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5/23/2019 12:18:00 PM | General
Softball Welcomes in Texas for NCAA Super Regionals
NCAA Super Regional action begins tonight at Rhoads Stadium as we welcome in Texas to this best-of-three series. Head Coach Patrick Murphy's squad continues to be the only team in college softball to play every Super Regional round since the current postseason format was adopted in 2005. With the 3-0 record last weekend in Regional play, we extended our NCAA-record streak to 40-straight Regional victories, which dates back to 2007. Both tonight and tomorrow's games will begin at 8 p.m. CT, and if a Saturday game is necessary, it'll be played at 1 p.m. CT. General admission tickets are still available, so join us at Rhoads! If you are unable to attend however, all three games will air live on ESPN.
Men's Tennis Duo on to NCAA Quarterfinals
Mazen Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta are on to the NCAA Doubles Championship quarterfinals after having won their first two matches of the tournament in straight sets. They are the first Tide duo to make to the round of eight since 1991, and by virtue of their advancement to the quarterfinals, earn All-America honors. Congratulations, Mazen and Patrick!
Track and Field in NCAA Competition this Weekend
Our men's and women's track and field teams qualified 36 for the NCAA East Preliminary, which is being held in Jacksonville, Fla., this weekend. That total includes three – Portious Warren, Gilbert Kigen and Shelby McEwen, who are ranked No. 1 in the East in their respective events. This meet serves as the gateway to the NCAA Championships final site, which will be held in Austin, Texas the first week of June. We encourage everyone to cheer our men and women on as they look to finish off an already very good year strong.
Rowing Captures a Program-Best Second-Place Finish at Big 12 Championships
Congratulations to our rowing team for securing its best finish in program history after placing second last weekend at the Big 12 Championships (Our rowing program competes in the Big 12 because it's not a sport that the SEC sponsors)! Individually, four of our student-athletes, including Tressa Vitus, Rebekah Stewart, Cory Guay and Jorja MacRae, earned All-Big 12 honors as well. What an exciting year it has been under first-year head coach Glenn Putyrae, and we look forward to seeing this team achieve even more under his guidance in the future.
Football Schedules Series with USF
Earlier today we announced a three-game series with the University of South Florida that is set to begin in the 2023 season. We will travel to Tampa for the first installment, and the Bulls will join us in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 2026.
Fouts a Finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year
Montana Fouts is one of three finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year, which was announced this week. The SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC First Teamer and NFCA All-Region award winner is currently 17-4 with a 1.20 ERA and 164 strikeouts. Way to go Montana!
Reyes Earns Spot on SUD Ladies Cup 2019 Best XI
Congratulations to soccer's Reyna Reyes for being named SUD Ladies Cup 2019 Best XI last week! The team recognizes the most impressive 11 players at the SUD Ladies Cup Women's Tournament, which was played May 8-18 in Provence, France.
Another Strong Semester in the Classroom
The Crimson Tide enjoyed another strong semester in the classroom, with our student-athletes combining to post a 3.24 grade point average this spring. A total of 14 of our programs posted better than a 3.0 GPA and all 17 were above a 2.6. The women's tennis team led all programs with an amazing 3.95 team GPA, while swimming and diving led the men with a 3.53. Overall, nine of our programs posted a 3.5 or better GPA. We are proud of the dedication, determination and pure hard work that these grades represent and the importance our student-athletes, faculty, coaches and staff place on pursuing academic excellence.
Good Luck
Good luck to Crimson Tide gymnast Shallon Olsen, who will be competing at the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships this weekend in Ottawa, Ontario. Shallon will be looking to earn a spot on the Canadian Pan American Games team, which will compete in Lima, Peru later this summer, as well as the World Championships, which will be held in Stuttgart, Germany in October. Last fall, Shallon won a silver medal on the vault at the 2018 World Championship, finishing second only to the legendary Simone Biles.
Built by Bama: Ashley Powers
Our newest member of the Built by Bama club is Ashley Powers. Coming up on her first anniversary with Alabama Athletics, Ashley has made an immediate and indelible impact on our department through a mix of her professionalism, obvious skill and outstanding attitude and demeanor with everyone she comes in contact with. Well-deserved honor for Ashley!
University Spotlight
For this week's University Spotlight, I wanted to share the 2018-19 University of Alabama Year in Review video. What an amazing year it has been here in Tuscaloosa!
#RollTideFriday
Our #RollTideFriday submissions in this edition keep us worldwide as we visit Vietnam and Cuba. Thank you to Mike Callahan and John and Linda McPhillips for representing the Crimson Tide on your travels!
Mike Callahan
John and Linda McPhillips
Remember to use the hashtag #RollTideFriday in your social posts and tweet your photos to me at @Greg_Byrne. We will select two photos to feature in each blog and add even more to our #RollTideFriday Fan Hub.
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