NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 9 SOFTBALL
Softball looking to recover from dismal second half By Clay Massey Staff Writer @Clay_FC When the North Texas softball team entered conference play, it was riding the high of a five-game winning streak. The team had received votes to become nationally ranked and was sitting on a 13-6 record – the second best start in school history. However, the opening weekend of Conference USA play set the tone for what was to come for the Mean Green. After the University of Texas at San Antonio swept North Texas in its first C-USA series, the Mean Green could not get back on track. Since then, North Texas has posted a 3-18 record in C-USA with just one conference series remaining. Head coach Tracey Kee said the grind of a 55-game season caught up to her young team. “I’ve seen it more so physically and mentally,” Kee said. “They’re just tired. I don’t think the UTSA series
set up what was to come more than it just put us behind the eight ball.” When North Texas began to skid after the sweep at the hands of UTSA, North Texas could never quite get out of its funk, even with wins in nonconference games that were sprinkled in. After C-USA play began, the Mean Green were 4-5 in non-conference games. “We were definitely surprised [at poor conference start],” Schkade said. “Ever since this season started I felt we had a good chance. Everyone was clicking on and off the field. So when we didn’t start performing in conference I was shocked, and I think everyone else was too.” After being mathematically eliminated from postseason play with a sweep at the hands of the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mean Green shifted its focus to sending the team’s two seniors out on a high note. Senior catcher Bryana Wade and senior second baseman Karly Williams’ days have
Freshman utility player Rhylie Makawe (21) swings just under a pitch for a strike against Marshall. Dylan Nadwodny | Staff Photographer
become numbered in North Texas uniforms, and their teammates are doing their best to finish strong. Williams said she realized how few moments she had left after last weekend’s games against the University of Texas at El Paso. “At this point in the season, everybody is feeling it,” Williams said. “We only get so many off days, and it’s definitely a struggle.” Wade and Williams are the only two players on the squad who experienced Kee’s first year in charge and the mass exit of a lot of their teammates last year. While the team has put in work this offseason to make sure they were physically fit to the best
Junior infielder Kelli Schkade (9) drives a ball off her bat against Louisiana Tech. Dylan Nadwodny | Staff Photographer of their ability, Williams said she’s felt the wear and tear as well. One of the areas where fatigue seemed it would be easiest to infect was the pitching staff, as the rotation featured just three pitchers. Two of them, juniors Stacey Underwood and Jessica Elder, have notched more than 120 innings each, and freshman Lauren Craine has more than 60 innings under her belt. Kee said a fourth arm would not have been much help, as her pitching staff seemed to struggle together. In the current stretch of a 13-game losing streak, the staff has
allowed a combined 76 runs, or just under six per game. “I think not having three pitchers off at the same time would have helped,” Kee said. “We went through a stretch where none of the three were throwing well.” During the current 13-game losing streak, North Texas has been outscored 76-28 and has been shut out three times. After a blazing hot start where she was hitting well over .400, junior shortstop Kelli Schkade has cooled off, but not by much, as she is now sitting at .389. With just two seniors, the Mean Green will be returning
a majority of this year’s squad that started so hot. And with the disappointment of missing the C-USA tournament hosted in Denton, the Mean Green have begun to look forward. “We didn’t really have anything to lose this season because we were new,” Schkade said. “We wanted to prove ourselves, and we might not have done that, but we know next year could be completely different. I hope we remember how it feels to be in this situation. I think that bitter taste in our mouth will help us next season.”
TRACK & FIELD
Four track and field athletes ready to compete at NCAA tournament By Reece Waddell Senior Staff Writer @ReeceWaddell15 Head track & field coach Carl Sheffield made a bold prediction coming into the 2016 season, saying the Mean Green would double the number of athletes at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Last year North Texas sent eight athletes to the tournament, so in order for Sheffield’s prediction to come true, 16 athletes will need to qualify this time around. “We may come up a little short there,” Sheffield said. “But I think the group that has potential to get there will be just as good. The chance for them to advance will be greater than it was with us taking [eight] people last year.” The outdoor championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon from June 8-11 and boasts the top track and field performers from across the nation. And despite North Texas being in a mid-major conference, Sheffield does not view that as a hindrance. Rather, he sees it as an advantage. “I think if you’re a finalist in Conference USA or on the podium at Conference USA, you’re one of the tops in the nation,” Sheffield
said. “Our conference is just that competitive. We feel very strongly that if you can be top three, four or five at Conference USA, you can get into the national finals.” One of the athletes consistently on the podium for the Mean Green has been senior high jumper Eddie Wilcox. The 6’6 human pogo stick took home the gold at the C-USA indoor championships in February, shattering his personal best mark when he cleared 2.17 meters. But to be competitive on the national stage, Wilcox said he may have to leap even higher. “I’m probably going to have to jump my [personal record] to get there,” Wilcox said. “After doing it this weekend and how I felt going over it, I feel really comfortable.” Wilcox is ranked 11th on the NCAA Division I West Outdoor Qualifying List for high jump and trails the leader by only .09 meters. Because the NCAA takes the top 12 athletes from the qualifying list, Wilcox feels confident about his ability to soar to new heights in Eugene and end his collegiate career on a high note. “I for sure wouldn’t have a ‘what if?’ in the back of my head for the rest of my life,” Wilcox said of making the NCAA tournament. “It would be great to have peace
of mind, being able to say, ‘Hey, I was able to go to nationals.’” But Wilcox is not the only North Texas athlete primed for a spot in the NCAA tournament. With only a few weeks left in a Mean Green uniform, graduate hurdler Chastity Stewart is hoping to go out with a bang. Fresh off setting the meet record in the 100-meter hurdles at the John Jacobs Invitational, Stewart has become a key cog for the women’s side down the stretch. Currently 12th on her qualifying list with a time of 13.24 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, Stewart is the highest nationally ranked woman on the North Texas squad. “All the work we’ve put in over the past five years is going to pay off,” Stewart said. “I’ve wanted to impact this program for more than just my ability on the track. I think I’ve done that, but there are still a lot more loose ends I want to tie up.” Another senior competing on the national level for the Mean Green is sprinter and jumper Mona Landry. Having competed four straight years at the NCAA tournament for North Texas, Landry is no stranger to the adrenaline-pumping challenge that likely awaits her.
Graduate student Chastity Stewart has a career-best time of 7.92 in the 55-meter hurdles. Courtesy | North Texas Athletics
Senior sprinter and jumper Mona Landry extends after jumping off of the runway in the long jump at the TCU Invitational in For t Wor th. Courtesy | Nor th Texas Athletics “The intensity is very high,” Landry said. “Everyone of course comes to go hard or go home. I think it’s just mental. You have to get yourself together and worry about you.” Senior distance runner Bryce McAndrew will also be gracing the national stage for North Texas. He has already broken the North Texas outdoor track and field record in the 5,000 meter run on April 15 with a time of 14:06:07, besting a record held for 33 years by Ron Wakefield. McAndrew is currently ranked
20th on the 1,500 meter run qualifying list, but he said he will need to improve on his personal bests in order to ascent to the top of an event where results come down to tenths of seconds. “I’m going to have to have a good day to go,” McAndrew said. “Every year just keeps getting faster and faster. I’ve been racing for a while, so if the race goes how it should, I should have a good chance. Everyone is really good. You can’t have a bad day.” As the season comes to a close, Sheffield is proud of the work his
entire team has put in. With that in mind, Sheffield also knows he has a class full of seniors determined to make one final trek to Oregon and leave their stamp on the program. “It’s almost saddening to realize how many seniors have brought this team to this point,” Sheffield said. “I’m praying they’ve left their mark on the underclassman. They all have stories about where they came from and how they got here. You always talk about them when they come back, so I hope they leave that impression behind.”