Stephen F. Austin started fast and cruised to a 73-58 win over rival Sam Houston and clinched a share of the Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the WAC tournament.
The Ladyjacks outscored the Bearkats 20-9 in the first quarter and shot an efficient 75 percent (9-for-12) from the field. The SFA defense was just as impressive and held SH to 16.7 percent (3-for-18) shooting from the floor and forced 11 turnovers.
Becky Hammon Award semi-finalist Stephanie Visscher dropped a game-high 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor. The 6-footer also grabbed five boards and handed out three assists.
Zya Nugent scored 12 points and hauled in five boards, while Aiyana Johnson and Brianna Mitchell each helped out with 10 points. Tasharian Robinson added nine points.
As a team, SFA shot 47.4 percent (27-for-57) from the field, while holding SH to 33.3 percent (21-for-63) from the floor.
The Ladyjacks dominated in front of the basket with 40 points in the paint.
The WAC champion Ladyjacks return to action Saturday at Abilene Christian.
Ladyjacks Roll Past Bearkats and Earn Share of WAC Regular Season Championship
SFA Runs Winning Streak to 7-Straight in Thrilling Fashion
Jaylin Jackson-Posey hit a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining in the second half to secure Stephen F. Austin a thrilling 69-67 win over Sam Houston in a pivotal Western Athletic Conference bout.
SFA improved to 19-8 overall and 11-4 in WAC play, while SH dell to 17-12 and 12-4 in conference action.
The Lumberjacks opened up a 18-point first half lead and went into the break with a 41-28 advantage. SFA shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the field in the first half and went 7-for-13 from three point range. SFA executed its offense in the second half and shot 43.4 percent (10-for-23) from the field.
For the game, the ‘Jacks shot 51 percent (26-for-51) from the floor.
Gavin Kensmil scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Latrell Jossell dropped 15 points and finished 4-for-6 from three-point range.
Jackson-Posey added 11 points on 4-fo-7 shooting from the field
SFA returns to the court on Saturday for Senior Day and play host to Abilene Christian at 4 p.m.
Regional basketball club tournament held at SFA Student Recreation Center
Stephen F. Austin State University’s Campus Recreation recently hosted the regional basketball tournament featuring 12 total teams in both men’s and women’s competitions.
The National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association’s South Division had its Club Basketball Conference Tournament at the Student Recreation Center on Feb. 19 and 20. The event brought as many as 150 student-athletes to town.
Based on the “round robin” format, teams vied for as many wins as possible. They will compete in another tournament in March at Texas A&M University. The wins from both competitions will determine the conference champions and a free entry into the national tournament in April at Wichita State University in Kansas.
This was the first ever NIRSA conference tournament hosted at SFA. Jasmine Randolph and Jacie Klose, competitive sports and camps coordinators for SFA’s Campus Rec, organized the event.
“Throughout my graduate studies here at SFA, I was provided an experiential education. My goal was to reflect those same opportunities through our programs at Campus Rec,” said Randolph. “I look forward to working collaboratively with students, faculty and staff to create a holistic experience for all students.”
Klose shared in that sentiment, adding that she looks forward to making students’ college experiences more memorable through that collaboration.
SFA teams played in both the men’s and women’s sides of the NIRSA tournament. The women finished with a 3-2 record while the men finished with a record of 1-4.
On the men’s side, the six-team field included Louisiana State University, Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas. On the women’s side, the six-team field included Sam Houston State University and Texas Christian University.
While NIRSA contains the word intramural, the teams competing in the tournament are actually sport clubs, Randolph said. The key difference is that intramural teams compete on their given campuses, whereas sport clubs compete against teams from other universities.
Randolph is working on an upcoming women’s soccer tournament at SFA in April and is currently in the process of getting a racquetball club established. There are 17 sport clubs on campus, including rodeo, fishing, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, rugby, tennis and jiujitsu.
Central High School Senior Lauren Boulware Shows Heifer at the Angelina County Youth Fair
Lauren Boulware, a 17-year-old Central FFA student, shows her heifer, Magnolia, at a practice show in preparation for the Angelina County Fair heifer show that will be held on Thursday, March 25 at the George H Henderson Exposition Center in Lufkin.
Friday afternoon on March 25 at 2 pm is show time for heifers at the Angelina County Fair held in the George H Henderson Exposition Center in Lufkin. For Lauren Boulware, it will be her last time to compete in the County Fair.
Lauren is a senior at Central High school and active in Central FFA. She is the 17-year-old daughter of Brandon and Mamie Boulware and has three siblings: Addison (14), Garrett (11), and Geordon (11).
She is highly involved in her school activities and organizations. Lauren is a member of the Central FFA Chapter and currently raising a heifer, Magnolia. She is also President of the Central National Honor Society Chapter, Senior Representative for Central KYSSED, a varsity baseball manager, and a member of Drug-Free All-Stars through Angelina County. Reflecting on all her activities, Lauren states, “I truly enjoy what I am involved and wouldn’t have it any other way.”
When asked what got her started in the Fair, Lauren says, “My parents and grandparents were involved in their local county fairs when they were younger, and I thought to myself…why not just keep the tradition going.” She continues, “I was never really involved in anything when I was younger, and it sparked my interest when my parents asked me if I wanted to show rabbits. I have now shown rabbits, goats, and heifers. I have enjoyed every minute of my experience.”
The beef heifer show is sponsored by Polk Land & Cattle. Heifers are divided into classes by breed, then further divided by age. Heifers are judged first on their ability to calve and raise calves. As such, they will be judged on body conformation, skeletal structure, and muscling, all of which are highly heritable traits to their offspring.
Raising cattle for competition is a daily effort, with feed consumption and health at the forefront. The Angelina County Fair allows exhibitors to show heifers that are 30 months of age, or younger, on the day of the show. Unlike most other divisions in the county fair, there is no limit to the number of heifers that may be entered by the exhibitor.
Registered breeds will show in their own breed division and any unregistered animal will show in the “All Other Breeds” class. Classes for the beef breeding show will be broken down into three age divisions: under one year old, one to two years, and over two years of age. Heifers in a class will be lined up according to age youngest to oldest as they enter the arena.
Breed divisions are in three major groups: English, Exotic or American divisions. English (or sometimes called British) breeds include Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn. Exotics will be the European continental breeds such as Limousin, Charolais, Chianina, Simmental, or others. American breeds are cattle breeds from crosses developed in the US such as Brangus, Braford, Santa Gertrudis, and more.
Lauren says her favorite part of the Fair is ‘the environment.’ “I don’t have to worry about getting work done. I feel like the world has been lifted on my shoulders and I can just focus on my FFA projects. I love being around family and friends and doing what I love to do. Everyone has prepared for months to have 15 minutes in a show ring.”
“The hardest part of the fair is the day of your specific show.” Lauren continues, “You are in a timed schedule, and you have so much to do in so little time, at least for beef heifers. Getting their haired ready is a work of art because you have to pay attention to the little details.”
Her mom, Mamie Boulware, says, “This being Lauren’s last year to participate at the County Fair, I hope that she enjoys everything single minute and not take this experience for granted. Being involved with animals and being an exhibitor has taught her so many life lessons and responsibilities that not even parents can teach their children.”
Thinking of others, Lauren hopes that they will learn the little things about showing. “Not just how to take care or show your animals, but to learn that it’s ok to help other people with their animals, even when you don’t know them. There are people out there who are first time showers who need more help than ones who have been doing it their whole life. I know when I first started showing, I really appreciated people who I didn’t even know helping do the simple things like helping me wash or simply letting me use their water hose to wash my heifer.”
Lauren’s biggest goal this year is, “to just enjoy my last time participating in the fair. I don’t care if I don’t win or if I lose. I know I won’t ever have this opportunity again to do what I love. I have enjoyed my time in FFA and my experience with the Angelina County Fair. I will definitely miss it.”
After graduation, Lauren will be attending Texas A&M in the fall to major in Psychology and minor in Animal Science. Her mom sums it up, “With the knowledge that she has learned in the cattle industry, this has definitely prepared her for a bright future at A&M.” For more information about this year’s Fair, go to www.angelinacountyfair.com.
Cary Sims is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Angelina County. His email address is cw-sims@tamu.edu.
The members of Texas A&M AgriLife will provide equal opportunities in programs and activities, education, and employment to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity and will strive to achieve full and equal employment opportunity throughout Texas A&M AgriLife.
Artist Tintamusik to Display Works in Angelina College Gallery
Reception Scheduled for Tuesday, March 1
Artist Narong Tintamusik will share his considerable talents in an exhibition titled “The Tides Swallow My Secrets” opening Feb. 28 in the Angelina Center for the Arts Gallery on the Angelina College campus.
An artist’s reception will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1 in the ACA foyer.
Narong will be creating a large-scale, site-specific painting on the main curved gallery wall. The artwork will be created from scratch and in-person during the installation of the artwork, according to gallery curator Le’Anne Alexander.
Narong’s work is a combination of painting and installation: He sculpts painted materials into 3D forms and arranges them in a manner that interacts with the gallery space.
“Since painting is traditionally reserved for a flat application on canvas, this is a unique approach to the medium,” Alexander said.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Narong lived in Bangkok, Thailand for 10 years. Later, he earned his undergraduate degree in biology – with a minor in visual arts – from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has exhibited his art work in such locations as New York, Canada and Germany. A 2015 recipient of the DeGoyler Memorial Fund from the Dallas Museum of Art, Narong currently is part of the Artist Co-op 500X Gallery.
In his bio, Narong is open about the childhood trauma helping to drive his creative nature and says while he is “generally at peace with what transpired,” the process of creating art “helps reconcile the youth that was tarnished and lost.”
Narong’s works often explore themes of “trauma, memory and innocence” stemming from his personal experiences. He states much of his work is a direct reflection of his upbringing in Thailand – “Memories of Thai ghost stories, national parks, Buddhist teachings” are integral elements to his creativity.
“To gain greater understanding of one’s nature means one must directly confront our shadows.”
The exhibition will run through March 25. The gallery and the reception are free to the public.
Lady Roadrunners Beat Coastal Bend in Home Finale
Angelina College’s Lady Roadrunner basketball team recognized its sophomores during a Sophomore Night ceremony prior to Wednesday’s 87-49 win over Coastal Bend Community College. Pictured are (L-R) Michelle Smith, Derrica Gilbert, Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim and Zaraya March. (Emilie Doerksen/AC Athletics Photo)
AC Celebrates Sophomore Night with 20th Win of Season
The Angelina College Lady Roadrunner basketball team offered plenty to celebrate in Wednesday’s home finale at Shands Gymnasium.
The Lady ‘Runner recognized their sophomores during pre-game ceremonies, then proceed to beat the Coastal Bend Community College Lady Cougars 87-49 to give head coach Byron Coleman another 20-win season.
Playing short-handed, the Lady ‘Runners nevertheless put forth a balanced scoring attack that saw six players reach double figures. Freshman Jakayla Parks had a monstrous night, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim also added a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards; Jayiona Cobbs hit four of her five three-point attempts to finish with 14 points; Kajah Phillips just missed out on double-double status with 12 points and nine rebounds; and Michelle Smith scored 11 points while dishing out eight assists. Zaraya March tallied 10 points and seven assists in the win.
CBCC’s Savanna Smith led the Lady Cougars with 24 points.
The win lifts AC’s overall record to 20-8, 10-7 with one game remaining in the regular season. With the Region XIV Conference Tournament opening next week in Jacksonville, the Lady Roadrunners, currently tied for fifth place in the standings, will look to move up a notch for tournament seeding purposes. AC will travel to Bossier Parish Community College on Saturday for a game scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m.
AC sophomores playing their final game at Shands Gymnasium on Wednesday were Zaraya March, Michelle Smith, Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim and Derrica Gilbert.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
Traffic Switch Planned on Major Project Near Zavalla
A traffic switch is planned for next week on US 69 in a major construction project between Huntington and Zavalla.
On Tuesday, March 1, weather permitting, a traffic switch will allow southbound drivers across the median into two lanes of travel between FM 844 and FM 1270. Northbound traffic will be limited to the single lane currently in use on the northbound side of the roadway while paving work continues.
Currently, travel through this section of roadway is in a two-lane traffic pattern, but after the traffic switch north and southbound traffic will be separated by the median.
“We are continuing in the final phase of construction and this project continues to progress to completion,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer. “We encourage motorists to stay alert to this change in traffic patterns, especially drivers entering the roadway from county roads or private drives. Exercise extra caution before entering lanes of traffic.”
Motorists should obey all traffic control through the work zone, reduce speed and stay alert to moving equipment and workers near travel lanes. For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395. Visit drivetexas.org for roadway conditions and closures statewide.
Vilseck to present recital with various styles, energy levels, instruments
Dr. James Vilseck, adjunct professor of percussion at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present a recital featuring a variety of styles and energy levels when he performs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Composers whose works will be included on the program are Alejandro Viñao, Andy Akiho, Ella Macens, John Psathas, Javier Alvarez, Robert Oetomo and Elliott Carter.
“There is no specific theme for the recital, other than great percussion music,” Vilseck said. “For all of my recitals, I try to find a wide variety of music that will entertain an audience. This means a variety of styles and energy levels. Luckily for percussion recitals, this also means a variety of instruments. From one piece to the next will be a completely different sound, meaning there is more variety than your typical music recital.”
Vilseck also programmed works from a variety of composers representing diverse and varied backgrounds. Additionally, the program features a mix of works he has performed in the past alongside newer works he’s never performed.
“The goal was to present a challenging program that will push myself without sacrificing audience entertainment,” he said.
The program features “Koolish Zein” by John Psathas. It was originally written for percussion soloist, percussion quartet and electronics, but Vilseck will perform the first movement titled “Her Alchemy” as a solo version with electronics.
“The piece is highly energetic with blazing fast runs up and down the keyboard instruments and a heavy groove from the electronics,” he said. “I have greatly studied Psathas’ works in my career and always look forward to sharing the music.”
Another work that includes electronics is the snare drum solo “Stop Speaking” by Andy Akiho that uses an electronic voice from a voice-to-text software program on Mac computers.
“The voice talks of its own creation and existence on top of Akiho’s unique writing style, making this a unique snare solo,” Vilseck explained. “I will also perform a second of Akiho’s works, ‘Murasaki.’ Part of his Synesthesia Suite and representing the color “purple” (quite appropriate for SFA), the work presents a relaxing reggae on lead steel pan reminiscent of the music of Bob Marley.”
Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.
AC Softball Hosting Angelina Invite
Six Teams from Three States to Compete
The Angelina College Lady Roadrunner team has gotten off to a torrid start to the 2022 season, blasting its way to a 13-3 record – with the last two losses occurring against the second-ranked team in the nation.
This weekend, the Lady ‘Runners will host the Angelina Invite, a tournament featuring six teams from three states. The tourney opens on Friday and concludes on Sunday.
AC’s ladies currently are second in the nation in homers with 38, with Bailey Frenzel leading the Lady ‘Runners with seven. Haley Primrose and Madison Baker have rocked five homers each, and Leighton Landreth and Sara Mayes have bopped four bombs each.
Lace Tangianau leads the team in runs batted in with 15 in 15 games.
The team is ranked in the top 10 in other offensive categories, including overall batting average (.398), RBI (113) and slugging percentage (.726, good enough for fourth in the nation).
The weekend’s schedule is as follows:
Friday: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M vs. Lady Roadrunners, 1 p.m.; NEO vs. Hill College, 3 p.m.; and the Lady Roadrunners vs. Hill College, 5 p.m. (Both AC games will be live streamed.)
Saturday: Lady Roadrunners vs. NEO, 11 a.m.; NEO vs. Alvin College, 1 p.m.; and Louisiana State University-Eunice vs. Lady Roadrunners, 3 p.m. (Live streaming schedule TBA.)
Sunday: LSU-E vs. Lady Roadrunners, 11 a.m.; LSU-E vs. Bossier Parish Community College, 1 p.m.; and Lady Roadrunners vs. BPCC, 3 p.m. (Both games will be live streamed.)
At present, all games will take place at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus. However, in case of inclement weather, a contingency plan is in place to play on the turf at a nearby high school field. If games are moved to an alternate location, no live streaming will be available for any of the games.
For all schedule changes and other information, log onto the Angelina College Athletics web site (angelinaathletics.com), follow @ACAthletics on Twitter or view the Angelina College Athletics Facebook page.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
Bowling Places 4th at Mid-Winter Classic
Stephen F. Austin totaled a 8-5 record at the 2022 Mid-Winter Classic and placed fourth overall with 13,843 total pins.
Individual Standings (total pins)
13. Chloe Skurzynski – 1080
14. Hana Roers – 1075
27. Brystal Beyer – 1035
36. Carlene Beyer – 1005
75. Crystal George – 776
107. Kathleen Heady – 151
Baker Match 1: 1065
Baker Match 2: 1194
Baker Match 3: 1072
Baker Match 4: 948
Traditional Match 1: 1130
Traditional Match 2: 1032
Traditional Match 3: 1055
Traditional Match 4: 955
Traditional Match 5: 950