The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Patterson's Posts: May 28
05.28.2015 | Texas Athletics
Read this week's installment of the weekly communication from Men's Athletics Director Steve Patterson.
Last weekend, many of our student-athletes participated in commencement activities across campus. You can see a video highlighting the weekend's activities here. Included in this group were several former student-athletes who returned to complete their degrees. Former football player Priest Holmes received his diploma 19 years after leaving the Forty Acres for the NFL. Read more about why Priest was passionate to finish his degree in this feature on TexasSports.com.
It was also a great weekend with my family as we celebrated our son Austin's graduation from UT. We will celebrate our daughter Leila's graduation from Westlake high school this weekend. She will be the sixth Patterson to attend UT when she starts classes in the fall.
COMPETING FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
It was another big weekend for our Texas teams as we claimed our tenth Big 12 Conference championship for the 2014-15 year. Texas is one of only eight Division I schools nationally to play in a football bowl game, advance to the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments and earn an NCAA regional bid in baseball. We are one of only two schools to accomplish all of the above as well as advance to the NCAA postseason in volleyball and softball. We also have an exciting few days of postseason competition coming up.
Starting last Friday, May 15, Texas Baseball had a whirlwind 10 days that included final exams, graduation for six current players and a Big 12 Tournament Championship. Read more about those "Ten Days with Texas Baseball" on TexasSports.com. After a difficult regular season, we beat Oklahoma State 6-3 to secure Texas' fifth Big 12 Tournament title. We were awarded the No. 3 seed in the Dallas Regional, and will face Oregon State tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Central. The game will be simulcast on LHN and ESPN3. Texas Gameday will be live on LHN starting at 1 p.m. If you are in the Dallas area, you can get tickets through the Dallas Baptist athletics department online, or at the ticket office the day of the game.
On Sunday, senior All-Americans Lloyd Glasspool and Søren Hess-Olesen finished their careers at Texas by winning the NCAA Doubles Championship title. They are the first Texas duo to win a NCAA Doubles title in 71 years. You can read more about the exciting match and how Lloyd and Søren became doubles partners here. You can also see a feature of Lloyd and Søren on LHN here.
Earlier this week, rowing swept the Big 12 postseason awards. Gia Doonan was named the Big 12 Rower of the Year, Emily Froehlich was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and Dave O'Neill was named Big 12 Coach of the Year. No. 11 rowing will compete at the NCAA Championship as a team for the first time ever this weekend, May 29-31, in Gold River, Calif. on Lake Natoma. Good luck to Coach O'Neill and his team.
Track and Field student-athletes will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships this weekend at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, which started today and will continue through Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium. A total of 12 spots in each event are up for grabs this week as the best talent in the West region fights to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon later in June. Full details and ticket information can be found at TexasSports.com. Check the Track and Field Twitter @UTexasTrack for up to date information on potential weather delays throughout the competition.
No. 2 Men's Golf competes at the NCAA Championships starting tomorrow through June 3 at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. We're hoping for another National Championship this year. Good luck guys!
Volleyball announced their 2015 season schedule earlier this week. The home schedule brings some exciting and competitive competition to Gregory Gym. If you're interested in season tickets, there are still some available. Be sure to get yours before they are all sold out! Mini-plans starting at $28 for four games. More information here.
BEYOND ATHLETICS
This week, the NCAA released the multi-year Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). Five of our teams posted a perfect 1,000 and football's rating of 958 is the team's best multi-year mark since the NCAA began releasing the APR in 2004-05. We are pleased to see the progress our student-athletes are making toward graduation, and will continue to work to provide them world-class resources to achieve academically. You can read more about the APR here.
CATCHING UP WITH…
We recently caught up with new Chicago Bear and former Longhorns All-American and Campbell Trophy winner Sam Acho. Sam talks about the profound changes in his life with the birth of his son, and his reinvigorated sense of purpose. Watch the video on TexasSports.com.
Green beret, recent Longhorns football graduate and Seattle Seahawks long snapper Nate Boyer was recently featured on NFL.com. Nate was a special guest at a charity event in Washington, D.C., over Memorial Day weekend for an organization founded and headed up by former Longhorn All-American Derrick Dockery and his wife Emma, also a UT grad. You can watch the feature on NFL.com.
OTHER
This week, football season ticket members began participating in the Ticket Relocation and Upgrade Experience (TRUE) by logging in to a virtual Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. During this simple, and transparent process, fans can move or upgrade their seat locations to any open spots and also select available parking. If you have any questions about the process or are unavailable during your TRUE appointment time, our sales and service team is here to help. You can reach your personal service representative at 512-232-4422. More information on TRUE, including an instructional video, is available on TexasSports.com.
After this week, I'll move to a summer schedule for Patterson's Posts for June. I'll be back here with updates on June 25 and will resume regular posts on July 2.
Until next time – Hook 'em, Horns!
Steve Patterson
Men's Athletics Director
Players Mentioned
