From Staff Reports | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Senior Bryson Williams was a unanimous choice to the all-Big 12 first team and all-newcomer team chosen by the conference’s coaches and announced Sunday night.
Tech’s Kevin Obanor, Marcus Santos-Silva, Adonis Arms and Kevin McCullar each received honorable mention. Williams is the Red Raiders’ 11th first-team all-Big 12 selection and the first since Jarrett Culver in 2019.
Texas Tech (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) is the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament and will open against Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the final quarterfinal game.
Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji was the unanimous choice as Big 12 player of the year, the 11th Jayhawk to receive that distinction. Baylor’s Scott Drew was named Big 12 coach of the year for the third year in a row.
For the first time in Big 12 history, three players tied in the voting for defensive player of the year. Baylor’s Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Oklahoma State’s Moussa Cisse and West Virginia’s Gabe Osabuohien shared the honor. Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington was named newcomer of the year and Tyrese Hunter claimed freshman of the year. Kansas State’s Nijel Pack was voted as most improved player, and Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan was recognized with the sixth man award.
Williams led the Red Raiders with an average of 14.0 points per game. The Fresno, California, native is in his first year at Tech after playing two seasons at Fresno State and two at UTEP. He has scored 2,062 points in his career, including 435 through 31 games, all starts, for the Red Raiders. Williams scored in double figures in 17 of 18 conference games this season.
McCullar received honorable mention for the second straight season after averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. Obanor, an Oral Roberts transfer, is averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He achieved his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday at Oklahoma State.
Arms is averaging 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and Santos-Silva, in his second season at Tech, is averaging 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
The other Tech players to make first-team all-Big 12 were Tony Battie, Cory Carr, Andre Emmett (three times), Ronald Ross, Jarrius Jackson (twice), Keenan Evans and Culver.
Williams is the fifth Red Raiders player to make the Big 12 all-newcomer team, following Zhaire Smith, Matt Mooney, Jahmi’us Ramsey and Mac McClungnction.
SPC track and field
PITTSBURG, Kan. — South Plains College won the NJCAA men’s indoor track and field championship for the second year in a row Saturday, led by first- and second-place finishes individually from Chris Robinson.
The Texans scored 140 points in the two-day meet, and Barton County (Kan.) Community College was runner-up with 62. South Plains won the indoor NJCAA championship for the eighth time overall, the past seven coming since 2007.
Robinson won the 600 meters in a time of 1 minute, 16.99 seconds and took second in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.87.
Jeremey Bembridge won the 400 meters (46.62), and Kimar Faruqharson won the 800 meters (1:50.85). The Texans’ field-event titles came from Thomas Nieto in the pole vault (17-7 1/2) and Kudakwashe Chadenga (7-2 1/4) in the high jump.
SPC also won the 3,200-meter and 1,600-meter relays. Farquharson, Aron Tanui, Chevonne Hall, and Mehdi Yanouri ran the 3,200 relay in 7:34.15. Robinson, Bembridge, Evaldo Whitehorne and Shevoie Reid ran the 1,600 relay in 3:07.68.
The Texans got second-place points from Dayvon Williams in the high jump (7-0 1/4) and Tanui in the 1,000 meters (2:29.51) and third-place showings from Paxton Hair in the weight throw (55-7) and from the distance medley relay.
The South Plains women, led by individual wins from Success Umukoro and Joniar Thomas, finished fourth with 65 points. Iowa Western won with 160.
Umukoro won the 60 meters in 7.47, and Thomas took the long jump with a mark of 20-9. The Lady Texans got third-place points from Umukoro in the 200 meters (24.15), TaraLee McKarns in the pole vault (10-11 3/4) and two relays.
Tech men’s tennis
Olle Wallin, Isaac Arevalo, Ilgiz Valiev and Reed Collier won singles matches Sunday, and Texas Tech beat UT-San Antonio 4-2 at the McLeod Tennis Center for its fifth victory in a row.
Tech (10-5) came from behind after losing the doubles point.
Maxim Groysman had the singles victory for UTSA (7-4).
Tech softball
Ellie Bailey, Molly Grumbo and Alanna Barraza drove in two runs apiece, leading Texas Tech past Southern 13-2 on Sunday’s final day of the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic at Rocky Johnson Field.
Bailey and Grumbo both homered for the Red Raiders, backing pitchers Maddie Kuehl (1-1) and Ranci Willis.
Tech (8-12) finished 3-2 in the three-day event. North Texas beat Tech 11-3 in the Red Raiders’ final game Sunday with Lexi Cobb hitting two of the Mean Green’s five home runs.
UNT (11-3) chased Tech starter Kendall Fritz (5-4) in the first inning after a solo shot from Cobb and a three-run blast from Molly Rainey.
Ashlyn Walker and Kailey Gamble unloaded two-run homers for the Mean Green.
LCU baseball
SAN ANGELO — No. 17 Angelo State rallied for nine runs in the seventh inning Sunday to beat No. 23 Lubbock Christian University 9-4 and salvage a split of a four-game Lone Star Conference series.
ASU (15-5, 15-5) trailed 4-0 after Edgar Hernandez hit an RBI double for LCU (13-5, 11-4) in the sixth.
The big hits in the seventh included a two-run double by Justin Harris, a two-run single from Jackson Hardy, a tiebreaking double by Aaron Walters and a three-run double from Kamden Kelton.
The Rams’ rally spoiled six innings of scoreless, two-hit pitching by LCU starter Tyler Hardwick. They came back with two runs each off Armando Valle and Koi Carrillo and four off Cannon Davis (1-1).
Homers by George Mendazona and Larry Leitha gave LCU a 3-0 lead.
The two teams split a doubleheader Saturday with LCU winning 7-6 and Angelo State winning 4-3, both teams coming from behind in the last inning.
Cayde Ward hit a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh for the Chaps’ win in the opener.
LCU trailed 6-3 going to the seventh inning, and Rams starter Aaron Munson retired the first two batters. But Luis Navarro homered and Jarred Gibson and Leitha singled.
The Rams lifted Munson, and Ward greeted reliever Jackson Haga (0-1) with his drive to left-center.
Colton Brown (3-0) got the win, allowing two runs in three innings of relief, and Brendan Anderson retired the last two batters for his second save.
In Saturday’s second game, Angelo State scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh including Tayten Tredaway’s game-winning two-run single.
Anderson (5-1) entered with one out and one on and walked the first three batters he faced. The last of those, to Justin Lee, forced in a run and narrowed LCU’s lead to 3-2.
Anderson got Austin Beck on a fly ball, but Tredaway singled up the middle to deliver the tying and winning run.
LCU softball
LAWTON, Okla. — Tyla Lee hit a two-run single and a three-run homer, leading Lubbock Christian University to its 18th win in a row, a 13-8 conquest of Cameron in the finale of a Lone Star Conference doubleheader Saturday.
LCU (18-2, 4-0) got three hits apiece from Lee, Skylar Herrera and Angela Donaldson.
The Lady Chaps broke open a 3-2 game by scoring five runs in each of the last two innings. In the sixth, Caroline Chilton and Savannah Wysocki singled home runs and Brooke Makemson lifted a sacrifice fly. Lee’s base hit stretched the lead to 8-2.
Donaldson, Hanna Wells and Lee homered in the seventh.
