Forty Acres Insider: May 31 - University of Texas Athletics

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Longhorn Nation

Freddie Mercury's victory anthem is still ringin' in my head, We Are The Champions! Last week it was Women's Tennis with the NCAA title repeat, and on Sunday, Rowing made it back-to-back, as well. And talk about keep on fightin' til the end, Texas Softball did just that. Down a game, they stampeded to consecutive wins to advance to the Women's College World Series. Baseball's run to the Big 12 Championship game secured a return home to host an NCAA Regional right here in the friendly confines of UFCU Disch-Falk Field, while Track & Field was punchin' tickets to the NCAA Championship left and right at the preliminaries in Fayetteville. Men's Golf is right in the thick of taking dead aim on the National Championship as they're in the midst of a match play semifinal versus Vanderbilt as we speak. Oh, speaking of Tennis, Peyton Stearns became our first-ever NCAA Women's Singles Champion and the Men's dynamic duo of Richard Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper won the doubles national title.

Well, take a deep breath and get ready to bring your best Texas Fight again this week as we'll gather at the Disch to cheer on our Horns. What better way to celebrate all of our success in all sports this year than to gather as a Longhorn family and cheer on our team another time at home. We'll keep pulling for our Men's Golf team out west and look forward to taking the fight up I-35 to paint Oklahoma City Burnt Orange and White as our red hot Softball team takes to the diamond at the WCWS.

You can continue to puff those chests out with pride and count 'em up, as Rowing makes it 61 all-time Longhorn National Championships. It's the third this year, which matches our 2020-21 total and is tied for the second-most in a season in UT history. And the six national titles over the last two years equals the most ever in consecutive academic years for us. And, with Men's Golf and Softball among the final eight teams in their NCAA Championships, that makes 10 of our teams that have advanced to the Elite Eight or finished in the top-five at NCAAs at this point. It's far from over with Baseball, Men's Golf, Softball and Track & Field all still competing, so hold on tight. Oh, and we finished the year with 11 Big 12 Championships, making it consecutive years with double-digit conference crowns and increasing our all-time league titles total to a staggering 627! That's a whole lot of trophies, my friends!!

Before we get into the rest of another exciting week of Texas Athletics, we must take time to pay our respects. This week began with gratitude and appreciation as we honored those who have served our great nation on Memorial Day. It is a day to reflect, remember and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms. It's also a time to share and cherish what makes our country great and the values these national heroes have defended and upheld. We are so grateful.

Make it back-to-back Rowing National Championships

We came, we saw, and we conquered! Coach O'Neill had a plan and our squad was driven, focused and determined in their preparation and training all year long. Then, it all came together on race day as the precision they displayed from head to toe was just remarkable as we secured a National Championship repeat. And our Longhorns did it in dramatic fashion once again! The Varsity Four started the day with a third-place finish, then the Second Eight took fourth place. With the championship on the line, it was time to dig down deep and put that Texas Fight on full display, and they did just that, charging to the lead immediately and posting a dominant victory in the First Varsity Eight Grand Final to raise the trophy once again. It was an absolute monster performance that saw us leave Stanford and the rest of the field in our wake and a second-straight event title for the 1V8. That also put us in a tie with Stanford in the overall standings with 124 points, but the First Eight's triumph broke the tie. Adding icing to the cake, our First Eight has broken the tie with Stanford in securing our 2021 and 2022 titles, and on Sunday extended their unbeaten streak to 19 consecutive races. It was a grueling three days, starting on Friday with our Horns winning all their heats of all three races. In Saturday's semifinals, the First Eight and Second Eight were victorious, while the First Four finished second, positioning us well for the Grand Final on Sunday. From there, it was all the thrills of victory as our Longhorns stood atop the podium once again. Coach O'Neill is the best in the business! In his seven seasons at the helm of Texas Rowing, O'Neill has won two national titles, recorded three top-two national showings and four top-three finishes. The Longhorns have placed in the top-eight in all seven of his seasons on the Forty Acres! What a year it was, and I couldn't be prouder of these ladies, coaches, staff, and everyone involved in the season that culminated with a Championship!

Texas Tennis titles everywhere

After the amazing run Coach Joffe and the Women's team made for back-to-back National Championships last week, it was time for the NCAA singles and doubles championships, and oh boy, did both tennis programs keep it rollin'! Can you imagine the mental and physical reset it takes to play an entire team tournament and turn around the NEXT DAY to start brand new tournaments in both singles and doubles?? That's exactly what a trio of our ladies did, but none more impressive than the amazin' Peyton Stearns who not only started the singles tournament, but finished it and became the first NCAA women's singles national champion in our illustrious program's history! How awesome is that?! That left her just the doubles title short of the unicorn Triple Crown, and by gosh, if she didn't almost pull that off, too, getting all the way to the quarterfinals with her partner Allura Zamarripa. Regardless of that, she's still the first player since 2013 to win both the women's team and singles championships, so a huge HOOK 'EM to one of GOATs to wear the Burnt Orange and White! And that's not to overlook the terrific effort made by both Allura and singles participant Kylie Collins, who made that same turnaround and produced a run to the Round of 16 – that's All-America status for all three of them! Way to go!

Even after Peyton raised that trophy above her head on Saturday in Champaign, we weren't done yet! Just a little later and one court over it was time for the men's doubles title match where Richard Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper took the court under the watchful eye of Coach Berque, looking to become the seventh duo in UT history to become doubles champs . Not to mention, they would be only the second since 1944, following Longhorn Legends Lloyd Glasspool and Søren Hess-Olesen in 2015. Now, Ritchie and Cleeve would be the first to tell you they weren't playing their best tennis coming in, but wow, did they find it at the best possible time. After four wins in straight sets against some of the nation's best, it all came down to Saturday against the No. 2-ranked team from Ohio State, and time and time again, our boys showed their Texas Fight, ultimately winning in an intense and exciting 10-point tiebreaker that sent them into elation. It was a difficult season for the team and had so many obstacles and challenges, but what a way to close it out and take momentum into next season when almost everyone will be back. On that subject though, the one person who won't be back is in fact Ritchie. We couldn't be happier he chose to become a Longhorn for his final year as a graduate transfer and are elated he was able to have this storybook finish to his career with Cleeve. Kudos, gentlemen! Shoutout to Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab who closed out their season in the doubles tournament, as well, with both pairs set to become ITA All-Americans! And by the way, how about the fact that six NCAA titles were awarded in Champaign last week and HALF of them are headed back to Austin?! Great job by Coach Joffe, Coach Berque and both of their staffs!

Down goes Arkansas, Softball wins Super Regional, advances to WCWS

Talk about the pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas, that was on full display for Coach White and our Softball program last weekend. Facing old school Southwest Conference rival and one of the nation's top teams in No. 4 Arkansas at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, our Horns survived and thrived. After a heartbreaking loss in game one, our crew, and the dominant arm of senior Hailey Dolcini, took to the circle, leading an emphatic 3-1 bounce-back victory in game two. Hailey tossed a complete game beauty where she scattered five hits, allowed the lone run, walked just one and struck out two in the win. Senior extraordinaire Janae Jefferson and freshman Katie Cimusz provided the offensive firepower with a pair of solo homers. That set up the decisive third and final game. That one was a pitching duel and scoreless game into the sixth inning when our Horns dug deep and broke through in resounding fashion to rally for three runs. Of course our ever-reliable leader Janae provided the jolt of energy once again in a three-run sixth-inning outburst, opening that inning with a double. Fab freshman Mia Scott singled and Alyssa Washington doubled to get us on the board, knocking in two crucial runs. The always-clutch Mary Iakopo singled to drive in Washington and give us a 3-0 advantage. That would prove to be all we needed. Our Horns never looked back as a mix of youthful exuberance and savvy veteran leadership sealed the deal with freshman Sophia Simpson mowing them down, throwing a complete game gem. She pitched seven scoreless innings, holding the Razorbacks to five hits and striking out seven to secure the victory. It was a 3-0, Super Regional securing triumph, and on a longtime rival's home turf in front of 3,115 red-clad fans chanting woo pig sooie. How sweet is that?! Our Horns were just warriors, epitomizing Texas Fight! What a joy it was watching them celebrate the victory and a trip to the WCWS! It's our sixth all-time bid and first since 2013, so we've certainly missed it and are fired up that Coach White and the ladies brought us back. I know our team is thrilled, but we're in it to win it, and with a team that, as they say in Texas, is hotter than fish grease, I can't wait to cheer them on, and I know you can't either! It all starts on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT versus UCLA (on ESPN) in Oklahoma City. Let's do this ladies!

While we're talking Softball, Secure your spot at McCombs Field next season!

Want to make sure you're in the stands for every game at McCombs Field next season, purchase a 2023 Softball season ticket deposit TODAY for only $60 per seat. Deposit holders will get the first selection of available season tickets in loyalty point order on a first-come first-served basis.

Baseball advances to Big 12 Championship Game, set to host NCAA Regional

Coach Pierce and our Baseball squad gave us a thrilling ride all the way to the Big 12 Championship game at Globe Life Field in Arlington with three wins – two against Oklahoma State and a 5-3 decision over top-seeded TCU. A decisive 9-2 victory over Oklahoma State in the winner's bracket final game on Saturday sent us to the title game against OU on Sunday. We dropped that one, but did have the opportunity to see Ivan Melendez head into the NCAAs as our Home Run King as he hit his 29th and single-season record-breaking deep shot versus the Sooners. The week of success at the Big 12 Tourney fueled an impressive finish and was enough to deliver us a top-16 national seed for the NCAA Championship. With that seed, we secured our home field and will be hosting an NCAA Regional and the Road to Omaha will start right here at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. That will allow us to have that patented homefield advantage that we know y'all will provide and another opportunity for Longhorn Nation to bring that pride and passion to the park! We'll be the top seed and host No. 2-seeded Louisiana Tech, No. 3 Dallas Baptist and No. 4 Air Force with our first game is slated for Friday versus Air Force (1 p.m. CT/LHN). All-session tickets will go on sale Wednesday, June 1, at 10 a.m. CST at TexasSports.com/Tickets. If available, single-session tickets will go on sale Friday, June 3, at 9 a.m. CST. It's been one heck of a year in all sports, and this is a chance to celebrate all of that and our baseball program in another home event late in the 2021-22 sports seasons! I know you'll bring it in a big way so get that Burnt Orange and White garb ready, come early, be loud and stay late, and let's Hook 'Em!

Men's Golf advances to Match Play Semifinals at NCAA Championship

On Monday, Coach Fields and our Longhorns advanced to Match Play for the seventh time in the last 10 NCAA Championships. After a somewhat slow start in the first two rounds, our Horns made a steady climb all the way to fourth place after the four-day, 72-hole stroke-play portion of the event. With a 17-over-par total through four rounds (291-291-278-277), we were just three strokes back of Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and North Carolina who tied for first at 14-over-par. Our squad competed for spots among the individual leaderboard as well all weekend. Congratulations to sibling sensations Parker and Pierceson Coody who both finished among the top-15 in the individual standings to earn automatic GCAA All-America honors. Parker came ever so close to claiming medalist honors before falling to a tie for second in a four-player playoff. Pierceson finished in a tie for 15th, and Cole Hammer placed just outside of the top-15 in a tie for 20th. Next it was on to the much-anticipated, intensely contested head-to-head match play portion of the championship that everyone aspires to make. Entering as the No. 4-seed, we got off to a great start in the match play rounds earlier today with a 3-2 quarterfinal round victory against a team we know well in fifth-seeded Oklahoma State. And, as you read this, we're in the midst of squaring-off in a semifinal match against top-seeded Vanderbilt with a spot in Wednesday's Championship Match on the line. You can follow the entire tournament on Golf Channel. Stay tuned and we'll be pulling for a big-time win for our Horns as they look to continue to survive and advance.

Track & Field punches tickets galore to NCAA Championships

As Softball was knocking off the Razorbacks and advancing to the WCWS, Coach Floréal and Track & Field were nearby in Fayetteville succeeding and proceeding by punching tickets galore to the National Championships. All totaled, our team secured 29 individual event entries (13 on the men's side, 16 for the women) and both our men's and women's 4x100m and 4x400m meter relay teams earned spots in the NCAA Championship, June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon. That means we have a whole bunch of Horns headed west who will already be in the semifinal rounds of the championships with tons of scoring opportunities. This team is primed and ready! Two Longhorn men qualified in a pair of individual events with Micaiah Harris advancing in both the 100m and 200m, along with Stacy Brown, Jr., in the long and triple jumps. Led by our record-setting 400m man Jonathan Jones, we have three Horns set to take to the track at nationals in that race. In the field, nine-time Big 12 Champion and seven-time All-American Tripp Piperi is set for his final NCAA Championship. On the women's side, we have an electrifying collection of the nation's premier sprinters heading to Oregon with three qualifiers in both the 100m (Julien Alfred, Kevona Davis, Kynnedy Flannel) and 200m (Davis, Flannel, Rhasidat Adeleke) and the dynamic duo of Stacey Ann Williams and Kennedy Simon in the 400m. Tyra Gittens (high jump & long jump) and record-setting freshman phenom Ackelia Smith (long jump & triple jump) will both compete in a pair of jumping events. We have multi-events contenders with our All-American tandem of decathlete Leo Neugebauer and heptathlete Kristine Blazevica ready to compete for titles. We've got this week to rest a little, recuperate, prep and polish up as our top-ranked Men's and Women's squads look to take the nation by storm and bring home some Nattys! Flo Knows, and our Horns are ready, can't wait to see what they can do!!

Through 4EVER TEXAS program, Longhorns Agents of Change make community service trip to Costa Rica

What starts here changes the world, and that's exactly what our 4EVER TEXAS program sets out to do. It's a comprehensive and transformational student-athlete development initiative designed to educate, equip and empower our student-athletes who will go on to change the world for the better. One of the three main areas of focus is being Agents of Change through community involvement and civic engagement. That's exactly what a group of our student-athletes who traveled to Costa Rica and volunteered to help build courts for kids and are spending time on a cultural exchange trip are doing. And, by the looks of these photos, they'll be heading back to Austin with a valuable learning opportunity to their credit, and the satisfaction of a job well done. We are so grateful for everyone that made this trip happen and our amazing student-athletes that put in the work, had the chance to give back, and did their part to help change the world! Can't wait to hear all about the trip when they get back!!

Our television and conference partners announce Football game times and updates

With a few of our Football game times coming out last week, I know some of you are disappointed about one of them in particular. I hear y'all with the kick time concerns for the Alabama game, and we certainly know the heat will be a challenge that day. Rest assured though, we will be well prepared, have plenty of ice and weather, and take every precaution possible to manage that. I share your love for night games as well, and all the pomp and circumstance that comes with those. Trust me, we did push for an evening kickoff in all of our conversations with our conference and broadcast partners regarding our colossal non-conference matchup, but as you know, we have conference broadcasting contracts and are beholden to the times the television networks select. They choose those game times that best suit their particular situation, circumstances and constituents, and the Big Noon Kickoff is a huge deal for the folks at FOX. We have a great partnership and relationship with them, respect that, and are excited to make it an incredible and memorable day. The good news is we have plenty of time to prepare for it and are planning an epic day and weekend around it on the Forty for y'all. We're thrilled that it will be in their featured national window for the world to see. We fully expect to have multiple pre-game shows pumping out all the excitement from Bevo Blvd. and beyond leading up to kick and then showing off all of you decked out in Burnt Orange and White as our team competes their butts off in DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Coach Sark will have the squad on point day or night, so let's put any concerns on the backburner and get ready to make it one spectacular family reunion and awesome game day! I know you'll be geared up and fired up, so let's take that any time, any place attitude and come early, be loud and stay all day on September 10! And as an added bonus with the early kick, we are looking at multiple ways to keep all the festivities open for everyone to enjoy postgame, as well! Hey, what great news that our game with Baylor late in the season will remain in that prime Friday after Thanksgiving slot on ABC or ESPN, and that the Red River Showdown will also be a featured national contest on one of those networks. We're under 100 days til kickoff and it will be here before we know it!

Baseball's Melendez tabbed semifinalist for National Player of the Year honors

Just as Big 12 Player of the Year honors rolled in and the Big 12 Championship tourney commenced, well-deserved recognition on the outstanding season of our guy Ivan Melendez continued. Last week, Ivan was named a semifinalist for the prestigious USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy national player of the year awards. The finalists will be announced in the coming weeks, and then, ultimately the winner in late June. The Hispanic Titanic's got plenty enough left in that bat to get to the finish line, so let's do this my friend.

Five Men's Golfers named to Ping All-Central Region Team

In addition to the pair of All-America team honors secured this week, five of our Men's Golfers earned spots on the PING All-Central Region team, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced last week. Seniors Parker Coody, Pierceson Coody and Cole Hammer, along with juniors Mason Nome and Travis Vick were all recognized for their accomplishments this season. It marks the fourth career All-Central Region selections for both Pierceson and Cole, while Parker and Travis both garnered their third career selections.

A pair of Women's Golfers earn All-America honors

They helped us Light the Tower in leading our team to the Big 12 Championship this year, and now you can call two of our Women's Golf standouts All-Americans. Congratulations to freshman phenom Bohyun Park and sensational senior Sara Kouskova who earned spots on the WGCA All-American team last week. Bo earned second-team accolades and is just the eighth Longhorn freshman to receive WGCA All-America recognition. Sara was an honorable mention selection, finishing her career as a two-time All-American. Both of them earned Big 12 All-Tournament honors earlier this year and played a key role in leading us to the NCAA Championship where we posted a fifth-straight top-15 finish. And, talk about the pride and winning tradition continuing, it's the sixth-straight year Coach Murphy's squad has had a member of the WGCA All-America teams and fifth time in-a-row with multiple selections. Congratulations to all on a job well done!

Another Full Week on the 40

We've got more going on this week on The Forty and beyond as we hit the stretch run of the year with Men's Golf deep into their action at the NCAA Championship, Baseball hosting NCAA Regional games, and Softball in Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series.

Monday

• Men's Golf at NCAA Championship

Tuesday

• Men's Golf at NCAA Championship Match Play quarterfinals & semifinals

Wednesday

• Men's Golf at NCAA Championship Match*

Thursday

• Softball at WCWS vs. UCLA

Friday

• Baseball hosts NCAA Regional vs. Air Force

• Softball at WCWS*

Saturday

• Baseball hosts NCAA Regional

• Softball at WCWS*

Sunday

• Baseball hosts NCAA Regional*

• Softball at WCWS*

*If Texas advances or if necessary

Football newcomers arrive as team prepares to take-on Summer Workouts

Sunday was check-in day for our Football newcomers as they arrived with big, bright smiles and their families by their side. It's always a special time seeing Coach Sark and the staff welcoming in our latest group of talented student-athletes, and we're so excited to have them here, getting ready for summer school and summer workouts. It's a great time to be a Longhorn my friends. We look forwarded to getting to know and working with each and every one of you as you embark on your Longhorn career.

Get those Football Season Tickets before they're gone!

Season tickets for the 2022 Football campaign continue to go at a fast and furious pace. If you haven't gotten on board, you best hurry up before they're gone! There is still time to get those tickets and guarantee your spot at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium this fall for the epic Texas-Alabama game and our exciting seven-game home slate. Take a look at the map here , dial us up or learn more about it on TexasSports.com. Bear in mind that purchasing season tickets is the ONLY way to guarantee tickets for that monumental matchup with Alabama on Sept. 10. DKR will be the place to be all season long, so don't miss out. There are a number of different options to consider, from your traditional season tickets to premium seating options and the UFCU Field Club location, just call 512-471-3333 (Monday-Friday/9 a.m.-4 p.m. CT) to discuss or read more about it right here.

Secure your Women's Basketball season tickets in the Moody Center!

Coming off of two consecutive Elite Eight appearances and the Big 12 Tournament Championship, Coach Schaefer and our Women's Basketball program have things cooking. With the move to the brand new Moody Center, now is the time to get those season tickets if you haven't already. Starting at $100, you can join the Texas Fight in the finest arena in college sports all season long. Tickets can be purchased online at TexasSports.com/tickets or by calling 512-471-3333 (Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Central). More information on the Moody Center can be found here.

We're heading into June and the stretch run of the 2021-22 seasons, but there is so much yet to compete for. Softball is getting ready for the Women's College World Series, Baseball will begin its journey on the road to Omaha right here at the Disch, Men's Golf has advanced to the semifinal round of match play at the NCAA Championship, and Track & Field gets a short break before our No. 1-ranked Women's and No. 2 Men's program head to Eugene for the National Championships. It's a truly extraordinary time to be a Longhorn and we're so grateful to have you riding shotgun for another awesome year!

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

Chris Del Conte signature
Chris Del Conte