Bearkat Volleyball Remains Undefeated In Southland Conference
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Led by Deveney Wells-Gibson and Haley Neisler, Sam Houston State remains unbeaten in Southland Conference play with a four-set victory over Lamar in
Wells-Gibson totaled 20 kills and Neisler added 13 in the Bearkats’ 19-25 25-21 27-25 25-22 victory over the Cardinals.
The win keeps defending Southland champion Sam Houston in first place in the 2013 league race with a perfect 6-0 record.
Winners of five consecutive matches and seven of their last nine contests, SHSU now stands 9-6 for the year.
Lamar became the first Southland team to take a set off the Bearkats, breaking a 10-10 tie with a 15-9 run.
The Cardinals held an early 12-9 lead in the second set.
Tied 15-15, Krista Koopman came up with two kills to start a 10-6 run to pick up the set.
Sam Houston saw a 17-10 lead in the third stanza erased as Lamar tied the match 23-23.
Four points later, back-to-back kills by Lauren Bohlen and Neisler earned a second set for the Kats.
The Bearkats earned the victory rallying from behind one last time to take the third set and the match 25-22.
Breanna Homer and Tayler Gray totaled 23 and 13 digs, respectively.
Gray assisted on 50 of Sam Houston’s 56 kills.
The Bearkat volleyball continues its Southland road swing next week, playing Thursday at Incarnate Word and Saturday at Abilene Christian.
Sam Houston’s next home match is Thursday, Oct. 17, against New Orleans.
Pair of Bearkats Set To Compete In NCAA Finals
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Competition in the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field championships begins Wednesday at historic Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Sam Houston’s two entrants will book end the championships as Matt Johnson starts action in the decathlon Wednesday morning and Charles White will compete in one of the final events on Saturday in the triple jump.
Johnson enters the decathlon ranked No. 15 in the field of 24 with a season best mark of 7,496 points.
Four of last season’s top eight decathletes are back this season.
A pair of freshmen also look to compete for the title.
Johannes Jock of Texas is the top seed at 8,293, narrowly ahead of Maicel Uibo of Georgia at 8,223.
Indoor heptathlon national champ Kevin Lazas of Arkansas also is in the field.
Johnson earned his spot in the 2013 NCAA field by winning the Southland Conference championship in May in Lake Charles.
The decathlon will begin at 12 noon (Pacific time) Wednesday, June 5, with the 100 meters.
Other events on Wednesday at the long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meter dash.
Thursday, June 6, action begins at 11 a.m. (Pacific time) with the 110 hurdles, followed by the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters.
White will have to wait until the championship’s final day on Saturday, June 8, when the triple jump begins at 12:30 p.m. (Pacific time).
The runner-up at the Southland Conference in May, White finished 12th at the NCAA West Preliminary Round to qualify for the NCAA finals.
His mark of 51 feet, 3.5 inches ranks No. 15 among the event’s 24 competitors.
Teammates Marquis Dendy and Omar Craddock of Florida are the pair to beat in the triple jump.
Dendy won the 2013 NCAA indoor long jump champion title.
Craddock is the only triple jumper in the field to reach 54 feet this outdoor season.
Two others, Dave Brown of Texas A&M and Tarik Batchelor of Arkansas, both have jumped farther than 53 feet.
Johnson and White both have the opportunity to earn All-America honors.
The top eight finishers in each individual event as first team All-America honorees while ninth through 16th places receive second team selection.
Bearkats To Compete In NCAA Preliminaries In Austin
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Action at the 2013 NCAA Division I West Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Round begins Thursday for Sam Houston’s nine entries.
The three days of competition take place at Mike A. Myers Stadium and feature some of the nation’s premier student-athletes.
Qualifying teams and individuals advance to the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 5-8, 2013.
To advance to the NCAA Finals in Oregon, each of the West Preliminary Round competitors must finish among the top 12 in their respective event.
Karique Stephen and Charles White enter the NCAA West meet with the highest regional rankings of any Bearkat, both competing in the triple jump.
Stephen, a senior from Baytown, stands No. 11 with a best mark of 51’ 9”.
White, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., ranks No. 16 with a top performance of 51’ 3.75”.
The pair placed first and second in the triple jump at the Southland Conference championships in Lake Charles.
Sam Houston’s Brek Christensen and Trevor Sealy both will throw in the men’s hammer.
Sealy, a junior from Pearland, stands No. 26 with a top mark of 200 feet nine inches. Christensen, a senior from Cypress Fairbanks, owns a best throw 198 feet six inches to rank No. 30 in the competition.
In both the hammer and the triple jump, the 16 best marks (after tiebreakers) will qualify from the first round of three preliminary attempts to a final round of three tries.
The top 12 advance to the NCAA meet.
The hammer is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m.
The triple jump will wrap up the meet Saturday at 6 p.m.
Matt Johnson, senior from Port Neches Groves, already has qualified for a trip to Eugene in the decathlon.
Johnson won the Southland Conference men’s decathlon championship last weekend in Lake Charles with a final point total of 7,496.
Johnson also will compete in the West Preliminary Round in the 110 hurdles where he will joined by teammate Matthew Viverette.
A junior from Barbers Hill, Viverette will compete in both hurdles events.
He comes into the meet ranked No. 23 in the 400 hurdles (51.54) and No. 25 in the 110 hurdles (14.11).
Johnson stands No. 45 in the 110 hurdles (14.35).
The first round of the 400 hurdles will start at 5 p.m. Thursday with the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:45 p.m.
The 110 hurdles first round is Friday at 5:30 p.m. with quarterfinals Saturday at 7:20 p.m.
Kristen Mitchell and Jarrick Wright will represent the Bearkats in the 100 meters. Mitchell, a junior from Houston, stands No. 29 in the West with a best time of 10.46 this spring.
Wright’s best mark is 10.56 which earned the Houston Eisenhower a No. 48 ranking.
The first round of the 100 meters is set for 6:55 p.m. Thursday with the quarterfinals to decide who advances to Oregon Friday at 6:45 p.m.
In both the hurdles events and the 100 meters, the top three finishers from six first round heats plus the next six fastest times will advance to the quarterfinals.
Shelbie Zotyka is the lone Sam Houston woman’s competitor in the NCAA West Meet.
The senior from Wallis won the Southland Conference women’s pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 10.75 inches.
She enters the NCAA West Meet with a No. 43 regional ranking.
The women’s pole vault is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.
Sam Houston’s NCAA West Preliminary Round Schedule:
Thursday, May 23
5 p.m. – Men’s 400 meter hurdles first round
6:55 p.m. – Men’s 100 meter dash first round
Friday, May 24
1 p.m. – Women’s pole vault
2 p.m. – Men’s hammer
5:30 p.m. – Men’s 110 meter hurdles first round
6:45 p.m. – Men’s 100 meter dash quarterfinals
7:45 p.m. – Men’s 400 meter hurdles quarterfinals
Saturday, May 25
6 p.m. – Men’s triple jump
7:20 p.m. – Men’s 110 meter hurdles quarterfinals
Sam Houston’s Defense Remains Consistent In Win
Share this: