Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Soccer, Baseball, Track & Field, Women’s & Men’s Basketball
Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:
Bobcat Soccer, Baseball, Track & Field,
Women’s & Men’s Basketball
Davis Named to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Texas State senior soccer forward Kaylee Davis is one of 61 student-athletes selected to the 2019 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List, announced Thursday by the United Soccer Coaches.
“I’m so honored! This school and my teammates have given me many opportunities to succeed and without them it wouldn’t be possible,” said Davis. “We are working hard to get ready to go and are pumped for this season!”
Davis is the first-ever Bobcat named to the watch list and first women’s Sun Belt Conference player on the list since 2011.
KAYLEE DAVIS | PHOTOGRAPHER“It is a great honor for Kaylee and we are excited by it. I think it shows that all the hard work that Kaylee put in has paid off, not just here at Texas State but all through her years of putting in the extra work and discipline to chase her dream,” said Texas State head coach Kat Conner. “She will be given just that more motivation to go out there and deliver on the field. As for her teammates, it shows that they work just as hard and they are there for all of us to rise.”
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year.
Semifinalists consisting of 15 men and 15 women will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The three men’s and women’s finalist are scheduled to be released 10 days later. This year’s winners will be announced on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Last season, Davis matched the Bobcat season record with 18 goals on her way to being named the Sun Belt’s Player and Offensive Player of the Year. She would go on to be the first TXST player to earn United Soccer Coaches All-America honors with a third team selection and set a Sun Belt single-season record with four Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
Other honors received by the senior include United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast First Team, All-Sun Belt First Team for the second straight year and Sun Belt All-Tournament Team.
The 2018 campaign saw Davis score at least one goal in 12 of the team’s final 14 games. The Allen, Texas native also set a new program season record with seven match-winning goals and matched the TXST mark of 40 shots on goal. Her 86 shot attempts and 37 points both rank second in the program record book.
For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.
2019 Women’s MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List: https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/7/31/2019_Womens_Hermann_Trophy_Watch_List.pdf.
United Soccer Coaches Release: https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/mac-hermann-trophy-watch-lists-announced/.
Baseball Hires Blakley as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State baseball head coach Steven Trout announced the hiring of Josh Blakley as an assistant coach and the team’s recruiting coordinator. This is Blakley’s second stint with the Bobcat program after spending the 2019 season in the same position at UTRGV.
“We are beyond excited to welcome back Josh and his wife Ashlee to the Bobcat family. Josh is an extremely hard worker who has a true passion for recruiting. He works non-stop to find the best players in the country and I’m excited for our future,” said Trout. “Josh also has tremendous knowledge of the game on all sides of the ball. His experience will be huge for our players’ development here at Texas State.”
Josh Blakley | PhotographerIn his lone season in Edinburg, Texas, Blakley helped UTRGV win the WAC regular season championship for the program’s first conference title since 1955. Overall, UTRGV went 34-21 with wins over nationally-ranked Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
“I couldn’t be anymore fired up to come back to a place as incredible as Texas State. My wife and I have dreamed of his moment since we left,” said Blakley. “With a beautiful campus, an energetic coaching staff and first-rate facilities, being the recruiting coordinator here is truly a dream come true.”
“I want to thank former Bobcat head coach Ty Harrington and UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock for helping me land on my feet in my coaching career. I will be eternally grateful to Steven Trout for the opportunity of a lifetime. I can’t be more excited to see where we can take this program.”
The 2018 campaign saw Blakley serve as a volunteer assistant with the Bobcats. His duties included serving as the first base coach during games, assisting with outfielders and hitters and serving as the summer camp coordinator.
Prior to his arrival in San Marcos, Blakley was the head coach at Ranger College from 2013-17. He amassed 81 victories during his time leading the Rangers. During his tenure, he sent 23 student-athletes to play Division I baseball along with coaching and recruiting five players who were taken in the MLB Draft.
Blakley sent the 2010-12 seasons in Abilene, Texas at McMurry University as the War Hawks pitching coach with the team reaching two regionals. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant in 2009 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and was a pitching coach for the Vermont Mountaineers of the NECBL during that summer.
The 2006-07 seasons saw him play at UTSA in which he made 52 appearances on the mound with one career start. He finished his Roadrunner career with an 11-2 record, two saves and 82 strikeouts. Blakley’s senior campaign saw him compile an 8-0 mark with a 2.60 ERA, 59 strikeouts and 13 walks in 69.1 innings spanning 29 games.
Blakley played two years at Blinn College to begin his collegiate career. He went 14-5 with a 3.21 ERA in his two seasons and was an all-conference honoree.
He received his Master of Art degree in sports administration from Concordia University Irvine in January 2015. In 2008, the Waco, Texas native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business management from UTSA.
Blakley married the former Ashlee Reed in June 2017.
WBB schedule announced for 2019-20 conference campaign
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State women’s basketball head coach Zenarae Antoine announced the schedule for the upcoming 2019-20 season on Wednesday morning.
Conference schedule
Texas State will play an 18-game Sun Belt Conference slate with nine contests coming inside Strahan Arena and nine ballgames on the road.
The seventh season in the league for the Bobcats will begin with a home tilt against defending conference champion Little Rock. The Trojans have represented the Sun Belt in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons after winning both the regular season and tournament crowns. TXST and LR will begin the quest for 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference supremacy on Jan. 2, 2020 in San Marcos.
The remainder of the home slate features games against Arkansas State (Jan. 4), ULM (Jan. 16), Louisiana (Jan. 18), UT Arlington (Feb. 1), Coastal Carolina (Feb. 6), Appalachian State (Feb. 8), Georgia Southern (Feb. 27), and Georgia State (Feb. 29).
Away from Strahan Arena, Texas State will duel with Coastal Carolina (Jan. 9), Appalachian State (Jan. 11), Troy (Jan. 23), South Alabama (Jan. 25), Little Rock (Feb. 13), Arkansas State (Feb. 15), UT Arlington (Feb. 22), ULM (March 5), and Louisiana (March 7).
2020 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Campus Sites
March 10
Game 1 – No. 10 Seed at No. 3 Seed *
Game 2 – No. 7 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed *
Game 3 – No. 9 Seed at No. 2 Seed ^
Game 4 – No. 8 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed ^
Quarterfinals – Campus Sites
March 11
Game 5 – Game 1 Winners vs. Game 2 Winner *
Game 6 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner ^
Semifinals – Smoothie King Center (New Orleans)
March 14
Game 7 – Game 5 Winner vs. No. 1 Seed
Game 8 – Game 6 Winner vs. No. 2 Seed
Championship Game – Smoothie King Center (New Orleans)
March 15
Game 9 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner
* Game played at No. 3 Seed
^ Game played at No. 4 Seed
2018-19 cross country and track and field season recap
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A recap of the 2018-19 cross country and track and field seasons that comprised of two Sun Belt Conference Championships (women’s indoor and men’s outdoor), 13 individual Sun Belt titles, nine Sun Belt specialty awards, five US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honorees and one USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (women’s outdoor track and field).
Cross Country Season
The men’s team opened the season with a second-place finish behind a record setting 6k run by senior Joseph Meade 6K at the Bear Twilight Invite at the HOT Soccer Fields in Waco, Texas. Meade ran the course in 18:22.7 which was over 45 seconds faster than the previous school record. Meade was the runner-up overall in the race. On the men’s side two other runners also bested the previous school record, including freshman Dereck Elkins (18:37.1, 5th place) and sophomore Cade Michael (18:56.0, 14th place). The women finished fourth overall after four ladies crossed the finish line 13th-15th, and 17th, led by senior Devina Schneider (14:32.5), junior Leslie Romero (14:35.6), sophomore Tina Sierra (14:37.2) and sophomore Sydney Cole (14:37.9), respectively.
The women placed fourth out of 51 teams at the 30th Annual Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark. thanks to a breakout performance from junior transfer Leslie Romero who finished 10th overall, stopping the clock at 17:33.4 in the women’s 5k. The time was the second fastest time in program history at that distance. The men finished 14th in the 8k race led by senior Joseph Meade who timed out at 24:48.4.
A heavy meet with 10 Power 5 programs saw the women finish 14th and the men finish 19th at the inaugural Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M. Senior Joseph Meade finished 24th, the top finish for both the men and women, with a time of 25:05.8 in the 8k race. Senior Devina Schneider was the top finisher on the women’s side with a 21:59.2 time on the 6k course.
Sun Belt Conference Championships
Junior Leslie became the first woman to win an individual title for Texas State since 1994, running a personal best 17:22.91 in the women’s 5k at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Mobile, Ala. Romero’s time was the second-fastest time at that distance in program history and became the third Bobcat to earn All-Sun Belt First team honors and also picked up the leagues Runner and Newcomer of the Year awards. With her performance, the Bobcats totaled 46 points, finishing one-point shy of a back-to-back championship to Appalachian State. Junior Kendra Long and senior Devina Schneider joined Romero with All-Sun Belt honors by being named to the second-team after a sixth-place finish with a 17:49.9 time, and a 10th place finish at 17:55.4, respectively. Sophomore Sydney Cole crossed the finish line 13th with a personal best 17:59.7 time to receive an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection.
The men placed 14th in the meet led by senior Joseph Meade who earned All-Sun Belt First Team accolades with a fifth-place time clocked at 25:01.0 in the men’s 8k race. Freshman Dereck Elkins garnered All-Sun Belt Third Team honors with a personal best 25:40.5 time to place 13th. Sophomore Cade Michael also finished in the top 25 with a personal best time of 26:10.8.
NCAA South Central Regional Championships
The Texas State women’s cross country team put together a program record-setting performance at the NCAA South Central Championships in College Station, Texas, finishing third by scoring 122 points behind Arkansas and Texas. The Bobcats did beat out a few top programs in the country, including Baylor, LSU, Rice, SMU and Texas A&M. The women had three all-region selections led by junior Leslie Romero who finished 12th with a 6:56.1 time in the 6k race. Sophomore Sydney Cole (21:28.0, 19th) and junior Kendra Long (7:00.4, 21st) were also awarded all-region honors.
Two Bobcat men competed in the 10k race. Senior Joseph Meade capped off his collegiate cross country career with a 13th-place finish out of 115 competitors, earning all-region honors for the second consecutive year after running a time of 32:11.4. Freshman Dereck Elkins also competed and placed 30th with a 32:32.1 time. Elkins was the third highest finishing freshman at the meet.
Indoor Season
The Bobcats totaled 11 individual first-place finishes, two relay team first-place finishes and four Sun Belt leading marks to open the indoor season at the Father Diamond Invitational hosted by George Mason in Fairfax, Va.
Seven Bobcat women finished first-place in their events as well as the women’s 4×400 meter relay who ran a time of 3:53.38 in the finals. The relay team composed of senior Dawnshae Evans, freshman Sadi Giles, freshman Ariana Ealy-Pulido and senior Tramesha Hardy. Evans won the 500-meter dash and Hardy took first in the 60-meter dash. The other first place finishers were senior Kylah Smith (60-meter hurdles, 8.64 – led Sun Belt), junior Taydria Nickerson (11.55m – led Sun Belt), freshman Live Hilton (long jump, 5.89m – led Sun Belt), senior Sidnee Land (weight throw, 16.34m) and freshman Katherine Stuckly (high jump, 1.73m).
The Bobcat men registered four individual first-place titles and the men’s 4×400 meter relay team also placed first, running a 3:21.88. The team was sophomore Matthew Parker, sophomore Jaylen Allen, sophomore Ronnie Briscoe and junior Christian Jackson. Allen took first place in the 400-meter dash with a 49.88 time and Briscoe claimed the top spot in the long jump with a 7.07m mark. The remaining first-place finishers were senior T’Mond Johnson (shot put, 18.67m – led Sun Belt) and sophomore Noah Herring (triple jump, 14.49m).
The Bobcats competed hard at the Ted Nelson Invitational hosted by Texas A&M that featured a number of top Power Five conference programs in College Station, Texas. Both teams combined for 27 top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks and the women placed fourth with 76.5 points and the men finished sixth with 51 points.
Junior Leslie Romero was the key moment of the day for the women with a first-place finish and program record 9:51.31 in the 3000-meter run. The time also led the Sun Belt Conference. Freshman Live Hilton was the other first-place finisher for the Bobcats as she leaped 5.92 meters (19-5.25) in the long jump to remain atop the leagues leaderboard in the event. Senior T’Mond Johnson also extended his leading Sun Belt mark in the men’s shot put with an 18.79-meter (61-7.75) launch (2nd place). Senior Kyle Denomme also placed second in his event at the meet but became the league-leader in the men’s 800-meter run with a 1:53.03 time.
Texas State totaled 26 top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks at the Mark Colligan Memorial hosted by Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. Both the women and men teams placed third at the meet with the women scoring 122.5 points and the men gathering 106 points. The teams combined for five first-place finishes, including the women’s 4×400 meter relay.
Senior Tramesha Hardy was the top headliner for the Bobcats as she contributed with three first-place finishes when including her second-leg run in the 4×400 meter relay that timed out at 3:50.30. Others on that relay team was senior Dawnshae Evans, freshman Sadi Giles and senior Breonna Hall. Hardy also finished first and ran conference leading times in the 60-meter dash (7.44) and the 200-meter dash (23.71). For the third consecutive meet, freshman Live Hilton won the women’s long jump with a 5.83-meter (19-1.5) jump and sophomore Ronnie Briscoe also claimed a win on the men’s side of the event with a 7.14-meter (23-5.25) jump.
Other notable contributors were senor Kylah Smith who cut her league leading time in the 60-meter hurdles to 8.38 and sophomore Brandon Busby moved to the top of the conference rankings in the men’s weight throw after an 18.52-meter (60-9.25) toss.
The Bobcats put together a strong meet at the Jaguar Invitational hosted by South Alabama at the Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. The women won the meet with 184 points and the men finished second with 113 points. Texas State totaled 10 wins, four meet records and one program record set by Devina Schneider in the final meet heading into the Sun Belt Conference Championships.
Schneider claimed the first win of the day for the Bobcats after besting her own school record and set a new meet record with a 4:52.88 time in the mile run. Junior Naomi Ferdinand was the second meet record on the day with a first-place 5.94-meter (19-6) jump in the women’s long jump, senior Tramesha Hardy established a new meet record in the women’s 200-meter dash with a 23.81 time and freshman Pedro Osorio Lopez broke out and set a meet record as well win the men’s 800-meter run with a time of 1:53.25.
Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships
The Texas State women’s track and field team won its third consecutive Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship title after racking up 128 points at the Crossplex. The men concluded the meet with a third-place finish after garnering 119 total points. All-in-all, the Bobcats crowned four individual champions across six events, set five new school records, and totaled 21 all-conference selections.
Senior Tramesha Hardy was the meet’s top scorer for the third consecutive year, scoring 30 points. Hardy completed an impressive feat by winning the women’s 200-meter dash for the fourth year in-a-row and ran a program record time of 23.51. Hardy also went gold in the 400-meter dash for the third straight year after clocking a 55.14 time. Junior Leslie Romero also won multiple gold medals, starting with a 9:40.57 result in the women’s 3,000-meter run, breaking her own school record that she set earlier in the season. She set another school record in the 5,000-meter run after winning the event with a 17:06.0 time. Another notable performance was a team effort of Romero, freshman Sydney Cole, sophomore Javlyn Cameron and sophomore Tina Sierra setting a new school record in the women’s distance medley with a time of 11:49.95 for second place at the meet.
On the men’s side, senior T’Mond Johnson claimed his third consecutive title in the shot put after a 19.01-meter (62-4.50) toss, and junior Ben Collerton won his second straight gold medal in the heptathlon rewriting both the school and Sun Belt Conference record book by accumulating 5,379 points.
Sun Belt Conference Indoor Awards
The Texas State track and field team dominated in the Sun Belt Conference 2019 Indoor Track and Field specialty awards by receiving four laurels. Senior Tramesha Hardy was named the Women’s Track Most Outstanding Performer for the third consecutive year, junior Leslie Romero was honored as the Women’s Newcomer of the Year, junior Ben Collerton was named the Men’s Field Most Outstanding Performer, and head coach Jody Stewart won his seventh overall Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year award.
Outdoor Season
The Bobcats opened the outdoor season on a strong note by registering 32 Sun Belt Conference top 10 marks, including four league-leading marks and two wins at the Roadrunner Invitational hosted by UTSA at the Park West Athletics Complex.
Senior T’Mond Johnson threw two league-leading marks, including a first-place 19.43-meter (63-9) launch in the men’s shot put and a 53.77-meter (176-5) hurl in the discus throw (third-place). Junior Naomi Ferdinand placed first in the women’s long jump with a 6.06-meter (19-10.75) mark to pace the conference and senior Kyle Denomme timed out at 1:52.31 in the men’s 800-meter run to round out the Bobcats’ Sun Belt Conference leading marks on the weekend.
Texas Relays / Bobcat Invitational
A busy weekend between two meets produced 24 Sun Belt Conference top 10 marks for the Bobcats, including three conference-leading results. At the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, the Bobcats recorded six marks in the top 10 of the league and one that paces the conference, while the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos featured 18 top marks for the Maroon and Gold and added the final two league-leading marks.
Freshman Live Hilton logged a pair of top 10 marks highlighted by a league-best 6.20-meter (20-4.25) leap in the women’s long jump, and sophomore Tina Sierra stopped the clock at a conference-best 17:17.24 for a second-place finish in the women’s 5,000-meter race. To round out the conference-leading marks, junior Ben Collerton cashed in on 7,218 points in the men’s decathlon to finish seventh overall. Collerton won the discus throw (43.27m; 141-11) and the high jump (2.04m; 6-8.25).
In a competitive field that featured several teams ranked in the USTFCCCA National Poll, including three ranked in the top 10, the Texas State track and field teams concluded the Texas A&M Invitational with a third-place finish for both the men and women behind three victories at E.B. Cushing Stadium. The men tallied 74 points, while the women turned in 55.75 points. Both teams combined for four top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks and three wind.
Junior Leslie Romero won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:03.93, a time that ranked No. 4 in the league, Senior T’Mond Johnson won the men’s shot put with an 18.85-meter (61-10.25) throw, and freshman Dereck Elkins took first-place with a 14:58.96 time in the men’s 5,000-meter run.
Joining Romero in top 10 performances was senior Samuel Hussey in the men’s hammer throw (53.42m; 175-3), junior Ben Collerton in the 110-meter hurdles (14.80), and freshman Sadi Giles in the women’s 100-meter dash (11.99).
The Texas State track and field teams turned in three victories and combined for five top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks at the LSU Alumni Gold track meet at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium. All three wins were on the men’s side. Senior Kyle Denomme ran a collegiate best 1:51.26 in the 800-meter run (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) for a first-place finish, senior T’Mond Johnson recorded a top throw at 19.24m (63-1.5) in the shot put (tied No. 7 in the program’s record book), and sophomore Noah Herring’s 15.01m (49-3) triple jump mark was tops at the meet.
The Texas State track and field teams dominated its regular season finale by winning first place on both sides at the Bobcat Classic. The men tallied 301 points and the women registered 237 points, racking up a total of 22 victories, 20 improved top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks, seven new top 10 marks, and one newly established school record.
Junior Leslie Romero established a new school record, running the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:50.70 for a first-place finish. Romero was the highlight of day one that saw seven victories and one Sun Belt top 10 mark, before recording 15 more victories on day two and six top 10 conference marks. Senior Tramesha Hardy stole the show on day two with a number of great performances, highlighted by a 22.72 time in the women’s 200-meter dash, marking the fastest time in the Sun Belt Conference this season. She also ran an 11:46 in the 100-meter dash (second-place), entering the top 10 of the league at No. 2 and No. 7 in the program’s record book. To put a cap on the Houston, Texas native’s day, Hardy along with freshmen Live Hilton, Sadi Giles and Anayah Washington took first-place in the women’s 4×100-meter relay with a time of 45.57, remaining No. 3 in Sun Belt.
Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships
The Texas State men’s track and field team won its first Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship title and its first outdoor title since 2004 (Southland Conference). The Bobcat men racked up 122.5 points at the Arkansas State Track and Field/Cross Country Complex. The women concluded the meet as the runner-up after accumulating 128 points. All-in-all, the Bobcats crowned eight individual champions, set one new school records, and totaled 21 All-Sun Belt selections.
Day one ended with two champions starting with junior Jaylon Jorge who launched a 57.15m (187-06) mark in the men’s hammer throw. Junior Leslie Romero completed the opening day with a 36:11.53 time in the women’s 10,000-meter run. Romero’s mark in the event is the fastest time in the league this season and ranks No. 2 in the program’s record book. Later in the meet, Romero broke her own school record set a couple of weeks prior with a 10:39.89 time in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Junior Naomi Ferdinand claimed the first championship on day two for the Bobcats in the women’s long jump, logging a 6.11m (20-0.50) leap, while classmate Ben Collerton became the back-to-back champion in the decathlon after totaling 7,180 points (No. 9 in program’s record book) thanks to wins in the long jump, high jump and discus throw. Senior T’Mond Johnson claimed the final gold medal on the day for Texas State with a 19.70m (64-7.75) hurl in the men’s shot put. The mark ranks No. 2 in the school’s record book and secures Johnson’s third straight title in the event.
In the final day of the championships, sophomore Brandon Busby led the charge in a Bobcat sweep of the men’s discus throw with a 54.66m (179-4) mark. Texas State took second and third as well for a grand total of 24 points, giving the maroon and gold the lead in overall scoring. Sophomore Jaylen Allen helped keep the lead in tact with an impressive 46.50 time in the 400-meter dash for gold, marking the fourth-fastest time in program history.
On the women’s side, senior Tramesha Hardy was the meet’s top scorer with 21.5 points in her final Sun Belt meet. Hardy claimed her third consecutive championship title in the women’s 200-meter dash, timing out at 23.14. She also placed second in the 100-meter dash with an 11.35 time (No. 3 in school’s record book), anchored the women’s 4×400-meter relay team (senior Dawnshae Evans, junior Breonna Hall, freshman Kattiana Ealy-Pulido) to a second-place finish, and contributed to the women’s 4×100-meter relay third-place finish (freshmen Live Hilton, Sadi Giles and Anayah Washington).
Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Awards
The Texas State track and field team earned three specialty awards due to performances at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Seniors Tramesha Hardy and T’Mond Johnson were named the most outstanding track and field performers, respectively, while head coach Jody Stewart was awarded the league’s Coach of the Year award for the eighth time in a four-year span, and the second specifically for the men’s track program.
NCAA West Qualifiers
Jaylen Allen – Men’s 400-meter Dash
Ronnie Briscoe – Men’s Long Jump
Brandon Busby – Men’s Discus Throw
Kyle Denomme – Men’s 800-meter Run
Naomi Ferdinand – Women’s Long Jump
Sadi Giles – Women’s 100-meter Dash
Tramesha Hardy – Women’s 100-meter Dash & 200-meter Dash
Noah Herring – Men’s Triple Jump
Live Hilton – Women’s Long Jump
T’Mond Johnson – Men’s Shot Put
Kylah Smith – Women’s 100-meter Hurdles
The Texas State track and field outdoor season ended after 11 Bobcats competed in the NCAA West Preliminary at Hornet Stadium in California. Four seniors competed in their last meet for the Maroon and Gold including Tramesha Hardy, T’Mond Johnson, Kylah Smith and Kyle Denomme.
Hardy completed her decorated career with the Bobcats by competing in the quarterfinals of the women’s 200-meter dash. After clocking a 23.39 time in the first-round to advance, Hardy placed 14th in the quarterfinals with a 23.16 time. She also ran an 11.71 in the first round of the 100-meter dash (27th). Taking in to account the indoor and outdoor seasons combined, Hardy is a 13-time Sun Belt Conference Champion in the 60, 100 (outdoor), 200 (indoor and outdoor), and 400-meter dash (indoor), contributed to four 4×400-meter relay conference titles, and is a six-time Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Track Performer.
Johnson’s collegiate career ended after launching the shot put 18.74m (61-5.75). The mark just missed the cut for nationals coming in at No. 17. Johnson has had a productive career with the maroon and gold, totaling six Sun Belt Conference Championship titles in the shot put from 2017-19. Johnson was also named the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Field Performer on May 17.
Smith finished 38th in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a 13.74 time. Smith is a two-time Sun Belt Conference Champion after going gold in the 60-meter hurdles and then the 100-meter hurdles in the 2018 indoor and outdoor season, respectively.
Denomme came just short of punching his ticket to nationals in the men’s 800-meter run. Denomme placed 24th overall in the first round with a 1:50.40 run but placed fifth in his heat. The Canada native ran a faster time than five other qualifiers, but they finished first, second or third in their heats to get the automatic spot to the quarterfinals.
Sun Belt Conference Weekly Awards
Five Texas State student-athletes were selected as Sun Belt Conference Athletes of the Week during the 2018-19 season. Three selections between two athletes came during the cross country season and four selections of the three remaining award winners came during the outdoor season. Seniors Joseph Meade and T’Mond Johnson picked up multiple selections while seniors Tramesha Hardy, Kyle Denomme and junior Leslie Romero were all tabbed once.
Kyle Denomme (Men’s Track, Outdoor) – March 27
Tramesha Hardy (Women’s Track, Outdoor) – May 1
T’Mond Johnson (Men’s Field, Outdoor) – March 27 & April 24
Joseph Meade (Men’s Cross Country) – Sep. 5 & Sep. 26
Leslie Romero (Women’s Cross Country) – Sep. 26
USTFCCCA All-Academic Awards
Five student-athletes received USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades and the women’s outdoor track and field team posted a 3.01 GPA to be awarded to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team list. Four individuals were honored for the men including sophomore Brandon Busby (Business), junior Ben Collerton (Biology), and seniors Kyle Denomme (Criminal Justice) and T’Mond Johnson (Health and Fitness Management) while senior Kylah Smith was the lone honoree for the women (Exercise and Sports Science).
Bobcat men’s basketball announces 2019-20 schedule
SAN MARCOS, Texas– The Texas State men’s basketball program have faces to prepare for as head coach Danny Kaspar released the 2019-20 schedule.
The slate is composed of 31 games that feature 17 played in front of the Bobcat faithful. The competitive schedule displays five teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago such as Abilene Christian, Baylor, Georgia State, Houston, and Prairie View A&M.
“I think we put a pretty good schedule together with five NCAA Tournament teams from last year,” Kaspar said. “It will definitely test our team as we get ready for conference play. We are grateful to have more home games in the non-conference portion of the schedule and although it’ll be a challenge, the players and coaching staff are looking forward to it.”
Five of the eight November games will be played at Strahan Arena, including the season opener Nov. 5 vs. Texas Lutheran. The Bobcats will also host Prairie View A&M (Nov. 12), Jackson State (Nov. 18), Abilene Christian (Nov. 25) and Hartford (Nov. 30). On Nov. 9, TXST will complete a home-and-home at Air Force, will travel northbound I-35 to play at Baylor Nov. 15, and take a trip to Sin City to square off with UNLV Nov. 20.
December will begin with a big-time contest at Houston on the 4th before wrapping up the non-conference schedule with home games vs. rival UTSA (Dec. 7) and Bethany College (Kan.) Dec. 15. The Maroon and Gold will squeeze in two Sun Belt Conference contest before Christmas, both on the road at Georgia Southern (Dec. 19) and Georgia State (Dec. 21).
Although the Bobcats will be four games into league play before their conference home opener, the team will play three times in a single week at Strahan Arena beginning with Troy on Jan. 6. That week they will also host Coastal Carolina (Jan. 9) and Appalachian State (Jan.11). The Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be March 7-15 with the first, second and quarterfinal rounds being played at campus sites (March 7-11) and the semifinals and championship games played March 14-15 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. A full tournament schedule can be found below.
The Bobcats are coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw a 24-10 overall record, including a 12-6 conference mark, the most wins overall since the 1993-94 season and the most conference wins since joining the Sun Belt in 2013. Texas State went on to make their second CIT postseason appearance in three years, but fell to Florida International, 87-81.
“I hope that our players will build on the success from last year and realize what it takes to win games,” stated coach Kaspar. “We played good defense and our offense was pretty good too, probably our best offensive showing in my six years here. To improve on that, we will need some newcomers to step up. We will miss Alex [Peacock] and Tre [Nottingham] as well as Jaylen [Shead] so some people will have to rise to the occasion and if they do, we can continue to play winning basketball.”
Texas State will return eight players from last year’s team, spearheaded by 2018-19 All-Sun Belt First Team honoree, senior Nijal Pearson. Starting forward senior Eric Terry will also return along with classmate Chandler Davis. Juniors Shelby Adams, Marlin Davis, and Quentin Scott, with sophomores Mason Harrell and Alonzo Sule complete the list of returners.
“Part of the reason why we think we can have a good team this year is that we have Nijal’s skills and leadership leading us. He deserves to finish his career out on a very successful note,” concluded Kaspar. “We have eight returners overall and just as many newcomers to play a role for us. Obviously, I can’t play all of those pieces, but hopefully, I can find eight or nine that can get the job done, and I think I will.”
2020 SUN BELT MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round at Campus Sites
Saturday, March 7
Game 1 – No. 9 Seed at No. 8 Seed
Game 2 – No. 10 Seed at No. 7 Seed
Second Round at Campus Sites
Monday, March 9
Game 3 – Game 1 Winner at No. 5 Seed
Game 4 – Game 2 Winner at No. 6 Seed
Quarterfinals at Campus Sites
Wednesday, March 11
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner at No. 4 Seed
Game 6 – Game 4 Winner at No. 3 Seed
Semifinals at Smoothie King Center
Saturday, March 14
Game 7 – Game 5 Winner vs. No. 1 Seed
Game 8 – Game 6 Winner vs. No. 2 Seed
Championship Game at Smoothie King Center
Sunday, March 15
Game 9 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner
