DOUBLE EDGED COMPETITION & CAMARADERIE IN A&M FENCING
A&M WOMEN’S TENNIS BATTLES ON & OFF COURT
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CONTENT
CONTRIBUTORS
Editors
Zoe May, Editor in Chief
Sydnei Miles, Managing Editor
Hudson Elkjer, Art Director
Laura McClintock, Photo Director
Sydney Hale, Social Media Manager
Photographers
Adriano Espinosa, Rocio Salgado
Writers
Ayla Francis, Maryhelen Guerrero, Noah Ruiz, Madeline Townsend, Ian Curtis
Business and Distribution
Hayden Arevalo
Hamsini Mahedevan
Logan Russell
Cover
5 7 9 13 15 17 22
FENCING . COMPETITION . CONNECTIONS
Girl’s best friend
EQUESTRIAN . HORSES . BONDING
Behind the curtain
DIAMOND . DARLINGS . BASEBALL
Brotherhood
LACROSSE . TEAM . PASSION
Mental match
WOMEN’S . TENNIS . HOMES
More than a meal
NUTRITION . ATHLETES . CENTER
Photo by Laura McClintock, Photo Director
Photo by Adriano Espinosa, The Battalion Photographer
Story by Ayla Francis, Staff Writer
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” Proverbs 27:17.
On the Texas A&M fencing team, this proverb rings true as steel on steel links the team together. Since 1905, Aggie fencers have dedicated relentless skill and discipline to compete in the Southwest Intercollegiate Fencing Association, or SWIFA. A shared competitive fire fuels the team against opponents from Texas, Texas State, Oklahoma and more.
In these tournaments, the fencers split into their specialties out of the three types of swords: foil, épée and saber. From there, they duel their counterpart specialists in a “round robin” pool, meaning each team faces one another to equally vie for first, second and third level seeding. After that, it’s en garde — a fierce competition to advance through the narrowing elimination bracket. Win or lose, the Aggies bring their trademark spirit to every bout.
Coach Jorge Natera recounted adrenaline-packed tournaments as the most bonding team experiences. In fencing, he explained points are awarded in “encounters” when the player’s blade touches their opponent within a specific target area. Natera recounted the legendary spring 2024 t.u. tournament.
“Usually there’s five encounters, right, and since each team has three people, they fence each other to the best of nine,” Natera said. “The score was 4-4 for each school, and the last point in the final bout got everyone super excited when we won it. … We have a lot of pictures of everyone just rushing onto the strip.”
Surya Shetty, applied mathematics and computer science sophomore, reflected on similar euphoric victories.
“Whenever you score the last touch, and then we win, everyone just starts yelling and crowding up after the bout,” Shetty said. “For me, that’s one of the main reasons why I stayed in, because the thing that drives me and a lot of the other guys is competition. This year we’re on a really strong winning streak, and this should be the first year that we actually do end up winning the SWIFA National Championship overall.”
Although the outside competition fiercely motivates the team, the real struggle begins in practice. Each of the three weapon groups sorts their members into respectively ranked A, B and C teams.
“We have two people that alternate between A team because they’re always, like, one day beating the other, then the next day the other one wins,” Shetty said. “I feel like it gets kind of heated at that level because we’re fencing really seriously
“The thing is, we don’t really take it personally, because at the end, it’s a merit-based system; like, if you’re good and you perform well, you earn your spot … and we’re all representing the same team, we’re all representing A&M: Team A, B or C,” Shetty said.
Nutrition junior Ethan Ong said open competition betters the team.
“All of us kind of know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is really helpful having an outside perspective,” Ong said. “I think a lot of the beginners have the mindset going in to win, but in reality, it’s not just about the wins; you probably learn more from losing
Ong explained that through the common ground of fencing, it becomes easy to start a conversation with anyone on the team. Through the friendly one-on-one bouts, mutual suggestions for improvement are welcome.
“Our head coach, Jorge, while he’s fencing us, he’s noticing things we do, and then he tells us how to change it up,” Ong said. “He encourages us to strategize more and not be the same type of fencer that we were last week.”
Natera emphasized emotional wellness as a team necessity to balance with the competition.
“As the semester goes, everyone starts becoming better friends,” Natera said. “I encourage them to come to fencing at least once a week to kind of just disconnect for a little bit from school. All the officers also try to be open to, you know, talking with other members if there’s something difficult going on in their life. We’re here in case they need someone to talk to … and it’s a sport where you get to run at someone with a sword; sometimes it helps take out frustrations.”
Without a doubt, the fencers give their all battling for ranks and conquering in tournaments. But while working hard, they also play hard.
After being on the team since his freshman year, Ong could list memories from tournaments in San Marcos, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas.
“Whoever’s with me for carpool, I pick everyone up, and we all go to McDonalds at 6 a.m., which is the earliest we can leave,” Ong said.
“We get every single person, like, two McGriddles, a hashbrown and orange juice.”
The bonding over food for Ong and his
teammates didn’t end there. During a break in the tournament when the judges were seeding the fencers into brackets, the foil blade team decided to stroll uphill to a sandwich shop together.
“Somebody called us saying, ‘Yo … y’all are starting right now,’” Ong said. “We grabbed our sandwiches and sprinted back. They stalled the tournament for us. … While one person went on, the other two guys were scarfing down the sandwiches.”
Shetty added stories of bonding over meals as well.
“Every Thursday we have a team dinner, which has a big turnout every time,” Shetty said. “After practice, we tally up votes on what place we want to go together, and it’s always a really fun atmosphere. They’re genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
“We do quite a bit of different socials,” Natera confirmed. “We did an ice skating social and then went and had lunch afterwards, and we always do a Thanksgiving potluck right before break where everybody brings one food item. We socialize, play board games; we also watched the LSU game.”
Although divided into weapons and brackets, the Aggie fencers repeatedly accredited their unified growth to team encouragement, correction and bonding.
“A lot of these guys are friends outside of the club, too,” Shetty said. “I’ve seen a lot of really, really close relationships form from fencing.”
For decades, Texas A&M fencers have sharpened one another in wit and skill, striking a perfect balance between competition and camaraderie. Through every practice, team dinner, win and loss, the fencing team is dedicated to improving together on and off the strip.
A&M equestrian shares foundation of connection with their horses
Story by Maryhelen Guerrero, Staff Writer
Photos by Laura McClintock, Photo Director
The Texas A&M equestrian team is a group of riders who showcase a commitment to horsemanship and teamwork, competing at the highest levels with a focus on trust and mutual respect between rider and horse.
As the Spring term arrives, the riders are preparing for competition — with their first game of the season being against Southern Methodist University on Feb. 1. For these riders, each horse represents more than just athleticism, they are companions, sources of support, and their bond is what drives them to succeed both competitively and in life.
For agribusiness sophomore Isabelle Gonzalez, the path to the A&M equestrian team was influenced by determination and circumstance. As an out-of-state student, Gonzalez knew she wanted to go to A&M for agribusiness. She did just about everything to get recruited, from attending camps to sending videos to the coach — Gonzalez was nothing short of motivated.
“I grew up riding horses,” Gonzalez said. “I started out with ponies and I started competing when I was seven. I competed my whole life in middle school and high school.”
Her journey with Sophie, a young mare she bought after working at her family’s landscaping business, marked a turning point in her equestrian career. Despite being only two years old and having minimal training, she saw potential in Sophie and decided to train her herself. Through their hard work together, Gonzalez was able to show Sophie at a futurity, a prestigious competition of three-year-old horses.
“I never trained a horse before, this is kind of hard, she is really little, but she was so smart and so gifted,” Gonzalez said. “She was my best friend and I ended up showing her at a futurity and we ended up at finals so that was a really big deal. She had a massive impact on me just teaching me how to work with young ones and how to figure things out, and she also gave me a lot of confidence.”
In college, Gonzalez faces the challenge of bonding with different horses each day, as the team finds out which horse they’ll ride just before competition. With only four minutes to warm up, she emphasizes the importance of showing respect and confidence to quickly establish trust.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, they’ll know,” Gonzalez said. “Horses can hear your heartbeat, so if your heart rate increases, they’ll hear it and they’ll get nervous. So if you can stay calm and keep your heart rate low, it really helps them.”
Marketing sophomore Kate Egan was drawn to the equestrian program because of the team’s family-like atmosphere. Coming from New Jersey, she felt immediately welcomed by the A&M team, which helped her feel like part of the group from the start. While A&M’s academic excellence and athletic support were major factors in her decision, it was the sense of community that made the program stand out among others.
“I always knew that I wanted to ride D1 in college,” Gonzalez said. “There’s so many great schools that have equestrian team programs. The thing that drew me most to the A&M team was the family culture that we have.”
Her love for horses started at a young age, tagging along with her older sister to riding lessons before beginning on her own at age four and competing at age seven. Over the years, she competed in various equestrian events, blending her love for horses and her competitive nature. This experience laid the foundation for her journey toward competing at a collegiate level.
“I’ve been competing ever since then, and it’s been the most rewarding, amazing experience just meeting people from all over the country and all over the world and learning from amazing professionals and trainers,” Egan said.
One of the most significant relationships in her riding career was with Ypaja Kashmir, an eight-year-old horse that she trained and competed with before coming to college. Despite both of them being new to the equitation scene, their partnership led to winning the national final, making their journey even more special.
“He came over from Europe having no experience in the type of riding we do over here, and I just started my career in the more competitive levels of the equitation,” Egan said.
Egan shares that the skills she’s developed working with horses have translated into valuable lessons handling relationships with people. As a team member, she’s learned to adjust her communication style to meet the needs of both horses and teammates.
“Learning how to handle a 1200-pound animal and their own needs and emotions really helps you handle other humans and people,” Egan said. “My personality isn’t going to mesh with every horse because you’re not dealing with an object like other sports, you are dealing with an animal so learning what ques or the way you communicate something to them and accommodating your communication best helps into accommodating how you communicate to other people.”
Allied health senior Rylee Shufelt, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was drawn to Texas for its equestrian opportunities and the unique blend of cultures she’s encountered. Growing up, her passion for horses was ignited by her grandfather, a lifelong cowboy who introduced her to riding at a very young age. Riding together in the mountains and going on roundups, she developed a deep bond with horses.
“My grandfather on my dad’s side was a famous cowboy artist, and he was a cowboy his whole life,” Shufelt said. “He got me into riding and I started out when I was a baby. I fell in love with horses and we would always ride in the mountains and go on roundups and I would sit in front of him in the saddle. There’s a story that whenever we would turn around, I would start crying because I didn’t want to get off the horse.”
Over the years, Shufelt has formed a strong connection with a horse named Celsius, whom she often turns to for support. Walking him to his stall after a tough day would offer her comfort and how their bond remained strong even as he faced health challenges. After three months of riding him, Celsius became sick for three years and eventually underwent colic surgery.
“Celsius has almost died on me three times, it was pretty tragic,” Shufelt said. “The recovery process for [colic] is a long time. Honestly, I quit riding for six months because, in that process, I was leasing horses and those horses were getting hurt and I was just so torn. The bondage between the horse and the sport was getting to me and I was like, ‘Maybe I am bad luck and need to leave,’ so I quit riding for a little bit.”
Despite hardships, their perseverance led to a major success at their first show back, placing second at Capital Challenge, the final event of the year.
“I get on some horses and they are so special and some of them ride so nice,” Shufelt said. “It makes you realize that these are God’s gifts on Earth and they are given to us.”
In the end, it’s the combination of passion and hard work that allow Shufelt to excel in both her sport and her studies. Her commitment to the horses pushes her to stay disciplined and accountable as she makes it a priority to get everything else done before turning her attention to the horses.
“Being on a team you have leadership roles whether you take them or not,” Shufelt said. “I not only wanted to make a difference on my team, I wanted to prove to the world that equestrian is a sport.”
Photo provided by Shea Morgan Photography
How the Diamond Darlings work to make Aggie baseball shine
Story by Sydnei Miles, Managing Editor
In chess, the king may be the most important piece on the board, but the queen is the most powerful, as she performs more than any other token. This sentiment stands true for the Texas A&M baseball team.
The Olsen Field ‘magic’ would not be what it is without the women at work behind the scenes. Aggie Diamond Darlings, a women’s support organization for the A&M baseball team, strives in its efforts to support the team as best as possible.
Established in 1972, Aggie Diamond Darlings stands as the oldest women’s organization at A&M — making an impact for over 50 years. They are a recognized organization within A&M athletics and support the baseball team on and off the field, President Jordan Little said.
“Aggie Diamond Darlings [is] just a support group for the baseball team, and the fans,” Little said. “We’re kind of that barrier that gets the fans involved with the baseball team. We help out in the dugout, so we get the bats, the balls, all the foul balls, anything like that. Outside of the dugout, we pass out programs in front of the stadium. We have a guest services booth where we fill up the bubble machines, answer any questions. … We just try to interact with the fans as much as we can, and bring that relationship with the baseball team.”
The Aggie Diamond Darlings host fundraising events, which are a huge help in obtaining funding. Event Coordinator Suzie Gonzalez said her job is to stay on top of planning logistics and getting their fundraising for the year.
“In the fall, we really just have our one big event, which is our golf tournament,” Suzie said. “That’s where we get most of our funding to do our travels at the end of the year. In the spring, I’m hoping this year to get a pickleball tournament started up so we get a little bit more money to go towards travel, and then just different events. We’re going to try to do a parents tailgate. We’ll have an alumni reunion, and then we do our semi-formal at the end of the year.”
As a small all-girls organization recognized within A&M Athletics, Vice President Lizzie Gonzalez said the group is very close with one another, fostering a sisterhood dynamic and connection.
“I feel like a lot of the organizations that have to do with athletics now are becoming more coed,” Lizzie said. “And so it is nice that we’re a group of 20 girls. So, it’s like tight knit, and it’s all girls, and we’re still affiliated with athletics. So that’s pretty cool, too.”
Public Relations Chair of Aggie Diamond Darlings,
Bryce Zeig, said being a part of the organization has helped her feel right at home.
“I grew up in a big baseball family,” Zeig said. “My brother played travel ball and all the things. I’m actually from a town really close by. So, we came to a lot of Aggie baseball games, and I sort of knew of the organization and I really sought it out, and I knew that that’s where I would find my friends and [where] I would want to be.”
The relationship between the Aggie Diamond Darlings and the baseball team is one of mutual respect. Little said they are very interactive with the team and the coaches, which is a unique aspect of their organization.
“It’s by our choice, but we travel,” Little said. “Not to away games, we travel to tournaments. Like, we’ll travel to the Astros tournament that they’re having. We’ll travel to Hoover and we’ve traveled to Omaha. I feel like it’s really cool to see the boys’ faces when they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, the Diamond Darlings are here. Like they traveled, that’s pretty cool.’ We don’t have as much interaction in the dugout because we’re both there for a purpose. It’s almost kind of like a team bond. We’re here to do a job, you’re here to do a job. We respect each other. So, I just think it creates a really cool bond.”
As someone who grew up loving baseball, Little said supporting the A&M baseball team is different. It’s more than just baseball — it’s the community that makes it all worthwhile.
“We work our tails off, all of us do,” Little said. “It seems like we just show up to look pretty, but it really is a tough job sometimes, and we feel recognized. We feel a part of the team, we feel just as necessary, even though none of us could go out and hit a ball. … It’s just kind of that feeling of, ‘Oh, wow, we are important, and we do belong here.’”
For the Aggie Diamond Darlings, their close friendships and shared love for baseball makes their job even more enjoyable. Whether they’re sitting in the guest service booth for five hours or working the dugout, there’s never a dull moment with one another, Zeig said.
“Aggie baseball, there’s nothing like it,” Zeig said. “Olsen magic, you hear that all the time, and that’s so true. There’s nothing like being at Olsen Field. The 12th Man is awesome. I love the energy at the stadium, but truly, these girls are my best friends.”
So, as you pack the stands of Olsen Field to see the greatness on the field, don’t forget about the girls behind the curtain. The ones behind the scenes that make it happen.
In a state dominated by football, a sport normally popular in the Mid-Atlantic and American Northeast has extended its reach to Texas. There, it has found a home deep in the hearts of Texas A&M students and alumni who have shared a belief and love for the game for over 50 years.
When listening to the Aggie War Hymn or the deafening roar of Kyle Field, it is not difficult to spot the “redass” Aggie faithful who are committed to the Spirit of Aggieland, preserving decades of tradition through acts and faith. Willing and committed are these folks, fighting to keep the “ol’ army days” merely a touch away from the 21st century.
In 1972, however, this different, coastal sport and the A&M Club Lacrosse team were forged from the same Bonfire flames that unite the school on the gridiron. Less than a mile away from Kyle at Simpson Drill Field, Professor Charles F. “Doc” Hall and graduate student Dave Gruber gathered 37 Aggies to create the first college lacrosse team in the state of Texas, kick-starting generations of students that would drive blood, sweat and tears into this great game.
Now 53 years later, the latest A&M lacrosse president and 12th Man sport management junior Ryan Squire commands a team that believes in what lacrosse can be here in Aggieland.
In fact, there is no better place to generate this level of excitement for a less prominent sport. After all, Texans and non-Texans alike are no strangers to the Aggies’ immense passion for their school and what sets it apart from anywhere else in the world. To them, it is a badge of honor to represent the Maroon and White, a pride born from a willingness to embody the Core Values and don the Aggie Ring, practice some good bull and make a difference in one’s community.
“It’s about being my best, playing hard and true with my teammates,” business sophomore Brett Mays said. “It’s about being a good sport and being a face of a high-level program and university.”
However, in a state that prefers the Friday and
Photo by Laura McClintock, Photo Director
Story by Noah Ruiz, The Battalion Sports Reporter
A&M club lacrosse and the bonds that unite it
Saturday night lights of football, the team’s strength has to come from within. It is not as easy to come by a rousing crowd of thousands, screaming your name to run the ball or bury your opponent. On the lacrosse field, Squire and his crew stay committed to appreciating this sport.
“My love for the game gives me something that I can do five days a week and gives me a little reset for me from everything else going on in life,” economics junior Connor Milne said. “It gives me the opportunity to come out here and do something not everyone can do. The opportunity itself serves as a reminder for me to give every day my best and really appreciate what I’m working hard for.”
As it is for any sport or extracurricular activity, difficulty comes with the territory for these young men and their continuation of a decades-long Aggie tradition.
“I’d say the transition from high school to here was the most difficult challenge,” communication senior Ben Woodhouse said. “Everyone here on the team was the guy and you knew when you walked onto the field that you had to work and earn the respect of everyone around you. A new team means an even playing field so we have to go out there and make an effort for what we know we can do.”
Despite these occasional hardships, the men of the A&M lacrosse team have persevered and have maintained a belief in what they pour their heart and time into. Lifelong memories and stories of clashes on the field have remained a fuel for this band of brothers.
“I remember last year when we went back to my hometown of Fort Worth and beat TCU in overtime,” industrial distribution fifth-year Jake Johnston said. “I got a crucial stop so we could get the ball and then we drove it downfield and scored. Everyone was so happy.”
Now with a brand new coach at the helm of the program, the Aggies look to begin an all-new chapter in the book of A&M lacrosse.
“I’m unbelievably grateful to begin this new era of Aggie lacrosse as head coach,” first-year head coach Travis Doak said. “I hope to set a tone of
seriousness and commitment. In the past, the team has been treated as just a club sport but I would like to make this as close to an NCAA program as possible, with strong loyalty coming from participants, and embody what it is to be a good Aggie and teammate.”
Further still, Coach Doak and his squad look to the future and watch in eager anticipation of what is to come next for the sport of lacrosse at their university and the great state of Texas. Doak knows very well what resources the school and alumni have at their disposal, and can very easily see the lacrosse team having a chair on the university’s front porch.
“Well there’s already ‘Pack Reed,’ I want there to be a ‘Pack Pen’ come Feb. 21 when we face off against Texas at home,” Doak said.
Financial help and funding come in thanks to the Doc Hall Foundation, which was established in 2005. In the year of its 20th anniversary, the young men of the A&M lacrosse team and its alumni aim to preserve the growing Aggie program.
“I want to leave a legacy of high character, quality and enthusiasm,” international affairs sophomore Erickson Mathieu said. “Something that can keep me and others going all day in both the classroom and day-to-day life”
“I hope to contribute to a winning culture that takes down Texas and brings home a Lone Star Alliance Championship,” human resource development sophomore Andrew Lindley said. “I’ll take these bonds I’ve formed on this team and take them into my future.”
As the new season draws ever closer, the A&M Club Lacrosse team awaits the moment to usher in a new look and leadership of the sport they hold so dear at their beloved university. Belief and love are the ingredients and victory is the plan. Every great dynasty starts from square one and perhaps a late February beatdown of arch-rival t.u. can provide the spark necessary to get all of the heat of Texas thinking coastal cool.
Photo by Rocio Salgado, The Battalion Photographer
Women’s tennis and their ability to conquer all opponents
Story by Madeline Townsend, Staff Writer
Rain, wind, snow and heat, tennis players endure physical pains every week, pushing their bodies to the extreme. Physically, they’ve never been stronger; mentally, they face their biggest competitors. Student athletes are held to the highest expectations: players who can only get better. However, they know first hand, wins on the court don’t always mean wins in their head as they battle to balance their academics, social life and their sport.
The Texas A&M Women’s Tennis team is not at a loss for trophies; from 2024 National Champions to SEC Champions since 2022, these women truly prove you can do it all — but how do they stay not only physically ready, but mentally? They have to win matches on and off the court, coming from all over the world to represent the Aggies.
The two seniors on the team, Mary Stoiana and Jeanette Mireles, know they have to stay focused in the middle of the tennis chaos.
“I visualize a lot, maybe not even pregame, just in general, I’ll do visualization, and that seems to help,” Stoiana said. “I love doing yoga. It’s great for the body in general, but it does put me in a relaxed, meditative state.”
Mireles said she spends time with herself to be calm physically but also mentally, journaling every morning.
“I’ve been doing it since my freshman year,” Mireles said. “My mom suggested it to me one time, and she said that it really helped her through a tough time period in college, and it just helps keep my thoughts clear. I just jot anything down that I’m ever thinking. It just helps me think clearly.”
Growing up just a few hours away in Houston, Mireles said adjusting to a big university was one of her biggest struggles as she was homeschooled as a way to devote her time to tennis. In order to mentally focus before big matches, Mireles leans into her faith and mom.
“I grew up Catholic, and that was something that I was always taught growing up, if I was ever having any sort of anxiety or nerves, just pray through it,” Mireles said. “Before all of my matches, I’ll call my mom and she’ll pray with me. And I used to call our university Chaplain Mikado, and he would pray with me before a few of my matches, and then I’ll just spend time with girls in the locker room.”
Mireles isn’t the only one who struggled to adjust as junior Daria Smetannikov said she is able to balance her social life, academics and tennis by taking advantage of A&M’s resources.
“Usually I give myself a time during the day where I do just school after practice,” Smetannikov said. “The academic center for student athletes really helps you with your schoolwork. If you’re struggling or anything, you can always get a tutor whenever you need so that really helps me balance it as well.”
Stoiana pushes everyone, not just student athletes, to speak out on their mental health and take advantage of the resources the university provides.
“There’s so many resources and people who are willing to help you,” Stoiana said. “If there’s anything going on, I like to share and talk about it, and [there’s] always people trying to help. People think there’s no one or no one cares but people do care. They exist and they would want to help.”
Smetannikov said she doesn’t get discouraged in the face of a loss but is inspired by the challenge.
“I try to remember this is all a learning experience, and that I can take any kind of setback and turn it into bettering myself,” Smetannikov said. “Every loss is an opportunity to learn something, and there’s always going to be a next match and a new opportunity, and not one singular result is not life or death.”
Stoiana argues losses are best kept in the past and serve as fuel to grow.
“You try to have short term memory with losses and just know that there’s always another tennis match to be played,” Stoiana said. “I like to draw from the losses and see what I can learn from it because I know that every experience is you win the match or you learn something.”
Freshman Lexington Reed shines through as the only freshman on the team; she reinforces the importance of a surrounding support system.
“I have so many supportive people around me and tennis is a very individual sport, so having a team now that’s really supportive, and court coaches that travel with us, it’s helped me,” Reed said.
Stoiana said she looks up to all her teammates for their ability to perform consistently.
“They go out there on the court and just take challenges head on, and they look so fearless. All my teammates that go out and play regularly inspire me for sure,” Stoiana said.
Mia Kupres said although she has been travelling to Europe and all over the world for years, the constant distance from home takes its toll.
“Sometimes it gets a little bit mentally taxing to be on the road for away matches, multiple weekends in a row, and you just want to sleep in your own bed and be in your own routine, so that can make each match feel a little bit more tiring and it piles on sometimes,” Kupres said.
In order to stay grounded, Kupres said she reminds herself of the amount of opportunities she has at A&M.
“I just have to remember that I have so much more going on at A&M than just my sport,” Kupres said. “That’s the main reason why I’m here. But I also have an amazing opportunity to get a degree and study something that I enjoy, and I have amazing teammates that I love spending time with.”
There’s a secret behind Aggie athletics, and it’s nothing short of magic. From scratch to plate, the newly opened Clark Nutrition Center pours intention into every nutrient provided.
With their grand opening in fall 2024, the nutrition center has kicked off Texas A&M athletes with a vibrant variety of nutrient-packed meals. Replacing the previously closed Slocum Nutrition Center, this specialized kitchen for performance nutrition now proudly bears the namesake of Dennis Clark, Class of ’68, and wife Linda, generous 12th Man Foundation donors. So far, the center has been a hit with the athletes and fueled them well for all their hard work. The method behind the madness of A&M athletic success is a masterpiece of science, technology and deliberate intention behind every step of the nutrition process.
Upon arrival in the center, athletes come equipped with a game plan for each daily meal. They personally meet with dieticians who analyze their training goals to educate them in ideal portions and food types. Carly Fancher, assistant athletics director for performance nutrition, said she recently helped conduct analyses on all 129 football players to prepare their meal plans.
“Based off their metabolic rate, their current body composition, and then what their goals are for the offseason, we come out with a game plan: so caloric needs, protein needs, carbohydrate needs, fat needs … and then we walk them through the dining facility and really show them how all of those numbers translate onto the plate,” Fancher said.
Charlie Shears, business freshman and football player, said their nutrition plan comes from an indepth technology called DEXA body scans.
“This machine basically does an X-ray of your entire body, but it’s a different type of X-ray that’s pretty cool,” Shears said. “It measures your water weight, body fat, muscle mass and provides you with a really high quality image. It’ll tell you, ‘Hey, your right arm has 2.5 lbs. more muscle than you do in your left arm, we got to fix that.’ Or, ‘your leg has 10% more fat than you do in your other leg.’”
Lucy Landherr, business freshman and soccer team member, said she has yet to have a meal she didn’t like at Clark.
“We have really busy schedules as athletes, and it makes it so easy to just run in there and serve yourself a good meal before training,” Landherr said. “We can get protein shakes or smoothies to go, and that’s definitely one of my favorite things because it helps me get my protein in, and they always taste so good.”
Photo by Laura McClintock, Photo Director
Behind the scenes of A&M nutrition
Story by Ayla Francis, Staff Writer
Fancher explained that each of the available food stations at the center, like the smoothie bar, salad bar, meat cuts station, flatbread oven and more, serve different nutritional purposes depending on where the athletes are in their day.
“When we think about a game day, that could be a time where we see increased anxiety, and our digestion actually slows down,” Fancher said.“So things that we want to be mindful of are not having anything high fiber, spicy or high fat, so our pregame meals are going to tend to look a lot leaner, a lot more bland, and then really focused on complex carbs, protein, fruit and vegetables.”
“A postgame meal, when you’re coming out of that, we’re getting a lot of those nutrients that are going to help reduce inflammation and build and repair that lean muscle tissue as we get into training again, and that’s more of what you’re craving, what sounds good to you,” Fancher said. “You just really want them to start that recovery process. That means being a little bit more focused on nutrient density and quality of what we’re consuming as well as the quantity.”
When it comes to quality, the nutrition center goes above and beyond to keep harmful ingredients out of their athletes’ bodies.
“I love how the food is quality, and there aren’t any bad oils and stuff, so it’s really good food that’s prepared well, and it has never failed me,” Landherr said.
Fancher said the nutrition center works with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, who helps provide the most natural, non-processed foods for performance fueling. While still utilizing local vendors and incorporating dietary restrictions, the kitchen designs their meals from scratch, mindfully using healthy oils.
“For example, if we have chicken tenders tonight, we’re getting chicken in, we’re cutting it into the strips, we’re hand-breading it, and then we are frying it ourselves,” Fancher said. “So, we’re making our own croutons, salad dressings, sauces, marinades, cutting our own fillets and getting it as locally as possible and as fresh as possible. Nothing is processed or comes in frozen; everything comes in fresh daily.”
With the details of nutrition science and a passion for the athletes’ success, the nutrition center is well equipped to serve in style.
“The big thing for me is when the athletes come into that space, we are providing them the healthiest, simplest meals that we possibly can that are flavorful, and they’re excited about eating,” Fancher said.
The fast-paced, city-hopping travel of A&M men’s tennis
Story by Ian Curtis, The Battalion Managing Editor
One chilly January weekend, and Texas A&M men’s tennis is staying warm and trying to beat UCLA and Harvard just outside of Boston. A week later, and they’re enjoying the beaches of Malibu before facing Pepperdine in another road test. Just a few days later, and they’re on the road again to face a top-five Ohio State squad.
The Aggies’ travel schedule is not for the faint of heart.
“We’re kind of zigzagging the country,” coach Steve Denton said. “So for me, it’s really important for the guys to keep their legs fresh and so not practicing too much, but also trying to get them acclimated as quickly as possible to give ourselves the best chance for success.”
And unlike most other sports, the travel process isn’t as smooth as a private jet out of Easterwood Airport in College Station. The team flies commercial, which usually means a drive to Houston before nearly every away trip.
“It’s 10 times more of a grind, just because of all the time that’s added,” senior Luke Casper said. “We’re very grateful and it’s an opportunity not everyone gets to have, to travel and spend time with your teammates and
the coaches, and get to work and play matches. … Every time we travel, it’s an hour and 45 to Houston and then back. So it’s like we have to leave early hours and get back late. So it’s very demanding.”
Denton, who has won a pair of Southeastern Conference Tournament titles and a trio of regular season conference crowns during his nearly two-decade tenure in Aggieland, said his non-conference scheduling is strategic and designed to test the Maroon and White before SEC play — and help prep his players for future pro careers.
“We have one of the hardest schedules in the country every year,” Denton said. “We’ve not ever really tried to pad our stats, wins and losses. For me, it’s about preparing our guys to help them for the future, so that they’re ready to be able to handle the rigors of the circuit. And so we play difficult teams, and by doing that, that means that everybody that’s playing is having a challenge in
terms of the level that they’re playing against.”
Denton, a former US Open doubles champion who made the singles finals of the Australian Open twice, knows that the travel schedule also prepares the Aggies for a future in the world of professional tennis — and the multiple Aggies at the most recent French Open and Australian Open prove it.
“When you first start playing the circuit as a young pro tennis player, you’re not on the Dom Pérignon circuit right away, you have to work your way up,” Denton said. “ … There’s some pretty tough conditions that you have to go through if you’re going to break through and make it to the top. And our guys are prepared for that because of the type of traveling that we have to do and the difficulties that we put them under, and dealing with adversity and pressure and things like that. … I think we’re doing something right in that regard, to prepare these young men to be able to go play.”
So much time away from home does place a strain on the academic side of things, Casper said.
“Stay on top of things as much as you can,” Casper said. “Little things, like packing, just trying to stay ahead of the schedule a little bit so you’re not super stressed. I think that’s
the biggest thing.”
That’s not to say it’s all business, though. Traveling the country — even if it is for business — does come with its own perks.
“It’s awesome to be out here,” senior Giulio Perego said. “ … It is very demanding from a school standpoint, as a physical standpoint, because the travels are long, but it is very fun. We’ve never been here [playing against] Pepperdine in Malibu. We’ve done very cool trips overall.”
Denton says the team’s intense travel — and the logistical problems that sometimes pop up along the way — have helped build the Aggies’ unique identity that will carry them to success long after they leave the courts of the Mitchell Tennis Center.
“We’re blue collar,” Denton said. “And we don’t have private planes to take us to places. Our budgets are great in that regard, but we do have some difficulty in traveling. … And you know, that’s a challenge for us, but at the same time, it’s preparation for these guys to be able to deal with a bit more adversity, to not get spoiled to a certain extent, and so I think our guys have quite a bit of humility about them.”
