Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Football Homecoming Game, Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Soccer & Women’s Cross Country

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:
Bobcat Football Homecoming Game, Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Soccer, Women’s Cross Country

Texas State Edges South Alabama,
30-28, in 2019 Homecoming Game

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Joshua Rowland kicked a 31-yard field goal with just over six minutes to play, and the Texas State football team (3-6, 2-3 Sun Belt) held on for a 30-28 victory over South Alabama (1-8, 0-5 Sun Belt) in its annual Homecoming game Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Vitt threw for career-highs of 373 yards and three touchdowns, and ignited Texas State’s first drive in the game when he completed a 28-yard pass to Calvin Hill. That set up a 20-yard field goal by Rowland.

South Alabama answered with a three-yard touchdown run by Carlos Davis to take a 7-3 lead. But, Texas State responded with 10 more points when Rowland kicked a 41-yard field goal, and Vitt hit Javen Banks for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give the Bobcats a 13-7 lead.

The Jaguars closed the half with Desmond Trotter throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Davyn Flenord to give South Alabama a 14-13 lead at halftime.

Texas State’s offense answered again with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter when Vitt connected with Trevis Graham, Jr. on a 38-yard pass and a 17-yard strike. Those two TD passes gave the Bobcats a 27-21 lead to end the third quarter.

South Alabama came back to take a 28-27 lead when Tra Minter’s six-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 73-yard drive with 9:57 left to play.

The Bobcats responded once again when they scored the final points in the game on Rowland’s third field goal to clinch their second straight victory in Homecoming games. The win also gives Texas State a 48-34-1 overall mark in Homecoming contests.

QUOTES FROM THE SIDELINE

“That is what I sit and preach all the time is complementary football,” head coach Jake Spavital said. “These kids don’t have any quit in them and continue to fight until the end. Today is the first time I have seen us step up and respond when one side of the ball isn’t playing as well. Both teams were going back and forth. We would answer each time after they answered while playing complementary football. We made some crucial mistakes, but we overcame them. We are improving. We had a lot of starters out (with injuries), but we had some freshmen out there making plays. It was the next man stepping up. That is how you build a program.”

BOX SCORE

• Not only did Tyler Vitt have career-highs of 373 yards passing and three touchdown passes, but he also led the Bobcats in rushing with 42 yards on 11 carries.
• Texas State had its second-highest offensive output of the season with 415 yards of total offense.
• Senior wide receiver Hutch White had his best day as a receiver with career-highs of 10 catches for 165 yards against the Jaguars.
• White also returned two kicks for 62 yards, and freshman DeJordan Mask had a 60-yard kickoff return for the Bobcats.
• Javen Banks had four catches for 63 yards, including a 40-yard TD reception.
• Senior linebacker Nikolas Daniels led Texas State’s defense with 10 tackles, and he had one stop for a loss.
• South Alabama registered 51 rushing attempts for 184 yards. Tra Minter led the Jaguars with 87 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Carlos Davis added 63 yards and a TD on 16 rushes.
• Desmond Trotter completed 13 of 17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns for South Alabama.

KEY MOMENTS

• Texas State scored a field goal on its first offensive drive of the game when Joshua Rowland booted a 20-yard kick.
• Texas State regained a 27-21 lead with 4:36 left in the third quarter when sophomore Trevis Graham Jr. caught his second TD pass. It marked the first time a Bobcat receiver had more than one TD reception in a game this season.
• Today’s game against South Alabama marks the second game in which Joshua Rowland has kicked three field goals. The first time was against Georgia State when he led the Bobcats to a win in triple-overtime.
• Following Texas State’s fumbled punt attempt, the Jaguars drove down to Texas State’s 11-yard line to set up a field goal attempt with 1:15 left to play. But, South Alabama’s 28-yard attempt was wide left, and the Bobcats ran out the clock for the 30-28 victory.

NOTABLES

• Tyler Vitt’s 373 yards passing is the second-highest total by a Bobcat quarterback this season. Gresch Jensen had 394 yards passing against Wyoming.
• Senior linebacker Bryan London II recorded nine tackles and will have 430 career tackles entering the Troy game next week. London II is the only player in Sun Belt Conference history to record 400 tackles, and he ranks third among Texas State’s all-time leaders.

UP NEXT
Texas State will return to Bobcat Stadium for its final home game of the 2019 season when the Bobcats host Troy in a Sun Belt Conference game at 2 p.m. on Nov. 16.

Bobcats avenge early conference loss,
earns share of conference title in the process

SAN MARCOS, Texas – After dropping its first Sun Belt Conference match of the season in early October, Texas State (21-8, 13-2 Sun Belt) responded with a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18) vs. Arkansas State (15-10, 6-7 Sun Belt) Saturday night at Strahan Arena. With the win, the Bobcats claimed at least a share of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference regular-season title and can win it outright for the second consecutive season with a win next weekend vs. UT Arlington.

“That was a great match and it was exciting for the fans,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “I was extremely proud of our comeback after dropping the first set. These gals were confident in the huddle, so I never really got worried. We have another championship for the Bobcats and it helps bring more positive publicity to the university and that is what is all about. But we are not through yet. We do not want to share this title. We want it outright, so we will have to take care of business against UT Arlington who will not take it easy on us.”

While evening the all-time series record at 10-10 vs. Arkansas State, the Bobcats also extend their conference home winning streak to 22 matches. After dropping the first set, Texas State responded by winning the next three frames with 2,214 fans behind them, the seventh-largest crowd in program history. Overall the Maroon and Gold hit .279 in the match and held the Red Wolves to a .170 clip behind 70 total digs and 11 blocks. Four Bobcats finished the match hitting .300 or better and four also logged 10 or more digs.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey paced the Bobcats with her 11th double-double of the season, registering 15 kills (.308) and 14 digs. She also led all players with two aces and finished with four blocks. The Bobcat freshman turned in a great night led by middle blocker Tessa Marshall who had a career-high 12 kills (.357) and seven blocks. She was followed by outside hitter Caitlan Buettner who matched a career-high 11 kills (.391). Buettner also added three blocks. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt also recorded her 11th double-double this season as well, finishing with 46 assists and 10 digs to go along with two kills, one ace, and one block. Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott had eight kills (.375) and three blocks, and sophomore Janell Fitzgerald also had eight kills. Junior libero Brooke Johnson had a team-high 15 digs and sophomore Kayla Granado added 12 digs and one ace.

Sophomore outside hitter Macy Putt led the Red Wolves with 12 kills and had nine digs and three blocks. Junior outside Paulina Sobolewska was behind her with 10 kills and sophomore Timber Terrell finished with eight kills. Sophomore setter Julianna Cramer finished with 21 assists and nine digs, while sophomore libero Hannah Cox had a match-high 18 digs in the loss.

Set 1
The first set featured eight ties and three lead changes that went the Red Wolves’ way with a 25-22 score. After each team traded points, Arkansas State went on a 5-0 run to take a 16-14 lead that forced a Bobcat timeout. TXST continued to fight and tied the set at 19, but A-State ended the set on a 6-3 run to take a 1-0 match lead.

Set 2
The Red Wolves jumped out to a 5-1 lead to make the Bobcats use an early timeout, but the home team responded by scoring the next five points that led to a massive 16-4 scoring run to gain a 17-9 advantage. Arkansas State tried to grab ahold of some late momentum, but Texas State put them away with a 25-15 victory.

Set 3
The Bobcats made the first move of the set and began to separate themselves with a 15-7 lead thanks to six unanswered points. Arkansas State began to piece together a comeback and got within one point at 20-19, but Texas State closed the set on a 5-0 run for the 25-19 win, taking a 2-1 match lead.

Set 4
Texas State opened the set with a 9-4 lead and was the first to 15 with a slight 15-13 advantage. The Red Wolves would only get as close as one point in the entire frame (15-14) before running out of gas and Huskey took over late by scoring five of the final eight kills between both clubs to secure the 25-18 win.

UP NEXT
Texas State will host senior day vs. UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 to conclude the regular season. The Sun Belt Conference Championships will be held at Strahan Arena Nov. 21-24.

Shooting woes plague Bobcats at Air Force

USAFA, Colo. – Texas State (1-1) dropped its first contest of the 2019-20 season as Air Force (1-1) held on for a 78-71 victory on Saturday afternoon at Clune Arena. Senior guard Nijal Pearson finished with 14 points and his one 3-point field goal made him the program’s all-time leader with 178 career made triples.

“The guys fought to the end tonight and I can appreciate that,” said head coach Danny Kaspar. “At the same time, our defense was subpar, and we shot poorly from the 3-point and free throw lines. We cannot give up 43 points in a half and shoot like we did tonight and expect to win.”

BOBCAT NUMBERS

• Texas State and Air Force had a similar shooting percentage from the field with the Falcons finishing at 46.0 percent (22-of-48) and the Bobcats at 45.0 percent (29-of-64). The difference, however, came at the 3-point line where TXST shot 17.0 percent (3-of-18) to AF’s 46.0 percent (12-of-26). The Bobcats also shot 50.0 percent at the free throw line (10-of-20).
• Sophomore guard Mason Harrell led the Bobcats with a career-high 15 points (6-of-10) and added two rebounds and one assist.
• In addition to his 14 points (6-of-16), Pearson finished with four rebounds and one assist, block, and steal.
• Junior guard Marlin Davis rounded out the Bobcats top scorers with 11 points (5-of-11) and recorded three rebounds and a team-best two steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After shooting 1-of-11 from 3-point range in its season opener, Air Force connected on five triples and had 10 field goals on eight assists in the first half.
• The Bobcats trailed by as many as nine points in the opening stanza (19-10) but a late 7-0 run buffered by three forced turnovers in two minutes cut the deficit 24-22.
• The Falcons ended the half on a 6-2 run to take a 35-30 lead into the locker room, but Harrell led all scorers with 11 points highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers.
• Texas State came out of halftime slow as Air Force opened with an 11-2 run highlighted by a 9-0 burst to take a 46-32 lead which was its largest of the game.
• At 11:53 with AF up 55-43, junior forward Quentin Scott scored a pair of second-chance baskets to spark an 8-0 run to help trim the Falcons’ lead to four, 55-51.
• The Falcons continued to stretch its lead to nine points and after the Bobcats final push, the home team sealed the game essentially with 3-point field goals from sophomore guard AJ Walker and senior guard Sid Tomes. AF also went 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the final two minutes to seal the game 78-71.
• Four Air Force players finished in double-figure scoring including Tomes’ game-high 19 points. Senior forward Lavelle Scottie scored 15 points, Walker had 12, and junior guard Chris Joyce added 11 points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Air Force won the rebounding battle 38-33. Texas State won on the offensive glass 10-8 that led to seven points.
• The Bobcats dominated in the paint and outscored the Falcons 46-18, and the bench outplayed the home team’s bench 27-12.
• After struggling in the first half with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting, Pearson turned in 10 points in the second half and made his single 3-pointer of the game (1-of-6) to reach No. 178.
• Air Force takes a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with both wins coming at Clune Arena.
• The Bobcats are now 1-6 in road openers under Kaspar.

UP NEXT
Texas State returns home to play Prairie View A&M in their second mid-week game of the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 in San Marcos, Texas.

Bobcats sweep Little Rock in 20th win of 2019

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State (20-8, 12-2 Sun Belt) got back in the win column by registering its 12th sweep of the season and securing the season sweep over Little Rock (6-19, 4-9 Sun Belt) 25-16, 25-17, 25-18 Friday night at Strahan Arena.

Friday’s win marks the 26th season under head coach Karen Chisum that the Bobcats have reached the 20-win mark, including the fourth consecutive season it has been done, and the sixth in seven years since joining the Sun Belt Conference.

“I thought that was a great team win tonight and we were able to get some other people in tonight to get some exposure and prepare us for the rest of the season,” said associate head coach Sean Huiet. “We have been on a mission and we have talked about wanting to play for a championship. Thankfully, we get that opportunity tomorrow night.”

The Bobcats held the Trojans to a .078 hitting percentage despite only recording two blocks. Offensively TXST had a .286 hitting percentage behind 45 kills and aced LR three times. With the win, Texas State improves to 11-5 all-time vs. Little Rock and have won the last seven matches. The win also places the Cats in prime position to clinch at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title if they win tomorrow’s match vs. Arkansas State.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey led all players with 14 kills and two aces. She also matched a team-high six digs with three other teammates. Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald also had an efficient hitting night by landing eight kills on 17 swings with just one error (.353). Classmate and 2018 Sun Belt Setter of the Year Emily DeWalt finished with a match-high 35 assists to go along with six digs and four kills. Freshman middle blocker Tessa Marshall led the Bobcats in blocks for the second consecutive match after turning in two in addition to six kills for a total of 7.5 points.  Junior libero Brooke Johnson and freshman outside Caitlan Buettner each had six digs to lead the team as well, and Buettner hit a .333 in the match with five kills on 15 errorless swings.

Little Rock’s senior outside hitter Carol Barbosa pieced together a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs and also chipped in two blocks. Senior libero Diana Giordani matched Barbosa with a match-high 12 digs and recorded the team’s only ace of the night. Sophomore setter Nathalia Vigineski led the Trojans with 15 assists and freshman middle blocker Madison Nichols had a match-best four blocks in addition to her five kills.

Set 1
The Bobcats came out strong and led the Trojans 15-6 by the first media timeout. TXST scored the first point out of the break to grab its largest lead of the set at 16-6, but the Trojans put together an 8-2 run, bringing the score to 18-14 and forcing a Bobcat timeout. The home team responded with a 5-0 burst, however, and ended the set with a 7-2 scoring run to win it 25-16.

Set 2
Texas State jumped out to a 5-1 lead and although Little Rock trimmed the deficit to one at 7-6, the Bobcats never relinquished the lead as they took the set 25-17. The Bobcats led by as many as nine points (22-13) with Huskey leading the way with four kills in the stanza and Fitzgerald and DeWalt followed with three kills each.

Set 3
Little Rock captured its first lead of the match in the third set and led 5-2 before Texas State rallied off seven unanswered points to take a 9-5 advantage. The Bobcats grew their margin to 23-14 and despite a late 4-0 run by the Trojans, the home team ended the match with a 25-18 victory.

The Bobcats will close out the homecoming weekend with their White Out match vs. Arkansas State at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 in Strahan Arena.     

Pearson appears on Lou Henson Preseason Watch List

BOSTON, Mass.– Senior guard Nijal Pearson was one of 50 players listed on the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List earlier this week. The Lou Henson Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I mid-major player.

Pearson is one of three players represented on the preseason list from the Sun Belt Conference (Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama; Ike Smith, Georgia Southern). The Beaumont, Texas native appeared on the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List last season (Jan. 9, 2019).

The winner for the 2019-20 Lou Henson Player of the Year Award will be announced April 2020 in Atlanta, Ga. at the site of the men’s Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.

The award honors Lou Henson who coached for 41 years and tallied 775 victories. Henson is the all-time winningest coach at Illinois (423 wins) and New Mexico State (289 wins) and is one of 11 coaches to take two programs to the NCAA Final Four.

After defeating Texas Lutheran in the season opener at Strahan Arena (103-45), Texas State heads to The Centennial State to challenge Air Force at 3 p.m. CT Nov. 9 at Clune Arena in United States Air Force Academy, Colo.

SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are now available for purchase through the Texas State online ticket center website. Prices for season tickets will depend upon seating location. General admission season tickets will be available for as low as $99 and lower reserved seating options will start at $130.

Any questions regarding 2019-20 Texas State men’s basketball season tickets can be addressed to the Texas State Athletics Ticket Office at 512-245-2272 or via email at gametickets@txstate.edu.

Record 5 Bobcats Earn CoSIDA Academic All-District Accolades

SAN MARCOS, Texas – A program record five Texas State soccer student-athletes were named to the one of the two CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 first or second teams on Thursday. Sarah Everett, Jordan Kondikoff and Heather Martin made the first time and Holly Streber and Genesis Turman were both second team honorees.

It is the second straight year that Martin, a 4.00 GPA psychology major, has made the first team academic all-district team. Last year saw her go on to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team honors. She is the third Bobcat to make to multiple all-district first teams, joining Sarah Buchrucker (2001 & 2002) and Tori Hale (2013 & 2014).

Martin started all 19 matches in goal and recorded seven shutouts. The Midlothian, Texas native posted a 0.47 GAA, the second lowest in a season TXST history, and a .893 save percentage, the second best for a campaign in program history. She also made 67 with a season-high seven coming against Louisiana and in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship versus Arkansas State.

The senior goalkeeper concluded her collegiate career by setting Texas State records with 0.73 GAA and .858 save percentage. She ranks second with 279 saves, 34 wins and 22 shutouts. Her save total is tied for the 18th most in conference history.

Kondikoff wrapped up her collegiate career having played 5,522 minutes on the pitch, the eighth most in TXST history, while making 51 consecutive starts. She finished with six goals, 11 assists, 23 points and three match-winning goals in a Texas State uniform.

The defensive midfielder earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors this year after scoring two goals and assisting on one all during conference play.

Kondikoff holds a 4.00 GPA while majoring in exercise and sport science with a concentration in pre-physical therapy.

Everett played in 16 matches this season, making 13 starts. An All-Sun Belt Preseason Team pick, she recorded her first career assist on the lone goal of a 1-0 win at rival UTSA. The junior defender totaled 1,065 minutes on the pitch at the center defender in helping the team record 10 shutouts, tied for the third most in program history.

A psychology major, Everett holds a 4.00 GPA in the classroom.

Streber led all Bobcats with 1,769 minutes played at center defender. She helped the team record 10 shutouts, just the fourth season with double-digit shutouts in program history. The junior attempted five shots with a career-high two attempts in the season finale against the Red Wolves.

The Austin, Texas native is majoring in industrial engineering with a 3.95 GPA.

Turman split time between center and right defender this season. She scored her lone goal of the year in a 1-0 victory over Prairie View A&M that helped her earn the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors after the first weekend of the campaign.

The Allen, Texas native concluded her Bobcat career having played in 67 matches with 54 starts and totaling 5,292 minutes on the pitch. She found the back of the net five times and recorded seven assists, five of which came in 2018. Her final two career goals were match-winners.

In the classroom, Turman has a 3.88 GPA and is majoring in biology. It is the second time she has made the academic all-district second team with the first being in 2017.

The Bobcats’ five all-district accolades led all Sun Belt programs with other conference honorees being Coastal Carolina’s Sunny Sigurvinsdottir and Little Rock’s Samantha Rolka. TXST’s total selections is tied for the second most in NCAA Division I with Virginia, and the three first team picks ranked third behind California (8) and Minnesota (4).

Everett, Kondikoff and Martin will all be up to be selected to one of Academic All-America teams that will be announced on Dec. 5.

• More information about CoSIDA’s Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com on CoSIDA.com.

• 2019 Academic All-District Women’s Soccer Teams: https://academicallamerica.com/documents/2019/11/7//Acad_SoccerW_2019.pdf?id=3056

• Academic All-America: https://academicallamerica.com/index.aspx

• CoSIDA: https://cosida.com/

Solid offensive play lifts Bobcats over Bulldogs

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball team (1-0) had a good run to open the 2019-20 season as they defeated Texas Lutheran 103-45 Tuesday night at Strahan Arena. The victory was head coach Danny Kaspar’s 99th with the Maroon and Gold.

“It is good to get a win at home,” said Coach Kaspar. “The guys executed majority of the things I asked for entering this game. I am very impressed with our free throw shooting tonight and I hope that continues. Lastly, I was very pleased with tonight’s crowd. Last year we would not have won 24 games without the fans and tonight was a great start for this year.”

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

• Five Bobcats finished the game with 10 or more points, beginning with senior guard Nijal Pearson. Pearson scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor including two from 3-point range. Pearson’s two made triples brings his career total to 177, tying Clay Click (1998-02) as the all-time leaders. Pearson also led all players with three assists.
• Senior forward Eric Terry nearly put up a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Terry was a perfect 10-of-10 at the charity stripe as the team shot 88.2 percent at the line.
• Sophomore Alonzo Sule had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while classmate and point guard Mason Harrell dropped 11 points to go along with two assists.
• Freshman guard Drew Tennial rounded out the Bobcats top scorers with 11 points that included a 5-of-5 performance from the free throw line. Tennial also led all players with four steals on the night and added three rebounds and one assist.

 HOW IT HAPPENED

• Texas State led 57-18 at the half and was led by Pearson’s 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor.
• Terry followed with 12 points and had a game-high five rebounds by the intermission.
• The Bobcats cooled off to begin the second stanza and was outscored by the Bulldogs 12-7 before getting their groove back with an 18-7 run to go-ahead 82-37. The Bobcats would close the game strong with a 94-43 final.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Bobcats made their first 11 shots of the contest to build a 32-11 lead with 10:52 on the clock in the first half.
• TXST shot 58.3 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three.
• The Maroon and Gold forced the Bulldogs into 22 turnovers that they converted into 36 points. They also outworked their opponent in the paint 48-12 and the Bobcat bench outscored the Bulldogs 46-15.

UP NEXT
Texas State will face its first test of the season when they travel to Colorado to challenge Air Force at 3 p.m. CT Nov. 9 at Clune Arena.

Davis and Kondikoff All-Sun Belt First Team Selections

NEW ORLEANS – Texas State soccer seniors Kaylee Davis and Jordan Kondikoff were selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

It is the third consecutive first team accolade for Davis. She is the fifth Bobcat ever to be named an all-conference first team honoree three straight seasons and the first since Britney Curry from 2008-10.

Davis led the Bobcats with eight goals and 19 points. During conference play, she found the back of the net five times and was credited with three assists. Overall, Davis paced the Sun Belt with five match-winning goals, tied for fourth most in TXST history, and 74 shots, the sixth most on a season in program history.

The Allen, Texas native enters the Sun Belt Tournament ranked second in Bobcat history and tied for the 15th most in conference history with 33 career goals. Of her career goal total, 14 have been match-winners to rank second at Texas State and tied for fourth in the Sun Belt. She is also tied for third in program history with 72 points and fourth with 209 shots.

For Kondikoff, it is the third straight year making one of the two All-Sun Belt teams and first time being a first team honoree. She concluded the regular season with two goals and one assist from her defensive midfield position. Both of her goals came in a 5-0 victory at ULM to kick start a four-match winning streak for the Bobcats. Her lone assist came on Senior Day against Georgia Southern on the second goal of the match.

In her Bobcat career, the Mesquite, Texas native has scored six goals and recorded 11 assists. She has found the back of the net twice in 2016, 2017 and this year while assisting on a career-high five goals last season.

Kondikoff heads into the conference tournament having played 5,412 career minutes, the ninth most in program history. She is also one assist shy of moving into the TXST career top 10 list.

The Bobcats open the Sun Belt Tournament on Wednesday at 10 a.m. against Arkansas State. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

Sun Belt Release: https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2019/11/4/2019-sun-belt-womens-soccer-all-conference-honors-announced.aspx

XC finishes in top five of Sun Belt Championships,
McGrath named Freshman and Newcomer of the Year

HAMPTON, Ga. – The Texas State cross country women’s team finished fourth and the men placed fifth at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning at the Nash Farm Battlefield Park. The women totaled 112 points and the men tallied 92 points. True freshman Riley McGrath was named the Sun Belt Freshman and Newcomer of the year on the women’s side, and both teams combined for four athletes that were placed on the All-Sun Belt Team.
 
The women averaged an 18:30.06 time in the race and had two All-Sun Belt selections. Junior Sydney Cole earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team with a time of 18:00.3 that placed 10th. Cole is now a two-time All-Sun Belt honoree after being placed on the third-team last year. McGrath was honored to the All-Sun Belt Third Team after timing out at 18:04.7 for a 12th place finish and becomes the second Bobcat in as many years to be named the league’s Newcomer of the year after senior Leslie Romero did so a year ago. The other scoring athletes consist of senior Abby Steinhauser who finished in 21st place (18:22.5), junior Tina Sierra who crossed the finish line 32nd (18:57.8), and Romero who placed 37th (19:05.0). 
 
Two Bobcats earned All-Sun Belt accolades on the men’s side and the team’s average time was 25:25.42 with three athletes finishing in the top 20. Junior Justin Botello received All-Sun Belt Second Team accolades and junior Cade Michael was tabbed to the third-team. Botello led the men with an 8th place finish after clocking a 24:45.3 and Michael’s 25:02.9 time was good for 13th place. Senior Johen Deleon placed 18th with a 25:29.3 time followed by sophomore Dereck Elikins (26th, 25:53.4) and junior Owen McGlothlin (27th, 25:56.2) to round out the Bobcat scorers.