GK, Midlothian, Texas)

Track & Field signs 23 newcomers for 2019 class

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Jody Stewart announced 23 student-athletes as part of the 2019 signing class Wednesday afternoon.

“Each year our recruiting classes are becoming stronger both academically and athletically,” said Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Jody Stewart. “This group exhibited outstanding academic and athletic performances. We look forward to this recruiting class developing and achieving national recognition on the track and in the classroom.”

2019 Men’s Recruiting Class

Sprints

Treyvon Mays
Spring High School – Spring, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 110 HH- 13.78

• Ranked No. 20 US in the 2019 Class at 110 HH
• Ranked No. 2 in Texas in the 2019 Class at 110 HH
• 2019 6A Runner- Up at the Texas State Championships in the 110 HH

Avery Veiseh

George Ranch High School – Richmond, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 200m- 21.17
• 400m- 48.23

• 2019 6A Texas State Championship finalist in the 200m
• 2019 6A 200m Regional Runner-Up 

Dre’quan Crawford

Converse Judson High School – San Antonio, Texas
Personal Best:

• 200m- 21.45

• 2019 6A Texas State Championship finalist in the 200m
• 2019 6A Regional Champion in the 200m
• 2019 6A District Champion in the 200m

Wesley Asenuga

Foster High School – Richmond, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 100m- 10.56

• 2019 5A Texas State Championship finalist in the 100m
• 2019 5A Regional Champion in the 100m

Jake Chamberlin

Lucas Lovejoy High School – Lucas, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 100m- 10.68
• 200m- 21.54
• 400m- 48.87

• 2019 5A 100m Regional Finalist
• 2018 5A 200m Regional Finalist

Tylan Brooks

Klein High School – Klein, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 200m- 21.57

• 6A Regional Finalist in the 200m

Donald Rolle

Western Texas College (Chisholm Trail High School – Fort Worth, Texas)
Personal Best:

• 400m- 47.82

• Ranked #17 Outdoors in the 2019 NJCAA Class 

Taahir Kelly

Roosevelt Senior High School – Washington D.C.
Personal Best:

• 200m- 21.77
• 400m- 47.83

• Ranked No. 1 in Washington D.C. in the 400m in 2018 and 2019
• 2019 DCSAA 400m Champion
• 2018 DCSAA 400m Champion

 

Jumps

Julien Olivas

Marie Currie High School – France
Institut d’études politiques de Grenoble, France 
Personal Best:

• Decathlon- 7,693 points
• Heptathlon- 5,797 points

• Ranked No. 5 in the decathlon in 2019 (French rankings)
• Ranked No. 37 US in the decathlon in 2019 (European rankings)
• 2019 Gold Medalist in the heptathlon at the French Universities National Championships
• 2019 Gold Medalist in the decathlon at the French Universities National Championships
• 2018 Gold Medalist in the decathlon at the French Universities National Championships 

Daniel Chase

San Antonio East Central High School – San Antonio, Texas
Personal Best:

• High Jump- 6’8

• Ranked No. 11 in Texas in the 2019 Class in High Jump
• 2019 third-place finish at the 6A Regional Championships in the High Jump
• 2018 third-place finish at the 6A Regional Championships in the High Jump

 

Throws

Tyler Noles

Georgetown High School – Georgetown, Texas
Personal Bests:

• Discus throw- 183’1”
• Shot put- 54’4”

• Ranked No. 6 in Texas in the 2019 Class in the discus throw
• 2019 5A Runner-Up at the Texas State Championships in the discus throw
• 2019 5A Regional Champion in the discus throw
• Placed third in the discus throw at the 2019 Texas Relays

Dias Redmond

Cypress Ridge High School – Houston, Texas
Personal Best:

• Shot put- 56’1”
• Discus throw- 168’7”

• 2019 6A Area Champion in the shot put
• 2019 6A Area runner-up in the discus throw
• 2018 6A third-place finish at Regionals

Distance

Johen Deleon

Tarleton State University (Robinson High School – Robinson, TX)
Personal Bests:

• 1500m – 3:54.28
• 8k XC – 24:43.2

 Justin Botello 

Tarleton State University (Hendrickson High School – Pflugerville, TX)
Personal Bests:

• 1500m – 3:55.09
• 8k XC – 25:16.1

 2019 Women’s Recruiting Class

Sprints

D’Anna Smith

Littlefield High School – Littlefield, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 100m- 11.61
• 200m- 24.01

• Ranked No. 22 US in the 2019 class at the 100m
• Ranked No. 6 in Texas in the 2019 class at the 100m
• Ranked No. 5 in Texas in the 2019 class at the 200m
• 2019 3A Texas State Champion in the 100m
• 2019 3A Texas State Champion in the 200m

Paige Kimble 

Kansas State (Pearland Dawson High School – Pearland, Texas)
Personal Best:

• 60 HH- 8.57
• 100 HH- 13.76

Vennessa Frank

Central High School – Phenix, Ala.)
Personal Best:

• 200m- 24.35
• 400m- 55.13

• Ranked No. 2 in Alabama in the 400m
• 2019 7A Alabama State runner-up in the 400m
• 2019 7A Alabama State finalists in the 200m
• 2018 7A Alabama State runner-up in the 400m
• 2018 7A Alabama State finalists in the 200m

Mya Wells

Arlington Bowie High School – Arlington, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 100m- 11.93

• 2019 6A Area runner- up in the 100m
• 2018 6A Regional finalist in the 100m

Jada Fleming

Cibolo Steele High School – Cibolo, Texas 
Personal Best:

• 400m- 55.71

• 2019 6A Texas State Championship finalist in the 400m
• 2018 6A 400m Regional Champion

Jumps

Amaya Brown

Goliad High School – Goliad, Texas
Personal Best:

• Long Jump- 19’ 8”
• Triple Jump- 39’ 6.75”

• Ranked No. 22 in the US in the 2019 class in the long jump
• Ranked No. 5 in Texas in the 2019 class in the long jump
• Ranked No. 10 in Texas in the 2019 class in the triple jump
• 2019 Gold Medalists in the long jump at the 3A Texas State Championships
• 2019 Gold Medalists in the triple jump at the 3A Texas State Championships
• Placed sixth in the 100m at the 2019 3A Texas State Championships

Alexa Valenzuela

Refugio High School – Refugio, Texas
Personal Best:

• Long Jump- 19’ 9.75”
• Triple Jump- 39’ 1”

• Ranked No. 18 in the US in the 2019 class in the long jump
• Ranked No. 4 in Texas in the 2019 class in the long jump
• 2017-19 Gold Medalist in the long jump at the 2A Texas State Championships
• 2018-19 Gold Medalist in the triple jump at the 2A Texas State Championships
• 2017-19 Gold Medalist in the 100m at the 2A Texas State Championships
• 2017-19 Gold Medalist in the 200m at the 2A Texas State Championships

Throws

Ebony Wolridge

Giddings High School – Giddings, Texas
Personal Best:

• Shot put- 44’ 8”
• Discus throw- 138’ 7”

• Ranked No. 5 in Texas in the 2019 class in the shot put
• 2019 4A runner-up in the shot put at the Texas State Championships
• Placed fifth at the 2019 4A Texas State Championships
• 2018 4A Regional Champion in the discus throw
• 2018 4A Regional Champion in the shot put

Distance

Riley McGrath

Homeschooled in Spring Branch, TX
Personal Best:

• 1600m- 5:02.86

• Ranked No. 9 in Texas Class of 2019 at the 1600m

Bobcats favorited, sweeps league specialty awards

 SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the second consecutive year, the Texas State volleyball team are picked as the favorites in the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll and has four selections to the preseason All-Sun Belt team, including a sweep of the individual honors announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon.

The Bobcats dominated the poll with all 12 of the first-place votes, tallying 72 points to sit atop the conference table. UT Arlington was second in the West Division with 55 points and Little Rock was third with 39 points. Arkansas State (37 points), Louisiana (35 points), and ULM (12 points) rounded out the division.

The Sun Belt Conference East Division has Coastal Carolina as the favorites with 67 points and seven first-place votes, edging out Appalachian State who recorded 65 points and the remaining five first-place votes. Troy is third with 41 points. South Alabama (30 points), Georgia State (25 points), and Georgia Southern (24 points) complete the bottom half of the division.

The 2019 campaign will be the fourth that the Sun Belt will utilize a division format. The Bobcats were picked first in the last two iterations of the preseason poll and picked second in the first two.

“I love the respect that our program has, and it is deserving,” head coach Karen Chisum started, “but on the other hand, I hate it honestly, just as any coach. It just puts a target on our back. But again, the kids are deserving, the program is deserving of it, and we just have to step forward and defend our title. I am looking forward to the season, to say the least.”

Texas State led the preseason All-Sun Belt team with four selections, including three individual honors. Senior Cheyenne Huskey becomes the first Bobcat in program history to be voted as the 2019 Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, senior Micah Dinwiddie, the 2017 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year was tabbed as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year, and sophomore Emily DeWalt, the reigning Sun Belt Setter and Freshman of the Year was tabbed as the 2019 Setter of the Year. Joining the trio on the All-Sun Belt team is sophomore Janell Fitzgerald who was a 2018 All-Sun Belt First Team selection.

Texas State recorded a historic season in 2018, finishing 27-7 overall and won its first Sun Belt regular-season title behind a 15-1 conference mark. The Bobcats went on to win the Sun Belt tournament and won their first NCAA Tournament match in program history by defeating Rice in the first round before falling to No. 5 Texas. The program now looks toward the 2019 campaign with fall camp starting in less than a week on Aug. 12.

“My excitement level is high concerning fall camp,” said coach Chisum. “I am glad our freshmen class have been on campus now for five weeks; it has been great getting to know them better. The chemistry of this group as a whole is very strong and the kids are pleased with what they have been doing. We will see Monday if they have been working as hard as they have been saying, but it is an exciting time. I tell my staff that if I am here I want the kids to be here with me. That is why I am here, so, I am ready to get going and with the other fall sports arriving and practicing, the atmosphere is getting more and more exciting every day.”

The Bobcats will open 2019 in the confines of the newly renovated Strahan Arena at the University Events Center with a pair of matches Aug. 30 vs. Liberty and USC, respectively, and then will face Northern Iowa on Aug. 31 to conclude the opening weekend. The annual Creeds & Crests Classic will be Sept. 19-21 that will feature matches against UTSA, George Washington, and Sam Houston State.

Season tickets are general admission and are on sale now for $50. Special groups such as Bobcat Club donors, Texas State faculty and staff, recent alumni (2016-19) and T-Association members can receive a special discounted rate of $40 per season ticket.

Fans can renew their seats by logging into their online account at txstatebobcats.com/tickets, calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 512-245-2272, or by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office at Bobcat Stadium during normal business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.).

2019 SUN BELT CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

First-place votes in parentheses

West Division

1. Texas State (12) — 72
2. UT Arlington — 55
3. Little Rock — 39
4. Arkansas State — 37
5. Louisiana  — 35
6. ULM — 12

East Division

1. Coastal Carolina (7)   67
2. Appalachian State (5) 65
3. Troy                          41
4. South Alabama          30
5. Georgia State            25
6. Georgia Southern     24

 

Preseason All-Sun Belt Team

• Emma Longley, Appalachian State (Sr., OH, Raleigh, N.C.)¹
• Emma Reilly, Appalachian State (Jr., L/DS, Evergreen Park, Ill.)²
• Kara Spicer, Appalachian State (Jr., MB, Peoria, Ariz.) ²
• Carol Barbosa, Little Rock (Sr., MH, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) ²
• Kyla Manning, Coastal Carolina (Jr., OH, Atlanta, Ga.) ¹
• Anett Nemeth, Coastal Carolina (So., OH, Pecel, Hungary) ¹
• Hali Wisnoskie, Louisiana (Jr., OH, Columbus, Texas) ²
• Kelley Hartman, South Alabama (Sr., MB, Woodstock, Ga.) ²
• Madison Hill, UTA (Sr., MB/OH, Rockwall, Texas) ¹
• Emily DeWalt, Texas State (So., S, Helotes, Texas) ¹*
• Micah Dinwiddie, Texas State (Sr., DS, Lewisville, Texas)**
• Janell Fitzgerald, Texas State (So., OH, Mansfield, Texas) ¹
• Cheyenne Huskey, Texas State (Sr., OH/S, Columbus, Texas) ¹

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

Cheyenne Huskey, Texas State (Sr., OH/S, Columbus, Texas) ¹

 

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

Micah Dinwiddie, Texas State (Sr., DS, Lewisville, Texas)**

 

Preseason Setter of the Year

Emily DeWalt, Texas State (So., S, Helotes, Texas) ¹*

 

¹ – denotes 2018 First Team All-Sun Belt selection

² – denotes 2018 Second Team All-Sun Belt selection
* – denotes 2018 Sun Belt Setter and Freshman of the Year

** – denotes 2018 Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and 2017 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year