By Ethan Metcalf, Shelby Davis
and Orlando Flores, Jr.

For the hundreds of athletes who play sports on campus, from varsity sports to recreational sports to club sports — as well as for the fans — competing is more than just a pastime. It is a way to take a break from studying and to remain physically active.

And all of the players compete for one thing — to win.

“We have established a mentality, that we are going to win. That is carried over each year,” head football coach Bill Maskill said. “I believe when one team has success, it bleeds over to the other teams.”

Football

The football program will celebrate its 25th anniversary in the fall of 2013, starting back up in 1988 after coming and going during the 1920s to 1950s.
More than 100 players are on the football roster, battling for a position during the spring and summer to make the final cut for the 10-game regular season played in the fall.
“This is a new team. What we have done in the past is the past. We have to prove ourselves this year,” Maskill said.

Fifteen members of the 2012 team graduated, and Maskill expects 40 incoming freshmen on the team this fall. He also said he expects the seniors to show their leadership abilities when building the team.

“We have a number of rising seniors,” Maskill said. “Those kids have taken ownership.”

The team captured the 2012 LSC Championship, its third title since the first in 2009 and second in 2011. The team claimed three LSC divisional championships and made the NCAA playoffs five times.

Notable alumni that played on the football team include former NFL Super Bowl champion running back Dominick Rhodes, Carolina Panthers offensive guard Silatolu Amini (2011), Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Joe Unga (2012), Dallas Cowboys wide receiver David Little (2011) and free agent wide receiver Brian Gilmore (2000).

The team opens the season at home in Memorial Stadium, Sept. 13 against Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Volleyball

When Associate Athletic Director Venera Flores-Stafford came to MSU in 2004, she took her team to the 2005 LSC Championship game for the first time in program history. Two years later, in 2007, the team advanced to the NCAA Postseason Tournament for the first time. Kaitlyn Molloy, junior in exercise physiology, is going into her second season at MSU and was one of the new students last year.

“We are all smart about the game and these girls are very athletic, very volleyball knowledgeable,” Molloy said. “It’s funny because sometimes you’ll watch us play and it’s like ‘oh there’s MSU’ and then another game you’re like is this the same team that just played an hour ago? We have our moments I think we just need to find consistency.”

Basketball

The men’s and women’s basketball programs are rooted in the early days of MSU, with the men’s program’s earliest season dating back to 1946, and the women’s program dating back to 1984.

The men won seven LSC championships, made the NCAA D-II Tournament in all seven years, and won the NCAA D-II South Central Region Championship in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team also made it to the Elite Eight in those three years.

“We had one of the best years as a whole athletic department in many years or ever,” Noel Johnson, head women’s basketball coach, said. “I have never been apart of anything like this as a coach or a player, so it has been a fun year. We had a phenomenal year. We had a lot of firsts for the program.”

The women’s team used its 2013 LSC Championship, post-season tournament win and trip to the NCAA D-II Sweet 16 to win its first LSC title since the 2001 season, and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

Cycling

The most successful program on campus is the cycling team – winners of the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference championship every year since 2004, including this past year. The team, the only NCAA Division I varsity sport on campus, held a 1,000-point lead before entering the 2013 conference road race in April, making it mathematically impossible for any team to take the championship away from them. In addition, to date, the team has produced 28 national championship riders, including four riders on this team.

Cross-Country/Track

From 2008-2011, the cross-country team swept the LSC, winning four conference championships in a row. In 2011, the team won its first NCAA D-II South Central Regional Championship, and it also sent runners to the NCAA national meet in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
Despite only competing in the division for the past three seasons, the team has succeeded in the outdoor track division as well, with Brissia Montalvo earning silver in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase in 2012, and Ashley Flores winning bronze in the 5,000-meter in 2013.

Golf

Two of the youngest programs on campus, men’s and women’s golf, were started in 2006 and 2009 respectively, and both programs have had their fair share of success under coach Jeff Ray. The 2012-2013 men’s team became the first team in program history to win the LSC Conference Tournament in April. Santiago Gomez won the individual title in that tournament, also to become the first golfer in program history to win the LSC individual championship.
Overall, the men’s golf team has been to the NCAA D-II Super Region Tournament five times.

Softball

The softball program, reinstated in 2004, is heading into its eleventh season under coach Brady Tigert.

The program has made eight NCAA postseason appearances and captured two LSC championships back-to-back. But its most successful season came in 2011, when the team made it to the semifinal round of the NCAA D-II College World Series.

In 2013, freshman slugger Katelyn Vinson etched her name in the program record book, hitting 21 home runs in a season, as well as setting the record for most season total bases (155), highest season batting average (.516) and highest season slugging percentage (1.000).
Soccer

Doug Elder, now in his 14th season, molded the program into the most successful one in school history, winning eight conference championships, and making eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Of those eight appearances, the men have made it as far as the Elite Eight five times, as well as making it all the way to the Final Four in 2007 and 2010.

While the women have not made it into the postseason, they have won their conference championship three times and have also won their regular season championship three times.

Tennis

The women’s tennis team finished the regular season with a Lone Star Conference Championship. In the championship matches the team finished with a 5-0 win over Tarleton State University. The team is ranked 18 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and finished with a South Central Region record of 13-0.

Lynn Scott, head tennis coach, said, “Last year we had a great team with great ladies on it and we built on that. They did a good job and built that tradition.”

The men finished the regular season ranked first in the South Central Region with a record of 11-0. The regional championships are May 3-6.

Scott said, “The ownership of position in the lineup has helped our play. Every position is valuable.”

Rec and club sports

The recreational sports program hosts a variety of sports, from mainstays such as basketball and flag-football all the way to dodgeball, putt-putt and even darts and sand volleyball. The Rec Sports program, in which some 2,500 student participate each semester, also hosts multiple divisions, including divisions for men and women as well as a co-rec division. Students interested in competing one-on-one can compete in sports like golf and tennis singles.

“You get to meet a lot of new people in Rec Sports, so it’s a good way to introduce yourself to campus,” Assistant Director Randy Canivel said, noting that participants come from all over campus and include faculty, staff and students, and that participation in such activities is a good way to relieve stress and combat obesity.
In addition to organized recreational sports, hundreds of students play club sports.

The rough-and-tumble rugby club is a member of the Western Rugby Football Union and competes as a collegiate club in the Texas Rugby Union. Students can watch this unique sport on campus at the home games or the nearby away games held in cities such as Dallas and San Marcos.
Players on the Ultimate team, Calvary, practice twice each week, and every Tuesday and Thursday hold non-competitive pick-up games on the Quad for fans of flying disc sports.
Fans

The coaches and players believe the athletes could not have gotten to where they are today without the support of the fans.
“The fans mean a lot to us,” Skyler Warrick, a junior in mass communication, said. “They help us in knowing we are not doing this just for ourselves but also for the community, because they have just as much invested as we do.”

Fans and the local community help to support the teams on and off the field or court, Johnson said.
“They (fans) are a huge part of our success and where we are today,” Johnson said. “The support from the fans in the stands and the community is part of student athletes’ athletic and academic success.”

Maskill said the fans in the stands take the meaning behind home field advantage to an even higher level and help push the players along.
“Fans play a critical part in momentum,” Maskill said.

Student representation is important during home and away games.  Students can get themselves and one other person into every home sporting event with a valid student ID. Maskill hopes that next year the students will put this to good use.

“We would like to get the student body more involved,” Maskill said.

The players and coaches are already hard at work to make sure that their next seasons are as great as they had this past year.
“Our kids are working hard when it’s not demanded, so they can win for the fans, community and Wichita Falls in general,” Johnson said.