The Battalion — February 15, 2024

THURSDAY, FEBUARY 15 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2024 STUDENT MEDIA

Thursday 2/15 Cloudy 72/51

@thebattonline

SPORTS A&M baseball returns for its 2024 season with home series against McNeese. B2

FEATURES Local business owner mentors new artists by creating open space for creation. A3

A&M, local mall plan new esports arena New facility could ‘level the playing field’ for Aggie gamers

By Mia Putnam @MiaBatt25

Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during his visit to College Station to endorse House District 14 candidate Paul Dyson at Pebble Creek Country Club on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.

Abbott in Aggieland

Governor endorses local candidate, discusses school choice, border

By Cameron Gibson @CameronTheBatt Paul Dyson, who is running to be State representative for Texas House District 14, threw a campaign rally at Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station on Feb. 13. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who announced his endorsement for Dyson in December 2023, attended the event and gave a speech in support of Dyson.

In his speech, Abbott said the Dallas Independent School District has “a resource catalog for families in their district so that families can learn how students in the district

can change their genders.” Abbott said school districts should be focused on essentials like reading and writing “so we can be a competitive state and nation against foreign nations that are educating kids to be superior to ours.”

Both Abbott and Dyson spoke in favor of school choice.

“I am supporting the rights, God-given rights, of all parents in the state of Texas to be able to choose an education pathway that is suitable for their child,” Abbott said.

“I think there is a comprehensive solution … which is to bolster and strengthen our public schools while also giving parents that choice,” Dyson said.

Dyson said the curriculum for public schools should not be set by school districts, but be set at the state level.

Abbott said the number one issue in District 14, Texas and the United States is “securing the border.”

“More than three times the [population] of Houston, Texas came across the border illegally, under Joe Biden, many of whom were either wanted for murder or committed murder … others who were on a terrorist watchlist who were apprehended,” Abbott said.

Dyson said Abbott’s border policies are needed to secure the Southern border.

“What happens when the federal government or the administration who’s charged with doing it [national security] advocates their responsibility to do it?” Dyson said.

“Then a state has to step in, and I think that’s what you’re seeing Governor Abbott do and what he’s led Texas to do to make sure we secure the Southern border.”

Dyson said he has plans to improve the local housing situation.

“When you’re talking about housing, the focus is about having attainable housing, and one of those things is the permanent property tax relief we’ve been talking about,” Dyson said. “It can also help push down lower rental rates too because if we lower the property taxes for landlords, the owners don’t have as much that they’re trying to make up on the rent side. So that would be the focus, I think, when it comes to housing.”

When asked about policies Dyson would like to see implemented in relation to the issue of homelessness in Bryan and College Station, he said, “There are charities, some great organizations in town that help to serve that community, but no policies that come to mind right now.”

Texas A&M has been working behind the scenes to acquire the former Macy’s at Post Oak Mall for an esports campus conversion. Now, the Texas A&M Esports club is one step closer to having an athletic facility to call its own.

Texas A&M Esports, or AME, is a student organization for casual and competitive gaming enthusiasts that boasts almost 2,800 members. Despite being one of the largest clubs on campus, AME has no dedicated meeting space, AME President and sport management senior Alex DeLape said.

“Anytime we do any sort of meetings, it’s in whatever we can book,” DeLape said.

In August 2022, the City of College Station acquired the vacant Macy’s at Post Oak for over $7 million. Months later, AME announced A&M entered negotiations with College Station to lease the space for the esports campus, which would be overseen by the A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.

A&M has been quiet since the announcement, but the project is slowly moving forward.

On Feb. 8, bidders and prospective contractors met with A&M staff to view former Macy’s space before the project proceeds. The meeting was held to attract qualified contractors for the campus. A&M will complete its construction proposal for the space by Feb. 24.

During the meeting, interim dean of the A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts Tim McLaughlin spoke to KBTX at Post Oak Mall. McLaughlin said the esports facility would be used to host tournaments but will also include educational spaces for classrooms.

“We’ve had the club team for a while,” McLaughlin said to KBTX. “Getting facilities is the next step, and this facility, if realized, will be something completely significant for the community and the university … we would have a beautiful facility, ESPORTS ON PG. A2

A&M celebrates love, girlhood Aggie women find unconventional ways to spend Valentine’s Day

By Diya Regi-Thomas @diyaregithomas

Ethan Mattson — The Battalion

For the girls of Aggieland, Feb. 14 is a day steeped in tradition, fond memories, celebration and appreciation for loved ones, whether they choose to celebrate Valentine’s or Galentine’s.

Despite this being her first Valentine’s as nursing senior Lindsey Root instead of Lindsey Martin, Root said she still loves Galentine’s festivities and celebrated with Aggie Sisters in Healthcare last Thursday.

“We had a potluck with cookie cake, Texas Roadhouse rolls,

Chick-fil-A nuggets and we watched a rom-com,” Root said. “It’s more fun, and it also gives me an excuse to have another girl’s night. I feel like the cheese of Valentine’s is great for the girls. I love it. Maybe I’ll be 30 and have it with my mom.”

Root said Valentine’s was especially important to her in high school, but now it’s more valuable to see how her relationship with her husband Corban has changed over the years since their first in 2019, and to celebrate one another intentionally throughout the year.

“We gave each other a stuffed animal from Walmart because it’s like five or $10, and then we went to Texas Roadhouse,” Root said. “We did that every single year until college because I don’t think we have any more room for stuffed animals, but we still go to Texas Roadhouse.

It’s a really great price, and it’s like a

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tradition. I will be eating cinnamon butter rolls until I die.”

The holiday is worth celebrating, even if it is a bit cheesy and overrated, Root said.

“In 2020 when it snowed, it was Snowmageddon,” Root said. “We lived like two minutes away from each other in Fort Worth, and his dad put [on] snow tire chains that we don’t have in Texas. He drove Corban to my house so he could still give me my stuffed animal. It was so sweet.”

Biology junior Mariam Sharief said that even with a love life that feels like “Heartless” by The Weeknd, she still loves celebrating Galentine’s and plans on making dinner and watching “The Bachelor” with her best friend this year.

“It’s a way for girls to celebrate one another and their girlhood,” GALENTINES ON PG. A2

CAMPUS

The Battalion | 02.15.24

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via Facebook/Post Oak Mall

ESPORTS CONTINUED state of the art, setting the top of what’s expected at the collegiate level and something that contributes to the community.”

The facility is expected to house over 400 desktop gaming stations, along with offering retail areas for food, clothing and computer hardware.

DeLape said while the news surrounding the facility is exciting, many AME members are taking it with a grain of salt. However, DeLape said adding the facility could be a step in the right direction to address AME’s growing needs.

Compared to other varsity sports, esports

GALENTINES CONTINUED Sharief said. “Freshman year, all my friends got together at my apartment; we had a bunch of desserts, fun snacks, played board games and celebrated our friendship.”

However, Sharief said she misses how growing up Valentine’s was a fun day centered around kids appreciating one another and maybe sending a carnation to their crush.

“If there were 26 students in the class, I got 26 Valentines,” Sharief said. “I used to eat candy, get a sugar rush, go home, take a nap. It feels so real now. People are getting engaged;

teams compete against other schools, regardless of division assignments or classifications.

While schools can enter multiple teams or “rosters” for competitions, AME can’t match the resources other teams offer, DeLape said.

Aggie esports athletes have to rely on their own resources and student volunteer coaches.

“When it comes to the teams we’re going up against, [they have] dedicated equipment, dedicated internet connections and most of them are even on scholarships,” DeLape said.

“They’ll have a coach that is paid to be there.”

AME receives no university financial support, and currently, AME cannot offer scholarships or dedicated resources to any esports athletes due to a lack of funding. DeLape said

Aggies have to pay to be a part of AME, which can cause talented esports athletes to accept admission offers from other colleges.

DeLape said AME would be grateful if it were even given a room with just 10 computers for its members.

While he said the lack of a dedicated space is the biggest factor limiting AME’s growth, DeLape said one of the next big steps to expand AME would be securing scholarships for esports athletes.

In the meantime, DeLape said AME is building a relationship with Legends Event Center in Bryan, which has an esports and gaming lounge. Although it helps to have the space occasionally, DeLape said not all mem-

bers have reliable off-campus transportation.

The esports facility may have public access areas for non-esport athletes, however, DeLape said he hopes AME will have dedicated training spaces for its competitive teams or roster members.

When A&M asked what specifications the esports campus would require to meet students’ needs, AME surveyed current and former members. DeLape said many Aggies are looking for a consistent space to practice for competitions or to create content, such as streaming.

DeLape said AME will have to wait and see if the facility will help level the playing field.

they’re getting married; they’re in long-term relationships. Meanwhile, I’m studying for my biochemistry exam, which is basically on Valentine’s Day.” When industrial systems engineering senior Michelle Moller was younger, she said her dad used to give her and her sister presents for Valentine’s Day. She shares Sharief’s sentiment that it’s not the same since she’s gotten older and further away from home.

“It used to be things for kids, each person got their little note box, shared candy and gifts with your family,” Moller said. “Getting older, it’s definitely changed. This year, I’ll

be studying on Valentine’s Day. When I get home, I’ll probably bake chocolate chip cookies, see my sister and watch a rom-com.”

Encompassed by a whirlwind of love, pink, chocolate and hearts, business management senior Meena Vontivillu has embraced the holiday as it’s changed over the years.

“I’m always surrounded by people that I love, even if it’s just eating chocolate,” Vontivillu said. “I usually call my parents, talk to them; they get me a little stuffed animal and chocolate every year. Now that I’m not near my parents, I love Galentine’s. It’s so fun celebrating your friendships and your girls. It’s

so wholesome.”

With love flooding every street corner on Feb. 14, Moller said her favorite part of the day is seeing all the different forms of it everywhere.

“Seeing couples on Instagram, hearing what my dad gave my mom — I love seeing love, and it’s such a nice day to see it,” Moller said.

“It’s like watching a movie. Love is one of the best parts of being a human. It’s so cheesy, but I like seeing the purity of it. Most people are happy, at least for that day.”

The Rudder Association Annual Essay Contest

Open to all students currently enrolled at Texas A&M University Submission deadline is March 1st

The Rudder Association’s mission is to defend and perpetuate the Core Values of loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect at Texas A&M. We provide a voice for all Aggies who honor its values, traditions and culture. We are Aggies to the Core.

Last year, we received numerous excellent submissions on academia's effect on MLK's dream of judging by character rather than skin color.

This year we are asking students, "Which of our Core Values is most significant to you and how will you live this out as a current and former student?"

- First Prize $500, Second $300 and Third $200 -

The winning writer will be invited to read their work at the annual members meeting in College Station on March 23.

Email word doc. or PDF entry to: Admin@rudderassociation.org - Please include author’s name, class year, major, email, phone number and hometown. Essays will be evaluated anonymously on their adherence to the prompt, logical development of ideas, persuasiveness, and utilization of facts and background information.

FEATURES

The Battalion | 02.15.24

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Creativity ‘keeps you young’ Bryan artist Victor Lucio discusses art, entrepreneurship

By Sameeksha Sharma @Twittertweettweet Art may not be the product of sudden bursts of creativity as it is often treated to be. It is tempting to defer producing art “til you’re struck by a large enough incentive or inspiration.” However, local entrepreneur and fashion brand creator Victor Lucio encourages artists to find their rhythm in art through consistency.

“For a long time, I was just thinking about getting my art out there,” Lucio said. “At the end of the day, ideas are worth nothing … unless you do something about it. So my advice to anyone [who] is looking to do what they love and be creative is to not overthink.”

Lucio, a 33-year-old Bryan local, decided to start his fashion brand Vortex a year ago after several years of contemplation. He transformed his art into apparel that could be worn by anyone with a collection including shirts, sweatshirts and everyday utility clothes.

“I think my aim with Vortex is to make clothes that are conversation starters,” Lucio said. “That is my intention behind our motto, which is to ‘Exit the matrix and enter the vortex.’ Even now when you see

someone wearing a cool shirt, you tell them about it, and it starts a conversation. Clothes have always been a way for people to express how they feel, even for introverts, and I think that is special.”

Vortex Studios is based near Midtown Park in Bryan, and Lucio is focused on providing local artists with a reliable safe haven that has growth and connection opportunities. Lucio often hosts Paint and Thrift events in his studio and even opens his resources up to local artists every Friday from 7-10 p.m.

“I think being creative keeps you young,” Lucio said. “That is why I challenge myself and others to keep doing something creative every day.

Inspiration is never going to come to you. Creativity is like working out a muscle. It needs to be trained to create something new every day.

So I wake up and make myself create something new each day.”

His studio walls are a mosaic of uninhibited creativity, featuring the original art of several traveling artists who left behind artistic statements and mementos. He proudly displays a collectively-made abstract rug in the front mantle of his studio.

“This is a rug made by several local artists,” Lucio said. “It is a piece that will never be replicated again because … [this] set of artists will never create this very same piece that they created in the moment. So I think of it as a metaphysical object that embodies the contribution and energy of each artist.”

Lucio said it took him a long

time to find the courage to put his art out into the world. Now that he has, he has no intention of slowing down. He plans on organizing more artist events like technical and commercial training workshops as well as fashion shows that spotlight the handiwork of various creators.

“Right now, Vortex clothes are available in local vendor markets like First Friday,” Lucio said. “My short-term goal is to organize more fashion shows. My long-term goal is to become a mentor that guides artists in the right direction. I want to keep getting better at offering a safe space for artists and also … have more brand collaborations that give the Bryan community functional fashion.”

Lucio expressed his gratitude for finding more like-minded artists in the Bryan-College Station area who continually push him to be better.

He admitted that consistency is made easier by being around the right people.

“My struggle to be accepted as an artist will always be an important part of my story, but I don’t think that needs to be part of every young artist’s story,” Lucio said. “There is incredible talent in Bryan-College Station, which is why Vortex [Studios] is accelerating its efforts to fundraise donations for our art club.

I always want artists to feel comfortable looking for support at Vortex Studios.”

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Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

Luicio pulls out clothing items that he and his team thrifted and upcycled.

Vortex described his style as “functional-cyberpunk” making clothing that can be transformed into everyday wear.

OPINION

The Battalion | 02.15.24

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Standardized tests: Friend or foe?

Rebecca Cervantes — THE BATTALION

Scantrons reduce students to numbers, misrepresent abilities, potential Benjamin Barnes @Ben_Batt When you think back to your defining high school days, I’m willing to bet your SATs don’t come to mind.

Having a balding teacher with sweaty underarms repeatedly remark, “Please bubble in your answers completely and erase any stray marks,” doesn’t exactly compare to perhaps your first kiss or getting your driver’s license.

This then begs the question, why is there so much emphasis on a test that doesn’t begin to capture the lessons high school students learn both in and out of the classroom?

Of course, the number one priority for thousands of university admissions offices around the country is getting to know the student behind the application in hopes of eventually determining if they’d be a good fit at their institution.

We’re all familiar with the usual metrics of how they attempt to do this — as if there were a universal way to determine the significance of one’s high school accomplishments. The higher a student’s GPA, the more extracurriculars they are involved in and the more volunteer hours they record significantly improve their chances of getting accepted into a university of their choice.

At a larger school like Texas A&M, which receives tens of thousands of applications every spring, it can be difficult to weed out students with nearly identical GPAs and similar volunteer work. The archaic and outdated solution to this is of course standardized testing.

There are a few flaws with using these test results as a shortcut. For one, if you’re a bad test taker and allow anxiety to affect your mental clarity or confidence, it is not uncommon to have a lousy performance … or multiple.

This is even after giving the benefit of the doubt to these tests and ignorantly believing that year after year, the regular people behind the creation of these test questions are somehow able to miraculously measure the various academic strengths and weaknesses of every high school student within four hours of opening a single test booklet.

If we have technology capable of sending people to the moon and being able to speak face-to-face with someone anywhere in the world via our handheld phones, why are we still measuring a student’s potential with the education system’s equivalent of Stone Age tools?

For reference, I currently have a 3.9 GPA and recorded all A’s throughout high school.

My SAT score was 1140. See the dilemma?

“But how else do large schools determine who is fit to attend? They have to mark a line in the sand somewhere!” I completely agree so let’s create a hypothetical solution A&M could employ.

If we’re going to brag about making more than 70,000 people feel at home, then we should easily be able to individually screen a few thousand students over the span of spring and summer months. How so?

Get the alumni association to nominate hundreds of qualified former students. Following some minor training and securing credentials, let these Old Ags then interview applicants. Based on what they find, through a multi-layered screening process, they then write personalized assessments on these potential new students and choose to either refer or defer a student to a review council for admission consideration.

Needless to say, this is only one possible solution and would only be necessary for the fraction of applicants it was too close to call.

It’s not perfect, but it still beats the hell out of a method that’s close to being a century old. Would now be a bad time to mention the SATs just got busted for selling student’s data?

Thankfully, it appears that admissions offices around the country are starting to realize the areas in which standardized testing falls short and are no longer requiring applicants to submit these test scores.

Just put yourself back in your adolescent shoes and ask yourself if it were down to you and another candidate with a similar resume, which option would you prefer? A chance to showcase your personality to a former student of the institution you were interested in attending or having a scantron speak on your behalf?

I provided a sample SAT question in case you were unsure.

If x - 2y = - 4 and 3x + y = 9, what is the value of x + y?

A) 3 B) 5 C) 7 D) 9 Careful, one wrong answer could invalidate years of your hard work.

Benjamin Barnes is a telecommunication media studies senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

Standardization creates an equal playing ground for students of all backgrounds Charis Adkins @Charis_Batt COVID-19 resumed the war on standardized testing as colleges and universities across the nation turned to a test-optional admissions process. As it stands today, many schools have retained their test-optional status, leading SAT and ACT critics to call for an indefinite removal of the tests in the admissions process.

From what I can gather, there are two main arguments against standardized testing: They disproportionately benefit students from high-income families, and they aren’t an accurate indicator of college success.

The problem? Neither of these claims considers the bigger picture. Removing standardized testing from the college admissions process does not remedy inequality nor improve the application process.

Let’s pretend for a moment that you want to remove standardized testing from college admissions. Done. No more SAT prep in high school, no more time limits and no more harrowed bubbling in of tiny scantron dots. Now what?

With one less metric to consider in college applications, admissions offices are forced to rely solely upon GPA, personal statements and extracurricular activities. Guess who has the upper hand in these considerations?

If you guessed “rich people,” you would be correct. Children of affluent parents are far more likely to afford luxuries like traveling sports teams, music lessons and other expensive extracurricular activities that can bolster a college application. Not to mention that their highly-educated parents will likely be line-editing every word of their personal statements. What’s more, students attending wealthy schools will often have a counselor who helps them polish their applications, further heightening their chances of admission.

Standardized tests are not perfect, but removing them from the equation would lead to greater inequalities.

The tests are specifically designed to be just that: standardize. No matter the school, students are given identical tests in identical testing environments. The inequality comes from a lack of widespread access to expensive prep programs or tutors.

Even for test-optional colleges and universities, students who submit test scores are going to have an upper hand over students who don’t because admissions teams see

scores as a barometer for academic achievement in college.

A 2023 study shows that test scores closely correspond with performance in college, particularly when compared to GPA. This is in large part due to the advent of grade inflation in high schools.

In 1990, the average high school GPA was 2.68. By 2016, that number had swelled to 3.38. From a combination of teacher leniency, laziness and schools pushing for better grades, almost 50% of the student class of 2016 had an overall A. This brings us to another important aspect of standardized testing: accountability. Not with regards to the college admissions process, but rather with the schools themselves.

Standardized testing was designed to provide an accurate, unbiased measurement of high school success. Policymakers use these scores to see which schools are excelling and which ones need an intervention or should be closed down. Without these tests to help them determine which schools need more or less funding, policymakers would be left to arbitrarily guess.

The real problem with standardized tests is the incentive structure that encourages teachers to merely teach “for” the tests. In other words, the schools only teach students what’s on the test instead of a more holistic approach. Their incentive? Money.

A school’s funding is directly tied to standardized test scores. In some cases, teachers are given salaries based on their students’ grades or standardized test scores. With an incentive system like that, who can blame them for trying to get the kids’ scores as high as they will go?

The issue isn’t with the tests themselves.

It’s with how teachers are only teaching for the tests and with unequal access to prep materials. These are the issues we should be working towards fixing rather than trying to remove standardized testing from the picture completely.

Without these tests, knowing how volatile GPA is across the nation, university admissions teams would be entirely dependent on personal statements and extracurricular activities. Not only would this disproportionately affect affluent students, but it would also result in more college students underperforming or dropping out.

The alleged issues with standardized testing are the symptoms, not the problem. If we want our colleges and universities to be more racially and economically diverse, we need to examine our nation’s broad social and economic problems. Axing one of the few impartial metrics used in college admissions is not the solution.

Charis Adkins is an English junior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBUARY 15 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2024 STUDENT MEDIA

Fayobami Taiwo — THE BATTALION

Nick McKenna, assistant athletics director, works with a team of field grass students and professionsals to keep sports fields safe and consistent for student atheletes.

The face behind the field

McKenna works with students, professionals to keep fields safe

By Nadia Abusaid @NadiaAtTheBatt After buzzing into Kyle Field on a Friday afternoon, Assistant Athletics Director Nick McKenna greets a Yell Leader and student workers on his way to his office. With faded white paint and worn-down grass on the home sidelines, McKenna shifts focus from the once pristine green grass at Kyle Field to Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park as baseball season commences.

McKenna works year-round at Texas A&M to oversee the maintenance and staff at all of the playing surfaces teams practice and play on and various landscaping areas around sports facilities. McKenna aims to achieve safe and consistent playing surfaces for all these facilities, often prepping months in advance for the next sporting season to begin.

McKenna and his team mow these surfaces daily, water infield dirt, strategize with fertility and irrigation practices for weather, produce soil samples, monitor compaction and fight weeds, diseases and insects to maintain an essential part of any sport: its field.

As a certified sports field manager with over 15 years of experience in this industry, McKenna provides A&M with more than just green grass.

“A lot of people take for granted what it takes to have Kyle Field prepared,” McKenna said. “They have no understanding of the time and commitment and the knowledge that goes into ensuring that Kyle Field is ready and playable every single weekend of the fall.”

While most people are watching the ball or the players, McKenna’s focus is on the players’ feet.

“I’m usually watching the field … I’m watching the lineman’s feet, I’m watching the running back on an end-around like, ‘can he make a hard plant with his right leg and cut back to the left but not lose his footing or anything?’” McKenna said. “Those are the things that ex-

Fayobami Taiwo — THE BATTALION

cite us.”

Drew Selensky, assistant director of sports fields, works with McKenna to oversee student workers, prep the sports fields and maintain 8 acres total of turfgrass.

“Yes, we’re a college football stadium or a college baseball stadium, but there’s no reason our standards shouldn’t be the same as the MLB or the NFL too, because ultimately these kids are aspiring to be NFL, MLB professional athletes and there’s no reason that our surface shouldn’t be the same — if not better — than those surfaces,” Selensky said.

In addition to safety and consistency, McKenna and his team also work with the A&M branding team to represent Aggie culture.

Last season, McKenna and his team painted the field red, white and blue for the military appreciation game, switched the maroon

and white on the field at the last two Maroon Out football games and added a ribbon to the 50-yard line in remembrance of the Bonfire tragedy.

“The first priority is safety and playability for athletes, but we also have a responsibility to represent Texas A&M, so everything that we do — we want it to be something that Aggies everywhere can be proud of,” McKenna said.

McKenna was raised on a farm in Iowa where he first earned money with his father by mowing lawns, cemeteries and churches. This was his first experience with turfgrass which, combined with his passion for sports, led him to pursue a career in sports field management.

McKenna’s first job out of college was as a general groundskeeper at A&M from 2002 to 2005, which he left to be closer to family. “[My wife and I] moved back to

Iowa to be closer to family,” McKenna said. “After two years I … decided I need to get back on the sports fields and I had always flirted with going back to school.”

McKenna said he and his wife spent four years in Virginia, where he attended Virginia Tech and worked full-time at their athletic department.

“When we left, I told them like I love Texas A&M but for our professional development at this point in time we need to leave,” McKenna said. “[It was a] tough decision to move away cause we really did love it here … and always said if timing is right and opportunity is right, we will happily come back to Aggieland.”

In 2011, McKenna was given the opportunity to return to A&M to join the field staff once again.

“The timing was right and the opportunity was right,” McKenna

said. “I jumped at the chance in 2011 and that’s where we’ve been since.”

McKenna said his connection with A&M began when his brother, a then-graduate student, invited him to College Station for Thanksgiving break in 1999, the same day as the Bonfire tragedy.

“It sounds really morbid to say, but I really got to experience Aggieland and the Aggie spirit first hand because of that,” McKenna said. “… He’s very involved in the industry, not just in College Station, but across the country ... Students learn a lot of hands-on activities from him.”

Turfgrass science sophomore Aidan Maxwell started working as a student assistant for field staff after being recommended for the position by Straw.

“It’s a great atmosphere that we have over here,” Maxwell said.

“I think we have now 16 student workers. We all get along pretty well, and we’re pretty close as a group.”

Maxwell works with McKenna on field and grounds maintenance and had McKenna as a guest lecturer in his Professional Development in Turfgrass course.

“I just think he’s a hardworking guy,” Maxwell said. “He just really loves what he does and who he works with.”

Selensky said McKenna’s intelligence, thoughtfulness and attention to detail allow him to lead a team of knowledgeable coordinators, students and employees.

“He just kind of takes the extra step in everything,” Selensky said.

“Our goal is always perfection. We know that we will never reach [perfection], but there’s no reason to not shoot for it every day and he’s really adamant about that.”

Selensky said he appreciates the trust that McKenna has in him and his crew to put all of their efforts into their jobs every day.

“I don’t know that I could ever ask for a better boss. He’s just one of those special ones, where it’s like no matter how much you’re getting paid, you want to work for a guy like that,” Selensky said.

SPORTS

The Battalion | 02.15.24

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Head coach Jim Schlossnagle carries a bucket of baseballs during A&M’s Open Practice at Olsen Field on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

CJ Smith — THE BATTALION

New season, same high expectations

A&M baseball returns with a revamped roster against McNeese State

By Justin Chen @chen_justin_ With love in the air and spring just under way, No. 8 Texas A&M baseball is back.

Though the Aggies came into the 2023 season as the No. 4 team in the country, much like football, it was a season to forget. They dropped below .500 in conference play and were squandered in the NCAA Stanford Regional by the home team.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle went out and got to work in the offseason. He brought in 10 transfers, headlined by junior OF/P Braden Montgomery.

The Stanford transfer was the No. 1 player in the portal and has built an impressive resume being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in

2022, made Pac-12 All-Conference and helped Stanford make the College World Series in back-to-back years.

Furthermore, the Cardinal product finished 2023 hitting .336 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in walks with 51.

Between him and star sophomore OF Jace LaViolette, the two have made this Aggie baseball season a must-see as they racked in Preseason All-SEC Honors. They were named as unanimous All-Americans and were named to the 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.

Besides the big splash in Montgomery, the Aggies got junior INF Ali Camarillo, senior C Jackson Appel, graduate OF Hayden Schott and senior INF Ted Burton.

Camarillo finished second in the Big West in batting average at .371, fourth in slugging percentage with .611 and earned All-Big West First Team honors.

Appel led Pennsylvania in runs, triples and walks as well as being the

only player on the Quakers to record a four-hit game. His two-run homer clinched a NCAA Regional win over No. 13 Auburn.

Coming from Columbia, Schott tied the team-high in home runs at 11 and was ranked in the top 10 in Ivy League hitters in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and at-bats.

He also tied Columbia’s record for most doubles in a game and was the lone Ivy League hitter to double three times in a game for the season.

Michigan transfer Burton finished the 2023 campaign with an All-Big Ten Third Team Selection at second base and led the Wolverines in home runs with 13. He hit .301 on the season and added 45 RBIs. During his tenure at Michigan, he was named the top infielder in 2022.

With all-conference honors between the four of them and team-leading statistics in respective categories, A&M came out with the fourth-best transfer class.

Besides the transfer portal,

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Schlossnagle continued his preseason work in recruiting, starting with freshman Gavin Grahovac. Grahovac, a five-star recruit, was the No. 2 outfielder in California and No. 10 in the country and was tabbed as the Preseason SEC Freshman of the Year.

Though LaViolette and Montgomery have been the dynamic duo garnering the attention, the Aggies boast a total of eight players in the top-100 players in their respective positions.

LaViolette and Montgomery come in at third and sixth for outfielders respectively, Grahovac is ranked 14th for third basemen and Camarillo brings his shortstop pedigree with a No. 10 ranking. For pitchers, sophomore LHP Justin Lamkin and junior RHP Tanner Jones land at 61 and 81 for starters while redshirt senior RHP Zane Badmaev and senior LHP Evan Aschenback snag 21 and 28 for relievers.

With all the preseason hype and additions, Aggie fans will see it

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come to life starting Friday, Feb. 16 as A&M welcomes McNeese State to Blue Bell Park at 6 p.m.

The two ball clubs haven’t matched up since 2008 with the Maroon and White leading the series by a wide margin of 25-5.

The Cowboys have steadily improved every year and with more wins every season, McNeese extended coach Justin Hill’s contract through the 2026 season.

Though they fell short in the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Cowboys’ season was full of exciting surprises, keeping it close with No. 5 LSU and having a seven-game win streak at one point.

The Cowboys also boast senior OF Cooper Hext, who was selected to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team.

With new additions and players garnering preseason awards, the Aggies will look to add onto the winning history against McNeese.

SPORTS

The Battalion | 02.15.24

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Hannah Harrison — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M forward Vanessa Saidu (11) and guards Kay Kay Green (4), Sahara Jones (24) and Endyia Rogers (1) during A&M’s game with South Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 21 at Reed Arena.

Basketball fights to keep win streak A&M welcomes Vanderbilt, LSU to Reed Arena for two-game homestand

bilt in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Junior forward Sacha Washington is the Commodores’ leading rebounder with 7.6 per game and adds 12.4 points per game of her own.

A&M will host the visitors from Nashville, Tennessee on Feb. 15 at Reed Arena, with tip-off set for 8 p.m.

The Aggies’ next opponent will not be as favorable of a matchup.

lection Sunday.

This is not an Aggie team searching for an identity. In those two road wins, A&M scored 74 of its combined 133 points in the paint and dominated the glass with an average rebounding margin of +15.

Its mission? Rule the paint — which makes for very different matchups this week against Vanderbilt and LSU.

By Ian Curtis @Texiancurtis After securing back-to-back SEC road wins against Ole Miss and Kentucky last week, Texas A&M women’s basketball has finally achieved a bit of consistency in conference play.

Currently projected as a 10seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN, A&M has a pair of games coming up that could significantly reduce the Aggies’ stress come Se-

Commodore Woes

Enter the Tigers

Vanderbilt is on track to finish the year with a winning record for the first time since 2016, but it still makes for a matchup that will have the Aggies licking their chops.

The Commodores rank 11th in the SEC in rebounding, largely due to their small lineup. Senior guard Jordyn Cambridge leads Vander-

On Feb. 19, A&M welcomes the defending national champions to town, hosting No. 13 LSU at 6 p.m.

The Tigers rank second in the SEC in rebounding — just ahead of A&M in third — and lead the conference in scoring, thanks to one of the biggest names in college basket-

ball.

You can’t talk about LSU without talking about junior F Angel Reese. A unanimous All-American last season, Reese ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring and second in the country in rebounds per game, averaging 19.5 and 12.6, respectively.

Containing her will be a tough task for the Aggies, especially considering the Tigers average over 90 points a game. The last time A&M faced an offense that potent, it didn’t end so well for the Aggies — A&M fell 99-64 to No. 1 South Carolina on Jan. 21.

A&M’s leading rebounder has not only been dominant on the glass, but a consistent scoring presence as well, averaging 10.7 points a game. But Ware also forces teams to scheme around her, opening up the Aggie guards whenever she can’t score from the post herself.

In conference play, the Maroon and White have looked the most disjointed when Ware isn’t on the floor due to foul trouble — like when Ware headed to the bench after picking up her second foul late in the first quarter against Kentucky, and A&M proceeded to shoot 3-of19 from the field in the second quarter.

These games will be fought and won in the paint, and A&M can’t afford to not have Ware available.

A Key to Victory If A&M wants to push its win streak to three or four games, junior F Lauren Ware has to stay on the floor.

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