The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
02.05.2019 | 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 inaugural Texas Athletics Town Hall is finally here and we can't wait to see everyone at the LBJ Auditorium Thursday night. Think of this as our stakeholder event; everyone is invited! We'll share updates on what's happening in Athletics but, just as importantly, I want to hear from you. We'll take time to discuss everything from our budgets to facility upgrades, ticket pricing, parking, concessions, the overall progress of our programs academically and athletically, and much more. The plan is to lay out the details of where we've been and plans for where we're going. Your participation is essential to this. I need to hear your voice, your concerns, what you'd like to see more of, any thoughts you have. So make plans to join us Thursday.
Saturday was an incredible day as we unveiled the bust of our beloved Longhorns Legend and friend Augie Garrido. We miss him dearly but seeing Jeannie and his family; sharing so many memorable Augie stories; and placing his sculpture among the Texas Baseball coaching royalty of Bibb Falk, Billy Disch and Cliff Gustafson outside of UFCU Disch-Falk Field was truly special to be a part of. Thank you to everyone who made it such a momentous occasion.
Baseball took center stage last weekend, starting Friday with the inaugural First Pitch Banquet. What an unbelievable evening that was as 'The Road to Omaha' began again! Augie's ceremony appropriately opened the Saturday festivities and the annual Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game followed. What a cool deal that was with our 2019 Longhorns making their debut, so many of our Major Leaguers on hand, and the Clemens brothers joining their dad on the alumni team. Seeing our seasoned star, Roger, warming up to "Rocket Man" and then hitting 85 mph on the gun was truly a sight to behold. I don't know if he could lift his arm the next day but our 50+ legend was his former seven-time Cy Young Award-winning self for that time on the mound.
It's such a fun time of year to get out to all of our sports venues to cheer on the Longhorns, and last week we had a full slate. As we continue to build toward the championship portion of several of our teams' schedules, it was another strong stretch for our Horns. Men's Basketball, Men's and Women's Tennis, and Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving all notched victories over teams nationally ranked last week in the top 16. And our Track and Field squads turned in a number of outstanding performances, registering five individual wins while 15 student-athletes posted personal best performances at the Charlie Thomas Invitational in College Station.
In closing, congrats to Longhorns great and New England Patriots defensive tackle Malcom Brown on winning another Super Bowl ring on Sunday. What a run he has had: four NFL seasons, three Super Bowl starts, and two Super Bowl titles! Congrats to Rams running back Malcolm Brown on making it to the Super Bowl as well. That's an accomplishment not many get to experience and is worthy of celebration, too.
I've enjoyed meeting so many of you at our athletics events and look forward to an awesome gathering of Longhorn Nation at Thursday's Town Hall. You are essential to our success and we thank you for your spirit, passion and Longhorns love. Together, we are putting the "T" back in Texas.
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Hook 'em, Horns!
Upcoming events
Our teams are back at it again this week with Men's Basketball hosting Baylor Wednesday (7 p.m.). The Erwin Center was rockin' for the Kansas win, so let's bring that same energy to help our team get after the Bears! We open a new era of Texas Softball with Coach White when we host the Texas Classic Friday-Sunday at Red & Charline McCombs Field. Men's Basketball travels to West Virginia Saturday (7 p.m./ESPN2), while the women head to Kansas that same day (7 p.m./ESPN3). Men's Tennis is off to Tulsa (Friday) and Arkansas (Sunday); Women's Tennis goes to Seattle for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship (Friday-Sunday); and Men's Golf is in Hawaii for the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa this weekend. Track and Field continues its preparation for the Big 12 Indoor Championships (Feb. 22-23) by traveling this weekend to Lubbock for the Texas Tech Shootout, as well as a select group of distance runners competing in Seattle at the Husky Invite. Stay tuned to TexasSports.com and all of our social media channels for the latest updates on all our teams.
Texas Athletics Town Hall
Details are set for our Town Hall on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium (LBJ Library). We're anxious to hear from all of you at this open forum with lots of discussion. Complimentary parking is available on-site on a first-come, first-served basis in Lot 40 (Thompson Conference Center), located at the intersection of Red River at Dean Keeton streets. Additional paid parking is available nearby in Manor Garage on Clyde Littlefield Dr. If you haven't already, please reserve your free tickets at TexasSports.com/tickets.
Jody Conradt honored by The First Tee
Congratulations to Hall of Fame coach Jody Conradt, who will be honored on March 25 by The First Tee of Greater Austin at its 11th annual 9 Core Values Luncheon. Another well deserved recognition for our iconic Longhorns Legend! Read more.
Allen Hardin and Heidi Wlezien honored
Congratulations to our latest Hall of Famer Allen Hardin. Allen does a tremendous job heading up our Sports Medicine and Sports Performance support areas. We're very proud of him and appreciate all he does -- and has done for many years -- for Texas Athletics. Congratulations is also in order for one of Allen's staff members -- Women's Basketball Athletic Trainer Heidi Wlezien -- who was inducted into her alma mater Parkland College's Athletics Hall of Fame.
Collin Johnson on LHN's 'Longhorn Extra'
We received great news a couple of weeks ago when our star receiver Collin Johnson announced he was returning for his senior year. You've got to love hearing a young man saying he's coming back to achieve his goal of earning a degree! Like all of our student-athletes, Collin is a tremendous person and we're lucky to have him wearing the Burnt Orange. Watch the video.
Football hosts Women's Chalk Talk
Head coach Tom Herman and Texas Football host a Women's Chalk Talk clinic on Wednesday, March 13. Registration, happy hour and dinner begin at 5 p.m. at Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center. Participants should expect to receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Texas Football, interact with current team members, and participate in position specific drills in DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (optional). Register here.
Softball rated No. 9 in Softball America preseason poll
The excitement continues to build for Texas Softball heading into the 2019 campaign as the Longhorns have been rated at No. 9 in the inaugural preseason poll issued by Softball America, a new sister publication to long-established Baseball America. The rankings are determined by Softball America staff and a select group of Division I head coaches. This marks UT's first top-10 rating in any poll since starting the 2014 season at No. 10 overall in two polls. Buy tickets here.
