2010-11 Louisiana Tech Golf Media Guide

20 10-1 1 GOLF MEDIA GUIDE

SR • CLINTON

SHEPARD SR • CODY

BLANKENSHIP

www.LATechSports.com

SQUIRE CREEK GOLF COURSE h ome facili t y of t h e L ouisia n a Tec h b ulldogs

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Table of Contents Media Information.........................................2 We Are Louisiana Tech...................................3 Head Coach Jeff Parks................................30 2010 Roster.................................................32 Jonathan Bale..............................................33 Cody Blankenship........................................34 Patrick Blunt ...............................................35 Sam Forgan.................................................36 Jack Lempke................................................37 Cody Santone .............................................38

Louisiana Tech Athletic Vision Louisiana Tech University will be a conference leader in performance by investing strategically in studentathletes’ development, providing superior facilities, and enhancing program support to achieve a local and national image of success and dominance.

Athletic Mission Statement Embody excellence in everything we do.

Develop student-athletes to maximize their potential in mind, body and spirit.

Bring pride, admiration, and loyalty to the University family, community and state. Win with integrity.

Clinton Shepard...........................................39 Hayden Stephens........................................40 Travis Wilmore.............................................41 2009-10 Year In Review...............................42 Western Athletic Conference......................44 University President Dr. Dan Reneau..........46 Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde.........47 Deputy AD Mary Kay Hungate....................48 Administrative Support Staff.......................49 Athletic Council/Head Coaches...................54

General

Quick Facts

Name of School: ......................................................Louisiana Tech Location: ...................................................................... Ruston, La. Founded: . .............................................................................. 1894 Enrollment: ..........................................................................11,250 Nickname: . ...................................................................... Bulldogs Colors: ............................................................................ Red, blue Home Course: .......... Squire Creek Country Club (Choudrant, La.) Affiliation: . .......................................................................Division I Conference:......................................................... Western Athletic President: ..........................Dr. Dan Reneau (Louisiana Tech, 1963) Athletic Director: . ............. Bruce Van De Velde (Iowa State, 1982) SWA: ................................................................Mary Kay Hungate Faculty Rep: ................................................... Dr. James Liberatos Athletic Department Phone: ..................................... 318-257-4111

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: ...........................Jeff Parks (Mississippi State, 1993) Seasons as Head Coach: ......................................................... 2nd Letterwinners Returning/Lost (from 09-10): . ............................ 7/3 Newcomers: ................................................................................ 2 Website: .................................................www.LATechSports.com

Media Relations

2010 GoLF MEDIA GUIDE: Editors: Malcolm Butler; Layout and Design: Donnie Bell Design, LLC; Photography: Donny Crowe, Tom Morris, Darrell James, Matt Lange and Donald Page

Director/Golf Contact: . ..........................................Malcolm Butler Office Phone: . ..........................................................318-257-3144 Cell Phone: ...............................................................318-614-4513 Email: . ............................................................mbutler@latech.edu Fax: ...........................................................................318-257-3757 Press Row: ...............................................................318-257-3144 Address: .................................... PO Box 3166, Ruston, La. 71272

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Media Information

Malcolm Butler Director Cell: 318-614-4513 mbutler@latech.edu Football Contact

Patrick Walsh Associate Director Cell: 318-514-9203 pwalsh@latech.edu Football Contact

Phone Numbers Press Box Phone: 257-3144

Media Services

Austin Staton Assistant Director Cell: 254-723-4606 astaton@latech.edu

Mailing Address P. O. Box 3166 Ruston, LA 71272

The Louisiana Tech Athletics Media Relations Office looks forward to working with any media outlets during the 2010 season.

CollegePressBox.com

Steven Schoon Assistant Director Cell: 620-218-1693 schoon@latech.edu

Linda Lewis Office Coordinator Cell: 318-436-8135 llewis@latech.edu

Physical Address Thomas Assembly Center, Room 161 1650 West Alabama Ave. Ruston, LA 71270

Any member of the office can answer your questions or direct you to someone who can, so please feel free to call us at (318) 257-3144.

Web Page

Louisiana Tech’s official athletics web page has up-to-date information on all of Tech’s varsity programs. Please visit LATechSports.com today.

Primary Media

CollegePressBox.com is the official media website for Western Athletic Newspaper Contact Conference and Louisiana Tech football. Address Access and download weekly game Ruston Leaderstatistics, O.K. “Buddy” 208headshots, West Park Ave., Ruston, 71270for notes, Daily quotes, media Davis guides, logos andLAmore Louisiana Tech, the Western Athletic Conference of LA its 71210 member The News-Star Ethan Conley 411 North 4thand St., each Monroe, schools. Login information will be distributed to accredited media or you can apply for a password sending an e-mailP.O. to Box password@collegepressbox.com.

The Shreveport Times by Jimmy Watson 30222, Shreveport, LA 71130-0222

Phone (318) 255-4353 1-800-259-7788 (318) 362-0267 1-800-462-6436 (318) 257-4946

Fax (318) 255-4006 (318) 362-0279

Email odavis@aol.com etconley@thenewsstar.com

(318) 459-3301 jimwatson@gannett.com Louisiana Tech University (318) 257-4558 ttalk@latech.edu Working Credentials P.O. Box 10258, Ruston, LA 71272 Requests for press box seating should be made directly to the LA Tech Media Relations Office before Monday of game week. Admission to the Television press box of Joe AilletAaron Stadium is by credential and credentials are distributed(318) to working members of the media only – no family memKNOE-TV (CBS) Dietrich P. O. Boxonly 4067, Monroe, LA 71211 388-8888 (318) 325-3405 aaron.dietrich@knoe.com bers or friends. Passes will be mailed if time allows; otherwise, left at Will Call on the stadium’s west side at the press box elevator entrance.

KTVE-TV (NBC) Gene Ponti 200 Pavilion Road, West Monroe, LA 71292 (318) 323-1972 (318) 807-0588 gponti@nbc10news.net KTAL-TV (NBC) Brandon Dunn 3150 North Market St., Shreveport, LA 71107 (318) 629-6000 (318) 425-2488 bdunn@ktalnews.tv Radio/TV KSLA-TV (CBS) Policy Colin McElroy 1812 Fairfield, Shreveport, LA 71101 (318) 222-1212 (318) 677-6705 cmcelroy@ksla.com Permission to broadcast from Joe Aillet Stadium and Independence Stadium must be obtained through the LA Tech Athletics Media Relations KTBS-TV (ABC) Tim Fletcher 312 E. Kings Hwy., Shreveport, LA 71104 (318) 861-5880 (318) 862-9431 tfletcher@ktbs.com Department. The visiting team’s official network will be provided free broadcast rights. For information concerning courtesy phone lines, contact Patrick Walsh at (318) 257-5305. Additional phone lines can be obtained by calling BellSouth directly at 1-800-866-6701 (outside Louisiana). The Radio third level of the LA Tech Press Box offers an unobstructed view for television cameras.

KXKZ-FM Sean Fox P. O. Box 430, Ruston, LA 71273 (318) 255-5000 (318) 255-5084 seanfox@espn 977.com The Tech Talk

Sports Editor

Press Parking Social Parking isMedia limited and passes will be issued on a priority basis. The Joe Aillet Stadium press parking lot is located on the southwest corner of

the stadium, just off West Alabama Avenue.

LA Tech All-Access – LA Tech All-Access is a subscription-based platform that Tech fans can access live video/audio streams of almost every Tech home sporting event and liveaudio streams of road football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and selected baseball and softball games plus press conferences and other special events. For only $9.95 per month or $79.95 for the year, Bulldog and Lady Techster fans can be a part of all of Press Box Services the action.

All vital game information is provided by the LA Tech Stat Crew. An internal press box PA keeps members of the media informed of each play.

Louisiana Tech athletics its own facebook page that updatesasdaily all ofvisiting the latest information the Bulldogs and Lady Facebook – Post-game quotes from head coachhas Sonny Dykes and selected players, wellwith as the coach, are alsoon available.

Telephones and highTechsters.

Become friend offor LAmedia Tech athletics at ahttp://www.facebook.com/LATechAthletics speed internet are aavailable usage and pre-game meal is served at each home game starting approximately two hours before kickoff.

Level oneMembers providesof working space Tech for print and electronic media and LA Tech throughout Stat Crew the along with LAthe Tech andnews visiting Twitter – the Louisiana media relations department will the be tweeting year with latest and athletic in-gamedirector score booths. Level twothem, provides space cameras and houses home and visiting radio booths and coaches’ booths. updates.

To follow simply find for them on www.twitter.com.

LATechMButler – football, women’s basketball, softball, men’s golf and more Directions to Joe Aillet Stadium LATechPWalsh – football, men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track and outdoor track From Interstate 20, get off men’s at Exitbasketball, 84 and drive south toward Louisiana Tech University. At the first traffic light, turn right (West Alabama Avenue).

LATechSSchoon – soccer, tennis Joe Aillet Stadiumvolleyball, can be seen on the right. Media parking is immediately past the stadium.

LATechAStaton – baseball, bowling LATechSports – other Louisiana Tech athletics news LATechSportsNet – radio network information

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

we are louisiana tech university

welcome to the family

“ Louisiana Tech will be a top research university. And every top research university in the United States has a top athletic program. That’s our goal.

We’re developing a road map for Tech athletics.”

-- Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau

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SQUIRE CREEK GOLF COURSE HOME FACILITY OF THE LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS

Squire Creek Golf Course is the home to the Louisiana Tech golf team. It is a private, members-only facility, which features an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio.

The course has twice been ranked number one in the state of Louisiana, and was ranked as one of the top 10 best new courses in America by Golf Digest.

Squire Creek Country Club features an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio. The 7,105 yard, par 72 course is ranked number one in Louisiana.

The magnificent Fazio design allows golfers to enjoy golf in its purest form, and challenges players at every hole.

The layout features not only a rewarding golf experience, but also lush landscapes and beautiful scenery, for picturesque views around every turn.

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The Squire Creek course is designed to blend harmoniously with the surrounding natural terrain, subtly enhancing color and texture variations around each hole. By combining the aesthetic pleasures of an enjoyable game in an exquisite environment, Squire Creek provides its members the ultimate living and golfing experience.

Squire Creek Golf Course hosted the 2005 Western Athletic Conference championships. It hosted the US Open Qualifier in May of 2009 and the Southern Junior in June of this year.

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TRAINING FACILITY Squire Creek also offers a state of the art training facility, which features dual bays with retractable doors for indoor or outdoor use, motion analysis and launch monitor. The use of the training facility is a privilege that only Bulldog golf team members, Squire Creek golf members, or golf school trainees can enjoy.

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF AMM3D Motion Analysis System We utilize the Advanced Motion Measurement 3D Optical Analysis System to capture, measure and display the 3 dimensional motion of your full golf swing. The AMM3D measures your hips, shoulders, arms, wrist, hands and head, and how far you move up and down and side to side, while capturing your tilts, bends, rotations, and speed. It defines your kinematics sequence, or the efficiency of your golf swing, and helps us to predict and prevent future injuries due to improper form.

V1 Pro Video Analysis System V1 video is used to show a 2 dimensional view of your swing faults. It is a very powerful tool that provides real-time visual feedback and the software tools to identify your technical flaws so that we can quickly correct them.

TRACKMAN TRACKMAN is a radar unit that measures both club delivery and the full trajectory of your golf shot. It measures ball spin, launch angle, and speeds of both the club and ball. It is a great tool to help with club fitting and yardage control.

SAM Putting Lab This system analyzes your putting stroke in 28 different parameters from club path to face angles to the rhythem of your stroke.

It has parameters of the tour players to give guidance in a proper putting stroke.

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PRACTICE FACILITIES Squire Creek Golf Course boasts some of the top practice facilities in the South.

It has a designated short game area with two greenside bunkers and up to 50-yards worth of pitching and chipping area. It has a fairway bunker practice area and several mounds for uneven lie practice.

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

It has a 10,000 square foot driving range tee which includes five target greens with bunkers to work on your accuracy. The Bulldogs have access to Pro-V1 range balls. The Bulldogs have use of a private practice tee at the opposite end of the driving range which is located adjacent to the training facility.

It has four putting surfaces to work on short game, two of which are Bermuda grass Tifeagle greens and two of which are Bent grass greens. The largest is a 12,000 square foot Bermuda grass surface. A bunker exists next to the 5,500 square foot Bent grass putting green which gives the Bulldogs another area of green side bunker practice.

Typically the green speeds range from 10 to 13 on a stimp meter.

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

this is

Louisiana Tech

At Louisiana Tech YOU are not a number, YOU are family. louisiana tech ranked in Tier 3 among National Universities in 2010 US News & World Report Best Colleges report - highest ranking in University of Louisiana System (ULS) and second only to LSU among public institutions in state. is the highest ranked Louisiana public university in Washington Monthly’s 2009 Best National Universities list. ranked in top 10 in the nation for graduating students with the least amount of debt, according to 2010 US News & World Report’s Best Colleges report. ranked as one of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges in the nation by Kiplinger’s Magazine (2009 and 2010).

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All classes are taught by full professors, not teaching assistants.

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More than 700 companies worldwide travel to campus eAch yeAR to RecRUit loUisiAnA tech gRAdUAtes

Louisiana Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau is known as one of the top collegiate presidents in the country and a staunch supporter of both academics and athletics. “ Louisiana Tech is an institution of excellence and is considered a model of leadership.”

-- James Fisher, national educational consultant

Quarter System – Big Advantage for the Student-Athlete Louisiana Tech has a unique advantage of being on the quarter system as opposed to the semester system. The quarter system provides significant advantages for the students, including: Lighter workload (take 3 classes instead of 5) Shorter academic sessions (12 weeks instead of 18) More frequent breaks during and between academic sessions More opportunities to withdraw or drop a class and still remain TOPS eligible

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helping put the student into

student-athlete

The Bulldog Achievement Resource Center (BARC) is committed to the success of Louisiana Tech’s student-athletes.

Programs Provided by BARC Tutoring and group help sessions in all subjects

S upplemental instruction from students who have already successfully completed a certain course

Writing assistance

Advising opportunities Referral program for students needing additional assistance

Computer labs and study hall space

“I’ve always felt like I’ve gotten the support I need from my teachers, coaches and other support personnel. There are a lot of great people at Louisiana Tech who want to make your college experience a positive one. You really couldn’t ask for anything more.”

– Meghan Krieg Lady Techster Softball (Kinesiology)

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recent success stories

Antoinette Cobb Track standout Antoinette Cobb earned the 22nd Annual Honda Inspiration Award in 2010 after overcoming colon cancer at age 19 and going on to lead the Lady Techsters to eight WAC titles in her career.

She graduated cum laude in the May and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in biology with aspirations of attending medical school.

Lisa Merritt and Missy Farrar team up in the Louisiana Tech athletics academic center to help the University’s studentathletes excel in the classroom and ultimately earn their degrees, something that is the No. 1 goal for the administration and coaches at Tech.

clint ewing Louisiana Tech baseball letterwinner Clint Ewing became the 14th LA Tech student-athlete to ever earn Academic All-American honors this year when he was named third team ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-American. Ewing held a 4.0 grade point average in civil engineering.

“ There are many resources available on campus. My biggest help has been the math tutors available in the BARC. There’s also a career center to assist you with selecting a major or exploring different opportunities.

Louisiana Tech is a unique school in the way the University interacts with the student body.”

– Olu Ashaolu Bulldog Basketball (Business Administration)

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todayﾃ不 freshman is

tomorrowﾃ不 graduate

louisiana tech has seen more than 750 student-athletes earn Academic all-WAC honors since joining the league in 2001, including 94 studentathletes in 2009-10. saw eight of its 16 NCAA sanctioned programs record their highest multi-year APR rate ever while seven of the programs recorded their highest single year APR score ever. Four of the programs also earned a perfect 1,000 score on the single year rate. ranked No. 1 in the state of Louisiana among Football Bowl Subdivision public institutions in the four-year average studentathlete graduate rate in the most recent Federal Graduation Rate Report (fall of 2009). saw its soccer team earn the Team Academic Award the past two years for its cumulative team grade point average. It was presented by the National Soccer Association of America and Adidas.

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The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame honored former Bulldog football player Quin Harris as a National Scholar-Athlete. Harris, who was a finalist for the coveted Draddy Trophy -- considered the academic Heisman -- , was the first LA Tech player to ever receive the prestigious accolade.

louisiana tech boasts the University of Louisiana System’s highest graduation rate at 53.1 percent. boasts the ULS’ fastest time to completion for first time baccalaureates at 4.9 years. boasts the ULS’ highest average freshman ACT scores at 23.5.

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louisiana tech

campus life

Welcome to University Park Your home away from home

It’s a community of Tech students who want the convenience of on-campus living and the privacy and sophistication of hightech, spacious apartments and townhouses with a signature Louisiana Tech view.

University Park Amenities 2- and 4-bedroom designs Townhouse features a spiral staircase to a loft with two bedrooms and a bath Private bedroom phone and cable television Kitchen equipped with range and refrigerator High speed internet access A pedestrian bridge provides easy, direct access from UP to the heart of campus

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF More than 11,000 students call the Louisiana Tech campus home during the year and find more than enough to keep them entertained when not attending classes. Some of the top hot spots on campus include:

Tolliver Hall a cyber café with plasma TVs, webcams and wireless internet

Student Center a large cafeteria-style area that allows students to choose from a variety of eating establishments including Chick-Fil-A and Burger King as well as a cafeteria

Local Restaurants students get plenty of Louisiana flavor as Ruston is full of local restaurants that range from a little Cajun spice to southern down-home cooking

Quadrangle one of the most frequented areas of campus where students hang out under century-old oak trees to study and socialize

lambright intramural Center a recreational facility complete with basketball courts, racquetball courts, a bowling alley, men’s and women’s weightrooms, an indoor track, saunas, steamrooms and plenty of cardio equipment

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louisiana tech

student activities

Recent Entertainers on Campus Include:

• The Wallflowers

• Three Days Grace

• Goo Goo Dolls

• Puddle of Mudd

• Better Than Ezra

• Motion City Soundtrack

• 3 Doors Down

• Ben Folds

The Miss Tech pageant is just one of many annual student events on campus, including unity step shows, Greek Week, Spring Fling, homecoming, talent shows, theatrical and musical productions and more.

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M.S. Carroll Natatorium Construction has begun on the $12.5 million M.S. Carroll Natatorium begins this summer.

The facility will be built onto the existing Lambright Intramural Center as part of a $50 million recreational construction project on campus that also includes new tennis courts, a new track and a new bowling alley – all of which have been completed. The swimming pool part of the project will include: 2 pools including a 25-yard indoor completion pool and an outdoor recreational pool with 3-50 meter lanes An outdoor whirlpool A rock-climbing wall An atrium An outdoor café

Tech students are some of the best fans in the South as all of the University’s athletic teams have great followings on game days whether football, basketball or any of the 16 NCAA Division I sanctioned programs.

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state of

louisiana

Motto - Union, justice and confidence Nickname - Sportsman’s Paradise Capital - Baton Rouge Colors - Gold, white and blue Bird - Brown Pelican Dog - Catahoula Leopard Dog Tree - Bald Cyprus Flower - Magnolia Song - “You are My Sunshine” Drink - Milk

Did You Know: Louisiana is home to Mardi Gras, one of the largest carnival celebrations in the world.

Held each February in New Orleans, the twoweek party draws millions of tourists from around the world. It’s also home to a number of professional franchises including the NFL’s Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets.

Louisiana is the crawfish capital of the world, supporting a multi-million dollar-a-year industry. With speckled trout and large and small-mouth bass action that is unrivaled in the country, with clouds of ducks filling the skies most winters, with deer, rabbit and squirrels running wild, Louisiana is rightly nicknamed Sportsman’s Paradise. It’s a fisherman and hunter’s dream-come-true.

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city of

ruston

Did You Know: Lincoln Parish is home to three state parks, numerous lakes and ponds for fishing, boating and water-skiing, a world-renowned mountain bike trail, the annual Peach Festival and one of the top golf courses in the South in Squire Creek Country Club.

Although there is plenty to do almost every weekend in Ruston including a multitude of LA Tech athletic events, Tech students have plenty of other options as the city is located with a five hour drive of some of the top entertainments cities in the South, including Dallas, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Houston, Mobile and Birmingham.

Driving Distance from Ruston Dallas - 3 ½ hours Houston - 4 ½ hours Baton Rouge - 3 ½ hours New Orleans - 4 ½ hours Jackson - 2 hours Mobile - 5 hours Birmingham - 5 hours Memphis - 5 hours Little Rock - 2 ½ hours Lafayette - 3 hours

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success breeds

success

Louisiana Tech was one of only five schools in the country to have a student-athlete selected in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NPF Drafts during this past year – joining Texas, Florida State, Oklahoma and Stanford.

Louisiana Tech’s Athletic Department: won the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Awards, given to the college that best exemplifies development in the four categories of Marketing/Branding, Fan Development, Community Relations, and Customer/Client Service. ranked eighth in the country in the Excellence in Management Cup, one of only four programs in the country to earn a top 10 spot in each of the last two years. won the NCAA Pack the House Challenge for the WAC for the third straight year, one of only two schools in the country to win it three straight years (Hartford of America East Conference).

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF On the playing fields: Bulldog football averaged 20,000 fans for home games for only the second time in program history, including season-high crowds for nationally televised games against Hawaii and Top 10 Boise State.

Lady Techster volleyball completed an 11-game turnaround, and its 15 wins tied for the most since 2005, including a program record-tying number of Western Athletic Conference wins.

Lady Techster soccer set a program record with 12 victories, including its first ever win in Western Athletic Conference play.

Tech will host the WAC Championships this fall.

Bulldog basketball won 24 games, the most in 25 years, and advanced to the second round of the Collegeinsider.com Invitational Tournament win a win over CUSA foe Southern Miss.

Lady Techster basketball won the 2010 WAC Tournament title and participated in its first NCAA Tournament since 2006.

Lady Techster bowling set a school record with 44 wins and also earned its highest ranking ever at 14th in the country.

Bulldog golf earned its highest ranking in more than two decades despite having a squad that featured only one senior.

Lady Techster tennis registered its first ever Western Athletic Conference victory win it defeated San Jose State during the spring.

Bulldog baseball played the first ever game at Target Field, the new Minnesota Twins ballpark as they defeated the University of Minnesota in the contest.

Lady Techster softball recorded its third straight winning season and played its first nationally televised game in program history.

Lady Techster and Bulldog indoor track and field teams combined for 17 WAC titles during the conference championship meet while the ladies won their fifth team title in the last six years.

Lady Techster and Bulldog outdoor track and field combined to outscore all other schools in the WAC championships while the women captured their sixth consecutive title.

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Quest for Excellence – Meeting the Needs of Tech’s Student-Athletes The construction of a 90,000-plus square-foot multipurpose facility in the south end zone of Joe Aillet Stadium will benefit every student-athlete at Louisiana Tech University.

Student-Athlete Benefits Include: • New academic center • New state-of-the-art sports medicine facility • New strength and conditioning complex • New coaches offices and locker rooms for football, baseball, soccer, tennis, softball, golf and track and field • Video room with state-of-the-art capabilities • New auditorium for team and departmental meetings

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF More than $9 million of the projected $20 million was already committed when the press conference was held to announce the capital campaign in late June. Tech alums Steve Davison, Terry Bradshaw and Drake Mills form the Leadership Team that is spearheading the fundraising for the facility, along with Tech Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde.

Louisiana Tech already ranks among the state and conference leaders in student-athlete graduation rate and in Academic Progress Report rate, and the new academic center will further enhance and emphasize the University’s commitment to the classroom.

Since Louisiana Tech joined the WAC in 2001, its athletic programs have captured 25 team championships and dozens of individual titles.

Louisiana Tech has contracted with renowned sports architectural firm Populous to develop a master facility plan. Populous has created some of the most recognizable professional sports venues in the country, including : “ This project addresses many of the needs of our student-athletes, enhances recruiting and provides a source of pride for our alumni and fans. Our vision is a quest for excellence and a desire, focus and commitment to be an institution that values academic and athletic excellence.”

• Yankee Stadium • Busch Stadium • AT&T Park • Pepsi Center • PNC Park • PETCO Park • Oriole Park at Camden Yards

– Tech Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde

• Reliant Stadium “ Quest for Excellence is a watershed event in the history of our athletics program and, through the private contributions of our friends and supporters, will put our University shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most progressive and respected programs in the nation.”

-- Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau

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Dan Reneau is the President of Louisiana Tech University and a member of the Executive Committee of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Faith Jenkins was the first runner-up in the 2001 Miss America Pageant and now is an attorney at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy in New York.

Former Bulldog basketball AllAmerican Karl Malone is a two-time NBA MVP and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August.

louisiana techÕs

prominent alumni While Louisiana Tech continues to excel on the playing fields, the University consistently turns out some of the world’s top politicians, businessmen, entertainers and professional athletes. A degree from Louisiana Tech University is more than just a diploma to hang on the wall … it’s a door opening to a world of opportunities.

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Trace Adkins: country music star; named Top New Male Vocalist in 1997 by the Academy of Country Music Award

James Davison: Developer of Squire Creek Country Club; Board of Directors for Genesis Energy; former Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System

Leon Barmore: Winningest coach in history of NCAA women’s basketball; 5-time Hall of Famer

Rosemary Ellis: Executive Editor of Working Woman Magazine, editor of Prevention Magazine, and editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine

Albert Bourland: President of Daimler-Benz Washington, Inc., manufacturers of Mercedez Benz

Guthrie Jarrell, M.D.: Physician for more than 40 years in local community

John Caruthers, Jr.: President of Caruthers Producing Co., Inc. and president of the Seven States I-69 Mid-Continent Highway Coalition

Angela Turner Johnson: served as controller for Motown Records and Bellmark Records as well as senior accounting manager at Coca Cola.

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Kix Brooks Kix Brooks is a member of the country music duo Brooks and Dunn which has won more awards than any act in the history of country music.

Former Bulldog All-American Terry Bradshaw was the No. 1 pick of the 1970 NFL Draft, won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is a member of the Fox NFL Sunday broadcast team.

Jimmy Love: Secretary and Chairman of the Executive Committee, T. L. James & Company Inc.

Michael McCallister: President/CEO of Humana Inc.

Current LA Tech head coach Teresa Weatherspoon won both a national championship and an Olympic gold medal during her playing career and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in June.

Lionel Alford: Corporate Vice President of the Boeing Company Milburn Baker, Jr.: President of United Gas Pipe Line George Breazeal: Comptroller of Murphy Oil Corporation and the director of Camp Fire Girls and United Way John Cordaro: President of Louisiana Power & Light

Glen Post, III: Chief Executive Officer and President of CenturyLink

Max Watson, Jr.: Founder and President of BMC Software, Inc.; Forbes Magazine named him in Top 15 of 200 Best Small Companies Charles Wyly: Vice Chairman of Sterling Software, Inc.; Founder of University Computing; Vice Chairman of Michael’s Stores, Chairman, Communities Foundation of Texas Sam Wyly: Chairman of Sterling Software, Inc., Chairman Michaels’s Stores; Co-Founder of Green Mountain Energy

Roy Adams: Chairman and CEO of Gulf Financial Companies of Bermuda

Robert Aillet: Principal and CEO of Aillet, Fenner, Jolly & McClelland Engineers

James Dennis: Associate Justice in the Supreme Court of Louisiana Kim Gandy: President of the National Coalition of Women Marvin T. Green, Jr., M.D.: Local surgeon who served on Boards of University Foundation, Lincoln General Hospital and Ruston State Bank Elizabeth Haley, Ph.D.: Dean Emeritus, College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University and Associate Vice Chancellor of Texas Tech University for College Development Programs J.E. Mitcham, Sr.: Owner and President of Mitcham Farms, Inc. Edward Moyers: President and CEO of Southern Pacific Rail Corporation, CEO Illinois Central Railroad, CEO Mid-South Rail Corporation Patricia Wells Schultz: widely acclaimed for performances in opera Charles Spruell: President, Mobil Exploration and Producing, U.S. Inc.

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we aRe Louisiana Tech uniVeRsiTy

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

dr. william bundrick

sports medicine center La Tech ouTLooK coaches buLLdoGs sTadiuM wac oPPonenTs ReView RecoRds hisToRy uniVeRsiTy Media

more thAn 3,800 sQuAre feet of AthLetic trAining fAciLitY buiLt in 2001. contAins: swimex therapy pool cardiovascular equipment training tables private staff offices physicians examination room

keiTH BuNCH is the head athletic trainer at Louisiana Tech University and is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association. He is in charge of the Dr. William Bundrick Sports Medicine Center and taking care of the Bulldog football players.

Louisiana Tech football can claim one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country as one of its own. Dr. William Bundrick lettered for the Bulldogs in the late 1950s before graduating and moving on to the LSU Medical School in New Orleans. Today, he is not only the Bulldogs team physician, but he is also the benefactor of the Sports Medicine Department located in the Charles Wyly Athletic Center – home of the Tech football program.

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2010 Louisiana Tech FooTbaLL Media Guide

weLcoMe To The FaMiLy

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

karl malone

weightroom La Tech ouTLooK coaches buLLdoGs sTadiuM wac oPPonenTs ReView RecoRds hisToRy uniVeRsiTy Media

new stAte-of-the-Art eQuiPment 8 powerlift nine-foot combo power racks with platforms DaMON HaRRiNGTON is the head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana Tech and is a certified member of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. During his five years at LA Tech, 23 of the Bulldogs strength and conditioning records have been broken.

8 powerlift glute ham machines 15 hammer strength machines 2 sets of iron grip GX dumb bells (5 to 150 lbs)

Louisiana Tech legend Karl Malone recently funded the new state-of-the-art equipment in the Karl Malone Weightroom. Malone was considered one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the history of the NBA. He returned to Louisiana Tech in 2007 as a member of the strength and conditioning staff while also assisting with marketing the university’s athletic programs.

2010 Louisiana Tech FooTbaLL Media Guide

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29

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Head Coach Jeff Parks Jeff Parks has already made his mark on the Louisiana Tech Bulldog golf program in just his first year at the helm after serving five years as an assistant coach prior to his promotion following the retirement of Jean Hall.

After defeating seven top 100 ranked teams at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate hosted by Ole Miss in early April, the Louisiana Tech golf team moved up four places to 96th in the Golfstat.com rankings - its highest ranking in the last two decades.

It bested the previous high which was 98th place back during 2006-07, and it is also 62 places higher than Tech began the fall season when it was 158th in the country.

"I don't look at (the ranking) as success yet," Parks said. "It's an outcome. I'm excited about it, but to me if we keep doing what we are doing, preparing, and getting better, I think we will continue to improve.

"I attribute a lot of (our success) to physical conditioning, the hard work the guys have put in off the course. I attribute a lot of it to improvement on the mental side, the confidence level we've reached by implementing some mental strategies.

Bottom line is our guys have a lot of pride in their school and they want to represent the school just like any other team. It takes a mental toughness and fortitude to be successful."

In 11 tournaments during the fall and spring, the Bulldogs recorded a mark of 78-76-3, including 23 wins over teams ranked in the Top 100 in the country. In the spring-only events, Tech was 49-34-1. Most of Tech's damage against the Top 100 teams came towards the end of the year as the Bulldogs bested 15 ranked teams in its last four tournaments.

Finding just the right lineup was a challenge for Parks as he saw seven of the 10 players on his roster record at least one Top 12 finish each this year.

LA Tech's top team finish this year was third place in its own Bulldog Classic hosted at Squire Creek Golf Course in mid-March as only 43rd ranked Southeastern and 40th ranked Ole Miss finished ahead of the Bulldogs. Tech defeated Oklahoma, UNO and Rice in the event which included a total of 16 teams.

However, Parks and Co.'s most impressive performance might have come when they placed in a tie for fifth at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate hosted by Ole Miss at Reunion Golf and Country Club.

In that event, all five of the Bulldogs placed in the Top 40 out of 75 golfers as Tech defeated a total of seven Top 100 ranked teams, including knocking off Southeastern for the first time this year while also besting 51st ranked UCF. Tech was the third highest ranked team in the Western Athletic Conference in 2010, trailing only Fresno State and Nevada while Parks and the Bulldogs recorded the program's best finish ever in the WAC Championships since joining the league in 2001-02.

In his first five years as an assistant at Louisiana Tech, Parks proved to be a valuable asset to the program. Parks has assisted the Bulldogs in earning some of the top scoring rounds in school history. Matthew Harvey's 64 during the 2007-08 season and 65 last year along Clinton Shepard's 65 in 2007-08 rank in the top four.

Also during the 2007-08 season, Tech was the only WAC school to boast multiple golfers with first place finishes as Harvey and de Soysa captured individual titles that year.

The Bald Knob, Ark. native was named one of the "Best Teachers in Louisiana" by Golf Digest. In 2001, he was recognized by

30

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF the golf publication as one of the "Best Teachers in Colorado." His awards do not stop there though as Parks was named the PGA Gulf States Teacher of the Year in 2006.

A devotee to modern technology, Parks has earned certification through the Titleist Performance Institute. He is a level three certified golf professional and a level two biomechanics professional. He has tested over 100 touring professionals using special 3D technology.

During his lessons with the Bulldogs, Parks utilizes the AMM3D motion analysis system and V1 video to dissect a golfer's full swing. He uses TRACKMAN, a sonar radar, to measure a golfer's ball-flight characteristics and SAM Putting LAB to measure a golfer's putting motion.

Parks, who has been a Class A PGA Professional for over 15 years, was the vice president of golf instruction at GolfTEC in Denver for five years. At GolfTEC, he helped develop the company's own video, motion and impact analysis software.

Tech's first-year head coach played golf at Graceland College before graduating from the professional golf management program at Mississippi State in 1993.

After graduating from the school, he became the first assistant professional at Southern Trace Country Club in Shreveport, before moving on to Golf TEC in 1996.

Parks is a certified Titleist, Ping, Taylormade, Nike, Callaway, Mizuno, Cleaveland and Nakashima clubfitter. He has given over 8,000 golf lessons and has published numerous articles in GolfTips.

He is married to the former, Laurie Lawshe of Goodman, Mississippi, and the couple has a seven-year-old son Jack and a three-year-old daughter Emmie.

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

2010-11 Bulldog Roster Name Jonathan Bale Cody Blankenship Patrick Blunt Sam Forgan Jack Lempke Cody Santone Clinton Shepard Hayden Stephens Travis Wilmore

Ht

CL/Exp.

6-1 5-8 6-1 6-2 5-11 5-7 6-1 6-2 6-1

Jr./2L Sr./1L Jr./2L So./1L Fr./HS Jr./2L Sr./3L So./1L Fr./HS

Hometown (Last School) Porthcawl, Wales, UK (Bridgend College) Rockwall, Texas (Tyler JC) Ruston, La. (Cedar Creek HS) Stowmarket, England (Stowmarket HS) Frisco, Texas (Frisco Wakeland HS) Haughton, La. (Parkway HS) West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS) Georgetown, Texas (Georgetown HS) Alexandria, La. (Holy Savior Menard HS)

FRISCO ROCKWALL HAUGHTON

RUSTON

WEST MONROE

ALEXANDRIA GEORGETOWN

PORTHCAWL STOWMARKET

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Jonathan

Bale

Class: Junior Exp: 2L Hometown: Porthcawl, Wales, UK Previous School: Bridgend College

Summer 2010: Finished second in the St. David Holy Cross and represented his country in the Home International in August in Wales ... The Home International consists of the 10 best players from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland who will all represent their countries while playing against each other in a series at an exclusive venue over the four-day event ... Finished 10th at the 2010 Louisiana Golf Association Amateur Championships held at Koasati Pines in Coushatta ...

2009-10: Competed in 10 of the 33 tournaments during the year for LA Tech … Recorded a 74.57 stroke average which ranked second best on the team out of golfers who played at least half of the events … Nine of his 30 rounds were at par or better … Shot a low round of 68 in the second round of the David Toms Intercollegiate hosted by LSU … Finished tied for eighth at the David Toms Intercollegiate after posting a three-under-par 210 … Also finished tied for ninth at three events, including the Rice Intercollegiate, UALR/First Tee Classic and the WAC Championships …

2008-09: Competed in six tournaments for the Bulldogs ... Averaged 78.33 strokes ... Shot low rounds of 72 twice; first in the second round of the Squire Creek Invitational and then in the first round of the 24th Annual Louisiana Classics ... Finished 29th at the 2009 WAC Championships ...

College (High School): Attended Bridgend College ... Won Student of the Year in 2007 ... Individual Golf Accomplishments (2008): Qualified for the finals of the Nick Faldo Series this August ...

Member of the Glamorgan Elite Team ... Ranked as the 8th best amateur in the Golf Union of Wales Order of Merit ... Had two top 10 finishes in R&A World Golf Amateur ranking events ... (2007): Won the Glamorganshire Baffie ... Won the City and County of Swansea Championships, becoming the first player to ever repeat as champion ... Finished seventh at the West of England Open Strokeplay Championship ... Finished third at the Welsh Amateur Championship ... Finished third at the Welsh Golf Union of Order Merit competition ... (2006): Won the City and County of Swansea Championship ... Won the Golf Illustrated Cup ... Finished fifth at the West of England Open Strokeplay Championship ... (2005): Won the Glamorgan Junior County Strokeplay Championship ... Finished second in the Glamorgan Youths (under 21s) County Championships ...

Personal: Son of Martyn and Christine Bale ... Has one brother, James ... Born Dec. 13, 1987 in Newport, Wales.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2008-09 18 1410 78.33 2009-10 30 2237 74.57 Totals 48 3647 76.45

Low Round 72, twice 68, DTI 68, DTI

Best Finish T45th, LC T8th, DTI T8th, DTI

2008-09 10/13-14 3/8-10 3/22-24 3/30-31 4/6-7 4/27-29

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) 24th Annual Louisiana Classics Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Collegiate (Par 72) Reunion Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

77-72-81=230 72-74-78=224 80-80-81=241 79-77-76=232 78-78-85=241 74-82-76=232

T78th (88) T45th (84) T71st (92) T60th (96) T62nd (75) T29th (45)

2009-10 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

75-81-74=230 77-75-74=226 80-76-81=237 73-68-69=210 75-79-72=226 79-77-74=230 79-77-72=228 72-69-76=217 70-71-76=217 70-73-73=216

T60th (100) T47th (84) T73rd (90) T8th (75) T9th (81) T43rd (77) T25th (87) T9th (96) T17th (75) T9th (45)

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Cody

Blankenship Class: Senior Exp: 1L Hometown: Rockwall, Texas Previous School: Tyler JC

2009-10: Played in five of the 11 tournaments during the year for LA Tech … Recorded a 78.07 scoring averaging … His best round was a 73 at the David Toms Intercollegiate hosted by LSU … His best finish was 40th at the Bulldog Classic hosted by LA Tech at Squire Creek …

Junior College: Lettered two years at Tyler Junior College in Texas ...

Won three tournaments including the 2008 Texas State Championships ...

Recorded the lowest scoring average on the team both years ... Ended his junior college career with a 73.67 average ... Helped lead Tyler to six team titles, including the 2008 NJCAA National Championship ...

High School: Lettered four years for Coach Billy Watkins at Rockwall High School in Texas ... Helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2005 and 2007 district team titles ... Advanced to the state tournament in 2005 ... Three-time first team all-district ... Two-time first team all-region ... Named team MVP as a junior and senior ... Won district medalist as a senior ...

Personal: Full name is Cody Daniel Blankenship ... Son of Karen Sterry ... Has one brother, Chad, and one sister, Jordan ... Born Sept. 19, 1988 in Rockwall, Texas.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2009-10 15 1171 78.07 Totals 15 1171 78.07 2009-10 10/5-6 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16

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Low Round 73, DTI 73, DTI

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

74-77-82=233 73-75-74=222 84-80-77=241 74-78-86=238 81-80-76=237

Best Finish T54th, DTI T54th, DTI 74th (84) T54th (75) T58th (81) 63rd (77) T40th (87)

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Patrick

Blunt Class: RS-Junior Exp: 2L Hometown: Ruston, La. Previous School: Cedar Creek HS

2009-10: Participated in two tournaments during the season for LA Tech … Recorded a 73.83 scoring average in those two events which was tops on the team … Recorded a low round of 68 at the Squire Creek Invitational hosted by the Bulldogs … His best finish was tied for 11th at the Bulldog Classic hosted by LA Tech … Also finished tied for 16th at the Squire Creek Intercollegiate …

2008-09: Competed in five tournaments for the Bulldogs ...

Averaged 77.00 strokes over 15 rounds played ... Shot lowest round of 72 in the first round of the All-American Golf Classic ...

Finished season best 19th at the All-American Golf Classic in February ...

2007-08: Red-shirted ...

High School: Played varsity golf for Cedar Creek since seventh grade ... helped lead the Cougars to the state tournament as a junior ... Won the Class 1A state title in spring of 2006 ... Won the Class 1A individual state title as a junior shooting 68 and 75 ... named all-state as a junior ... won the Tournament of Champions as a junior ... shot a 68 ... participated in the Westfield Junior PGA Championship held in Westfield Center, Ohio, in August of 2006 ... also a member of the Cedar Creek Cross Country team ... were the state Class 1A runner-up as a junior ...

Personal: Son of Larry and Connie Blunt ... Has two sisters, Catie and Emma, both Tech students ... Born July 31, 1989, in West Monroe, La. Year Rounds Strokes Average 2008-09 26 1971 75.81 2009-10 6 443 73.83 Totals 32 1414 74.82

Low Round 71, KCI 68, SCI 68, SCI

Best Finish T23rd, MBI T11th, BC T11th, BC

2008-09 9/8-9 9/15-16 10/6 10/13-14 11/4-6 3/22-24 3/30-31 4/6-7 4/27-29

Scenic City Invitational (Par 71) Palmer’s Toyota Inter. (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Kauai Collegiate Invite (Par 72) Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Collegiate (Par 72) Reunion Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

76-75-75=226 72-75-78=225 80-73=153 79-75-74=228 72-71-72=215 77-76-75=228 75-71-79=225 83-80-77=240 78-78-75=231

T67th (87) T53rd (87) T44th (90) T74th (88) T27th (73) T23rd (92) T27th (96) T58th (75) T29th (45)

2009-10 10/5-6 3/15-16

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

78-68-72=218 78-74-73=225

T16th (84) T11th (87)

35

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Sam

Forgan Class: Sophomore Exp: 1L Hometown: Stowmarket, England Previous School: Stowmarket HS

2009-10: Competed in three tournaments for the Bulldogs as a true freshman … Recorded a 76.55 scoring average in those events … Shot a 65 in the second round of the Squire Creek Invitational, which ties for the third lowest round in recorded Bulldog golf history … His top finish was tied for 40th at the Bulldog Classic hosted by LA Tech … Also tied for 44th at the Squire Creek Invitational High School: Did not compete in golf at Stowmarket High School ...

Anglian League: Played five years, three years at the junior level and two at the men’s level ... In 2007, he won the Suffock Schools Championship ... One year later, his team won the league and he helped his team win the Suffock Junior Team Shield...

Personal: Full name is Sam Louis Forgan ... Son of Andrew and Joanne Forgan ... Has two brothers, Ben and Jack ... Born May 15, 1990, in Kingslynn, England.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2009-10 9 689 76.55 Totals 9 689 76.55 2009-10 9/21-22 10/5-6 3/15-16

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Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

Low Round 65, SCI 65, SCI

77-78-76=231 77-65-83=225 78-78-77=233

Best Finish T40th, BC T40th, BC

T68th (100) T44th (84) T40th (87)

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Jack

Lempke Class: Freshman Exp: HS Hometown: Frisco, Texas Previous School: Frisco Wakeland HS

High School: Lettered four years on the varsity golf team at Frisco Wakeland High School in Texas for coach Casey Wohlers … Helped lead the Wolverines to the District 9-4A title in 2007 and 2008 … Led the team to a runner-up finish at the State Preview 3A in 2008 … Won six high school titles in just over three years … In four fall tournaments this year, he recorded three top 5 finishes and one win … Recorded seven top 10 finishes in 10 Legends Junior Tour Tournaments in 2009 … Was the 2007 regional medalist (69-71) … Was the 2008 State Preview runner up (72-76) … Was the 2008 District 9-4A champion (71-67) …

Was the 2009 Big Burrito Challenge champion (75-69) … Other Golf Experience: Was the 2005 Northern Texas Professional Golfer’s Association (NTPGA) Tour Championship winner …

Named the 2005 NTPGA Player of the Year … Also captured the 2006 D.A. Weibring Junior Classic championship, the 2008 Texas Cup championships, the 2009 NTPGA Tour championship and was named the 2009 NTPGA Masters Tour Player of the Year …

Personal: Full name is Jack Stuart Lempke III … Son of Sara and Jack Lempke … Has one sister, Maria … Is ranked in the Top 5 percent of his class … Is a National Honor Society member … Born Dec. 10, 1991.

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2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Cody

Santone Class: Junior Exp: 2L Hometown: Haughton, La. Previous School: Parkway HS

Summer of 2010: Won the Links on the Bayou to qualify for the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship ...

2009-10: One of two Bulldogs to play in all 11 events during the year … Earned the Bulldog Award for the lowest scoring average of the year at 74.42 … Shot a low round of 66 during the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, which tied for the eighth lowest round in recorded Bulldog history … Six of his first nine rounds during the year were par or better … 10 of his 33 rounds on the year were par or better – best on the team … Finished in the Top 20 in four events during the year … Tied for fifth at the Waterchase Invitational where he shot one-under-par 215 … Tied for ninth at the Squire Creek Invitational … Tied for 10th at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate … Also tied for 16th at the WAC Championships …

2008-09: Earned Newcomer of the Year by the team ... Competed in nine tournaments for the Bulldogs ... Averaged 75.81 strokes over 26 rounds played ... Shot his lowest round of 71 at the Kauai Collegiate Invite ... Best finish of 23rd came at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate in March ... Finished 29th at the 2009 WAC Championships ...

High School: Lettered four years for coach Mike Meredith at Parkway High School ... Won the 2008 Louisiana Class 4A state title as a senior firing a 68 and 73 ... Won the 2008 regional qualifying tournament shooting a 69 ... Won the 2008 Louisiana High School Tournament of Champions (top 35 golfers in state) shooting three-under-par ...

Finished second in the Louisiana Class 4A state tournament as a junior and fourth as a sophomore ... Won the 2006 Louisiana State junior amateur title ... Won the Southern Tradition Four-Ball championships in summer of 2007 ... Was also the individual champion of the 2007 Southern Tradition Four-Ball ... Led Parkway to three straight Louisiana Class 4A team titles ...

Personal: Full name is Cody Andrew Santone ... Son of Brian and Diane Santone ... Has one sister, Carly ... Born Dec. 19, 1989, in Longview, Texas.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2008-09 26 1971 75.81 2009-10 33 2456 74.42 Totals 59 4427 75.12

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Low Round 71, KCI 66, SHI 66, SHI

Best Finish T23rd, MBI T5th, WI T5th, WI

2008-09 9/8-9 9/15-16 10/6 10/13-14 11/4-6 3/22-24 3/30-31 4/6-7 4/27-29

Scenic City Invitational (Par 71) Palmer’s Toyota Inter. (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Kauai Collegiate Invite (Par 72) Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Collegiate (Par 72) Reunion Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

76-75-75=226 72-75-78=225 80-73=153 79-75-74=228 72-71-72=215 77-76-75=228 75-71-79=225 83-80-77=240 78-78-75=231

T67th (87) T53rd (87) T44th (90) T74th (88) T27th (73) T23rd (92) T27th (96) T58th (75) T29th (45)

2009-10 9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

73-71-66=210 71-72-72=215 70-73-73=216 81-75-72=228 74-76-78=228 85-80-75=240 77-70-78=225 77-77-75=229 73-75-77=225 74-72-74=220 72-69-79=220

T10th (84) T5th (100) T9th (84) T37th (90) T65th (75) T54th (81) T25th (77) T28th (87) T28th (96) T28th (75) T16th (45)

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Clinton

Shepard Class: Senior Exp: 3L Hometown: West Monroe, La. Previous School: West Monroe HS

2009-10: Competed in seven of the 11 tournaments during the year … Recorded a 75.33 scoring average in 21 rounds … His top round was a two-under-par 70 in the final round of the 2010 WAC Championships … His top performance was an 11th place finish at the Bulldog Classic hosted by LA Tech … Also finished tied for 19th at the WAC Championships …

2008-09: Competed in six tournaments for the Bulldogs ... Averaged 74.88 strokes in 17 rounds played ... Shot season low of 69 at the Kauai Collegiate Invite ... Best finish came at the Squire Creek Invitational (25th) ...

2007-08: Competed in four tournaments for the Bulldogs ... Recorded a 75.67 average ... Shot the third lowest round in Tech history, firing a 65 in the second round of the Squire Creek Invitational ... His best finish came when he tied for 23rd at the Squire Creek Invitational (81-65-73=219) ...

High School: Graduated from West Monroe High School in spring of 2007 ...

Lettered four years for coach Tony Osborne and the Rebel golf team ... Qualified for the state tournament all four years ... Named all-state as a junior and senior ... Named all-Northeast Louisiana as a junior and senior ... Also lettered two years for the Rebel baseball team and coach Mark Sims as a sophomore and junior ... Played left field ... Named all-district as a junior ... Named allNortheast Louisiana honorable mention as a junior ...

Personal: Full name is Clinton Jones Shepard ... Son of John and Gayle Shepard ... Has one brother, Grant ... Born Feb. 9, 1989, in West Monroe.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2007-08 12 908 75.67 2008-09 17 1273 74.88 2009-10 21 1582 75.33 Totals 50 3763 75.29

Low Round 65, SqCI 69, KCI 70, WAC 65, SqCI

Best Finish T23rd, SqCI T25th, SCI T11th, BC T11th, BC

2007-08 9/17-18 10/15-16 11/5-6 2/18-19

Jaguar Intercollegiate (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72)

74-76-78=228 81-65-73=219 73-73-79=225 83-75-78=236

T65th (71) T23rd (96) T45th (65) T50th (63)

2008-09 9/8-9 9/15-16 10/6 10/13-14 11/4-6 2/23-24

Scenic City Invitational (Par 71) Palmer’s Toyota Inter. (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Kauai Collegiate Invite (Par 72) All-American Golf Classic (Par 72)

74-70-70=214 76-72-73=221 77-78=155 74-78-85=237 73-73-69=215 77-75-79=231

T25th (87) T34th (87) T55th (90) 85th (88) T27th (73) T42nd (71)

2009-10 9/14-15 10/5-6 10/19-20 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

77-71-73=221 73-74-75=222 85-82-75=242 72-75-78=225 74-79-77=230 72-74-75=221 77-74-70=221

T57th (84) T36th (84) T84th (90) T11th (87) T58th (96) T32nd (75) T19th (45)

39

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

HAYDEN

STEPHENS Class: Sophomore Exp: 1L Hometown: Georgetown, Texas Previous School: Georgetown HS

Summer 2010: Finished ninth at the 2010 Louisiana Golf Association Amateur Championships held at Koasati Pines in Coushatta ...

2009-10: Competed in seven of the 11 tournaments during the season … Recorded a 75.76 scoring average in 21 rounds … His top round was a 71 which he fired on three separate occasions, including the Waterchase Invitational, the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate and the WAC Championships … His best finish was 11th place at the Bulldog Classic hosted by LA Tech … Also finished tied for 16th at the 2010 WAC Championships …

High School: Lettered four years at Georgetown High School for coach Vernon Killen ... In individual play, he won district and was awarded all-regionals his junior and senior years ... Advanced to the state championship his senior year ... Helped his team win district his freshman through junior years and was a part of his team when they advanced to the state championship his freshman year ...

Personal: Full name is Hayden Dwayne Stephens ... Son of Dwayne and Darlene Stephens ...

Has two sisters, Heather and Holly ... Plans to major in business finance ... Born Aug. 10, 1990, in Lubbock, Texas.

Year Rounds Strokes Average 2009-10 21 1591 75.76 Totals 21 1591 75.76 2009-10 9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

40

Low Round 71, 3Xs 71, 3Xs

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

79-72-74=225 79-71-77=227 76-75-80=231 75-73-77-225 83-79-79=241 71-77-74=222 75-71-74=220

Best Finish T11th, BC T11th, BC

T66th (84) T52nd (100) T68th (84) T11th (87) T89th (96) T40th (75) T16th (45)

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

TRAVIS

WILMORE Class: Freshman Exp: HS Hometown: Alexandria, La. Previous School: Holy Savior Menard HS

High School: Lettered on the varsity for coach Randy Wilmore (father) for four years at Holy Savior Menard … Was the state runner-up at the Class 2A level as a sophomore while leading the team to the state title … Was the regional champion as a sophomore …

Finished in the top five at state as both a junior and senior … Led the team to third in state as a junior and senior while being named team MVP …

Member of the National Honor Society … Won the 2008 Louisiana Golf Association State Junior Tournament … Qualified for the US Junior Amateur in the summer of 2009 … Tied for 15th at the American Junior Golf Association Stars of Texas Junior Tournament in the summer of 2009 …

Won three tournaments on the Arrowhead Junior Golf Tour during the past few years …

Personal: Full name is Travis Hammett Wilmore … Son of Randy and Susan Wilmore … Has one brother, Thomas …

Born Nov. 15, 1991 in Alexandria, La.

41

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

2009-10 Season Review Louisiana Tech completed one of its most successful seasons in the last two decades as 2009-10 proved to be full of plenty of highlights.

After defeating seven top 100 ranked teams this week at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate hosted by Ole Miss in April, Jeff Parks and Co. moved up four places to 96th in the Golfstat.com rankings.

The Bulldogs Top 100 ranking was the program's highest in the last 17 years. It previous best was 98th place back during the 2006-07 season, and it was also 62 places higher than Tech began the fall season when it was 158th in the country.

"I don't look at (the ranking) as success yet," said Tech head coach Jeff Parks. "It's an outcome. I'm excited about it, but to me if we keep doing what we are doing, preparing, and getting better, I think we will continue to improve.

"I attribute a lot of (our success) to physical conditioning, the hard work the guys have put in off the course. I attribute a lot of it to improvement on the mental side, the confidence level we've reached by implementing some mental strategies. Bottom line is our guys have a lot of pride in their school and they want to represent the school just like any other team. It takes a mental toughness and fortitude to be successful."

In 11 tournaments this fall and spring, the Bulldogs recorded a mark of 78-76-3, including 23 wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 100 in the country. In the spring-only events, Tech was 49-34-1.

Finding just the right lineup was the challenge for Parks as he saw seven of the 10 players on his roster record at least one Top 12 finish each during the year. And although finding the top five wasn’t easy, it was a good problem for Parks to have.

"It was difficult," Parks said. "In the fall we had people playing well and excelling and going above and beyond what I expected. Then in the winter and spring, some of those guys didn't play quite as well and other guys stepped up."

Most of Tech's damage against the Top 100 teams came in the latter half of the year as the Bulldogs bested 15 ranked teams in their last four tournaments. Ironically, during that span of events, Parks settled on a lineup that has consisted of senior Matthew Harvey, junior Clinton Shepard, sophomores Jonathan Bale and Cody Santone and freshman Hayden Stephens.

"It was a team effort all the way," Parks said. "I can't just single out one or two guys or even five guys. It was the entire team that helped us earn the ranking and pushed the five guys that were playing down the stretch. Those five were a representation of the team."

LA Tech's top team finish this year was third place in its own Bulldog Classic hosted at Squire Creek Golf Course in mid-March as only 43rd ranked Southeastern and 40th ranked Ole Miss finished ahead of the Bulldogs. Tech defeated Oklahoma, UNO and Rice in the event which included a total of 16 teams.

However, Parks and Co.'s most impressive performance might have come this week when they placed in a tie for fifth at the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate hosted by Ole Miss at Reunion Golf and Country Club.

In that event, all five of the Bulldogs placed in the Top 40 out of 75 golfers as Tech defeated a total of seven Top 100 ranked teams, including knocking off Southeastern for the first time this year while also besting 51st ranked UCF. Although falling short of their team goal of a WAC championship title, Tech recorded its best finish ever in the league championship which was held at Rio Secco Golf Course May 3-5 in Henderson, Nevada.

2009-10 Overall Results Date Tournament

9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate UTA Waterchase Invitational Squire Creek Invitational Memphis Intercollegiate David Toms Intercollegiate Rice Intercollegiate UNO Mardi Gras Invitational Bulldog Classic UALR/First Tee Classic BancorpSouth Intercollegiate WAC Championships

Site Team Scores Hattiesburg, Miss.

Ft. Worth, Texas Choudrant, La. Memphis, Tenn.

Baton Rouge, La. Houston, Texas New Orleans, La. Choudrant, La. Little Rock, Ark. Oxford, Miss.

Henderson, Nev.

291-285-284=860 294-297-297=888 287-299-296=882 314-303-295=912 290-283-293=866 315-316-297=928 303-302-304=909 302-298-300=900 292-297-308=897 286-289-299=874 293-287-296=876

Finish 9/15 9/19 6/16 T13/16 10/14 8/15 11/15 3/15 8/18 T5/15 5/9

Individual Season Stats Name

Patrick Blunt Cody Santone Jonathan Bale Matthew Harvey Joel Thelen Clinton Shepard Hayden Stephens Sam Forgan Cody Blankenship Timothy Byrd

42

Rounds Total Strokes 6 33 30 33 21 21 21 9 15 6

443 2456 2237 2468 1581 1582 1591 689 1171 497

Average 73.83 74.42 74.57 74.78 75.28 75.33 75.76 76.55 78.07 82.83

Low Round

Best Finish

68, SCI T11th, BC 66, SHI T5th, WI 68, DTI T8th, DTI 70, twice T10th, MI 67, DTI T5th, SCI 70, WAC T11th, BC 71, 3Xs T11th, BC 65, SCI T40th, BC 73, DTI T54th, DTI 78, SCI 82nd, SCI

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

Individual Tournament-by-Tournament Stats Date Tournament

Scores

Jonathan Bale 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Finish

Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

75-81-74=230 77-75-74=226 80-76-81=237 73-68-69=210 75-79-72=226 79-77-74=230 79-77-72=228 72-69-76=217 70-71-76=217 70-73-73=216

T60th (100) T47th (84) T73rd (90) T8th (75) T9th (81) T43rd (77) T25th(87) T9th (96) T17th (75) T9th (45)

Cody Blankenship 10/5-6 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

74-77-82=233 73-75-74=222 84-80-77=241 74-78-86=238 81-80-76=237

74th (84) T54th (75) T58th(81) 63rd (77) T40th(87)

Patrick Blunt 10/5-6 3/15-16

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

78-68-72=218 78-74-73=225

T16th (84) T11th (87)

Timothy Byrd 10/5-6 3/15-16

Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

79-78-84=241 89-82-85=256

82nd (84) T84th (87)

Sam Forgan 9/21-22 10/5-6 3/15-16

Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

77-78-76=231 77-65-83=225 78-78-77=233

T68th (100) T44th (84) T40th (87)

Matthew Harvey 9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

70-71-71=212 71-76-75=222 70-77-74=221 75-73-74=222 75-73-78=226 77-77-80=234 74-77-75=226 78-73-76=227 73-74-78=225 73-72-76=221 76-75-79=230

T17th (84) T26th (100) T31st (84) T10th (90) T63rd (75) T38th (81) T29th (77) T18th (87) T28th (96) T32nd (75) T34th (45)

Cody Santone 9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

73-71-66=210 71-72-72=215 70-73-73=216 81-75-72=228 74-76-78=228 85-80-75=240 77-70-78=225 77-77-75=229 73-75-77=225 74-72-74=220 72-69-79=220

T10th (84) T5th (100) T9th (84) T37th (90) T65th (75) T54th (81) T25th (77) T28th (87) T28th (96) T28th (75) T16th (45)

Clinton Shepard 9/14-15 10/5-6 10/19-20 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

77-71-73=221 73-74-75=222 85-82-75=242 72-75-78=225 74-79-77=230 72-74-75=221 77-74-70=221

T57th (84) T36th (84) T84th (90) T11th (87) T58th (96) T32nd (75) T19th (45)

Hayden Stephens 9/14-15 9/21-22 10/5-6 3/15-16 3/29-30 4/6-7 5/3-5

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Waterchase Invitational (Par 72) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72) UALR/First Tee Classic (Par 72) BancorpSouth Intercollegiate (Par 72) WAC Championships (Par 72)

79-72-74=225 79-71-77=227 76-75-80=231 75-73-77-225 83-79-79=241 71-77-74=222 75-71-74=220

T66th (84) T52nd (100) T68th (84) T11th (87) T89th (96) T40th (75) T16th (45)

Joel Thelen 9/14-15 10/5-6 10/19-20 10/26-27 2/15-16 2/22-23 3/15-16

Sam Hall Intercollegiate (Par 71) Squire Creek Invitational (Par 72) Memphis Intercollegiate (Par 72) David Toms Intercollegiate (Par 71) Rice Intercollegiate (Par 72) UNO Mardi Gras Invite (Par 72) Bulldog Classic (Par 72)

71-72-76=219 71-71-71=213 78-79-74=231 70-67-72=209 79-84-73=236 78-85-77=240 78-81-74=233

T45th (84) T5th (84) T50th (90) T6th (75) T45th (81) T64th (77) T40th (87)

43

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

In its nearly 50 years of existence, the Western Athletic Conference continues to evolve and feature some of the nation’s best intercollegiate competition. One thing that remains unchanged is the persistent nature of the nine schools in the WAC to advance their programs to contend at the top levels of the NCAA. The WAC provides its student-athletes the chance to travel to scenic destinations and gain exposure in some of the nation’s most diverse markets. In addition, the WAC’s student-athletes work to achieve the highest levels of success with the academic support of their respective institutions.

The WAC has experienced tremendous success. The WAC has sent a total of 31 teams to bowl games since 2001, including more than half of its teams in 2008 with a record-tying five teams. Boise State has won 102 football games since joining the conference, the most in the nation during that time span (2001-09). The conference has sent teams to BCS bowl games in three of the last four seasons as Boise State made a repeat appearance with a victory in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl this past year following Hawai‘i’s 2008 Sugar Bowl and Boise State’s unforgettable victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. In men’s basketball, the WAC has sent at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament in 24 of the past 27 seasons. Every current school in the WAC has competed in the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

In baseball, the WAC has boasted two national champions since 2003 including Fresno State’s College World Series victory in 2008. In women’s sports, Fresno State softball has competed in every NCAA Tournament ever held while Louisiana Tech basketball has played in all but three. In 2009, Hawai‘i made its fourth trip to the NCAA Volleyball Final Four since 2000. Current WAC alums have made their presence felt as well. David Carr (Fresno State) was the first player selected in the 2002 NFL Draft. Cheryl Ford (Louisiana Tech) was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and helped the Detroit Shock win the league’s championship in 2003. In 2004, the United States’ softball team won the Olympic gold medal with former Fresno State players Laura Berg and Lovie Jung. Jeff Weaver (Fresno State) earned the win in the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series clinching victory in 2006. Quarterback Colt Brennan (Hawai‘i) finished third in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting, and in 2008, Natasha Kai (Hawai‘i) helped the United States to a gold medal in soccer at the Olympics in Beijing.

In 2001, the WAC partnered with ESPN for coverage of football and basketball giving the conference national exposure from one of the most respected broadcast entities in the country. An extension was signed in 2008 that guarantees over 300 regular season WAC contests and 45 championship events will be aired on the ESPN networks through the spring of 2017. The WAC also officially added WAC.tv in 2006 to give fans streaming internet access to many of its post season championships including volleyball, soccer, swimming and diving, basketball, gymnastics, softball and baseball.

The WAC is the sixth oldest among the nation’s 11 Division I-A conferences. Its history traces back to July 27, 1962, when the original six-team league of Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming began competition.

The first championship was held in November 1962, when Arizona won the men’s cross country title and New Mexico followed with the first WAC football title. Arizona finished second in the NCAA College World Series and, less than three years later, Arizona State claimed the league’s first NCAA title when the Sun Devils won the College World Series trophy. Fresno State was the last WAC school to earn an NCAA team title when it won the College World Series in 2008.

Since 1962, several changes have occurred. UTEP and Colorado State became members in September 1967, while Arizona and Arizona State withdrew on June 30, 1978. The WAC then added San Diego State (1978), Hawai‘i (1979) and Air Force (1980). Before 1990, the WAC sponsored championships only in men’s sports. However, a merger with the High Country Athletic Conference formed a single conference under one administrative structure, and the 1990-91 athletic year was the first in which both men and women competed under the WAC name. Fresno State was added in 1992, and then in 1996, the women’s programs from Air Force and Hawai‘i along with six new schools (UNLV, Rice, San Jose State, SMU, TCU and Tulsa) came into the WAC. Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming withdrew on June 30, 1999. Nevada (2000), Boise State (2001) and Louisiana Tech (2001) were added while TCU withdrew following the 2000-01 season. The current membership was established on July 1, 2005, when Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State joined the WAC after Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa withdrew.

The WAC has had just five commission ers in its history. Paul Brechler was named the first leader of the conference and held the position from 1962-1968. He was followed by Wiles Hallock (1968-71), Stan Bates (1971-80), Dr. Joe Kearney (1980-94) and Karl Benson (1994-present).

Presently, the WAC crowns team and individual champions in 19 sports – eight men’s and 11 women’s. For the men, there are championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Championships for women are held in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and volleyball.

The WAC office has been located in the Denver area since the conference’s inception with the exception of a two-year stay in Phoenix from 1964-66.

44

2010-11 Bulldog GOLF

KARL BENSON, WAC COMMISSIONER When Karl Benson was named the fifth commissioner in the history of the Western Athletic Conference on April 20, 1994, he brought with him a wealth of experience and a personal history of success to the position.

Since that time, Benson not only has laid a strong foundation for the WAC’s future, he also steered the conference through unsettled times during the late 1990s and again a few years later when the defection of member institutions threatened the WAC. Through his leadership and vision, it didn’t take long for the WAC to regain its place among the nation’s top Division I conferences. Benson has spearheaded conference expansion with the additions of Nevada, Boise State and Louisiana Tech earlier this decade and an additional round of expansion with the invitations of New Mexico State, Utah State and Idaho a few years ago.

Nationally, Benson has earned the respect of his peers after serving on the NCAA Management Council from 1999-2002, and a five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee from 2002-06.

Benson hit the ground running when he was hired in 1994 and initiated several programs that improved the conference’s national position in virtually ever category. He was instrumental in developing multi-year agreements with the Holiday Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Copper Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Silicon Valley Football Classic, GMAC Bowl and currently, the Humanitarian Bowl, Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

In the summer of 2005, he implemented “Play Up” a new marketing campaign to improve the public and private perceptions of the WAC and its members through national, local and regional touch points. The conference officially added WAC.tv prior to the 2006-07 season, giving fans streaming video access to many of the postseason championships of the sports offered by the WAC. In 1995-96, the WAC signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with ESPN for the unprecedented live telecast of its basketball and football. Included in that deal was a women’s basketball contract, the first in conference history. In 2008, Benson negotiated an extension with ESPN that gives the WAC over 300 regular season contests and 45 championship events that will be aired through the 2016-17 season.

Benson came to the WAC after fout successful years as the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. There, he implemented several innovative projects and was instrumental in the formation of the Las Vegas Bowl.

Prior to taking the reins of the MAC, Benson served on the NCAA staff for more than four years where he was the director of NCAA championships when selected as MAC commissioner.

Benson joined the NCAA staff in January, 1986, as a compliance representative and was appointed assistant director of championships in June, 1987. He was promoted to director of championships in 1988. In that position, Benson actively supervised eight assistant directors in their administration of 68 NCAA championships.

A native of the state of Washington, Benson graduated from high school in Pullman in 1970, attended Spokane Falls Community College and then received a bachelor of science degree in physical education from Boise State University in 1975. He has also completed course work toward his master’s degree in athletics administration at the University of Utah.

Benson played baseball at both Spokane Falls Community College and Boise State University before serving as the baseball coach at Fort Steilacoom Community College in Tacoma, Wash., for eight years and as the director of athletics at Fort Steilacoom from 1979-84. From 1984-86, he was an assistant baseball coach and an administrative assistant in the athletics department at Utah.

He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boise State in April of 2006.

Benson was born on December 1, 1951 and has one daughter, Jessie, 18.

45

LA TECH OUTLOOK COACHES BULLDOGS

DR. DAN

reneaU

University President

STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

194 46

There’s a lot to look forward to at Louisiana Tech, as university President Dan Reneau knows well. The university is growing with the increased enrollment of students and the construction of new facilities.

Under Reneau’s leadership, the university is on track in its long-term Tech 2020 goal, a strategy to ensure the university stays in tune with academic, economic, and research trends in the state, region, and nation.

“The transformation of higher education in Louisiana is taking place before our eyes,” Reneau said. “The faculty and staff of Louisiana Tech have chosen to use this transformation as an opportunity to strengthen their institution through a collective and progressive recruitment and retention effort.”

The university has continually thrived with Reneau at the helm in a variety of areas, including: * New construction and renovation of buildings. Currently, the first buildings of Tech’s Enterprise Campus are being constructed, and renovations include the expansion of the Maxie Lambright Intramural Center, the Technology Transfer Center and the Visual Arts Center.

The $20 million Quest for Excellence initiative was also announced in Summer 2010, and plans are in the works for the construction of a 90,000-plus square-foot multipurpose facility in the south end zone of Joe Aillet Stadium. The new facility will benefit all student athletes and will include a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility, a new strength and conditioning complex and a new academic center. * All-time high average ACT score of entering freshmen. The average ACT score of beginning freshmen increased from 22.5 in the fall of 2004 to 23.5 in the fall of 2009. * Received national accolades. The university was ranked among the nation’s best colleges and universities and moved up to a Tier 3 ranking by U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 Best Colleges publication. In addition, Louisiana Tech achieved the state’s highest ranking among public colleges and universities, according to Washington Monthly’s 2009 College Rankings. * Performance-based Funding. Tech fared better than all Louisiana public universities for performance-based funding. * National bookstore chain comes to campus. Barnes & Noble bought out the bookstore and will offer more book selections with plans to expand in three to five years. * Increased enrollment recognized. In Fall 2009, Louisiana Tech’s total enrollment stood at 11,289 students, which represents an addition of 339 students, an increase of 3.1 percent.

Reneau is leaving a lasting legacy with Louisiana Tech, especially with the engineering program. Reneau graduated with his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tech in 1963 and received his master’s in the same subject in 1964. He received his Ph.D. in 1966 from Clemson University.

Reneau became a faculty member at Tech in 1967 as an assistant professor of chemical engineering and made his way up the ladder to associate professor in 1969 and a full professor in 1973.

Reneau’s professional experience includes serving as a research engineer for both Esso and Humble oil companies and as a consultant for five other corporations and universities.

Reneau also has studied abroad at Johannes Gutenburg University in Mainz, West Germany, as an Alexander-von-Humbolt Stiftung visiting professor and also to England at Cambridge and Bristol universities as a visiting professor.

At Tech, Reneau established the biomedical engineering department and was named its head in 1972. The department became the fifth accredited department for its undergraduate curriculum in the United States, and the doctoral program was awarded a commendation of excellence by the Board of Regents.

In 1980, Reneau was promoted to vice president for academic affairs, serving as the chief academic officer to some 400 faculty in six colleges and three professional schools with more than 160 different degree programs. During his tenure as vice president, every major program became accredited, and he was also instrumental in

establishing the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science.

Reneau was selected as the university’s 13th president Feb. 20, 1987, and the public endorsed their new president before the decision was even made. The university paper, The Tech Talk, issued a rare endorsement for the Tech alumnus; the Student Government Association supported his selection through a resolution sent to Baton Rouge; many faculty members circulated a petition for his appointment; and even the Faculty Senate gave Reneau a stamp of approval.

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Louisiana coast in 2005, under Reneau’s leadership, Tech welcomed hundreds of evacuees and offered them shelter in Caruthers Residence Hall.

Tech also opened its doors to students from various universities in New Orleans as well as the Tulane University football team.

Tech continues to flourish under Reneau’s leadership. In 2007, the university and its president received a glowing review from a team led by national educational consultant James Fisher.

Tech’s graduate programs continue to prosper, as well. A total of ten doctoral degrees are now available at Tech, including a new doctoral program in industrial and organizational psychology that began in 2009. In 2007, Tech produced the first graduate in the world who holds a bachelor’s degree in nanosystems engineering. Last year, Tech reported a record graduate student enrollment with graduate enrollment totaling 2,530, an increase of 9.3 percent.

As Tech holds strong to its 2020 goal, progress is echoed by research, such as a study conducted by the Applied Research Technology Corporation of Baton Rouge. The study shows that Louisiana Tech students have an annual statewide spending impact of $145 million and contribute over 56 hours of volunteerism per student, per year.

Over the past 10 years, 65 percent of Tech’s graduates have stayed in Louisiana with total earnings of nearly $1 billion.

“One of Louisiana Tech’s greatest strengths has always been the quality of its students,” Reneau said. “Their success, both during and after college, will impact not only the future of our university, but also the future of our region and our state. As a campus community, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to continue recruiting, educating and graduating the next generation of Louisiana’s leaders.”

Reneau, a native of Woodville, Miss., was born June 11, 1940.

He started as a student at Tech in 1959 and met his wife, the former Linda Digby, of Bernice, while a student at Tech. Reneau and his wife have two children, John and Dana, who are both Tech alumni as well.

John lives in Las Vegas, and Dana lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Jim Bernhard, and their two sons, Michael and Ben.

LA TECH

BRUCE

Van De VelDe

Athletics Director

LA TECH OUTLOOK COACHES BULLDOGS STADIUM

Bruce Van De Velde was named Louisiana Tech’s athletics director in February of 2010 by Louisiana Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau.

“Bruce is well qualified by national standards to fill the position of athletics director at Louisiana Tech,” Reneau said.

“I feel that we made an excellent choice in selecting him to lead Tech athletics to national prominence and to serve the needs of our student-athletes.”

Van De Velde, who joined the University in June of 2008 as deputy athletics director and chief operating officer, took over full leadership of a department that fields 16 NCAA Division I sanctioned programs, including nine women’s and seven men’s sports, that compete in the highly-competitive Western Athletic Conference.

“It is an honor to be named as the director of athletics at Louisiana Tech University,” Van De Velde said. “I look forward to serving our student-athletes, faculty, staff, alumni and fans. Our vision is to build a program to a level where we can be associated with universities that aspire to academic and athletic excellence at the highest level.

“This goal is consistent with the vision President Reneau has established for the University which is to become north Louisiana’s premier national research university. In order to accomplish this vision we must engage all of our 80,000 alumni, fans and supporters and ask them for their participation. It takes resources to achieve our goal, and we need every one to support the program.”

During his tenure Van De Velde has been instrumental in a number of accomplishments that have helped further the advancement of the University’s athletic department, including: • Developed, negotiated and implemented $6.75 million multi-media and marketing rights agreement with Learfield Communications. Contract more than doubled revenue derived from corporate sponsorships and created state-wide radio network for Louisiana Tech athletics. Negotiated purchase of $1.6 million Daktronics large screen high-definition video board for Joe Aillet Stadium.

• Upgraded ticket operations by negotiating new contract with Ticketmaster. Improved customer service, marketing and communication efforts. Developed e-commerce capabilities by implementing on-line ticketing. Established new record for football season ticket sales. Sold allotment of 12,000 Independence Bowl tickets.

• Reorganized annual giving program doubling the number of donors and increased total annual contributions to the program by 75 percent.

Developed marketing efforts to strengthen outreach and established an agenda for growth. Implemented new giving plan for 1,150 new chair-back seats for football.

• Led a national search in January of 2010 to hire head football coach Sonny Dykes from the University of Arizona. Was instrumental in hiring head women’s basketball coach in Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Teresa Weatherspoon.

• In 2010, the Louisiana Tech athletic department earned the PRISM Award for excellence in athletics management under Van De Velde’s leadership.

•Organized a $20 million fund raising campaign for Louisiana Tech athletics “Quest for Excellence.” Oversaw the development of the design of a new $20 million athletic sports complex.

Tech has also seen plenty of success on the fields and courts since Van De Velde’s arrival at Tech as the Bulldog football team captured its first bowl victory in more than 30 years with the 2008 Independence Bowl title. The Lady Techster basketball team won the 2009 regular season Western Athletic Conference title and the 2010 WAC Tournament title,

FOOTBALL

and the women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams won both the 2009 and 2010 league titles.

The University’s student-athletes have also seen success in the classroom since his arrival on campus as this past year saw eight of the 16 program’s record their highest multi-year APR ever and seven record their highest single-year APR ever. During the 2009-10 season, Tech saw 94 student-athletes earn Academic all-WAC honors for their work in the classrooms while senior sprinter Antoinette Cobb earned the Honda Inspiration Award for her work both on the track and in the classroom while overcoming a battle with cancer.

Van De Velde came to Tech with impressive credentials, having served as an administrator in intercollegiate athletics for over 20 years.

Van De Velde served as athletics director at Iowa State University and Utah State University and as a senior administrator at the University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri and Kansas State University.

Van De Velde’s tenure at Iowa State University included an unprecedented five bowl appearances in six years and the highest national AP football poll ranking (9th) in school history. Iowa State’s 2001 average football attendance of 45,172 reached its highest watermark in 18 years. In 2002 and 2003, total football attendance exceeded 300,000; the most at ISU in two decades.

The emergence of the Cyclone football program on a national stage with Van De Velde at the department helm was affirmed in 2002 when Iowa State was chosen to play No. 1 Florida State University in the Eddie Robinson Classic. During Van De Velde’s tenure at Iowa State, the men’s and women’s basketball teams won Big XII conference championships and participated in the 2001, 2002 and 2005 NCAA basketball tournaments.

Van De Velde, with a track record for generating revenue, increased the total annual operating revenues for the Cyclone athletic department from $19.6 million to $30 million dollars over a five year period. Revenue generated from fundraising, ticket sales, marketing and corporate sponsorships, licensing, radio and television reached all-time highs during his tenure.

In 2005, total fundraising increased from $4.85 million to $8.6 million and the annual giving achieved the highest membership total in its history with more than 5,500 donors participating and a record $4 million dollars in annual contributions. Under Van De Velde’s leadership, over 2,000 new donors joined the National Cyclone Club. Including capital project gifts, scholarship endowments and annual contributions, over $40 million dollars was raised from 2001 through 2005.

Iowa State’s graduation rate of 89 percent for student-athletes who complete their eligibility was second in the Big XII Conference,

WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

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LA TECH OUTLOOK COACHES BULLDOGS STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

and graduation rates for minority student-athletes more than tripled during Van De Velde’s tenure. In 2004-05, Iowa State was one of eight universities nationally to have its football team win a bowl game and have its men and women’s basketball teams participate in the NCAA tournament. The Sporting News in 2001 rated Iowa State as the seventh best athletic program among more than 115 NCAA Division I-A programs nationally. The ranking considered competitive success, graduation rates, fan support and NCAA compliance to determine national rank.

During his time as athletic director at Utah State University, Van De Velde made his mark by hiring Stew Morrill as the head men’s basketball coach. Morrill has guided Utah State to nine straight postseason tournaments and is the winningest coach in the history of the Utah State program.

While serving as the associate athletic director for football operations under head coach Bill Snyder at Kansas State University, Van De Velde was part of the resurrection of Wildcat football in Manhattan as the program became a national power participating in five bowl games. Van De Velde was recipient of the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Award at the 1997 Holiday Bowl for his contributions to the Kansas State football team when the nationally ranked Wildcats finished with a 10-2 record.

As the senior associate athletic for external affairs at the University of Oklahoma, Van De Velde served as the senior administrative officer for the athletic department and oversaw the areas of fundraising, marketing, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, media relations and licensing. Van De Velde managed units that generated in excess of $35 million in annual revenues.

Van De Velde directed the Campaign for Sooner Sports, a $100 million dollar capital campaign to fund facility improvements and scholarships. As associate athletic director for development at the University of Missouri, Van De Velde planned and initiated a $50 million dollar capital campaign for facility improvements for the Sports Park at MU. Van De Velde received the General Robert Neiland Award from the National Football Foundation in 2005 for his service and contributions as an athletic director.

Throughout his career in college athletics, Van De Velde has served on numerous NCAA committees including the Championships and Competition Cabinet, the Football Issues Committee, the Financial Aid Committee and the Peer Review Committee for NCAA certification.

He and his wife Debbie, who is a Kansas State alum and who works in the LA Tech College of Business, are the proud parents of 10-year-old daughter, Ashley who is entering the fourth grade.

MARY KAY

HUNGATE

Deputy Athletics Director/ Senior Woman Administrator Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Mary Kay Hungate returns for her 26th year as a member of the Louisiana Tech athletics department and has proven to be an integral part in the recent emergence of the Tech teams on the playing fields and in the classroom.

Not only does Hungate serve as the sports administrator for men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis, women’s bowling and women’s volleyball, but she is also in charge of NCAA compliance for all of the university’s 16 NCAA sanctioned programs.

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As one of the top two ranking administrators in the Tech athletics department, Hungate is part of a senior staff that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech athletics department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

Hungate serves a vital role in the hiring of coaches. Hungate proved instrumental in the decision by former Tech Kodak All-American and WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon - who played for Hungate in the late-80s - to return to Louisiana Tech in June of 2008. Weatherspoon was promoted to head coach in February of 2009 where she led the Lady Techsters to the WAC regular season title and a berth in the WNIT. This past season, she led Tech to the 2010 WAC Tournament title and a return to the NCAA Tournament.

She also served as the point person in the hiring process of head women’s soccer coach Kevin Sherry and head women’s volleyball coach Matt Sonnichsen. Sherry led the Lady Techster soccer team to two straight winning seasons the past two years - the first in program history - and the program’s first ever WAC victory.

In only his second season at the helm, Sonnichsen, who was a three-time All-American and two-time National Champion during his playing days at UCLA, led the Lady Techsters to 15 wins - the most since 2005 - as well as a program record in WAC victories.

Another of Hungate’s responsibilities includes overseeing the academic side of the Tech athletics department, another area which has improved drastically as proven by the fact LA Tech’s graduation rate continues to be one of the highest in the state (Federal Graduation Report), including ranking No. 1 in the state of Louisiana and the Western Athletic Conference in recent years.

This past year eight of the 16 NCAA sanctioned programs at LA Tech earn their highest multi-year APR score ever while 94 studentathletes earned Academic all-WAC honors.

Hungate also plays an important role in LA Tech’s NCAA Certification process. As a member of the Steering Committee and the liaison between the athletic department and the University’s Self Study Committees, she provides the information needed for the committees to write their reports. In 2006, LA Tech completed its second NCAA Certification cycle and once again was certified without conditions.

Hungate joined the Louisiana Tech staff in 1985 as an assistant women’s basketball coach and remained in that role for five years. During that time, the Lady Techsters participated in four Final Fours and won the NCAA National Championship in 1988.

In 1990, Hungate made a move out of coaching and became assistant athletics director for academics and compliance as well as senior woman administrator. One of Hungate’s early accomplishments as assistant director of athletics was the creation of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Academic Center program.

Hungate has served terms on the NCAA Division I Academics/ Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, the NCAA Division I Interpretations/ Legislative Review Subcommittee, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators Wade Trophy Selection Committee and as an NCAA Peer Reviewer. She has also served on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee since 2004.

She currently serves on the Western Athletic Conference Council, the Conferences’ Legislative Review Committee, the Finance Committee and the Code Book Committee. In addition, along with Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde, she represents the athletics department as an ex-officio member of the LA Tech Athletics Council.

Hungate’s professional career began as Women’s Sports Coordinator and head volleyball, head basketball and head softball coach at Illinois’ Carl Sandburg Junior College. She spent four seasons at the college where she guided the basketball team to a mark of 80-22 which included an 11th place finish in the 1976 NJCAA national tournament.

In 1978 Hungate took over the head coaching position at Richwoods High School in Peoria, Ill., and quickly compiled one of the top prep coaching records in the nation.

During her seven seasons at Richwoods High School, Hungate’s team ran up an impressive record of 195-13, including a state-record 63 consecutive victories. Hungate was named the National Coach of the Year by USA Today in 1985. Before coming to Louisiana Tech, Hungate amassed a career coaching record of 275-35.

LA TECH

ERIC

BUSKirK

Associate Athletics Director/ External Affairs

Eric Buskirk enters his fourth season as the associate athletics director for external affairs at Louisiana Tech University.

Buskirk directs fundraising, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, community relations, licensing, branding, marketing, promotions, video board productions, and the Learfield Sports partnership for Louisiana Tech athletics. Buskirk is a member of the NACMA Board of Directors, and is also an adjunct professor in the College of Business for an advanced level sports management course.

Under Buskirk’s direction, Louisiana Tech’s external affairs have seen a wave of new developments, and national recognition for its accomplishments. LA Tech athletics has reached record totals in all three major revenue generating areas including fundraising, season ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. Buskirk’s external team was named the winner of the 2010 PRISM Awards for department excellence, and has been selected as the NCAA Pack the House Challenge winner three years in a row.

The revenue generating advancements have been supported by the addition of multiple strategic business processes being installed.

The advancements include the creation of LTAC, Team Tech 100 and the LA Tech Kids Club in the fundraising area. Ticketmaster was contracted to implement the full Archtics ticketing package, and a newly formed call center was established to support the tickets sales efforts.

Under Buskirk’s first two years leading the external affairs department, corporate sponsorships tripled with a restructured sponsorship sales approach, and advancements will continue as Learfield Sports was contracted to officially operate LA Tech Sports Properties, officially beginning operations for the 2009 season. Additional upgrades include contracting Rickabaugh Graphics as a part of the rebranding of new logos, and the partnership with CBS sports as the official website provider for LA Tech athletics.

The external affairs advancements have also made way for a new Daktronics state-of-the-art high definition video display scoreboard for the 2009 season. The HD-16 mm video display board will be the largest in the Western Athletic Conference.

Buskirk came to Louisiana Tech after working at UTSA as the assistant athletic director for external affairs. Buskirk oversaw the external affairs areas of fundraising, marketing, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandising, trademark licensing, branding, website revenue generation, courtesy car program, promotions and spirit squad, along with being the assistant tournament manager for NCAA Championships including the NCAA Final Four.

During his time at UTSA, Buskirk was recognized as one of the “Top 40 under 40” Rising Stars by the San Antonio Business Journal.

Under his direction, UTSA athletics experienced a dramatic increase in its external components, including more than doubling corporate sponsorship revenue in Buskirk’s first 12 months directing the department. Buskirk was instrumental in negotiating with XOS Technologies to be the official website provider of UTSA athletics while also instituting the UTSA athletics re-branding campaign.

Buskirk was heavily involved in the direction of the NCAA Championships that the City of San Antonio hosts. He was the assistant tournament manager and directed marketing efforts for the 2006 NCAA Volleyball Championship, 2006 NCAA Women’s Basketball San Antonio Regional, and the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball South Re-

FOOTBALL

gional. Buskirk was also a key committee member for the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four hosted by UTSA.

LA TECH

Other additions to the UTSA external department included partnerships with local media giants Clear Channel, FOX TV, and Time Warner Cable. Buskirk also instituted new creative ticket sales strategies including a telemarketing call center that dramatically increased ticket sale efforts.

Prior to his time at UTSA, Buskirk served as the athletics marketing director at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, where he also served as an adjunct professor in the College of Business and Management. The Columbus, Ohio, native served as a market research analyst for the NBA’s Miami Heat before joining the Lynn staff. Buskirk earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Ohio State and an MBA in sport management from Florida Atlantic University.

During his time at Ohio State, he also worked as a coach for men’s and women’s tennis at Columbus West High School and as assistant men’s basketball coach at St. Charles Prep in Columbus.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Buskirk lettered in football, basketball, tennis and golf at West High School, where he was a teammate of Michael Redd, who starred at Ohio State and now plays for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Away from the office, Buskirk is an avid golfer who is always working to lower his handicap, and enjoys reading books on leadership and motivation. Buskirk’s wife Audrey is the coordinator of marketing and healthy woman advisor for the Northern Louisiana Medical Center.

COACHES

MALCOLM

OUTLOOK

BULLDOGS STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

BUtler

Associate Athletics Director/ Media Relations Malcolm Butler begins his 12th year in the Louisiana Tech athletics department, his fourth as the associate athletic director in charge of media relations.

A 1994 graduate of the Louisiana Tech journalism department, Butler joined the athletic department in July of 1999 as the assistant athletic media relations director.

Butler was then promoted to the director’s position four months later and served in that capacity until the fall of 2007 when he was promoted to associate athletic director.

The 40-year-old is in charge of media relations for women’s basketball, softball and men’s golf and also serves as the secondary contact for football while overseeing the daily operations for the entire department.

During his time at Louisiana Tech, Butler has been instrumental in promoting numerous high-profile student-athletes such as Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Luke McCown, Minnesota Vikings running back Ryan Moats, and former WNBA Rookie of the Year Cheryl Ford.

He has also worked closely with a number of highly-successful head coaches, including 4-time Hall of Famer Leon Barmore, current Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley and current Lady Techster women’s basketball coach Teresa Weatherspoon.

Over the course of his tenure, Tech’s media relations department has proven to be one of the best in the state of Louisiana. Over the past nine years, members of the Tech media relations department have won a total of 28 awards at the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) state SID contest -- the second most behind only LSU. During that same period of time, Butler has garnered 22 of those awards which is tied for the most among any state SID with LSU As-

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LA TECH OUTLOOK COACHES BULLDOGS STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

sociate Athletics Director Michael Bonnette.

Butler is part of a senior staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech athletics department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

He was instrumental in the forming the partnership between Louisiana Tech and CBS College Sports in the fall of 2007 in the redesign and hosting of the athletic departments website, www.latechsports.com. The website has undergone two redesigns since the inaugural release.

As part of the agreement with CBS College Sports, a new webstreaming platform - LA Tech All-Access was created - which allows fans from all over the world to watch live streams of almost all of the university’s home athletic events. In 2009-10, LA Tech All-Access streamed more than 100 live events.

Butler has served as the host media coordinator for three NCAA Women’s Basketball First- and Second-Round sites hosted by Louisiana Tech (2000, 2001 and 2003) while also serving as the host media coordinator for the 2008 WAC Baseball Championships hosted by Louisiana Tech at J.C. Love Field in Ruston.

In addition to his media relations responsibilities, Butler has served as the radio broadcaster for the nationally-prominent Louisiana Tech Lady Techster basketball team for the past 11 years, including the past 10 as the play-by-play announcer.

During that time, he has broadcast more than 325 women’s basketball games - including 14 NCAA Tournament games. He has also broadcast in excess of 50 softball games, including four in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and served as the color commentator on 10 Bulldog football broadcasts. Butler is also the host of Inside Tech Basketball with Teresa Weatherspoon, a 30-minute radio show.

Butler implemented a fundraising campaign for his department in the fall of 2007 and over the past four years he has raised over $25,000, which has been used to purchase additional equipment, software, and other essentials.

He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA), United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

MARIE

pipeS

Associate Athletics Director/ Chief Financial Officer Marie Pipes will begin her 26th year at Louisiana Tech and her third as associate athletics director - chief financial officer in the athletic department.

She is responsible for the day-to-day business operations of the athletic department, including overseeing the individual budgets for 16 varsity sports, monitoring athletic funds of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Foundation, serving as liaison with the university’s business offices and supervising the athletic ticket office.

Pipes is part of a senior staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010

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Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech athletics department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

Pipes previously served as the budget manager for the College of Engineering for six years where she had similar. She was also in the College of Liberal Arts as the dean’s assistant handling day-to-day business in the office while working with budget planning for the year.

In 2002, she received the Distinctive Professional Performance and Conduct Award from the Institute of Micromanufacturing at Louisiana Tech.

Pipes graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1999 with a degree in liberal arts and a minor in speech communication. She also earned her certificate in technical writing in 2007.

She is a current member of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA). She is also actively involved in the American Cancer Society and serves as the co-chair for the Relay for Life Survivor’s Dinner as well as on the Executive Committee for the ACS Relay for Life in Lincoln Parish.

LEAH

BeaSley

Assistant Athletics Director/ Marketing and Game Management Leah Beasley enters her sixth year as a member of the Louisiana Tech athletics department staff, including her fifth as the assistant athletics director for marketing and game management.

Some of Beasley’s responsibilities include game management supervision, coordinating the booking of many of the halftime activities for Tech home events, serving as the main liaison between the Tech athletics department and the Tech student body and faculty and staff, as well as working closely with many of the coaches for marketing ideas for their programs.

During her time at Louisiana Tech, Beasley has proven her merit as she has been directly and indirectly associated with numerous department awards.

Since its inception by the NCAA in 2007, Beasley has taken the lead on Louisiana Tech’s participation in the NCAA’s Pack the House Challenge - a marketing promotion geared towards increasing the awareness of women’s basketball across the country.

Beasley’s creative marketing campaigns have helped LA Tech earn top spot among the Western Athletic Conference schools for three straight years, making it one of only two programs in the country to win it every time joining Hartford of the America East Conference.

Her 2010 NCAA Pack the House marketing campaign of “Cage the Tigers” won the bronze award given out by NACDA for the Best Single Day Attendance Promotion.

Beasley has also been a part of a staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech Athletics Department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recog-

LA TECH

LA TECH OUTLOOK

nizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

Beasley also served as the athletic department’s point man for Bulldogs Tackling Breast Cancer, a fundraiser started by Dr. Allison Dooley, wife of former LA Tech AD and head football coach Derek Dooley in 2007. During its three years, this fundraising campaign raised more than $50,000 for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation in northeast Louisiana.

She also serves on several campus and conference committees, including the WAC’s Championships Committee and Game Management Committee, and the University’s Marketing Advisory Board, Spirit Squad Committee and Traditions Committee.

Beasley lettered for four years at Louisiana Tech as an outfielder on the Lady Techster softball team, earning Academic all-WAC honors every season and earning all-America Scholar Athlete awards two seasons.

The Ruston native earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing in May of 2005 and her master’s degree in marketing in August 2006.

She is a member of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWA), National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA), Who’s Who Among Executives and Professional Women and the National Association of Professional Women.

LISA

Skills” seminars for student-athletes, meets with prospective recruits, and serves as faculty advisor for SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee).

SAAC is a pro-active group of student-athletes communicating views or comments on WAC and NCAA rules and governance, which helps to ensure academic and athletic excellence for all student-athletes. Members of SAAC are also active in various community service projects such as hosting an annual Halloween carnival as well as serving as greeters for the annual St. Jude’s Radiothon, participating in the Big Event, and supporting the WAC’s charity of choice.

Merritt oversees and reviews the advising process to ensure compliance with both university and NCAA policies and serves as a liaison between faculty and coaches, as well as speaks at “New Faculty Orientation” each fall and during the year to the University Senate. She also meets recruits and their families to describe the college experience and how it will affect the student-athlete.

Merritt earned her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1991 and master’s in speech communication consultancy in 1994 both from Oklahoma State University.

She and her husband taught conversational English in Kyoto, Japan, for one year before coming to Louisiana Tech.

Outside of work, Merritt is a huge health and fitness buff who loves cycling (road and mountain), running and swimming. In 2002, Merritt and her husband completed the Florida Ironman Triathlon Merritt and her husband Kevin reside in Ruston and have a sixyear old daughter named Maisie and the couple are expecting their second child in December.

COACHES BULLDOGS STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

Merritt

Assistant Athletics Director/Academics Lisa Merritt is now in her fourth year as a member of the Louisiana Tech athletics department staff serving as assistant athletics director for academics.

Merritt joined the athletics department after serving for 11 years in the speech department with her husband Kevin where she has taught speech classes while serving as an academic advisor for students majoring in speech communication.

Since joining the Tech athletics department, Merritt has teamed up with student success specialist Missy Farrar to help the University’s student-athletes excel in the classroom. This past year, they were instrumental in helping eight of the 16 NCAA sanctioned programs at LA Tech earn their highest multi-year APR score ever while also seeing 94 student-athletes earn Academic all-WAC honors.

LA Tech’s student-athlete graduation rate continues to be one of the highest in the state and honors include numerous individual success stories such as sprinter Antoinette Cobb earning the 2010 Honda Inspiration Award and catcher Clint Ewing earning a spot on the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic all-American Team. Outfielder Clint Stubbs was named the outstanding speech communication student this past April.

Tech’s student-athletes also show incredible diversity when it comes to majors as each of the University’s five colleges and virtually every degree program on campus boast at least one Tech studentathlete.

In her current role, Merritt oversees the student-athletes’ academic progress and success while advising them regarding class schedules and degree plans, monitoring eligibility status and providing general academic guidance.

Merritt also runs the athletic academic center, provides “Life

FOOTBALL

ZACH

williaMS

Assistant Athletics Director/ Ticket Operations Zach Williams begins his second year as a member of the Louisiana Tech athletic department after joining the staff in April of 2009 as the assistant athletics director in charge of ticket operations.

Williams returned to his alma mater after spending the past three years at Northwestern State where he served as the athletic ticket manager and assistant marketing director.

During his first year at LA Tech, Williams led the transition of the ticket office to the Ticketmaster Archtics system, implementing their AccountManager, AccessManager, MailManager, and ticket forwarding programs to improve customer service and increase accessibility to Louisiana Tech athletic events.

The improvements paid off as Williams saw an increase in ticket sales in all four revenue generating sports during the 2009-10 season.

Williams has also seen the Tech Ticket Office undergo substantial renovations this summer thanks to a generous donation from a LA Tech alum. The renovations include all new furniture, new flooring, new carpet, new paint and new dividers which will only add to the day-to-day dealings with customers.

During his inaugural year at Tech, Williams has also been a part of a staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/ client service.

The Tech Athletics Department has also finished in the Top 10 the

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LA TECH OUTLOOK COACHES BULLDOGS STADIUM WAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS HISTORY UNIVERSITY MEDIA

past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

While at Northwestern State, Williams earned invaluable experience as he oversaw all ticket operations for the Division I athletic department. He created, executed and promoted season ticket drives and renewals for six sports while also hiring, training and supervising all staff members for Demon athletic events.

Prior to his time in Natchitoches, Williams spent more than a year as the Wildcat Athletic Association coordinator for the Louisiana College Athletics Department. Williams also spent a year at Georgia Southern, where he assisted in the compliance office.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Louisiana Tech in 2004 and his master’s degree in sport management a year later from Georgia Southern.

Williams is a native of Woodworth and is married to the former Susan Strain of Alexandria, who is also a 2004 Louisiana Tech graduate.

Their first son, Bennett Hardy Williams, was born on March 8, 2010.

and the couple has two sons, James and Hunter.

TOMMY

SiSeMore

Facilities Director

MASON

ellenBerGer

General Manager/ LA Tech Sports Properties Mason Ellenberger serves as general manager for “LA Tech Sports Properties”, the Ruston-based entity designed to oversee all aspects of the 10-year partnership between the University and the collegiate marketer Learfield Sports.

At LA Tech, Ellenberger is responsible for spearheading all elements of the relationship between LA Tech and Learfield Sports, which was announced in late July 2008 and includes managing and selling multimedia and sponsorship rights for the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters.

Ellenberger is also responsible for all aspects of the LA Tech Sports Network which broadcasts over 250 Louisiana Tech game broadcasts, Daily Shows and Coach’s Shows throughout the year.

In Ellenberger’s previous role as the Team Sports Marketing Manager for Alltel Wireless, he led Alltel’s strategic team sports marketing efforts in the United States. He oversaw the national promotions and activation of the sponsorship stable owned by Alltel Wireless in the US including the professional and collegiate sponsorships.

During the 2009-10 athletic season, Ellenberger and his team at LA Tech Sports Properties were recognized as the #1 new growth property in the Learfield Sports portfolio.

Prior to his years at Alltel, Ellenberger spent the previous thirteen years in strategic sales leadership, sports marketing and public relations roles in the telecommunications and entertainment industries.

The Birmingham, Ala. native has served on numerous endowment boards and board of directors for sports and education organizations including Pagnozzi Charities and the Arkansas Aeronautical Education Center.

He has been honored by White House Communications Agency for providing critical communications for the President of the Unites States and White House Staff. Ellenberger holds a BBA and MBA in Marketing both of which he graduated Summa cum Laude. Ellenberger is also an Eagle Scout and a long-time supporter of the Boy Scouts of America.

He is married to the former Wanda Jackson from Mobile, Ala.,

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In the ever-changing world of college athletics, one of Louisiana Tech’s main constants has been Tommy Sisemore.

Sisemore begins his 31st year at Louisiana Tech and his 12th as director of athletic facilities.

Some of Sisemore’s varied duties include serving as travel coordinator and business manager for the football team, handling all aspects of team travel, including hotel, food and travel arrangements.

Sisemore also handles all the financial expenses incurred in the travel process.

Sisemore is part of a administrative staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech athletics department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

Prior to working in the athletic department, Sisemore spent 17 years working in the Louisiana Tech Physical Plant.

Sisemore and his wife Stephanie, who is a Louisiana Tech graduate, are the proud parents of two daughters. Jessica is a Louisiana Tech graduate and currently working on her master’s degree while Anna-Claire is a sophomore at Louisiana Tech.

JOSH

perot

Account Executive/LA Tech Sports Properties

Josh Perot serves as account executive for LA Tech Sports Properties, overseeing every aspect of the Bulldogs’ and Lady Techsters’ rights, including certain television rights, radio, corporate hospitality, print sponsorships, event marketing, official athletic Web site advertising and venue signage.

LA TECH

Perot and General Manager Mason Ellenberger joined forces this past year to help make LA Tech Sports Properties the #1 new growth property in the Learfield Sports portfolio.

Perot also assists Ellenberger in all facets of LA Tech Sports Properties, including growing the LA Tech Sports Network which broadcasts over 250 games, daily shows and coach’s shows throughout the year.

Perot returned to his alma mater from Texas A&M Sports Properties in College Station, where he previously served in an internship capacity while completing his master’s degree in sports management.

Prior to joining Learfield, he was a student assistant for Texas A&M Compliance. Additionally, Perot served as a student marketing assistant for Louisiana Tech athletics while finishing his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2007.

In June 2009, Perot married the former Haley Nardini of Alexandria, La., also a graduate from LA Tech. The couple resides in Ruston.

While at South Carolina, he was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) for his work on the 2003 South Carolina Track and Field Media Guide, which was named second in the nation, and for the 2002 South Carolina Volleyball Media Guide which placed first in the region.

Walsh, born in Oxford, Ohio, currently resides in Ruston along with his wife, the former Blair Brandon of Fort Worth, Texas.

ADAM

McGUirt

LTAC Director

PATRICK

walSh

Associate Media Relations Director

Patrick Walsh begins his second year at Louisiana Tech as part of the media relations department, his first as the associate media relations director, serving as the primary contact for football, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field.

Walsh came to Louisiana Tech from The Citadel, where he last served as the primary contact for baseball and cross country while serving as the secondary contact for football, as well as the webmaster for CitadelSports.com. He also oversaw game operations duties for The Citadel Baseball at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

At The Citadel, Walsh was involved with a trio of publications that were recognized on a national scale by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), with his 2007 track and field media guide finishing 24th in the nation. Walsh was heavily involved with the 2008 football guide that finished eighth among Division I-FCS programs and the 2006 football guide that was 12th among I-AA teams.

A member of CoSIDA, Walsh also serves on the Publications Committee and was a judge for the 2007 women’s golf media guide publications contest.

Walsh arrived at The Citadel following a seven-month stint as the Sports Information Assistant at Newberry College in Newberry, S.C., a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference. At Newberry, Walsh was responsible for media relations and game operations for Indians baseball, cross country, tennis and volleyball, as well as being the assistant contact for men’s basketball.

Walsh was also in charge of marketing and promotions for several Newberry sports. His work helped lead Newberry Volleyball to a NCAA Division II top 20 ranking in attendance. In addition to those duties, Walsh was also the play-by-play announcer for Newberry volleyball and baseball radio broadcasts.

Walsh is a 2005 graduate of the University of South Carolina where he majored in Sport and Entertainment Management and was a member of the South Carolina Honors College. At USC, he was a student assistant in the Sports Information office where he worked with several Gamecock sports and was the public address announcer for South Carolina Baseball at Sarge Frye Field.

Adam McGuirt begins his fourth year with the Louisiana Tech athletics family as the Director of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Club (LTAC), working in the Division of University Advancement.

At Louisiana Tech, McGuirt is responsible for all areas of athletic development, including donor relations and booster club administration.

During his previous three years at LA Tech, McGuirt has been instrumental in helping more than double the number of LTAC members which has resulted in a large increase in private donations.

McGuirt also works closely with the Alumni Association in the development and implementation of events for alumni and friends throughout the state of Louisiana and surrounding areas.

McGuirt has also been a part of a staff at LA Tech that has been instrumental in garnering a number of national awards, including the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award - which recognizes colleges for managerial excellence across four areas: marketing/branding; fan development; community relations; and customer/client service.

The Tech Athletics Department has also finished in the Top 10 the past two years in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the nation.

A native of Shreveport, McGuirt graduated from Louisiana Tech in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

McGuirt is married to April, and they have three daughters, Lily, Sophie and Emily. April works as a customer service representative at First National Bank in Ruston.

201 53

Athletics Council

Dr. Marvin Green Alumni Rep.

Dr. Les Guice

Mary Kay Hungate

Dr. James Liberatos Chairman

Lisa Cole

Steve Davison

Bruce Van De Velde

Dr. Sean Dwyer

Dr. Guthrie Jarrell Alumni Rep.

Dr. Terry McConathy

Dr. Ken Rea

Sam Speed

Donna Thomas

Leah Beasley Assistant A.D./ Marketing

Eric Buskirk Associate A.D./ External Affairs

Malcolm Butler Associate A.D./ Media Relations

Mason Ellenberger G.M.-LA Tech Sports Properties

Missy Farrar Student Success Specialist

Adam McGuirt LTAC Director

Lisa Merritt Assistant A.D./ Academics

Administrative Support

Bill Graham Special Events

Brenda Milton WBB Coordinator

Lori Hamilton Asst. to A.D.

Sandra Kane Assistant Director for Compliance

Linda Lewis Media Relations Coordinator

Marshall Ticket Operations

Josh McDaniel Webmaster/Kid’s Club Director

Josh Perot Act. Exec.-LA Tech Sports Properties

Dana Pettit Accounting Technician

Marie Pipes Associate A.D./ CFO

Renee Puckett Men’s Basketball Coordinator

Tommy Sisemore Director of Facilities

Kim Tanner Facilities Coordinator

Zach Williams Assistant A.D./ Ticket Operations

Head Coaches

Jeff Parks Golf

54

Kerry Rupp Men’s Basketball

Wade Simoneaux Baseball

Kevin Sherry Soccer

Matt Sonnichsen Volleyball

Sarah Dawson Softball

Sonny Dykes Football

Shawn Jackson Bowling

Gary Stanley Track & Field

Teresa Weatherspoon Women’s Basketball

Quintin Yray Tennis

2009-10 BulldoG A ccom p lis h me n t s • Recorded highest finish ever in Western Athletic Conference Championships • Earned its highest ranking in more than 20 years, moving up more than 60 places from the beginning of the season • Defeated more than 20 Top 100 ranked opponents during the season • Saw seven of 10 golfers earn at least one Top 15 finish during the season • Saw seven of 10 golfers record a sub-par round during the season • Recorded the best team scoring average in more than 20 years

Clinton

Shepard

cody

Santone

Hayden

Stephens

Jonathan

Bale

20 10-11 BULLDOG GOLF SCHEDULE Sept. 13-14 Sept. 20-21 Oct. 4-5 Oct. 18-19 Oct. 25-26 Feb. 21-22 Feb. 28-29 March 13-15 April 4-5 April 10-12 May 2-4

Sam Hall Intercollegiate UTA/Waterchase Invitational Squire Creek Invitational David Toms Intercollegiate Memphis Intercollegiate Rice Intercollegiate UALR First Tee Collegiate Classic LA Tech Bulldog Classic Reunion Intercollegiate Jim West Intercollegiate WAC Championships

Hattiesburg, Miss.

Arlington, Texas Choudrant, La. Baton Rouge, La. Memphis, Tenn.

Houston, Texas Little Rock, Ark. Choudrant, La. Oxford, Miss.

San Marcos, Texas Henderson, Nevada