Tag: Featured Posts

‘La Charreada! La Rodeo Mexicana’ to be screened on Feb. 17

The award-winning documentary film, “La Charreada! La Rodeo Mexicana,” will be screened on Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the McNair lab in the Moye lower level. 

Presented by the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program and the Center for Mexican American Studies and Research (CMASR), the film explores the centuries-old tradition of Mexican rodeo on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Anthropologist Dr. Olga Nájera-Ramirez will discuss the making of the documentary and the cultural traditions and values embedded in La Charreada’s performance, focusing on gender, race and class.

The film may also be viewed online at: https://bit.ly/3GlNDGK

Campanas de America Valentine’s Day concert set for Feb. 12

The annual Campanas de America Valentine’s Day concert will be held at Thiry Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.

The concert offers an evening of romantic music performed by Campanas de America, a renowned, 12-piece mariachi ensemble. The band (Bells of America) was founded in 1978 and named after alumna Belle Ortiz (BA 1971).   

Tickets range from $15 to $30. Students, faculty and staff receive $5 off each ticket. All purchases must be made at the University Events Office located at the Durango House,  Monday through Friday, from 2 until 5 p.m.

Doors to the concert open at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Elizabeth Longoria at 210-528-7152 or email at elongoria@ollusa.edu.

Baseball completes four-game series against Central Methodist

Hear from Head Coach Bryan Aughney and watch highlights.

The baseball team was swept in a four-game series against No. 2-ranked Central Methodist University (CMU) this weekend. The Saints drop to 1-6 overall while the Eagles start the season 4-0.

Game One

The Saints had a tough start to the series against the Eagles. Central Methodist scored 16 runs on 15 hits including four home runs. OLLU’s lone run came in the bottom of the second inning when Matthew Klar (JR/San Antonio, Texas) singled to center field to score Francisco Martinez (FR/San Antonio, Texas). The Saints were held to five hits and left seven runners on base. Alec Martinez (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) pitched 4.2 innings allowing 10 hits and nine earned runs. The Saints used four relief pitchers that allowed a combined seven runs.

Noah Rodriguez (JR/Victoria, Texas) batted 2-for-3 and Klar tallied the lone RBI. Alex Garza (SO/Houston, Texas) struck out two batters in one inning of work.

Game Two

The Eagles continued scoring at will in the second game of the series. They brought home 12 runs on nine hits with seven players recording at least one RBI. After allowing four runs in the top of the first inning, the Saints responded with three in the bottom of the frame. Tyler Vivier (SO/San Antonio, Texas), Jacob Mitchell (SR/Harker Heights, Texas) and Rodriguez all drove in runs. The Saints had the potential to tie the game, but left the bases loaded. Central Methodist scored three more runs in the top of the second inning and led 7-3 until the sixth inning. Bobby Nichols hit an inside the park home run to grow the Eagles lead to 8-3. The Saints responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning but ended up losing 12-5.

Five different Saints players recorded an RBI. Robert Arredondo (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) and Francisco Martinez both had two hits.

Game Three

The Saints started the second day of the series with a lead after three innings in game three. After the Eagles had a 1-0 advantage in the third inning, the Saints recorded two runs. Francisco Martinez doubled to center field to score Mitchell and Jacob Montejano (JR/San Antonio, Texas). The Eagles tied the game in the top of the fifth inning and added three more runs in the sixth inning to end up winning 5-2. The Saints had six hits but committed three errors. Brett Vasquez (JR/Baytown, Texas) had a career-high 11 strikeouts in five innings of work.

Montejano batted 2-for-3 and Francisco Martinez added two RBIs. Pablo Trevino (FR/San Juan, Texas) led the Saints with 11 putouts.

Game Four

The Saints struggled in the series finale. They gave up nine runs on 10 hits and were only able to muster three hits total. OLLU’s two runs came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Francisco Martinez homered to left field to score Mitchell. Javier De Alejandro (FR/San Antonio, Texas) started on the mound for the Saints and allowed five earned runs in three innings. Ziegen Farley (FR/San Antonio, Texas), Guiliano Hernandez (FR/Boerne, Texas) and Mitchell pitched in relief. Francisco Martinez finished with a team-high two RBIs.

Up next

The Saints welcome Mid America Christian University for a four-game series starting on Feb. 11.

Softball begins 2022 campaign on Feb. 11

Hear from Head Coach Bruce Lenington as he discusses the 2022 season.

The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) softball program is preparing for a successful season starting on Feb. 11 after its OLLU Star Shuttle Classic scheduled for Feb. 4-6 was canceled due to weather conditions. The team features numerous new faces and transfer athletes, as well as senior leaders and solid returners.

Coaching staff

Head Coach Bruce Lenington returns for his third season as the leader of the Saints. He holds a 37-32 overall record at OLLU and an impressive .714 winning percentage in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Assistant Coaches Jody Armijo and Nicholas Espinoza will begin their third season aiding Lenington. Katrisha Arocha joins the assistant coaching staff after pitching for the Saints from 2014-2015. Arocha garnered multiple awards during her career and still holds the career ERA record at OLLU with a 1.79 mark in just two seasons. Ashley Lenington will begin her first season as an assistant coach as well.

Former players Ysa Gonzales and Alexis Valdez will be student assistants. They are joined by first-year members Gilbert Alvarado and Julianna Alvarado.

Lenington said, “We have a really good coaching staff because the group is well-rounded. The returning staff knows the routine of the program, and we are excited to welcome in new faces that have previous experience with the team.”

Newcomers

The Saints welcome two freshmen and five transfer athletes. Outfielder Taylor Gage (FR/Katy, Texas) and utility player Hannah Garza (FR/Lyford, Texas) will provide fresh talent to an already talented roster. The transfer class includes juniors Cierra Gutierrez (JR/San Antonio, Texas), Dominique Rodriguez (JR/Frisco, Texas), Kristee Salas (JR/Edinburg, Texas), Cassandra Valdez (JR/Brownsville, Texas) and senior Rebecca Duran (SR/Austin, Texas) from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Valdez previously played at NCAA D1 Texas State University. Graduate student Caitlin Terrazas (SR/Atascosa, Texas) joins the Saints from Lamar University. 

Returners and seniors

OLLU returns three sophomores, four juniors and a massive senior squad of seven athletes. Sophomores include infielder Marissa Bradley (SO/Seguin, Texas), utility player Eneli Garza (SO/La Feria, Texas) and outfielder Kaili Luna (SO/Converse, Texas). Katelyn Esparza (JR/San Antonio, Texas), Julissa Moreno (JR/Austin, Texas), Kelly Anne Salinas (JR/Laredo, Texas) and Deandra Vera (JR/Uvalde, Texas) round out the junior group. Senior leaders are Kayla Dreese (SR/San Antonio, Texas), Jennifer Estrada (SR/El Paso, Texas), Joanna Gonzalez (SR/San Benito, Texas), Ciera Martinez (SR/San Antonio, Texas), Ariel Montgomery (SR/Castroville, Texas), Madison Nunn (SR/Cibolo, Texas) and Angela Ramirez (SR/Converse, Texas).

Martinez reached 499 career strikeouts during the 2021 season, which currently tops the Saints’ record book. After being granted an extra year of eligibility, she returns for her fifth year due to the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

Lenington commented, “We will suit up 22 players this season, and 17 are considered upper-level students. We are a really mature group and these young women have been playing softball for a long time.”

Nonconference schedule

(numbers following schools indicate series record).

OLLU’s first tournament – the OLLU Star Shuttle Classic – was canceled due to weather conditions. The team will begin its season with the Saints Four Seasons Classic Tournament on Feb. 11-13. Participants are Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OWU), Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) and Midland University (MU). OLLU will play OWU and MU on Feb. 11 and again on Feb. 12.

The Saints play two-game sets at home against the University of Texas-Tyler (0-4) on Feb. 16, William Woods University on Feb. 18 and Southwestern University (7-14-1) on Feb. 19. The season’s first road trip includes conference games against UHV (15-27) on Feb. 25 and a doubleheader at NCAA D3 University of St. Thomas (1-1) on Feb. 26. The Saints stay on the road to participate in the Gulf Shores Tourney in Gulf Shores, Ala., from March 4-6. They start the tournament against the University of Mobile (0-1) and Blue Mountain College (1-0) on March 4. They face No. 10-ranked Campbellsville University and No. 24-ranked Central Baptist College (0-2) on March 5 and close the tournament by facing No. 13-ranked Central Methodist University (0-1) on March 6.

The last few non-conference contests include games on the road against NCAA D3 Schreiner University (SU) (14-2) on March 16, NCAA D3 Trinity University (13-9) on March 23 and home against SU on April 6. They close the non-conference schedule with a doubleheader at home versus Dallas Christian College on April 10.

Conference opponents

The Saints finished with a 12-6 mark in the RRAC last season. OLLU finished as semifinalists in the 2021 RRAC Tournament after defeating the University of the Southwest (USW) and LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) and losing to Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT).

Conference play begins with a doubleheader at No. 25-ranked UHV (15-27) on Feb. 25. The Saints host Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) (25-11) for a doubleheader on March 8. Four days later, they travel to TAMUSA (4-0) for two games and host doubleheaders against RRAC newcomers Louisiana Christian University on March 18 and Xavier University of Louisiana on March 19.

The Saints head to New Mexico for a doubleheader against the University of the Southwest (USW) (35-13) on March 26. From March 29-April 9, the Saints host its longest homestand of the season against UHV on March 29, Jarvis Christian College (13-5) on April 1, Texas College (31-2) on April 2 and TAMUSA on April 9.

OLLU travels north to face HTU in Austin, Texas, on April 12 and returns home to host USW on April 16. They close the regular season in Alexandria, La., for a doubleheader versus LSUA on April 22 and in Texarkana against TAMUT on April 23.

Hosting the RRAC Tournament

The Saints will host the RRAC Tournament for the first time on May 5-7. OLLU will partner with St. Mary’s University to host some games due to the tournament being an eight-team field. The championship game will take place at the OLLU Softball Field on Saturday, May 7.

“We are very excited to host the tournament, and we have worked hard on improving our facilities. We feel that it is one of the best facilities at the conference,” Lenington commented. Improvements to the facility include fencing, concessions and a new press box.

Inaugural Hall of Fame

Lenington recently created the “OLLU Softball Hall of Fame.” The first class of athletes included Taylor Doege, Brittany McInnis and Katrisha Arocha. “The honorees were very appreciative of the university and softball program, making them feel good for all of the work they have done,” Lenington said.

Message to fans

The Saints plan to begin the season with no restrictions to fan attendance but encourage mask-wearing and social distancing. OLLU also plans to provide play-by-play broadcasts of home games here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ollusaints/.   

OLLU announces hiring of 10th president

Our Lady of the Lake University’s 10th president will be Abel Antonio Chávez, PhD, a successful leader with a unique blend of higher education, business, engineering and global research experience. 

He will begin his work at OLLU on July 16, following eight years at Western Colorado University where he is currently serving as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success and previously serving as Dean of Graduate Studies.

Dr. Chávez possesses a wealth of experience in higher education and business. An Associate Professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability, he has served Western Colorado as Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Before entering academia, Dr. Chávez founded a consulting company in Denver and worked as an engineer in a Denver suburb. 

He is no stranger to Texas. In the early 2000s, Dr. Chávez served as a project manager for Anheuser-Busch in Houston and Dow Chemical in Freeport. He also served an international business residency in Beijing and Singapore before transitioning to the higher education field.

“Dr. Chávez brings a record of outstanding leadership in higher education to Our Lady of the Lake University,” said Paul Olivier, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “He also brings strong business skills and great experience. He is the right person to move OLLU forward.” 

WSWO and CWCS to present screening of ‘Sold in America’ tonight

The Worden Social Work Organization and the Center for Women in Church and Society will present a virtual screening tonight at 6:30 p.m of the news documentary, “Sold in America.” 

The film, which will be shown via Zoom, will be the first installment of a Human Trafficking Awareness Series. The purpose is to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate and prepare OLLU students to identify and prevent these horrible crimes.

Kimberly Gallegos, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Work, will moderate a discussion after the one-hour film. To join the Zoom call, click here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4275615068#success

For more information, contact Stephanie Garcia at WSWO@ollusa.edu.

Policy updates to UWAC weight room 

Starting today, Jan. 31, Campus Recreation staff will be checking for valid OLLU IDs for access to the weight room in the UWAC. Students, staff and faculty must bring their OLLU ID to access the weight room.

Additionally, Campus Recreation would like to remind everyone that current access to the weight room and other fitness facilities in the UWAC is limited to current students, staff and faculty only. Alumni are not allowed to access the fitness facilities such as the weight room.

CMASR to celebrate Afro-Latinidad on Thursday

Lee Rios of Semenaya Dance Studio will lead the event, “Celebrating Afro-Latinidad,” on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the Mall Area. Sponsored by the Center for Mexican American Studies and Research, the celebration will include Afro Caribbean dance and music. All are invited to come and learn basic Salsa steps and see Merengue, Bachatá and Kizomba. 

Free Puerto Rican food will be available from El Coqui.

If the weather is too cold, the event will be held in the Multicultural Activities and Recreation Center (MARC), formerly known as the International Folk Culture Center (IFCC).

For a complete calendar of CMASR events this spring, look here:

Baseball begins 2022 campaign in three-game series against USAO

Hear from Head Coach Bryan Aughney and watch highlights.

The baseball team took one of three games against the No. 14-ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) in the 2022 season series opener this weekend. The Saints start the year 1-2 while the Drovers sit at 2-1.

Game One

The Saints began the 2022 season with a 9-7 victory in a back-and-forth battle against the Drovers in a seven-inning matchup. Francisco Martinez (JR/San Antonio, Texas) drove in Robert Arredondo (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) in the bottom of the first inning and Tyler Vivier (SO/San Antonio, Texas) added two more runs with a double. OLLU loaded the bases in the following inning and Sebastian Ledezma (FR/Los Fresnos, Texas) scored on a wild pitch. The Drovers’ offense came to life in the third and fifth inning by scoring three runs in each frame. Saints starting pitcher Alec Martinez (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) went four innings and allowed two hits and three earned runs with three strikeouts.

OLLU tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Vivier hit a sacrifice fly to score Matthew Klar (JR/San Antonio, Texas) and Noah Rodriguez (SR/Victoria, Texas) brought in John B. Ortega II (SO/Harlingen, Texas). Jake Womack singled to center field to score Colton Bensch in the top of the sixth inning to give the lead back to the Drovers. USAO made costly errors in the bottom of the sixth inning. Christian Martinez (SO/Corpus Christi, Texas) scored on an error to tie the game and Vivier singled to bring in Klar and Arredondo. Joshua Mendez (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) held the Drovers scoreless in the top of the seventh inning to give the Saints the 9-7 win. Vivier batted 2-for-2 with five RBIs and Francisco Martinez added three hits with an RBI.

Game Two

The Drovers controlled the second game of the series early on and tied the series heading into Saturday. They scored six runs in the second inning and four in the third inning to lead 10-0. Klar and Francisco Martinez drove in runs in the bottom of the third inning and Montejano scored on an error. The Saints added another run in the fourth inning when Christian Martinez grounded out to shortstop and Rodriguez scored. The exact same play happened in the following inning to cut the Drovers lead to 10-5. Gage Gaunt hit a two-run home run to left field in the seventh inning and the Drovers ended up winning 12-5 on 11 hits.

Game Three

The series finale was a battle on the mound in a nine-inning showdown. Saints starting pitcher Brett Vasquez (JR/Baytown, Texas) pitched six innings allowing only four hits and one earned run. He also struck out six of the 22 batters he faced. The lone run he gave up came in the top of the first inning when Gaunt stole home on a double steal. The Drovers led 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning. The Saints took a 2-1 advantage after RBI singles from Francisco Martinez and Pablo Trevino (SO/San Juan, Texas). USAO regained the lead in the top of the eighth inning after a two-run home run by Joey Pena. The Drovers tacked on three more runs in the top of the ninth inning for a commanding 6-2 lead. Ledezma scored on a balk for the Saints in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough as the Drovers took the series and game three 6-3.

Up next

The Saints host No. 2-ranked Central Methodist University in a four-game series starting on Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.

Soccer teams will host ID camps

The soccer teams will host ID Camps in February, first the women on Feb. 20 and the men on Feb. 27. The camp will be held to inform potential student-athletes concerning collegiate requirements and the recruitment process, as well as to identify potential players for the OLLU Women’s Soccer Program.

The camp will cost $65. The registration form and payment information are available online here using a desktop or laptop computer: OLLU Women’s ID Camp. or OLLU Men’s ID Camp.