From the Desk of #ADJD
7/3/2019 11:44:00 AM | General
Dear Horned Frogs Fans:
BIG FOOTBALL GAME DAY CHANGES COMING
As the calendar turned to July, it was another reminder that a new football season is just about here. As part of the excitement for our August 31 opener and always striving to enhance the fan experience for you, I'll be announcing a BIG and NEW change to our football game days each day of the month. That countdown and daily announcement begins August 1. Just follow my social media accounts (Twitter: @JDonati_TCU, Instagram: JDonati_TCU) for our form of breaking news every day.
EAST SIDE PROGRESS
Our construction crews continue to work around the clock on the Amon G. Carter Stadium east side expansion project. On a side note, 160,000 pounds of video board structure went into place earlier this week. We know you'll enjoy our new video board that is roughly double the size of the previous one.
BIG 12 MEDIA DAY
An unofficial start to each football season is Big 12 Media Day. This year's event is July 15 under the bright lights at AT&T Stadium. In addition to head coach Gary Patterson, we'll be represented by defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, safety Innis Gaines, offensive tackle Lucas Niang, wide receiver Jalen Reagor and linebacker Garret Wallow.
THANK YOU WINSTAR WORLD RESORT
I'd like to extend my appreciation to WinStar World Resort for once again hosting our annual TCU Athletics Executive Team retreat. WinStar has been a great sponsorship partner of ours the past few years and our relationship continues to grow. The staff and hospitality were off the charts for us during our two-day stay last week! I'd like to also thank Mariam Macgregor, director of employee engagement and organizational strategy, in our campus human resources office for making the trip and working with our group. We covered a lot - but it was time well spent!
A YEAR OF CHAMPIONS
There are many reasons to be extremely proud of our student-athletes, and they provided us plenty of excitement in the just completed 2018-19 athletics season. Eighteen of our 21 sports were represented in postseason play by either teams or individuals, while 11 teams earned top-25 rankings. Below is a list of our five national championships and eight Big 12 titles:
Rifle – NCAA Overall Team Champion
Rifle – NCAA Smallbore Champion
Kristen Hemphill – NCAA Individual Air Rifle Champion
Elizabeth Marsh – NCAA Individual Smallbore Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Big 12 Men's Indoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Big 12 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
4x400 Relay (Jostyn Andrews, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Glenn Bender, Derrick Mokaleng) – Big 12 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Champion
Lily Beckford – Big 12 Women's Indoor Track and Field 600 Yards Champion
Destiny Longmire – Big 12 Women's Indoor Track and Field Long Jump Champion
Alex Rybakov – Big 12 No. 1 Men's Tennis Singles Champion
Sander Jong – Big 12 No. 6 Men's Tennis Singles Champion
Hayden Springer – Big 12 Men's Golf Individual Champion
STUDENT-ATHLETE HONORS
A well-deserved congratulations to the following 23 student-athletes who earned All-America recognition in the 2018-19 athletics season:
4x400 Relay – Men's Indoor Track and Field (Darrion Flowers, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Emmanuel Ogwo, Derrick Mokaleng)
4x400 Relay – Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Jostyn Andrews, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Glenn Bender, Derrick Mokaleng)
Izzy Baxter – Equestrian
Cydney Benes – Equestrian
Claire Dittrich – Equestrian
Rachel Garner – Rifle
Abby Gordon – Rifle
Kristen Hemphill – Rifle
Angeline Henry – Rifle
Elena Hurd – Equestrian
Nick Lodolo – Baseball
Carly Lombard – Equestrian
Destiny Longmire – Women's Indoor Track and Field, Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Casey Lutz – Rifle
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Elizabeth Marsh – Rifle
Stefano Mazzoli – Men's Golf
élan McCall – Volleyball
Derrick Mokaleng – Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Alex Rybakov – Men's Tennis
Congratulations as well to soccer's Kayla Hill on being a recipient of the Big 12's Prentice Guatt Postgraduate Scholarship!
EXTENSION TIME
We were recently very excited to announce a well-deserved contract extension for head soccer coach Eric Bell. He has done a phenomenal job in making us a fixture on the postseason soccer scene. Coach Bell has led us to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, our first postseason win and we also earned our first-ever top-25 national ranking last season.
EURO FROGS
Our volleyball team has returned to campus after a two-week trip to the Netherlands, Italy and France. It was a memory of a lifetime experience for head coach Jill Kramer and her squad, and we appreciate the many donors who contributed to make this trip possible. CLICK HERE for a recap of our foreign tour. In case you weren't aware, we have been picked third in this year's Preseason Big 12 poll, marking the highest appearance in our eight years in the conference.
Congratulations to élan McCall on her unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and to Audrey Nalls on being named the Preseason Freshman of the Year. Audrey is the first player in our program's history to receive the honor. élan was recently in California training with the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team, our first representative on that squad.
NOTES FROM THE HARDWOOD
Our women's basketball program will host Auburn on December 7 in Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge. We'll have our men's opponent announced shortly.
Speaking of hoops, we'll be keeping an eye on Alex Robinson this week as he plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA's California Classic Summer League. It was also great to see Jordan Moore from our women's basketball program sign a professional contact with Charnay Basket Bourgogne Sud in France.
TICKET OFFICE GETTING READY
Football season ticket and parking are being prepared for printing and mailing. If you have recently moved, please be sure to contact the Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office at 817.257.3764 or tickets@tcu.edu with your new address. Tickets are scheduled to be shipped the first week of August. Basketball renewal time is also quickly approaching. Be on the lookout to renew your season tickets starting Monday, July 8. The renewal deadline is August 23. We also have soccer and volleyball season tickets currently on sale.
"WE ARE RIFF RAM"
With the fan involvement theme in this year's Riff Ram video, we have a great opportunity for you to be seen on our new video board this fall. CLICK HERE to enter your submission to be featured in this year's Riff Ram video.
FIST BUMP
This month's Fist Bump goes to Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine David Gable. As I'm sure you'll recall, Associate Athletics Director of Academic Services Shawn Worthen was a standout defensive lineman for us and is in our TCU Lettermen's Association Hall of Fame. Shawn went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings. After eventually being released by the Vikings, Shawn was en route to Houston to continue his playing career with the Texans. During the move, his Vikings helmet was stolen. Upon recently hearing the story, which occurred nearly 20 years ago, David took it upon himself to find a replacement helmet for Shawn. David had contacts within the Vikings' organization and word eventually got to longtime Vikings' equipment manager Dennis Ryan, who remembered Shawn well. Dennis then arranged for another Vikings helmet from that era for Shawn and included a handwritten note. Thanks David for looking out for your TCU teammate!
DID YOU KNOW?
We have six current head coaches who have been named a National Coach of the Year in their respective sports. Jamie Dixon (men's basketball), Karen Monez (rifle), Gary Patterson (football), David Roditi (men's tennis), Jim Schlossnagle (baseball) and Haley Schoolfield (equestrian) have combined for a total of 32 national honors.
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Whether it's through email (j.donati@tcu.edu), Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (JDonati_TCU), please feel free to always share feedback on our athletics program, experiences at home events of if we can ever be of assistance.
I hope everyone has a very safe and happy July 4 holiday as you fire up the grill with family and friends. To all the Horned Frogs in the midst of vacation season, safe travels and don't be shy about showing your Frog signs on social media!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
BIG FOOTBALL GAME DAY CHANGES COMING
As the calendar turned to July, it was another reminder that a new football season is just about here. As part of the excitement for our August 31 opener and always striving to enhance the fan experience for you, I'll be announcing a BIG and NEW change to our football game days each day of the month. That countdown and daily announcement begins August 1. Just follow my social media accounts (Twitter: @JDonati_TCU, Instagram: JDonati_TCU) for our form of breaking news every day.
EAST SIDE PROGRESS
Our construction crews continue to work around the clock on the Amon G. Carter Stadium east side expansion project. On a side note, 160,000 pounds of video board structure went into place earlier this week. We know you'll enjoy our new video board that is roughly double the size of the previous one.
BIG 12 MEDIA DAY
An unofficial start to each football season is Big 12 Media Day. This year's event is July 15 under the bright lights at AT&T Stadium. In addition to head coach Gary Patterson, we'll be represented by defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, safety Innis Gaines, offensive tackle Lucas Niang, wide receiver Jalen Reagor and linebacker Garret Wallow.
THANK YOU WINSTAR WORLD RESORT
I'd like to extend my appreciation to WinStar World Resort for once again hosting our annual TCU Athletics Executive Team retreat. WinStar has been a great sponsorship partner of ours the past few years and our relationship continues to grow. The staff and hospitality were off the charts for us during our two-day stay last week! I'd like to also thank Mariam Macgregor, director of employee engagement and organizational strategy, in our campus human resources office for making the trip and working with our group. We covered a lot - but it was time well spent!
A YEAR OF CHAMPIONS
There are many reasons to be extremely proud of our student-athletes, and they provided us plenty of excitement in the just completed 2018-19 athletics season. Eighteen of our 21 sports were represented in postseason play by either teams or individuals, while 11 teams earned top-25 rankings. Below is a list of our five national championships and eight Big 12 titles:
Rifle – NCAA Overall Team Champion
Rifle – NCAA Smallbore Champion
Kristen Hemphill – NCAA Individual Air Rifle Champion
Elizabeth Marsh – NCAA Individual Smallbore Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Big 12 Men's Indoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Big 12 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump Champion
4x400 Relay (Jostyn Andrews, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Glenn Bender, Derrick Mokaleng) – Big 12 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Champion
Lily Beckford – Big 12 Women's Indoor Track and Field 600 Yards Champion
Destiny Longmire – Big 12 Women's Indoor Track and Field Long Jump Champion
Alex Rybakov – Big 12 No. 1 Men's Tennis Singles Champion
Sander Jong – Big 12 No. 6 Men's Tennis Singles Champion
Hayden Springer – Big 12 Men's Golf Individual Champion
STUDENT-ATHLETE HONORS
A well-deserved congratulations to the following 23 student-athletes who earned All-America recognition in the 2018-19 athletics season:
4x400 Relay – Men's Indoor Track and Field (Darrion Flowers, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Emmanuel Ogwo, Derrick Mokaleng)
4x400 Relay – Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Jostyn Andrews, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Glenn Bender, Derrick Mokaleng)
Izzy Baxter – Equestrian
Cydney Benes – Equestrian
Claire Dittrich – Equestrian
Rachel Garner – Rifle
Abby Gordon – Rifle
Kristen Hemphill – Rifle
Angeline Henry – Rifle
Elena Hurd – Equestrian
Nick Lodolo – Baseball
Carly Lombard – Equestrian
Destiny Longmire – Women's Indoor Track and Field, Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Casey Lutz – Rifle
Chengetayi "Du" Mapaya – Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Elizabeth Marsh – Rifle
Stefano Mazzoli – Men's Golf
élan McCall – Volleyball
Derrick Mokaleng – Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Alex Rybakov – Men's Tennis
Congratulations as well to soccer's Kayla Hill on being a recipient of the Big 12's Prentice Guatt Postgraduate Scholarship!
EXTENSION TIME
We were recently very excited to announce a well-deserved contract extension for head soccer coach Eric Bell. He has done a phenomenal job in making us a fixture on the postseason soccer scene. Coach Bell has led us to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, our first postseason win and we also earned our first-ever top-25 national ranking last season.
EURO FROGS
Our volleyball team has returned to campus after a two-week trip to the Netherlands, Italy and France. It was a memory of a lifetime experience for head coach Jill Kramer and her squad, and we appreciate the many donors who contributed to make this trip possible. CLICK HERE for a recap of our foreign tour. In case you weren't aware, we have been picked third in this year's Preseason Big 12 poll, marking the highest appearance in our eight years in the conference.
Congratulations to élan McCall on her unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and to Audrey Nalls on being named the Preseason Freshman of the Year. Audrey is the first player in our program's history to receive the honor. élan was recently in California training with the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team, our first representative on that squad.
NOTES FROM THE HARDWOOD
Our women's basketball program will host Auburn on December 7 in Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge. We'll have our men's opponent announced shortly.
Speaking of hoops, we'll be keeping an eye on Alex Robinson this week as he plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA's California Classic Summer League. It was also great to see Jordan Moore from our women's basketball program sign a professional contact with Charnay Basket Bourgogne Sud in France.
TICKET OFFICE GETTING READY
Football season ticket and parking are being prepared for printing and mailing. If you have recently moved, please be sure to contact the Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office at 817.257.3764 or tickets@tcu.edu with your new address. Tickets are scheduled to be shipped the first week of August. Basketball renewal time is also quickly approaching. Be on the lookout to renew your season tickets starting Monday, July 8. The renewal deadline is August 23. We also have soccer and volleyball season tickets currently on sale.
"WE ARE RIFF RAM"
With the fan involvement theme in this year's Riff Ram video, we have a great opportunity for you to be seen on our new video board this fall. CLICK HERE to enter your submission to be featured in this year's Riff Ram video.
FIST BUMP
This month's Fist Bump goes to Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine David Gable. As I'm sure you'll recall, Associate Athletics Director of Academic Services Shawn Worthen was a standout defensive lineman for us and is in our TCU Lettermen's Association Hall of Fame. Shawn went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings. After eventually being released by the Vikings, Shawn was en route to Houston to continue his playing career with the Texans. During the move, his Vikings helmet was stolen. Upon recently hearing the story, which occurred nearly 20 years ago, David took it upon himself to find a replacement helmet for Shawn. David had contacts within the Vikings' organization and word eventually got to longtime Vikings' equipment manager Dennis Ryan, who remembered Shawn well. Dennis then arranged for another Vikings helmet from that era for Shawn and included a handwritten note. Thanks David for looking out for your TCU teammate!
DID YOU KNOW?
We have six current head coaches who have been named a National Coach of the Year in their respective sports. Jamie Dixon (men's basketball), Karen Monez (rifle), Gary Patterson (football), David Roditi (men's tennis), Jim Schlossnagle (baseball) and Haley Schoolfield (equestrian) have combined for a total of 32 national honors.
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Whether it's through email (j.donati@tcu.edu), Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (JDonati_TCU), please feel free to always share feedback on our athletics program, experiences at home events of if we can ever be of assistance.
I hope everyone has a very safe and happy July 4 holiday as you fire up the grill with family and friends. To all the Horned Frogs in the midst of vacation season, safe travels and don't be shy about showing your Frog signs on social media!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Welcome to #TCU #landman
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