Athletics 2018-19 Year in Review

Other highlights for the year included:

Soccer

The Rambelles won their first-ever Lone Star Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA D-II South Central Regional Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Season results: 12-7-2 overall and 8-3-1 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• Avery McNeme - LSC Midfielder of the Year, highest assists in LSC
• Trenadey Scott - highest scorer in the LSC with 18 goals
• McNeme and Scott - All-LSC first team and All-South Central Region honors from D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches
• Marissa Berry, Cassandra Moosburger and Analise Watson - All-LSC second team
• Kira Miller - All-LSC honorable mention

Baseball

The Rams hosted and won a NCAA D-II South Central Regional before losing at home in the South Central Super Regional, falling one win short of a trip to the D-II College World Series. Season results: 46-12 overall, 22-2 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• LSC regular-season title
• Tops in NCAA D-II for team batting average (.350), walks, on-base percentage, runs scored and runs per game
• 12 Rams earned All-LSC honors, and 6 Rams made the All-Defensive Team.
• Michael Urquidi - LSC All-Academic Team
• Josh Elvir - LSC Player of the Year, NCAA all-region, All-American, D-II Player of the Year
• Jordan Williams - LSC Freshman of the Year
• Head coach Kevin Brooks and assistants - LSC Coaching Staff of the Year
• Williams, Lachlan Mayo, Trent Baker, Nick Novak, Nick Seginowich - all-region honors
• Williams, Novak and Seginowich - All-Americans

Football

The Rams finished the 2018 regular season with a 6-5 record and qualified for the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl for the second straight year. In November, defensive coordinator Jeff Girsch was named head coach to replace Will Wagner, who posted a 48-40 record with the Rams.

Specific Achievements:

• Offense - 2nd in the LSC in passing at 287.8 yards per game, third in scoring at 33.4 points per game
• Defense - top in the LSC in interceptions with 20, second in sacks with 36, second in rushing defense
• Markus Jones -
  
  • Top in the LSC in sacks with 17.5, tackles for loss with 36.5, and forced fumbles with 4
  • Defensive Lineman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season
  • LSC Male Athlete of the Year
  • Multiple first-team all-region and All-America honors
• 17 Rams - All-LSC and/or Academic All-LSC honors
• Bright Ihegworo and Donavyn Jackson - all-region honors

Cross Country

The Rambelles won the Ranger College Invitational and the ASU Blue & Gold Classic on their way to placing fifth at the Lone Star Conference Championships and qualifying for the NCAA D-II South Central Regional in Denver, Colo.

Specific Achievements:

• Jaclyn Crenwelge - 7th place at LSC Championships, All-LSC honors
• Jazmin Hernandez - 11th place, LSC Freshman of the Year, All-LSC

The Rams finished ninth at the LSC Championships after placing third at both the Ranger College Invitational and ASU Blue & Gold Classic during the season. Matthew Jones qualified individually for the South Central Regional.

Tennis

In only their second season following a 32-year hiatus, the Belles claimed the LSC regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA D-II South Central Regional. Season results: 18-5 overall and 6-0 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• Team rank - No. 17 in nation
• Valentina Gonzalez - LSC Women’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, All-LSC Team in both singles and doubles, ITA South Central Region Player to Watch, ITA All-American, ranked No. 11 in singles nationally
• Zoe Gubbels and Maria Delgadillo - All-LSC honors in singles
• Ena Ovcina - All-LSC for doubles, LSC All-Academic Team
• Head coach Chris Bizot - ITA South Central Region Women’s Coach of the Year

Volleyball

The Belles advanced to the NCAA D-II Tournament for the eighth straight season. Season results: 22-10 overall, 15-5 in the LSC, 13-1 at home.

Specific Achievements:

• Meghan Parker - LSC Setter of the Year and Academic Player of the Year
• Audrey Fragniere - LSC Newcomer of the Year and AVCA All-America honorable mention
• Parker and Fragniere - AVCA All-South Central Region
• Parker, Fragniere, Sundara Chinn and Baleigh Allen - All-LSC first team
• Bailey Drum - All-LSC honorable mention

Men’s Basketball

The Rams tied for second in the Lone Star Conference. They also surpassed the 20-win mark for the first time since 2015-16 and advanced to the regional quarterfinals of the NCAA D-II Tournament. Season results: 21-9 overall and 13-5 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• Ronald Bell - top Rams scorer with 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, All-LSC second team
• James Kirksey - top in LSC for steals, LSC All-Defensive Team, All-LSC honorable mention
• Daron Mims and Kiair Crouch - All-LSC honorable mention

Golf

The Rambelles posted seven top-10 finishes during the season and capped it off by finishing third at the Lone Star Conference Championships – their highest placing ever. Other top team performances included a third-place finish at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate and fourth-place finishes at the Concho River Classic and the Midwestern State Invitational.

Specific Achievements:

• Anna Wicklund - 10th at LSC Championships
• Amy Howard - 12th at LSC Championships
• Josey Jackson - 3rd at Concho River Classic
• Kamryn Cummings - tied for 5th at Oklahoma Intercollegiate

Women’s Basketball

The Belles won the Lone Star Conference regular-season title and were runners-up at the LSC Tournament. Head coach Renae Shippy resigned shortly after the season and was replaced by Nate Harris, who joined ASU from Montana State. Season results: 26-6 overall and 17-3 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• Top scoring team in LSC at 78.7 points per game, second in scoring defense at 62.9 points per game
• Advanced to the NCAA D-II Tournament for the fourth straight season, losing in the regional final to the eventual national champions, Lubbock Christian
• Marquita Daniels - Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-LSC and All-Defensive Team, top scorer in LSC at 17.6 ppg and top in steals at 92, D2CCA All-South Central Region and WBCA honorable mention All-America honors
• De’Anira Moore and Dezirae Hampton - All-LSC second team and third team, respectively

Softball

The Rambelles achieved a No. 1 national ranking and upset West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. Season results: 34-20 overall and 17-13 in the LSC.

Specific Achievements:

• Courtney Barnhill - All-LSC first team, her first LSC Gold Glove Award, LSC All-Academic Team
• Megan Gordon and Meagan Hill - LSC All-Academic Team
• Taegan Kirk - first-team All-LSC honors and her third LSC Gold Glove Award
• Hatty Shope - LSC Newcomer of the Year
• Hill and Taylor Fogle - All-LSC second team
• Karina Rocha - All-LSC honorable mention
• Barnhill and Kirk - All-region honors
• Barnhill - NFCA All-America third team

Indoor Track and Field

Both the Rams and Rambelles finished second at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships.

Specific Achievements:

• Trpimir Siroki - LSC Outstanding Male Field Athlete
• 21 Rams and Belles - All-LSC honors
• 6 Academic All-LSC honors
• 19 All-South Central Region honors
• 16 qualifications - NCAA D-II Indoor National Track and Field Championships
• 15 All-Americans
• Alexandros Spyridonidis and Harry Maslen - 2nd and 4th, respectively, heptathlon, and first-team All-Americans
• Daisy Osakue - 4th, shot put, first-team All-American
• Second-team All-Americans - Dragan Pesic, heptathlon; Trenadey Scott, triple jump; Trivett Jones, pole vault; Jordan Nash, 60-meter hurdles; 4x400 relay teams (Belles: Kayla Gilbert, Taylor Hall, Kaitlyn Mathews and Faith Roberson; Rams: Ayodeji Adedokyn, Nick Ellisor, Demontravous Jones and Emmett Seals)

Outdoor Track and Field

The Rams came within one point of winning their first national championship, finishing as national runners-up to Ashland University. The Rambelles finished in the top 10, and ASU claimed three individual national titles at the NCAA D-II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Specific Achievements:

• National titles: Decio Andrade, hammer; Alexandros Spyridonidis, decathlon; and Daisy Osakue, discus
• 29 Rams and Belles - All-America status
• Rams and Belles - second straight Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships
• Z’Antyler Foster-Hooks - LSC Outstanding Male Track Athlete
• Trpimir Siroki - Outstanding Male Field Athlete
• 34 Rams and Belles - All-LSC honors
• Osakue - LSC Female Field Athlete of the Year
• Head coach Tom Dibbern - Men’s Coach and Women’s Coach of the Year for both the LSC and the South Central Region
• 46 All-South Central Region honors in 37 events
• Osakue - South Central Region Female Field Athlete of the Year
• Nate Janusey - Men’s and Women’s South Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year