The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
03.30.2021 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news 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>]
Longhorn Nation,
Lighting the Tower Orange never gets old, and WOW, our Longhorn Legend Eddie Reese got it done again! I remember the old Pittsburgh Steelers motto of "one for the thumb" from back in the day, but it's a good thing those swimmers and divers have their shoes off a lot because Eddie's well into the toes now with National Championship number 15. That's among the most ever in any sport, by any coach! Think about it, he won his first in 1981, now exactly 40 years later won yet another, and he has won a national title in five different decades. He leaves no doubt – he is the absolute best! And talk about a total team effort, congrats to every member of our Swimming & Diving squad that used a balanced scoring punch in the pool and the diving well to secure a fifth National Championship in the last six years. All 16 swimmers and all four divers who competed at the championships in Greensboro scored points, and the victory was fueled by a pair of relay national titles (800 free, 400 medley) while diver extraordinaire Jordan Windle won the 1-meter diving event and scored big in the 3-meter and platform.
And on the heels of that magnificent weekend, the one we affectionally call Yoda, the college coaching icon and the best to ever do it told us and his team on Monday that he will be retiring after this summer's Olympics. What he's done is unprecedented, unmatched and leaves an indelible mark on Texas Athletics, our great university and the entire landscape of college athletics. Eddie, thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you've done. We're so grateful that he's staying with us in an emeritus role after the Tokyo Games, so rest assured, he will continue to be a sounding board, a mentor and positive influence for all of our coaches, student-athletes and teams for years to come. He is a true Texas treasure and will be here to help us do many more great things in our Swimming & Diving program and Texas Athletics as a whole. He is the gift that keeps on giving, and we're darn lucky to have him!
And with that, the space is cleared in the Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame for our 56th National Championship trophy. That eye-catching wall of remarkable success just got bigger and better and is such a beautiful site. Every time I pass it, I can't help but stop, look, smile, and be reminded of what a great day it is to be a Longhorn!
On Sunday, The Tower was bathed in Orange with that glowing number one on two sides and 15 on the others to honor our National Champions, and it was right about then that Coach Schaefer and our Women's Basketball team continued to take San Antonio by storm with a 64-61 Sweet 16 thriller over Maryland. Our ladies came to play and left no doubt in securing their spot in the Elite Eight! And that gritty, stingy Longhorn defense set the tone, holding the Terrapins, who entered the game averaging better than 90 points per game, to a season-low 61 points. All-American and Lisa Leslie Award finalist (nation's top Center) Charli Collier recorded her 19th double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as our Horns survived, thrived and advanced to face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Tuesday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN) for a spot in the Final Four. Just can't get over how hard, and together, our ladies are playing, and the spirit, passion and pride they bring to the court. Their Texas Fight and faith in one another has been truly inspiring, and we can't wait to join all of you in pulling for them again Tuesday night!
It didn't stop there! What a weekend it was on the Forty Acres, too, as No. 9 Baseball notched a Red River Showdown series win at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, No. 8 Softball went 4-0 in the Bevo Classic at Red & Charline McCombs Field, and No. 2 Women's and No. 7 Men's Tennis combined for three victories at the Texas Tennis Center. Baseball's walk-off, extra innings rally and Softball's late-game surge on Friday night helped launch the fantastic weekend. Just before that, after a one year respite, and even with its limited schedule this year, the triumphant return of the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays was a site to behold at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Kudos to our incredible Meet Director James Barr, his staff, the officials, fans and competitors that made the event so special, once again. And how about Coach Flo and Texas Track & Field? From Tara Davis' spectacular leap into history to the Men's 4x400 relay circling the track for a school record to close out the meet on Saturday and the many tremendous efforts from our Longhorns, it was an awesome three-day event. Tara's long jump was historic as she shattered a 36-year old collegiate record held by the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee when she soared 23-feet-5.25 for the victory. Adding to an impressive day, her first jump went 22-feet-10.5, third-best in NCAA history, and was just three-quarters of an inch shy of Joyner-Kersee's effort in 1985. So, she went ahead and crushed that on her next attempt! Even more monumental, that all came just two weeks after a collegiate indoor record with a national championship winning leap of 22-feet-9 in Fayetteville. Think about it, Tara has posted three of the top six long jumps (indoor or outdoor) in college track & field history in the last two weeks! Pretty extraordinary and historic couple of weeks for an exceptional student-athlete, which deserves a huge Hook 'Em and round of applause. Congratulations Tara!
The Forty Acers was abuzz, but we had great success on the road, too! In addition to the sensational performances from Men's Swimming & Diving and Women's Basketball, Coach Elliott and No. 2 Women's Volleyball traveled up I-35 to Waco on Friday and snapped the No. 6 Baylor Bears' 28-match home winning streak with a 3-1 victory. It was the fourth time the two teams met in big-time, top-six matches this year and the fourth time our Horns came away with the win, this time with an added bonus as it was Coach Elliott's 500th victory at Texas. Congratulations coach, and congratulations to Coach Joffe who also won his 100th match at Texas on Sunday, which was one of three combined ranked wins by our Tennis programs over the weekend with two for the Women and one for the Men! Coach Kelly and Women's Soccer added another W to the spectacular weekend with a 3-0 win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Former Horns were en fuego as well this past week as Jordan Spieth and Dylan Frittelli reached the round of 16 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club, and Scottie Scheffler advanced all the way to the Championship Match! What an awesome tribute to Coach Fields and our Men's Golf program to have such amazing players and terrific people representing us at the highest levels!
As we close, I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to send a thank you to Coach Smart, who after six seasons leading our Men's Basketball program decided to accept the head coaching job at Marquette on Friday. I had a chance to visit with the team and our staff on Saturday morning to talk about that, and I'd like to echo my sentiments that I shared in a statement by once again thanking Coach Smart and wishing him and his family the best in the future. As I told our team this weekend, a search for our next Men's Basketball coach has commenced, and we will bring in a great coach and outstanding leader to head up our program going froward.
Well, last week was certainly a phenomenal one on the fields, courts, track and pool, as so many weeks have been thus far in 2021. We know there are many more fun and exciting days ahead as we get set for another full slate of competitions this week, including an added treat with Baseball (Tuesday, 6 p.m. CT/ESPNU), Men's Tennis (Wednesday, 6 p.m. CT/LHN) and Track and Field (Saturday) all taking on our long-time rivals Texas A&M. That will be an extra dose of energy to those games, meets and matches, as will Volleyball closing out their regular season at TCU (Friday & Saturday) before heading to the team bubble in Omaha for the NCAA Championship that begins on April 14. We're grateful to have so much going on, but just as thankful for having you all along for the ride and supporting us every step of the way. Here's to a terrific week, wonderful Easter Weekend, and let's keep those Horns up!
Stay safe, be healthy and Hook 'Em Horns,
Chris Del Conte
P.S. – Tuesday morning launched the campus-led 40 Hours for the Forty Acres campaign. This year, Texas Athletics is raising funds to help support our student-athletes as they continue to face significant changes to their collegiate experience due to COVID-19. All gifts will go toward Longhorn Excellence and help make a positive impact on our continued adaption to the needs of our student-athletes amid the global pandemic. The campaign launched at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning and runs through Wednesday at 10 p.m. Please join us in supporting this very worthy cause!
P.S. II — Thank you Track & Field seniors!
HEADLINES
Women's Basketball preview: vs. (1) South Carolina
The sixth-seeded Longhorns continue their run through the NCAA Tournament with an Elite 8 matchup on Tuesday.
VIDEO: Women's Basketball with the Home State Advantage.
Coach Schaefer says thank you to fans and Let's Pack the Dome
No. 5 Baseball preview: at Texas A&M
The Longhorns head back on the road to face the Aggies Tuesday night in College Station.
No. 2 Women's Tennis preview: Texas State
The Longhorns host the Bobcats in a non-conference match on Tuesday (2 p.m. CT) at the Texas Tennis Center.
VIDEO: Men's Swimming & Diving National Championship Tower Lighting
The Tower was bathed in Burnt Orange on Sunday night to honor our National Champions
Track and Field closes out Texas Relays
The Longhorns broke a school record in the Cleburne Price Jr. Men's 4x400-meter Invitational.
VIDEO: Track and Field's Davis claims another collegiate record at Texas Relays
Tara Davis shattered a 36-year-old outdoor collegiate record in the long jump with a mark of 7.14m/23-5.25 on Friday.
Track and Field boasts pair of top-five USTFCCCA Rankings
The Longhorns were slotted at No. 2 on the women's side and No. 4 on the men's in the first outdoor rankings of the year.
No. 2 Women's Tennis sweeps No. 7 Baylor, 7-0
Howard Joffe earns his 100th dual-match win as head coach of the Longhorns.
No. 9 Baseball cruises to 11-6 win over Oklahoma
Cam Williams homered twice and drove in four runs in the win.
No. 9 Baseball opened Oklahoma series with a thrilling victory in extra innings
Douglas Hodo III drove in the game-winning run with an 11th-inning two-out double.
No. 8/10 Softball run-rules UT Arlington on Sunday, 9-1 (6 inn.)
In all, 10 different Longhorns managed hits and seven registered RBIs during the run-rule triumph.
No. 8 Softball opened Bevo Classic by rallying to victory on Friday, beating South Dakota, 6-5
The Longhorns scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn their largest comeback win since 2019
Soccer blanks Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road, 3-0
Julia Grosso, Mackenzie McFarland & Cameron Brooks all found the net during a second-half outburst
Soccer's Madden named Big 12 Conference Goalkeeper of the Week
The San Diego, Calif., native made five stops in registering a road shutout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 7 Men's Tennis earns 6-1 win over No. 29 USF
The Longhorns won their sixth-straight match, including four over ranked opponents with a victory over the Bulls on Saturday..
No. 2 Rowing competes in scrimmage against No. 13 SMU
Longhorns will open the season on Belleville Lake in Michigan on April 10
Women's Basketball advances to Sweet 16
The Longhorns knocked off No. 3 seed UCLA, 71-62, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in program history.
Women's Basketball places five on Academic All-Big 12 teams
The Longhorns had five first-team honorees on this year's Academic All-Big 12 teams.
