Lost In Translation
by Cheval John
In today’s environment with the popularity of college football and basketball, most student athletes who play those sports do not get their college degree because they leave early for the NFL or the NBA.
Worst of all, their grades are not on par with the rest of the student body on campus.
But at some universities, student-athletes are performing equally or better than the rest of the student body in the classroom.
One university that comes to mind is Sam Houston State University.
More than 400 student-athletes participates in 15 sports for SHSU at the NCAA Division I level in the Southland Conference (with the exception of bowling).
During the 2011-12 school year, the majority of the athletic teams made it to post-season tournaments at the Southland Conference and the NCAA .
These same student-athletes achieved success in the classroom as well.
In the fall of 2011, they had a combined GPA of 2.90.
The following semester, they did even better with a combined 3.00 GPA, the highest of any semester at SHSU.
Leading the charge was the volleyball team with a combined G.P.A. of 3.36.
They gained recognition regionally and nationally as they earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association team academic award last week.
The award is given to any team at the high school and/or collegiate level who earns a 3.30 G.P.A or above during the school year.
The volleyball team were among the 102 schools at the NCAA Division I level that received the award.
Individually, four Bearkats received the Southland Conference “Student-Athlete of the Year” award for their success in the classroom as well as on the field.
They are Travis Watson (football), James Glenn (men’s golf), Jake Arrington (baseball) and Morgan Davis (Women’s Indoor Track).
“It was very exciting,” Davis said. “I had no idea that I was in the running for it.”
“When I found out about it, I instantly burst into tears.”
“It was the best news that I could have heard.”
The most important achievement of it all is that 90% of the student-athletes at SHSU receives a college degree after they complete their eligibility.
Many of these athletes go on to be professionals in their chosen fields outside of sports.
Don’t believe me, just ask Ms. Davis.
She is going to dental school to fulfill her dream of becoming a dentist.
“I knew that it was going to be even harder doing those classes along with athletics,” Davis said.
“I was willing to take on that challenge and I think I did a pretty good job with it.”
Bearkats Receives Invite To Pre-Season WNIT
by Cheval John
After making their first national post-season tournament appearance, the Sam Houston State Bearkat women’s basketball team will start the 2012-13 season with an invite to the Pre-Season Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
The Bearkats will face the University of Delaware Blue Hens in the opening round of the tournament in Newark, Delaware.
The winner of the match will advance to the second round of the tournament
The Blue Hens were the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Conference Champions last season and are looking to start their title defense in style.
“From what I know, they are a very good team coming off last year,” Bearkat women’s basketball head coach Brenda Nichols said to a representative of the SHSU’s athletic department media relations.
“We are excited for this opportunity and look forward to being able to play some intense and exciting competitors.”
The Blue Hens will be led by senior forward/guard Elena Delle Donne.
Delle Donne is an All-American who averaged 26.1 points per game, made 91.9% of her free throws and shot 38.8% from the three-point line last season.
She received honors from the Associated Press, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), United States Writers Association, the Naismith Award and John Wooden Award.
She was named “Player of the Year” by the CAA and was a finalist for “Player of the Year” by the WBCA, Naismith and Wooden Awards.
“You can’t really measure yourself as a player without going up against the best,” Nichols said. “There is no doubt she is one of the best and will be a true challenge for our team.”
The Bearkats are looking forward to that challenge as they are returning 12 letterman from last year’s team who were the West Division Champions of the Southland Conference and made their first national post-season appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).
They made it to the semi-final round of the tournament, where they were knocked off by the University of Northern Iowa.
Leading the charge for the Bearkats are seniors Britni Martin and Sequeena Thomas.
Martin was ranked 10th in the nation for three-pointers (2.93 per game) and scored 523 total points for the season.
She was runner-up for the Southland Conference’s “Player of the Year” that went to Central Arkansas’ Megan Herbert.
Thomas led the Southland Conference in rebounds (12.6 per game).
She averaged 14.8 points per game and had an average of 2.0 blocks which ranked her #9 and #2 in the conference, respectively.
The tournament consists of 16 teams from around the country and will be held from November 9 to November 16-17.
The Bearkats-Blue Hen match will begin at 7 p.m.
For more information on the tournament, visit www.womensnit.com.
Five Bearkats Named To Pre-Season All-America Squad
by Cheval John
With the 2012 football season less than two months away, the SHSU Bearkats are more focused than ever.
Along the way, they are receiving attention locally and nationally after a remarkable run at the national championship.
For example, five members of the team were named to the pre-season All-America squad by the Sports Network.
Here are the profiles of the five players named to the All-America squad:
In 2011, the junior running back set a single season Southland Conference record in rushing yards (1,644), touchdowns (24) and points scored (144) and was ranked nationally in scoring (No.4), rushing yards (No. 16) and all-purpose yards (No.24).
He was named to five All-America squads including the America Football Coaches Association and the Associated Press and finished 7th for the Walter Payton Award.
Though Sincere was a wide receiver, he was more of a utility player at best.
He was ranked third in the Southland Conference in rushing yards (979) and seventh in total points scored (78).
His best performance came in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs as he torched Montana State for 160 yards on 11 carries that propelled the Bearkats to a 49-21 beatdown over the Bobcats.
He received the nod for “Offensive Player of the Year” by the Southland Conference and was named to the first-team All-America squad by College Sporting News.
The Bearkat defense showed that defense do win championships and Darnell Taylor was one of the reasons why the defense deserved a share of the spotlight during the historic run.
Taylor led the team with 128 total tackles, the highest in one season since 1988.
He was named “Defensive Player of the Year” by the Southland Conference and made five All-America squads.
Cleveland is looking for a repeat performance from last year’s run.
The three-year letterman posted 46 tackles including nine that went for losses.
He was named to the All-America squad by Phil Steele Magazine in 2011 for his efforts.
Swanson had a career-high eight interceptions, the most in school history.
His interceptions was also the most in the Southland Conference and ranked him third in the nation.
He was named second team in the All-Southland Conference and third team in the Associated Press and College Sports.com All-America squad.
The first game to the 2012 season will begin on September 8 as the Bearkats host the University of the Incarnate Word at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.
Question And Answer With Melanie Kania
Melanie Kania is a prime example of what being persistent is all about.
She graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2009 during the “great recession.”
She could have given into the notion of just settling for a job that was available.
Instead, she continued to be persistent and months later, she acquired internships with two public relations firms in the Houston area.
She is now with Weatherford International were she serves as a Communications Specialist.
We caught up with Melanie to get her perspective on the journey that led her to her current position.
Vallano Media: How long did it take for you to find that post-college job?
Melanie Kania: I graduated in 2009 during the height of the recession, so it took about nine months to find the job I have now. In the meantime I pursued internships to gain experience in public relations and was exposed to a broad range of industries, which led me to oil and gas where I am now.
V.M. : Were you involved in any organization while in college?
M.K. : Yes I was involved in: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honors Society, Public Relations Student Society of America, National Society for Leadership and Success, Golden Keys National Honors Society and Order of Omega.
V.M. : Why should students get involved in an organization?
M.K. : I believe that organization involvement is very important to college students and is an intregal part of one’s college experience.
V.M. : Did you study abroad and if so, how has studying abroad impacts a student’s undergraduate/graduate career?
M.K. : Yes I studied abroad through Sam Houston’s Puebla program and lived in Puebla, Mexico with a host family for a month. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had, and the memories made and lessons learned will be with me forever. The program gave me first hand exposure to another culture and I was able to see how they live and do business.
V.M. : Looking back, was it worth attending college?
M.K. : Absolutely, in fact I am planning to go back to pursue my Masters.
V.M. : Final thoughts?
M. K. : Get as involved as possible. Networking through my collegiate/ post college organizations led me to my current position and the internships along the way.
Witnessing Partial History
by Cheval John
When I got to the club house at 2:30 p.m , I saw that Spain was leading Italy 2-0 going into half time.
I thought I missed out because I saw that it was going to start at 2:30 p.m.
What I failed to realize was that the start time was in eastern time and not central time.
In reality, I did not miss anything but the two goals that was scored by David Silva and Jordi Alba that gave Spain a 2-0 lead.
My thinking was that Italy had a chance to make a comeback because they had really good players like Mario Balotelli.
What I did not know was that they never scored 3 goals in any of the games they won to reach the final and would have to get 3 goals in order to beat Spain.
They came out with urgency in the first 10 minutes of the second half as had chances to score.
They even used their final substitution that brought in Thiago Matta to give them fresh legs.
The result was they managed only three shots, but still could not score.
Worst of all, Matta went down with a hamstring injury that left Italy shorthanded and dashed the hopes for them to win.
Substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata scored the final two goals for Spain in the 83rd and 88th minute, respectively to put the game out of reach and to win the title.
A lot of history was made in Spain’s run at the 2012 UEFA Euro Tournament.
Here are a few stats that stood out:
Spain only conceded one goal in the entire tournament. Ironically, that conceded goal was against Italy in the first round.
With the win, Spain became the first team to win three straight major tournaments. (UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup).
Fernando Torres became the first player to score in two UEFA Euro finals appearance. He scored the game-winning goal in the Euro 2008 final against Germany that gave Spain their first Euro title.
Vicente del Bosque became the second head coach in history to win the UEFA Euro Cup and the FIFA World Cup.
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