College Confidential

Texas golfer Pressel qualifies for LPGA event; FW golfer Mocio grabs alternate spot #Longhorns, #TAMU

Texas golfer Madison Pressel qualified today to join her older sister, LPGA Tour standout Morgan Pressel, in the field for the North Texas LPGA Shootout, April 25-28 at Las Colinas Country Club.

Pressel fired an even-par 71 at the Las Colinas layout to join North Carolina’s Casey Grice, a College Station native, as co-medalists at the North Texas Collegiate Shootout. They claimed the two spots reserved for college participants in the $1.3 million LPGA event in Irving.

Texas A&M golfer Chelsea Mocio, a Fort Worth Arlington Heights graduate, posted a 73 and is one of two alternates for the college exemptions. As alternates, Mocio and A&M teammate Katerina Ruzickova (74) earned spots in an April 22 qualifier at Las Colinas with touring pros to try and earn a last-minute spot in the field.

Pressel, a senior, said it will be “incredible” to make her LPGA debut in the same event as her sister, a two-time tour winner and past major champion (2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship) who already has committed to compete in Irving.

“It’s very exciting,” Pressel said. “I’ve never been able to play with her in a tournament setting. It’ll be weird preparing for a tournament on the same golf course with her.”

Grice, a junior who played at A&M Consolidated High School, said she is “definitely very excited” for the opportunity to make her LPGA debut in her home state.

Mocio, a junior, said she made “a couple of mental mistakes” during back-nine holes in Tuesday’s round that prevented her from joining the co-medalists at the top of the leaderboard but said she is excited she will have a second chance to try and play her way into the field at the April 22 qualifier in Irving. 

Below is a look at the results of all 18 competitor's in today's event: 

Shootout results

A look at Tuesday’s scores from the 18 participants in the North Texas Collegiate LPGA Shootout in Irving:

Casey Grice, North Carolina, 71; Madison Pressel, Texas, 71; Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M, 73; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M, 74; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M, 76; Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State, 76; Alexandria Bonetti, TCU, 77; April McCoy, TCU, 78; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word, 78; Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas, 79; Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M, 79; Jennifer Park, SMU, 80; Jenny Haglund, SMU, 81; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU, 82; Melanie White, SMU, 82; Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M, 83; Alexandra Ann Rossi, Texas A&M, 83; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 84.

 _ Jimmy Burch

Texas LB Jackson has shoulder surgery, expected back for fall drills #Longhorns

Texas linebacker Tevin Jackson underwent surgery today to repair a dislocated right shoulder sustained during spring football drills, school officials announced. Kenny Boyd, Texas’ head athletic trainer for football, said Jackson will miss the remainder of spring drills but is expected to return for the start of fall camp in August.

_ Jimmy Burch

Tee times set for Tuesday's North Texas College Shootout, with top two finishers to join LPGA field

Participants in the North Texas Collegiate Shootout, which will send two college golfers into the field for North Texas’ upcoming LPGA Tour event in Irving, will take the course at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Las Colinas Country Club.

The top two finishers among the 18 college golfers in the 18-hole competition will earn berths in the North Texas LPGA Shootout, a full-field event scheduled April 25-28 at Las Colinas CC.

Tee times for Tuesday’s competitors:

9:30 a.m.:  Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M; Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas; Alexanra Ann Rossi, SMU.

9:40 a.m.: Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M; April McCoy, TCU; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

9:50 a.m.: Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M; Melanie White, SMU; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word.

10 a.m.: Jenny Haglund, SMU; Madison Pressel, Texas; Alexandra Bonetti, TCU.

10:10 a.m.: Casey Grice, North Carolina; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M.

10:20 a.m.: Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M; Jennifer Park, SMU.

 

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas hires Suddes, former Alabama staffer, to oversee FB recruiting efforts #Longhorns

Texas has hired Patrick Suddes, former associate director of football operations at Alabama, to become the Longhorns’ director of player personnel, school officials announced today.

In the newly created role, Suddes will serve as the point person for the Longhorns’ recruiting efforts. Suddes, a 2005 Alabama graduate, has spent the last eight seasons working on staffs led by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, including Saban’s last two years with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins (2005, 2006).

 _ Jimmy Burch

Texas, Texas Tech draw two Thursday FB telecasts, including T'givng night; TCU, Baylor get one #UT, #TCU, #Tech, #Baylor

Texas and Texas Tech will play in two of four Thursday night football games to be played by Big 12 teams during the 2013 season, including a Thanksgiving night matchup in Austin, league officials announced today.

The Thursday night telecasts, with times and networks to be announced later, include Texas at Iowa State (Oct. 3), TCU at Texas Tech (Sept. 12), Oklahoma at Baylor (Nov. 7) and Texas Tech at Texas on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 28).

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas A&M golfer Mocio, a FW Arlington Heights grad, to join TCU golfers in LPGA qualifier #TAMU, #TCU

Officials at the North Texas LPGA Shootout announced the 18 college golfers who will be competing for two spots in the field at Dallas-Fort Worth’s new LPGA Tour stop, April 25-28 in Irving.

The college participants will play an 18-hole qualifier, dubbed the North Texas College Shootout, on March 12 with the top two finishers earning berths in the LPGA event in April. The qualifier will be played at Las Colinas Country Club, the same venue as the LPGA tournament.

Among the college participants are three golfers from TCU, four from SMU, one from Texas and five from Texas A&M.

The A&M contingent includes Chelsea Mocio, a junior from Fort Worth Arlington Heights. TCU’s threesome is comprised of Alexandria Bonetti, April McCoy and Sanna Nuutinen. Texas’ participant in the qualifier, Madison Pressel, is the younger sister of LPGA participant Morgan Pressel.

Tournament officals also announced Tuesday that two high school golfers will play their way into the field from an 18-player group in conjunction with an April 22 professional qualifier at Las Colinas Country Club. The names of the high school participants have yet to be released.

Below is a look at the 18 college golfers taking part in the March 12 qualifier in Irving (in alphabetical order):

Alexandra Bonetti, TCU; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word; Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M; Marisson Dodd, Wake Forest; Casey Grice, North Carolina; Jenny Haglund, SMU; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M; April McCoy, TCU; Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU; Jennifer Park, SMU; Madison Pressel, Texas; Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M; Alexandra Ann Rossi, SMU; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State; Melanie White, SMU. Alternate: Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas.

_ Jimmy Burch

Spring football drills open Thursday at Texas; fellow Big 12 members TCU, Baylor begin March 1

Texas will open its spring football drills Thursday in Austin, just 15 days after adding its latest crop of recruits on National Signing Day. And the remainder of Big 12 schools will not be far behind the Longhorns in returning to the field for workouts.

Baylor and TCU begin spring football drills on March 1, with Oklahoma (March 6), Oklahoma State (March 11) and Texas Tech (March 24) opening later in the month. Texas will close its spring drills on Saturday, March 30 with its Orange-White Game in Austin (6:30 p.m., Longhorn Network).

Below is a look at the spring football schedules for league teams:  

 
Big 12 spring football dates
Baylor: March 1 start, spring game April 6
Iowa State: March 26 start, spring game April 20
Kansas: March 5 start, spring game April 13
Kansas State: April 3 start, spring game April 27
Oklahoma: March 6 start, spring game April 13
Oklahoma State: March 11 start, spring game April 20
TCU: March 1 start, spring game TBA
Texas: Thursday start, spring game March 30
Texas Tech: March 24 start, spring game April 20
West Virginia: March 10 start, spring game April 20

NOTE: Dates are subject to change.

_ Jimmy Burch 

Texas to focus on up-tempo offense when spring FB drills open Thursday #Longhorns

Texas football coach Mack Brown seeks to speed up the Longhorns’ pace of play during spring drills, which begin Thursday in Austin.

But only the team’s tempo is expected to change, not its focus on a physical ground game that is expected to incorporate more carries from quarterback David Ash to complement the efforts of running backs Johnathan Gray, Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron.

The Longhorns, who will be the first Big 12 team to open spring drills, will cap their spring session with an Orange-White game on March 30 in Austin (6:30 p.m., Longhorn Network).

“We want to run a similar offense, but do it from no huddle and try to keep the same personnel on the field,” said Brown, whose team is coming off a 9-4 season. “We changed so much personnel over the last couple of years that we felt like it gave defenses a chance to match with us in packages. So we’re trying to get a group on the field and keep them on the field and run a lot of different plays and formations from the same personnel so the defense cannot rest.”

Ideally, Brown said the Longhorns would like to snap the ball every 15 to 18 seconds, which was not possible the past two seasons under former offensive play-caller Bryan Harsin, now the head football coach at Arkansas State. Harsin used multiple personnel packages tailored to the strengths of individual players, a practice Brown will alter under offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, who made his debut as the team’s play-caller during Texas’ 31-27 victory over Oregon State in the Alamo Bowl.

In terms of tempo, Brown said the Longhorns seek to emulate what Oregon has done in recent seasons while playing in four consecutive BCS bowl games under former coach Chip Kelly.

“We’re not going to be the option-type team like Oregon, but we’re going to run their tempo,” Brown said. “You still want to be physical. But we’re going to do it without huddling and try to do it with the same personnel.”

Ash, a junior and third-year starter, returns to lead a team that will be one of the more experienced squads in the Big 12 after two consecutive seasons in which Texas has played a large number of freshmen. But Brown stressed there will be in-house competition at all positions.

“All of our jobs are always open,” Brown said. “Very honestly, we’re going to play the best players.”

Below is a look at the spring football dates for all Big 12 schools:

 
Big 12 spring football dates
Baylor: March 1 start, spring game April 6
Iowa State: March 26 start, spring game April 20
Kansas: March 5 start, spring game April 13
Kansas State: April 3 start, spring game April 27
Oklahoma: March 6 start, spring game April 13
Oklahoma State: March 11 start, spring game April 20
TCU: March 1 start, spring game TBA
Texas: Thursday start, spring game March 30
Texas Tech: March 24 start, spring game April 20
West Virginia: March 10 start, spring game April 20

_ Jimmy Burch 

Texas sets March 30 for spring FB game, with 6:30 p.m. kickoff #Longhorns

Texas has set March 30 as the date for the team’s spring football game, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in Austin, school officials announced today. The Longhorns will being spring football practices on Feb. 21.

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas PG Kabongo says he regrets mistake, will be "a better teammate" when he returns from NCAA suspension #Longhorns

In a statement issued today by school officials, Texas point guard Myck Kabongo said he looks forward to returning to action Wednesday after a 23-game, NCAA-mandated suspension and considers himself “a better teammate” after being punished for misleading school and NCAA officials investigating claims that he accepted improper benefits. In retrospect, Kabongo said he made a mistake in the way he handled the situation.

“I should have been upfront with UT about everything the first time I had a chance, but I’m glad that I corrected my mistake and I’m glad that I was truthful with the NCAA,” said Kabongo, a preseason All-Big 12 selection who is scheduled to be in the lineup Wednesday when Texas (10-13, 2-8 in Big 12) meets Iowa State (16-7, 6-4) at 7 p.m. in Austin. “I have learned a lot about myself and what is important to me through this process. I have a great team, and they have supported me all year. I believe I am a better teammate and am looking forward to finishing the season with my team.”

_ Jimmy Burch

The full text of Kabongo’s statement is below …

“I am ready to start playing with my team again and putting behind me the last several months.  When I went to Cleveland last summer, I did not intend to break any rules and did not believe I had broken any.  I should have been upfront with UT about everything the first time I had a chance, but I’m glad that I corrected my mistake and I’m glad that I was truthful with the NCAA.  

"I have learned a lot about myself and what is important to me through this process.  I have a great team, and they have supported me all year.  I believe I am a better teammate and am looking forward to finishing the season with my team.  I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for sticking by and supporting me all year.”