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TEXAS SHORTSTOP C.J. HINOJOSA
FEBRUARY 2015
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CONTENTS
The Longhorns are unified in their goal to keep the program headed in the right direction.
FEATURES
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BASEBALL
Mission Possible After disappointing seasons between 2012 and 2013, the Longhorns righted the course and returned to the College World Series for the 34th time in program history last year. Coming into this season, fans may wonder, “Can they do it again?” The short answer is yes. Returning seven of their eight positional starters and a whole bevy of talent, the Texas baseball team is set to make another run at the title. Senior Editor Steve Habel breaks down this season’s schedule as well as the player roster.
26 SOFTBALL RELENTLESS Like most Texas athletes, this year’s group of Longhorn softball players have one goal — reaching the national championship game with the hope of bringing the title back to the 40 Acres. After an unexpected early exit from last year’s postseason, the Longhorns are determined to return to the Women’s College World Series. The team faces a tough road ahead as Texas will take on 18 teams that made it to the 2014 postseason. However, the Longhorns are positive that they have the team in place to reach their goal. In our annual season preview, we analyze the Longhorns’ upcoming schedule, opponents and key players.
38 TRACK & FIELD Last Piece to the Puzzle The Texas track & field team heads into the 2015 season with the goal to carry on the program’s winning tradition. Yet, in order to do so, head coach Mario Sategna focused on building depth across the team during the offseason, adding talent to the men’s distance and the women’s throwing teams. Armed with new talent and led by a group of decorated veterans, the Longhorns look to claim another set of conference titles for both the women and the men.
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M A RK YO U R C A LE N D A R
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RO U N D U P
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S P I RI T O F T HE M O N T H
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M E D I A VO I C E S
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T HE HA B E O N T HE HO RN S
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I N S E A S O N — M & W Basketball
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FI N A L S C O RE
COVER PHOTO: JIIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS
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FIRST
LOOK
Jonathan Holmes recorded his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Cameron Ridley (pictured) led the team with a season-high 19 points to defeat West Virginia 77-50. Ridley finished shooting 8-of-10 from the field while tying a season-high four blocks. Holmes recorded a career-high 11 free throws, including 8-of-8 in the second half. As a team, Texas converted a season-high 31-of-37 from the charity stripe, including 22-of-24 in the second half. The Longhorns have won the past four matchups against West Virginia, all by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 18.0 points per contest. At this point in the season,Texas had won 17 of its last 19 games at home, including wins against four AP top 25 opponents.
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CALENDAR MARK YOUR
FEBRUARY 2015
WHAT’S GOING ON IN LONGHORN SPORTS
13–15
BASEBALL
UT vs. Rice 13 – TBA, 14 –TBA (DH) 15 – TBA Houston SOFTBALL
Texas Classic 13 – IPFW, TBA, Wichita State, TBA 14 – Wichita State, TBA, Colorado State, TBA 15 – Colorado State, TBA
13–16
M TENNIS
ITA Indoor Championships Chicago, Ill., All Day
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M BASKETBALL
Kelsey Lang is looking to overcome the Big 12 opposition.
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6–9
UT at TCU Noon
ITA National Team Indoor Championship Charlottesville, Va., TBA
CLOCKWISE FR OM TOP EFT: P ATR ICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETHANY WALTER /UNI V. OF TEXAS, BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
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W TENNIS
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UT vs. San Diego
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UT vs. Oklahoma State 7 p.m. W BASKETBALL
UT at Kansas State Manhattan, Kan., 6 p.m.
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The Amer Ari/Big Island Intercollegiate King’s Course - Waikoloa, Hawaii All Day
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M SWIMMING & DIVING
UT vs. TCU 4 p.m.
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M BASKETBALL
UT at Kansas State Manhattan, Kan., 3 p.m.
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W BASKETBALL
UT vs. Baylor 1 p.m. M TENNIS
UT vs. Rice 1 p.m.
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UCF Challenge Orlando, Fla., All Day
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M TENNIS
UT vs. TCU 7 p.m.
UT vs. Washington 6 p.m.
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6–7
M/ W TR ACK & FIELD
Meyo Invitational South Bend, Ind., TBA New Mexico Collegiate Classic Albuquerque, N.M., TBA
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Kajikawa Classic, Tempe, Ariz. 6 – Oregon, TBA, UCSB, TBA 7 – Stanford, TBA, Northwestern, TBA 8 – Arizona State, TBA
UT at Oklahoma State Stillwater, Okla., 7 p.m.
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M/ W TR ACK & FIELD
Tyson Invitational Fayetteville, Ark. Husky Classic Seattle, Wash.
Men’s tennis is back in action this February.
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UT vs. Iowa State 1 p.m. UT at Texas Tech Lubbock, 3:30 p.m.
M GOLF
Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate New Orleans, La., All Day
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UT at Pepperdine Malibu, Calif., Noon
UT vs. UT Pan American TBA
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UT vs. USC Los Angeles, Calif., Noon
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BASEBALL
UT vs. UT San Antonio TBA M BASKETBALL
UT at West Virginia Morgantown, W.Va, 6 p.m.
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UT vs. Oklahoma State 7 p.m.
25–28
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UT at Oklahoma Norman, Okla., 8 p.m.
Big 12 Championships All Day
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UT vs. Kansas State 7 p.m.
UT at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich., 6 pp.m.
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BASEBALL
UT vs. San Diego 27 – TBA, 28 – TBA, 3/1 – TBA
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27–3/1
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22–24
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M/ W TR ACK & FIELD
Big 12 Indoor Championships Ames, Iowa, All Day
UT vs. Texas Tech 7 p.m. UT at Kansas Lawrence, Kan., 7 p.m.
27–28
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John Hayt Collegiat Invitational Sawgrass Country Club - Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. All Day SOFTBALL
Texas Invitational 27 – Dartmouth, Texas Southern, TBA 28 – Texas Southern, Lamar, TBA 3/1 – Dartmouth, TBA
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UT at Kansas Lawrence, Kan., TBA INFORMATION IS BASED ON AVAILABLE SCHEDULES AT PRESS TIME AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CHECK WWW.TEXASSPORTS. COM FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
Murphy Bromberg remains focused on winning a second conference title.
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Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Cathedral City, Calif. 19 – Georgia, UCLA, TBA 20 – Fresno State, TBA 21 – Missouri, TBA 22 – Notre Dame, TBA
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UT vs. North Carolina 6 p.m.
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BASEBALL
UT vs. Minnesota 20 – TBA, 21– TBA (DH) 22 – TBA
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HORNS HORN RNS ILLUSTRATED ILLUSTR ILL LLUSTR USTRATED STRATED TED
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ROUNDUP FEBRUARY 2015
PA TR IC K M E R ED ITH /UNI V . O F T E XAS
TRACK & FIELD’S EARLY SUCCESS // NORVELL JOINS FOOTBALL STAFF // CONGER LEADS THE WORLD
YOUNG GUNS: In its first meet of the season, the Texas track & field team went head to head with Arkansas, with the freshmen athletes making their mark. The Razorbacks took the win for both the men and the women, but the Longhorns still tallied a total of 11 wins. “Without a doubt we had some solid marks. Not everybody was in their specialty because it’s the first meet,” head coach Mario Sategna said. “It’s the first of many and it’s a process. The athletes understand that. Our goal was to start the season and come out of this meet healthy and we were able to achieve that.” Texas dominated the sprints and throwing events, coming away with wins in the shot put and weight throw on both sides. The Longhorns won the women’s 60, 200 and 60-meter hurdles and the men’s 60 and 200. Ryan Crouser cruised to a win in the shot put with a toss of 20.25 meters to take the national lead over Penn State’s Darrell Hill by seven centimeters. Freshmen N’Dia WarrenJacques claimed the weight throw and Lauryn Caldwell won the shot put for the women. Redshirt freshman Alan Zapalac earned the No. 3 spot in the record books with his win in the weight throw.
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FOOTBALL
LOOKING FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES THE LEGACY LIVES ON:
Ricky Williams is Texas’ 18th player and 20th overall inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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HEADED HOME: An El Paso native, M.J. McFarland announced on Jan. 16 that he’s returning home to play for UTEP.
PUSHING FORWARD:
ORMER TEXAS running back Ricky Williams was selected for induction into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame. “Making the College Football Hall of Fame is a lifelong dream,” Williams said. “I always had a dream of winning the Heisman Trophy. That was a tremendous honor, and now to be going into the Hall of Fame, it’s an unbelievable feeling.” Williams is the Longhorns’ 18th player and 20th overall inductee (including coaches D.X. Bible and Darrell Royal) into the College Football Hall of Fame. A two-time unanimous first-team All-American and the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner, Williams was a four-year starter for Texas (1995-98) who completed his career with 21 NCAA and 46 school records. He led Texas to the final SWC Championship (1995) and the first-ever Big 12 title (1996). When he finished his career at Texas, Williams’ 6,279 rushing yards, 72 rushing touchdowns, 75 total touchdowns, 452 points, 33 games with a touchdown, 11 career 200-yard games and 6.2 yards per carry were all NCAA all-time records. He also broke the NCAA all-purpose yardage record with 7,206 yards despite never returning a punt or kickoff. Williams was selected in the first round (fifth overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and went on to play 12 seasons. He’s one of just 26 players in NFL history to rush for more than 10,000 career yards, totaling 10,009 yards and 66 rushing touchdowns. He also had 342 receptions for 2,606 yards.
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TIGHT END M.J. McFarland has elected to transfer and has received an unconditional release from his scholarship. He will depart the Texas football program after four seasons. “Sometimes in life you have to listen to your heart instead of your mind, and I have decided to move on and play my last year elsewhere,” McFarland said. “It was a tough decision because I love Texas.” McFarland played in 36 career games, including eight starts, and caught 19 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 2014, he played in all 13 games with four starts and had 11 receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns. A native of El Paso, Texas, he is a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection and graduated in May 2014 with a degree in applied learning and development.
FEBRUARY 2015
Malcom Brown will chase his dream and enter this year’s NFL Draft.
DRAFT READY JUNIOR DEFENSIVE tackle Malcom Brown has elected to forego his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. “This wasn’t an easy decision. My wife and I have school and we would need to move the kids. I got everyone’s input, but at the end of the day it’s my decision.” This season, Brown became the 47th player
in school history to earn consensus first-team AllAmerican honors. He was also a finalist for both the Nagurski Trophy, honoring the nation’s top defensive player, and the Outland Trophy, honoring the nation’s top interior lineman. Brown led the team in tackles for loss (15) and sacks (6.5), becoming the first defensive tackle at
Texas to lead both categories in a season since 1984. He also led the team in forced fumbles (2), and tied for the team lead in quarterback pressures (8), while recording 72 tackles. “I’m always going to come back here,” Brown said. “I’m always going to bleed orange and I’m always going to support this program.”
THIS PAGE C LOC KWIS E FR OM LEF T: COUR TESY UT AT HLETICS PHOTO GR APHY, PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, DON BENDER
AMONG THE BEST
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FROM CRIMSON TO BURNT ORANGE
ON THE RECORD:
“W got to a “We point where po w we didn’t qquite enjoy winning, but w I enjoyed e it today. It was tod hard and ugly att times. times I enjoyed the fact that our team played together and they had the same purpose. Sometimes you have to learn some tough lessons. Winning is very tough in this league, so when you get one, you better be happy about it.”
A FORMER offensive coordinator at
THIS P AGE FROM LEFT: JIM SIGM ON/UNIV. OF TEXAS , DON BEND ER, PATR ICK M EREDTIH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, DON BENDER
Oklahoma, UCLA and Nebraska, Jay Norvell has been named Texas’ wide receivers coach. “The first thing that drew me to this opportunity was the chance to work with Charlie Strong,” Norvell said. “I’ve followed his career for a long time, and after seeing his vision for the program, I was impressed. Our visit convinced me I wanted to be a part of that championship vision at Texas.”
A coach with 27 years of experience that includes coaching in both the BCS National Championship Game and the Super Bowl, Norvell spent the last seven of those at Oklahoma, first as assistant offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2008-10, then as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2011-14. Prior to Oklahoma, Norvell served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UCLA in 2007 and in the same role at Nebraska from 2004-06. Norvell went to Nebraska after spending six seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, first with the Indianapolis Colts as wide receivers coach from 1998-2001, then with the Oakland Raiders as tight ends coach from 2002-03. As a player, Norvell was an All-Big Ten defensive back with Iowa in 1985, when he recorded a league-high seven interceptions. That season, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the Rose Bowl, finishing with a 10-2 record. He graduated from Iowa in 1986 and went on to play one season with the Chicago Bears in 1987. He has a wife, Kim, and son, Jaden.
ROUNDUP
FEBRUARY 2015
– Head women’s basketball coach KAREN ASTON after the Longhorns’ win over Texas Tech
TAKING THE HEAT
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ALKING BY members of the press who were speaking with head coach Rick Barnes, Isaiah Taylor stumbled into a question he didn’t expect to hear. “You want to talk?” Barnes shouted at Taylor jokingly. “They’re over here putting the blame on you. You want it?” Walking away, Taylor shouted, “I want it!” The sophomore isn’t afraid to embrace the expectations that come with being a starting point guard under Barnes, which is a good thing for the Longhorns. Because moving forward, the team will only go as far as he can push them. Taylor returned after a broken left wrist that kept him off the floor for 10 games in the middle of nonconference play. But since his comeback, Taylor and the offense have been out of sync. In three conference games, Taylor averaged nine points on 26 percent shooting along with two assists, two rebounds and a tick over three free throws per game. Albeit a short sample size, those numbers are down from Taylor’s average of 15 points on 54 percent shooting, three assists, four rebounds and four free throws attempted per game earlier in the year. Injuries often cause discomfort when a player comes back, and Taylor is no exception. The guard, who relies heavily on his left hand, said his wrist is still quite sore. He’s up to the challenge, though. After fielding questions about his leadership role on the team, Taylor reiterated that the pressure of being a point guard under Barnes is “something I do want.”
HOT SHOTS
THE WOMEN’S basketball team lost its first game of the season on Jan. 10 after a historic 13-game winning streak to begin the season. Check out these facts about the Longhorns’ hot start.
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Third-best start to a season in program history, only bested by the undefeated 1985-86 NCAA Championship team (34-0) and the 1979-80 team (33-4). P 13th-longest winning streak in program history, and the longest since the 2002-03 Final Four team went on a 17-game winning streak (with Karen Aston as an assistant coach). P First time since 1985-86 that Texas has gone undefeated during nonconference play (11-0). P First time since 2003-04 that Texas has started Big 12 Conference play with a 2-0 record. P Defeated three top-10 teams — No. 6/1 Stanford, No. 4/5 Tennessee and No. 4/5 Texas A&M. The women successfully snapped Stanford’s 28-game home winning streak.
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SOFTBALL/ SOCCER/ TENNIS
SOCCER
THE STUFF LEGENDS ARE MADE OF FORMER U.S. Women’s National Team legend and current Texas volunteer assistant coach Kristine Lilly was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Feb. 14. The most-capped player in international history, Lilly played in 352 matches for the U.S. from 1987-2010. Prior to her retirement on Jan. 5, 2011, she played in five FIFA Women’s World Cups and three Olympic Games, helping Team USA win four of those tournaments, finish second once and third three times. Lilly was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012 and the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014. Lilly is the only player to appear in matches for the U.S. in four different decades and is both the youngest and oldest player to ever score a goal for Team USA.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
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ORMER TEXAS softball standout Taylor Hoagland has earned one of 18 highly coveted roster spots to remain a part of the prestigious USA Softball Women’s National Team for the third straight year and fourth time overall (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015). During the upcoming summer, the selected athletes will compete at the World Cup of Softball X in Irvine, Calif., (July 2015) and will travel to Toronto and Ontario (July 15-26) for the 2015 Pan American Games. A 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) AllAmerican selection and a four-time Big 12 Conference choice for the Longhorns, the Flower Mound, Texas native completed her collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in home runs (58), runs scored (221), walks (178), slugging percentage (.708) and on-base percentage (.501). This past summer she helped the national team to a gold medal at the General Tire World Cup of Softball IX and to a silver medal at the 2014 ISF Women’s World Championship. Texas has now had at least one current or former Longhorn on the USA National Team in 19 of the last 20 years.
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WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION: Kristine Lilly’s stellar career was honored with her induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
She debuted for the U.S. at the age of 16, making her the second-youngest player ever to don a U.S. jersey. She scored 130 goals in her career and is the all-time leader in minutes played (28,700). She was named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year three times (1993, 2005 and 2006).
T E N N IS
TAKING DOWN THE OPPOSITION
JUNIOR Breaunna Addison knocked off a top-10 opponent to highlight the second day of competition at the fourteam Miami Spring Invite at Neil Schiff Tennis Center. A two-time ITA All-American in singles, Addison notched a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Miami’s seventh-ranked Stephanie Wagner on her home court. The victory marks the Big 12 Player of the Year’s first top-10 win of the season and second win over a national top-15 opponent. Addison defeated Duke’s 12th-ranked Ester Goldfeld last fall. Addison also picked up a doubles win alongside freshman Ryann Foster, as they defeated Utah’s Tereza Bekerova and Margo Pletcher, 6-4.
A WINNING STATEMENT: Breaunna Addison opened 2015 with a bang, defeating her first top-10 opponent of the season.
THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JESS DROHEN, BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, COURTESY RUNNER’S WORLD MAGAZINE, SUSAN SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS
CONTINUING TO IMPRESS: For the third consecutive year, Taylor Hoagland earned a position on the USA Women’s National Softball team.
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WORLD DOMINATION COVER GIRL
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BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Jack Conger caught the swimming world’s attention with his performance at the Pro Swim Series event.
LL-AMERICAN sophomore Jack Conger posted the world’s top time in 2015 and a personal best en route
to victory in the 100-meter butterfly at the USA Swimming Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin event. In a race featuring Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte and Texas teammates Tripp Cooper, Matt Ellis and Will Glass, Conger led from start to finish and took the win in 51.64 seconds, good for the world’s top time early on in 2015. Notably, three of the world’s top-10 swims in the 100-meter butterfly over the last year are from current Longhorns. Freshman Joseph Schooling posted the world’s eighth-fastest time (51.69) last July at the Commonwealth Games, while Ellis, a junior, clocked the world’s ninth-fastest time (51.73) at the USA Swimming National Championships last August. Conger’s swim would have ranked him eighth in the world for 2014.
M ISCELL A N EOUS
BALANCING ACT THE FIVE BIGGEST football conferences passed a series of proposals that bolster the cost of an athletic scholarship and put money directly in athletes’ pockets. The Power Five approved in a 79-1 vote, a measure that grants schools the authority to give athletes a full cost-of-attendance stipend to compensate them for incidentals outside of a normal scholarship — currently defined as tuition, books, room and board. All Texas athletes, regardless of sport, stand
to receive between $4,500 and $5,000 annually starting next fall for the 2015-16 academic year. The final number hasn’t been determined, according to school officials. “We have to look at what the numbers will be for next year, but it’s probably in that range,” Texas men’s athletic director Steve Patterson said. Considering the Longhorns have more than 500 athletes, that’s potentially a new $2.5 million expense for an athletic program that had a $2.8 million deficit during the 2013-14 academic year. It was
the first time in 14 years that Texas finished in the red. An 11.8 percent drop in ticket revenue was one of the main reasons for the fall into the red. Patterson also said a one-time cost of $4.375 million to buy out Charlie Strong’s contract from Louisville upon his hire also added to the deficit. Only three sports made money in 2013-14. Football cleared $77.6 million, men’s basketball added $6 million to the bottom line and baseball finished in the black at $1 million.
FORMER TEXAS track & field runner Katie Hoaldridge was featured on the cover of the January/ February issue of Runner’s World magazine. Doubling as a model and a professional runner, life seems to be going well for Hoaldridge, but she says things weren’t always this smooth. During her tenure as a Longhorn student-athlete, Hoaldridge competed in the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. Focusing mainly on the 800 meters, Hoaldridge struggled during her first three years. “I sucked at running until the very end of my time at UT. I ran the 800 meters and wasn’t able to run faster than my high school [personal record] during the first three years,” she said. But something changed during her fourth year at Texas. Hard work mixed with passion and a little bit of serendipity began to embody Hoaldridge, and to this day these principles continue to guide her. “After sticking with it and not giving up, I beat my 800 meter PR by six seconds and by my final year qualified for the NCAA National Championships as an individual.” Today she runs for the New Jersey New York Track Club under coach Frank Gagliano. A professional and USATF Elite track development team, Hoaldridge said that NJNY Track Club is the perfect setting to progress her skill.
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BASEBALL SINCE MAY, the Roadrunner baseball
team continues to make a name for itself. In 2014, the Roadrunners made the Conference USA tournament championship game in their first season in the league but fell to the Rice Owls 11-5. The Roadrunners were not invited to the NCAA tournament despite the fact that conference mate Old Dominion received an invitation. Two years ago the Roadrunners won the Western Athletic Conference tournament championship over Dallas Baptist in their only year in that league before losing to Oregon State and Texas A&M in the Corvallis regional of the NCAA tournament. This year the Roadrunners hope to stretch their winning mentality across the season. If they can get enough quality wins, they could make the tournament as an at large based on the strength of the Conference USA in baseball. Their season begins with a weekend series against Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 13 and the team will get an early test on Feb. 17 when they travel up to Austin to face their burnt orange brethren at Disch-Falk Field.
SLAM DUNK
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BY STEPHEN WHITAKER HE PATRONS who filed into the UTSA Convocation Center on Jan. 8 had an
opportunity to witness school history. The UTSA men’s basketball team was sitting on 499 all-time wins. The potential to see the Roadrunners notch their 500th win gave the game against Southern Mississippi even more importance. Since this season marks only the Roadrunners’ second year in Conference USA, the rivalries are not on par with the 20-year-old traditions UTSA built while a member of the Southland Conference. UTSA did not disappoint, jumping out to a 12-0 lead early on and never falling behind. The highlight of the night came with 11:13 left in the second half. Keon Lewis picked the pocket of the Golden Eagles’ guard and passed to Christian Wilson. Wilson’s emphatic dunk was later featured as the top play on SportsCenter. The dunk was the exclamation point on the 77-57 win, giving the Roadrunners an all-time record of 500-473. From the time UTSA basketball won its first game against Sul Ross State on Dec. 11, 1981, fans have seen many great moments between then and now. Now the hope is that the Roadrunners can make a home in Conference USA and find even more success than they ever could have dreamed as members of the Southland Conference.
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BASEBALL
13: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 6 p.m. 14: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 p.m. 15: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 1 p.m. 17: at Texas, Austin, 6 p.m. 20: vs. Bryant, 6 p.m. 21: vs. Bryant, 2 p.m. 22: vs. Bryant, 1 p.m. 24: vs. Incarnate Word, Noon 27: at McNeese State, Lake Charles, La., 6 p.m. 28: at McNeese State, Lake Charles, La., 3 p.m. M BASKETBALL
12: vs. Old Dominion, 7 p.m. 14: vs. Charlotte, 2 p.m. 21: at UTEP, El Paso, 8 p.m. 26: at Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Miss., 7 p.m. 28: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston, La., 6 p.m. W BASKETBALL
8: vs. Florida Atlantic, 11 a.m. 12: at Old Dominion, Norfolk, Va., 6 p.m. 14: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 6 p.m. 21: vs. UTEP, 2 p.m. 26: vs. Southern Mississippi, 7 p.m. 28: vs. Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m. M GOLF
9-10: UTSA Oak Hills Invitational, All Day 20-22: Bayou City Collegiate Championship, Houston, All Day W GOLF
22-24: Allstate Sugar Bowl , New Orleans, La. All Day M/W INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
13: Houston Tune-Up, Houston, All Day 25-26: Conference USA Championship, Birmingham, Ala.All Day SOFTBALL
M TRACK & FIELD BETWEEN 2006 and 2013, the men’s
indoor track team had the conference championship under lock and key. The team claimed seven of eight championships, with six coming in the Southland Conference and the final one in the Western Athletic Conference. Last season the Roadrunners entered Conference USA and were unable to claim another conference championship. UTSA finished second in the 2014 Conference USA championships. Fast forward to February 2015 and the Roadrunners head into the Conference USA Championships at Birmingham, Ala., looking to put another conference championship trophy in the case. UTSA returns 23 men to the indoor team and 17 newcomers.
7: vs. New Mexico State, Las Cruces, N.M., 5 p.m. 7: vs. Colorado State, Las Cruces, N.M., 7 p.m. 8: vs. Nebraska, Las Cruces, N.M. 10:30 a.m. 13: vs. Grand Canyon, San Marcos, 10 a.m. 13: vs. Texas Tech, San Marcos, 12:30 p.m. 14: vs. Grand Canyon, San Marcos 12:30 p.m. 14: vs. Texas State, San Marcos 5:30 p.m. 15: vs. Texas Tech, San Marcos, 10 a.m. 18: vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 6 p.m. 20: vs. Iowa State, 5:30 p.m. 21: vs. Incarnate Word, 12:30 p.m. 21: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 3 p.m. 22: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 10 a.m. 22: vs. Incarnate Word, 12:30 p.m. 25: vs. Houston Baptist, 6 p.m. 27: vs. Illinois State, College Station, 10 a.m. 27: vs. Boston, College Station, 12:15 p.m. 28: vs. Boston, College Station, 10 a.m. 28: vs. Illinois State, College Station 12:15 p.m.
ALL PHOTOS: COURT ES Y JEFF HUEHN/ UTS A ATHLETIC S
POINT MAN: Christian Wilson’s performance against Southern Mississippi earned him the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter.
FALLING SHORT: Rebekah Van Dijk scored a career-high 20 points against ULM, but her effort wasn’t enough to capture the win.
LOOKING FOR A SPARK
D
COUR TESY ELLM AN PHOT OGRAPHY/UTA AT HLETI CS
BY STEVE LANSDALE ROPPING FOUR of its last five games in Sun Belt Conference play, UT Arlington hoped to find a spark of energy when the team traveled to ULM for a two-game road trip. Unfortunately, ULM overcame a charging UT Arlington in the final minutes, defeating the Mavericks 56-51. “You beat me once, you don’t beat me twice,” freshman center Rebekah Van Dijk said. “You have to be pissed off sometimes to win. We have to have energy and always work harder. I have to work on my offense and be more physical.” Van Dijk is the lone player in the conference to average in double figures as she sits with 12.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. She’s ranked seventh in shooting percentage at 61 percent within the division. The Mavericks returned to early season form in their road game at Georgia State. UTA overcame a nine-point Panthers lead and closed the game strong to earn its first road win in conference play on Jan. 15. UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich shared Van Dijk’s opinion in having the team play with more energy. “They have to have the mindset that they’re going to refuse to lose,” Gerlich said. “They can’t just coast and take possessions off. They have to learn how to play for 40 minutes.”
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UTA
FEBRUARY 2015
BASEBALL HUNTER PENCE served as the face of the San
Francisco Giants during their 2014 World Series title run. The Arlington High product hit .444 with five RBIs in the seven-game series against the Kansas City Royals, with his best performance coming in a crucial Game 4 as he went 3-of-5 at the plate with one double and three RBIs. Pence, a three-time MLB All-Star, etched his name in Maverick history Jan. 30 when he was inducted into the UT Arlington Hall of Honor. Pence spent two years playing for the Mavericks, picking up a pair of Southland first-team honors and the 2004 Southland Player of the Year award. Pence has truly blossomed into an elite Major League player, hitting a career .284 with 185 home runs and 689 RBIs. Pence’s 2014 postseason was one to remember as the outfielder registered a batting average of .333 with one home run, six doubles and eight RBIs on his way to his second World Series ring.
UTA ROUNDUP CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2015 BASEBALL
13: vs. Missouri State, Nacogdoches 3 p.m. 14: vs. Washington State, Nacogdoches 3 p.m. 15: at Stephen F. Austin, Nacogdoches 3 p.m. 17: at TCU, Forth Worth, 6:30 p.m. 20: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 3 p.m. 21: vs. Michigan State, 3 p.m. 22: vs. Houston Baptist, 3 p.m. 25: vs. Abilene Christian, 6:30 p.m. 27: at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, 3 p.m./ 6 p.m. 28: at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, 2 p.m. SOFTBALL
12: vs. Incarnate Word, 7 p.m. 13: vs. Incarnate Word, 5 p.m. 13: vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m. 14: vs. Ohio State, 5 p.m. 15: vs. Sam Houston, 20: vs. Prairie View A&M, 11:30 a.m. 20: vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m. 21: vs. UMKC, 10 a.m. 21: vs. DePaul, 2 p.m. 22: vs. UMKC, 9 a.m. 22: vs. Prairie View A&M, 11 a.m. 27: vs. Bryant University, Tucson, Ariz. 2 p.m. 27: vs. UTEP, Tucson, Ariz., 9 p.m. 28: at Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., 7 p.m. 28: vs. UC Riverside, Tucson, Ariz. 9 p.m. M TENNIS
14: vs. Southern Mississippi, 2 p.m. 24: vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 10 a.m.
TRACK & FIELD
W TENNIS
track & field teams opened the 2015 season Jan. 17 at the Texas A&M Team Invitational, with three Mavericks winning or tying for first in individual events against a strong field. The men’s team finished fourth out of nine teams, with 76 points. Freshman distance specialist Michael Guerrero won the 5,000 meters, finishing in 14:56.67, just ahead of junior teammate Eric Ojeda, who crossed the finish at 15:02.76. Junior Roland Sales tied for first place in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 9.5 inches. It was the second time in as many competitions this season that Sales has won or shared the individual title. The women’s team finished fifth out of nine teams, with junior distance specialist Gabriela Alfonzo leading the way in the 3,000 meters, crossing the finish line in 9:57.26. Breaking her personal best by nearly half a second, Alfonzo’s time was the fourth fastest in UTA history. THE UT ARLINGTON
15: vs. Texas Pan-American, 2 p.m. 20: at Mcneese State, Lake Charles, La. 2 p.m. 22: vs. UCF, 10 a.m. 24: vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 2 p.m. M BASKETBALL
19: vs. Appalachian State, 7:15 p.m. 21: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 7:15 p.m. 26: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark. 7:30 p.m. 28: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 7:15 p.m. W BASKETBALL
19: vs. Appalachian State, 5 p.m. 21: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 5 p.m. 26: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark. 5:05 p.m. 28: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 5 p.m. M GOLF
14: at South Alabama, Mobile, Ala. 2:05 p.m. 20-22: Desert Intercollegiate Invitational Palm Springs, Calif., All Day
FEBRUARY 2015
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SPIRIT OF THE MONTH / ALUMNI
SPI R I T OF T H E MON T H
KENNEDY HUDGINS
F
BY SARA BETH PURDY
OR JUNIOR Kennedy Hudgins, Saturday afternoons in the fall aren’t meant to catch up on sleep or homework. Hudgins spends Saturdays getting ready for Texas football. Hudgins is actively involved with not one, but two organizations that make Texas’ game days unique. She’s both a member of the Longhorn Band (LHB) and Texas Alpha Phi Omega (APO), the service organization responsible for running the giant Texas flag at home games. In her third year, Hudgins plans to graduate in May 2016 with a degree in Computational Biology and Mathematics with a specialization in Statistics, Probability and Data Analysis. She is also minoring in American Sign Language. For Hudgins, joining the Longhorn Band was a no-brainer. She had actively participated in band for seven years prior to coming to Texas and it was a natural decision for her to continue her musical journey. Once at Texasm Hudgins started looking for an organization that would allow her to serve the community and campus during her sophomore year. She eventually found APO. Today she’s the organization’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness chair and is the Spring 2015 Recruitment Co-Coordinator. In what little spare time she has, Hudgins is also the Vice President of Membership of Sigma Alpha Iota, the recruiting and training director for Rocky Horror Picture Show in Austin, a building monitor at the Butler School of Music and an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Freshman Research Initiative.
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? JORDAN SHIPLEY FOOTBALL (2006-09)
What does it mean to you to be involved with so many organizations?
Being involved means always having a family. I can walk across a 52,000-person campus and run across four or five people I know. I love representing Texas because representing Texas means representing tradition and upholding what so many before me have done. What’s your favorite thing about game days?
Pre-game. Hands down, every week, I get a rush of adrenaline when we walk down the tunnel. We play the same songs and generally the same show but I love the pre-game more than anything else LHB does. What do you like most about each of the organizations?
My favorite thing about LHB is the performance. The Longhorn Band is an interactive organization with respect to the crowd. When we play “The Eyes of Texas,” there are 100,000 fans on their feet singing. My favorite thing about APO is the service. I love talking to people and fundraising for various causes. Do you have any advice to others looking to get involved?
If you can manage your time, you can do anything. Schedules, agendas and goal setting all run my life and I can make time for anything and anyone. If someone tells you that you “can’t” do anything, never ever let that stop you from doing what you think is right.
JORDAN SHIPLEY, Texas’ former wide receiver, played
three seasons in the NFL before retiring in February 2014. Shipley attended Rotan High School his freshman year, where his father coached football. After making the varsity team as a freshman, he had quite a season, returning three punts for touchdowns and racking up 454 all-purpose yards. The following year his father took the head coaching position at Burnet High School where Shipley broke almost every high school career receiving record. He also helped lead Class 3A Burnet to back-to-back state championship appearances. Shipley was a four-star recruit and received offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas Tech before finally deciding to commit to the Longhorns in 2003. His best season with the Longhorns came in 2009, when he caught 118 passes for 1,485 yards and hauled in 13 touchdown receptions. He also caught two touchdown passes in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. In 2010 the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Shipley in the third round with the 84th pick overall. In his rookie NFL season, Shipley caught 52 passes for 600 yards and recorded three touchdown receptions. He missed the entire 2010 season after tearing two ligaments in his knee. The Bengals waived Shipley in the 2012 preseason after he struggled to fully recover. After moving to Tampa Bay and then Jacksonville, Shipley announced his retirement in 2014. Shipley now enjoys working in the television industry, where he is the host of two hunting shows that air on The Outdoor Channel.. — TAYLOR GRAFFT
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT : COURTESY KENN DY HUDGINS, UT ATHLET ICS PHOTOGRAPHY, DON BENDER
FEBRUARY 2015
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ROUNDUP
MEDIA VOICES
JOHNNY WALKER REVIEW IN HIS MONTHLY SPORTS REVIEW, WALKER TALKS ABOUT THE DRIVING SUCCESS BEHIND THE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM.
H
ORNS ILLUSTRATED: What are your thoughts on this year’s men’s basketball team? JOHNNY WALKER: I’m most happy about
the emergence of Jonathan Holmes. He’s a tribute to what happens when players stay in school all four years. He’s improved immensely over his stay at the 40 Acres and he’s starting to reap some of the rewards.
man’s team, they can make a strong tournament run. I don’t think there is another team that has three big men like Texas — those three are phenomenal. We saw that against West Virginia and TCU. No one could stop them; they had nine blocks against TCU. When you have those three guys on the court at the same time, Texas is pretty tough to beat. HI: What do you like about Ridley? JW:
HI: Both Holmes and
FROMLEFT: D ON BENDER, UT ATHLETIC S PHOTOGRAPHY
Connor Lammert are from San Antonio. Do you feel a bit of hometown pride from those two? JW: Absolutely. I’m always going to pull for the hometown guys. They’re both playing exceptionally well. Holmes is the center of this team. He has definitely stepped up to the plate and became a leader. His skill set has improved immensely, but it also didn’t hurt that he lost about 20 pounds in the offseason. He came back ready to play. During the last few losses (to Kansas and Iowa State) the team got caught up in its identity, but there’s no question that Texas is a big basketball team. With Cameron Ridley, Myles Turner and Prince Ibeh down low, those guys are phenomenal. You’re looking at three of the biggest guys that ever played at Texas. HI:: Given all that, do you think they can make a
deep run in the tournament? JW:
If they continue to establish themselves as a big
I definitely like him 30 pounds lighter. I think he was at 315 and he came in at 285. He looks more HOLMES polished. He has more confidence this season and it shows in how he’s played. He has come a long way. HI: Will Isaiah Taylor
regain his confidence?
Offensively, the team revolves around Taylor. He had a few tough games as he came back from injury, but I think when he gets in a rhythm, it will bode well for the Longhorns.
JW:
HI: Any other
thoughts?
I expect big things from the team. One big question is whether or not Turner will come back for another year. However, I do expect the team to make a deep run in the tournament this year. JW:
HI: Do you think Turner will stay?
It’s hard to turn down money, and guaranteed money at that. I hope we can get another year from him. In all likelihood, I don’t think it will happen. I think it would help his game — and draft status — to stay at Texas another year.
JW:
JOHNNY WALKER’S RESUME t 1MBZFE GPPUCBMM BOE CBTFCBMM BU 5FYBT GSPN t 5XP UJNF "MM 4PVUIXFTU $POGFSFODF t $BVHIU UIF HBNF XJOOJOH SFDFQUJPO UP CFBU 0LMBIPNB JO t %SBGUFE CZ UIF "UMBOUB #SBWFT JO UI SPVOE
“
I EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM THE TEAM. ONE BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT TURNER WILL COME BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR. HOWEVER, I DO EXPECT THE TEAM TO MAKE A DEEP RUN IN THE TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR.
�
' & # 3 6 " 3 : HORNS ILLUSTRATED
MEDIA VOICES about how far the team came, not over the course of the season, but down the stretch and into late spring.
CRAIG WAY DISCUSSES HOW HE SEES THIS BASEBALL SEASON PLAYING OUT.
H
ORNS ILLUSTRATED: What are your
thoughts on last year’s season? CRAIG WAY: I started to see everything
come together at the Big 12 Tournament. They were able to come through after several low points in the season with the injuries and the young guys trying to get comfortable with the game. They won the first two games over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, and even though they dropped two games to Oklahoma State to get eliminated, you could see the maturity finally kick in with the younger guys. When they went to Houston for the regional, the Longhorns looked great against Texas A&M the first day and gritty against Rice in the Saturday night game. Even though they lost the Sunday game to the Aggies to force the final game, Chad Hollingsworth emerged and you knew he didn’t want to lose. Then in Omaha, they eliminated Louisville and then beat Vanderbilt. The Longhorns fought their way through the extra innings in the semi-final elimination game, only lose to Vanderbilt. But I think it says a lot
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CW: The core group is still strong, as well as the influx of the newcomers. Losing Thornhill and Payton will affect the heart and soul of the team, but there are other guys who contributed last season. Morgan Cooper is out due to Tommy John surgery but the Longhorns will be fine as Parker French will return, Kacy Clemens will be on the mound and Hollingsworth will be 100 percent. The closer role will need to evolve. Parker may earn that position. He did a good job when he was called upon in those situations late in the year and he embraced the role. HI: Regardless of whether he’s a starter or closer, which pitchers do you see filling in around French? CW: The answer to this will depend on the young
guys who emerge. Hollingsworth will likely be the No. 2 starter and then you have Clemens. The Longhorns have several different freshmen that may be able to help them in the midweek and supplement the weekend. Pitching coach Skip Johnson will try to find out who fits well into what roles early in the season. Those guys include, but are not limited to Chance Callihan, Kyle Johnston, Tate Shaw and Connor Mayes. HI: What do you think of Texas’ schedule? CW: This is the most
difficult road schedule I can ever remember Texas having — ever. Garrido has always had the annual series with Stanford, but this season he added Rice on the road. Rice is a CLEMENS top-10 team. They’re playing Rice, Stanford and Nebraska on the road, plus single road games at Texas State at Arlington, which they would usually play at home. They also have conference series at TCU, Oklahoma State and Baylor. This is the most difficult road schedule I’ve ever seen Texas have to encounter.
TWEETS ROD BABERS
(@rodbabers): As a #DBU historian I must say that the extraordinary accomplishments of @NateBoyer37 should be considered among DBU’s most revered.
CRAIG WAY
(@craigway1): What. A. Catch. And I wasn’t referring to the fish sandwich at your local Whataburger. Someone forgot to tell Nick Saban they weren’t supposed to be “disinterested” in this year’s Sugar Bowl.
SEAN ADAMS
(@thatsean): Question from VB tourney - Since when did yoga pants just become pants? Everybody just can’t wear yoga pants. My goodness, these Big 12 refs are like, well Big 12 refs.
FROM LEFT: BETHANY WALT ER /UNIV. OF TEXAS, ALL HEADSHO TS COURT ESY AM 1 300 THE ZONE
Coming Into Focus
HI: Despite losing Nathan Thornhill and Mark Payton, how strong is the returning group?
MEDIA VOICES
RISING STOCK
STRONG TAKES THE RIGHT APPROACH TO BUILDING HIS FIRST TEXAS RECRUITING CLASS.
O FROM TOP: UT ATHLET ICS PHOT OGRAPHY, ALL OTHER PHOT OS COURTES Y HORNS247.COM
N FEB. 4, Texas signed 28 recruits, including six early enrollees. When the dust from National Signing Day finally settled, head coach Charlie Strong and his staff walked away with a class that ranks 11th in the country on 247sports.com and No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference. The class includes one five-star player (Malik Jefferson), 13 four-star players and 14 three-star players. Horns247 writer Jeff Howe shared his initial thoughts on the 2015 class. Stay on the lookout for the 2015 Horns Illustrated recruiting issue this coming March for an in-depth look at the entire 2015 signing class.
Things are different than one year ago. Strong and his staff had only a few precious days to assemble a recruiting class. The 2014 recruiting class was largely the handiwork of Mack Brown with a hint of flavor from the Strong regime. But this class belongs to Strong. The 28 newest Longhorns bring hope to Texas fans everywhere that things can only get better from here. It wasn’t an easy sell after a 6-7 campaign, but Strong introduced a class with four of the state’s top 13 recruits and six of the top 19 prospects in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. One of the key takeaways from Strong’s press conference is that his approach is, indeed, a refreshing one. Strong spent some time talking about the need to fight until the end, to not give up on a recruit and how the staff will never wave the white flag in a recruiting battle. Texas fans should
EARLY ENROLLEES: Six members of the 2015 signing class have already made it to Austin and begun classes. From Left: Quincy Vassar, Connor Williams, Tristan Nickelson, Garrett Thomas, Brandon Hodges, Malik Jefferson,
PJ LOCKE
KAI LOCKSLEY
JOHN BURT
feel good knowing the head coach will fight with everything he’s got to improve the roster. “Our staff was relentless,” Strong said. “We had guys who kept going and they weren’t going to take no for an answer. You can’t take no for an answer until the fax comes across your desk or it goes somewhere else. You have to keep battling.” The best example of this is how Texas continued to pursue defensive back commitment PJ Locke of Beaumont Central. A solid Oregon commit, Locke was someone Texas reached out to when Jamile Johnson dropped the Longhorns late in the process. Strong wasn’t afraid to go full throttle after Locke. Locke eventually said yes, as did Ryan Newsome of Aledo, four-star quarterback Kai Locksley (Baltimore, Md./Gilman) and the six other signees who were all headed to different schools at one time.That doesn’t include John Burt (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln), who dropped Texas only to recommit a few weeks later. Some could chalk it up to Strong being a bulldog and demanding his staff to maximize the recruiting cycle. It’s certainly that, but Strong also knows he needs to get the roster turned over in a hurry. It’s not just at quarterback; it’s everywhere as he noted when asked if he felt he needed just a quarterback after the Thanksgiving loss to TCU. “I needed a lot of prayers when we lost that game,” Strong said. “I said, ‘Oh God, how many [other players] do we need?’” Texas needs a lot of players, and this group is deep on athleticism, position versatility and attitude. All three are things the talent-depleted Longhorns need in a bad way. — JEFF HOWE, HORNS247.COM
FEBRUARY 2015
HORNS ILLUSTRATED
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147K FACEBOOK LIKES Senior Nneka Enemkpali tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the women’s basketball game against Baylor. The injury is season ending. Longhorns turned to social media to express their sympathy and well wishes.
/hornsillustrated
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Our “Reach” was over
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We m may bend but we don’t fold! Wee do this for @NnekaE_3. W LLove ov you man. Shine on. #SeniorLove # Se – KRYSTLE HENDERSON (@_3BLESSED_) (@_3B
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Social Buzz
JESSE DROHEN
MEET THE T-ASSOCIATION The T-Association is an organization made up of former varsity athletics letter winners. An additional designation for the T-Association members is the T-Ring, which is awarded to an athlete who lettered for 2 or more years, who did not compete the last 2 years of eligibility anywhere other than The University of Texas and who graduated from college. David McWilliams, former Longhorn head football coach, currently serves as the executive director for the T-Association. T-Association Mission - The T-Association’s mission is to create and maintain an enhanced atmosphere and structure whereby UT student-athletes become lifetime members of The University of Texas Athletics family and are welcomed, involved and encouraged to participate during and after their college tenure. TAPN Mission - The Letter Winner’s Professional Network exists to unite the members of the T-Association on a professional level by providing networking opportunities and a database of contacts, thereby furthering the opportunities, community, education and success of Longhorn Letter Winners. CONTACT INFORMATION: t-association@athletics.utexas.edu 512.471.6864
THE HABE ON THE HORNS BY STEVE HABEL
Crunch Time
THE TEXAS BASKETBALL TEAMS LOOK TO RIGHT THE COURSE
B
IG THINGS were
predicted for the Texas men’s and women’s basketball teams when their respective 201415 seasons began in November. However, both have run into a wall with the advent of their Big 12 Conference campaigns and are struggling to get back on course. As I’m writing this column on Jan. 25, the men’s team just endured a 75-62 home loss at the hands of league stalwart Kansas. In the process, they fell to 3-3 in the Big 12 standings with a gauntlet of games against some of the conference’s best teams (Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas State) — all on the road — in the next two weeks. The Longhorn men were a consistent presence in the top 10 of the polls through the first two months of the season but are in jeopardy of falling out of the top 25 in the coming weeks. They were without star point guard Isaiah Taylor for a 10-game stretch that ended at the beginning of conference play and have struggled to find their groove in the six games since Taylor’s return. He did score a game-high 23 points in Texas’ loss to Kansas, but scoring is not supposed to be Taylor’s main role — he’s supposed to be passing and making plays for his teammates. Head coach Rick Barnes said his players still haven’t accepted the roles that are needed to sustain success. “There’s a sense of urgency every game, and there’s a long way to go,” Barnes said after the Kansas game. “We can win [the rest of our games] but I also know if we play like this, we won’t win any of the games we want to win. We could go on a run and do it, but we aren’t going to do that until we understand what goes into it.”
The Texas women’s team, once ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, has dropped four of its past five games (all in Big 12 play) and lost perhaps its best player, forward Nneka Enemkpali, to a season-ending knee injury. Texas’ latest loss — a 58-57 defeat at the hands of Iowa State — was its first home loss of the season and snapped the Longhorns’ 13-game home win streak. The Longhorns are scrappy, determined and talented even without their injured star, but a season that began with 13 straight wins, including victories versus top-ranked Stanford, No. 4 Tennessee and against old rival and fourthranked Texas A&M, is reeling right now. Freshman guard Ariel Atkins said the team still carries the same goals from the beginning of the season. “We still have great coaches and players,” Atkins said. “Things happen and you have to go through those in order to get to where you want to be. [The tough times] give us more motivation to do what we wanted to do. Our goals are still the same and everything that we want to do is still achievable.” Both teams have the talent to bounce back and right their respective ships. In Barnes and women’s coach Karen Aston, the Longhorns have, in my opinion, two of the best coaches in the nation. There will be no surrender in the Texas camps, I assure you of that. The prediction here is that both teams make it as far as the Elite Eight and will play basketball deep into March. Just sayin, ya’ know?
The Habe is Steve Habel, Horns Illustrated’s Senior Editor. He was the magazine’s first staff member, in 1994, and has covered Texas sports ever since.
FEBRUARY 2015
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Refusing to give up on its dream, Texas looks to return to the College World Series in 2015. BY S A R A B E T H P U R DY
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After a devastating loss and early exit from the NCAA postseason tournament, the Longhorns are itching to get back to the Women’s College World Series. “This group is motivated to make it to the top eight,” head coach Connie Clark said. “We want to be at the Women’s College World Series and that’s all we’re talking about.” The Texas softball team faces a difficult road this season, facing three teams that played in last year’s College World Series — Oregon, Baylor and Oklahoma. The Longhorns’ schedule also includes 18 other teams that made it to the 2014 postseason. Their tough schedule will help keep the team on its toes as the Longhorns work toward the College World Series — a feat they achieved two years ago. The team shares a common sentiment that anything short of a trip to the championship game will be a disappointment. “We came up short in Regionals last year and it’s just an extra push to get even further this year,” junior second baseman Stephanie Ceo said. “Our goal every year is to get back to the World Series and win. We’re always going to have that motivation.” Texas’ schedule also features eight opponents that finished the 2014 season ranked in the final 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll. Four of those teams were in the top 10 — Oregon (3), Baylor (4), Oklahoma (5) and UCLA (9).
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Texas faced Oregon early on in its season on Feb. 6. Shortly after, the Longhorns faced UCLA as part of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. on Feb. 9. Texas will face both Oklahoma and Baylor in a three-game series later on in the season. The Longhorns opened their season in Tempe, Ariz. at the Kajikawa Classic, where they played both Oregon and UC-Santa Barbara. After competing in the Kajikawa Classic, the team returned to Austin to open its home schedule with the Texas Classic against Indiana University–Purdue on Feb. 13. As they do every year, the Longhorns opened their season by competing in five different tournaments throughout February and into March. After the Kajikawa and Texas classics, the Longhorns will travel to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic before hosting the Texas Invitational at the end of February. To conclude their tournament schedule, the Longhorns will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to compete in the Carolina Classic. Texas will finish its nonconference schedule with a series against Arkansas and contests against Georgia Southern and UTSA. The team will then face Kansas on the road to open the Longhorns’ 2015 Big 12 conference season.
PREVI OUS S PREAD: PATRI CK M EREDITH/UN IV. OF TEXAS. THIS PAGE TOP RIGHT: PATR ICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS ALL OTHER PHOTOS JIM SIG MON/UNIV. OF TEXAS
ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL: The Texas softball team faces a tough schedule coming into 2015 — nonconference and conference games included. However, playing teams that saw postseason play last season will only prepare the Longhorns as they push toward making an appearance at the Women’s College World Series. (Top left): Coach Connie Clark has led the varsity softball program since the beginning; (above and below) the team is united in its goal to make a deep postseason run; (far left) Tiarra Davis will lead the team from the circle; (left) Devon Tunning looks to make a greater impact in her sophomore campaign.
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season. Angel, who was a National High School Player of the Year candiThe Longhorns’ Big 12 schedule is headlined by a home series against date, finished high school with a career batting average of .499. She scored Oklahoma toward the middle of April. Oklahoma is entering the 2015 233 runs and notched 22 home runs while driving in 176 RBIs. season as the favorite to repeat for Big 12 league champion. Despite losing “She’s a versatile player that could play anywhere,” Clark said. “She an All-Big 12 athlete in Brittany Williams, the Sooners are returning has the ability to be a force in the infield or outfield. She’s similar all but three players from a team that made it to the College World STEPHENS to Taylor when she first came out of high school.” Series. Leahy is a catcher from Norco, Calif., and will comIn addition to Oklahoma, the Longhorns can look forward pete against juniors Erin Shireman and Taylor King for to some heavy conference competition. Kansas is a team to the starting role behind the plate, a role formerly watch this season as they return most of their lineup from held by Mandy Ogle, who also graduated after 2014 — a lineup that reached the NCAA postseason for the last season. Leahy finished her career at first time since the 2006 season. Baylor is also a tough team Santiago High School with a .362 average as the Bears also played in last year’s College World Series at the plate while scoring 127 runs and and lost only three seniors from their roster. finishing with 31 home runs and 106 RBIs. The Longhorns are returning six starters this Stephens and Ceo, along with season from last year’s squad, including Ceo, junior All-American outfielder Lindsey Stephens and sophomore pitcher Tiarra Davis. Davis will lead a deep contingent in the circle that will include senior Gabby Smith, sophomore Lauren Slatten and newcomers Kristen Clark and Erica Wright. A finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year last season, Davis started 36 games and appeared in 44 games for the Longhorns. “If you watched video of Tiarra from a year ago, you would’ve been amazed at the transformation,” Clark said of Davis’ improvements from last year. Davis finished with a 19-14 record and a 2.38 ERA in the circle for the Longhorns. Through 200 innings pitched, she gave up 87 runs and 153 hits while striking out 176 batters. Smith finished with a 2.80 ERA in the fellow junior Rachel Scott, will act as this circle with 86 strikeouts while giving up 53 runs and 90 year’s team captains. Clark is hoping that the hits through 112.2 innings. CEO experience these juniors had at the College World Clark, an incoming freshman, was a two-time district Series two years ago will help focus a young team. This year’s pitcher of the year for district 23-4A in high school and won 2014 team, after losing several key seniors, returns with only two District 23-4A Most Valuable Player honors as a senior. seniors on its roster. During her final season with Foster High School “The team and the staff did a great job of being on in Richmond, Texas, Clark finished with a the same page on who we wanted as captains,” Clark said. 23-6 record in the circle and had a 1.00 ERA “Those are three young women that are ready to take on the with 270 strikeouts through 150 innings. She reign.” pitched three perfect games, 13 shutouts and Both Stephens and Ceo will be key players for the seven no-hitters. At the plate, Clark hit .544 with Longhorns this season. In the offseason, Stephens moved 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. over to centerfield to replace speedster center fielder During her senior season, freshman Wright Brejae Washington, who graduated last season. finished with a 31-2 record and 0.50 ERA while Stephens started in all 58 games for the playing for Huntington High School in Huntington, Longhorns last season and finished with a .371 Texas. Wright finished with 441 strikeouts through average at the plate. Through 178 at-bats, Stephens almost 200 innings of work and hit .590 at the plate. She scored 47 runs and 66 hits with 16 home runs and scored 48 runs and contributed 12 doubles and 17 RBIs 66 RBIs. Stephens will provide much-needed expeat the plate. Wright was named all-state four times by rience on a young team that is looking to redeem the Texas Sports Writers Association and earned 2014 itself. Texas Girls Coaches Association and Academic All-State Ceo will also be another important factor honors. on the field for the Longhorns this season. The “She’s a great competitor,” Clark said. “She has junior second baseman from California finished good stuff and is working on a curveball and a changelast season with a .362 batting average through 58 up. Those are things she’s been keying on since she got games. Ceo finished with 26 runs and 50 hits, two here.” home runs and 19 RBIs in 2014. Alyssa Angel and Randel Leahy round out the “I’m excited to be able to get things rollLonghorns’ 2015 class. ing,” Ceo said at the start of spring practice. “I think Angel is a shortstop from La Grange, Texas, that we can do it, I think with this team, we have the who’s expected to help fill the void left by Big 12 best shot that we’ve ever had.” Player of the Year Taylor Thom, who graduated last
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ALL PHOTOS THIS S PREAD: PATRI CK MEREDITH/UNIV. O F T EXAS
“The team and the staff did a great job of being on the same page on who we wanted as captains. Those are three young women that are ready to take on the reign.”
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER: With the Longhorns returning only two seniors on this year’s roster (Gabby Smith and Marlee Gabaldon), head coach Connie Clark is looking for the juniors and several underclassmen to step up and lead the team back to the postseason.
The Longhorns prepared for their challenging 2015 season by playing in five fall games and a special Veterans Day exhibition game. Throughout the fall, the Longhorns hosted McLennan Community College, the University of the Incarnate Word, Galveston College and St. Edward’s. The team also traveled to face Texas State in San Marcos. Texas concluded its fall lineup with a Veterans Day game on Nov. 11 in which the Longhorns teamed up with local veterans to play a friendly game featuring the “Stars” versus the “Stripes.” In their season opener, the Longhorns defeated McLennan 5-0 thanks to a 15-strikeout effort from five pitchers. Sophomore Kelli Hanzel led the Longhorns at the plate, going 2-for-2, and finished with two RBIs. Against Incarnate Word, the Longhorns dominated at the plate, shutting out the Cardinals 11-0 thanks to 13 hits while surrendering only four hits in the shutout. Their offensive success did not stop there. The team posted a 10-3 victory over Galveston College in its third fall game. Sophomore Devon Tunning led at the plate going 2-for-2, scoring two runs and finishing with an RBI double. Wright struck out six during her two innings in the circle. Against St. Edward’s, Angel led the Longhorns to a 17-2 victory based on 16 hits. Angel went 2-for-2 at the plate with three RBIs. In the circle, Davis struck out six and gave up no hits through three innings of work. Wright again pitched for the Longhorns, striking out three while giving up
only one run through two innings. For their final fall game, the Longhorns traveled to Texas State, where they defeated the Bobcats 8-2 to remain perfect during fall play. Tunning was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, contributing two singles, a double and a home run. Wright pitched two innings for the Longhorns and finished with five strikeouts. The Longhorns clearly found success at the plate throughout the fall, outscoring the opposition 51-7, and finished 5-0. Texas finished the 2014 season with a 35-23 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the Big 12. The team finished four games behind league champion Oklahoma and one game behind runner-up Baylor. Texas earned a trip to the 2014 NCAA postseason tournament and traveled to Louisiana-Lafayette for the first round of play. The Longhorns defeated Mississippi State 1-0 in the first game before dropping game two to host Louisiana-Lafayette 2-3. Facing elimination, the Longhorns, led by Stephens, came back from a 1-3 deficit to defeat Mississippi State 4-3. In game four, the Longhorns fell again to host Louisiana-Lafayaette 10-1, eliminating them from the postseason and ending their dreams of reaching the College World Series again. “Losing that game [last season] was heartbreaking,” Stephens said. “It was actually hard for me to watch the College World Series; but we’re going to get back there.”
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MISSION POSSIBLE THE LONGHORNS LOOK TO MAKE THEIR 35TH TRIP TO THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES THIS SEASON.
BY STE VE HABEL
AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, pundits and fans shared similar questions about the Texas baseball team’s overall health and long-term talent. People also wondered about Augie Garrido, college baseball’s winningest coach of all time, but who also had struggled producing dominant teams in 2012 and 2013. The Longhorns’ 2014 campaign answered most of those inquiries. The direction of the program was emphatically corrected by a season that included victories against Rice and Texas A&M in the NCAA regional, and then Houston in the NCAA super-regional to earn an astonishing 34th trip to the College World Series. There, on one of collegiate sports’ biggest stage, Texas finished third. And even as the Longhorns had done so much already to restore pride to the program, they knew they could’ve done more.
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“Texas has a big tradition,” sophomore catcher Tres Barrera said. “It has always been a winning program, and our main goal last year was to get it back to where it needed to be, and we did that. Yet, we didn’t win it all, and that left a bitter taste in all of our mouths. We brought that mindset and that killer instinct into this offseason. We worked hard and we want to win the championship.” Without a doubt the 2015 edition of the Texas baseball team is amped to return to Omaha, and it has the talent to play with the best teams in the nation. Ranked sixth, seventh and 10th in three separate preseason polls, the Longhorns will open the season with a lineup that includes seven of eight positional starters that went 46-21 in 2014. Eight pitchers return from a staff that had a 2.25 ERA (good enough for fourth nationally), including Friday night starter Parker French (7-5, 2.41 ERA in 2014) and postseason hero Chad Hollingsworth (4-0, 1.15 ERA). “The pieces that you need to put together to have a high-quality team are there,” Garrido said. “In the fall, our guys demonstrated a very high level of respect for not only developing as players, but also an amount of respect for each other, and that will go a long way in determining our ultimate success.” Garrido, who will begin his 46th year of coaching college baseball and his 19th
campaign in the Texas dugout, understands more than anyone the need for the team to jell and accept that the road to success is fraught with pitfalls. “I can’t tell you where this team is going to go until they experience the difficulties of a season,” Garrido said. “It doesn’t matter which individuals you have if you don’t have teamwork.” “We’re going to play guys who either haven’t experienced constant struggles on the baseball diamond, or who haven’t ever played behind someone and sat the bench for an amount of time,” Garrido added. “We have to see how guys respond to that. It requires a lot of mental toughness.”
STRENGTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD Texas defines its success with its defensive prowess and has the gloves and overall range to be outstanding in that aspect again in 2015.
As with all great baseball teams, the Longhorns are strong in the middle of the field thanks to the double-play combination of junior shortstop C.J Hinojosa and senior second baseman Brooks Marlow. Barrera and sophomore centerfielder Zane Gurwitz, who moves back to his natural outfield position after playing at third base last season, round out the group. Hinojosa and Marlow helped Texas record 71 double plays in 2014, which ranked second nationally. Marlow was involved in 56 of those plays and Hinojosa 49. Marlow, who was named to the 2014 Rawlings Division I Gold Glove Team when he fielded at a .991 clip last season while committing just three errors in 326 chances, has had a hand in 109 double plays in his career, sixth most in school history. In addition to his excellent defense, Marlow finished second on the team in runs scored in 2014, and was third on the team in OBP (.383) and home runs (3) while hitting primarily in the leadoff spot. Hinojosa may be the Longhorns’ most indispensable everyday player. He hit .298 overall, ended
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Gurwitz (.284 avg. & 10 2B) has great speed and possesses the range and the moxie in centerfield to man Disch-Falk Field’s most expansive and demanding outfield position. Filling out the outfield is returning starters junior Ben Johnson in left field (.405 slugging percentage and 21 stolen bases) and senior Collin Shaw (.355 OBP and 12 stolen bases) “TEAM UNITY GOES A LONG in right. Shaw had an impressive NCAA tournament, where WAY IN THE SPORT. PEOPLE SAY he hit .324. He fielded at a THAT BASEBALL MIGHT BE AN .991 clip on the year with four INDIVIDUAL SPORT, BUT IF YOU outfield assists and several treWANT TO BE A CHAMPIONSHIP mendous diving catches. TEAM, YOU HAVE TO JELL A pair of talented newTOGETHER AND PLAY AS A TEAM.” comers will man the corner — CATCHER TRES BARRERA infield spots. Redshirt freshman Bret Boswell, who missed the 2014 season with a wrist hitting five home runs and driving in 35 injury, will start the season at third base while runs. Baseball America named him a second true freshman Travis Jones gets the nod at first team freshman All-American, and he went base. At the plate, freshman catcher/ on to win the College Home designated hitter Michael Cantu Run Derby at TD will look to contribute to a lineup Ameritrade Park and make a pronounced early (site of the College mark. He was ranked as the World Series) top backstop in the state of with 41 home Texas as a senior while hitting runs. .352 for his high school career last season on a nine-game hit streak and an 11-game on-base streak and was the only Texas player to record a hit in all five CWS games. The hulking Barrera was solid beyond his youth behind the plate in 2014 while
with 14 home runs and 109 RBIs. “Team unity goes a long way in this sport,” Barrera said. “People say that baseball might be an individual sport, but if you want to be a championship team, you have to jell together and play as a team. It’s a team sport when it comes down to it, especially in big games. We’re mentally tough, nothing fazes us and we know that each and every one of us has each other’s back.”
PITCHING RICH French, who elected to return to the 40 Acres this season despite being drafted in the 19th round of this past year’s Major League Baseball draft, possesses a bulldog mentality but lacks overpowering velocity on the mound. “Parker provides the leadership,” Garrido said. “We’re fortunate to have someone like that on the pitching staff. He could’ve signed a professional contract and moved on, but he didn’t. It’s a strong statement about his commitment to the program and the kind of commitment everybody should be willing to for the good of the program.” French will pitch to his strengths and let the Texas defense go to work to help him. That
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HEAVY HITTERS:
makes him perfect for coach Skip Johnson’s mantra of pitching to contact and could also propel French to a role as the Longhorns’ closer. Hollingsworth is back in the groove from an offseason injury and should be one of the team’s most reliable pitchers, whether he’s in the Saturday or Sunday role in a weekend series. The third starter spot could be grabbed by sophomore lefthander Josh Sawyer, who Johnson said might have been the Longhorns’ biggest surprise coming out of fall workouts. Expect Garrido and Johnson to instill Sawyer in the Saturday role to establish a righty-leftyrighty trio for the season’s weekend series. Texas also will send sophomore righthander Kacy Clemens to the mound in regularity. Clemens, the son of former Longhorns’ All-American pitcher Roger Clemens, played first base for Texas last year while recovering
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from a shoulder injury. He has a quality arm and will only get better with more work. Fans should look for him to fill the midweek starter role when the season gets into full swing. Freshman Kyle Johnston, who has been clocked in the 95-mph range, will get a hard early look at being Texas’ closer. Preceding him to the mound in situational relief will be junior lefthanders Travis Duke and Ty Culbreth. Then there’s sophomore righthander Andy McGuire and freshman righthanders Tyler Schimpf and Connor Mayes, all of whom will look to have lasting impacts on the pitching corps. The Texas staff was supposed to include Morgan Cooper, but the sophomore righthander will miss the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Cooper is on schedule to be in full health by
the beginning of the 2016 season.
TEXAS FACES A ROUGH ROAD Texas finished last season third in RPI, played the third most-difficult schedule in the country and was fifth in iterative schedule strength according to BoydsWorld.com. This year’s slate appears just as challenging, with the Longhorns playing 24 games against teams that reached the NCAA tournament last season. Of those 24 games, 20 games will be contested on the road, including a four-game nonconference series at Rice (Feb. 13-15) and at Stanford (March 5-8). Additionally, Texas will play 13 games against teams that won NCAA regional championships last year, with a three-game series scheduled vs. conference foes Oklahoma State (April 3-5), TCU (April 24-26) and
THIS SPR EAD FR OM LEFT: JIM S IGMO N/ UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETHANY WALTER /UNI V. OF TEXAS
With a deep bench and a strong starting roster, the Texas baseball team is prepared to take on the tough schedule that lies ahead. This season, the Longhorns will play 24 games against teams that reached the tournament last season.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: As college baseball’s winningest coach in history, Augie Garrido knows a thing or two about winning. After turning the program around in 2014, Garrido and the Longhorns plan to build on last year’s success.
Texas Tech (May 1-3), as well as the four-game set at Stanford. The second half of the schedule will see Texas play 16 of its final 27 regular season games vs. NCAA tournament teams, starting with a three-game nonconference series at Nebraska (March 27-29). Other games versus 2014 postseason teams are at Oklahoma State (April 3-5), at home versus Sam Houston State (April 14) and at Kansas (April 17-19). Texas closes Big 12 play in demanding fashion, facing a pair of 2014 CWS participants in TCU and Texas Tech. The Longhorns conclude the regular season with a conference series at Baylor (May 16-17) with the Big 12 tournament set for May 20-24 at ONEOK in Tulsa, Okla.
“It’s important to respond to whatever start we get off to,” Garrido said. “Sometimes when you win, you stop working. The key to this whole thing is getting better every day. You’ve heard every coach say that. Can we make sure that they work to get better every day? Losing is
a part of that. In the losing, what appears to be a failure isn’t a failure if you learn from it. But it’s harder to do because people get emotional. They aren’t mentally tough enough to take the losing ... they see it as a failure. Hopefully we don’t have that kind of player.”
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LAST PIECE T
TRACK & FIELD SEASON PREVIEW
By adding depth to key areas in the offseason, Texas will hit the ground running with a well-rounded team. BY ST EV E L A NSDA LE
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TO THE PUZZLE IN ITS MOST BASIC FORM, A RACE HAS TWO IMPORTANT ELEMENTS — get off to a good start and finish strong. The idea sounds simple, but doing both well often determines who wins an event, whether that event is a short sprint or long distance. Track & field is a sport in which individuals compete in different events to determine an overall team winner. The original concept still applies, requiring an entire team of athletes to leave it all on the table. When a team starts a season with a stable of talented athletes who put in the required training, and then improves over the course of a season to close out the year with a strong finish, that team has a chance for great success. Such is the case with the Texas track & field team. The Longhorns are usually ranked among the top teams in the nation and 2015 was no different. The men, who finished second in the Big 12 in both indoors and outdoors last season, opened the season ranked eighth in the nation by the United States Track & Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The women, who swept the 2014 Big 12 indoor and outdoor titles, opened the season ranked fifth. Head coach Mario Sategna said the reputation of the university and its storied athletic history alone raise expectations for his team. Some teams hope to succeed at the conference and national levels — at Texas, it’s expected. “That’s one of the things we talk about, even during the recruiting process,” Sategna said. “Some can handle it but some can’t. We know that when Texas shows up everyone notices, and we know that it makes people want to beat us. That’s why, in some cases, the makeup of the individual can be as important as the physical talent. That’s one thing that we impress upon them: If you can handle the expectations, if you can handle getting everyone’s best shot, that bodes well for us when we get to conference and national competitions.”
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THE MEN might be Texas’ best in years, which at a school with such a storied tradition, is no small claim. The Longhorns are strongest in the throwing events, led by senior Ryan Crouser. Crouser is a three-time national champion in the shot put with a glistening résumé: eight-time USTFCCCA All-American (named to the first team six times and twice to the second team), 2014 USTFCCCA Men’s National Field Event Athlete of the Year, twotime nominee for the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year, four-time Big 12 shot put champion (twice indoors and twice outdoors), 2014 Big 12 discus champion, 2012 Big 12 Indoor Freshman of the Year and holder of three all-time Texas records in the shot put (indoors and outdoors) and the discus. Equally impressive is his family pedigree: His father, Mitch, was a thrower in college and a discus alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, while his uncle, Dean, was a three-time NCAA champion at the University of Oregon. “I think sometimes people take Ryan for granted,” Sategna said. “I can’t say enough about what he does in the ring for us. He has done everything we could ask of him and more.” Texas also boasts a talented group of sprinters, led by sophomore Senoj-Jay Givans, who finished seventh in the country last year in the 100-meter dash (his personal-best time of 10.10 seconds in the 100 is the all-time outdoor Texas record). Givans also won the Big 12 title last season in the 200 (20.28). He’s joined by junior Zack Bilderback, a first-team All-American and threetime Big 12 champion in the 400, and by Byron Robinson, a sophomore transfer from Penn State. “We’re getting more quality depth in the sprints,” Sategna said. “[Givans] is just in his second year and he already has one Big 12 title. Byron is an outstanding runner who came over from Penn State and will help us in sprints and relays.” During the offseason, the Longhorns made a concerted effort to add talent in the distance events. Senior Craig Lutz leads the pack, a two-time AllAmerican on the Texas cross country team who already has the second-fastest time in school history in the 5,000 meters (13:47.09) — a time that also is the second fastest in the nation this year. Sategna said Lutz could be as valuable a leader off the track for his teammates as he is in competition. “We have a group of very young distance runners who have a lot of talent, but they need someone to show them the way,” Sategna said. “Craig is a talented runner, but he’s also a great example for the younger guys, showing them how to train and compete.” “Craig always had talent — we knew that — but now he’s a seasoned veteran and has a little spunk in his walk,” he continued. “At the end of the day, track & field is a team sport, but it is run by individuals, and if you don’t have confidence in
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what you’re doing, it’s like getting into a fight with one arm tied behind your back. You can try all you want, but that confidence is crucial to success, and he has it. The younger guys watch how he prepares, competes and carries himself, and I hope that will rub off on them.” Helping to set the pace for the young distance specialists is senior Ryan Dohner, also a two-time cross country All-American. Dohner is a four-time USTFCCCA cross country All-South Central Region honoree and a three-time All-Big 12 selection in cross country. Perhaps the most versatile athlete on the roster is junior Johannes Hock. Hock is a threetime USTFCCCA first-team All-American who won the 2013 NCAA outdoor championship in the decathlon as a freshman, as well as the Big 12 outdoor decathlon and the 2013 Big 12 indoor heptathlon, and he was named the conference’s male Freshman of the Year. Crouser and Hock began the season as two of just 10 athletes on the preseason watch list for
ON THE FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS: The men have the opportunity to make an impact on history this season. (Top) Three-time national champion Ryan Crouser will lead the throwers this season; (top left) Johannes Hock remains the team’s most versatile athlete with his experience in the decathlon; (above) Senoj-Jay Givans will look to capture his second conference title this season in the 200-meter sprint.
the Bowerman Trophy. The award is college track & field’s highest individual honor, given annually to the nation’s top student-athlete. Sategna said that although the men didn’t match the women with a pair of conference crowns last year, they still hope to win the titles this season. “On the men’s side, across the board, this is one of the most balanced teams we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Sategna said. “This is my second year as head coach, but my 13th season at Texas, and I’ve seen some good teams come through. The teams we have this year, though, are among the best we’ve ever had.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 47
PR EVIOUS S PREAD : BET HANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS. THI S PAGE CLOCKWISE FRO M TOP: PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATR ICK MEREDIT H/UNIV. OF TEXAS
THE MEN’S TEAM
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YOUNG GUN
LEARNING BY EXAMPLE:
Nekia Jones learned responsibility, leadership and perserverance from two of the most important women in her life — her mother and grandmother.
B A SK ET B A L L
NEKIA JONES
JONES LOOKS TO CARRY ON HER FAMILY’S TRADITION OF STRENTH AND PERSEVERANCE. BY JESSICA BURROLA
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Jones grew up in Beaumont, where her mother, Deneka Roberts, raised Jones along with her younger sisters, Ciceley and Courtnee, all by herself. To sup-
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port her family, Roberts took on multiple jobs and left the younger girls under Jones’ watchful eye. “I definitely felt the responsibility of being the older sister
and setting the example for my younger sisters,” Jones said. “But at the same time I tried to be a leader and help my mom the best way I could.”
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has something to prove. As far back as she can remember she has always tried to set the bar higher. As a dual athlete in basketball and track & field, Jones has to continuously hone two different skill sets. She has to maintain a game face on both the hardwood and inside the throwing circle — win or lose. And every year, she strives to build upon her performance from the previous season. So what’s her driving factor? Well, Jones has several. From her childhood to the present, a specific group of women have served as Jones’ source of inspiration. This group includes family members and professional athletes, all of whom inspire her on and off the playing field. EKIA JONES
“My sisters noticed that I was like a mother to them,” she added. Statements such as this show the important role Jones played for her siblings. And as she’s grown older (she recently turned 20), she started to fully understand and value her family’s support system. “I didn’t understand [the responsibility] of being the oldest until I was older,” Jones recalled. “My mom set an example for me.
stay in touch via FaceTime, an iPhone app. Brenda keeps up-todate with Jones’ game day performances from watching the Longhorn Network. When the two connect over FaceTime, Brenda will always give her two cents about the most recent game. “My grandma will tell me, ‘I seen you throw that ball in the hoop,’” Jones said. “I’ll have to tell her, ‘Maw Maw, we made a basket.’ She’s old school so I go along with it.”
SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR:
The positive attitude she formed while caring for her sisters, along with the strength and perseverance she learned from her mother and grandmother, has easily transferred over to the basketball court. The first time she played basketball was in the fourth grade. Jones and a cousin joked carelessly about the game, but once she started to play, she was hooked. And despite people not supporting her as a basketball player, Jones continued to prove them wrong. “When I was younger, people would underestimate the way I played,” she said. “So I went out there and was competitive.” “Don’t judge by the looks,” she added, “I’m out there playing for my teammates.”
Jones maintains her competitive edge in both basketball and track & field through her drive to succeed on behalf of her mother, grandmother and younger sisters.
If she wasn’t there, I was. I had to step up and take up the responsibility.” From her mother, Jones learned leadership and responsibility. From her grandmother, she learned perseverance. Her grandmother, Brenda, recently finished chemotherapy for breast cancer. Now healthy, she inspires Jones to never give up. “I call her every day,” Jones said with a smile. “We have that connection. It’s great to hear her voice. I feel her strength every day.” Jones and her grandmother
Jones takes personal responsibility in helping the women’s basketball team maintain a positive mindset. She’s the person her teammates can count on for a moment of humor. But funny business aside, Jones remains focused on working hard and doing what she needs to do to contribute to the Longhorns’ success. As a freshman, Jones led the team with a 52.7 field goal percentage (59-112) and tallied six games with double-figure points. This season, she grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the Longhorns’ season opener. Whether in basketball or in track, Jones remains driven. During high school, ESPN.com ranked her as the No. 58 overall basketball recruit in the 2013 class. In track & field, she finished second in shot put and discus at the 2012 state meet while earning a gold medal in the shot put at the Texas Relays. Some may think playing two sports at the college level may be taking on too much — but once again, Jones has something to prove. “I go out for basketball and be physical,” she said, “and it transfers over into track.” In her downtime, Jones studies old films that highlight NBA players such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. She also enjoys watching the WNBA players, especially New York Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter and the Chicago Sun’s Elena Delle Donne. “ T h e y ’r e two different players but they’re both competitive and willing to
win,” Jones said. “Delle Donne can do a bit of everything.” Jones relates to Delle Donne on a level that runs deeper than basketball. Delle Donne’s older sister, Lizzie, has cerebral palsy and is also deaf and blind. The Chicago Sun player transferred from UConn to the University of Delaware during her collegiate career to be closer to her family. “She has something she’s fighting for,” Jones said. “Just like I’m fighting for my grandmother.” While continuing to fight for her grandmother, her mother, sisters and teams, Jones is just scratching the surface of how far her talent will take her. And Texas is fortunate to have Jones in its corner. “My mindset is to do whatever it takes to help this team win,” Jones said. “Hard work and putting forth effort can help this team be better.”
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IN SEASON
CAN’T STOP ATTITUDE: Jonathan Holmes brings a level of toughness to the court that fuels his teammates to push harder each and every game.
B A SK ET B A L L
Blue Collar Hero
HOLMES IS THE CAN-DOANYTHING PLAYER FOR THIS YEAR’S BASKETBALL TEAM. BY STEVE HABEL
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second was on Jan. 17 against West Virginia when the Mountaineers’ Devin Williams knocked him to the ground. Holmes got up angry, instilling an attitude of “we’re not gonna take it” for his teammates that carried over to a
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77-50 Longhorn win. You see, Texas basketball is defined by defensive pressure and toughness, and those are aspects that Holmes brings to the court in spades. Holmes’ work ethic and
blue-collar style have been his calling card in his three and a half seasons on the 40 Acres — a style that could translate to success in the NBA. Head coach Rick Barnes said he enjoyed watching Holmes
THIS SPR EAD FR OM LEFT: DON BENDER, JESS E DR OHEN
M
PEOPLE earmark two plays — both last second, ga me-w i n n i ng shots — as senior Jonathan Holmes’ most important contributions to the Texas basketball program. But his actions in two other games truly illustrate what the senior forward is all about and what he brings to his team day in and day out. The first was his defense against a Stanford player on Dec. 23. In the final seconds of regulation, Holmes’ defense led to his game-tying shot in an eventual overtime loss to the Cardinal. The OST
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS:
Over the past four years, Holmes put in the work to become a full-court player. And after losing 20 pounds to play small forward, he proved he’s willing to do anything for this team.
adapt his game to the needs of the team and develop as a full-court player. “Jonathan’s the type of player that every coach wants to coach,” Barnes said. “He only knows one speed, and he’s going to go as hard as possible every single time. Jonathan has great passion and is a very unselfish player.” When Holmes arrived in Austin from a prep career in San Antonio, he was far from the most-ballyhooed player of his signing class. But one by one, the players who entered the program with Holmes in 2011 started to leave. Only one player stayed after the Longhorns’ subpar 2012-13 season, in which the team missed the NCAA tournament for the only time in Barnes’ 17-year tenure with the Longhorns. That player was Holmes. Talented point guard Myck Kabongo spent two seasons with Texas — one of which he was suspended for 23 games — before opting for professional basketball. Guard Sheldon McClellan transferred to Miami, where he has become the Hurricanes’ leading
scorer. Point guard Sterling Gibbs transferred to Seton Hall, forward Julien Lewis transferred to Fresno State and post player Jaylen Bond opted to go back home to Philadelphia to play for Temple. Holmes stuck it out in Austin and led the Longhorns to a surprising 2013-14 campaign that ended in the third round of the Big Dance with a loss to hotshooting Michigan. That season, and the fact that Holmes is the only senior on Texas’ roster, laid the groundwork for high expecta-
tions in 2014-15 and a preseason top 10 ranking. Because Barnes needed to make room for prized freshman 7-footer Myles Turner, Holmes expected to find himself on the wing more often, and that’s happened. To play the position, Holmes went to work on his body, dropping from 254 to 232 pounds, and provided Texas with a small forward with a power forwards’ skill set, doggedness and experience. “Coach Barnes told me that
I needed to lose the weight if I wanted to be serious about [playing more and at the next level], so that’s what I did,” Holmes said. “I’m down to do whatever they want me to do — I just want to win. Just being able to play [small forward] is something that can expand my personal game and help my team out.” There were times this year that the 6’8” Holmes played like an All-American while there were others — such as the two consecutive losses to Oklahoma and
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more than 20 college scholarship offers before signing with Texas. “The teams I played against in high school were not as good as the ones I faced in AAU,” Holmes said. “I had to learn to raise my level of effort to be consistent every practice and every game.” Holmes is usually the first person into and the last player out of the gym every day. “My father told me when I was in middle school that if I wanted to play basketball that I needed to be serious about it or to stop wasting my time and his time,” he said. “Ever since then, I have taken the game very serious and do what I can to get better each day,” Holmes added. “I’ve always been a guy who likes to compete but to win you need to put the work in before you can start competing.” During his first two seasons in Austin, he played the role of rebounder and determined grinder. As a freshman, he ranked second on the team in rebounding (4.8 per game) and led the team with 74 offensive boards. Despite breaking a bone in his hand and missing five games in the middle of his sophomore season, Holmes still paced the squad in rebounding (5.6 per game) in 2012-13. Last year as the team’s lone scholarship upperclassman, Holmes made the transition into a consistent force on both ends of the court. He led the team in scoring (12.8 points per game) and ranked second in rebounding (7.2) while earning All-Big 12 second team honors. Holmes also claimed both the team’s most valuable player and most improved player accolades at Texas’ postseason awards banquet. In addition to stepping up his performance on the court, Holmes also stepped into a more vocal role as the team’s leader. “Jon is a quiet, reserved guy, but he does speak up a little more now,” assistant coach Chris Ogden said. “He’s able to communicate better and what he says carries a lot of meaning. The biggest thing is, physically he has gotten himself in the best shape he’s ever been in, which allows him to be a more versatile player.” Holmes plans to continue supporting his teams, even if that means he needs to be the doit-all player. He knows how to win, and also understands what it feels like to lose — a feeling that fuels him. “I’m blessed to be in this position,” Holmes said, “and I don’t want to look back years from now and regret that I didn’t make the most of my opportunity.”
T HIS SPR EAD CLOCKWIS E FR OM LEFT: JESSE DR OHEN, PAT RICK MER EDI TH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS
Oklahoma State when he scored a combined four points — that he EARNING HIS DUES: Holmes seemed to draw back. is a firm believer that players need to put the work in before they “I have always been the dirty can start competing — a mantra work guy — the one that does the he follows himself. extra work,” Holmes said about his performance in those two games. “When I don’t make my shots, I can’t let it affect me. I have to play with more confidence in those situations.” Holmes has seen considerable growth as a jump shooter over the years. The number of jump shots he takes hasn’t changed much, but his effectiveness has. That improvement is most evident in his 3-pointers. But don’t dismiss his work in the paint. Holmes has a relatively simple, but effective, back-to-thebasket arsenal. He fights for and establishes position well, presents a good window for the entry pass and has good touch on a hook shot, on which he’s able to shield the ball well and get it off over bigger defenders. “Jonathan’s the guy you want taking the last shot of the game,” junior forward Connor Lammert said. “On the court, he’s always had a serious side to him which I’ve always respected and looked up to. He’s a do-it-all guy.” Holmes’ significantly improved effectiveness as a jump braska and his mother, Angela, is a Texas alumna, shooter, combined with his quickmaking for a divided household when the two ness, creates a fairly effective face-up threat. “I have a lot more experience than I did teams played. Holmes sided with his father most when I was a freshman,” Holmes said. “Things of the time until he was recruited to play for the have started to slow down for me [on the court] Longhorns. He flew under the radar for a while as a high and I’m able to know different assignments. There’s no question I see the game much differ- school player but turned plenty of heads when he dominated AAU tournaments in the season beently than when I arrived here.” Holmes’ father, Daryl, played football at Ne- fore his senior campaign. Holmes reportedly had
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THE WOMEN carry talent, the women are even more loaded as every contributor from last year’s roster is back for another season. And while Texas has talent throughout much of its roster, the Longhorns enjoy an embarrassment of riches in two particular areas — the pole vault and the 400 meters. In the pole vault, junior Kaitlin Petrillose returns after winning the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championship. She set a new NCAA indoor record when she cleared 15 feet, 1 inch. Petrillose will lead a pack of nine vaulters this season, including seven underclassmen. With good health and a little luck, each athlete could qualify for the conference championship. The Longhorns also come into this season with the nation’s top 400-meter sprinters. Junior Courtney Okolo won the event last year, setting a new NCAA record by crossing the finish line in 50.03 seconds. Two seasons before that, Ashley Spencer won the national title while running for the University of Illinois. Texas also signed arguably the nation’s best 400-meter runner and 400meter hurdler for next year. “The sprints, hurdles and relay group will be our core this year, starting with the 400,” Sategna said. “We have as much talent there as any team I’ve ever been around.” Further bolstering the sprint crew is another transfer from Illinois, Morolake Akinosun. Akinosun is a seven-time USTFCCCA first-team All-American (five at Texas, two at Illinois) and a five-time second-team All-American. Akinosun was part of the 4x400-meter relay team that won the 2014 NCAA championship and has won four Big 12 championships (in the 60 meters, the 100 meters, the 200 meters and as a part of the 4x400meter relay). She also has two Big 10 championships under her belt (in the 60 meters and as part of the Illini’s 4x400-meter relay team). As the men looked to add depth to their distance team, the women looked to add depth to their throwers this season. Sategna is particularly excited about a pair of freshman throwers, Lauryn Caldwell and N’Dia Warren-Jacques, each of whom were premier high school throwers in the state last season. The Longhorns also expect to receive points at the conference competitions, if not national competitions, from freshman jumper Chyna Ries, a two-time high school All-American who won the Colorado 5A long jump championship three times in high school and was the top-ranked high school long jumper in the nation last year.
WHILE THE MEN
THE TRACK & FIELD team has as much top-end talent as just about any school in the country. Whether that will be enough for the Longhorns
“The one thing we want to do is to not feel like we’re adding additional pressures to ourselves by how we train, perform and by listening to expectations,” Sategna said. “But that goes with the territory here. When you’re a student-athlete at Texas, when you’re pursuing degrees and competing at the highest level, that has to be the goal. We have what we need to compete against the best teams in the country, and to match up well, and that is exactly what we’re going to do. We’re excited about that.”
to achieve all of their goals remains to be seen; as Sategna said, it’s too early to make end-of-the-year predictions. Instead he said that the Longhorns have to stay focused on improving from one week to the next to be in a position by the end of the year that will allow them to compete against any team in the country. “The main thing for us, week after week, is to make sure we use each meet as a stepping stone, to make sure we, as a team, are pointed in the right direction,” Sategna said. “Before we talk about national championships, we have to focus on winning the Big 12 Championship. It has always been that way with us — we can’t put the cart before the horse. Winning conference championships is one of our main goals every year.” That may be true, but when pressed about his teams’ chances against the nation’s elite, Sategna did not shy away from the question. “Without a doubt,” he said when asked if a national championship was a realistic goal for each of his teams. That goal isn’t written anywhere but stays in the back of each athlete’s mind. From the recruiting process through competition, the Longhorns always try to raise the bar.
Horns Illustrated (ISSN 1096-2573), Volume 22, Number 2. Copyright © 2015 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published nine times a year (monthly in January, February, March/ April, May, June, July, October, November and December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 1505 Ridgecrest Drive, Austin, TX 78746. Subscription inquiries: Send new or renewal notices or change of address (send both old and new addresses) to Horns Illustrated, P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Allow 6-8 weeks for change of address. Subscription problems: Call 855-246-7677. Subscription costs: U.S. and its possessions, one-year basic rate, $49.95. Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER – send address changes to Horns Illustrated - P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Tel. (512) 626-8513. Publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited editorial matter, and all rights in portions published vest in publisher. Letters to Horns Illustrated magazine or its editors are assumed intended for publication in whole or in part without permission from the writer. Any similarity between persons or places mentioned in the fiction or semi-fiction and real places or persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $4.95 in U.S. FEBRUARY 2015
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FINAL SCORE
The Texas women’s basketball team defeated Texas Tech 55-44 on Jan. 17 to mark the Longhorns’ 13th consecutive win at the Erwin Center. Forward Nekia Jones led the Longhorns with 11 points, with guard Brady Sanders and junior center Imani McGee-Stafford contributing to the scoreboard as well. “I liked our energy and our focus today,” head coach Karen Aston said. “Winning is tough in this league, so when you get one, you better be happy about it.” The Longhorns’ depth helped power the victory, with the Texas bench outscoring Texas Tech’s bench 41-9. Senior Nneka Enemkpali added a team-high eight rebounds as the Longhorns out-rebounded the Lady Raiders 40-30. Texas turned in a strong defensive effort, holding Texas Tech to 27 percent shooting (12 for 44) from the field and holding its opponent to under 50 points for the seventh time this season.
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SUSAN SGIMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS
13 AND COUNTING