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Da Boot Sports 9/11/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil First, before you start reading this article I want everyone to know how close this story is to my heart. I've known Jai Eugene Sr. since he was seven years old. A little kid who I helped coach in little league football for four years and got to witness how blessed he was with a special athletic talent. I love this young man like a son. I also suffer from high blood pressure and have been diagnosed with kidney disease. It's a battle and it's only a matter of time until I may face the same challenges on the dangerous level as Mr. Eugene. Please pray for this wonderful young man, that he'll continue to recover and live a long and successful healthy life. This Fighter Keeps on Fighting This Fighter Keeps on Fighting Healthy Tiger By: Julia Palin Most athletes say winning a national championship was their most life-changing experience. Not for Jai Eugene. And it may not be close. Eugene, a native of St. Rose, La., played defensive back for LSU for five seasons. Coming out of Destrehan High School in 2006, also home of NFL wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Eugene was labeled the No. 1 skill athlete in the state. Invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he was ranked in the top 10 of all defensive backs in the nation, and also ranked as the 16th best prospect overall by ESPN. Throughout his career at LSU, Eugene played in 51 games with 12 starts. He recorded 93 tackles, 1.5 for loss, with one interception and five pass breakups. “It was the best five years of my life,” Eugene said about his time at the university. “I met some great people, and had some great teammates that I’m still in touch with to this day. Those bonds and relationships will never be broken. It was like family over there.” During his time as a Tiger, Eugene also built strong relationships with the athletics staff, specifically voicing his appreciation for current Senior Associate Athletics Director for Health & Wellness, Shelly Mullenix. “I commend Shelly because she was like a mom, when my mom wasn’t there,” Eugene recalled. “She was like a team mom. I thank Shelly a lot; she’s done so much for me to this day.” Eugene quickly called on Mullenix when he first learned of his diagnosis. About five years ago, doctors discovered that Eugene had high blood pressure. Mullenix and former LSU Director of Athletic Training, Jack Marucci, declined any history of high blood pressure while he was a student-athlete. After one and a half years of ineffective medication for the high blood pressure, Eugene’s kidneys failed. He and his son, Jai Jr., were in California for a Nike Football event. After getting something to eat, Eugene recalls feeling like his stomach was shutting down, and it was something he had never experienced before. “My son was scared,” Eugene said. “He basically had to babysit me the whole time we were out there, and go out and perform at football camp. I know it was hard on him.” In insurmountable amounts of pain, Eugene hung on until he returned to New Orleans to be admitted to the hospital. He knew he would be there for a while, and did not want his family to suffer the financial penalty of staying in California for an extended period of time. As soon as he stepped off the plane, the New Orleans hospital gave him the diagnosis: kidney failure. “In college, I felt like I was invincible,” Eugene explained. “Coming out of that environment, I still thought my body could do anything: eat bad, not get as much rest. When the diagnosis hit me, it was a life-changing experience for me. I don’t wish this on anyone.” Despite the tremendous pivot Eugene’s life has taken, he credits the doctors and nurses for making the transition to this new lifestyle as smooth as possible. When Hurricane Ida hit in August 2021, nurses worked hard to ensure Eugene was relocated to hospitals that could continue his treatment. Currently, Eugene undergoes dialysis three days per week for four and a half hours. Outside of the dialysis treatments, he remains active and closely watches his nutrition intake. Eugene is newly on the kidney transplant list, awaiting a matched, donated kidney. Jai hopes that his Tiger family or people they know would be willing to consider the gist of live organ donation. His transplant coordinator from Ochsner New Orleans is Lorie Bourgeois. Eugene coaches at his high school alma mater, along with head coach Marcus Scott. “I have a very close bond with him because he also needs a kidney transplant,” Eugene said. “We motivate each other to try to get healthy, and push each other to overcome the situation that we’re in.” In order to move up the transplant list, the most ideal scenario is to have a family member that is a match. One can determine whether or not they are a match through various medical testing performed by qualified doctors. If a donor does not have any other diseases to put them at risk for kidney failure or other health complications, the donator can live a perfectly normal life with only one kidney. Doctors will test both kidneys to ensure they are normal, and that the one remaining kidney will be able to sustain the donator. In fact, some individuals are born with only one kidney, and never know it. Donors who are living with only one kidney can still remain as active as they desire. Dr. James Morris, who has served as a specialist in urology for LSU Athletics, says even high-level football players succeed in their career with one kidney. Those with diabetes or other pre-existing health conditions are at higher risk for kidney disease. Continuing to monitor your blood pressure, eating habits and exercise routine can help decrease your risk of developing kidney disease. Eugene resides in St. Rose, La., and has two children: Jai Jr., 17, and Jailon, 11.
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The Evil Twins Finally Get to Throw Their 2019 Football National Championship Party in 20228/28/2022 Da Boot Sports 8/28/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - It was two years in the making, but Kent and Scott DeJean, 'The Evil Twins' were finally able to throw their party to honor the 2019 LSU national championship football team. With the start of the 2022 LSU football season only a week away, it was a fitting preseason gathering to build on the hype and optimism of LSU fan's favorite time of the year. "Right after the national championship COVID`19 hit." Kent said. "Then we tried to schedule a party in August 2021 but another variant rolled out and we were very concerned about everyone's safety, so we canceled." "We like doing our parties right before the season starts because everyone is so excited." Scott DeJean added. "We just didn't want to put anyone in danger during a pandemic." Grammy award winning Zydeco musician Chubby Carrier rocked the party with his Louisiana Cajun classic tunes, keeping the huge crowd of Tiger fans excited with a fun and festive atmosphere. "We meet Chubby at one of his concerts in Baton Rouge" Scott said. "We found out that he was a huge LSU fan and a great friendship started from there. He always told us that he wanted to play at one of our parties." "Chubby has been a friend of ours for ten years." Kent said. "He's a big LSU fan. He even has a purple and gold accordion. "When Chubby and his band would travel we would send him text messages during LSU games to update him on the score." For the few who don't know of the Evil Twins, let me introduce them. They are Kent and Scott DeJean, identical twin brothers from the small towns of Lawtell and Opelousas, Louisiana. The twins have lived in Baton Rouge, on and near the LSU campus for years. They became labelled 'The Evil Twins' years ago when they served as the emcees for the massive and classic LSU Tailgate group, "Krewe of Ragoo." Kent (a Baton Rouge attorney) and Scott (a veterinarian for USDA Veterinarian Services) have reached legendary LSU fan status as they became known for their wild ideas, crazy antics and hilarious skits during a 'Krewe of Ragoo' outing. The brothers have not missed a home LSU football game in 40 years and have made it to LSU's last 30 bowl games. They have been in attendance at every SEC Championship game that the Tigers have played in and have also been to all four LSU national championship games since the 1958 title contest. The party was held at the Twins' new residence which is close to the LSU campus. Over 70 close friends, new and old showed up to celebrate in LSU style. Among those in attendance were, former LSU softball head coach Yvette Girouard,... Famous tailgaters and LSU fans Wayne Broussard & Lee Dalfrey,... The awesome Mr. Paul Callais,... Becky Hilliard aka Tequila Queen,... Radio personality Todd Ortego of the Swamp & Roll Radio Show on KBON 101.1 FM out of Eunice,... Radio Personality Herman Fuselier of Zydeco Stomp on KRVS out of Lafayette,... Mike 'The Chinese Bandit' Bernard of Big Time Sports Talk on KPEL 1420 AM out of Lafayette,... and the Legend himself, Marvin "Ragoo" Dugas... along with so many other wonderful friends... A big thank you to my staff photographer Michael Bacigalupi who took time out of his busy day to help capture some great photos for Da Boot Sports.... Enjoy the videos and photos below from Sunday's festive event..... GEAUX TIGERS!!!!! Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Photos Below By: Terrill Weil **John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Find Jesus. God Bless) Da Boot Sports 7/12/2022 Article courtesy of Dale Brown Our country is in turmoil because we have forgotten the best potential of Me is We.! I have been in 90 countries and even with our flaws, none compare to the USA. Ronald Regan said, “No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” Abraham Lincoln profoundly stated, “ America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Famous historian Arnold Toynbee supports what Lincoln said when he stated, “ All great civilizations rise and fall and that an autopsy would show they committed suicide.” Albert Einstein considered by many as one of the most brilliant men in history gave us a game plan to follow when he said, “ The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” My dear friend Doctor Harry Edwards said, “Silence has always been evils greatest ally.” I witnessed that at Auschwitz where millions were annihilated and I read on a plaque, “ The road to Auschwitz was built by hatred but paved with indifference and apathy.” We need to instantly wake up to the division in our country or we will crumble. 19 of 21 notable civilizations died from conquest from within and not by conquest from without. Our nation will be transformed when mankind returns to God and his purpose for us. If we are not capable getting along with each other, then we are not capable of having a relationship with God. So, the question in our journey of life is not whether God can bring peace into the world. The question is: CAN WE? God says that if we can build the kind of relationship with each other where we enter into a covenant to belong to each other and be involved with each other in pursuing our goals together—that we are unstoppable. The average age of the world’s greatest democratic nations has been 200 years. Our country is now 246 years old, so we better quit partisan politics and do what is best for our nation. If we do not immediately do this, what British historian Thomas Macaulay warned us 150 years ago will happen. He said, “ Your nation will be destroyed in the 20th century as Rome was in the 5th century. But the Huns and Vandals which will destroy you will come from within, from your own institutions.” We must unite now or we are destined to fail ! Blessings to you and I wish you peace, love, wisdom, courage happiness and true success. Dale Brown Da Boot Sports 6/14/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil It's always a great idea to listen to a wise and incredible master motivational speaker from time to time. Perhaps the greatest motivational speaker of our time is Mr. Dale Brown. On a scale from 1 to 10, his speeches are an 11. Dale Brown is more than a former great basketball coach. He's an amazing human being. He's inspiring, thoughtful and a huge breath of fresh air. He's a gift from God to those around him and to those who know him personally. He makes a difference in this world. Someone is getting through something difficult right now because of his positive influence. I have always admired him, especially when I was growing up and now that I've had the pleasure to meet him and have conversations with him, I must say that I'm truly blessed by the Lord. I wish Dale Brown could run our beautiful country. He has integrity, the intelligence, the attitude, the character, the smarts and the common sense. He believes in himself, in people, in family values and in God. Exactly what we need. I feel very blessed that Coach Brown shares some of his work and wisdom with my publication. 'Da Boot Sports'.. Thank you Coach Brown. Please enjoy.... _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What can we do to give our life a richness of meaning and purpose ? We can only find true success and happiness by facing the many challenges of life.. We can overcome these challenges if we have the commitment and discipline to really want to do it. Commitment and discipline are the spinal cord of success. A feeble effort to improve will only lead to failure. Until you are fully committed there is always hesitancy. When our focus changes our life will change. William James one of Americas great philosophers said, “ The greatest discovery of all time is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” Dale Brown Da Boot Sports 5/7/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff GULF SHORES, Ala. – LSU’s run at the NCAA Beach Championship came to an end Saturday afternoon against FSU as the Seminoles took down the Tigers, 3-1. The season will go down as one of the most successful in program history. LSU’s 27 regular season wins and 32 overall were a both school records. The 32nd win came at the NCAA Championship on Friday as LSU sent No. 2 TCU home. LSU had five pairs earn AVCA Top Flight honors, tied for the most pairs by a team in a single season. Melia Lindner became LSU’s first beach Elite 90 Award winner. “All we focused on at the beginning of the year was just playing the right way and being the team we are supposed to be and letting everything take care of itself,” said head coach Russell Brock. “It was kind of an experiment and I’m so proud that they bought into it and then to finish the season the way we did and with all of the awards and recognition that we got, it shows who they are and who we are supposed to be.” The Tigers fought to final point against the Seminoles on Saturday, but ran out of gas. Bella Bauman and Parker Bracken fell in straight sets on Court 1, 21-17 and 21-10, as did Grace Seits and Ellie Shank on Court 4, 21-16 and 21-12, as the Seminoles went up 2-0. FSU appeared to quickly be on its way to a sweep over LSU. LSU’s Reilly Allred and Holly Carlton fell in the first set on Court 3, 21-17, and they trailed in the second set, 19-15. Fitting for them though, Allred and Carlton refused to go quietly. They rattled off four points in a row and ultimately took the second set, 24-22. They carried that momentum to a 15-10 third set win to keep LSU’s comeback attempt alive. Allred and Carlton finished the season with a 15-8 record in matches that went three sets. On Court 2, Kylie Deberg and Kelli Greene-Agnew led in the first set 13-8 but couldn’t hang on as FSU took the opening set, 25-27. The LSU duo bounced back to take the second, 21-15. They never got momentum rolling though, and fell in the third set, 15-10, as FSU clinched the match. Sierra Caffo and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope’s match on Court 5 went unfinished. They won the first set, 21-16, before falling in the second, 26-24. They trailed 14-10 when FSU clinched the match on Court 2. “All we’ve asked them to do is fight as hard as they can and don’t worry about what the score is or what people say about us or how daunting the challenge may be; just keep fighting,” Brock said. “This weekend that’s all they did, they just kept fighting. It paid off in the match before and today we just ran out of time. We didn’t run out of energy or ability; we just ran out of time. Super proud of this team.” Da Boot Sports 4/8/2022 By: Dale Brown Walter Byers, former NCAA executive director for 36 years was candid and honest when he strongly stated, “ Time and circumstances have passed the entire system of intercollegiate athletics by and reform will not come from within because the beneficiaries of the current monopoly will not give up a good thing.”
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4/4/2022 By: Dale Brown If the NCAA really cared about changing the system, they would have an open form and discuss the issues. We all know about the untouchable sacred lambs that break rules but are never investigated properly by this archaic and dysfunctional organization. Brent Clark, a former NCAA investigator, appeared in front of a congressional hearing and told them. "I believe that the NCAA enforcement machinery allows NCAA personnel to inflict selective punishment upon institutions." John Moss, who was chairman for the subcommittee on oversight and investigations , chaired a 1978 congressional hearing on the NCAA enforcement program, which was prompted by allegations of unfairness, inequality, secrecy, and other abuses of excessive power. He stated," I have been writing administrative law in this House for more than a quarter of a century and I have never seen anything touching this kind of integrity and procedure. It appears that they are more interested in punishment than justice." Walter Byers, former NCAA executive director for 36 years was candid and honest when he strongly stated, "Time and circumstances have passed the entire system of intercollegiate athletics by. The management structure has become bureaucratic and irresponsible. I believe they no longer have the right to run a big time national entertainment business, with virtual blanket exemption under the antitrust laws just because they profess a noble dedication to amateurism. Reform will not come from within. The beneficiaries of the current monopoly will not give up a good thing." I have always felt the NCAA were masters at legislating against human dignity and practicing monumental hypocrisy. Well respected journalist Frank Deford said many years ago, " The NCAA as far as I know, is the most successful potent cartel in this country and why it survives without any court challenges is beyond me." The Gestapo tactics used by the NCAA against some schools is deplorable. Those that break the rules should be penalized. The school, innocent fans, players, and coaches should not suffer. Mike Lopresti of USA today years ago was so accurate when he said, "You measure injustice not by the guilty who are punished but by the innocent who are victimized." Larry Donald formerly from Basketball Times wrote the following about the dysfunctional NCAA, " The principle shortfall of the NCAA has always been that its number one mission has not been to serve its constituents but to preserve its own operation. When the NCAA wins an investigation it justifies its existence." I do not accept the theory, that everyone cheats in college athletics, so why shouldn't we ? Yes, there are some big time cheaters that seem to be immune from any NCAA sanctions. However, most coaches I have known are honorable men. I have known so many good people in the NCAA office that desperately wanted to see changes in the system and their voices were never heard. The NCAA has come a long way and I applaud them for that but they still have light years to go and light travels 186,000 miles a second. The NCAA operates under two standards and everyone knows that. Edmond Burke, 18th century British author and statesman warned us that, " Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any imminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all." I wish I could have done more to have changed the unfair and crooked NCAA ,enforcement standards. What has gone wrong with collegiate athletics ? It isn't that complex. Greed and double standards of enforcement, it is that simple and sad. The dictionary describes hypocrisy as a false claim to virtue, insincerity, pretentious, sanctimonious and misleading. To view a paramount example of this on You Tube, write in 12 Powerful Minutes With Lester Earl Exposing the NCAA's manipulative and corrupt investigative procedures. The NCAA has never apologized to LSU, Earl or me for their despicable tactics. Aldous Huxley prominent English philosopher and writer said, " Facts don't cease to exist because they are ignored." The NCAA has ignored the facts and have been void of any form of seeking the truth or having a conscience. Conscience is simply a moral sense of right and wrong. Numerous times, I have thought why after all these years am I still seeking justice and the reason is a quote I read some time ago by Martin Luther King. " You died when you refused to stand up for Right, Truth, and Justice." Hello Tigers Fans.. If you have a Twitter account, please ‘follow’ us, Da Boot Sports for LSU Athletics coverage and news at: @dabootsports1
A huge thank you for your support! GEAUX TIGERS!! Da Boot Sports 3/15/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff BATON ROUGE – The LSU Beach Volleyball team stayed ranked at No. 5 in the latest AVCA Poll released on Tuesday.The Tigers climbed back into the Top-5 in last week’s poll and maintained their ranking after a strong showing this weekend at the Gamecock Grand Slam in South Carolina. LSU went 4-0 on the weekend, including wins over then ranked No. 19 South Carolina and No. 15 Pepperdine. LSU is 13-0 on the season, a program record for the best start to the season. In addition to the undefeated record, the Tigers have also beaten four ranked teams so far this year, including a win over then ranked No. 4 LMU at the Tiger Beach Challenge. The Tigers have a big weekend of action ahead of them as they travel to Gulf Shores to play in The March to May on Saturday and Sunday. While there, LSU will play No. 13 Georgia State at 1 p.m. CT and No. 7 Grand Canyon University a 4 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, it will face No. 11 Florida Atlantic University at 8 a.m., No. 15 South Carolina at 10 a.m. and No. 1 UCLA 3 p.m. on Sunday to close out the weekend. AVCA Poll: Rank School (First-Place Votes) Points Record 1 UCLA (14) 299 9-0 2 Southern California (1) 284 8-1 3 TCU 268 15-0 4 Florida State 250 9-2 5 LSU 241 13-0 6 Loyola Marymount 230 12-1 7 Grand Canyon 213 8-2 8 Stanford 183 4-4 9 Hawai’i 172 10-5 10 California 165 8-4 11 FAU 148 7-3 12 Cal Poly 136 5-7 13 Georgia State 104 8-4 14 Long Beach State 99 1-7 15 South Carolina 70 7-5 16 Arizona 67 5-3 17 Stetson 64 5-7 18 Pepperdine 61 7-2 19 FIU 58 7-0 20 Tulane 12 11-2 Others receiving votes: Arizona State (11), Tampa (5), Cal State Bakersfield (4), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (3), Florida Gulf Coast (2) Next Poll: March 22 Da Boot Sports 10/29/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Robert Quiroga Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU Soccer team (11-6-0, 4-6-0 SEC) picked up the highest ranked-win in program history as they defeated the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks (14-3-0, 9-1-0 SEC) by a score of 4-2 on Thursday night at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The Razorbacks scored their goals in the 2nd and 68th minutes while the Tigers scored in the 19th, 44th, 48th, and 90th minutes. With the win, LSU secures a berth as the No. 9 seed in the 2021 SEC Tournament. “It was a spirited match from our team,” head coach Sian Hudson said. “It was a great effort from us to come-from-behind after the first goal and I can’t tell you enough of how proud I am of the players. They played a fantastic game tonight, and this is a huge confidence boost heading into the SEC Tournament for us.” The Razorbacks opened the match with a goal in the 2nd minute as Kiley Dulaney found Parker Goins with a cross into the box, who hit a first-time effort from 12 yards out that went into the back of the net. LSU was unphased by the goal and pushed on with their efforts. Forward Tinaya Alexander surged into the final third in the 18th minute and drew a free kick on the edge of the box on the right flank. Alexander crossed the free kick into the box and found the head of defender Shannon Cooke, who powered the ball into the back of the net to draw the match level at 1-1. The goal was Cooke’s second of the season, and Alexander’s fifth assist of the year. The Tigers held control of the match as they searched for a go-head goal. Defender Maya Gordon sent in a powerful effort from 40 yards out in the 40th minute that only narrowly missed the frame of the goal. Midfielder Athena Kuehn tested Arkansas goalkeeper Hannah Warner a minute later with a shot on frame that required a save. The go-ahead goal came just before halftime in the 44th minute. Kuehn played a through ball into the box that was chased down by forward Molly Thompson, who played a pass to midfielder Rammie Noel at the top of the box. Noel cut inside on her left foot and unleashed a knuckling shot that landed in the top-left corner to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead going into halftime. The goal was Noel’s third of the season, taking her to a career-high nine points on the season. With the assist, Kuehn moved to three assists on the year while Thompson picked up her first of the season. The lead was extended to 3-1 just three minutes into the second half. Forward Riley Dixon launched a high press and caused an error from a Razorback defender that saw Alexander take possession of the ball at the top of the box, cut inside to beat her defender, and sent a left-footed shot to the bottom left-corner of the goal. Alexander’s team-high goal tally increased to eight on the season with the goal. The Tigers spent a feisty second half in a physical battle with the Razorbacks. The two teams went back and forth in a battle that saw possession continue to change in the midfield and both sides sending in strong challenges on the ball. Arkansas pulled one back in the 68th minute as Anna Podojil pounced on an error in the LSU defense to beat goalkeeper Mollee Swift and make it 3-2 on the night. The final 20 minutes saw LSU put on a gritty defensive display to keep the Razorbacks at bay. In the 71st minute, Arkansas’ Bryana Hunter sent a shot on goal that was goal bound until Cooke cleared the ball in front of the line. The Tigers were only safe for a matter of seconds before Goins found space and was in a one-on-one with Swift, who denied her effort from point-blank with an outstretched leg to keep the Tigers in front. Swift picked up two more saves in the 86th and 88th minute to take her total on the night to five. Alexander capped the night off by putting the game to bed in the 90th minute. The Tigers won the ball at the edge of their own box and sent a through ball to Alexander, who shrugged off her defender and rounded the goalkeeper to place the ball into the back of the net and make it 4-2 on the night. The goal was Alexander’s second of the night, and ninth of the year. With the five points scored in the match, Alexander’s career point total now sits at 63, good enough to place her tenth on the LSU All-Time Point List. The win over No. 4 Arkansas is the fourth win over a top 10 opponent in program history. With LSU’s win, Arkansas’ 14 match winning streak came to an end, and the Razorbacks were denied a perfect regular season in SEC play. The four goals that Arkansas conceded in one match was the most since the 2017 season. Up Next No. 9-seeded LSU will open the 2021 SEC Tournament against the No. 8-seed Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, October 31. Da Boot Sports 10/15/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: Former LSU Basketball Head Coach Dale Brown has written and published several inspirational books. His most recent, "Getting Over the 4 Hurdles of Life" is a fantastic read and is approaching Best Seller's status. With us soon celebrating the naming of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center court to "Dale Brown Court" and with the Holiday season around the corner, It's the perfect time to purchase this amazing book. Grab one for yourself, and several more to hand out to your family and friends as gifts. Click on the Button below to take you to the Acadian House Publishing website where can can place your order today... Da Boot Sports 10/6/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE – Ten LSU softball players were named 2020-21 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes. Aliyah Andrews, Taryn Antoine, Cait Calland, Emilee Casanova, Amanda Doyle, Maribeth Gorsuch, Ali Kilponen, Ali Newland, Taylor Pleasants, and Shelby Wickersham all joined a class of over 8,800 student-athletes to garner this achievement. It is the highest total in the Association’s history and marks the second consecutive year achieving the 8,000-plus plateau. The rankings and honors recognize the academic prowess of softball teams across the Association’s membership categories and individual student-athletes earning a 3.5 grade-point average or higher for the 2020-21 season. The NCAA Division III led the way with 2,375 student-athletes, followed by NCAA Division I and Division II totaling 1,982 and 1,727 honorees, respectively. High school weighted and High School unweighted earned 832 and 679 distinctions. NAIA amassed 643 student-athletes, while two-year programs totaled 594 recipients. Calland, Casanova, Kilponen, Newland, Pleasants, and Wickersham will all return for the 2022 season. Da Boot Sports 9/21/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Tiger Tracks, a program highlighting various aspects of the university and its athletics department, can be seen at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday on Cox Sports Television. The show, hosted by Jordy Hultberg and Bill Franques, is a weekly 30-minute production featuring interviews with LSU administrators, coaches and student-athletes, along with a look at some of the events and scholarly activity on campus. Tiger Tracks begins with a preview by correspondent Paul Boron of the LSU-Mississippi State football game that kicks off at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Starkville, Miss. Boron later provides a profile of kickers Avery Atkins and Cade York, who combine to give LSU the best special teams combination in college football. Tiger Tracks continues with a highlights of the fifth-ranked soccer team’s win over Mississippi State before a record-breaking crowd at the LSU Soccer Complex. The show concludes with a message from LSU President William F. Tate about the university’s COVID vaccination status. Da Boot Sports 9/14/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Tiger Tracks, a program highlighting various aspects of the university and its athletics department, can be seen at 9:30 p.m. CT Wednesday on Cox Sports Television. The show, hosted by Jordy Hultberg and Bill Franques, is a weekly 30-minute production featuring interviews with LSU administrators, coaches and student-athletes, along with a look at some of the events and scholarly activity on campus. Tiger Tracks begins with a preview by correspondent Paul Boron of the LSU-Central Michigan football game that kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Boron later provides a look at coach Sian Hudson and the LSU soccer team, which is ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 7-0 record. Tiger Tracks continues with highlights of LSU’s home-opening win over McNeese State last Saturday in Tiger Stadium The show concludes with an appearance by Dr. Catherine O’Neal of the LSU Health Sciences Center, who discusses the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine. Da Boot Sports 9/14/2021 LSU Sports Information By: LSU Staff Baton Rouge, La. – LSU soccer has moved up to No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll that was released on Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers put the cap on nonconference play last week as they improved to 7-0-0 on the season with a win versus ULL.LSU has outscored its opponents by a tally of 26 to 4 this season and have three ranked wins on the season to date. LSU scored five goals in last Thursday night’s win over ULL as they registered their third shutout in the last four games as well. The Tigers have won ten straight matches dating back to the spring of 2021. The 10 game win streak is a school record and is also the longest current win streak in the NCAA right now. The No. 6 nationally ranking is the highest in school history as well. LSU is set to open up SEC play on Friday night (Sept. 17) as they host Mississippi State at LSU Soccer Stadium. First kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and admission is free. To view the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, visit unitedsoccercoaches.org. 2021 Rankings for LSU August 24 – RV August 31 – No. 17 September 7 – No. 7 September 14 – No. 6 |