ANNUAL REPORT
LETTER FROM RYAN IVEY
Welcome to the 2023-24 Louisiana Tech athletics annual report. This publication is designed to be a source of information, education and most of all, pride. Our goal with the annual report is provide an opportunity to show case the exciting things happening with your athletics department. We sincerely hope that you enjoy and find this document to be as beneficial as we do.
As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, our approach must change and evolve with it. As we move through this new era, it will be critically important that we create measurable and obtainable metrics to effectively evaluate the progress of our department. While much has been discussed surrounding what may be wrong with college athletics, our approach must be focused on what is still worth investing in, growing, and impacting lives through intercollegiate athletics vehicle, as there are still inherit educational benefits (on and outside of the classroom) of being student-athlete that we must promote.
On the competition surface we were able to qualify for five NCAA post season championships (Baseball, Bowling and qualifiers in golf and both men’s and women’s Outdoor Track & Field), along with five top-3 finishes in CUSA (Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Softball, and Tennis). In the classroom we have a 3.092 cumulative departmental GPA, had 226 CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipients, 66 CUSA academic medalists, 608 AD Honor Roll recipients over the three quarters with 186 4.00 GPAs), and had 47 student-athletes earn their degree. had 121 make 4.0 in either the Fall or Spring semester and graduated 47 student-athletes. While I have only been here a short time, I have witnessed first-hand and can see the relentless pursuit of excellence from our coaches, staff and student-athletes.
But I can tell you, without a doubt, we couldn’t and wouldn’t have been as successful without the wonderful support and generosity of all of you. Your continued presence and support fuels the very efforts that our student-athletes, coaches and staff make every day. They are constantly working to learn, grow and make all of you proud to wear the red and loyal blue. From purchasing season tickets, to becoming a LTAC member, or just wearing your loyal blue with pride, your support is critically important to our success!
While we may have had many accomplishments, we will not rest on those. We still have work to do and a vision to chase. I am confident though, that because of our great student-athletes, dedicated coaches and staff, and loyal supporters, the best days are yet to come!
Go Dogs and Go Lady Techsters,
Ryan Ivey VP/Director of Athletics
Louisiana Tech University
2023-24 TIMELINE
AUGUST 26, 2023
football hosts week 0 game, fights back to defeat fiu, 22-17, in joe aillet stadium
AUGUST 17, 2023
Soccer went on the road, defeating Colorado College, 3-1, in the season opener
OCTOBER 7, 2023
CROSS COUNTRY HOSTS THE ANNUAL MOOK 4 INVITATIONAL, WOMEN PLACE 2ND WHILE MEN PLACE 4TH
NOVEMBER 9, 2023
volleyball shutouts out jacksonville state, 3-0, qualifies for cusa tournament
JANUARY 6, 2024
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS, BESTING SAM HOUSTON FOR PROGRAM’S 1,200TH WIN
JANUARY 14, 2024
MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS THRILLER, DEFEATS LIBERTY ,80-76, IN OVERTIME ON NATIONAL TELEVISION
FEBRUARY 12, 2024
TENNIS WINS, 4-2, OVER HOUSTON FOR FIRST EVER WIN VERSUS A BIG 12 OPPONENT
FEBRUARY 14, 2024
TRACK AND FIELD CLAIM EIGHT PODIUMS (TWO CHAMPIONS) AT THE CUSA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP
MARCH 20, 2024
SOFTBALL UPSETS UL-LAFAYETTE, 5-3, AT THE BILLY FOR FIRST WIN OVER CAJUNS SINCE 1998
APRIL 24, 2024
GOLF FINISHES FIRST IN STROKE PLAY AT CUSA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
MAY 12, 2024
TRACK AND FIELD TALLIES 13 PODIUMS (FIVE CHAMPIONS) AT CUSA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP
MAY 17, 2024
BASEBALL CLAIMS CUSA REGULAR SEASON TITLE WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP AT LIBERTY
LOUISIANA TECH SOFTBALL
Recorded victories over four league champions and two Power Five opponents
Set a program record with five CSC Academic All-District selections
Tallied six All-Conference USA selections, the fourth most in program history
Alexis Gilio was named First Team All-CUSA and NFCA Second Team All-Mideast Region
Ranked in the top 50 nationally in total attendance for the second consecutive season
Josh Taylor was votecd Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons
LOUISIANA TECH FOOTBALL
Recorded 22-17 come-from-behind victory over FIU in Week Zero nationally televised game
Seven of the 12 games were nationally televised on CBS Sports Network and ESPN platforms
Tallied 10 All-Conference USA selections, including four First Team honorees
Michael Richard was named Freshman All-America and CUSA Freshman of the Year
Bulldogs snapped road skid with 24-10 win at UTEP, the fewest points allowed since 2019
Willie Roberts was named a Paycom Jim Thorpe Award national semifinalist
LOUISIANA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Finished season ranked as top CUSA team in both NET and KenPom rankings
Ranked 7th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 39.1%
Went 8-7 in road games, including a 6-2 mark in league contests away from home
Talvin Hester was named NABC District 11 Coach of the Year and a Ben Jobe Award finalist
Isaiah Crawford was named CUSA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year
Daniel Batcho was selected as the CUSA Newcomer of the Year
LOUISIANA TECH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Became the fifth program in NCAA history to eclipse 1,200 wins (def. Sam Houston on Jan. 6)
Set the single season 3-point record with 199 made three-pointers
Faced off against seven NCAA Tournament teams, including a 77-51 win over Cal Baptist
Anna Larr Roberson became the 13th Lady Techster to finish with 1,500+ career points and 900+ boards
Anna Larr Roberson was named First Team All-CUSA while Salma Bates was All-CUSA Honorable Mention
Jianna Morris and Paris Guillory were both named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team
LOUISIANA TECH TENNIS
Won 15 matches in the dual season under first-year head coach Amy Sargeant
Defeated Houston 4-2 on the road, marking the program’s first ever win over a Big 12 opponent
Three Bulldogs finished with 15+ dual singles wins, the first time in the program’s history since 1982
Program earned four All-CUSA selections, tied for the most in a single season in school history
Four Bulldogs earned CUSA Player of the Week honors during the spring season
Olga Bienzobas became the first Bulldog in program history to be named Louisiana Player of the Year
LOUISIANA TECH GOLF
Finished first in stroke play at the CUSA Championship for the first time in program history
Shot a 54-hole total of 860 at CUSA Championship, the lowest ever at a conference championship
Shot -8 in round one of the CUSA Championship, tied for the eighth lowest round in school history
Niilo Maki-Petaja and Hunter Battles were both named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team
Niilo Maki-Petaja earned an at-large bid to NCAA Regionals; ranked as high as No. 200 in the country
Niilo Maki-Petaja was named CUSA Freshman of the Year and First Team All-CUSA
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FOR OLE RED AND BLUE!
LOUISIANA TECH BASEBALL
Opened the season with a 12-game winning streak, including three wins at Battle at The Ballpark
Had an overall record of 45-19, the second most victories in a single season in school history
Claimed the outright CUSA regular season title for the first time in school history
Lane Burroughs named CUSA Co-Coach of the Year, Ethan Bates voted CUSA Player of the Year
Bulldogs receive NCAA at-large bid, play in Fayetteville Regional (third in four years)
Ethan Bates, Cole McConnell named All-Americans; Bates collects six All-America honors FIGHT!
LOUISIANA TECH VOLLEYBALL
Finished season with two 3-0 wins to qualify for the CUSA Championship (first time in school history)
Collected a pair of 3-1 victories over Grambling and Lamar in the LA Tech Invitational
Grace Krohn became the second Bulldog in program history to be named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team
Both Lauren Albrecht and Grace Krohn finished the season with 300+ assists
McKenzie Johnson moved into No. 7 on the all-time career digs list (1,284)
McKenzie Johnson earned All-Louisiana honors for the second time in her Bulldog career
LOUISIANA TECH SOCCER
Hosted the CUSA Championship for the first time in school history, advanced to semifinals
Shutout WKU, 1-0, to reach CUSA semifinals for just the first time since 2018
Opened the season with a 3-1 victory at Colorado College
Three Bulldogs earned All-CUSA honors; Kyra Taylor named CUSA Freshman of the Year
Josie Studer finished her career as a four-time All-CUSA selection, second most career minutes
Kyra Taylor tied the program’s freshman record for most goals scored with nine
LOUISIANA TECH BOWLING
Recorded the program’s highest ever national ranking at No. 4, finished season ranked No. 8
Finished season with 83 wins, setting the program record for a third consecutive year
Qualified for the NCAA Regionals and USBC ITC Nationals for a fourth straight season
Started the season with three victories and a second-place finish through the first four events
Four Bulldogs earned All-America honors, including Patricia Rosales and Allie Leiendecker (2nd Team)
Kylee Trexler was named NTCA Rookie of the Year and CUSA Freshman of the Year
LOUISIANA TECH TRACK
& FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY
Track and Field set three program records and registered 41 top-10 marks during the season
Bulldog men finished 5th in CUSA Indoor and Outdoor Championship (best finishes in 8-10 years)
Bulldog women finished 6th in both CUSA Indoor and Outdoor, their best finish since 2015 in both
Bulldogs totaled seven gold podiums at the CUSA Championships, including three relay teams
Team had a combined nine qualifies for the NCAA East Regionals
Bulldogs combined for three top-3 finishes in XC; two Bulldogs earned CUSA Athlete of the Week
2,738,447 PAGE VIEWS (2nd-most users and page views on record)
LA TECH ATHLETICS VILLAGE HOSTED 208 EVENTS
FALL FAN FEST
CHAMPIONS PLAZA
CUSA SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
ryan ivey introduction
50th anniversary reunion
10th annual techspys
hall of fame class of 2023
jim mize ribbon cutting cusa baseball championship
80Aillet Society members
150T-Club members
CHAMPIONSHIPS REQUIRE CHAMPIONSHIP RESOURCES.
1,000+Individuals at Tech’s in Town events
