The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: Oct. 29
10.29.2019 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news, interesting tidbits and exciting stories happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. [<a href="http://texassports.com/archives.aspx?path=forty_acres_insider">Forty Acres Insider archives</a>]
Greetings Longhorn Nation,
Our Longhorns competed with great heart and determination and delivered some big plays on Saturday in Fort Worth, but the final outcome was not the result we'd hoped for. Though it was a disappointing result, our staff and team leaders stood strong in the locker room after the game, and we all know Coach Herman and this team will move forward with great resolve. We are 5-3 (3-2 in Big 12) and there is still so much ahead of us to play for. With a bye week, we have an opportunity to continue to work while also getting some much-needed rest and an opportunity to heal and recover for the homestretch of the regular season. That four-game stint starts Nov. 9 as we host Kansas State at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game is a six-day selection by our television partners, so we won't know the game time for sure until next week. No matter the time, we will be ramping up our pregame festivities and look forward to celebrating everything Texas once again as we prepare to cheer our Longhorns to a bounce-back victory!
Speaking of big victories and energetic crowds, thanks to all of you amazing fans that had Gregory Gym jumpin' and provided a big-time homecourt advantage that propelled our Horns to a 3-0 thumpin' of then-No. 1 Baylor last Wednesday. The ladies followed that up with a 3-0 sweep at Kansas on Saturday. On the heels of 9-match win streak and victories in 23-straight sets, they moved into the top spot in this week's AVCA poll. Coach Elliott and the Longhorns travel to Texas Tech on Wednesday and then return home for a Sunday match against West Virginia (noon CT). Come on out and join us, the energy and electricity in The Greg is something special to be a part of!
Last week was Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City for our Men's and Women's Basketball teams, signifying it's tipoff time for Coach Smart and Coach Aston and their squads. It's going to be an exciting year in the Erwin Center, so get your tickets now and be a part of it!
Our first shot at a Big 12 title in the 2019-20 seasons comes this Saturday, when Coach Floréal and our Men's and Women's Cross Country teams head up I-35 to Waco for the conference championship meet. Both squads have each won three team titles this season heading into the Big 12 meet, and we'll be pulling for them to do big things on Saturday!
Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving have an exciting week ahead of them as well, as Coach Reese and Coach Capitani prepare to travel to College Station to face Texas A&M in a dual meet on Friday. It's always fun to face our longtime rivals in any sport, and this week we'll be squaring off in the pool.
Coach Kelly and our Soccer squad split a pair of matches last week, celebrated their seniors on Sunday and head to Norman for the regular season finale on Thursday. Sunday's Texas Tech match featured our largest crowd of the season (1,982) as our fans paid tribute to our eight seniors. Our Horns came up just short to the No. 17 Red Raiders as the fans witnessed a thrilling 2-1 match decided in overtime. The team also had a really cool opportunity last Saturday as they spent time with English professional soccer legend Alan Shearer for NBC Sports Premier League Morning Show.
On a personal note, don't be alarmed by my appearance in the coming weeks as I take on some facial hair this month in support of the Movember initiative. My wife is not enthused about the beard either, but she is in full support of it and the cause it represents — raising awareness for men's health. Please men, get your physicals, take care of yourself and let's all get on board with "changing the face of men's health."
We hope everyone's week is full of lots of tricks and treats and Halloween cheer with your friends and families. This is such a wonderful time of the year, and we are so grateful for all of your support, passion and Texas Pride.
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Hook 'em, Horns!
