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6/7/2019 7:07:00 AM | General
Hemphill Recognized as CoSIDA Softball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year
While there is no doubt that Bailey Hemphill had an amazing season competitively, breaking the school home run and RBI records, she also continues to hit home runs in the classroom as well. Yesterday, it was announced that she was voted the CoSIDA Softball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Bailey's honor marks the 12th time an Alabama student-athlete has been named Academic All-America Team Member of the Year and the 11th time in the past 12 years. She follows swimmer Anton McKee, who earned the honor for the At-Large team in 2016 and 2017, and is the second Alabama softball player to be recognized this way, following the great Haylie McCleney's 2015 and 2016 accolades. In addition to being named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, Hemphill earned First Team Academic All-America distinction, while sophomore Kaylee Tow earned Third Team honors.
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Underway
Our men's and women's track and field teams are currently competing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heat of Austin, Texas this week. Gilbert Kigen got our men off to a great start on Wednesday night, finishing second in the 10,000 meters just a stride out of first. Our women took center stage on Thursday, which was highlighted by a runner-up finish in the shot put by Portious Warren and a school record-breaking performance in the 4x400-meter relay. This is Alabama Athletics' last competition of the 2018-19 season, and we're excited about the opportunity to finish things off with a bang.
Softball Concludes Outstanding Season
Softball had one heck of a season, finishing 60-10 overall after advancing to the Women's College World Series semifinals. Playing four games in two days is no easy task, and we are so proud of the way they competed and represented The University of Alabama, not only in Oklahoma City, but also throughout the year!
Men's Doubles Team Finishes as National Runner-up at NCAA Championships
Our top men's tennis doubles team of Mazen Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta had an incredible postseason run that took them all the way to the final match of the NCAA championships, a first in program history. While the championship match did not go our way, what an outstanding season for Mazen and Patrick.
Tow Wins NCAA Elite 90 Award
Kaylee Tow was honored with the NCAA Elite 90 Award for softball prior to the start of the Women's College World Series. The award recognizes the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA among the championship field in each of the NCAA's 90 men's and women's championships. Kaylee is the 16th Alabama student-athlete to earn the award since its inception in 2010.
Putyrae Named 2019 Big 12 Coach of the Year
First-year rowing coach Glenn Putyrae was recognized as the Big 12's Coach of the Year, a first for the program since the Tide joined the conference in 2015 (the SEC does not sponsor rowing). The 2018-19 season saw several firsts as our rowing team swept a top-20 opponent, landed in the top 20 of the US Rowing/CRCA poll and finished second at the Big 12 Championships.
Yush Named South Region Assistant Coach of the Year
Derek Yush, now in his second year on head coach Dan Waters' staff, has made an immediate impact on our throws group, a fact that was recognized last week when he was voted the coaches association's South Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year. An integral part of a strong staff, Coach Yush is the third UA coach to earn this honor and the first on the women's side of the slate.
Jeon Earns All-America Honors
Jiwon Jeon was recognized by the Women's Golf Coaches Association as a second team All-American, signifying the 14th consecutive year a Crimson Tide golfer has earned All-America honors. She finished the season ranked No. 9 in the Golfstat collegiate rankings and No. 10 in the Women's World Amateur Golf rankings.
Furr Named to All-Region Team
On the men's golf side, Wilson Furr was named to the PING All-Region Team, marking the ninth straight season, and the 11th time in the last 12 years, that a Crimson Tide golfer has earned the distinction. Wilson competed in all 12 tournaments this season, leading the team with a 72.35 per round stroke.
CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors
In addition to Bailey Hemphill's Academic All-America Team Member of the Year recognition and Kaylee Tow's Softball Academic All-America honors), a total of six Crimson Tide student-athletes were recently named to CoSIDA Academic All-District IV teams and are currently on the ballot for Academic All-America recognition. Swimmers Robert Howard and Laurent Bams along with women's tennis player Andie Daniell and rower Raien Emery earned a place on the At-Large team, while Daija Lampkin and Connor Ferrentino are on the track and field All-District team. These latest district honorees bring our total to 16 during the current academic year, a tally that also includes three each from football, soccer and softball and one from men's basketball.
Kickoff Times and TV Selections Announced for First Three Football Games
We've got a trio of afternoon games to start the 2019 football season as a handful of kickoff times and television selections were announced last week. The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game vs. Duke in Atlanta will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, while the Tide's home opener on September 7 against New Mexico State begins at 3 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network. Our Southeastern Conference opener the next week at South Carolina will kick at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
2019 Soccer Schedule Released
All soccer fans can mark your calendars with the announcement of our 2019 schedule. The season kicks off on August 11 against UCF and will feature four consecutive home matches to start. The conference season begins on the road September 22 with a matchup at Arkansas.
Former Soccer Standouts Land on 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Roster
While we're on the subject of soccer, two former standouts – Merel Van Dongen and Celia Jimenez Delgado – will participate in the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Football Association Women's World Cup in France. Van Dongen will play for the Netherlands National Team, while Jimenez Delgado will represent Spain.
Lewis Invited to 2019 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Training Camp
Kira Lewis Jr. was one of 34 men's basketball players selected to participate in training camp for the 2019 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Team, which will take place June 15-18 in Colorado Springs. The final, 12-man roster will be announced prior to the team's departure for the FIBA World Cup in Greece on June 24.
Crimson Tide Scholarship Fund
Scholarships make dreams come true. Just ask Alabama softball All-American Bailey Hemphill: "My scholarship has provided me the opportunity to obtain an outstanding education while competing at the highest level for one of the best softball teams in the country. I am extremely grateful to be fulfilling my dream of wearing the crimson 'A' across my chest and representing this university with great pride!" Every gift to the Crimson Tide Scholarship Fund (CTSF) creates opportunities for deserving student-athletes like Bailey to realize their dreams of competing for the Crimson Tide and earning a degree from The University of Alabama. Donate before June 30 to support scholarships for student-athletes in the upcoming academic year.
University Spotlight
The University's robotics team won its fifth consecutive grand prize at NASA's Robotics Mining Competition. In addition to the overall top prize, the team brought home first place for its systems engineering paper, its slide presentations and demonstrations and second place for its outreach report.
#RollTideFriday
This edition's #RollTideFriday photos feature two very different ocean views. First, Drew Spence checks in from the cliffs of Cabo da Roca in Portugal. We also have Kristin Bold's submission all the way from Antarctica. Keep these fantastic photos coming!
Drew Spence
Kristin Bold
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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