From The Desk of #ADJD
1/4/2019 2:36:00 PM | General
Dear Horned Frogs Fans:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On behalf of our entire athletics department, Happy New Year! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I know many of you are hard at work on your New Year's resolutions, so I am grateful you took a moment away from the new gym routine or your plate of vegetables to read this month's newsletter. :)
Best wishes for 2019!
TWO DAYS, TWO TROPHIES
Our Football and Men's Basketball programs sure finished 2018 in style. On Christmas Day, Jamie Dixon and his hoops team captured the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii with an 83-69 victory over Indiana State to extend our winning streak to eight games.
Alex Robinson, who broke the Diamond Head Classic record for assists with 26 in our three games, has moved into second place on our career list with 521 in just 2 1/2 seasons. He trails current graduate assistant coach and former standout Corey Santee by only 54 assists for the top spot.
Twenty-four hours later in Phoenix, Coach Gary Patterson's squad gutted out a hard-fought 10-7 overtime victory over Cal in the Cheez-It Bowl. There always seems to be a little magic around our team in bowl games and this one was no different. Congratulations to Coach P, his players and staff for winning four of their last five games to finish the season with big-time momentum going into the 2019 campaign!
We appreciate all of you who made the trip to Arizona to support the team! The TCU chants were heard at Chase Field and made a difference for us!
OUR CONDOLENCES
Following the Diamond Head Classic, our men's basketball team was scheduled to play a game versus Hawaii Pacific before returning to Fort Worth. Sadly, this game came on the heels of the untimely death of HPU player Emil Isovic. Given the circumstances, it was simply not appropriate to play this game. The Horned Frogs Nation sends its heartfelt thoughts, prayers and condolences to the entire Hawaii Pacific University family during this difficult time.
FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET HOLDER SURVEY
As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, we are going to make a concerted effort to collect data to help us measure our fan experience. Please be on the lookout for a 2018 football season ticket holder/donor parking survey in the coming weeks. We will take all of this information into account as we assess ways to improve the experience for everyone going forward.
Football renewal season will begin next month! Stay tuned for more information including the reveal of the much-anticipated season campaign for 2019!
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROLLING
Our women's basketball team ushered in the New Year with a key conference victory over West Virginia Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena. Coach Raegan Pebley's team has won eight in a row and is now 11-1 on the season - the best start in our program's history!
After road games at Oklahoma State and Iowa State, our next home date is a week from Saturday, Jan. 12, versus Baylor at 3 p.m. You can catch Sunday's OSU game at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
TICKET TRANSFERS
With Big 12 Conference play officially underway for both men's and women's basketball, it is critical that Schollmaier Arena continues to be a home-court advantage for our programs. If you cannot use your tickets, including tomorrow's 3 p.m. men's game against Baylor, please consider transferring them to a friend or family member who can come to the game. Please go online to your account or contact the ticket office for more information at (817) 257-FROG or tickets@tcu.edu.
GRADUATION
One of my favorite days of the year is commencement, and it was great to have 20 current and former student-athletes, representing nine sports, receive their degrees last month. On the day before their graduation, as part of a tradition for us, we held a stoling ceremony and reception in which each individual received their student-athlete stole. These Horned Frogs have made us proud over their time here at TCU!
FIRST PITCH NEARING
When the preseason rankings are dropping, you know a season is nearing. We're No. 19 in the Collegiate Baseball Fab 40 poll released for the 2019 campaign.
As a reminder, if you haven't done so already, our baseball season ticket renewal deadline is today. CLICK HERE to make your renewal.
We open the season Feb. 15-17 in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the MLB4 Tournament against Cal State Fullerton, Virginia and Vanderbilt. Our home debut is Feb. 19 versus Abilene Christian at 6:30 p.m.
STUDENT-ATHLETE RECOGNITION
It's great to continue to see our student-athletes receive recognition for their efforts.
Sewo Olonilua was named the Cheez-It Bowl Most Valuable Offensive Player after setting a TCU bowl record with his 194 yards rushing, including a 1-yard touchdown. It was our most yards rushing since 2010, while his 32 carries were the highest by a Horned Frog since 2007 and the second-best in a bowl game, trailing only LaDainian Tomlinson's 36 in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl against East Carolina.
Alex Robinson was selected as the Most Outstanding Player at the Diamond Head Classic, while Jaylen Fisher joined him on the all-tournament team.
There was no shortage of accolades this fall for volleyball's élan McCall. Her latest honor saw her become the first freshman in TCU volleyball history to be named an AVCA All-American.
Each week, we recognize our departmental Student-Athletes of the Week. Please see below for our recipients last month:
Dec. 4 – Alex Robinson (men's basketball) and Jordan Moore (women's basketball)
Dec. 11 – Adam McAdoo (track and field) and Micaela Roemer (swimming and diving)
Dec. 18 – Alex Robinson (men's basketball) and Jordan Moore (women's basketball)
Additionally, our December Scholar-Athletes of the Month were Alex Robinson and Kianna Ray of men's and women's basketball, respectively.
NEW LOOK
As I'm sure you've heard (especially if you follow me on social media), we will have new Nike football uniforms for the upcoming 2019 season. Our creative team is hard at work preparing for its reveal. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the official unveiling of our new look!
FIST BUMP
This month's Fist Bump recipient is Darla Reger, one of our Anthony Travel account managers for TCU Athletics. Darla is housed inside Schollmaier Arena and does a phenomenal job coordinating the many travel needs that come through our department for our sports programs and administration. With another Anthony Travel representative recently leaving to pursue other opportunities, Darla stepped up big time and carried the work load of two people during a very busy period of travel for our student-athletes and coaching staffs. Thank you Darla!
DID YOU KNOW?
The Cheez-It Bowl logo was designed by a TCU graduate. Kenneth Gragson '16 was a graphic design major here and is an art director at Haygarth in Chicago. Congrats to Kenneth on a job well done and to our College of Fine Arts for producing graduates who are making their mark in the graphic design world! The logo was very well-received and garnered praise nationally for how it incorporated various elements of Cheez-It and the state of Arizona. Fitting that we won the game, wouldn't you say???
FEEDBACK WELCOME
Thank you to all of you who provide feedback throughout the year. Via personal messages on Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (jdonati_tcu), please always feel free to share feedback with me on any aspect of our athletics program or your game-day experience. If you're not on social media, my email address is j.donati@tcu.edu. I always look forward to hearing from you!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On behalf of our entire athletics department, Happy New Year! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I know many of you are hard at work on your New Year's resolutions, so I am grateful you took a moment away from the new gym routine or your plate of vegetables to read this month's newsletter. :)
Best wishes for 2019!
TWO DAYS, TWO TROPHIES
Our Football and Men's Basketball programs sure finished 2018 in style. On Christmas Day, Jamie Dixon and his hoops team captured the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii with an 83-69 victory over Indiana State to extend our winning streak to eight games.
Alex Robinson, who broke the Diamond Head Classic record for assists with 26 in our three games, has moved into second place on our career list with 521 in just 2 1/2 seasons. He trails current graduate assistant coach and former standout Corey Santee by only 54 assists for the top spot.
Twenty-four hours later in Phoenix, Coach Gary Patterson's squad gutted out a hard-fought 10-7 overtime victory over Cal in the Cheez-It Bowl. There always seems to be a little magic around our team in bowl games and this one was no different. Congratulations to Coach P, his players and staff for winning four of their last five games to finish the season with big-time momentum going into the 2019 campaign!
We appreciate all of you who made the trip to Arizona to support the team! The TCU chants were heard at Chase Field and made a difference for us!
OUR CONDOLENCES
Following the Diamond Head Classic, our men's basketball team was scheduled to play a game versus Hawaii Pacific before returning to Fort Worth. Sadly, this game came on the heels of the untimely death of HPU player Emil Isovic. Given the circumstances, it was simply not appropriate to play this game. The Horned Frogs Nation sends its heartfelt thoughts, prayers and condolences to the entire Hawaii Pacific University family during this difficult time.
FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET HOLDER SURVEY
As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, we are going to make a concerted effort to collect data to help us measure our fan experience. Please be on the lookout for a 2018 football season ticket holder/donor parking survey in the coming weeks. We will take all of this information into account as we assess ways to improve the experience for everyone going forward.
Football renewal season will begin next month! Stay tuned for more information including the reveal of the much-anticipated season campaign for 2019!
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROLLING
Our women's basketball team ushered in the New Year with a key conference victory over West Virginia Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena. Coach Raegan Pebley's team has won eight in a row and is now 11-1 on the season - the best start in our program's history!
After road games at Oklahoma State and Iowa State, our next home date is a week from Saturday, Jan. 12, versus Baylor at 3 p.m. You can catch Sunday's OSU game at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
TICKET TRANSFERS
With Big 12 Conference play officially underway for both men's and women's basketball, it is critical that Schollmaier Arena continues to be a home-court advantage for our programs. If you cannot use your tickets, including tomorrow's 3 p.m. men's game against Baylor, please consider transferring them to a friend or family member who can come to the game. Please go online to your account or contact the ticket office for more information at (817) 257-FROG or tickets@tcu.edu.
GRADUATION
One of my favorite days of the year is commencement, and it was great to have 20 current and former student-athletes, representing nine sports, receive their degrees last month. On the day before their graduation, as part of a tradition for us, we held a stoling ceremony and reception in which each individual received their student-athlete stole. These Horned Frogs have made us proud over their time here at TCU!
FIRST PITCH NEARING
When the preseason rankings are dropping, you know a season is nearing. We're No. 19 in the Collegiate Baseball Fab 40 poll released for the 2019 campaign.
As a reminder, if you haven't done so already, our baseball season ticket renewal deadline is today. CLICK HERE to make your renewal.
We open the season Feb. 15-17 in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the MLB4 Tournament against Cal State Fullerton, Virginia and Vanderbilt. Our home debut is Feb. 19 versus Abilene Christian at 6:30 p.m.
STUDENT-ATHLETE RECOGNITION
It's great to continue to see our student-athletes receive recognition for their efforts.
Sewo Olonilua was named the Cheez-It Bowl Most Valuable Offensive Player after setting a TCU bowl record with his 194 yards rushing, including a 1-yard touchdown. It was our most yards rushing since 2010, while his 32 carries were the highest by a Horned Frog since 2007 and the second-best in a bowl game, trailing only LaDainian Tomlinson's 36 in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl against East Carolina.
Alex Robinson was selected as the Most Outstanding Player at the Diamond Head Classic, while Jaylen Fisher joined him on the all-tournament team.
There was no shortage of accolades this fall for volleyball's élan McCall. Her latest honor saw her become the first freshman in TCU volleyball history to be named an AVCA All-American.
Each week, we recognize our departmental Student-Athletes of the Week. Please see below for our recipients last month:
Dec. 4 – Alex Robinson (men's basketball) and Jordan Moore (women's basketball)
Dec. 11 – Adam McAdoo (track and field) and Micaela Roemer (swimming and diving)
Dec. 18 – Alex Robinson (men's basketball) and Jordan Moore (women's basketball)
Additionally, our December Scholar-Athletes of the Month were Alex Robinson and Kianna Ray of men's and women's basketball, respectively.
NEW LOOK
As I'm sure you've heard (especially if you follow me on social media), we will have new Nike football uniforms for the upcoming 2019 season. Our creative team is hard at work preparing for its reveal. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the official unveiling of our new look!
FIST BUMP
This month's Fist Bump recipient is Darla Reger, one of our Anthony Travel account managers for TCU Athletics. Darla is housed inside Schollmaier Arena and does a phenomenal job coordinating the many travel needs that come through our department for our sports programs and administration. With another Anthony Travel representative recently leaving to pursue other opportunities, Darla stepped up big time and carried the work load of two people during a very busy period of travel for our student-athletes and coaching staffs. Thank you Darla!
DID YOU KNOW?
The Cheez-It Bowl logo was designed by a TCU graduate. Kenneth Gragson '16 was a graphic design major here and is an art director at Haygarth in Chicago. Congrats to Kenneth on a job well done and to our College of Fine Arts for producing graduates who are making their mark in the graphic design world! The logo was very well-received and garnered praise nationally for how it incorporated various elements of Cheez-It and the state of Arizona. Fitting that we won the game, wouldn't you say???
FEEDBACK WELCOME
Thank you to all of you who provide feedback throughout the year. Via personal messages on Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (jdonati_tcu), please always feel free to share feedback with me on any aspect of our athletics program or your game-day experience. If you're not on social media, my email address is j.donati@tcu.edu. I always look forward to hearing from you!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
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