Sinq's Notes
12/13/2024 8:46:00 AM | General
TCU Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Sinquefield provides an athletics update
Hi Everyone:
Having just wrapped up my 30th football regular season here at Texas Christian University, I know a good many of you. I wanted to reach out and introduce myself to others as well as provide an update on our athletics program. Many of you know me as "Sinq" and I'll strive to keep you as informed as possible of what's happening in our athletics department, so here is the inaugural version of Sinq's Notes.
I am very grateful to have been asked by Chancellor Boschini and President Pullin to serve as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is truly an honor to have their support and belief in me. I also appreciate and look forward to the opportunity to serve you.
In my time, in various roles, I have had the good fortune of serving five of the eight athletics directors in our history: Jeremiah Donati, Chris Del Conte, Danny Morrison, Eric Hyman and Frank Windegger. Each of those ADs was the right person at the right time for TCU. I have complete trust and confidence in our administration to again select the right person to lead us into a completely new era of intercollegiate athletics.
Earlier this week, I was proud to represent TCU at the Big 12 Conference Athletics Directors meetings in Las Vegas. The new collegiate model continues to lead discussions and planning among our Big 12 colleagues. I already knew a good number of member school Athletics Directors, and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with them representing TCU. The meetings were held in conjunction with the National Football Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner which is highlighted by the induction of this year's College Football Hall of Fame class.
Here's a quick update on a few happenings in and around TCU Athletics:
BOWL BOUND
Bowl games are a reward for our student-athletes, and we are very excited to continue our season Dec. 28 against Louisiana at the Isleta New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
With three straight wins and in five of our last six games, Coach Dykes and staff have the Horned Frogs playing their best football! We have an opportunity to win nine games for just the third time since 2015 and second time in three years under Coach Dykes. It would also continue the momentum in our program from having the Big 12 Conference's top-ranked recruiting class for the first time. Our No. 20 overall ranking by ESPN is also the highest in program history during the online recruiting services era.
I am aware of a lot of confusion, and some misconceptions, on how we landed in a bowl game outside of the Big 12 Conference partnerships. Sharing the process with you is a priority.
Once the College Football Playoff field is set, there is an order of selection with our bowl partners. It begins with the Alamo Bowl and then continues with the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Bowl, Liberty Bowl and Rate Bowl. Each game can take who they want, regardless of standings.
This year was very unique with one Big 12 team making the CFP and half the teams in the conference (8-of-16) having an overall record of 8-4 or better. There were a lot of successful teams competing for limited bowl spots. In case you were wondering how the Alamo Bowl wound up with two Big 12 teams, it's through previous Pac-12 Conference contracts that departed members, like Colorado, carried with them to their new leagues.
After the Rate Bowl made its selection, the remaining opportunities go to ESPN Events owned games, like the Armed Forces Bowl, First Responder Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, etc. At that point, schools, respective bowl games and ESPN Events work together to find the right fit for everyone. It's interchangeable. It's how West Virginia landed in the Frisco Bowl against Memphis. This also happens with other conferences, as we saw with Oklahoma from the SEC coming to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Navy.
I was in regular contact with our bowl partners leading up to and on Selection Sunday. We ultimately received an invitation from the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. Contrary to some misinformation that has made the rounds, we did not turn down an invitation to another bowl. We're excited to head to Albuquerque! I hope that you will join us there to cheer our Frogs on and prove we are a team that travels well and supports our student-athletes. Let's get that 9th win and keep the momentum into 2025.
Personally, I have fond memories of the last time we were in Albuquerque; it was the regular-season finale in 2010. The 66-17 win over the Lobos clinched our Rose Bowl appearance! I still remember seeing our players leave the field with roses in their mouths.
BOWL GAME TICKETS
Tickets for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl are available through our website (GoFrogs.com). As a reminder, tickets purchased through us increase your standing in our Horned Frogs Priority Points System. Even if you can't make the trip, please consider still buying tickets for donation purposes. We're currently working on identifying local groups in Albuquerque we can support.
SPORTS UPDATE
While football has taken up a lot of the discussion here, please know we are proud of how our student-athletes and sports are excelling across the board. TCU is home to a very well-rounded athletics program:
•Women's Soccer won its third Big 12 regular-season championship in the last five years and is one of just 17 programs nationally to appear in eight of the last nine NCAA Tournaments. Bella Diorio and Seven Castain earned All-America honors with Bella also being a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, recognizing the nation's top player.
•Volleyball earned its first national ranking this fall and reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. It also coincides with Head Coach Jason Williams' first three seasons with us. Melanie Parra became the first Horned Frog to be named the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year.
•Women's Basketball is currently ranked 12th in the nation. Thank you to everyone who made it to Dickies Arena for Sunday night's game against defending national champion and No. 3 South Carolina. While the contest didn't go our way, it was still great to see over 8,000 fans in attendance for a TCU Women's Basketball game in Fort Worth. It illustrates the growth of the sport and our program.
•Men's Basketball had an impressive win last Thursday over a Xavier team that was No. 22 in the country the previous week.
•Men's Tennis has added more NCAA Championship hardware with Pedro Vives and Lui Maxted taking home the doubles title in Waco.
•Women's Tennis also made its mark with a doubles pair at the NCAAs as Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual became the first Horned Frogs to reach the quarterfinals since 2007.
•Triathlon, in just its second season of competition, finished fourth at the NCAA Championships after a sixth-place result in its debut season in 2023. Kira Gupta-Baltazar and Amanda Moro were named All-Americans.
•Rifle closed the fall with a No. 4 ranking as it looks to defend its NCAA Championship.
•Equestrian is No. 3 in the country and has a 3-0 Big 12 record.
•Women's Golf won two fall tournaments and will begin its spring with a No. 23 national ranking.
•Men's Golf closed the fall with a strong finish in Hawaii as its 32-under-par for the tournament was the fifth-lowest score versus par in program history.
•Swimming and Diving has been represented well by Anna Kwong who has received three Big 12 Diver of the Week awards this year.
•Cross Country had its most successful seasons in history with the men winning four races and the women three.
There's also a lot of anticipation for our spring sports with baseball, beach volleyball and track and field ready to compete at the highest level.
It's a great time to be a Horned Frog!
HOLIDAY HOOPS
If you need a reason to get out of the house during the holiday season, and bring family with you, we have some outstanding basketball ticket specials for the holiday season.
For the next two home men's games, Monday versus South Alabama and Sunday, Dec. 22, against Montana State, general admission tickets in our student sections 205-209 are just $10. For the Big 12 Conference home opener on Saturday, Jan. 4, with Kansas State, those tickets will be $25. Just click HERE to make your purchase.
Beginning with Sunday's 2 p.m. contest versus Louisiana Tech in the Maggie Dixon Classic, the next five home games for our 12th-ranked women's program will feature $5 tickets. The complete schedule and to buy your seats is HERE.
CAP AND GOWN TIME
Congratulations to our 36 TCU student-athletes who will receive their diplomas on Saturday! This includes our summer and fall graduates. In preparation for Saturday's commencement, I am honored that one of my first events as Interim Athletics Director is to present our graduates with their Student-Athlete Stole in our Stoling ceremony Friday afternoon.
FROG CLUB AND FLYING T CLUB REMINDER
With the end of the calendar year approaching, please keep the Flying T Club NIL collective and Frog Club in mind if you'd like to make a tax-deductible gift. Your much appreciated investment in our student-athletes helps us recruit and retain top talent.
As a reminder, donors to the Flying T Club earn Horned Frogs Priority Points.
For more information, just email either office at info@flyingtclub.com or frogclub@tcu.edu as well as visiting their websites at FlyingTClub.com and FrogClub.com.
REACH OUT
I've always taken pride in accessibility. My email is m.sinquefield@tcu.edu for you to holler anytime you have a question or I can be of assistance.
Go Frogs!
Sinq
Mike Sinquefield
Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Having just wrapped up my 30th football regular season here at Texas Christian University, I know a good many of you. I wanted to reach out and introduce myself to others as well as provide an update on our athletics program. Many of you know me as "Sinq" and I'll strive to keep you as informed as possible of what's happening in our athletics department, so here is the inaugural version of Sinq's Notes.
I am very grateful to have been asked by Chancellor Boschini and President Pullin to serve as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is truly an honor to have their support and belief in me. I also appreciate and look forward to the opportunity to serve you.
In my time, in various roles, I have had the good fortune of serving five of the eight athletics directors in our history: Jeremiah Donati, Chris Del Conte, Danny Morrison, Eric Hyman and Frank Windegger. Each of those ADs was the right person at the right time for TCU. I have complete trust and confidence in our administration to again select the right person to lead us into a completely new era of intercollegiate athletics.
Earlier this week, I was proud to represent TCU at the Big 12 Conference Athletics Directors meetings in Las Vegas. The new collegiate model continues to lead discussions and planning among our Big 12 colleagues. I already knew a good number of member school Athletics Directors, and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with them representing TCU. The meetings were held in conjunction with the National Football Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner which is highlighted by the induction of this year's College Football Hall of Fame class.
Here's a quick update on a few happenings in and around TCU Athletics:
BOWL BOUND
Bowl games are a reward for our student-athletes, and we are very excited to continue our season Dec. 28 against Louisiana at the Isleta New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
With three straight wins and in five of our last six games, Coach Dykes and staff have the Horned Frogs playing their best football! We have an opportunity to win nine games for just the third time since 2015 and second time in three years under Coach Dykes. It would also continue the momentum in our program from having the Big 12 Conference's top-ranked recruiting class for the first time. Our No. 20 overall ranking by ESPN is also the highest in program history during the online recruiting services era.
I am aware of a lot of confusion, and some misconceptions, on how we landed in a bowl game outside of the Big 12 Conference partnerships. Sharing the process with you is a priority.
Once the College Football Playoff field is set, there is an order of selection with our bowl partners. It begins with the Alamo Bowl and then continues with the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Bowl, Liberty Bowl and Rate Bowl. Each game can take who they want, regardless of standings.
This year was very unique with one Big 12 team making the CFP and half the teams in the conference (8-of-16) having an overall record of 8-4 or better. There were a lot of successful teams competing for limited bowl spots. In case you were wondering how the Alamo Bowl wound up with two Big 12 teams, it's through previous Pac-12 Conference contracts that departed members, like Colorado, carried with them to their new leagues.
After the Rate Bowl made its selection, the remaining opportunities go to ESPN Events owned games, like the Armed Forces Bowl, First Responder Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, etc. At that point, schools, respective bowl games and ESPN Events work together to find the right fit for everyone. It's interchangeable. It's how West Virginia landed in the Frisco Bowl against Memphis. This also happens with other conferences, as we saw with Oklahoma from the SEC coming to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Navy.
I was in regular contact with our bowl partners leading up to and on Selection Sunday. We ultimately received an invitation from the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. Contrary to some misinformation that has made the rounds, we did not turn down an invitation to another bowl. We're excited to head to Albuquerque! I hope that you will join us there to cheer our Frogs on and prove we are a team that travels well and supports our student-athletes. Let's get that 9th win and keep the momentum into 2025.
Personally, I have fond memories of the last time we were in Albuquerque; it was the regular-season finale in 2010. The 66-17 win over the Lobos clinched our Rose Bowl appearance! I still remember seeing our players leave the field with roses in their mouths.
BOWL GAME TICKETS
Tickets for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl are available through our website (GoFrogs.com). As a reminder, tickets purchased through us increase your standing in our Horned Frogs Priority Points System. Even if you can't make the trip, please consider still buying tickets for donation purposes. We're currently working on identifying local groups in Albuquerque we can support.
SPORTS UPDATE
While football has taken up a lot of the discussion here, please know we are proud of how our student-athletes and sports are excelling across the board. TCU is home to a very well-rounded athletics program:
•Women's Soccer won its third Big 12 regular-season championship in the last five years and is one of just 17 programs nationally to appear in eight of the last nine NCAA Tournaments. Bella Diorio and Seven Castain earned All-America honors with Bella also being a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, recognizing the nation's top player.
•Volleyball earned its first national ranking this fall and reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. It also coincides with Head Coach Jason Williams' first three seasons with us. Melanie Parra became the first Horned Frog to be named the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year.
•Women's Basketball is currently ranked 12th in the nation. Thank you to everyone who made it to Dickies Arena for Sunday night's game against defending national champion and No. 3 South Carolina. While the contest didn't go our way, it was still great to see over 8,000 fans in attendance for a TCU Women's Basketball game in Fort Worth. It illustrates the growth of the sport and our program.
•Men's Basketball had an impressive win last Thursday over a Xavier team that was No. 22 in the country the previous week.
•Men's Tennis has added more NCAA Championship hardware with Pedro Vives and Lui Maxted taking home the doubles title in Waco.
•Women's Tennis also made its mark with a doubles pair at the NCAAs as Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual became the first Horned Frogs to reach the quarterfinals since 2007.
•Triathlon, in just its second season of competition, finished fourth at the NCAA Championships after a sixth-place result in its debut season in 2023. Kira Gupta-Baltazar and Amanda Moro were named All-Americans.
•Rifle closed the fall with a No. 4 ranking as it looks to defend its NCAA Championship.
•Equestrian is No. 3 in the country and has a 3-0 Big 12 record.
•Women's Golf won two fall tournaments and will begin its spring with a No. 23 national ranking.
•Men's Golf closed the fall with a strong finish in Hawaii as its 32-under-par for the tournament was the fifth-lowest score versus par in program history.
•Swimming and Diving has been represented well by Anna Kwong who has received three Big 12 Diver of the Week awards this year.
•Cross Country had its most successful seasons in history with the men winning four races and the women three.
There's also a lot of anticipation for our spring sports with baseball, beach volleyball and track and field ready to compete at the highest level.
It's a great time to be a Horned Frog!
HOLIDAY HOOPS
If you need a reason to get out of the house during the holiday season, and bring family with you, we have some outstanding basketball ticket specials for the holiday season.
For the next two home men's games, Monday versus South Alabama and Sunday, Dec. 22, against Montana State, general admission tickets in our student sections 205-209 are just $10. For the Big 12 Conference home opener on Saturday, Jan. 4, with Kansas State, those tickets will be $25. Just click HERE to make your purchase.
Beginning with Sunday's 2 p.m. contest versus Louisiana Tech in the Maggie Dixon Classic, the next five home games for our 12th-ranked women's program will feature $5 tickets. The complete schedule and to buy your seats is HERE.
CAP AND GOWN TIME
Congratulations to our 36 TCU student-athletes who will receive their diplomas on Saturday! This includes our summer and fall graduates. In preparation for Saturday's commencement, I am honored that one of my first events as Interim Athletics Director is to present our graduates with their Student-Athlete Stole in our Stoling ceremony Friday afternoon.
FROG CLUB AND FLYING T CLUB REMINDER
With the end of the calendar year approaching, please keep the Flying T Club NIL collective and Frog Club in mind if you'd like to make a tax-deductible gift. Your much appreciated investment in our student-athletes helps us recruit and retain top talent.
As a reminder, donors to the Flying T Club earn Horned Frogs Priority Points.
For more information, just email either office at info@flyingtclub.com or frogclub@tcu.edu as well as visiting their websites at FlyingTClub.com and FrogClub.com.
REACH OUT
I've always taken pride in accessibility. My email is m.sinquefield@tcu.edu for you to holler anytime you have a question or I can be of assistance.
Go Frogs!
Sinq
Mike Sinquefield
Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
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