2022-23 Troy Athletics Year In Review

TROY UNIVERSITY BOARD OF

TRUSTEES

Forrest Latta Area 1

Cam Ward Area 4

Allen E. Owen III Area 3

C. Gibson Vance President pro tempore Area 4

Roy H. Drinkard Area 7

Edward F. Crowell At Large

Karen Carter Area 6

Earl Johnson Area 2

Kay Ivey Governor of Alabama President, ex-officio

Gerald O. Dial Area 5

John D. Harrison Area 2

C. Charles Nailen At Large

DEAR TROJANS:

The 2022-23 year for Troy University athletics was highlighted by overall program consistency and a remarkable turnaround for our football program. This report provides a valuable snapshot of our progress.

We are one of the most competitive programs in the Sun Belt Conference, as 10 of our 11 team sports posted winning records. The headlines, however, belonged to our football program under first-year Coach Jon Sumrall. The Trojans finished the season with an FBS-era best 12 wins, including an 11-game winning streak to end the season and a number 19 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.

Our baseball team made the NCAA regionals after posting 40 wins for the season. With the completion of the major upgrades to Riddle-Pace Field, we have a great setting in the “Gem of the Sun Belt” as we seek a berth in the College World Series. Our mantra “Why not TROY” is more relevant today than ever before.

In the classroom, more than 200 student-athletes made the SBC honor roll, and all programs surpass the NCAA-mandated Academic Progress Rate.

We delve into these stories, and much more inside these pages. The picture that emerges is one of an athletics program destined for great things. Please read this report carefully, and please continue to support Troy University athletics with your attendance and investment. We can’t do it without you!

Sincerely,

Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D. Chancellor

TROJAN NATION:

As we look back on the 2022-2023 athletic year, I am incredibly thankful for the amazing support we have from our great university and university administration led by Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. and his tireless support of our student-athletes, coaches and staff.

Our fans showed up in record numbers throughout the year! This year we recorded the highest attended football season including selling our The Vet for the first time ever. This was spurred on by establishing the highest total football season ticket threshold in program history. We were able to also accomplish this feat with our men’s and women’s basketball programs as we established the highest season ticket totals in program history.

Our student-athletes also won in the community and in the classroom. Collectively, our student-athletes produced the most community service hours in program history and accomplished the second highest collective GPA on record. All of this shows that you can truly be proud of the success accomplished by our student-athletes and coaches as they proudly represent Troy University.

A new year is upon us and our trajectory for all programs is incredibly high as we head into the 2023-2024 athletic year. We look forward to seeing you again soon as we prepare for another exciting year!

Go Trojans!

Brent Jones Director of Athletics

TROY ATHLETICS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MAKING HEADLINES

Troy was featured in ESPN reporter Pete Thamel’s article “Inside Jon Sumrall’s 12-win debut season at Troy and what’s next.” Read the full article at TroyTrojans.com/ESPNThamel

TROY ATHLETICS

RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCE

56,474

TOTAL FANS

AT RIDDLE-PACE FIELD DURING THE 2023 SEASON

3,036 FANS

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL IN 22-23. 9.2% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR.

2,238

FANS

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN 22-23. 25.5% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR.

TROY ATHLETICS

RECORD-BREAKING FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE

31,010 FANS

IN ATTENDANCE FOR TROY VS. ARMY; HIGHEST ATTENDED GAME IN TROY HISTORY

25,661 FANS

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE PER GAME; HIGHEST AVERAGE EVER

179,628 TOTAL FANS

DURING THE SEASON; HIGHEST TOTAL EVER

TROY ATHLETICS RECORD-BREAKING REVENUE

FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE FUND

Established to support the Troy Football program and celebrate the team’s success, the Fund had a goal to raise $500,000 by the end of the 2023 football season.

$350,000 RAISED BY JUNE 2023

STEP UP TO THE PLATE

The “Step up to the Plate” campaign was established to support and celebrate Troy Baseball.

“Troy Baseball has garnered national attention all season long as one of the top programs in the nation,” Troy Director of Athletics Brent Jones said when the campaign was announced. “As we begin our postseason run, we are asking all our amazing fans to continue to step up to the plate financially to support our prestigious baseball program. Now is the time to continue to build on our historic foundation and further elevate our status as one of the premier baseball programs in the Sun Belt and beyond.”

The Troy Step Up to the Plate Fund features multiple levels in which Troy alumni and fans can contribute to the future success of the Troy Baseball program and an online giving portal has been created and can be accessed by visiting TroyTrojans.com/StepUp.

TROY ATHLETICS RECORD-BREAKING

REVENUE

RECORD-SETTING DEVELOPMENT TOTALS

In 2022-23, Troy Athletics had the highest development totals in program history.

This includes record-breaking figures for Total Revenue, Trojan Seat License, Trojan Warrior Club Donations, Sport Specific Donations and Leadership Society Donations.

The development team also completed key giving campaigns such as the Football Excellence Fund, Step up to the Plate and Golf campaigns.

RECORD-SETTING TICKET TOTALS

In 2022, Troy Football had the most total season tickets (12,004) in program history. This also marked the first time to ever surpass 11,000 total season tickets.

In 2022-23, Troy Basketball had the most total season tickets (1,382) in program history. This led the record-breaking revenue numbers for basketball season as well.

TROY ATHLETICS FACILITY UPGRADES

RIDDLE-PACE FIELD RENOVATIONS

Throughout the 2022-23 athletic calendar year, RiddlePace Field has undergone an incredible transformation as part of a major renovation project. The new and improved seats were installed in time for the 2023 baseball season that saw the Trojans win 40 games and advance to the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. All seats are now chairbacks and the brand new RBI Club will be ready for the 2024 season. Other upgrades include revamped concourses, a new merchandise area, foyer and elevator that leads to the RBI Club, brand new box offices and much more.

TROY ATHLETICS FACILITY UPGRADES

GOLF PUTTING LAB

The state-of-the-art SAM PUTTLab gives Troy Golf an opportunity to ensure players putters are properly fitted for their putters and make necessary adjustments. The Putting Lab also affords Troy Golf the luxury of practicing during inclement weather. The SAM PuttLab is the world’s most accurate and comprehensive putt analysis and training system. The technology is derived from the medical sector and is proven to be reliable in many medical applications. Up to now there is no other technology available that provides comparable accuracy of data for putting.

TROY ATHLETICS POSTSEASON APPEARANCES

ABOVE: Biniosa Ezukuse, Javon Osbourne, Cole Stewart and Jaggerd Moore punched their tickets for Troy to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla.

ABOVE: Troy Football secured its first bowl berth since 2018 and defeated No. 22 UTSA in the Cure Bowl to cap a 12-2 season in which the Trojans won their league-leading seventh Sun Belt Conference title.

ABOVE: Troy Volleyball made its third straight appearance in the NIVC and hosted the event for the second straight year. The Trojans posted a winning season for the fourth straight year for the first time in program history.

TROY ATHLETICS POSTSEASON APPEARANCES

LEFT: Troy Men’s Golf made a pair of postseason appearances, with sophomore Brantley Scott earning an individual berth to the NCAA Auburn Regional, while the Trojans appeared in the inaugural National Golf Invitational in Arizona.

LEFT: Troy Baseball returned to postseason action for the first time since 2018 as secondyear head coach Skylar Meade led the Trojans to the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, which included a victory over Boston College in the opening game.

TROY ATHLETICS

2022 SBC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

TROY ATHLETICS ORLANDO TAKEOVER

Troy Athletics took over Orlando during the days leading up to the Trojans’ victory over UTSA in the Cure Bowl. Led by the Troy Cheerleaders, community service efforts were carried out over the Orlando area. Additionally, a special commencement ceremony was held the night before the game at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort for members of the Troy Football team and Sound of the South.

TROY ATHLETICS FOREIGN TOUR - MEN’S BASKETBALL

An eight-day journey to Costa Rica enriched the Troy men’s basketball team with a cultural experience that each member will never forget. After departing from Atlanta, the Trojans began their adventure in San Jose, Costa Rica. The five-day pit stop saw Troy test its newly revamped roster on and off the court.

On the court, players like Jackson Fields, Aamer Muhammad and Nelson Phillips led the way to a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring the El Salvador National Team and Costa Rica All-Stars 273-173.

Off the court, Troy emphasized team chemistry through three core bonding exercises. The first allowed the Trojans to explore the rainforests of Monteverde as they hiked over hanging bridges and zip lined through the trees. The second put the men’s basketball team in groups of six as they aimed to wind through the Pacuare River and its many white water rapids. Lastly, Troy made its way up the mountain and through the jungles of Jaco via ATVs, stopping periodically to swim in the local waterfalls.

The team took advantage of their time in the nation’s capital San Jose as they explored the streets, allowing them to shop at local markets, eat foreign cuisines and learn about the culture and history. Community service was also an emphasis for Troy as it hosted two kids’ basketball clinics in San Jose, where they went to local gyms and taught the fundamentals of the game while learning the nation’s primary sport, soccer. After all the week’s jam-packed activities, Troy got a chance to rest in Los Sueños with a relaxing day by the pool and beach before returning to the states.

TROY ATHLETICS FOREIGN TOUR - MEN’S GOLF

The Troy men’s golf team traveled to Nassau, Bahamas for the NCAA Invitational in addition to engaging in various community service projects in the area.

The trip to the Bahamas marked the first time in program history that the Trojans will play a regularseason contest outside the continental 50 states.

The Trojans toured the island of the Bahamas and embarked on a historical tour of the island. After the tour, Troy hosted a junior golf clinic with local youth in an effort to grow the sport of golf internationally.

TROY ATHLETICS

TROJANS IN THE COMMUNITY

TROY ATHLETICS

TROJANS IN THE COMMUNITY

ADIDAS RENEWED

TROY ATHLETICS PARTNERSHIPS

LEFT: Through a partnership with the Troy University IDEA Bank, Troy University’s Sorrell

NIL PARTNERSHIP WITH TROY UNIVERSITY’S IDEA BANK

A core pillar of Troy Athletics’ NIL plan for student-athletes is education.

TROY ATHLETICS PARTNERSHIPS

LEFT: At the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year, Troy student-athletes were able to hear from best-selling author Damon West. He is best known for his Be A Coffee Bean message, which can be found in his best-selling book he co-wrote with world famous author Jon Gordon. His book The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change comes from his time spent in a maximum security prison. For more details about Damon West, please visit www.damonwest.org .

DAMON WEST SPEAKING TO STUDENT-ATHLETES

LEFT: In May, Troy Athletics and LEARFIELD Amplify announced a renewal of the ticketing sales partnership that dates back to 2019. LEARFIELD Amplify represents more than 130 partners nationally across its ticketing, development and premium seating business. Over the past four years, LEARFIELD Amplify and Troy Athletics have recorded two of the highest single-season attendance averages in Troy football history, including a record average attendance in 2022 that included the program’s first-ever sold out game. Basketball and Baseball have also experienced record-breaking attendance throughout this time period as well on a seasonlong basis as well as several individual game records.

LEARFIELD AMPLIFY RENEWED

TROY ATHLETICS LICENSING

NIL GEAR

LAUNCHED THROUGH BRANDR GROUP; #2 IN ALL GROUP OF FIVE BEHIND UCONN

REPLICA NIL JERSEYS

LAUNCHED FOR FOOTBALL, BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL WITH MORE TO COME

MOST PROFITABLE

LICENSING YEAR IN PROGRAM HISTORY

RIGHT: Troy Athletics has partnered with Opendorse to provide a dedicated name, image and likeness (NIL) marketplace for its student-athletes. The Troy Marketplace, TroyTrojans.com/NILMarketplace, is designed primarily to help increase access to NIL opportunities for businesses and individuals interested in working with Trojan student-athletes.

TROY ATHLETICS NAME, IMAGE, & LIKENESS

Trojan fans, brands, sponsors and donors can browse, book, pitch and pay any Troy student-athlete for NIL activities in one compliant platform built specifically for the athletes’ needs.

TROY ATHLETICS TROJAN TOUR

The 11th annual Trojan Tour hits the road this spring and summer with 10 stops across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Featuring Director of Athletics Brent Jones, football head coach Jon Sumrall, men’s basketball head coach Scott Cross plus other coaches, Trojan Tour visited Troy, Montgomery, Dothan, Enterprise, Phenix City, Dothan, Birmingham, Huntsville, Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach.

“Trojan Tour is one of our favorite events of the year as we are able to get out on the road and visit our tremendous fans,” Jones said. “Our staff and coaches always look forward to this opportunity to visit with our fans. We had a great lineup again this year, and had an amazing time talking about the incredible experiences and accomplishments our teams have achieved this past year.”

TROY ATHLETICS STRATEGIC PLAN

Troy Athletics released its new three-year comprehensive strategic plan for Troy Athletics, ELEVATE.

ELEVATE is built on Troy Athletics’ Pillars of Success – Winning in the Classroom, Winning in the Community, Winning on the Field and Winning in the Stands.

The strategic plan was the brain trust of a collaborative and inclusive group of individuals including donors, students, fans, student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, university staff, university leadership, media members, community leaders and alumni.

Building on the Pillars of Success, ELEVATE explores six priority areas within Troy Athletics to build upon for the future success of our student-athletes.

Athletic Excellence, Student-Athlete Experience, Student-Athlete Welfare, Revenue Generation, Fan Experience and Facilities.

TROY ATHLETICS NEW HIRE - STUART GORE

National Championship winning head coach

Stuart Gore has been named Troy’s new women’s soccer. Gore comes to Troy with seven years of collegiate head coaching experience, having won 81.3 percent of his games and five conference championships.

Gore comes to Troy following a two-year stint as the head coach at Northwestern State, where he led the Demons to 25 wins, an NCAA Tournament appearance, two Southland Conference Player of the Year honorees and a No. 61 final RPI ranking in 2022.

The Demons finished the 2022 season with a 124-3 overall record. Additionally, Gore added Gracie Armstrong to the program as a graduate transfer, and she would go on to earn Southland Conference Player of the Year honors.

Armstrong’s honor was the second in as many

years for Gore and the Demons after Olivia Draguicevich was named the SLC Player of the Year in 2021.

Northwestern State won the SLC regular season and tournament championships to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. The regular season championship was the program’s first since 2000 and earned Gore SLC Coach of the Year honors.

Between his tenures as head coach at Northwestern State and Northwestern Ohio, Gore served as the associate head coach at North Dakota (2020) and James Madison (2018-19).

Gore built the Northwestern Ohio program from the ground up, leading the Racers to an NAIA National Championships, four straight NAIA Final Four appearances, a 100-15-5 overall record, a national player of the year and 23 All-Americans.

It took just three seasons for Gore to lead the Racers to the NAIA National Championship Game and 16 shutouts (most in the country) and then in Gore’s fourth season, he brought a National Championship to the program.

Prior to Northwestern Ohio, Gore accumulated coaching experience at every level of soccer. Before joining the Racers, he was the head coach for the Philadelphia Fever of the WPSL (2011-12) and the Director of Coaching at Washington United Soccer Club (2009-12).

As a player, Gore represented England at nearly every youth level, playing for his country’s U14 through U18 teams from 1993-2001, in addition to competing with Leeds United from 1996-2000. In America, Gore was a two-time all-conference pick at Montevallo, before signing a professional contract with UD Lorca of the Spanish Segunda División.

TROY ATHLETICS NEW HIRE - CLAY BOUNDS

One of the top assistant coaches in the country, Clay Bounds, has been named the new Troy men’s golf head coach. Bounds takes over the Troy program following four years at West Virginia.

During his career, Bounds helped coach and mentor West Virginia’s first-ever All-American Mark Goetz and PGA Tour Canada member and Tour winner Etienne Papineau.

In Bounds’ second season at WVU in 202021, Goetz became WVU’s first-ever individual qualifier for the NCAA Regional Championship. He finished second, just missing a spot in the NCAA Golf Championship. After the season, he became the first WVU golfer to earn All-America honors. Goetz was the stroke-play medalist out of 312 golfers at the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club, shooting 8-under-par.

Although his first campaign as a member of WVU’s coaching staff was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bounds helped the

Mountaineers make strides in 2019-20. WVU opened the season in a big way, achieving the program’s first-ever top-25 ranking. The Mountaineers also recorded a pair of victories, first at their home tournament – The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational – in October and second in a head-to-head matchup against Connecticut in February to open the spring season.

Despite the shortened season, he also helped coach WVU to four program records throughout the year. Papineau earned the first record with a program-best 54-hole total of 203 at the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational before Logan Perkins earned a new 18-hole record-low score at the Florida Gators Invitational.

Bounds arrived in Morgantown in the summer of 2019, having spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Rice. During his tenure with the Owls, Bounds helped guide the squad to team titles at the 2018 Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate and the 2017 Jim West

Intercollegiate, in addition to runner-up finishes at the 2018 Bob Sutton Invitational and 2016 Lone Star Invitational.

While at Rice, Bounds coached a trio of NCAA regional qualifiers and Jake Benson claimed medalist honors at the 2019 C-USA Championship.

Bounds started his playing career at Meridian Community College, earning a trio of alltournament honors as well as a designation on the MCC All-Academic Team. A two-time team captain and the 2008 Outstanding Freshman of the Year, he transferred to Birmingham Southern College before capping his playing career at Mississippi State. He played 15 rounds for the Bulldogs, qualifying for the 2012 SEC Championship.

A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Bounds earned a degree in accounting from Mississippi State. He and his wife, Jessica, have three children, Chisolm, Indiana and Ryder.

TROY ATHLETICS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Troy ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring (83.3 points), rebounds (50.9), steals (11.6), free throws made (16.1), turnover margin (plus-4.43), turnovers forced (20.07) and offensive rebounds (21.6).

With 108 points at ULM on Feb. 11, the Trojans scored the most in a Sun Belt Conference game – were the only SBC team with four 100-plus point games.

Tai’Sheka Porchia led the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage during conference play at 50.3 percent.

The Trojans had four players ranked in the top 25 in scoring for the Sun Belt Conference in Makayia Hallmon (15), Ja’Mia Hollings (12.7), Nia Daniel (12.7) and Tai’Sheka Porchia (12.4) – only team with three-plus players in the top 25.

Troy transitioned into a partially new coaching staff, bringing Chelsea Dungee back in the fall before hiring Stephanie Murphy as the new assistant coaches in the spring.

Makayia Hallmon (second), Ja’Mia Hollings (third) and Tai’Sheka Porchia (third) were all named to the All-Sun Belt Team.

The Trojans ended the regular season at 17-12, 12-6 SBC to enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby earned her 200th career victory at Troy while playing Georgia State, 81-58, on Jan. 7. Felmas Koranga rose to fifth in Division-I program history for career rebounds at 641.

The Trojans closed 2022 and opened 2023 on fire, rattling off wins in 10-of-11 games from Dec. 31 to Feb. 4 – included a sixgame win streak with wins over Texas State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, ULM, Louisiana and Marshall.

From the 19-20 and 21-22 foot mark, Makayia Hallmon shot the highest percentage in the nation.

The Trojans led the nation in rebounds and offensive rebounds per game at 50.9 and 21.6 per game, respectively.

The Trojan offense was rolling as they scored 75-plus points in 19 straight games from Dec. 7 to Feb. 16 for the first time since 2020-21 and second time since 2015-16.

TROY ATHLETICS SOCCER

Stuart Gore was named the Trojans’ new head coach, coming to Troy after winning 81.3 percent of his games and obtaining five conference championships with Northwestern State and Northwestern Ohio.

Gabrielle Chartier led the Trojans in assists with four to rank eighth in the Sun Belt Conference – sat ninth in assists per game at 0.25.

The Trojans went unbeaten at the South Alabama Tournament, dominating McNeese State 3-1 and holding still against North Alabama 0-0.

On Oct. 2, the Trojans ventured to Georgia State, taking down the eventual semifinalist, 3-2, on goals from Halee Bradbury, Melissa Kuya-Strobel and Ashley Rainho.

Lindsey LaRoche recorded a whopping 60 saves (3.75 per match) to rank sixth in the league.

In league play, the Trojans were third in the SBC in corners, obtaining 4.1 over 10 matches for 41 total.

Troy sealed the deal, 1-0, to win its home opener against Mercer as Nia Wilson scored the game-winning goal off an assist from Jordan Stack in the 65th minute.

Jordan Stack led the Trojans in goal production with three goals and one assist to produce seven points.

Erin Bloomfield was perfect in her penalty kick opportunities, going 2-for-2 with goals against McNeese and Jacksonville State.

With three wins and 60 saves in 2022, Lindsey LaRoche moved to sixth all-time in Troy history with 11 and 195, respectively.

TROY ATHLETICS FOOTBALL

Troy won a program record 12 games, including the final 11 games of the season to capture its league-leading seventh Sun Belt Conference title and victory over No. 22 UTSA in the Cure Bowl.

Returned to Bowl Season for the first time since 2018 with its appearance in the Cure Bowl, which was the only bowl game to feature a pair of conference champions squaring off.

Jon Sumrall was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year, while Carlton Martial was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year.

Austin Stidham was named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, better known as the Academic Heisman. He earned a trip to Las Vegas for the National Football Foundation Awards Show. Additionally, he became just the second three-time Academic All-American in Troy Athletics history.

Carlton Martial set the NCAA FBS, Sun Belt and Troy career tackles records during the course of the season, he was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week four different times.

For the second straight year, Carlton Martial was named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player who began their career as a walk-on.

Kimani Vidal became the 11th 1,000-yard rusher in program history after finishing the season with 1,132 yards on the ground.

Jake Andrews was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He participated in the NFL Combine and joined Carlton Martial at the Senior Bowl.

Troy soldout The Vet for the first time in stadium history as more than 31,000 fans packed the stadium to watch Troy defeat Army.

Troy hosted the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game for the first time in program history after winning the West Division title. Nearly 22,000 fans packed The Vet to watch Gunnar Watson earn MVP honors in Troy’s 45-26 blowout of Coastal Carolina

Thirteen Trojans were named to the All-Sun Belt Team led by a league-best six first team selections.

Troy defeated South Alabama on national television to earn its fifth straight victory in the “Battle for the Belt.”

Troy held all 14 of its opponents to under their season average in scoring, including three of the top 25 scoring teams in the country. The Trojans held eight of its 14 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter and ranked eighth nationally in turnovers gained, 14th in sacks, eighth in scoring defense, 19th in total defense and 24th in rushing defense.

TROY ATHLETICS MEN’S TENNIS

Mario Martinez Serrano was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and Sun Belt Player to Watch in addition to earning ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year honors.

The Trojans advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals for the third straight year.

Troy finished the season ranked No. 10 in the ITA Southern Region, and Mario Martinez Serrano ranked 19th in singles in the Region.

Troy finished the season 18-7 en route to its semifinal appearance in the tournament. The Trojans won nine straight matches at one point of the season and 13 of their first 15.

Carles Anton and Mario Martinez Serrano earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors.

Mario Martinez Serrano led the Sun Belt with 20 wins during his freshman season as he posted a 20-3 record in dual matches, with 19 of the 20 victories coming on court one.

Carles Anton had the most wins of any player on court two in the Sun Belt season with a 16-5 mark on the court and finished with a 17-5 record overall.

Francisco Erramuspe earned Academic All-District honors in addition to positing a 14-11 record in the court in his first season of action.

TROY ATHLETICS WOMEN’S TENNIS

Head coach Rawia Elsisi claimed her 100th career win with a 4-3 defeat over Arkansas State on April 14.

Kristina Kukaras ended the fall season ranked No. 99 in the ITA top 100 for singles after being crowned the Patti Farmer Singles Draw winner – had wins over Alabama, South Alabama and ETSU.

The Trojans seized their most wins in a regular season since 2013-14 at 13.

Troy opened the season with its best start in recorded history, outscoring opponents 43-7 to go 7-1 in non-conference play.

Conference play saw Troy win five straight matches (Marshall, Georgia State, Texas State, Louisiana, Arkansas State).

For the second straight season, Troy was led by its newest freshman addition from Egypt as Maria Guirguis led with 18 wins (18-9).

Kristina Kukaras / Hagar Amin were the top doubles team for Troy, ranking fifth at 11-5 together and ending 8-1 on court two while riding a team-high unbeaten streak (9) that extended from Feb. 5 to April 9.

TROY ATHLETICS MEN’S

GOLF

Troy returned to the postseason for the first time since 2017, with Brantley Scott qualifying for the NCAA Auburn Regional and the Trojans earning a berth in the inaugural National Golf Invitational after just missing on an NCAA bid.

Troy finished the season with 110 head-to-head victories, its most since the 1994 season.

Sophomore Brantley Scott was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team after posting a program DI record with a -0.12 score vs. par and 71.88 stroke average. Scott played 14-of-33 rounds under par, with 10 rounds in the 60s.

Troy posted 18 team rounds under par led by 14 from Brantley Scott and Nicklas Borrmann plus 12 from Jake Springer and seven each from Will McFadden and Jason Quinlan. Additionally, Troy’s lineup combined for 60 individual rounds under par ... last season Troy has nine rounds under par as a team and 50 combined individual rounds.

Troy shot two of the top-10 54-hole scores in program history, with one coming in the Trojans’ team victory at the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate.

Brantley Scott, Will McFadden and Jake Springer were named to the Academic All-District Team.

TROY ATHLETICS WOMEN’S GOLF

Senior ShaeLee Scarberry and freshman Laura Fangmeyer shot two of the top eight individual stroke averages in program history. Scarberry’s 73.39 average for the season was the third-best in a single-season while Fangmeyer’s 74.50 ranked eighth.

Laura Fangmeyer posted the second-best stroke average by a freshman in program history.

Troy shot three of the top five 54-hole scores in program history, including the top two. The Trojans shot an 854 en route to a second place finish at The Atlantic Invitational in the spring opener behind fourth place finishes from ShaeLee Scarberry and Laura Fangmeyer.

Troy shot four of the top 10 team rounds in program history, two coming at The Atlantic Invitational.

Alyssa Mercado tied for sixth place at the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship in Birmingham. The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship was created to highlight competitive golf programs at the most underserved and underrepresented Minority-Serving Institutions in the country and educate and inspire student-athletes to pursue career opportunities in the business of golf and beyond.

TROY ATHLETICS BASEBALL

Earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2018, played in the Tuscaloosa Regional along with Alabama, Boston College and Nicholls State.

Defeated Boston College in the Regional opener, it was Troy’s fourth straight victory in the first game of a regional dating back to 2011, with wins over Oklahoma State, Alabama, Duke and Boston College.

Shane Lewis was named to multiple All-America teams after he broke a 24-year old Troy record by hitting 27 home runs during his first season with the Trojans. Additionally, Lewis was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, the first time since 2009 that a player won both awards.

Four Trojans earned All-Sun Belt honors, with Shane Lewis, Caleb Bartolero and Grayson Stewart being named to the first team and Noah Manning taking home second team honors. The four All-Sun Belt selections are the most since Troy had five in 2019, with it being the first time since 2013 that three Trojans have received first-team honors in the same season.

Troy set a program record with 636 strikeouts from its pitching staff, which averaged 10.58 strikeouts per nine innings, also a program record. Troy’s K/9 total was more than a strikeout per inning higher than the 2022 squad which previously held the record.

The Trojans posted a No. 39 RPI after winning 40 games for the first time since the 2018 season; the Trojans played the nation’s 15thtoughest non-conference schedule and posted a 17-16 record against top-100 teams.

The Trojans averaged 1,764 fans per game despite the on-going construction at Riddle-Pace Field. Troy ranked 45th nationally in average attendance and 42nd in total attendance.

Troy ranked in the top 25 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11th), triples (20th), home runs (18th) and double plays turned (17th).

Shane Lewis finished fourth nationally with his 27 home runs in addition to ranking 13th in RBIs (77).

Noah Manning made 34 total appearances on the mound for the Trojans, the seventh most by any pitcher in the country and finished 14th nationally, with 11 saves, just one off the Troy single-season record.

Troy defeated Auburn at Plainsman Park for the Trojans first win on the road in the series in six years.

Troy’s 108 home runs as a team were the third most in program history and most since the 1998 squad hit 115. The Trojans’ 19 triples tied for the second most in a season in program history.

William Sullivan was named an Academic All-American.

Zach Fruit was drafted to the Orioles, and William Sullivan was drafted to the Cardinals. Caleb Bartolero and Ben Thompson signed with the Angels.

TROY ATHLETICS VOLLEYBALL

Amara Anderson and Tori Hester were selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team and Julia Brooks was tabbed to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. This marks the fifth straight year that at least one Trojan has been recognized as a member of the all-conference teams.

Amara Anderson finished her Troy career as the program’s all-time leader in assists with 1,286, the third-most in Sun Belt Conference history. Her All-Sun Belt honor was the fourth of her career.

Julia Brooks set the Troy blocks record as she enters her senior season with 337 through 430 career sets played. She also set the Troy record for career solo blocks with 94.

The Trojans posted a winning record for the fourth straight year for the first time in program history, finishing the season 18-13 overall.

Troy finished third overall in the Sun Belt with an 11-5 record, Troy’s fourth straight winning season in conference play. The Trojans’11 Sun Belt victories were the most conference wins in program history.

Julia Brooks was selected to participate in the NCAA Leadership Forum, which is designed to present differing leadership qualities and strategies while also providing instruction in evaluating the differences and similarities across all sports, campuses, and cultures.

Amara Anderson ranked 29th nationally and second in the Sun Belt averaging 10.63 assists per set and was 20th nationally with 1,286 total assists.

Tori Hester ranked 24th nationally averaging 4.28 kills per set, 13th with 588 points and 15th with 522 kills.

Tori Hester finished with the third most kills by a player in a single-season in program history.

Troy made its third consecutive postseason appearance in the NIVC and hosted a postseason match for the second time in program history.

Amara Anderson, Julia Brooks, Hayden Hillier and Isabella Mitchell earned Academic All-District honors.

TROY ATHLETICS SOFTBALL

Taylor McKinney was named to the NFCA All-Region First Team after leading the Trojans with a .349 batting average, 51 RBIs, a .691 slugging percentage and a 1.145 OPS. She also hit 12 homers and stole 10 bases while ranking 40th nationally with 0.96 RBIs per game.

Four Trojans landed on the All-Sun Belt Second Team (Libby Baker, Taylor McKinney, Kelly Horne, Leanna Johnson).

With the fifth straight season at 30-plus wins (33-18-1), Troy entered the Sun Belt Tournament as the four seed, earning a first-round bye.

Leanna Johnson ended her career second in strikeouts for Troy with 1,058 and first in wins at 101 – only Trojan with 100-plus.

Troy posted three wins against top-25 teams, defeating No. 25 Texas State twice, 7-6 and 6-3, and No. 25 Louisiana, 8-7.

On April 21, Troy ended a 10-game losing streak to Louisiana on a walk-off homer by Audra Thompson, 8-7.

The Trojans had a knack for the plate, finishing in the top four for the SBC in triples (11), home runs (49), RBIs (232), base-on-balls (185) and OBS (.366).

With 24 wins and 188 strikeouts, Leanna Johnson ended the season ranked 14th and 38th in the nation, respectively.

In 174 career appearances, Leanna Johnson ended her career as the active leader for D-I in games started (142), innings pitched (890) and shutouts (35). She also ranked second in pitching appearances (174) and complete games (87), third in strikeouts (1,058) and fourth in victories (4).

Kelly Horne took sole possession of first in Troy program history for walks at 137 after her third straight season entering the top-10 for walks in a season (33).

Home runs weren’t hard to find for Troy as Libby Baker (12), Taylor McKinney (12) and Anslee Finch (8) all jumped into the top 10 for homers in a season – nine players nailed a homer run.

The Trojans opened conference play on fire, winning their first four series against No. 25 Texas State, ULM, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina to boost a 14-9-1 conference record – fifth straight season (non-COVID) with double-digit league wins.

TROY ATHLETICS TRACK & FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY

Four Trojans accepted bids to compete at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla. Javon Osbourne battled in the discus and shot put events to finish 27th and 24th, respectively. Cole Stewart finished 45th in the javelin and Jaggerd Moore topped the charts for Troy with a 16th-place finish. Finally, on the women’s side, Biniosa Ezukuse ended the meet in 34th.

Javon Osbourne (first), Cole Stewart (second) and Morgan Reese (third) all earned Sun Belt All-Conference Team selections for their finishes at the Sun Belt Outdoor Track Championships.

Indoor season saw three Trojans run top-five times all-time in the women’s 3,000m. Lauren Locke posted the second fastest time of 10:07.12, followed by Cadi Rowe (third) at 10:15.27 and Tanner Guest (fourth) at 10:15.76.

Alex Robinson shattered the 200m for the men during the indoor season at 21.24 at the Carolina Challenge for fourth.

Nine Trojans (Abby Grosinske, Tanner Guest, Maya Kelly, Lauren Locke, Summer Williams, Mason Bennett, James Brake, Gabriel Peacock, Nash Rutledge) earned CSC Academic All-District with GPAs of 3.50 or above. Bennett went as far as securing a Sun Belt Conference Postgraduate Scholarship.

Chance Armstrong finished ninth at the Carolina Challenge en route to breaking the Troy men’s record for the 800m at 1:53.66.

The quartet of Dwight Mason, Gabriel Peacock, Alex Robinson and Chance Armstrong claimed two gold medals during the indoor season, with their top time coming at the Carolina Challenge at 3:16.98 to break the Troy indoor record.

Javon Osbourne broke two Troy records. The first being in indoor shot put with a mark of 17.43m at the UAB Vulcan Invite and the second during outdoor season for the discus throw – broke the record at the South Florida Invitational (58.47m).

At the 107th Annual Penn Relays, Jaggerd Moore peaked with a first-place finish at the 2.02m mark – took home two gold medals.

At the Tiger Track Classic, Troy had a season-high seven first-place finishers. On the men’s side, it was Alexander Bendig (1500m) and Cole Stewart (javelin), while the women had Maya Kelly, Kierra Montgomery, Naveyh Frost and Shanyah Washington for the 4x100m relay and Tanner Guest for the 800m.

Both men and women won at the Huntingdon Invitational, with Bennett Brake (26:40.7) and Teanna Cason (22:57.3) leading the charge, respectively.

The men’s cross country team competed in the NCAA South Regional, finishing 11th.

Biniosa Ezukuse broke the women’s outdoor shot put record at 15.65m when she placed seventh at the Crimson Tide Invitational.

TROY ATHLETICS MEN’S BASKETBALL

Troy men’s basketball posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2002-04 – marks the seventh season head coach Scott Cross won 20-plus games.

Zay Williams earned All-Sun Belt and NABC District 23 Second Team after leading the team in points (12.2) and rebounds (7.1) to rank 22nd and 10th, respectively.

The Trojans ranked 25th in the nation and second in the Sun Belt in turnovers forced per game at 14.94.

Troy was the only Sun Belt Conference team to have back-to-back seasons with 20-plus wins and 10-plus conference wins. For the first time since 2008-10, Troy seized back-to-back 10-win conference seasons.

Zay Williams ended his Trojan career ranked in the top 10 for points (1,209 – seventh), field goals made (458 – sixth), field goals attempted (915 – seventh), field goal percentage (.501 – seventh), free throws made (248 – fifth), free throws attempted (374 – fifth), rebounds (817 – second), rebounds average (6.0 – 10th) and blocks (106 – fourth) in D-I history. He also played the most career games for a Trojan at 137.

Nelson Phillips and Zay Williams ranked in the top 20 for the Sun Belt in rebounds with 7.1 and 5.8, respectively. Scott Cross remained perfect in the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament (3-0) after entering as the fifth seed, defeating Arkansas State 63-59.

A three-game series at the Zootown Classic in Montana ended with the Trojans crowned tournament champions, defeating Montana and St. Thomas (MN).

Troy opened the season on fire with the best start since 2002-03 at 6-1, including the first 4-0 start in D-I program history.

On Nov. 14, 2022, the Trojans defeated Florida State 79-72 for the first power-five win of Cross’s Troy tenure and the first since Mississippi State in 2012.

With a 13-steal performance, Nelson Phillips tied the NCAA record for most steals in a game – set in 1988 – while shattering Troy’s previous record of nine.

Three Trojans eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in 2022-23 (Aamer Muhammad, Darius McNeill, Zay Williams). Williams scored all 1,209 points at Troy to become one of 10 Trojans in D-I history and 28 all-time with such a feat.

ITA

TROY ATHLETICS INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES

All-American

SBC

Burlsworth

Academic All-American

MARIO MARTINEZ SERRANO

SHANE LEWIS

CARLTON MARTIAL

AUSTIN STIDHAM

JON SUMRALL

WILLIAM SULLIVAN

SBC Freshman of the Year / Player to Watch

Southern Region Freshman of the Year No. 19 Singles Southern Region

SBC Player of the Year / Newcomer of the Year All-American

Defensive Player of the Year

Trophy Finalist

NCAA Career Tackles Record Holder

Campbell Trophy Finalist Academic All-American

SBC Coach of the Year National Coach of the Year Finalist

MLB Draft

TROY ATHLETICS INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES

RAWIA ELSISI

JULIA BROOKS

MARC DAVIS

ZAY WILLIAMS

AMARA ANDERSON

LEANNA JOHNSON

100 Career Wins

Troy Career Blocks Record

Elected President of U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Troy Career Games Played Record

Troy Career Assists Record

Troy Career Wins Record

TROY ATHLETICS

ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE

SELECTIONS

CALEB BARTOLERO BASEBALL 2nd Team

JULIA BROOKS VOLLEYBALL 2nd Team

TORI HESTER VOLLEYBALL 1st Team

RICHARD JIBUNOR FOOTBALL 2nd Team

NOAH MANNING BASEBALL 2nd Team

LIBBY BAKER SOFTBALL 2nd Team

CARLES ANTON MEN’S TENNIS 1st Team

MAKAYIA HALLMON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2nd Team

T.J. JACKSON FOOTBALL 1st Team

SHANE LEWIS BASEBALL 1st Team

JAKE ANDREWS FOOTBALL 1st Team

TEZ JOHNSON FOOTBALL Honorable Mention

AMARA ANDERSON VOLLEYBALL 1st Team

WILL CHOLOH FOOTBALL 1st Team

JA’MIA HOLLINGS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 3rd Team

KELLY HORNE SOFTBALL 2nd Team

LEANNA JOHNSON SOFTBALL 2nd Team

TROY ATHLETICS

ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

JAVON OSBOURNE MEN’S OUTDOOR T&F 1st Team

DELL PETTUS FOOTBALL Honorable Mention

K.J. ROBERTSON FOOTBALL Honorable Mention

MORGAN REESE MEN’S OUTDOOR T&F 3rd Team

COLE STEWART MEN’S OUTDOOR T&F 2nd Team

ZAY WILLIAMS MEN’S BASKETBALL 2nd Team

TAYLOR MCKINNEY SOFTBALL 2nd Team

MARIO MARTINEZ SERRANO MEN’S TENNIS 1st Team

REDDY STEWARD FOOTBALL 1st Team

AUSTIN STIDHAM FOOTBALL 1st Team

KIMANI VIDAL FOOTBALL 2nd Team

WILL MCFADDEN MEN’S GOLF 3rd Team

BRANTLEY SCOTT MEN’S GOLF 1st Team

CARLTON MARTIAL FOOTBALL 1st Team

CRAIG SLOCUM JR. FOOTBALL Honorable Mention

JAVON SOLOMON FOOTBALL 3rd Team

GRAYSON STEWART BASEBALL 1st Team

TROY ATHLETICS

2023 HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

TROY ATHLETICS

2023 HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

MIKE AMOS SUPPORTER SHERRILL BUSBY FOOTBALL

CARL HOLLIS MEN’S BASKETBALL

RHODNEY DONALDSON MEN’S BASKETBALL

BARBARA SHERWOOD SOFTBALL

CHRIS FORCE WOMEN’S GOLF

MARK SMARTT BASEBALL