The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship qualifiers for the 30th Annual event. The 31-team championship will get underway with the National Championship Opening Round at 15 campus locations on Nov. 23. The 15 Opening Round winners, as well as host Mobile, will advance to the national championship final site in Orange Beach, Ala. The Orange Beach Sportsplex houses the 16 teams from Dec. 2-7. After winning both the Red River Athletic Conference regular season title and the championship tournament, the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints qualified for its first-ever national trip. The Saints are ranked No. 18, up one place from last week, in the 2013 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll — Final that was released on Nov. 17. Read full story online.
Category: News
OLLU’s Nashae Owens selected as conference ‘Women’s Basketball Player of the Week’
Nashae Owens earned selection as Red River Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the dates of Nov. 11-17. Owens, a junior guard from Pearland, Texas, averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game as the Saints won a pair of games at the LSU Shreveport Classic. She exploded for 26 points and seven assists in a 92-86 victory over Xavier University, the highest ranked team OLLU has ever beaten. Owens then accounted for 14 points and six assists in a 99-72 trouncing of Philander Smith College. She made 12-of-24 shots from the field on the week as 17th-ranked OLLU ran its record to 3-0. Read full story online.
OLLU men’s basketball loses close game to MidAmerica Nazarene
The men’s basketball lost its home opener against NAIA No. 15-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) 99-97 before an enthusiastic Mabee Gymnasium. The Saints drop to 1-3, while MNU improves to 6-0. Head Coach Ryan Wall said, “The kids played hard, but we made some mental mistakes and the ball just wasn’t falling in for us when we needed it to. But MidAmerica is a good team with a coach who will be in the Hall of Fame one day. The game was a good practice for us to get ready for conference.” Saints’ senior captain Marcus Thompson scored a career-high 21 points, including 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Xavier Roberson scored 29 points consisting of 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-7 field goals and 9-of-12 free throws. Dylan Elias scored 20 points for the Saints to include 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from 3-point range. The Saints committed 12 turnovers while forcing 23.
The Saints will return to Mabee Gym next Friday and Saturday to host their third annual Halo Classic. On Nov. 22, Northwood University will face the University of St. Thomas at 5:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., the Saints will play Texas Wesleyan University. On Nov. 23, St. Thomas will play Texas Wesleyan and at 4 p.m., the Saints will play Northwood. Read more online.
OLLU women’s basketball defeats Xavier and Philander Smith in LSU Classic
The women’s basketball opened its regular season this weekend with a pair of wins over NAIA Gulf Coast Athletic Conference members Xavier University and Philander Smith University. The Saints beat Xavier 92-86 and Philander Smith 99-72 at the Louisiana State University – Shreveport Classic Tournament. The NAIA No. 17-ranked Saints improve to 3-0 overall, while No. 15-ranked Xavier drops to 2-2 and Philander to 4-4. The Saints will play their next game in San Antonio against NCAA Division I University of the Incarnate Word on Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Saints Basketball Day
The Our Lady of the Lake University men’s and women’s basketball teams will be at the Mall Area on Thursday from 12:15-1:30 p.m. to autograph their Saints schedule posters for whoever wants one. In addition, Frito pies and other Saints gear will be given away, while supplies last. All of the OLLU community is invited to come by and get a poster to display in offices, dorm rooms, at home and other populated areas. For additional information, or to get a poster beforehand, contact Patty Constantin at 210-434-6711, ext. 5505.
Women’s soccer and cross-country made history this past weekend
Both the women’s soccer team and the women’s cross-country team won their first-ever conference championship this past weekend.
The Saints captured the 2013 Red River Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament crown on Saturday after beating the University of Texas at Brownsville 2-1 in the championship match. The Saints also won the regular season crown. The Saints will advance to the first round of the 30th Annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Soccer National Championship on Nov. 23. The first-round games will take place at campus sites that will be determined next week. Winners will advance to the championship tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., Dec. 2-7.
Head Coach Arthur Salazar, who was named conference “Coach of the Year,” said, “I am extremely proud of this team. They have been able to persevere through many obstacles to be able to call themselves champions. UTB is a very tough team and our girls had to fight to the very end. Their heart and desire to win are immeasurable.” Read full story online.
The women’s cross-country team won the Red River Athletic Conference Championship Meet on Friday. The Saints overall score was 1:38:06.2. Head Coach Stephen Sherman, who received conference “Coach of the Year,” said, “I could not be more proud of the women. I challenged them more than any since I arrived at OLLU. In fact, I was not always fun to be around, but it’s always because I knew what they were capable of if they went all in. They went all in, and now we have the two best RRAC meet finishes in school history including a women’s championship.” Read full story online.
Conference awards were announced, as well. Stephanie Diaz received soccer’s “Offensive Player of the Year.” Diaz, Amaris Tavares, Victoria Vazquez and Brandy Salazar received First-Team honors. Stephania Vazquez, Brianna Burtone and Alissa Villarreal received Second-Team honors. Alyssa Mora was named to soccer’s Champions of Character Team.
Chosen as cross-country’s Freshman of the Year was Ceara O’Donnell. The All-Conference Team included O’Donnell, Erica Ramos, Laura Echeverria and Alexandria De Luna.
Volleyball’s Kendall Groff and Gloriana Villarreal selected to All-Conference First Team
Kendall Groff and Gloriana Villarreal were selected to the 2013 All-Red River Athletic Conference First Team in volleyball. Named to the Second-Team were Alysha Blanco and Alexandra Wilborn. Honorable Mention included Sydney Herrera and Vanessa Ortega. Champions of Character were Brittany Martinez and Janelle Solis. All-Academic team included Ortega, Stephanie Rubio, Villarreal and Bryttany Willoughby. Read full story online.
Luis Flores and Angel De la Garza named conference ‘Players of the Year’ in soccer
Men’s soccer co-captain Luis Flores was named Defensive Player of the Year, while teammate Angel De la Garza was named Newcomer of the Year in the Red River Athletic Conference. Members of the First-Team included Yared Temesgen, De la Garza and Flores; Second-Team included Robert Alexe, Elias Cortes and Zackery Brewer; Champions of Character selectee was Flores. Read full story online.
OLLU’s Ornela Bacchini receives conference ‘Women’s Basketball Player of the Week’ honors
Ornela Bacchini was selected as Red River Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week for the dates of Nov. 4-10. Bacchini, a senior center from Buenos Aires, Argentina, missed only two shots while accounting for 17 points and nine rebounds in an 81-74 defeat of Texas Wesleyan University. She was 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line as the Saints won their season opener. Read full story online.
The Lake Front hosting panel on Hispanic media in San Antonio
The Lake Front is hosting “The Changing Face of Hispanic Media in San Antonio,” a panel featuring San Antonio media leaders, Friday at 6 p.m. in Providence Hall, Blue Room. OLLU alumni Geraldine Ortega from KDVA-TV/Telemundo and David Romo from KWEX-TV/Univision will be part of the panel.
For more information, contact The Lake Front at 210-434-6711, ext. 2445 or amcasas@ollusa.edu.
Refreshments will be served.