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June 2008
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Home Team
by Jeff Kelly
 Annie Laski is a humble person.
Her impressive accomplishments and activities would overwhelm some.
After all, there are only 24 hours in a day. Yet Annie doesn’t boast
about what she’s done or what she plans for the future.
Her immediate plans are simple,
befitting her humble nature. After graduation she headed to her
hometown of Lubbock, Texas, to spend time with her family, drink
some coffee, do some yoga, and as she said, “just level out before
the real world hits me.”
And when it does, her ultimate
goal is merely to save the world. For Annie, that is not as
far-fetched as it might seem.
Annie has been has been a Dean’s
List honoree for the entirety of her Austin College career, earning
a 3.97 grade point average. She has completed a Lilly internship and
participated in the Posey Leadership Institute, the Mentors in
Violence Program, and the Catholic Students Association. In 2005
she was named the College’s Outstanding Freshman, and this spring
completed her honors thesis in political science.
Meanwhile, she managed to play a
little basketball. A four-year player for Coach Deb Hunter,
there was no more diligent worker than Annie, spending countless
hours in Dickey Fitness Pavilion and Hughey Gymnasium for benefit of
her team. Playing basketball for the Kangaroos was a humbling
experience for Annie. When she looks back on her career, she said,
she won’t particularly recall opponents or specific games. “When I
remember basketball, I remember the way it made me feel, and that is
some complex mixture of joy, panic, anticipation, frustration,
excitement, exhaustion, and empowerment,” Annie said. “Every time I
got to play in a game, I felt like one of the luckiest people on the
planet.”
Annie’s success on the court and
in the classroom, as well her many campus involvements, might
suggest she had been able to strike a perfect balance. She doesn’t
see it that way. “I work at extremes,” Annie said. “I can’t tell you
how many all-nighters I’ve pulled, especially this year working on
my thesis. Sometimes it’s just a matter of ignoring normal sleeping
patterns.”
Though Annie continues to pile
up achievements and accolades, she takes little credit for her
success. Instead, she points to her support system of friends and
family. “Ultimately any success I have had is because of all the
people who have helped me along the way, given me second chances,
adjusted their schedules to accommodate mine, or just put up with
how bad I smelled when I didn’t have time to shower after practice,”
Annie said. “If everyone were as self-absorbed in their activities
and schedules as I have been, no one would ever get anything done,
and that’s a fact.”
Extra activities and a full and
demanding course load challenge any student. Annie also had to
manage emotional trauma as, during Annie’s sophomore year, freshman
teammate Brittany Simpson died in a car accident mid-season
and teammate Libby Kellum ’06 was severely injured in an auto
accident that same year. Then last August, Annie received news that
Coach Hunter had suffered a stroke. (See update) “I think
anyone involved with any of those situations would tell you that
none of us would have made it through alone,” said Annie. “It is a
trial and we all have survived together. We have leaned on each
other, hugged each other, counseled each other, and understood each
other merely from our collective experience. That is the only way I
could have dealt with any of the major hits we’ve had as a team. We
have been strong because we have had each other.”
Given all Annie faced through
academic and athletic challenges as well as emotional trials, it’s
easy to see why she looks forward to a summer of drinking coffee and
doing yoga. Eventually she will pursue graduate school and hopes to
travel abroad. Ideally, she’d like to work with an economic
development consulting group.
So, watching Annie accept her
diploma as a summa cum laude graduate May 18, those who know
her were confident that the best is still to come. After all, she’s
out to save the world. Or, as she said, “at least a little part of
it.”
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“A” Association Call for Nominations
Austin College is accepting
nominations for 2009 Athletic Hall of Honor inductees and
the Coach Joe Spencer Award for Meritorious Service and
Lifetime Achievement in Coaching. Nominations may be faxed to
(903) 813-3196; mailed to Austin College Athletics, Attention:
Sandra Miller, 900 North Grand Ave. Suite 6A, Sherman, Texas
75090; or
completed online.
Hall of Honor nominees
should be distinguished Austin College athletes who graduated at
least five years ago; possess sportsmanship, character, and
integrity; and have brought distinction to themselves and Austin
College. Former
Austin College coaches, managers, trainers, or
ardent supporters may be considered for "honorary" membership.
Nominees for the Coach Joe
Spencer Award should be a coach who has had some association
with Austin College and whose career evidences outstanding
contribution to the coaching profession.
Nominations for 2009 awards
close June 30, 2008.
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Men’s Basketball Team Makes SCAC Playoffs
 The Kangaroo men’s
basketball team took a big step in its second season as a
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) team, also the
first year under head coach Rodney Wecker. After going
winless in the SCAC in 2006-2007, the ’Roos posted a 6-9 SCAC
record, 9-16 overall, and earned a berth in the conference
tournament -- the first postseason appearance in the program in
a decade.
Leading the way for Wecker
was guard Kola Alade ’10, who garnered Third Team All-SCAC
honors after averaging 18.2 points per game, good for third best
in the conference. Alade also led the ’Roos with 73 assists and
31 steals, and was among the SCAC leaders with his 81.2 percent
free throw shooting.
After missing the early part
of the season due to injury, Chris Sturtevant ’10 came
back strong for the ’Roos and finished the year as the team’s
leading rebounder, grabbing 6.5 boards per contest. He proved a
capable scorer as well, with an average of 14.2 points per game.
Alade and Sturtevant led a stellar sophomore class that keyed
the turnaround from the previous season.
That sophomore class also
included Spencer Burke, who finished among the national
leaders in blocked shots, guards Kyle Lintelman and
Arron Mewbourn, and forward Taylor Beatty.
Lone senior Emmanuel
Nwelue provided strong leadership, starting in 24 games and
proving integral in the team’s success through his tenacity on
the glass and on defense. He received the Sig Lawson Dedication
and Commitment Award for basketball and the Robert T. Mason
Sportsmanship Award.
Adam Bishop ’09 also
made solid contributions to the team with some late-season
heroics against Southwestern, scoring 11 straight second-half
points in Austin College’s win.
Southwestern and Austin
College were tied in SCAC standings at season’s end. Deadlocked
through six potential tiebreakers, the two teams resorted to a
coin toss – won by Austin College‑‑to determine which team would
go to the SCAC tournament.
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Swimming and Diving Season Topped with New Records
Several new swimming and diving
records were set by the Austin College teams under the direction of
Trey Sullivan in his first coaching season at the College. The
Kangaroo women finished eighth and the men ninth at the Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Meet in
February.
Marjory Gibson ’08, whose
career included numerous record-setting performances, was fourth in
the 1650 freestyle with a time of 18:15.77. Gibson shattered her own
Austin College record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:16.17,
topping her old record by more than six seconds.
Lisa Holloway ’11 gave a
record-breaking performance at the SCAC meet, finishing sixth in the
100 freestyle with a time of 54.82 and breaking the previous Austin
College record by nearly two seconds. Earlier in the season,
Holloway broke another College record when she swam the 200
backstroke in 2:20.51.
Elise Koestner ’10 was
honored this season as well, named the SCAC Diver of the Week when
she won the 1-meter board event at the Austin College Invitational
with a score of 279.65. She finished seventh in the 1-meter diving
event and sixth in the 3-meter event at the SCAC Championship.
The men’s 400 freestyle relay
team of Clement Durand ’08, Jesse Booher ’08,
Tayyar Unal ’10, and Brent Burk ’08 finished seventh at
the SCAC Championship with a time of 3:29.00. Durand finished eighth
in the 200 butterfly and Burk took 10th in the 1650
freestyle.
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Lacrosse Team Earns
Tournament Berth
The Austin
College men’s club lacrosse team earned a berth into the Lone Star
Alliance Playoffs on May 3. Seeded No. 3 in the LSA B Division, the
Austin College team was defeated by No. 2-seeded St. Edward’s
University in the tournament. The tournament was played at Texas
Stadium and the team was able to see much of the stadium, dress in
the visitors’ locker room, and enter the field through “the tunnel”
for play. This was the first playoff berth for the Austin College
men’s lacrosse program in its 19 years.
The Lone Star
Alliance, the premier college lacrosse conference in Texas,
Louisiana, and Oklahoma, is part of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse
Association.
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Young Women’s Basketball Team Begins SCAC Advance
The Kangaroo women’s
basketball team had a tough season, dealing with youth and a
preseason blow when Coach Deb Hunter suffered a stroke in the
offseason. Hunter, however, was on the sidelines by the season
opener and the ’Roos came within one unlucky break of making the
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) tournament.
That unlucky break came on
the final day of the season when, after defeating Southwestern
to seemingly clinch a playoff spot, the team learned that an
unexpected loss by Hendrix changed the standings and ended the
Kangaroo season.
 The ’Roos finished with an
overall record of 7-18, but a 6-9 mark in SCAC play. Katy
Williams ’10 led the way for Austin College, reaching
milestones and earning numerous accolades along the way. In the
season finale Williams pulled down 23 rebounds, the most of any
SCAC player in over a decade. In that game – her 50th‑
‑‑
Williams surpassed the 500-rebound mark, becoming the second
fastest player in conference history to do so.
Williams finished the season
second in the SCAC in scoring, posting an 18.7 points-per-game
average, and led the conference with 11.8 rebounds per game. She
was the only player to average a double-double in the
conference. For her efforts, she was named Second Team All-SCAC,
but was the only player from the conference to earn a spot on
the D3Hoops.com First Team All-South Region squad.
A trio of sophomore guards
used their strong perimeter shooting to help the ’Roos all
season. Amber Stafford, Maegan Fitzgerald, and
Kayla Redden were among the conference leaders in
3-pointers. Fitzgerald averaged 11.8 points per game and was
near the top of the conference with her 61 3-pointers, while
Stafford knocked down a team-best 38.4 percent of her 3-point
attempts. Stafford was even better in conference play, hitting
43.5 percent.
Lone senior Annie Laski
had her best season at Austin College, getting her first career
double-double when she scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds
against Oglethorpe in February. She also finished second on the
team in rebounding, pulling down 4.8 per game.
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Deb Hunter Rebounds from Stroke
Austin College women’s
basketball coach Deb Hunter suffered a massive stroke July 14,
2007. After four hours of brain surgery, the cause of the stroke
was still a mystery to Hunter and her doctors. Miraculously
though, within two days of the surgery Hunter was walking, and
even more miraculously, on the third day was discharged from the
hospital. Hunter developed a blood clotting disorder because of
the stroke and now takes medication to control it.
It was little surprise to
those who know Hunter that by the time the basketball season
rolled around, she was back on the court prowling the sidelines
for the ’Roos. Hunter coached the entire season, with the help
of her father, Dick, and one of Austin College’s all-time great
players, Marissa Hesse ’99, who returned to Sherman to
assist the coach.
Hunter is learning to deal
with fatigue, medication, and blood draws as regular elements of
her life. Incredibly, her brain has completely healed itself,
and a recent medical test showed no evidence of damage.
“The Austin College
community has been unbelievable supportive from the very
beginning,” Hunter said. “I have felt only encouragement and a
willingness to help in any way I needed. This is a great place
to be.”
Joy and David Simpson
established The Brittany Simpson Endowed Memorial Scholarship
after their daughter Brittany, an Austin College freshman, was
killed in an automobile crash in 2006.
In May, they presented a
check for $45,000 to Coach Deb Hunter, center, toward the
scholarship.
To date they have contributed more than $150,000 to
the fund that supports
a master’s level student in the College’s
Austin Teacher Program.
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June 2008
Feedback? |
Listol Is First 'Roo All-America First Team Choice
The Austin College volleyball
program reached a new summit with the announcement of Kaitlin
Listol ’08 to the NCAA Division III First Team All-America
roster, earning the third highest vote in Division III from the
American Volleyball Coaches Association. She had already been named
Southern College Athletic Conference (SCAC) Player of the Year.
Listol, an Honorable Mention All-American in 2006 and a
multiple All-Region honoree, led the ’Roos to a program-record 38
victories and the second round of the NCAA National Tournament in
2007. During that season, she twice was named SCAC Player of the
Week and was the MVP at four tournaments. She
ranked in the top 10
nationally in hitting percentage (.411) and in the top 15 nationally
in kills per game (5.01), while setting the conference record for
single-season kills and the school record for season and career
kills. She also topped the school record for most digs in a career.
Listol Named Austin College Female Athlete
of the Year
In May, she received the Austin
College Gene Day Outstanding Female Athlete Award and was selected
by her teammates as volleyball’s most valuable player. The Gene Day
Award, named to honor long-time women’s coach, the late Imogene
Grinnell Day, who taught for 35 years at the College, is chosen by
the coaching staff.
Though volleyball coach
Ed Garza is known for his ability to stockpile tremendous
talent, he has a tall order ahead in replacing one of his all-time
greats in Listol.
Listol,
who completed an interdisciplinary major in mathematics and exercise
and sport science with a minor in educational psychology, cum
laude, will pursue her master's degree in teaching through the
Austin Teacher Program. She will serve as graduate assistant for the
College's volleyball team this fall.
Justin Duncan Named Outstanding Male Athlete
of the Year
Justin Duncan
’08, a four-year member of the football squad, received the Pete
Cawthon Male Athlete of the Year Award, named for the football coach
who led the team in the 1920s. Named First Team All-Southern
Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC), Duncan was the anchor for
the football team’s offensive line, which led the SCAC, and was
among the national leaders in rushing for the second straight
season. Also a SCAC Academic Honor Roll member, Duncan was part of
an offensive line unit that was named to the D3Football.com Team of
the Week during the season and piled up more than 400 yards rushing
on multiple occasions.
Duncan, who earned a major
in music and minor in history, received a teaching assistantship
from Texas Tech University for the Master of Music in Choral
Conducting.
Tim Jubela
Freshman Athletes of Year Honored
Women’s
volleyball player Morgan Ballard and football player Chris
Hickson were selected by the coaches as the Tim Jubela Freshman
Athletes of the Year. Look for information on these students in the
September issue of Austin College Magazine.
More than 40 athletes were
honored with awards, including these selected by coaches:
- Robert T.
Mason Sportsmanship Award: Emmanuel Nwelue ’08,
basketball; and Courtney Pettenger ’10, volleyball.
- Bo Miller
Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics Award
(senior athletes with highest grade point averages): Jesse
Booher ’08, swimming and diving; Annie Laski ’08,
basketball.
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