Wildcat coaches add slew of standout athletes

Wildcat coaches add slew of standout athletes

ACU adds several athletes for 2002-03 school year

ABILENE -- ACU coaches in several sports announced Tuesday that they have added some standout student-athletes through either national letters-of-intent or transfer for the 2002-03 school year.

Here is a breakdown of each sport:

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Head coach Wayne Williams has added two outstanding transfers in Lynsie Blau from Northern Arizona and Stephanie Riles from Emporia State (Kan.).

Blau, a 6-3 center who will be a junior in 2002-03, is a 2000 graduate of Menard High School. Blau (pronounced like "wow") was the 2000-01 Freshman of the Year in the NCAA Division I Big Sky Conference, and was a 2001-02 first team all-Big Sky Conference performer.

She was the team's leading scorer last year, averaging 12.0 points per game and was second on the team with 6.0 rebounds and1.4 blocks per game. She shot 47 percent from the floor and was just the fourth player in team history to record 75 blocks, and the first sophomore to do so. The Lumberjacks were 17-11 in 2001-02, which included a 10-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play.

"Lynsie is a proven player at the Division I level, and I believe she'll be a great addition to our team," ACU head coach Wayne Williams said. "She's got a great low-post presence. She can score, rebound and block shots. She'll definitely make our inside game even stronger."

Riles, a 2001 graduate of Lockhart High School, transfers to ACU after just one season at Emporia State. The 5-11 forward who will be a sophomore in 2002-03, averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Lady Hornets, who finished 16-12 last season.

Riles led the team in scoring four times, led the team in rebounds five times, led the team in steals twice, and led the team in blocked shots four times. Her best came in Emporia's 85-45 win over Newman University on Dec. 8, 2001, when she scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

She was a two-time Class 4A all-state performer at Lockhart High School, averaging 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 1.8 blocks for the Lions.

"Stephanie is a very versatile player who can play both inside and outside," Williams said. "She has excellent speed and strength. Offensively she's a slasher and very strong around the basket. She'll definitely be a plus in the full-court game."

Blau and Riles join a team that returns all-America center Melanie Carter, and who will also be joined by Abilene Wylie's Kierstan Barbee and Weatherford's Ashley King, both of whom signed national letters-of-intent in the fall.

King, a 5-7 guard, was a second team Class 4A all-state performer who led the Lady Kangaroos to the Region I-5A tournament this past season, averaging better than 15 points per game. Barbee was the 2000-01 Abilene Reporter-News' Big Country Player of the Year after leading the Lady Bulldogs to a 32-3 record and a runner-up finish in the Class 3A state tournament. She out last season, however, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

ACU track and field coach Jon Murray has signed what is, on paper, an outstanding high school class for 2002-03.

The class is led by sprinter Delt Cockrell of Panhandle, the Class 2A state champion in the 200 meters and the runner-up in the 100 meters. Also signing this spring with the Wildcats are high jumper Jason Hill of Quanah and pole vaulter Cory Aguilar of Crane on the men's side and quartermiler Brooklyn Hunt of North Garland on the women's team.

Other additions to the track and field team next spring will be football signee Danieal Manning and junior college transfer DaRay Sims.

Both Aguilar and Cockrell won state championships earlier this month at the state track meet in Austin. Aguilar captured the Class 3A state championship in the 300-meter hurdles (37.34) and finished third in the the pole vault (15-0.00), while Cockrell won the 2A state championship in the 200 meters (21.18).

Aguilar won the District 4-3A championship and the Region I-3A championship in both the 300-meter hurdles and the pole vault. He set the meet record at the regional meet with a vault of 16-1.00.

Cockrell won the Region I-2A title in both the 100 meters (10.96) and the 200 meters (21.19), but his 4x400 relay team was disqualified because of a false start. Cockrell will run the 200 meters and on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams at ACU.

Hill was considered the state's top high jumper -- and one of the nation's best -- entering the season. He had high jumped better than 7 feet five times before this season, and has a personal best of 7-2.00. He finished third at the junior national meet last summer.

Hunt was fourth at the Class 5A state meet in the 400 meters (55.56), and was on the school's 4x100 relay team that finished third (46.64). She was first at the 10-5A district meet in the 400 meters (56.15), 4x100 relay (47.28) and 4x400 relay (3:53.66). She won the Region II-5A title in the 400 meters (55.59), and was on the the second-place 4x100 relay team (47.21).

Manning originally signed to play football at Nebraska, but has instead transferred to ACU. He will be eligible for track in the spring, and should be a major contributor. As a senior at Corsicana High School, he finished second in both the triple jump and 100 meters at the Class 4A state meet with marks of 48 feet, 11.75 inches and 10.34 seconds, respectively. He was also fourth in the 200 meters at 21.28. He finished second in the triple jump at the 2001 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a mark of 49-3.

He had the fourth-best 100 meter time in the nation as a high school senior and the 12th-best triple jump mark.

Sims was also an outstanding track athlete at Corsicana High School. The transfer from Navarro Junior College will play football in the fall after earning first team junior college all-America honors in 2001. However, he could make a contribution to the track and field team in the spring in the long jump and triple jump. He has personal bests of 49-0.00 in the triple jump (Class 4A state champion as a senior in 2000), 26-8.00 in the long jump and 6-10.00 in the high jump.

In the fall, Murray signed Clyde high jumper Melissa Cain to join the women's team next fall. Cain won the District 5-3A championship in both 2001 and 2002, was second at the regional meet as a junior and seventh at the state meet.

BASEBALL

Junior college standout Tony Santana will transfer to ACU and should see significant playing time next season as a junior.

Santana played last season at Southwestern Community College after spending his first season at Cerritos Community College.

As a high school player at Castle Park High School in Chula Vista, Calif., Santana was first team all-Metro in both 1998 and 1999 and was the all-Metro MVP in 1998.

The right-handed hitting Santana can play both shortstop and third base.

The Wildcats just completed their most successful season ever, setting a school-record for wins in a season in the 45-14 campaign that ended Sunday with a 3-2 loss to Delta State (Miss.) in the NCAA Division II South Central region championship game.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS

ACU head coach Hutton Jones has signed an impressive list of high school standouts that now includes Hal Hawkins of Tyler and Even Puglia of Plano.

Hawkins and Puglia join a cast of standout signings last fall that is led by Colleen Reynolds of Mansfield, who will join the women's team this fall, along with Lauren Yarbrough of Fort Worth Richland Hills. Also signing last fall was Jason Ray of Colleyville Heritage.

Puglia played No. 2 singles for Plano West High School, which captured the 2001 Class 5A state team championship. Puglia was 162-35 in singles play over four years, and was a semifinalist at the 2001 state tournament. He was the team captain, the school's Player of the Year, and was a regional qualifier in doubles this past spring.

He is also ranked No. 20 by the USTA in 18-and-under singles and No. 5 in super championship doubles.

Hawkins is ranked No. 40 in Texas super championships singles, and won the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Class 3A state championship in 2002. He was also his district's singles champion in 2001. Hawkins was a three-year letterman in basketball, earning second team all-state honors this past season, and was a two-year letterman in baseball, earning second team all-state honors as a sophomore.

Reynolds, ranked No. 1 in the state in USTA 16s singles, reached the Class 5A girls state tournament in singles, but lost in the quarterfinal round, as did Ray in the Class 5A boys state tournament.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

ACU head coach Mike Martin has signed a pair of high school standouts to binding national letters-of-intent: A.J. Porterfield of New Mexico and Stephen Story of San Antonio.

Porterfield, a 6-2 guard, was one of the top prep players in New Mexico last season at Clovis High School. He averaged 18 points per game and was a first team all-district and Class 5A all-state selection. He was also chosen to play in the North-South All-Start game this summer in Albuquerque, N.M.

Story, a 6-7, 230-pound forward, starred at East Central High School last season. He averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a senior, leading East Central to a 25-9 record and a berth in the regional tournament. A three-year letterwinner, he shot 62.9 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line.