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Track and field: Focus has ASU thrower Goode in hunt at nationals - Joel Erickson, Odessa American
MIDLAND Wade Goode has been evolving ever since he first set foot on the Angelo State University campus in San Angelo.
A two-sport athlete who originally was recruited to play football and throw the shot put, the senior from Midland High has mastered the discus.
And it’s the All-American honors earned in the discus last season Goode will be trying to protect when the NCAA Division II Championships begin this weekend at Cal State Stanislaus’ Al Brenda Track in Turlock, Calif.
“After last year, I knew I’d have a good chance to bring back All-American honors again,” Goode said. “I won’t get too excited. It’s just another day of throwing.”
Goode on right track in event outside original fields - Mike Whitson, San Angelo Standard Times
When Wade Goode came to Angelo State University four years ago, it was to compete in the shot put and play football.
But on Saturday, in the final athletic competition of his collegiate career, the applied physics major has the chance to close it out as a national champion, and not in either of the things that brought him to ASU.
Goode heads into the 2011 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships with the seventh-longest throw in the discus, an event in which he earned All-America status last year.
"With all of our kids, we make them do everything," ASU head track and field coach James Reid said. "He had such good levers that I knew he had the opportunity to be a good discus thrower."
Goode did not even pick up the discus until arriving at ASU. In high school, he was a district champion shot putter at Midland High as well as an integral part of the Bulldogs football team.
At the Rams' home meet his freshman season, Goode threw the discus for the first time and began focusing more energy on the event.
"He wasn't too keen on it," Reid said. "But he ended up throwing it pretty decent."
Keeping up with the Jones': ACU junior seeks third national discus title - Joey Richards, Abilene Reporter News
Nick Jones finds himself in an unusual situation this time around at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. For once, the Abilene Christian University junior and two-time national champion in the discus goes into the event as the favorite.
It hasn't been that way in his previous two outdoor championships. His freshman year in 2008, the Amarilllo Tascosa graduate went into the meet in Walnut, Calif., with the fourth-best throw. He ended up winning the meet with a throw of 186 feet, 11 feet — a personal best at the time.
Yet the following year in 2009, Jones wasn't the favorite to defend his title. Grand Valley State's Aleksas Abromavicius went into the meet in San Angelo as the overwhelming favorite, while Jones was ranked fourth again.
Jones, though, ripped off a throw of 178-7 for the early lead, before Abromavicius — who had been throwing nearly 200 feet during the season — overtook him with a throw of 178-10 on his final attempt. Jones, however, beat the Lithuanian with a toss of 182-1 on his final throw.
This time around, Jones, who sat out last season with a redshirt, has the nation's best throw in Division II at 198-7, while Fort Hays State's Max Alonso is No. 2 at 190-3, followed by a pair of Nebraska-Kearney athletes — Dane Tobey (187-1) and Drew Onnen (186-5). ACU junior Tyler Fleet is No. 12 (173-10), after finishing fifth last year.
Jones admits it's a little nerve-racking being the No. 1 guy going into the meet.
"I'm kind of looking over my shoulder, looking at that No. 4 seed or that freshman or something," he said. "Or maybe Tyler. Tyler, man, he's got a huge throw in him. I'm waiting for him to blow that up. Yeah, this is the first year I've been the No. 1 seed. It's definitely been fun, but I'm on my toes, too. I'm ready for whatever they got."
ACU's Fab Four gets reinforcements for outdoor track championships - Joey Richards, Abilene Reporter News
Nick Jones, Desmond Jackson, Ramon Sparks and Amos Sang pulled off an astonishing feat earlier this year. The Abilene Christian University foursome, their team's only qualifiers in six events at the NCAA Division II indoor championships in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 12, won the men's team title with 49 points — seven more than second-place Ashland (Ohio) and its 22 qualifiers.
Now, the Fab Four are bringing reinforcements for the outdoor championships, which begin today at Cal State-Stanislaus' Warrior Stadium in Turlock, Calif.
The Wildcats will have nine athletes competing in 11 events, plus one relay, as the men seek their first outdoor title since 2008 and 19th overall.
"I know the rest of our guys were eager to join us," Jones said. "Those guys who missed out indoors are ready to come on outdoors and really show what the rest of our team is capable of doing."
ASU TRACK: McDonald, Orlando look to have twice as much fun - Nathan Wright, San Angelo Standard Times
Angelo State University junior Jacob McDonald and senior Tyler Orlando spend a lot of time together. The two spend hours each week working on their signature field events, the javelin throw and the pole vault, whether in practice or at competitions.
They will spend more time together this weekend at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Turlock, Calif. They hope to be together on the medals stand there.
Both have been to the national meet before, and both have earned All-America status by finishing in the Top 8. Orlando was third in the javelin at nationals last year and seventh in 2009. McDonald was seventh in the javelin last year.
The two are looking to become double All-Americans this weekend and multiple All-Americans in their careers. This will be Orlando's last national meet, while McDonald will have one left next year.
WT track team sends 4 to national meet - Amarillo Globe News
Four West Texas A&M track and field athletes will participate in the three-day NCAA Division II outdoor national championships, scheduled to begin today at Turlock, Calif.
WT will be represented by Gage Mayer (high jump), Servell Dandridge (discus) and Jonathan Lindsey (discus) in the men's division, and Jadiah Riley (shot put) in the women's division.
Cal State-Stanislaus is the meet host.
Javelina Men Ready for Nationals - TAMK Track
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MSU set to take on No. 1 team - Nick Gholson, Times Record News
SALEM, Va. — Most coaches would be complaining if they drew the No. 1 team in the country in the opening round of a tournament.
But not Brady Tigert.
"I think it's an awesome draw," the Midwestern State softball coach said of the Mustangs' opening-round matchup against top-ranked Alabama-Huntsville today at the NCAA Division II Finals.
"Lets' go ahead. Let's do it. Let's get after it and see what happens," was the way Tigert looks at this 6:30 p.m. matchup at the Moyer Complex. "We've got to beat them sometime. And they lost in the home opener of their super regional, so anybody can be beat."
Alabama-Huntsville (45-5-1) and No. 5 MSU (52-11) are two of only three top 10 teams to make it to D-II softball's version of the elite eight.
Strangely, all three are in the same bracket. In the top half of Bracket 2, second-ranked North Georgia (52-10) opens against No. 11 Indiana, Pa. (38-6) today at 4 p.m.
The two Bracket 2 winners will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The two losers will meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
"Obviously, Huntsville is the team to beat, and I think our side of the bracket is the tougher one. But it goes back to how we play, how we relax and not be nervous about being on that big stage," Tigert said.
Gholson: Fun is name of the game for MSU at World Series - Nick Gholson, Times Record News
Doug Elder wanted nothing to do with a third-place trophy.
If the Midwestern State soccer coach had his way, he would have left it in his hotel trash can.
Elder already had one of these third-place reminders that his team had fallen a bit short of its goal.
Grant McCasland took the MSU basketball team to back-to-back Elite Eights, but he also wasn't satisfied.
McCasland went 0-2 in his two visits to Springfield, Mass. Both times he left town feeling he had a team that could have won a national title.
Brady Tigert now follows in the footsteps of Elder and McCasland. He has brought his MSU softball team to its first NCAA Division II World Series.
But Tigert is taking a different approach.
He wants his team to have fun here — win or lose. He wants the next few days to be a reward for all these girls have achieved.
"This is the icing on the cake," Tigert said. "Obviously, our goal is to win a national championship, but everybody knows that itisthe hardest thing in the world just to get here."
Tanner, Bennett named NFCA All Americans - MSU Softball
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