LSC Roundup 3-14

HURRELL-ZITELMAN GETS NATION'S TOP AWARD - UIW Sports

Over the last 30 years of competition in the NCAA’s Division II women’s swimming and diving championships only 12 individuals have won four events in a single meet. Make it 13 now as Incarnate Word’s Casey Hurrell-Zitelman hit the home run this week.

The championships were conducted in Hurrell-Zitelman’s hometown of San Antonio so it was appropriate she win all four of her contests. For her outstanding effort over the four-day meet she was voted Division II Woman Swimmer of the Year.

All four of her events were the leadoff races of the four sessions. Night one she won the 1,000-freestyle in 9:52.60. The second evening she came home first in the 400-individual medley with a time of 4:14.00. Then on the third night she won the 500-freestyle with a time of 4:47.21 before capping off the meet with a win in the 1,650-freestyle in 16:37.29.

The 400-medley clocking was a meet record while all four are now Incarnate Word school marks.

“I wanted to win all four,” she said, “but I didn’t expect to. I thought the 500 and the 400-medley would be the most difficult because I am not particularly a sprinter.”

In winning the four races and going out as the meet’s top point-producer with 80, Hurrell-Zitelman also put her name in the Incarnate Word book as the first woman national champion.

On the final night she was joined on the UIW national title winner’s list by Tamiris Nascimento who captured the 100-freestyle crown.

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Michael Loyd is money in high-stakes games - Nick Gholson, Times Record News
A former Midwestern State basketball player came up to me at halftime Sunday night and called Michael Loyd "a money player."

That, to me, describes a guy who plays his best when the stakes are the highest. Well, the stakes were high in this game. Win and your dream of a national championship is still alive. Lose and it's hit the road, Jack. Adios to the season. Adios to the dream. Adios forever to the seniors.

MSU's money man wanted no part of that.

Mustangs roll Missouri Southern in semifinals, 75-52 - J. Scott Russell, Times Record News
The prevailing theory in sports is that defense wins championships.

For the sixth-seeded Midwestern State Mustangs, it at least has them in the South Central Regional championship game.

The Mustangs forced 18 turnovers, came away with 10 steals and blocked five shots Sunday as they led from start to finish and thrashed No. 9 Missouri Southern 75-52 in the regional semifinals at Hamilton Field House.

That puts MSU in the regional finals for the second straight season. They will take on host Central Oklahoma Tuesday night at 7 p.m. for the right to return to the Elite Eight.

"I was proud of that effort defensively," said MSU head coach Grant McCasland, who credited assistant coaches Nelson Haggerty and Tres Segler for getting his team ready. "We knew what they were going to run; knew their sets; and there were no tricks we weren't prepared for. We made sure we didn't give up any easy baskets. We did a great job following the game plan. That took a team effort. It took everybody.

"These guys like to play next to each other and we've gotten better (defensively) in the last couple of days. That's a testament to the guarding in the South part of our league. They prepared us for this."

Men's Basketball: MSU, UCO to play in regional final - LSC Office
Midwestern State 75, Missouri Southern 52
EDMOND, Okla. (March 13) - The best players just seem to show up big at the right times.

There's no argument Chris Hagan and Michael Loyd fall into that category as the Midwestern State guard combination provided the offensive pop as the Mustangs rolled No. 9 Missouri Southern 75-52 Sunday night in the NCAA II South Central Region semifinals at Hamilton Fieldhouse.

Loyd matched a season high with 25 points, while Hagan chipped in 18 points and three assists.

But it took much more than that for Midwestern to clinch its third regional final appearance and a date with the winner of the Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State contest later Sunday night.

The Mustangs threw junior guard Kevin Loyd at MIAA Player of the Year Skyler Bowlin, then the Missouri Southern starting point saw a bit of Hagan and Adrian Van Buren.

It was enough to frustrate Bowlin, the Daktronics South Central Region Player of the Year, into a 2-for-14 shooting night to fall 13 points short of his average with one field goal in each half for five points.

Bowlin did find time to dish out seven assists, but the Lions could never find a rhythm to finish 30 points under their team scoring average while shooting 33.9 percent from the field.

The Mustangs took control in transition where then held a commanding 22-2 advantage in fast break points including a 16-0 bulge in the opening half.

It was a 13-0 binge by MSU in the first half starting with an alley-oop dunk by Charlie Logan followed by back-to-back fast break layups by Hagan and another transition dunk by Darrick Thomas.

Michael Loyd continued the run with a 3-pointer before Van Buren converted yet another fast break layup to push the lead to 31-15 with 6:40 to play before halftime.

Missouri Southern used a 10-3 run midway through the second half to put the MSU advantage to 48-42 on a Patrick Hester trey from the top of the key with 12:03 to play.

But Keonte' Logan ignited a 14-2 run with a baseline 3-pointer as the Mustangs pulled away for the victory.

Darrick Thomas led a determined MSU effort on the glass with nine points and eight rebounds while Thomas Colbert added five points and seven rebounds as the Mustangs beat the Lions by a 46-35 margin on the glass.

Jason Adams paced Missouri Southern with 15 points while 6-11 forward Keane Thomann added 13 points and five rebounds.

Midwestern State, which has now won five of its last seven, improved to 24-8, while the Lions closed the season at 26-5.
-Courtesy of MSU Sports Information Director

Central Oklahoma 81, Fort Hays State 69
EDMOND (March 13) – A blowout turned into nail-biter before Central Oklahoma used a devastating closing stretch to turn back Fort Hays State 81-69 in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Sunday night at Hamilton Field House.

The No. 4-ranked Bronchos stretched a 38-22 halftime lead to a big 22-point cushion (53-31) early the second half only to see the No. 13 Tigers roar back to tie it at 66 and again at 68.

But UCO regained control, getting a tie-breaking 3-pointer from Victor Driver with 3:31 remaining and ending the game with a 13-1 run to post their 30th win of the season and move into Tuesday's championship finals.

It was the ninth straight win for the Bronchos (30-3), who will face Midwestern State at 7 p.m. for the regional title and a trip to the Elite Eight. The Mustangs upset No. 9 Missouri Southern 75-52 in Sunday's first game.

Dauntae Williams led the Bronchos once again, finishing with 21 points while hitting 9-of-10 free throws to go with 12 rebounds and six assists. Tyler Phillips added 17 points and seven rebounds, Victor Driver 13 points and Brent Friday 10 as UCO overcame 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) shooting from long range with a 46-36 rebounding advantage.

The Bronchos used an 11-0 run ignited by a June Carter tip-in to break away from an early 6-6 tie and went on to take a 16-point lead into the break. That quickly became a 21-point advantage (48-27) on Tyler Phillips' layup and the lead peaked at 22 when Phillips drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 53-31 with 13:35 left to play.

The lead was 21 at 55-34 when FHSU began its impressive rally, with the Tigers hitting five 3-pointers in outscoring UCO 32-11 over a nine-minute span to draw even at 66-all with 4:20 left.

Williams put the Bronchos back in front with a layup and FHSU answered with two free throws to tie it again at 68 and that's when UCO finally took charge for good.

Williams drove inside and found Driver open in the corner, with the sophomore draining the long-range offering to put the Bronchos on top 71-68 with 3:31 left. UCO forced a quick turnover and Williams found Carter inside for an easy layup that made it 73-68 before the Tigers made one of two free throws.

That would be the last point for FHSU as the Tigers missed their last six shots of the game and UCO scored the final nine points – seven of those from the line – to sew up the victory.
-Courtesy of UCO Sports Information Director

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ACU men win indoor national championship - LSC Office
The ACU Wildcats captured the unlikeliest of their 53 NCAA track and field championships on Saturday as four athletes scored 49 points to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Division II indoor championship at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Senior Amos Sang – who earlier in the day finished second in the mile – completed the Wildcats' miracle run to the title by winning the national championship in the 5000 meters. That gave ACU 49 points and an insurmountable 11-point lead over Lincoln (Mo.), which was in second after the 15th event with 38 points. Ashland (Ohio), which qualified 22 athletes for the meet, eventually finished second with 42 points and Lincoln was third with 41 points.

Click here for complete results

Senior Ramon Sparks won the national championship in the triple jump with a mark of 53 feet even, and junior Nick Jones was fourth in the shot put with a mark of 59 feet, 10.50 inches. Sang then finished second in the mile at 4:08.96 before senior Desmond Jackson finished second in both the 60 meters (6.64 seconds) and 200 meters (21.03 seconds).

The championship is ACU's first indoor national championship since 2005 and first national championship of any kind since it won the 2008 outdoor national championship. The championship is also the first national title for second-year head coach Roosevelt Lofton. ACU has now won 63 overall national championships in school history with 58 of those coming in track and field. The Wildcats have won 53 NCAA track and field titles, the most titles in one sport by any school in NCAA history.

Sang, Sparks lead ACU men to 13th indoor track title - Abilene Reporter News
ASU TRACK: ASU's Nussey wins title in final race - San Angelo Standard Times

Woodson Earns All-America Honors - TAMK Sports

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Bulldogs Complete Sweep Over #19 Buffs - WTAM Baseball

Break out the Brooms, Rams sweep No. 30 Abilene Christian - ASU Baseball

CARDINALS COMPLETE SWEEP OF ENMU - UIW Baseball

Baseball: Baseball Team Sweeps Another LSC Foe - SWO Baseball

Javs Split with Bronchos - TAMK Baseball

Cardinals Edge Diamond Greyhounds in Series Finale - ENMU Baseball

Baseball: SE Splits Twinbill, Wins Series - SOSU Baseball

Baseball: Aggies Top Falcons on Sunday Behind Cramer's Complete Game, 6-1 - CU Baseball

Tarleton baseball splits doubleheader with Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday - TSU Baseball

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