LSC Roundup 12-8

Football News
McElroy puts Sam Houston rumors to rest

By BRAD KEITH
Sports Editor
brad.keith@empiretribune.com

Tarleton State University head football coach Sam McElroy told listeners to his radio show Thursday he has not been contacted by, nor attempted to contact, anyone affiliated with Sam Houston State University regarding the school’s search for a new coach.

McElroy was one of a handful of possible candidates listed by both the Houston Chronicle and the Huntsville Item last week as Sam Houston, a member of Division I-FCS and the Southland Conference, began its search for a replacement for Todd Whitten.

Whitten, who coached at Tarleton before taking over at Sam Houston, was fired on Nov. 23 after his fifth season at the school.

Much of the speculation concerning McElroy came about because he served as defensive backs coach at SHSU from 1993-99. He was then defensive coordinator at Tarleton and defensive backs coach at DI-FBS North Texas before returning to Stephenville to lead the Texans.

In five seasons McElroy has led Tarleton to a 40-15 record, two Lone Star Conference South Division co-championships and a share of the LSC leaguewide title. The 2009 Texans advanced to the Division II playoffs for only the third time in school history and won a D2 post season game for only the second time.

McElroy was named the American Football Coaches Association Region IV Coach of the Year last week and has been nominated for the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year award.

Three Javelinas Chosen for Cactus Bowl
The Texas A&M-Kingsville football team had three seniors; Billy Garza, Jorge Guerra and Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, selected to play in the 2010 Cactus Bowl that kicks off at 6:35 p.m. on January 8 at Javelina Stadium.

Men's Basketball News
TAMK 68, TAMUI 51 - box score - Hogs Stay Unbeaten at Home

Lone Star Conference basketball weekly release (12/07/09)
LSC Basketball Quick Notes
Three Lone Star Conference basketball teams remain unbeaten with one men’s team - Midwestern State - and two women’s squads - Southeastern Oklahoma and Tarleton.

The LSC men have a 59-31 overall record so far this season, including a 36-12 mark in the South Division and 23-19 in the North. The women are 61-40 overall, with a 29-22 mark in the North and 32-18 in the South.

Both LSC crossover and non-conference games are on tap this week.

In men’s games played last week, the LSC had three players score more than 30 points, 16 over the 20-point mark and 11 double-digit rebounders, while 10 recorded double-doubles.
Points, Men: 34, Maurice Abraham, ECU at ENMU
Rebounds, Men: 19, Kallan Glasgow, CU at ASU
Assists, Men: 8, Three players
Steals, Men: 5, Two players

Players of the Week
NORTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Dauntae Williams, Central Oklahoma, Jr., Guard, Missouri City, Texas/Elkins
Williams enjoyed an outstanding all-around week in leading UCO to a 2-1 record, averaging 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals a game while shooting 68.6 percent (24-of-35) from the field. The junior guard made 9-of-11 shots in scoring 22 points while adding eight rebounds and five assists in a 96-72 home rout of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, then scored 15 points with eight rebounds and three assists in a come-from-behind 76-72 road win over Tarleton State. He finished the week with a 28-point, six-rebound outing in a 96-89 road loss to unbeaten Midwestern State.

NORTH MEN’S DEFENSIVE
Wayne Andrews, East Central, Jr., Guard, Compton, Calif./Centennial HS (Fullerton JC)
Andrews recorded four steals and four blocked shots while averaging 10.1 rebounds in East Central’s 2-1 run last week. His best performance came in the Tigers’ 109-98 win at Eastern New Mexico on Saturday as he scored 24 points, pulled down 17 rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked three shots in 32 minutes of play. He also tallied 15 points and grabbed 11 boards to go with four assists and a steal in ECU’s 119-111 triple-overtime loss at West Texas A&M. Of the 31 rebounds he collected in the three games, 16 came on the defensive end.

SOUTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Bijan Dotson, West Texas A&M, Sr., Forward, Oakland, Calif./Hamilton HS
Dotson recorded consecutive double-doubles, tallying what were career highs of 25 points (making 11-of-14 field goal attempts) and 11 rebounds against East Central, then coming back with a career-highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds against Southeastern Oklahoma. That game saw Dotson score 27 of the Buffs’ 60 points. For the week, he hit 70.0 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the foul line.

SOUTH MEN’S DEFENSIVE
Antwan Mullins, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Jr., Point Guard, Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch Despite having his worst shooting week of the season, Mullins picked up his play on the defensive end. Texas A&M-Commerce entered the game shooting over 50.0 percent from the field for the season, but Mullins forced point guard Cardell Hunter into four turnovers and was a big reason why the Lions only shot 37.9 percent from the field. Against St. Mary’s, he had a game high three steals and prevented the Rattlers from getting the ball into the low post. The Rattlers shot just 43.5 percent from the field.

Women's Basketball News

On the women’s side, the league had one score more than 30 points and 11 over the 20-point mark and nine double-digit rebounders, while seven posted double-doubles in action last week. Top performances included:
Points, Women: 31, Danielle Cox, ECU at ENMU
Rebounds, Women: 25, Jody Meyer, ACU vs SWOSU
Assists, Women: 11, Cristina Yarbrough, UCO at MSU
Steals, Women: 6, Two players

NORTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Kacey Russell, Southeastern Oklahoma, Sr., Guard, Crandall, Texas/Crandall HS
Russell helped Southeastern to a 2-0 week which included an upset of No. 7 ranked West Texas A&M. She averaged 18.0 points per game while shooting 62.5 percent from the field, including 16 points against Eastern New Mexico and 20 versus WTAMU. The senior hit five three-pointers on the week, shooting 45.5 percent form behind the arc, and 11-of-13 free throws. She added 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

NORTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Jordan Stark, Central Oklahoma, Jr., Guard-Forward, Weatherford, Okla./Weatherford
Stark led UCO to a 1-1 week, averaging 5.5 defensive rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots a game. She had four steals, four defensive rebounds and two blocks in a loss to unbeaten Tarleton State, then pulled down seven defensive boards while making two steals and blocking two shots in a 78-69 road win over Midwestern State. For the week, Stark averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field.

SOUTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Morgan Stehling, Tarleton State, So., Forward, Lorena, Texas/Lorena
Stehling led provided a spark coming off the bench for the TexAnns, helping Tarleton improve to 7-0 for the first time in 27 years. The sophomore forward had 11 points in 11 minutes during Tuesday’s 85-55 win over No. 19-ranked Central Oklahoma, then tallied 12 points in Tarleton’s come-from-behind victory over Northeastern State in Stephenville on Thursday. Stehling had 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-3 performance from beyond the arc, in the win over the RiverHawks. Her three-pointer with less than 17 minutes left to play began a 5-0 run that pulled the TexAnns to within five points of NSU. Tarleton grabbed the lead a minute later and never gave it back on their way to their seventh straight win.

SOUTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Dyana Bullinger, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Sr., Wing, Spring, Texas/Klein
Bullinger’s harrassing defense keyed the Javelinas’ swarming zone defense. She keyed the team’s 3-0 week in which they allowed an average of 54.3 points per game. In addition to solid defensive rebounding and 2.7 steals per game Bullinger also had a block in each game. Her help defense is the key which allows Felicia Soza and Kayla Naylor to play for steals.


Recruiting News
Welborn signs with TexAnn softball
The Tarleton TexAnn softball staff has added another early signee with the addition of Katie Welborn to the 2010-11 roster. Welborn, a sophomore at North Central Texas College, is a catcher/infielder from Richland Hills.

“Katie is an offensive threat that is both powerful and consistent at the plate,” said Tarleton head softball coach Julie Mata. “She’s very intelligent and will bring her communication skills and leadership to us. She knows how to win and comes to us from the very successful NCTC program that Van Hedrick leads. His players are some of the most talented and most-competitive around.”

Welborn hit .419 last season as a freshman at NCTC and recorded 30 runs batted in, nine doubles and two home runs in just 86 at-bats. She helped the team to a 46-18 record and a Region V North Championship. The team was also a NJCAA National Tournament Qualifier.


Soccer News
Miller, Cropp Honored
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Dec. 7) – Central Oklahoma’s Alli Miller and Katelyn Cropp have been named to the NCAA Division II All-South Central Regional Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, it was announced Monday.

Miller was a first-team selection, and Cropp was a third-team pick in voting of coaches in the region, which includes teams from the Lone Star Conference, Heartland Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

A senior fullback from Norman, Miller earlier earned third-team All-America recognition from Daktronics, Inc., which is voted on by sports information directors. She led a defensive unit that recorded 13 shutouts and allowed 20 goals in 23 games this season in earning first-team All-LSC honors for the fourth time.

Cropp, a sophomore forward from Richardson, Texas, scored 17 points in 2009 with eight goals and one assist. A second-team All-LSC selection, she had four game-winning goals for the Bronchos this year.

UCO went 14-6-3 in 2009, winning the LSC Tournament championship and qualifying for the Division II national tournament for the seventh time in 10 years.