Head Coach Debbie Humphreys added Madi Wilkerson to the Ladyjack Volleyball staff this afternoon, as she will be an assistant coach for the ‘Jacks ahead of the 2022 season.
“We are excited to have Madi join the SFA volleyball family,” said Head Coach Debbie Humphreys. “After a successful playing career, she has received high level experience at SMU and Auburn. She brings lots of practical experience to our passers and defenders. We look forward to working with her, as we prepare to take steps forward in the WAC.”
Wilkerson spent the last two seasons as the Director of Volleyball Operations and Technical Coordinator for Auburn University. She was the “master calendar” for the program, where she handled team travel and scheduling as well as camps and finances. Wilkerson handled the statistical and video work for the program with her expertise in Data Volley in addition to her Director of Operations role.
A four-year libero at Saint Mary’s College of California, she finished her career second in program history with a 3.64 digs per set average. During her time at Saint Mary’s, Wilkerson led the Gaels to a runner-up finish at the West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball Championship as a sophomore. She led her indoor squad in digs each of her last three seasons.
Wilkerson joined the Auburn volleyball staff after serving as a graduate assistant at SMU for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Madi Wilkerson Named Ladyjack Volleyball Assistant Coach
Make it Five Straight: Roadrunners Top Lamar-PA to Extend Streak
They’re doing it with an attacking offense boosted by consistent three-point shooting to go with an all-out, shutdown defensive effort every night.
All those elements were on display Saturday at Shands Gymnasium as the Angelina College Roadrunners won their fifth straight game in Region XIV competition with a convincing 73-55 win over Lamar State College-Port Arthur.
The ‘Runners shot 44 percent from three-point range, got double-figure scoring from four different players and held the Seahawks to just 35 percent shooting from the field.
Raeshaun Ambris (3) (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)
Raeshaun Ambris (3) of Angelina College picks his way through traffic during Saturday’s game against Lamar State College-Port Arthur. The Roadrunners extended their conference winning streak to five games with a 73-55 win over the Seahawks at Shands Gymnasium. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)
AC’s Quandre Bullock, who has never scored below double figures in his 17-game Roadrunner career, led the way with 25 points. Raeshaun Ambris finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists; Errol White added a double-double with 14 points and 14 boards; and Caleb Johnson added 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Overall, the Roadrunners dished out 22 assists for the game.
The Seahawks got 10 points each from Evan Palmquist, Kanntrell Burney and Daniel Braster.
After getting assessed a game-opening technical foul before tipoff, the Roadrunners trailed 1-0 before the clock had even started. That would be their last deficit the rest of the game, with AC ripping off a 16-3 run midway through the first half to take control.
Angelina College’s Raeshaun Ambris celebrates a breakaway dunk during Saturday’s game against Lamar State College-Port Arthur. The Roadrunners extended their conference winning streak to five games with a 73-55 win over the Seahawks at Shands Gymnasium. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo) 
Angelina College’s Errol White (10) soars for a dunk during Saturday’s game against Lamar State College-Port Arthur. White finished with a double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) in AC’s 73-55 win at Shands Gymnasium. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)
Now in fifth place in the conference standings, the Roadrunners (9-8, 5-3) will host Region XIV’s first-place team, the Kilgore College Rangers, Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium. AC’s Lady Roadrunners will host No. 4 Trinity Valley Community College Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Both games will be live streamed at angelinaathletics.com.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
Lumberjacks Dominate GCU in WRJ, 71-46
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks displayed balance, grit and depth across the entire 40 minutes tonight in WRJ, delivering a 71-46 quality victory over Grand Canyon for another Western Athletic Conference triumph. The ‘Jacks improve to 12-6, 4-2 in the WAC.
SFA represented a textbook team win as Latrell Jossell continued his consistent shooting from beyond the arc for 16 points (4-5 3-pt.), followed by Gavin Kensmil (13p/6r/1a/3s), Jaylin Jackson-Posey (13p/4r/1b), and David Kachelries (10p/4r/5a1s).
The ‘Jacks held a 32-31 edge at the half with energy in their favor despite the Lopes climbing back to cut it to one, but Kensmil and Kachelries opened up the second half each scoring a bucket to force an early GCU timeout, as the ‘Jacks didn’t look back from that point on. SFA ultimately delivered offense through its defense outscoring the Lopes 20-2 in Points Off Turnovers, Paint Points (36-16) and Second Chance Points (16-4) to generate effective possessions and remain in front. The Lumberjacks limited GCU to just five made field goals in the second half, turning over its opponent 20 times for a team-high in Turnovers Forced in WAC play thus far for the ‘Jacks.
Western Athletic Conference play continues on Saturday for a matchup with New Mexico State in William R. Johnson Coliseum for a 2:00 p.m. tip.
For results, updates and a complete schedule for all SFA Athletics, visit sfajacks.com.
SFA Wind Ensemble presents winter tour concert
The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform its first concert of the spring semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus. Admission is free.
The concert serves as the final performance of a three-day winter performance and recruiting tour in the Houston area, according to Dr. Tamey Anglley, director of bands at SFA and director of the Wind Ensemble, which will spend Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 performing at Foster, Needville, Dayton, Crosby and The Woodlands high schools.
The first piece on the program, “Fanfare for Full Fathom Five” for brass and percussion by John Mackey, will be conducted by Associate Director of Bands Dr. Dan Haddad. Mackey’s program note states the piece takes its title from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” where Shakespeare’s text refers to a drowning during a storm and shipwreck in water about five fathoms (30 feet) deep. “‘Full fathom five’ is a nautical reference that indicates a placement under a depth of 30 feet of water but is used metaphorically to imply an impossible and unavoidable doom,” the composer writes.
The H. Robert Reynolds transcription of Prelude in E-flat minor, Op. 34, No. 14 by Dmitry Shostakovich will be conducted by Assistant Director of Bands Dr. Chris Kaatz. The Twenty-four Preludes for piano were composed in 1932-33, and the Prelude in E-flat minor was one in this set. About his transcription, Reynolds said: “While only 36 measures long, one senses a much more expansive and lengthy composition than its few short minutes reveal.”
SFA faculty members Jacob Walburn on trumpet and JD Salas on tuba will perform with the Wind Ensemble on the first movement from Concerto Doppio per Tromba, Tuba e Orchestra di Fiati by Italian composer Giancarlo Aquilanti. Written in 2017, the double concerto highlights the technical abilities for both soloists and also includes heavy jazz influences.
Another program piece will feature the Wind Ensemble percussion section on “Cabasa!” by University of North Texas percussion professor Mark Ford. The piece is written for five cabasas of different sizes and pitches.
Also on the program is Michael Gandolfi’s “Vientos y Tangos,” commissioned by The Frank L. Battisti 70th Birthday Commission Project and dedicated to Frank Battisti in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of concert wind literature. It was Battisti’s request that Gandolfi write a tango for wind ensemble inspired by the traditional sounds of the bandoneon, violin, piano and contrabass.
The Wind Ensemble will close the concert with Karl King’s “Circus Days March.” King published more than 300 works, 13 of which were considered “gallops,” or circus marches, intended to be played at blazing speeds. “It could be said that King did for the circus march what Sousa did for the patriotic march,” Anglley said.
For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.
Empower Hour
Empower Hour is a women’s networking event hosted by the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce. Light refreshments will be served.
Ladyjack Basketball Schedule Update
The Western Athletic Conference announced rescheduled dates for the Grand Canyon and New Mexico State games originally set to play this week.
SFA at Grand Canyon – Monday, January 31st at 6:00 p.m. MT
SFA at New Mexico State – Monday, February 14th – TBA
For results, updates and a complete schedule for all SFA Athletics, visit sfajacks.com.
Dallas Museum of Art purchases work by SFA art faculty member Morales
Artwork by Arely Morales, visiting assistant professor of drawing in the School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University, has been acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art as part of its ongoing collecting practice of supporting local and regional artists, reports Glasstire, the oldest online-only art magazine in the country.
Morales’ 65 1/2 by 60-inch oil on canvas painting “María,” of a woman laborer picking apples, is among the works by eight Texas artists purchased by the DMA for 2021. In addition to Morales, the group includes artists Ivonne Acero, Kaleta Doolin, Sam Gummelt, Anna Membrino, Kazuya Sakai, Danny Williams and Margaret Meehan, according to Glasstire.
Morales’ work centers on the Latino immigrant community in the United States. Born in Mexico, Morales immigrated to the U.S. as a teen. Glasstire describes her work as “deeply personal, seeking to bring to light the humanity of people whose experiences are often invisible or seen through a politically charged lens.”
“In my work, I am interested in exploring these issues and the vulnerabilities that take place within this group,” Morales’ artist statement explains. “I hope to uplift my community by bringing awareness of the struggles that often go unseen. I seek to show their strength, elevate, and dignify their presence, and create a clarity that makes my subjects feel visible and present as they exist.”
“The School of Art congratulates Ms. Morales on her success.,” said Director Chris Talbot. “Her work is an inspiration to our students as she helps them find their own artistic voice and develop the talents that will resonate with their audience as she has done.”
The acquisition of “María” was made possible through the Charron and Peter Denker Contemporary Texas Art Fund. Morales is represented by Talley Dunn Gallery.
A non-profit 501(c)(3) publication, Glasstire describes itself as the only publication in Texas that is producing serious art criticism on a daily basis. It is supported in part by grants from The Houston Endowment, The Brown Foundation Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, the Greater Houston Community Foundation, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission for the Arts.
Cold Hardiness Zones
With current cold temperatures hitting us hard, it becomes a common question, “what is our normal winter weather?” Who defines our “normal” winter weather? And how do we select plants that will thrive in our climate?
Anyone who has selected varieties for an orchard or plants for their home landscape has run across the phrase, “hardy to zone 8b” or some other designation. Across the state of Texas, we have zone 6a in the uppermost portion of the panhandle, while the very southern tip of our state is in zone 9b.
These zones were first put forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1960 in response to a need to standardize growing zones with some measure of accuracy. Private nurseries had developed their own “zones” more so by geographical regions as early as 1927, but no data driven standard was established.
But the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service used historical climate data from 450 weather stations from across the nation to set up 10 “cold hardiness zones” and presented it to the public. Zone 1 is in central Alaska and zone 10 could be found in Hawaii. Each zone measured a 10-degree F delineation in the average minimum temperatures of the region. Zone 1 has a minimum average temperature of -50 F while zone 10’s minimum average temperature is 40 F.
Our region around east Texas and extending west/southwest across the state was zone 8 with an average low somewhere between 10 to 20 F.
Thirty years later in 1990, the USDA released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This new map took data from close to 8,000 weather stations and used data from the time period from 1974 to 1986 . This increased volume of historical data also allowed the further break down each zone into a 5-degree range, designated “a” or “b”.
Looking again at our part of the world, Lufkin is now in Zone 8b with average minimum temperature ranging from 15 to 20 F. Just a few miles north, Nacogdoches is in zone 8a (10 to 15 F), and, further to our north, Tyler marks the transition into zone 7b (5 to 10 F).
The last update to the map is from 2012. This update has a similar number of weather stations (nearly 8,000) and uses historical weather data from 1976- 2005.
If you study the maps carefully, you will notice how the temperatures patterns have changed over time. Long before global warming was a part of everyone’s vocabulary, it was easy to notice shifts in the maps. Interestingly, there was a warming trend in the zoned areas between the 1960 and 1990 maps. And yes, there was a cooling trend in the most recent 2012 map. The net result considered a wash by most experts, though many climatologists have been watching the latest data with keen interest.
“But what about last February’s Winter Storm Uri?” one asks, “Those lows were in the low single digits!” Uri was indeed a unique and harsh winter storm. But the key to the Hardiness maps is the emphasis on historical average low temperatures.
So how does all this affect our selection of plants? The map is quite helpful, no doubt. However, astute gardeners are wise to watch out for early and late frosts. A perfectly adapted peach tree will bear very few fruits if a late frost lands during full bloom. And at the beginning of the winter season, plants do well when the temperatures gradually cool off.
At the time this writing, the low temperature at my farm just north of Lufkin was 28. Colder temperatures into the low 20’s are forecast for the days ahead. But looking at the historical average of my zone (zone 8b), everything growing on my land needs to be ready temperatures reaching as low as 15 to 20.
See the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Map here: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
Cary Sims is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Angelina County. His email address is cw-sims@tamu.edu.
Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, national origin, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ladyjack Basketball Schedule Announcement
Due to COVID-19 protocols within the SFA women’s basketball program, the Ladyjacks will be unable to play this week’s WAC road games at Grand Canyon and New Mexico State.
All schools are working on make-up dates and times. Continue to check sfajacks.com for all updates regarding the schedule.
SFA’s Scott to perform new compositions for trombone
Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present a recital featuring new compositions for the trombone at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
The selections on the program are connected to Scott’s position as the director of the International Trombone Festival’s Composers Workshop. Joining her in the performance will be SFA’s Dr. Thomas Nixon and Dr. JD Salas, tuba.
The featured composition is a new sonata called “Golden” by Amy Riebs Mills, who was also a clinician at the 2021 Composers Workshop. “It is a strikingly beautiful composition that takes the listener on an emotional journey from ‘trouble and worry’ through fields of birds to a triumphant end,” Scott said.
“Punched Out” is by Steven Verhelst, who Scott described as “currently one of the trombone’s most important composers. His music is unique and creative with jazz influences,” she said. Verhelst was the featured composer of the Composers Workshop. Scott was also part of a consortium that commissioned “Punched Out,” so it is currently only available to be performed by the consortium participants. Salas, associate professor of tuba, will join Scott in the “lively and fun” performance.
“Bop” by Emma Donkin was one of the winning compositions for the 2021 International Trombone Festival’s Composers Workshop. “It is a really fun piece to play and to listen to,” Scott said. “It includes a swing feel and stomping as well as a slammed keyboard lid. It involves a surprise costume change as well. I promise the evening will be unforgettable.”
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.