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Devin Duvernay and the White Team know how to put on an offensive show
CONTENTS FEATURES
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FOOTBALL
SPRING IN THEIR STEP The anticipation surrounding this year’s spring football game reached an all-time high as fans waited to see what Tom Herman could accomplish in a short time with his new team. The scrimmage showcased a team hungry to return the Texas program to its rightful spot in the national rankings, while highlighting areas the Longhorns will need to continue focusing on during summer workouts. Senior editor Steve Habel breaks down this year’s spring game and the players that fans should keep an eye on come fall.
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TRACK & FIELD
IN A BLAZE OF GLORY Every year, the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays brings together track & field athletes from all over, as each athlete seizes their opportunity to display their power and speed. And like most years, former, current and future Longhorns turned in impressive performances, setting new records in the process. Writer Steve Lansdale recaps this year’s competition and the Longhorns who led the way.
DEPARTMENTS LEADING OFF
11
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
13
ROUNDUP
20
SPIRIT OF THE MONTH - ABSOLUTE TEXXAS
21
MEDIA VOICES
36
INSEASON - BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, GOLF
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FINAL SCORE
DON BENDER
8
COVER PHOTO: DON BENDER
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COVERING UT SPORTS SINCE 1994 AUSTIN CORPORATE OFFICE: 512-626-8513 SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-855-246-7677 E-MAIL: INFO@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM
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JIM S IGMO N/UNIV. OF TEXAS
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LEADING
OFF
D’Onta Foreman entered Texas’ Pro Day with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The nation’s leading per-game rusher sat out at the NFL combine in February with a stress fracture in his foot, and he needed an impressive Pro Day to put himself back in the NFL Draft conversation. And Foreman did just that. The running back showed off his explosive speed with a reported 4.45-second 40-yard dash time. Projected as a second-round pick at the time of Texas’ pro day, Foreman improved his stock with his performance. Foreman was eventually selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the draft, with the 89th overall pick.
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ROUNDUP
BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
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BACK ON TOP: The 23rd-ranked women’s golf team captured its first Big 12 Championship since 2011, firing a third-round 294 to win by seven strokes. The Longhorns now have four Big 12 titles and 13 total conference titles (2017, 2011, 2004, 1993-97, 1987-91). The win marks their second of the season after winning the Lady Paladin in September. Freshman Emilee Hoffman and junior Sophia Schubert led the Longhorns with top five finishes, with Hoffman earning runner-up honors and Schubert tying for fifth. Hoffman's finish marks her fourth top 10 this season. She made 11 birdies in rounds of 73-73-71 to finish 1-over par. It marks the best finish for a Texas player since Schubert earned her fourth top five finish this season. “[Winning the Big 12 Championship] means we’re moving in the right direction,” head coach Ryan Murphy said. “This tournament is hard to win. I don't care who you are — great teams and great coaches — they don't always win. I feel fortunate and hope it's the first of several for us.”
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SWING KINGS
STEERING THE COMMITTEE
HORNS UP: Texas claimed its eighth Big 12 title this season.
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HE NO. 14TH-RANKED TEXAS men’s golf team won its fifth straight Big 12 Championship, defeating four teams ranked in the GolfStat top 13 at Prairie Dunes Country Club. The Longhorns clawed back from a six-shot deficit during the fourth round to clinch their eighth Big 12 title and 40th conference title overall. Juniors Scottie Scheffler and Doug Ghim earned runner-up honors, finishing 8-over par to finish one stroke out of the lead. Ghim climbed four spots on the third day with an even 70, making three birdies, including two on the last two holes, to propel the Longhorns during the final stretch. He finished in the top 10 in five events this year. Scheffler had four top 10 finishes this season after firing 77-70-68-73. He made two birdies during the last round, including one on 17’s par-5 to give Texas a one-shot lead. He led the tournament with 16 total birdies. The Longhorns defeated runner-up Oklahoma State by one stroke, while Kansas’ Chase Hanna earned medalist honors. “I’m proud of how the guys came together;” head coach John Fields said. “Oklahoma State is a great team; they’re coached incredibly well. It just came up for us this time. Our guys finished really well. It was a great day for Texas.” 14 HORNS ILLUSTRATED
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TEXAS HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL coach Karen Aston was appointed to the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee in late April. The USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee issues invitations for trials and training camps, as well as selects coaching staffs and team members for the USA Basketball U18 and U19 national teams that will compete in the 2017 and 2019 FIBA U19 World Cups, the 2018 and 2020 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, and the 2019 Pan American Games. George Washington head coach Jennifer Rizzotti will serve as chair, and Olympic gold medalist Kara Lawson Barling will serve as the athlete representative for the committee. Joining Rizzotti as representatives from the NCAA are Aston, Temple head coach Tonya Cardoza and North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore. “I’m proud to be part of USA Basketball and am humbled by this opportunity to work with the greats of our game,” Aston said. “I feel blessed to be part of the process of representing our sport and our country in international competition.” Aston was the 2017 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year and one of four finalists nationally for the Naismith Women’s College of the Year accolade. Aston has led Texas to four consecutive 20-plus-win seasons and four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. The Longhorns have made three consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 showings, including an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2016. Aston is the second-winningest coach in Texas women’s basketball history with a 114-55 (.675) tally at the helm.
PATRICK MEREDITH /UNIV. OF TEXAS , JIM S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS
Karen Aston
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THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
BETHANY W ALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS , S USAN S IGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, B PM 1975 @GMAIL .COM
Rellah Boothe
THE NEXT GENERATION OF TEXAS talent hit the hardwood for the second time in a month at the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14. Texas basketball commits Chasity Patterson and Rellah Boothe make up the Longhorns’ No. 3 recruiting class. The top point guard and forward tandem established Texas as one of only two programs to sign multiple top 10 prospects, and the only university to have two of the top five. The fall roster is stacked with top talent. With the inclusion of Patterson and Boothe, Texas boasts eight former All-American players. And with two potential stars gelling this early in the process, Texas head coach Karen Aston said that the ceiling for this team may be higher than any she’s coached before. On the court, Patterson, a 5-foot-6 point guard out of Houston’s North Shore, is every bit the lethal shooter of leading scorer Brooke McCarty.
Chasity Patterson
Patterson adds a long-range scoring threat to a team that averaged only four 3-pointers a game last season and was outscored from behind the arc in almost every matchup. Boothe offers another level of dynamism. The wing/forward will make for nightmare matchups on both ends of the floor with her size and skill set. At 6-foot-3, Boothe comes to Texas mirroring last year’s prospect Joyner Holmes. Boothe and Holmes’ versatility coupled with Patterson and McCarty’s shooting spells trouble for the Big 12 next season. “We’re certainly headed in the correct direction,” Aston said. “We’re a shot away or two away from [a title]. It makes you excited for the future.”
RIVER WARRIORS THE 5TH RANKED Texas rowing team won three “A” finals champion Ohio State races and defeated three-time NCAA champion in the varsity eight final en route to claiming the team title at the Clemson Invitational. The Longhorns capped a tremendous allaround regatta with wins in two of the three NCAA Championship-level finals plus an additional victory in the third varsity eight final. Texas won the 20-team regatta, which included the likes of No. 4 Ohio State, No. 10 Virginia and No. 11 Wisconsin, with 130 points.
Texas started off the finals with one of the most impressive wins in program history, as the Longhorns won the varsity eight “A” final and defeated the Buckeyes.The event’s three-time defending NCAA champion, Ohio State. The Longhorns led from start to finish and registered an open-water win in 6:15.100 seconds, while the Buckeyes took second at 6:21.298. MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 15
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EXAS ATHLETICS HOSTED THE “Longhorn Honors: Women’s Athletics” at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in April. This year marked the 43rd annual awards presentation for intercollegiate athletics for women at Texas. The presentation honored the athletic excellence of the 2016-17 student-athletes and teams. Swimming & diving claimed Team of the Year honors, as it finished in fifth place at the 2017 NCAA Championships. The Longhorns recorded their first top-five team finish at the NCAA Championships since 2009. Texas also won its fifth consecutive Big 12 Conference team title in 2017. Track & field’s Courtney Okolo earned Athlete of the Year for the third straight year. Okolo claimed The Bowerman Award, a national award, as the top female in collegiate track & field. During the 2016 outdoor season, she shattered her own collegiate record in the 400 meters, posting a time of 49.71 seconds. Okolo capped her outdoor season with an individual title in the 4x400-meter at the NCAA Championships and ran a dramatic anchor leg to help Texas win the 4x400 meter relay. She also ran the opening leg of the 4x400 relay for Team USA, which won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Freshman diver Alison Gibson earned Outstanding Rookie Performance. Competing in her first one-meter NCAA Championship event at just 17 years of age, Gibson won the 1-meter national title. She became Texas’ first NCAA diving champion since Jessica Livingston in 2007 and the school’s first NCAA one-meter champion since Vera Ilyina in 1998.
WOMEN OF HONOR: Texas awarded key female athletes with a series of honors this past spring.
2016-17 Awards of Highest Honor Winners TEAM OF THE YEAR: Swimming & Diving OUTSTANDING ROOKIE PERFORMANCE: Alison Gibson, Diving EDITH AND DARRELL K ROYAL COCA-COLA SOLID CITIZEN AWARD: Mirta Baselovic, Volleyball JILL A. STERKEL LEADERSHIP AWARD: Tasija Karosas, Swimming and Gia Doonan, Rowing JAMIE CAREY COMEBACK AWARD: Kally Long, Indoor Track & Field TEXAS TOUGH AWARD: Madisyn Cox, Swimming LONGHORN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Courtney Okolo, Outdoor Track & Field
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GOING THE DISTANCE
SOPHOMORE MEGHAN LLOYD BROKE her first school record as she became the fastest Longhorn in the steeplechase at the Cardinal Classic. Lloyd shattered the previous record by more than six seconds, and is now the Big 12 leader in the event this season at 10:20.37. The fast times were not left to Lloyd Meghan Lloyd alone. A group of mid-distance runners showed depth for Texas in the 1,500 meters, and one showed he should be considered among the top in the nation. Sophomore Alex Rogers didn’t win in the invitational section of the 1,500 meters, but he made a big statement with his time of 3:40.85. He went toe-to-toe with a pair of All-Americans, including Big 12 champ Craig Nowak from Oklahoma State. Rogers finished third behind Colorado’s Ben Saarel (3:40.24) and Nowak (3:40.41). Rogers’ time puts him at No. 4 in the NCAA this season and makes him the No. 3 performer in school history ahead of Kyle Merber. “Watching Meghan and Alex grow from high school seniors into sophomores and maturing as people is the biggest thing,” assistant coach Brad Herbster said. “This whole group has put in hard work and shown dedication to doing the little things. That has been fun to watch, and you see how it paid off.”
MAD DASH
TEXAS SENIOR CHRISANN GORDON threw down the fastest time in the nation to establish herself as the No. 1 400-meter runner in the NCAA with just weeks left in the regular season. Gordon shattered her previous personal best by nearly half a second Chrisann Gordon to win the LSU Alumni Gold in 50.64 seconds. Her previous best was 51.03. The time is 0.34 seconds faster than No. 2 on the NCAA list this season, and she’s now the No. 4 performer in school history. “I was pleased to see Chrisann run that well,” head coach Mario Sategna said. “That’s a great time for her this early in the year.” The Texas sprinters continued to put on a show with senior SenojJay Givans winning the men’s 100 meters in 10.23 seconds, significantly reducing his previous time. Senior Carlton Anumnu made his season debut at 400 meters and came away with a win. He clocked 46.70 seconds to best the field in Section B of the meet. He closed the meet by running the opening leg of the men’s 4x400-meter relay, which won with a season-best time 3:05.59.
BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
HONOR ROLL
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STRIKING OUT
MAKING THE GRADE
Will Licon
BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS , PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS
Tiarra Davis, Connie Clark
THE LONGHORNS ARE NOT where they thought they’d be toward the end of the season. In February, junior catcher Randel Leahy was eager to tell everyone how different this team felt from previous Longhorn squads. “We’re always texting, ‘Be ready for practice today because we’re beating OU this year.’” Leahy said during the team’s first media day. The Longhorns looked good on paper, with seven seniors on staff — the most since 2005. Head coach Connie Clark beamed while talking about the five-member bullpen, completed by sophomore transfer lefty Brooke Bolinger. “I’m excited to have five pitchers — you have no idea,” Clark said in February. “The expectations are high.” Since then, the team has lost 10 games by a margin of one run, including the first three Big 12 Conference games against Oklahoma State. Under long-time coach Clark’s 20-year era, Texas has been one of 11 schools to qualify for the Women’s College World Series five or more times in the past 19 years. Texas has won four postseason conference crowns (2002, 2003, 2006, 2010) and four post-season tournament conference crowns (1999, 2002, 2003, 2005) — the second and first most in the Big 12, respectively. “When you have Texas on your chest you better have bodies hitting the floor,” Clark said. “I think that flips over to your lack of competitive factor at the plate and assuming that it’s all going to happen. There’s a lack of leadership going on and a lack of commitment to how we do business.”
FOURTEEN-HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND. That’s what separated senior Will Licon from a qualifying spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics. His time of 2:08.14 in the 200-meter breaststroke posted a thirdplace finish at the Olympic trials, where only the top two swimmers of each event advanced. “It was a nice swim,” Licon said. “I wanted to swim my own race and stay in the mix of things.” However, “nice” is an understatement. The same time of 2:08.14 would’ve won the bronze medal at the 2012 London games, a silver in Beijing or a gold at every Olympics before that. It was undoubtedly a hard pill to swallow — but Licon was never resentful. Instead, he overcame his initial disappointment and was determined to bounce back. “Prior to whatever happened in the summer, I made the decision that I wanted to keep going,” Licon said. Since the moment Licon decided to compete under Texas head coach Eddie Reese, he knew he didn’t want to be just another swimmer. Four years later, he has fulfilled that goal. Aside from helping Texas win a record-breaking 13th national title, Licon became the fourth swimmer ever to win four separate individual events at the NCAA Championships. He was also the first Texas swimmer to win three individual events at a single NCAA Championship meet. The 200-meter breaststroke, arguably his best event, allowed him to break NCAA, He has made American and U.S. Open records. And though he made it look easy, his rise to success has been everything but. He’s a product of discipline. MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 17
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DEPTH CHARGE
CALENDAR MAY 2017
SOFTBALL 2: vs. Texas State, 6 p.m. 5: vs. Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m. 6: vs. Middle Tennessee, 2 p.m. 7: vs. Middle Tennessee, Noon 12: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 5 p.m. 13: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 1 p.m. 14: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., Noon 16: vs. Baylor, 6 p.m. 18: vs. Southern Miss., 6 p.m. 19: vs. Southern Miss., 6 p.m. 20: vs. Southern Miss., 11:30 a.m. 24-28: C-USA Tournament, Biloxi, Miss., TBA
M GOLF 15-17: NCAA Regional, TBA, TBA 26-31: NCAA Championship, Sugar Grove, Ill., TBA
W GOLF 8-10: NCAA Regional, TBA, TBA 19-24: NCAA Championship, Sugar Grove, Ill., TBA
TRACK & FIELD 5: Tom Tellez Invitational, Houston, 1 p.m. 11-14: C-USA Championships, El Paso, All day 25-27: NCAA prelims, Austin, All day
SOFTBALL 3: vs. Texas Tech, 2 p.m./4:15 p.m. 10-13: C-USA Tournament, Hattiesburg, Miss., TBA
JUNE 2017 TRACK & FIELD 7-10: NCAA Championships, Eugene, Ore.,
Dalton Sturm
All day
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Manny Harris
JEFF HU EH N, UTSA ATHLETICS
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HE UTSA FOOTBALL team concluded its spring practice schedule with its annual scrimmage on April 15. The Roadrunners head into the 2017 season with head coach Frank Wilson, who’s entering his second year at the helm. “These practices are precious — you only get 15 of them,” Wilson said during the spring. “You need to take advantage of each and every one of them. We urge our guys to embrace each practice and make the day count.” UTSA kicked off spring camp on March 6 and then took a week off for spring break, just four days later. The break, however, didn’t affect the players, as many of whom remained active over the week. “I wasn’t too rusty,” quarterback Manny Harris said. “I threw a good amount over the break.” Barring injury, Dalton Sturm will start at quarterback when the Roadrunners open their season against Houston on Sept. 2. However, with younger players such as Harris and Bryce Rivers getting quality reps in the offseason, UTSA will have depth at quarterback for the first time in years. Depth was the common theme during the spring. Wilson likes to point out that his depth charts are written in sand, meaning they can change based on who’s fighting hardest for a starting spot. “Right now I’m at center, but it’s a roulette of offensive linemen,” senior Austin McKinney said. “Everyone knows the center position. Everyone knows the guard and tackle positions. Anyone can play any position.” The Roadrunners will put their pads back on in early August to start preparing for the 2017 season. Going into the fall, the players and coaches already have high expectations for the upcoming season based on what they accomplished this spring. “Expectations should be higher,” Wilson said. “We should be a team that fights like hell for the upper echelon spot in the west. We should be a team that has a quest to compete for a conference championship and get to a bowl not just to be there, but to win. Those are our goals.”
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FOR THE RECORD
CALENDAR MAY 2017
SOFTBALL 2: vs. Houston, 3 p.m./ 5 p.m. 5: vs. Texas State, 4 p.m./ 6 p.m. 6: vs. Texas State, 1 p.m. 10-12: Sun Belt Championships, Troy, Ala., TBA
BASEBALL 2: at Texas, Austin, 6:30 p.m. 5: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark., 6 p.m. 6: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark., 6 p.m. 7: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark., 1 p.m. 12: vs. Coastal Carolina, 6:30 p.m. 13: vs. Coastal Carolina, 2 p.m. 14: vs. Coastal Carolina, 1 p.m. 16: at TCU, Fort Worth, 6:30 p.m. 18: at Texas State, San Marcos, 6 p.m. 19: at Texas State, San Marcos, 3 p.m.
Craig Lautenslager
20: at Texas State, San Marcos, 1 p.m.
TRACK & FIELD 3: Oliver Jackson Twilight Invitational, Abilene, All day 12-14: Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, Arlington, All day 25-27: NCAA West Preliminary Round, Austin, All day
JUNE 2017 Track & Field 7-19: NCAA Outdoor Championships, Eugene,
Helen Falda
Michael Guerrero
Ore., All day
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EMBERS OF THE UTA track & field team broke three school records in a period of 24 hours this past April. Freshman pole vaulter Helen Falda broke her own school record by five inches when she cleared 14 feet, 1-3/4 inches — the secondbest height in the nation this season — at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Falda finished first among collegiate participants and second among all competitors at the Texas Relays. Her newest record already tops the school mark by more than a foot, and she’s one of just three Division I athletes to clear 14 feet this season. Meanwhile, Michael Guerrero ran the 10,000 meters in 29:45.02 at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival to establish a new school record. The record lasted all of one day, when senior Craig Lautenslager finished the event in 29:00.59 at the Stanford Invitational. Guerrero broke his own previous school record by about seven seconds, but Lautenslager crushed it the next day. “Craig has more in store for us this spring,” UTA coach John Sauerhage said. “This is why we redshirted him last spring, and he and our team are about to reap the benefits. Our distance program has been taken to another level by athletes like Craig and Michael.”
ELL MAN PHOTOGRAPHY , UTA ATH LETICS
W TENNIS
Astrid Gehre and Anna Wichert
SENIOR ASTRID GEHRE helped UTA power itself to a sweep against Louisiana on April 7. Gehre, coming into the day tied with Marie Stepanova (1998-02), earned a 6-2 win in No. 2 doubles with partner Anna Wichert to move into sole possession of second in alltime doubles wins. The win marked her 77th career victory. The win improved the No. 72-ranked doubles team in the nation to 17-0 this season. The 4-0 win helped UTA improve its all-time record to 10-3 against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The doubles point was a combined effort, with all three UTA teams picking up a win to follow Gehre and Wichert. Angeles de los Rios and Jessica Birowski coasted to a 6-1 win at No. 1, while Valeria Lopez and Agustina Serio edged No. 3 doubles with a 6-4 score. MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 19
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ABSOLUTE TEXXAS
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TELL ME ABOUT AN ABSOLUTE TEXXAS GAME DAY TRADITION. Every year we host an alumni tailgate. Because we have such a strong alumni base, this is always the biggest tailgate of the year, and I always enjoy meeting the people who made this organization what it is today. MAY / JUNE 2017
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TEXAS SPORTS? Whether it be on the sidelines or on the bus to OU weekend, yelling “Texas Fight” with a group of fellow Longhorns always pumps me up. WHAT TYPE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE IS ABSOLUTE TEXXAS INVOLVED IN? We volunteer at 15 different charities and organizations across Austin, including Ronald McDonald House, Feed My People and Pease Park Conservancy. Our biggest event in the spring is our annual Absolute Texxas Volleyball Classic, where we host a sand volleyball tournament benefiting St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Organizations from across campus make teams and compete in the all-day event, and last year we raised $7,000. WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF BEING AN ABSOLUTE TEXXAS MEMBER? Absolute Texxas participates in traditional events such as football tailgates, OU weekend and formal, but we have also created our own events. There are four chapters in Absolute Texxas and we have a yearly Olympic-style competition between them. Last fall, our semiformal was in San Antonio. We spent the day at Six Flags and hit the town at night. We also take a trip out to Big Bend National Park every winter break after finals. WHY DID YOU JOIN THIS ORGANIZATION? Spirit groups are about finding a group you best fit with, and I believe there’s a spirit group for everyone. For me, a spirit group is about enjoying college with friends and giving back to the community we live in. When I met the members of Absolute Texxas, I was struck by how unique and genuine they were.
THE SON OF FORMER Texas quarterback James Street, Huston Street took a bit of a different path. Street was a two-sport star at Westlake High School in Austin and made both the All-District and All-State teams for both football and baseball. Street attended Texas and pitched for the Longhorns between 2001 and 2004. During his collegiate career, he earned multiple All-American honors and led the Longhorns to the 2002 College World Series title. In the 2004 MLB draft, the Oakland Athletics selected Street in the first round with the 40th overall pick. Street enjoyed quick success in the minors and was eventually called up to the majors at the start of the 2005 season. After the Athletics’ incumbent closer, Octavio Dotel, was injured in May and required Tommy John surgery, Street stepped into the position. He made the most of the opportunity and was named the 2005 American League Rookie of the Year after he saved 23 games in 27 chances. He finished the season with a 1.72 ERA and struck out 72 batters. After a series of ups and downs in the next few years, including injury troubles, Street was traded to the Colorado Rockies in November 2008. Street was the Rockies’ closer for most of the 2009 season and finished with a 3.06 ERA. He saved 35 games in 37 chances and struck out 70 batters. In December 2011, Street was traded again — this time to the San Diego Padres. Street earned his first All-Star selection in the 2012 season after he saved 13 games in 13 opportunities and posted a 1.13 ERA. After three seasons with the Padres, Street was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in July 2014. A year later, Street earned the 300th save of his career in a game against the Minnesota Twins.
ABS OLUTE TEXXAS, SUS AN SIG MON/UN IV. OF TEXAS
TEXT: Text text text text text text text text text text text text text
BSOLUTE TEXXAS IS one of the few coed spirit organizations on the Texas campus. Founded in 2004 by several students who were looking for a group to call their own, Absolute Texxas was built on the principles of integrity, teamwork and leadership. Absolute Texxas supports all Texas sports but focuses primarily on football and baseball. The organization hosts tailgates for home games throughout the year and has even earned the “HEB Tailgate of the Week” on several occasions. Although Absolute Texxas focuses on football and baseball, the members regularly support the basketball, soccer and volleyball teams. In addition, they support non-varsity teams such as rugby and quidditch. Members also participate in intramural sports every semester. In fact, Absolute Texxas was the intramural men’s football champion in both 2014 and 2015. Throughout the year, Absolute Texxas participates in and hosts many service events to support the Austin community. The organization’s main beneficiary is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with most of the organization’s fundraising efforts directly benefiting the hospital. Summer Wheeler is the current president of Absolute Texxas. She sat down with Horns Illustrated to answer a few questions about the organization.
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
CASEY THOMPSON
FIRST IMPRESSIONS WITH TWO QUARTERBACKS ALREADY IN THE FOLD, TIM BECK NEEDS TO KEEP UP THE RECRUITING MOMENTUM
247S PORTS
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ASEY THOMPSON OFFICIALLY became the first committed quarterback of the Tim Beck era at Texas in mid-April. Another passer, Cameron Rising, was not far behind — he committed to Texas less than 10 days later. And all interested parties should hope this marks the beginning of a better run than what Beck’s predecessors experienced. Going back to the final recruiting classes when Greg Davis was still calling the shots, the moves made (and not made, for that matter) got Texas into its current unsavory position. The last four cycles in which Davis recruited quarterbacks saw him take zero 2008, bet the farm on Garrett Gilbert in 2009, take Case McCoy and Connor Wood in 2010 and earn a commitment from David Ash in 2011. After Ash committed, Davis made his exit from the 40 Acres, following a 5-7 season in 2010. As bad as Davis’ final few classes were, Bryan Harsin fared much worse. Harsin secured commitments during his run in Austin from Connor Brewer, Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard. Brewer never played a down for the Longhorns, Swoopes lost his job to two different quarterbacks during his career (and now appears to have a legitimate NFL future at tight end) and Heard is now one of the top wide receivers on the roster. Shawn Watson, despite not meeting expectations at the offensive coordinator position, is on pace to yield the best results when it comes to recruiting quarterbacks. While Kai Locksley and Matthew Merrick exited the program without ever taking a snap in a game, Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger represent
the future. It can be debated, however, how much credit Watson deserves for recruiting Ehlinger — a lifelong Longhorn who bleeds burnt orange. Now Beck needs to keep going what’s (at least as far as anyone can tell) been an uptick in the caliber of quarterback being recruited by the Longhorns. How Thompson’s and Rising’s careers pan out will be an interesting study in Beck’s ability to evaluate quarterbacks, which might be the biggest question mark when going through his background. During his time as the offensive coordinator at Nebraska, Beck tried to get Tommy Armstrong Jr. to a level the Cibolo Steele product was likely never going to reach (and he never did). Beck recruited Armstrong, and he also brought in Johnny Stanton, AJ Bush and Zack Darlington, who for one reason or another never panned out. The Texas brand should give Beck access to a deeper pool of passers to choose from, compared to what he had available in Lincoln. With Thompson and Rising in the fold, Beck has dramatically improved the Longhorns’ quarterback room. And he may not be done; Tanner McKee, a four-star passer from California, visited Texas in early May. After graduating high school, McKee will go on a two-year mission trip, essentially making him a 2020 recruit. Now isn’t the time to rest easy when it comes to building up the quarterback roster. The direction of the position will go one way or the other based on the staff’s plan and Beck’s ability to identify the right players.
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JOHNNY WALKER REVIEW THE FORMER LONGHORN DISCUSSES THE SPRING GAME AND TOM HERMAN’S RECRUITING TACTICS
JOHNNY WALKER'S RESUME • Played football and baseball at Texas from 1987 to 1990
OFF AND RUNNING: Toneil Carter impressed several people during the spring game — Johnny Walker included.
• Two-time All-Southwest Conference
mistakes, but that’s to be expected. If something were to happen to Buechele, I think Ehlinger could come in and keep the offense executing at a high level.
HI: Which players stood out for you? JW: Collin Johnson did a tremendous job. The combination of Johnson and Shane Buechele was fun to watch. Buechele looked confident in the new offense and executed well. I was also impressed with freshman running back Toneil Carter. He has some things he needs to work on, but it was great for him to get his feet wet because he might not get as much playing time during the season. I was also impressed with Sam Ehlinger. He has potential. There were some
HI: Recently Texas unveiled the state-of-the-art football lockers on Twitter. Do you think the new lockers will attract recruits? JW: To have a locker room glow is a phenomenal thing. It shows that Herman is willing to bring back the swag and invest in the necessary upgrades. It’s important to keep up with the Jones, so to speak. There are plenty of programs that put money into upgrading their facilities, so it can’t hurt for Texas to spend money, too. I do think it will help with recruiting. Eye candy comes in handy.
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HI: Herman has made a point to involve former players in the program. What impact does that have on recruiting and the current players? JW: It’s great to have ex-players come back and interact with the current players. By doing that, you’re establishing a tone and expectation. Those are players that bleed burnt orange, know what it takes to be a Longhorn and play at the highest level.
• Caught the game-winning reception to beat Oklahoma in 1989 • Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1990 (4th round) • Texas High School Hall of Fame inductee
“
TO SEE THE PLAYERS EXECUTE SO WELL UNDER A NEW COACHING STAFF, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, WAS GREAT.
”
JIM S IGM ON/UNIV. OF TEXAS , PATRICK MEREDITH /UNIV. O F TEXAS
Horns Illustrated: What did you think of this year’s Orange-White Game? Johnny Walker: I was excited based on what I saw from a Tom Herman-coached football team. One of the things I enjoyed seeing was the emphasis coach Tim Beck (and the offense) had on spreading the defense out on the field and setting the tempo. There was a lot of energy and an emphasis on execution. To see the players execute so well under a new coaching staff, on both sides of the ball, was great to see. I always loved playing in the spring game because it set the expectations for the upcoming season. It was always fun to line up and play against your teammates as well.
FULFILLING A FINAL WISH THE STORY BEHIND MIKE’S TAILGATE CREW
LEVON STEELE AND JUAN ALVAREZ PHOTOGRAPHY
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HESE DAYS, CANCER IMPACTS everyone. The majority of people have had family members and friends who had to deal with the pain and suffering that comes along with the horrible disease. One group took what was once a sad story and turned it into a pastime. In 2004, after getting out of the U.S. Navy, Levon Steele decided to move back to Texas to be close with his family. At the time, his cousin Michael Sena, whom Steele grew up with in El Paso, had already relocated to Austin. Sena moved to the area to attend the University of Texas in the early ‘90s. When the cousins reunited, life seemed complete. Sena had recently gotten married and was expecting his first baby girl, Samantha. Yet, shortly after the reunion, Sena started experiencing back pain and headaches. He powered through the pain, attributing it to work stress. After several massages, the pain still wouldn’t go away. Sena sought medical attention only to learn he had a rare form of childhood cancer even at the age of 29. The news shocked the entire family and close friends. They all asked, “Why would this happen to such a great guy?” Throughout the process, Sena stayed strong, although he had one last request. He wanted all of his old friends to come back together for football games. Steele and Sena’s closest friends did just that and made memories that would last forever. Sena fought the cancer for two years until it paralyzed him from the waist down. He lived long enough to lie in bed and watch his daughter through the bedroom window as she ran around the yard with sparklers on the Fourth of July. Sena passed away on July 6, 2006. “That was the beginning of the story because his spirit stayed strong in all of us,” Steele said. With the help of Mando Estrella, Jesse Hernandez, Cesar Gonzalez, Rudy Jacobs, and many others, the tailgating continued. The group started off small but then word spread. The tailgate grew each year as people came with their own stories about cancer. In 2008, Steele and Jacobs came together to purchase an old fire truck and converted it into their tailgating truck. In Sena’s honor, they called it Mike’s Tailgate Crew. For over 10 years, Mike’s Tailgate Crew has been one of the top private tailgates for Texas football games. The crew also includes head chef Jeff Rutkowski and team which serves the best tailgate barbeque. Tradition, family and friends keep the tailgate going. Every year the crew makes donations to a charity of its choice and to Sena’s daughter’s college fund so she can attend Texas one day. “We’re blessed with how this tragedy has turned out to be so positive but of course we would all rather have our Mike back,” Steele said.
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SOCIAL BUZZ T MAN is staying home! Couldn’t be THE happier for you big bro! #NFLDraft h — Shane Buechele (@BGShaneBuechele)
DID YOU KNOW? D’Onta Foreman became the first Texas running back drafted since 2009, when Chris Ogbonnaya was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft by the then-St. Louis Rams. Here’s how our Facebook followers reacted to the news:
143K FACEBOOK LIKES
You have my respect and my blessing. Can’t wait to see you tear up the field on game day. 100 percent TEXAS LONGHORNS and HOUSTON TEXANS!
Averaged over
/hornsillustrated Our “Reach” was over
C Congrats @HoustonTexans! You just got the best back in the draft. @D33_foreman is b ggoing to give the AFC South hell. — Ricky Williams (@Rickthelaureate)
1 MILLION 60K VISITS PER DAY OVER 80K POST CLICKS
U Updated the rosters on Madden and already doing people in with that boy @D33_ d fforeman. — Dorian Leonard (@dorianleonard3)
He’s going to do very good things. He’s quick and will plow you over, and he doesn’t give up.
Best back in the draft in my opinion. The next “Jerome Bettis.”
He’s a beast and will do well in the NFL.
1300+
INSTAGRAM followers Horns_Illustrated
2500+
Views on the YouTube Channel last month
What a dream come true! W — D’Onta Foreman (@D33_foreman)
hornsillustrated.com/
Once a Longhorn, always a Longhorn. Thanks for giving us fans something to be excited about in a bad season. Thanks Foreman!
Group with Hookem: What’s your college-ready color? This is Texas. Our #AISDProud team bleeds burnt orange! — (@nicolekConley) 24 HORNS ILLUSTRATED
HAS OVER 120K FANS IN TEXAS READ BY FANS IN 152 COUNTRIES IN 2014
Students: #ReachHigher National College Signing Day at Spring ISD. — (@Shuester)
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H Happy Birthday to my little brother who’s bigger than me. Words can’t explain how b proud I am of you. I love you. p — Armanti Foreman (@_hetoohollywood)
Track: You would smile like this if you ran 19.99 too. We see you, AJ! — (@TexasTFXC)
Rings: Texas men’s swimming Big 12 Championship rings from 2007, 08, 09 and 2010, from legend @RickyBerens collection. — (@longhornrings)
CLOCKWIS E FRO M TOP RIGH T: ALL TW ITTER PHOTOS COURTES Y TW ITTER.COM, ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY INSTAGRAM.COM AND RESPECTIVE PHOTO GRAPHERS.
during the week of 9/7 - 9/14
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.
JIM SIG MON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS
CONTACT INFORMATION: t-association@athletics.utexas.edu 512.471.6864
THE HABE ON THE HORNS
RULES OF ATTRACTION WILL FLASHY UPGRADES HELP TURN AROUND THE TEXAS FOOTBALL PROGRAM?
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HESE DAYS, COACHES place so much emphasis on rounding up the best football players that some forget how important it is to treat those players well once they’re safely in the corral. Happiness, these days, is found in fancy locker rooms, state-of-the-art weight rooms, meeting rooms with updated graphics and slogans, and team spaces built to bring the players together to bond and think mostly about football. Yet Texas head coach Tom Herman also understands there’s more to player happiness than just a nice facility. The players he inherited from the Charlie Strong regime likely need a dollop of tender, loving care along with a swift kick in the pants to help bring their talent to the forefront. And Herman wants the Longhorns of the future — Texas hosted 30 of the best prep players from around the country at its Orange-White Game on April 15 —to know that he’ll do whatever it takes to make Texas football great again. So Herman, his staff and the senior players took a sledgehammer, literally, to the old lockers at Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center, which sits on the south end of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The move will make way for the Longhorns’ new setup, which features a 43inch television monitor displaying personalized videos at the top of each locker. “[The new lockers] show we’re committed to providing our student-athletes with the best training facility in the country,” Herman said after
revealing the new lockers on Twitter. “We’re constricted from a landlocked standpoint, but we’ll make this facility as state-of-the-art as we can. There will be no reason, from a facilities standpoint, for a recruit to want to go somewhere else.” Senior defensive tackle Poona Ford said the new lockers and ongoing upgrades around the football complex definitely turned some heads. “It’s for recruitment,” Ford said. “At my high school, every male sports team shared a locker room and one fieldhouse, so if I see [what Texas has] coming out of high school, I would be like, ‘That’s pretty sweet.’ That could be the reason why a player commits here.” It remains to be seen if giving the Texas football players new locker rooms and opulent facilities will translate to wins on the field. The Longhorns’ old digs were pretty nice, if a bit outdated, and were better than about 95 percent of the football facilities across the country. The results — including 16 wins over three seasons under Strong — weren’t because of unsatisfactory facilities. There was just a lot of bad football played here the past three years. But, as one savvy old coach always said, “You can’t coach ‘em up if you don’t get ‘em here first.” Through his first six months on the 40 Acres and with his coaching resume, Herman has the acumen to excel at the former; now he has another tool to help him with the latter. 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. MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 25
DON BENDER
STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE: Freshman Reggie Hemphill-Mapps was one of several underclassmen who helped the White Team’s offensive drive.
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SPRING IN THEIR STEP THE LONGHORNS SHOWED SIGNS OF MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION DURING THIS YEAR’S SPRING GAME
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HE LEVEL OF anticipation for the Longhorns’ 2017 Orange-White spring football game on April 15 was off the charts. With the constant drumbeat of change and the sense of urgency promoted by new head coach Tom Herman and his staff, the Texas fan base was ready for something good to happen. Herman has unapologetically stoked the fire since his hiring on the Sunday following last Thanksgiving. Over the past six months, an impressive collection of coaches and behind-the-scenes assistants remained busy as they focused on bringing Texas back to the upper echelon of college football. The spring game displayed such accomplishments, as there was plenty to like about the scrimmage when the team took the field before an estimated crowd of 25,000 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. But not enough was shown in the scrimmage for anyone with any football savviness to proclaim that the Longhorns could contend for the Big 12 title or even earn an invite to a bowl game for the first time in three years. “Thank God we don’t play tomorrow,” Herman said. “We’ve made strides. The only goal from spring practice was to learn how to practice, learn what the expectations are in this program, and learn that there’s no such thing as just another day in this program.” The game began with a bull-in-the-ring drill and ended with a winner-take-all goal line stand from the Texas defense, all part of Herman’s push to make a competition out of everything his players do. For the record, the scrimmage was won by the Orange team (the defense) 52-51 when defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and linebackers Naashon Hughes and Malik Jefferson stopped freshman running back Toneil Carter at the 2-yard line in a fourth-and-goal, sudden-death situation. “I heard the PA announcer say the game had ended 51-51 in a tie — we don’t have ties in this program,” Herman said. “There’s no such thing. We’re going to keep going until a winner declares themselves.” The White team (the offense) scored four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele started the game and worked mostly with the first-team offense against the second-team defense. He connected with sophomore wide receiver Collin Johnson on two touchdown passes (from 14 and 29 yards) and ran one
yard for a third score at the end of a well-executed march down the field. Freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran the secondteam offense against the No. 1 defense and had limited success — due mostly to the backup offensive line’s inability to keep the Longhorns’ top pass rushers out of Ehlinger’s face. The much ballyhooed signal-caller, who joined Carter and enrolled early to participate in spring drills, managed a late 32-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. The score created the deadlock Herman ultimately un-tied. “For the most part it’s what I wanted to see,” Hughes said. “There were a couple of plays here and there that were bad. Some guys made great catches so I can’t get too mad about that.” Herman said he liked the tempo of the offense, which is still learning offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s system and was without five running backs — including its top three projected ball carriers. “It’s easier to play with good tempo and rhythm when you’re making first downs,” Herman explained. “The first offense did that quite frequently, so they got into a good rhythm. They played 15 more snaps than the second offense and first defense because the one defense was getting a lot of three-and-outs. That’s to be expected and it happens.” Junior college transfer placekicker Joshua Rowland accounted for the rest of the points for the White team, converting field goals from 28, 31 and 36 yards out and missing from 49 yards. Junior offensive tackle Connor Williams said Herman and his staff are training the players both physically and mentally. “Every coaching staff has its strategies, but Herman really emphasizes competition and love for one another,” Williams said. “You’re always competing — and not just for yourself but for the love of your teammates. When you get tired, you have to dig deep and do it for the love of your teammates. They’re training our minds and training our attitude.” Texas was without nine players in the spring game due to injury: senior tight end Andrew Beck (foot), senior running back Roderick Bernard (knee), junior cornerback Davante Davis (shoulder), senior safety Jason Hall (hamstring), sophomore running backs Tristian Houston (ankle), Kirk Johnson (hamstring) and Kyle Porter (ankle),
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STEADY AS HE GOES: Shane Buechele looked confident and very much at home at the quarterback position.
SPRING
REPORT CARD By design or proclamation, the media has limited access to the Texas football team during its spring drills. Without full access to the Longhorns’ practices, we have to make our evaluations about the progress of individual players based on the OrangeWhite game and from what players reveal to us about their teammates. Here’s a look at the players who stood out for us this spring:
OFFENSE
SHANE BUECHELE – Texas’ sophomore quarterback showed the same brand of moxie in this year’s spring game as he did last year. The difference this time around was his 12 collegiate starts, and the confidence that instills. Buechele passed for 369 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in this year’s spring game, but he still didn’t do quite enough for head coach Tom Herman to declare him the starter for the opener against Maryland. I would like to see Buechele get the ball out of his hand in a timelier fashion; there were times he was late on his second and third reads, which created the need for him to scramble for yards — a skill that shows us nothing in a spring game when the quarterback shouldn’t be hit.
DON B EN DER
COLLIN JOHNSON – The Longhorns’ most productive wide receiver at the end of last season picked up right where he left off, grabbing eight catches for 117 yards and both of Buechele’s touchdown passes in the spring game. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound wideout is able to snare just about anything that’s thrown his way and showed an added toughness in this year’s scrimmage. He has the potential to become one of the team’s breakout players. TONEIL CARTER –The true freshman running back got a huge chance to impress the coaching staff this spring when
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SAM EHLINGER (LEFT), MALIK JEFFERSON
five other running backs were injured. Carter, who enrolled early this spring to get a jump on things and participate in this year’s drills, carried the ball 10 times for 60 yards in the Orange-White game and caught two passes out of the backfield. I have to think the work he did will get him some touches this fall, even though he’s likely to start the season behind three established backs (junior Chris Warren III and sophomores Kyle Porter and Kirk Johnson).
DEFENSE
CHRIS BROWN –The redshirt freshman defensive back set the tone for the physical nature of the Orange-White game when he leveled Carter on a pass near the sideline. He punctuated his performance with an interception of Buechele on the first-team offense’s second-tolast drive. In between, Brown had five tackles, tying for second-most in the scrimmage. The performance likely elevated Brown into the mix for playing time in Texas’ well-stocked and deep secondary.
GERALD WILBON (LEFT), J.P. URQUIDEZ
sophomore center Zach Shackelford (ankle) and junior running back Chris Warren (hamstring). Just like in last year’s Orange-White contest, Buechele was mostly impressive, throwing for 369 yards and the aforementioned two touchdowns. He showed a flair for running the ball when either his protection broke down or his receivers were covered. Yet the difference between last year and this spring is that Buechele has 12 college starts under his belt. Rather than trying to wow his coaches with his smarts and accuracy to win the job at quarterback, the job is now his to lose. This year, he worked hard to impress the Longhorns’ new coaching staff so he could keep his starting role. Herman, on the other hand, had a different outlook. “As far as Shane being the starter — no way,” Herman said. “A healthy fear of losing your job is just that — healthy. Shane knows we have confidence in 30 HORNS ILLUSTRATED
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PATRICK VAHE (LEFT), J.P. URQUIDEZ
TIM BECK
him, and he did a lot of things well this spring. But to say he’s won the job in 12 padded practices where he doesn’t even get hit would be premature.” On defense, the linebackers in coordinator Todd Orlando’s 3-4 system made the type of plays that can be difference-makers in the coming season. To accomplish such a feat, the Longhorns need to show continued improvement. Orlando called the linebackers a work in progress and said he needs to see more. “I’m accustomed to having guys dominate that position,” Orlando said. “They care, they want to be good, but there are things we have to clean up. It’s going to take time. We’re going to work like crazy during the summer time and going into fall camp. That’s real talk. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re playing at an elite level.” Two other players — senior tackle Brandon Hodges and freshman defensive tackle Marcel Southall — missed
NAASHON HUGHES – The senior linebacker made several good moves to get into the backfield against the second-team offensive line and was credited with a pair of quarterback hurries. Where Hughes has made the most impact in the offseason is his leadership in the locker room — Herman has been quick to recognize Hughes and defensive back P.J. Locke as players he considers as the team’s leaders. Expect Hughes and Jeffrey McCulloch to do a lot of damage this year rushing from the edge. POONA FORD AND CHRIS NELSON – These two monsters (Ford is a senior while Nelson is a junior) made things difficult for the offense to find any running room up the middle. Nelson combined with Hughes and Malik Jefferson to make the final-play stop on Carter to win the scrimmage for the Orange team. Given Herman’s declaration before spring drills that his defensive tackles were too fat to make plays in new coordinator Todd Orlando’s scheme, those players have come a long way.
DON BENDER
DEVIN DUVERNAY
SPECIAL TEAMS
You’re always competing — and not just for yourself but for the love of your teammates. When you get tired, you have to dig deep and do it for the love of your teammates. The coaches are training our minds and training our attitude.
- Connor Williams
JOSHUA ROWLAND – The junior college transfer kicker began his Texas career by making three of his four field goal attempts, converting from 36, 28 and 31 yards out and missing wide on a 49-yarder. His final make came after Herman called a timeout to try to ice Rowland. The placekicking duties look to be in good hands with Rowland on board — which is one less thing that Herman has to worry about.
time during the spring to focus on academics and did not suit up for the Orange-White game. Herman said he expects his players to perform as well, if not better, in practice than when the lights go on and the fans are watching. “They better not be [playing harder in the game than in practice],” Herman outlined. “They’ve cheated their team for 14 practices if they’re more intense [in the game] than any other day in spring practice. We don’t have ‘gamers.’ We have ‘practicers.’ There’s no such thing in this program as a gamer. If you’re a gamer and don’t practice hard, you don’t play, so no one will ever know if you’re a gamer or not.” Overall, the game was vanilla from both a play-calling and scheme standpoint in order not to show upcoming opponents what to expect from Texas this season. That’s the modus operandi for these types of games, but Herman’s intensity and the players’ desire to make a name for themselves was apparent during the scrimmage. “I’m excited that we came out of [the game] injury-free,” Herman said. “That’s fairly unusual for a spring game. And I was excited to see our guys flying around and responding. I was pleased with the progress we’ve made throughout the entirety of spring practice.” The Longhorns will continue with spring and summer conditioning workouts in advance of fall camp, which will begin about a month before Texas’ season opener at home versus Maryland on Sept. 2. The team still has plenty to work on. “When you leave, whatever it is, whether it’s a workout or a meeting or a practice, you should be mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted,” Herman said. “If you’re not, you’re doing it wrong. You’re ‘footballing’ wrong. “Our guys understand that,” he added. “They believe it. Now the consistent execution of that is still a work in progress. The buy-in is the most difficult part, and we have that, for the most part, from a lot of guys. Now it’s just a matter of executing consistently from the time you step in the building until the time you put your head down on the pillow.” MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 31
KIREMA MACHARIA
IN A BLAZE OF GLORY
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URING THE FINAL week of March, the track & field world turned its collective attention toward Austin as past, present and future Longhorns turned in stellar performances at the 2017 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Redshirt junior Wolf Mahler turned in one of those top performances, finishing third in the decathlon with 7,897 points — the fourth-best score in the event in program history. Texas head coach Mario Sategna said that Mahler’s performance was exceptional, especially due to the fact that it came just a few weeks after he finished seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station. “I’m proud of the way Wolf battled these last two days, because we knew it was going to be a tall order with the national indoor meet so close behind us,” Sategna said. “We didn’t have a lot of time to get the 400-meter training or really work on the javelin, which is taxing on the 32 HORNS ILLUSTRATED
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body. I thought if we had some good wind conditions, he could’ve got a couple more bars in the vault, and all of a sudden, he puts himself in position to go 8,000 points.” Included in Mahler’s performance were personal-best marks in the 110-meter hurdles and the discus. He also won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:21.73. In a race that featured old and new Longhorns alike, Sam Worley — a senior at Canyon High School in New Braunfels who will enroll in the fall at Texas — came from behind in the final lap to win the Jerry Thompson Invitational Mile in 4:00.61. He just missed becoming the first high school runner from Texas to break the four-minute barrier. The event also featured Olympian and Texas alumnus Leo Manzano and Texas sophomore Alex Rogers — Worley’s former teammate at Canyon and future teammate in Austin — who finished second in 4:01.65. “It was fun to watch the Longhorns past, present and future do so
JOS E M EN DEZ
THE WINNING TRADITION CONTINUES FOR THE LONGHORNS AT THE 90TH CLYDE LITTLEFIELD TEXAS RELAYS
JOSE MENDEZ
well in that race,” Texas assistant coach Brad Herbster said. “Sam really stepped up. He looked strong. He hasn’t lost a Texas Relays yet, and he continued to stay on top. That field was a good field. To show up like that and beat some really quality people — that’s exciting.” While he would have preferred to win the race, Rogers gushed about the performance turned in by his once and future teammate. “It was a race to behold,” Rogers said. “That was definitely one of the most special races we’re ever going to see here, especially in this event. Sam deserves it all. There was no catching that kid. He’s something special.” All freshman Elena Bruckner did in her first time competing in the meet as a Longhorn was break the school record in the discus with a throw of 54.64 meters (179 feet, 4 inches). She broke the previous record Laura Messner whose set in 1981 by 21 inches. Bruckner, who’s personal record while in high school already surpassed Messner’s long-standing Texas record, said her record throw resulted in part from the fact that she turned her focus away from how her competitors were performing and instead focused on those variables that were within her reach. “At this meet, I wanted to focus on not focusing on what other throwers do and only focus on what I can control,” Bruckner said. “I can only control my effort and the technique I stick to.” Assistant coach Ty Sevin, who works with the Longhorn throwers, said Bruckner’s record is just the beginning of her success in Austin. “I’m happy that she was able to come out and battle tough conditions in a competitive event,” Sevin said. “I look forward to her continuing to improve. I still think she’s probably throwing four or five meters under what she’s capable of, and just look forward to her being able to go out, execute and make that happen.” Freshman hurdler/sprinter Rushelle Burton almost matched Bruckner as a winner in her first season at Texas, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles in a personal-best 12.80, just .08 seconds behind UTEP’s Tobi Amusan. Both times broke the previous Texas Relays meet record and are the top two times in the NCAA this season. Burton also ran the anchor leg of the Texas 4x100-meter relay, which finished third in 43.99, while the men’s 4x100-meter relay of Charles Anumnu, Aldrich Bailey Jr., Chris Ntreh and Carlton Anumnu finished second, in 39.49. Meanwhile, Spencer Dunkerley-Offor ran a 13.66 in the 110-meter hurdles to finish third in the event; his time was the nation’s thirdfastest this year. The Texas alums also got in on the act when Ashley Spencer, who also starred in the Rio Olympics, won the women’s invitational section of the 400-meter hurdles in 56.66 seconds. She won the bronze medal in the event in Brazil. Freshman O’Brien Wasome finished fourth in the triple jump, climbing to No. 3 in the nation among men’s collegiate jumpers with a personal-best leap of 16.31 meters (56 feet, 6.25 inches). The mark is currently the sixthbest jump in Texas history. On the women’s side, redshirt freshman Georgia Wahl placed fifth in the triple jump when she leaped 12.77 meters (41 feet, 10.75 inches) — more than two feet farther than her personal standard coming into the season. Her jump doesn’t count toward official records because it was wind-aided, but it was the fourthbest mark this season by any Big 12 jumper.
WOLF MAHLER
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PHOTO CREDITS
LEFT- CHRISHUNA WILLIAMS RIGHT - KENDRA CHAMBERS
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SERENITY DOUGLAS SYDNE FOWLER
ARIEL JONES
JOSE MENDEZ, JOS E MENDEZ , JESS E DROHEN, JESS E DROHEN, JOSE MENDEZ , JESS E DROHEN
LAURYN CALDWELL
LEO MANZANO (LEFT), ALEX ROGERS
Sategna said that Wahl’s performance at this point in the season only serves as a foundation. According to the head coach, Wahl has considerable room for improvement as the season progresses. “I was excited to see not just one, but multiple jumps for Georgia Wahl like that,” Sategna said. “She’s doing a great job. Even though they were big PRs for her, she’s still just scratching the surface for where she can be at in the conference and the regional meet.” In the discus, Brian Peterson finished sixth with a personal-best heave of 53.92 meters (176 feet, 11 inches), the best throw this season by anyone from a Big 12 school. Sategna said he was pleased with Peterson’s performance, which was made more impressive by the fact that he’s a redshirt freshman already excelling in an event in which physical maturity accelerates athletes’ progress as they put on additional bulk and strength. “It’s great that Brian threw the leading mark in the conference,” Sategna said. “He’ll continue to evolve as his strength levels increase in the weight room. The guy is a great student of the discus. He has watched and studied a lot of film, so it’s not surprising to see those breakthroughs.”
STEELE WASIK
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IN SEASON
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VALUE ADD NOLAN KINGHAM CONTINUES TO SHINE AS TEXAS’ FRIDAY NIGHT STARTER
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HE DAY NOLAN Kingham started classes at the University of Texas in fall 2015, many looked to him to set forth the plan to take the baseball team back to the College World Series. Kingham — a flame-throwing, lanky, right-handed pitcher from Las Vegas — assumed the critical Friday night starter role a year and a half later. However, instead of packing for Omaha, Kingham and the Longhorns are battling for respectability as the Big 12 Conference campaign heads into its final stretch. Some question Kingham’s impact on a Texas team that’s traditionally laden with great arms and lauded for its “next-up” mentality. Yet, we need to ask the real question: Where would the Longhorns be without Kingham? That answer defines his real value to the team.
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PREVIOUS PAGE: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ATHLETICS BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
KING OF THE MOUND: Nolan Kingham is one of Texas’ best pitchers this season.
Kingham, along with erstwhile ace Morgan Cooper, are the cornerstones of a team that has exceled on the mound in coach David Pierce’s first season at the helm. Texas’ starting pitching wasn’t the issue this season — it was the Longhorns’ hitting that dragged them down to the middle of the conference pack. Through his first nine appearances (seven of them starts) for the Longhorns, Kingham amassed a 1.23 ERA and allowed just seven earned runs in 51.1 innings of work. His ERA ranks second in the Big 12 and 19th in the nation. He also allowed just 0.99 walks and hits per innings pitched in 2017. Kingham notched his first career complete-game shutout this season against Kansas State on March 24 and was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on the basis of that performance. The weekly accolade is the first of Kingham’s career and the only one to date for any Longhorn this season. Kingham, whose previous career-best was a seven-inning outing earlier this season, allowed just four hits and two walks in the game while striking out five. He threw 111 pitches and worked six 1-2-3 innings in the ballgame. The complete game shutout
Underclass All-American first team. As a freshman at Texas, Kingham pitched in 21 games (four of them starts), going 2-3 with two saves and a 3.78 ERA. He gave up 38 hits and 21 runs in just 38 innings of work and issued as many walks as he forged strikeouts (16). Batters hit .266 against him in the 2016 season. For Kingham, changes are aplenty. Through the first half of 2017, his strikeoutto-walk ratio has improved to 40-18 in 55 innings, and opponents are hitting just .221 when Kingham is on the mound. The key for Kingham has been to take things as they come and not press. He has shown a tendency to try to do too much and that’s occasionally affected his control and location. “You learn a lot from freshman year — it’s a big step from high school and more of a punch in the mouth,” Kingham said. “You’re the big man, you’re trying to come in. Everyone’s competitive at this level. It’s about learning after every outing, knowing what you can and can’t do, and trying to get in a rhythm.” Kingham had easily his worst start of the season on April 13 against Baylor,
You learn a lot from freshman year — it’s a big step from high school and more of a punch in the mouth. is the first for a Longhorn since Connor Mayes accomplished the rare feat on May 23, 2015, against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship. “Nolan made a minor adjustment in his delivery and he’s been able to consistently reach 96-97 mph on his fastball,” Pierce said. “Some changes in some mechanical movements can make a difference.” Kingham was a potential first-round pick who slipped into the 39th round (where Milwaukee picked him) thanks to signability concerns. He has more than an overpowering fastball — he’s tough to hit because that fastball moves — and he also has good command of his slider, his change-up and his curve. As a prep player at Desert Oasis High School, Kingham was a three-year starter who played shortstop, first base and pitcher. He had a 3.43 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 53 innings on the mound as a junior, while hitting .421 with 23 runs and 23 RBIs. He was a first-team Northwest selection as a pitcher in 2014. Those stats were good enough to earn him a spot on the 2014 Perfect Game
allowing six runs and nine hits in five innings of work. Before that game, Kingham had given up more than six hits one time, let alone six runs. The sub-par outing bumped up Kingham’s ERA to 2.08, still among the best in the Big 12 and the nation. He said staying with his plan no matter what allows him to make the most out of a bad situation. “Anyone can throw well when all things are working,” Kingham said. “The last couple starts I haven’t had anything, but I’m trying to go as long as I can in the game and it’s been going alright for me.” Kingham and Cooper were both named to the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the top amateur baseball player in the country. The duo is two of 40 players named to the watch list, which includes players from the college ranks. The award will be presented on June 29 in Los Angeles. “As starting pitchers, we’re all competitive and we’re all trying to top each other’s outings,” Kingham said. “We feed off it and we like competing with each other.”
KEYS TO THE GAME
KACY CLEMENS – The senior first baseman is the team’s heart and soul. Clemens reached base 21 times until his streak was snapped on April 9 versus Oklahoma. At the date of publication, he led the team in batting average (.304) and slugging percentage (.543). Clemens hit his seventh homer of the season on April 16 against Baylor, a game-winning two-run shot in the 10th. Those seven homers are a season-high for the Houston native, who hit five last season. He also leads the team with 30 RBIs through April 18. DAVID HAMILTON – The freshman shortstop from San Marcos is one of the Longhorns’ best athletes and most instinctive players. His .211 batting average isn’t indicative of his impact at the plate as he also has 16 RBIs and seven sacrifice flies, which is third most in the nation and tops in the Big 12. Hamilton started every game but one of Texas’ first 40 outings. I’d pencil him in as a stalwart for this team for the next three and a half years. MICHAEL MCCANN – The redshirt sophomore catcher didn’t raise many (if any) eyebrows last year or in fall ball and wasn’t expected to be a major contributor this season. However, McCann has emerged as Texas’ leading hitter (.311 in 74 at bats through April 20) and has become a pure platoon player (along with Michael Cantu) as the Longhorns’ backstop. NOLAN KINGHAM – The sophomore, fire-balling, right-handed starting pitcher from Las Vegas has joined Morgan Cooper as one of the top 50 pitchers in the nation in earned run average (2.08 as of April 20) and has been named — along with Cooper — as a member of the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the top amateur baseball player in the country. Kingham, with a fastball that can reach 97, a plus-slider and good command of his changeup and curve, is Texas’ Friday night starter. Kingham gives the Longhorns a great chance at starting each weekend series with a win. PATRICK MATHIS – The junior right fielder from Waco missed the middle of the season with a lower leg strain but returned on April 11 against Texas State with a two-run home run that helped Texas beat the Bobcats. Mathis can fall into deep slumps because he tries to do too much at the plate, but his time away has helped him focus on staying within himself. His play down the stretch will have a lot to say about the success of the Longhorns’ season.
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IN SEASON
YOUNG GUN: TAYLOR ELLSWORTH
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AYLOR ELLSWORTH IS already making a big statement on the 40 Acres, despite being the youngest person on the softball team. Ellsworth, who’s a local product from Georgetown, graduated early from Georgetown High School in order to enroll at Texas. She’s one of only five freshmen in the country who skipped their senior year to enroll in college early and who are now playing.
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FOR TAYLOR ELLSWORTH, THE LABEL “EARLY RISER” IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT
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It is not a rare occurrence for athletes to enroll early at Texas. This season, football players Sam Ehlinger from Westlake and Toneil Carter from Houston Langham Creek graduated from high school in December so that they could enroll at Texas in time to participate in spring practice. Volleyball players Brionne Butler and Olivia Zelon also enrolled early to participate in the Longhorns’ spring practice schedule. What sets Ellsworth apart is that she’s making her college debut a year earlier, with freshmen who graduated from high school last spring and summer. Football and volleyball early enrollees are coming early for spring training, and they’ll begin their official freshman campaigns at the same time as their classmates. “In the past year, we felt like she was ready,” Clark said. “They all have different maturity levels, but she just turned 18. “She’s beyond her years in regards to physical maturity and how she goes about her business,” Clark added. “She’s good with time management and very much a perfectionist.” For Ellsworth, this isn’t the first time she has been the youngest person in the dugout.
I’ve learned more than I could ever hope to learn so far. I still have a lot to work on and room to grow. I’m just excited with the opportunity. - Taylor Ellsworth While at Georgetown High School, she was a freshman calling pitches behind the plate in the middle of the varsity lineup. As an eighth grader, Ellsworth was playing on a club team surrounded by 18-year-olds. Last summer, she played and helped win a club championship with the Texas Blaze, a roster that boasted 15 college signees. While in high school, Ellsworth was a standout. During her three years at
PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS
She started her first practice as a Longhorn at the age of 17 and is already contributing — and even tying records set by her predecessors. Against Oklahoma back in March, Ellsworth went 5-for-5 at the plate, recording four singles and one double. Her five hits in that game tied a Texas single-game record set by former Longhorn standout Taylor Thom in 2011. “It’s definitely different,” Ellsworth said about playing at the collegiate level. “I’ve learned more than I could ever hope to learn so far. I still have a lot to work on and room to grow. I’m just excited with the opportunity.” For Ellsworth, leaving high school wasn’t too difficult of a decision. Ready for a new challenge, Ellsworth approached Texas head coach Connie Clark last May to pitch the idea of enrolling early at Texas. She was intrigued by the fact that no softball player had ever enrolled early before. By the end of the summer in 2016, she had made her decision. “I prayed about it and just one day, I woke and was like, ‘This is what I’m going to do. This is what I’m called to do. I need a new challenge and this is a new challenge,’” Ellsworth said.
PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, B ETHANY W ALTER/UNIV. O F TEXAS
GO-GETTER: Ellsworth, although the youngest player on the team, has already tied a Texas single-game record.
Georgetown, she hit a combined .550 at the plate and finished with 21 home runs and 107 RBIs. She had back-to-back All-Central Texas honors in 2015 and 2016 and was a two-time all-state player. She was also a member of the Texas Blaze Gold travel team, where she hit a combined .397 with 21 home runs and 113 RBIs. With current Texas teammate Malory Schattle, Ellsworth and the Texas Blaze won the 2016 Triple Crown Texas State and USA National Championships — her most memorable sports moment to date. Ellsworth committed verbally to Texas as a freshman and often says she’s always known she would end up on the 40 Acres. During her official visit to Texas, Ellsworth finally got a glimpse of what it would be like to be a Longhorn. “Coach [Jennifer] McFalls handed me a glove with my last name embroidered on it,” Ellsworth recalled. “My thoughts dated back to my first UT camp, and I remembered how much I wanted to wear a burnt orange jersey. As I put on the jersey and slipped my hand into the glove, it felt like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe my time to be a Longhorn was approaching. I didn’t want to take off the uniform.” So far at Texas, wearing the No. 17 to highlight the year she started at Texas, Ellsworth has hit the ground running and never looked back. As of the end of April, Ellsworth led the team with a .422 batting average and had 18 runs off of 42 hits with 23 RBIs, another team-high. Ellsworth got her first career start in the opening season tournament, the Texas Classic, against the No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Though the Longhorns dropped the contest 5-2, Ellsworth got her first career base hit, a single. Ellsworth turned 18 in late January, and though being the youngest player on the team, she is fitting in well with the college lifestyle. Along with her rigorous practice schedule,
where she is often the last player to leave batting practice, Ellsworth juggles an academic schedule that includes math, religion and theater classes. Her championship mentality fits in well with her teammates, a motto the team has rallied around the past few seasons. Ellsworth still has the option of going to prom and could still walk across the stage of her high school graduation with the rest of her classmates. However, Ellsworth said she wouldn’t mind missing the ceremony since it falls on the same day as the NCAA super
regionals. For her, Georgetown High School is in the rearview mirror. She’s ready to be a Longhorn. “Taylor’s done great,” senior pitcher Tiarra Davis said. “She’s really stepped in and had a presence here so far behind the plate and offensively. She still has a lot to learn, but she’s taking everything in that we’re helping her do and really absorbing it and using it. She’ll have a great freshman year and by the time she graduates in four years, she’s going to be a heck of a player.”
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IN SEASON
POWER SURGE THE MEN
F
OR THE TEXAS men’s golf team, the time to reflect and to look back in the rearview mirror is gone. The time to play golf is now, and the Longhorns are ready to reclaim what’s rightfully theirs. Perhaps head coach John Fields, his coaching staff and players won’t flat-out say it, but the team is playing as if it plans to win the national championship. Especially after earning runner-up honors to Oregon last year.
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Up against Oregon for the 2016 National Championship, Texas looked to have a leg up heading into the final day. However, nowgraduated Beau Hossler, the Longhorns’ thenNo. 1 golfer and one of the best in the nation, suffered an injury and had to drop out of competition. Texas had to concede Hossler’s match play on the third day, which opened the door for Oregon. With Hossler, Texas likely wins the national title in 72-hole match play. However, unusual and unfortunate circumstances led to the Ducks claiming the title after all, and on their home course in Eugene, nonetheless. Much like Jordan Spieth being made aware over and over again about his faults last year on hole 15 at the Master’s, Fields and the
Longhorns can’t seem to escape the questions about what went wrong last year. And they are over it. “Two million households watched the last day of the tournament, which was up 29 percent from the year before,” Fields said. “So no matter where you go, you cannot get away from it. That’s been the challenge for us this year.” The Longhorns looked to move forward and build off of last year’s runner-up finish, seizing every possible opportunity. A blessing in disguise arrived for Texas when the team was gifted a last-minute chance to host a one-day tournament at the UT Golf Club at the season’s end. The tournament gave the team one extra date of competition and Texas scrambled to
PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS
AFTER A FEW ROUGH PATCHES, TEXAS GOLF PICKED UP THE PIECES AND CONTINUES TO SURGE FORWARD
PATRICK MEREDITH /UNIV. OF TEXAS
host Houston, Lamar and Texas State University on April 14 with a one-day, 36-hole, 6-count, 5 event dubbed the Longhorn Shootout. The extra date of competition was awarded because the last round of the Aggie Invitational was canceled due to inclement weather, thus granting the Longhorns one extra tournament opportunity (the NCAA allows collegiate teams 24 dates of competition; the cancellation put Texas at 23 when the season concluded). On the heels of the shootout, the Longhorns had the opportunity to earn a bid back to the national championships in Austin, as Texas hosted the NCAA Regional Tournament May 15-17. Junior Doug Ghim won the Longhorn Shootout, with junior teammate Scottie Scheffler finishing just a stroke behind him. The win marked Ghim’s first medalist finish after capturing seven top-four finishes in his career. Ghim shot a 6-under-par 136, with Scheffler shooting a 137. Sophomore Steven Chernovy shot a 139, freshman Spencer Soosman had a 142 and senior Gavin Hall shot a 146 to round out the top five for Texas. The tremendous tests and chance to quiet everyone with success is not lost on the Longhorns. “The good news is we have a tremendous opportunity, whether in conference or at the NCAA Regionals,” Fields said. “What we’re going to do is put that all to bed in a short period of time. For us, we want to do that with success. We need to utilize all the talents we have, all the experiences we have and come up with a good effort all of us can be proud of.” Being nearly declared the 2016 title winner could have swung either way this season — catapult the team to new heights, or bury the team under too much agony and scrutiny. Turns out, it’s been a bit in the middle as Texas sat between 12th and 16th in the national rankings this spring. Returning senior Gavin Hall was the beacon balancing out the Longhorns and helping keep the team steady along with Ghim and Scheffler. Fields is proud of how his squad has endured throughout this season. Though they may remain humble while quieting their doubters, the Longhorns are fine with talking about the past if that’s what keeps them grounded in the present, and ready to dominate in the near future. “It’s such an unusual situation, that I don’t know if you can really be prepared for it,” Fields said of his players’ mentality coming back this season. “On a daily basis you deal with it the best you can. Some days you’re fine, and some days are not so good.” There was one moment this season — after the Western Intercollegiate tournament at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, Calif. on April 9 — that may have quietly manifested itself into one melding, motivating force.
Gavin Hall
Oregon finished in third place with a 353363-354=1070, and Texas came in eighth at 362-364-359=1085 — a letdown for the Longhorns. Then came the dinner afterward. “We were at dinner at Pasatiempo and all the teams were there, and the head coach from San Jose State, the host, said, ‘I want to thank the defending national champ for being here, Oregon,’” Fields recalled. “We didn’t know that was going to come out of his mouth. “Oregon beat us with four guys, beat us on their course, and took them to extra holes,” he continued. “We beat them on medal play and in 72 holes. But none of that matters. You don’t want to focus on that. We have to find a way to positively use that in an extremely constructive way to enhance our game.” Asked if he talked about that moment with the team, Fields responded, “I didn’t talk to the guys about it. We’re trying to get further away from it.” This is all to say that, in spite of everything, Fields views his guys as getting geared up to have fun playing golf and playing well. Hall, Ghim and Scheffler finished 11th, 24th and 30th, respectively, at the Western Collegiate, while Chervony and Soosman rounded out the top-five for Texas at Pasatiempo. Though Soosman only joined the team for the spring semester, he brought a budding contagious joy to the course that Fields would like to see spring into everyone’s step going forward. Along with Chernovy, the two aren’t afraid to let loose. “Steven and Spencer bring enthusiasm with them and that’s a good thing,” Fields said. “Teams we’re competing against that are having a good year are doing that with an enthusiastic approach.”
Scottie Scheffler
In March, Ghim was named to the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup team for a second-straight season. Ghim will travel around the world competing for Team USA along with nine fellow collegiate golfers to represent team USA. He’ll have a friendly face on the journey as well, as Fields was named the head coach for Team USA this year. In the beginning of the season, getting away from the ruminating reminders of last year sapped some of the joy of the game from the returning group. In the end, there’s an ultimate joy the Longhorns are ready to reap. “They envision themselves back at the national championship with another shot to win — that’s an overriding factor,” Fields said. “That’s more to the point. At this point, my guys are going to focus on the positives.” MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 45
Greta Isabella Voelker
THE WOMEN
AMID CHAOTIC WINDS AND a treacherous course, the Texas women’s golf team looked sharp in its final regular season tournament of the season. Texas’ fantastic performance had the team just on the heels of a top finish, claiming second place overall at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational at the Scarlet Course. The Longhorns were one shot off of the lead, shooting a 292-297-301=890 over the course of the tournament, with first-place Michigan State coming in at 300-290-299=889. Junior Sophia Schubert scored the top spot overall, shooting a 3-under-par 68-7273=213, besting second-place Sarah Burnham of Michigan State by 5 full strokes at the tournament, which concluded April 16. Senior Haley Mills came in fourth place with a 221, and behind her were freshmen Greta Isabella Voelker (227, 17th place) and Emilee Hoffman (235, 37th), followed by sophomore Maddie Luitwieler (240, 47th) and senior Julia Beck (241, 52nd). “We did good things this week, but this course also caught some people off guard,” head coach Ryan Murphy said after the invitational. “Winning would’ve been nice, but seeing this course, learning a few things and improving is a reward as well.” Leading up to that performance, Texas was already starting to peak, and Schubert’s play at the Scarlet Course definitely supported the trend. “Comprehensively, Sophia’s game is solid,” Murphy said. “Her ball striking is incredible, her iron play is strong and she’s thinking well,” Murphy said. “It was some of the best golf I have had the pleasure to watch in person — woman, man, amateur, or professional. It was simply terrific. I’m proud of Sophia’s play. She deserved to win this week.” Schubert’s stellar showing secured a season-best finish as the junior claimed second at the Clemson Invitational April 2. Hoffman and Voelker both shot an over-2 218 to tie for 22nd place, vaulting Texas to a fourth-place finish at the tournament. Schubert shot a 69-67-73=209 to take runner-up by a mere two strokes to Matilda Castren of Florida State. Schubert’s seasonbest performance put her ahead of three different players ranked in the Golfstat Top 14 (as of the tournament). “Sophia had a great week,” Murphy commented. “Tee-to-green, she was outstanding with her ball striking and was also sharp with her chipping and sand play. She just needed a couple more putts to drop and she wins.” Mills and Beck rounded out the top five for Texas, giving balance to the team with potent 46 HORNS ILLUSTRATED
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BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
Haley Mills
BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS
youth and steady experience heading into the postseason. “It was solid,� Murphy said after the tournament. “With one round to play, we were in position to win. That’s what you want as a coach and then it’s all about executing on that final round. Today the pins were more difficult, the wind shifted and the course played tougher. It yielded only two rounds in the 60s. When that’s the case, the player has to recognize that pars, in several places, is a good score. And above everything else, the player needs to be present in order to produce whatever their best score is that day. It’s an area that we need to continue to work on.� Though Mills and Voelker fared well at the Dr. Donnis Invitational in Kane’ohe, O’ahu, on March 15, the team as a whole had a tough time through the duration of the tournament. Hoffman recovered from a slow start to take 26th overall, and Texas finished in fifth place. The trials and tribulations so far away from home helped the team this spring. “It was a tough week for us in Hawaii,� Murphy said. “We got off to a slow start in round one and we did not rebound like we wanted. With five tournaments remaining on our schedule, we’ll hit the reset button back home and get back to work.�
Sophia Schubert
Emilee Hoffman
Horns Illustrated (ISSN 1096-2573), Volume 24, Number 3. Copyright Š 2017 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published seven times a year (monthly in January/February, March/April, May/June, July-September, October, November and December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 9417 B Solana Vista Loop, Austin, TX 78750. 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, $39.00. Periodicals Postage Paid =P QOPEJ 1AT=O =J@ =@@EPEKJ=H I=EHEJC KBł?AO POSTMASTER – send address changes to Horns Illustrated - P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Tel. (855) 246-7677. 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 EJ PDA ł?PEKJ KN OAIE ł?PEKJ =J@ NA=H LH=?AO KN persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $4.95 in U.S. MAY / JUNE 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 47
FINAL SCORE
POOL SHARKS
BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS
Texas punctuated its third consecutive national team title and NCAA-leading 13th national crown with authority at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships. The Longhorns won the national title with 542 points and tied their own NCAA record with 11 victories among the meet’s 21 events. Already the winningest coach in the sport’s history, Texas head coach Eddie Reese boasts NCAA team titles across onethird of his 39-year tenure in Austin. He was selected as the CSCAA Coach of the Year for a third consecutive season. The Longhorns shattered seven NCAA records and three American records in their four-day romp through the championships. The win moves the Longhorns out of a tie with Michigan and into No. 1 all-time with their 13 NCAA men’s swimming & diving titles.
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