
5 minute read
ENMU Athletics News
By Adam Pitterman
Greyhound Men’s Soccer Team Off to a Strong Start
On Sept. 1, the Greyhound men’s soccer team visited Colorado-Mesa, a team that reached the National Championship just two seasons ago. James Gutierrez made nine saves for the Hounds, to preserve a scoreless tie.

Junior Waly Elifrance (right) squares off against an Adams State University player.
The strong start didn’t stop there. Two days later, Robert Raspudic and Omary Shabani staked ENMU to an early lead en-route to a 3-1 win over Utah’s Westminster College.
After the Hounds nearly rallied from a 3-0 deficit against Adams State, they posted a hard-fought 1-0 win over Oklahoma Christian on a goal from Ryan Sinclair with less than 10 minutes left to play.
Women’s Soccer Team Also Makes Strong Debut
Although the women’s soccer team has had many strong seasons in its history, the season opener has always been rough for the program. In 2006, ENMU Hall of Honors inductee Megan Dozier found the back of Fort Lewis College’s net, lifting the team to a 2-1 win to kick off the season. Since then, Eastern had dropped the next nine season openers.

Junior Marissa Torres defends the goal during their game against Western State University.
On Sept. 1, goalkeeper Marissa Torres made her ENMU debut against Western State University and made 11 saves. The performance earned the first tie to open a season for the Hounds and the first season-opening double-overtime game.
Women’s Rodeo Team Wins College “Daze” for Second Straight Year
The rodeo teams got off to a strong start this past Sept. with the annual College “Daze” Rodeo at Lewis Cooper Arena. The women’s team finished first for the second straight year with Bailey Harwell and Lindsey Adcock leading the way with second-place performances in the barrel race and goat tying, respectively. The men’s team placed ninth and was led by Shane Hancock’s third-place performance in steer wrestling.

Senior Tierra Gray in competition at the 2016 College “Daze” Rodeo.
Photo by Kait Roberts
The women’s team claimed first place with 320 points, while Tarleton State was the runner-up with 275 points. Weatherford College placed third.
After a third-place finish in the first go, Harwell finished second in both the short round and average. With times of 17.75 and 17.66, she placed second out of 160 barrel racers.
Adcock split third, fourth, and fifth in the first round but won the short go with a time of 9.0 to place second in goat tying. Celie Vick finished fourth in the event.
Tierra Gray finished fourth among 146 breakaway ropers with a total time of 5.8. She placed fourth in both the first and short rounds.
Texas Tech won the men’s rodeo with 435 points, while the Eastern men placed 9th.
Women’s Cross Country Picked First in LSC Preseason Poll
The Lone Star Conference cross country coaches picked the ENMU women to win the conference in its preseason poll. The Greyhounds tallied seven first place votes and 184 points for the top honors. Tarleton State came in a close second in the poll while Midwestern State received 10 firstplace votes on the women’s side.

Senior Sierra Quinones is one of 13 runners on the women’s cross country team picked first in the LSC pre-season poll.
Photo by Sports Fanatic Photography
“We are honored by the selection,” ENMU cross country coach Danielle Kcholi said. “We hope that we can rise to the occasion and win the first championship in the program’s history.”

Sophomore Lorenzo Juarez pulls away from his competition.
Photo by Sports Fanatic Photography
The Greyhound men’s team was pegged for sixth in the LSC with West Texas A&M garnering the top spot.
A Fast Start for Volleyball
With a number of returning veteran players and a talented crop of newcomers, the Greyhound volleyball team is off to a strong start. After dropping the season opener in five sets to Northern Michigan, Eastern responded with three consecutive wins. The streak marked the first time the program won three of its first four games since the 2002 season.

Senior Lauren Frye helped the volleyball team win three of their four first games this season.
Business as Unusual
By Robert Graham
Originally from Truth or Consequences, NM, Karah Tooley (BS 15) is the new head coach for the ENMU spirit squad, including the cheerleading and dance teams. Karah is now earning her master’s in ENMU’s highly respected Communicative Disorders program.

Karah Tooley
“Communicating the right message is what I want to do as head coach for the spirit squad. This is an exciting time for the University with the new Greyhound Stadium, and I am excited to lead the charge on school spirit,” says Karah.
“Versatility is important for my student-athletes. I am looking to increase the number of participants on the team by 100 percent this year from 15 to 30 cheerleaders and dancers. This would allow us to be more places and meet the needs of our campus and our community,” says Karah.
Karah is also the assistant head coach for the Portales High School cheerleading team that earned second place at state competitions this past year. Karah’s unique position illustrates the future for Greyhound nation: working together with local community partners to achieve success.