The 2019-20 academic year will live in our memory forever. While there were countless strides competitively, academically and socially for the Green Wave, the intrusion and subsequent impact of COVID-19 into our lives was unprecedented. On March 12, 2020, we announced the cancellation of 106 total events, including 36 home events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This came on the heels of the NCAA cancelling all spring sport championships. The stoppage of spring events directly impacted the lives of 163 in-season student-athletes, including 35 seniors. Our student-athletes continued their excellence in their respective academic pursuits, while athletic goals were put on hold. Our coaches and staff took the time to build their own personal skills and talents which will allow us to provide an even better experience for our studentathletes in the future. In short, beginning March 13, we began preparing for a better future, rather than wallowing in the angst of adversity. The commitment shown by our student-athletes during this global pandemic has been inspiring. The commitment of our institution to sustain an elite student-athlete experience in a challenging financial environment has been assuring. The support of our alums, donors, ticket holders and community has been empowering. Together, the response from our Tulane community has laid a foundation for our department to be stronger than ever. This document summarizes our 2019-20 academics and athletics year and the continued growth of the Green Wave from competitive, academic, social and fiscal perspectives. I could not be more proud of our achievements during the past year, or more excited for what the future holds for Tulane Athletics. Roll Wave!
Troy Dannen Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair
6
ALL-AMERICANS
5 3 20
POSTSEASON APPEARANCES
1
CONFERENCE CHAMPION
DRAFT PICKS
BY THE NUMBERS
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
IN THE CLASSROOM
BY THE NUMBERS
3.405 202 220 9 % 95 TULANE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENTAL GPA
STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO POSTED A GPA OVER 3.0 IN THE SPRING SEMESTER
STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO POSTED A GPA OVER 3.0 IN THE FALL SEMESTER
GREEN WAVE TEAMS WITH AN ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE AVERAGE OF 990 OR ABOVE
TULANE’S GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE WAS SIX POINTS ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, TOP AMONG INSTITUTIONS IN THE AAC AND THE HIGHEST IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
IN THE COMMUNITY
During the 2019-2020 academic year, Tulane Green Wave student-athletes completed 4,700 hours of community service.
COMMITMENT TO SERVICE Each of Tulane’s 17 varsity athletics teams participated in at least one community service endeavor.
HELPER HELPER
Tulane finished in the Top 25 in the NCAA Helper Helper Challenge for the fourth straight year.
NCAA LEADERS
The Green Wave continued its strong commitment to community service, ranking 4th overall in the 2019-2020 NCAA© Team Works™ Competition.
GRADUATING SENIORS DARIUS BRADWELL
MEREK GLOVER
DANIELA ALEJANDRA LA FUENTE STRASSBURGER
Baseball
JOSEPHINE LARKIN
Basketball
MALIK LAWAL
Football
KEELON LAWSON
Tennis
ISABELLE XIN YU LEE
Volleyball
KAYLA MIRIAMA MANUIRIRANGI
Tennis
JALEN MCCLESKEY
Cross Country, Outdoor Track
KATHERINE MCDONALD
Swimming and Diving
KAYLIE MCHUGH
Basketball
KEYSHAWN MCLEOD
Beach Volleyball
JUSTIN MCMILLAN
Track and Field
MCKENZIE MELIUS
Baseball
TARIN MERGENER
Football
CHRISTIAN MONTANO
Football
EWAN MOORE
Cross Country, Track and Field
JORDAN MORLING
Football
Football
Football
BENJAMIN BRATCHER
Tennis
Football
CLAIRE GOLBA
Swimming and Diving
LARRY BRYANT
VALENTINA GOMEZ NORIEGA
Sailing
LAWRENCE GRAHAM
Football
SKYLER GUILLOT
Basketball
STEPHEN HAHN
Bowling
PATRICK HALL
Basketball
ERIKA HANSEL
Football
MAYA HAREWOOD
Swimming and Diving
WILLIAM HARPER
Volleyball
RANDALL HARVEY
Football
MICHAEL HINTON
Football
WILLIAM HOOVER
Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
BRANDI HUGHES
Beach Volleyball
TY JOHNSON
Football
TRENT JOHNSON
Tennis
OLIVIA JOHNSON
Swimming and Diving
DAYNA KERN
Football
EMMA KING
Football
Football, Track and Field
Swimming and Diving
IVONE ALEXANDRA CAPELO DOS REIS ALVARO
Football
Tennis
THOMAS LEWIS COE
Cross Country
Outdoor Track
GABRIELLE CORREIA
Sailing
COREY DAUPHINE
Football
Golf
Football
MEGHAN DOYLE
Volleyball
Volleyball
COREY DUBLIN
Outdoor Track
JESSICA DUCKETT
Football
Football
Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
GERON EATHERLY
Football
LUIS ERLENBUSCH
Tennis
Football Football
IAN ESSES
Sailing
LAURA FABRIZI
Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
Tennis Tennis
PAIGE FATLAND
Cross Country, Outdoor Track
Baseball
HAYDYN GIBSON
Baseball
KEAGAN GILLIES
Swimming and Diving
Golf
Baseball
LUKE GLANCY
Baseball
Volleyball
Outdoor Track
COBY NEENAN DARRELL OWENS
ROBERT PRICE GRANT QUINN JACOB ROBERTSON TIM ALEXANDER RUETZEL HANNAH SHAW CHRISTINA SISTI MARY CATHERINE STOVALL MORGAN TACIK
NICOLAS THOMAS EVA TORRUELLA GRATACOS JAMES WATSON CONNOR WHELAN DEANDRE WILLIAMS PHABION WOODARD CARLOS ZERVIGON
ANDREW ZUCKERMAN
GREEN WAVE JUSTICE FOR ALL Tulane Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Department of Athletics announce Green Wave Justice for All The Tulane Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Department of Athletics announced in the spring of 2020, the creation of Green Wave Justice for All, a blueprint to discuss, promote, and exemplify diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice within Tulane Athletics, Tulane University, the greater New Orleans community, the United States and throughout the world. Green Wave Justice for All was created by Tulane studentathletes and administrators after several discussions within the department including a Black student-athlete forum, an open forum for all student-athletes and an open forum with the entire athletics department. Green Wave Justice for All centers around three main pillars: dialogue, education and change. Through department-wide student-athlete led discussions, action plans for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year are now in place.
WAVE BRAND WORKS Tulane Athletics partners with the Tulane Center for Sport on new name, image, and likeness initiatives to enhance student-athletes’ education and personal brand Tulane University Athletics and the Tulane Center for Sport announced in the spring of 2020 the creation of Wave Brand Works, a cross-departmental program that will create and oversee Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) programming for Tulane’s student-athletes. The partnership between the Center for Sport and Tulane Athletics will provide Tulane student-athletes with a comprehensive educational program to help equip each individual with the knowledge and expertise to maximize their NIL opportunities in a way that is compliant with NCAA legislation, as well as with federal and state laws. The Center will also partner with Tulane Athletics on a series of educational programs to enhance student-athlete welfare, including issues related to racial equality, social justice, anti-bullying, mental health and sexual and domestic assault. The new NCAA NIL legislation is scheduled to be enacted in January 2021 and take effect for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. Wave Brand Works programming will begin in the fall of 2020 and be available to all current Tulane student-athletes in the university’s 17 intercollegiate sport programs.
HAMISH STEWART Men’s Tennis
CARLOS ZERVIGON Men’s Cross Country
CONFERENCE CHAMPION
OLIVIA JOHNSON Swimming and Diving
POSTSEASON APPEARANCES MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL VOLLEYBALL SWIMMING AND DIVING
ALL-AMERICANS
GERON EATHERLY Football (Phil Steele All-American) OLIVIA JOHNSON Swimming and Diving (CSCAA) LILLY BYRNE Swimming and Diving (CSCAA) MADISON MCCALL Bowling (NTCA) LUKE JANNETTA Baseball (Collegiate Baseball) BRADEN OLTHOFF Baseball (Collegiate Baseball)
LILLY BYRNE
Swimming and Diving
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION KATE AMAR Swimming and Diving
KRYSTAL FREEMAN Women’s Basketball
PATRICK JOHNSON Football
KATE MCDONALD Swimming and Diving
LILLY BYRNE Swimming and Diving
P.J. HALL Football
LOUISE JONES Women’s Track and Field
NASTIA MODIC Women’s Track and Field
KAYLA DINKINS Volleyball
MAYA HAREWOOD Women’s Track and Field
THAKARIUS KEYES Football
JORDAN MORLING Swimming and Diving
LEXIE DOUGLAS Volleyball
BRANDI HUGHES Women’s Track and Field
KYAH LOYD Women’s Track and Field
IZA PELKA Swimming and Diving
COREY DUBLIN Football
OLIVIA JOHNSON Swimming and Diving
MADISON MCCALL Bowling
HUNTER ROBINSON Women’s Track and Field
MADISON MCCALL
PATRICK JOHNSON
Bowling
Football
HUNTER ROBINSON
Women’s Track and Field
16
2019 HALL OF FAME HONOREES
DANIEL LATHAM, BASEBALL, 2004-07 • Compiled 43 saves, which is still tied for ninth in NCAA history. • Served as the closer on Tulane’s 2005 Conference USA Championship and College World Series team as well as the 2004 Super Regional and 2006 NCAA Regional squads. • Ranks second all-time at Tulane with 122 pitching appearances and third with 1.77 walks per nine innings. • Compiled a career-high 14 saves in 35 appearances in 2006, 13 saves in 31 appearances in 2005 and 10 saves in 29 appearances in 2007, all of which rank among the top 10 single seasons in program history. • Named to the 2004 C-USA All-Freshman Team, earned All-Star honors in the Cape Cod League in 2006, was a 2007 preseason All-American third team by the NCBWA and was placed on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll all four seasons.
Daniel Latham
Maribel Lopez Porras
Ed Mikkelsen
• Recorded the final out in the 2004 Oxford Regional, 2005 New Orleans Regional, 2005 New Orleans Super Regional, and Game 1 of the 2005 College World Series game against Oregon State. • Drafted in the 15th round by the Minnesota Twins in 2007. • Currently serves as Tulane’s pitching coach.
MARIBEL LOPEZ PORRAS, WOMEN’S GOLF, 2009-13 • One of the program’s most decorated golfers. • A four-year letterwinner and two-time honorable mention All-American in 2011 and 2013. • Serves as the school’s only multiple All-American selection. • Named the 2013 Conference USA Golfer of the Year. Gwen Slaughter
Dr. Greg Stewart
Angus Lind
• Three-time All C-USA First Team performer, including firstteam honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and was a third team selection in 2010. • Two-time member of the All C-USA Tournament team in 2011 and 2012. • Became the first individual player in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships with her 2011 selection. • A two-time first team All-Louisiana pick. • Earned two career individual titles and is just the fifth golfer in school history to claim two or more career tournament titles. • Captured her first individual title at the 2012 Conference USA Championships and claimed her second at the 2012 Alamo Invitational.
1996-97 Women’s Basketball Team
•R ecorded the highest finish by a Tulane golfer at the 2013 NCAA Championships with a 14th-place effort.
• Part of four NCAA teams (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) and won two NCAA tournament games.
• R eached the NCAA Tournament’s second round, winning an
•P layed 123 rounds in 42 events and completed her career with a 74.54 (9169 strokes) scoring average.
• Served as a member of the 2003 Minnesota Lynx.
•H eld the first-ever Tulane Classic, the team’s annual
• E arned 19 top-20 finishes, including 10 among the top-10. • F inished par or better 36 times, including a career-best 6-under 67 as a senior during the second round of the NCAA Championships.
ED MIKKELSEN, FOOTBALL, 1972-74 • S tarted every game as a right tackle during his freshman year. Scored a touchdown against LSU from recovered fumble in the end zone.
DR. GREG STEWART, TULANE TEAM PHYSICIAN, 1987-PRESENT • Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has been involved in various aspects of sports medicine for more than 30 years. • Holds the W. Kennon McWilliams Professorship in Sports Medicine. • Director of Sports Medicine Program Tulane Athletics. • Director of the sports concussion management program.
NCAA Tournament game for the first time in team history
tournament that has now completed 23 editions. Had three players on the All-Tournament Team.
• As the No. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament, defeated Saint Louis, Louisville and Marquette for its first-ever C-USA Tournament title. • On the roster had WBCA/Kodak Honorable Mention All-American Barbara Farris who would go on to play in the WNBA. • Barbara Farris (1st) and Mary Lowry (2nd) were named to the All-C-USA Teams.
•1 972 Sophomore All-American as a left tackle.
• Nationally recognized expert in non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal disorders in adults.
• Kelly Scanlon and Grace Daley were named to the C-USA AllFreshmen team.
• S tarted all 12 games as right tackle in 1973. Graded No. 1 offensive lineman for 8 out of 11 games. The 1973 team finished 20th in the AP and 15th in the UPI poll.
• Specializes in disability prevention, rehabilitative medicine, sports medicine, and has a particular interest in sports concussion.
• Mary Lowry won the C-USA Tournament MVP. • Barbara Farris, Mary Lowry and Mary Ann Marino were named C-USA All-Tournament Team.
• I nstrumental in helping the team achieve a perfect 7-0 record at home and beating LSU 14-0 in the regular-season final, marking the first time Tulane beat LSU since 1948.
• Member of the Louisiana Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame.
• Barbara Farris and Grace Daley were named C-USA Player of the Week once each.
• Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
• Had a scoring margin of victory of +13.9 points per game.
•A t one stretch during the 1973 season, the team was ranked No. 8 in the country.
• Participated as a member of the Medical Staff in the 1991 United States Olympic Track & Field Trials in New Orleans.
•N amed to All-South Independent team for 1973 and 1974 seasons.
• Provided medical coverage for the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans Bowl and national championship games.
• S tarted all 12 games as right tackle in 1974. Was named Second Team All-American in poll. Graded number 1 offensive lineman for 11 out of 12 games. Voted most outstanding offensive lineman during senior year.
• Currently the Medical Director the Professional Athlete Care Clinic, located inside Tulane Medical Center’s main campus. The Professional Athlete Care Team (PACT) is a new care model designed to meet needs of former professional athletes. Specifically holding multiple exclusive contracts with the NFL and NFLPA.
• S tarting offensive tackle for sophomore, junior and senior years.
• S igned with the New Orleans Saints in 1975.
GWEN SLAUGHTER, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, 1999-03 • E arned Second Team All-Conference USA honors in 2003. •R eceived Third Team All-Conference USA recognition in 2001. •N amed Conference USA Player of the Week on Dec. 16, 2002, and Feb. 3, 2003. •R anked 19th all-time in scoring (1,088 pts). •R anks second in Tulane history in rebounds (962). • Third in Tulane history in blocked shots (210). • S ixth in Tulane history in field goal percentage. • Two-time selection to the Tulane Classic all-tournament team including the 2002 MVP. •P art of 1999 and 2001 C-USA championship teams.
• Co-founder and Co-director of the Center for Sport at Tulane University. • Jack Hughston Sports Medicine Person of the Year for the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association.
•H onorary Membership to the National Athletic Trainers’
Association. Only three sports medicine professionals across the nation were awarded this honor for 2019.
1996-97 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM • F inished the year 27-5, setting the record for the most wins
and fewest losses in a single season in school history. Both of those numbers still stand as tied for team records with the 1999-2000 team.
•W on the C-USA Red division with a 12-2 record in conference play.
BILLY SLATTEN AWARD ANGUS LIND, COLUMNIST, STATES-ITEM & TIMESPICAYUNE, 1977-2009 • Although not a student-athlete at Tulane, he did graduate from Tulane. • Had a 39-year journalism career in New Orleans for both the States-Item and Times-Picayune. • As a columnist in his later years at the Times-Picayune, wrote countless humorous articles about New Orleans and the New Orleanians who make our city so “special.” • In his most famous columns, put on his Karnak the Magnificent hat (from Johnny Carson fame), which he did every year before the LSU-Tulane football game and would prognosticate what would happen during the game and how the fans would interact. • Always an avid Tulane athletics supporter, primarily of football and baseball, he became intimately involved, both personally and professionally, in trying to stop the Tulane administration from dropping the football program in 2003. From writing columns, appearing on talk radio, etc., Angus was a driving force in stopping this from occurring. He was also instrumental in gathering support for Yulman Stadium when Tulane decided to go back on campus for football. • Lifelong friend of Billy Slatten.
DARNELL MOONEY CHICAGO BEARS 5th Round
THAKARIUS KEYES KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 7 Round th
HUDSON HASKIN
BALTIMORE ORIOLES 2nd Round
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS FOOTBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• Captured its sixth bowl win in program history thanks to a 30-13 victory over Southern Miss in the 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. • Tulane’s bowl win marked the first time in program history in which the Green Wave have won a bowl game in back-toback seasons. • The 2019 season marked the eighth winning season in the last 38 years. • Tulane is one of only 14 schools nationally that have won backto-back bowl games in the last two seasons. • Tulane placed four players on the American Athletic Conference all-conference team for the third straight season, as Patrick Johnson, Corey Dublin, P.J. Hall and Thakarius Keyes were all honored by the league office. • The Green Wave ranked in the nation’s Top 50 in 15 different statistical categories. • Tulane’s rushing attack ranked 11th nationally, averaging 243.2 yards per game. • Tulane’s 5,841 yards of total offense were a single-season school record.
• In its first season under head coach Ron Hunter, Tulane tripled its win total despite returning just 12.2 percent of the team’s scoring from last season. The Green Wave ranked 14th in Division I for best turnaround with a +8 win margin. • The Green Wave finished the season ranked 12th among all NCAA Division I programs in turnover margin (+4.3), 17th in steals per game (8.5) and 60th in turnovers per game (11.8). The Wave also led all American Athletic Conference teams in those categories. • Tulane forced opponents into more turnovers and recorded more steals than any Green Wave team has since the 19992000 team (20 years). • In their first seasons with the program, newcomers Christion Thompson and K.J. Lawson each ranked in the top three on the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. Thompson (14.1 PPG) and Lawson (13.1 PPG) finished the year ranked ninth and 14th among the league’s scoring leaders, respectively. • Four Green Wave players combined for eight total American Athletic Conference weekly honors, including seven weekly honor roll selections. • The Green Wave defeated eventual American Athletic Conference co-regular season champion Cincinnati on Jan. 4 for the first time since 2015, while the win was the Wave’s first at home against the Bearcats since 1985 when both schools were members of the former Metro Conference.
VOLLEYBALL • Won 20 games for the second consecutive season. • Finished tied for second in the west division and advanced to the semifinal of the inaugural American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship. • Won double-digit league games for the first time since 2005-06. • Lexie Douglas and Kayla Dinkins were named to the AllAmerican Athletic Conference First Team. • Kaylie McHugh broke the all-time career digs record and became the first player in Tulane history to amass 2,000 digs in a single career.
LEXIE DOUGLAS Volleyball
CROSS COUNTRY • Tulane had strong showings in its first three meets of 2019, with the women’s team starting the season off strong with a win at the UNO Invitational and the men’s team finishing second in the opener. • Both the men’s and women’s teams finished second in the following meets at the Nicholls Cross Country Invitational and the LSU Cross Country Invitational. • Sophomore Evans Kipchumba and graduate student Tom Coe each earned spots on the All-Louisiana Men’s Cross Country Team, while redshirt senior McKenzie Melius was voted to the All-Louisiana Women’s Cross Country Team.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL • Got off to the best conference start in program history at 6-0. • Junior Krystal Freeman named Second Team All-Conference for second straight year. • Sophomore Dynah Jones earned Sixth Player of the Year honors, first time Tulane has earned the award in The American. • Junior Sierra Cheatham was the first player in conference history to win the Ambassador Award in back-to-back seasons. • Reached the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL • Tulane beach volleyball went 8-3 in its shortened 2020 season — sweeping its opponent on four occasions — with two of its three losses coming to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 LSU. • Junior Addison Hermstad and freshman Samantha Mehlman put together the best record on the Green Wave roster, going 9-2 from the No. 4 position. The pair also defeated No. 1 UCLA’s Rileigh Powers and Madi Yeomans on court four. • Senior Kaylie McHugh earned a spot on the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Preseason All-Conference Team, while freshman Kendall Peters was named to the CCSA Preseason Watch List. • Tulane was ranked No. 20 in the nation in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Coaches week two poll.
EVA TORRUELLA Beach Volleyball
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS MEN’S TENNIS • The Green Wave scored two road wins over Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponents with a 4-3 win at LSU on Jan. 31, before its first ever win over 20th-ranked Mississippi State, 4-0, on Feb. 7. • Head coach Mark Booras continued his recordbreaking streak, receiving LSWA Coach of the Year honors for the sixth year in a row. • In his 11th season, Booras earned his 140th career victory in the season-opening win over Jackson State. • Junior Hamish Stewart garnered LSWA Player of the Year recognition, extending the Tulane’s streak of claiming top individual honors to seven consecutive seasons. • Stewart and senior Ewan Moore were among six players voted All-Louisiana First Team, while senior Dane Esses was an honorable mention. Moore has now been picked to the first team in four straight years, while Stewart, the 2018 LSWA Freshman of the Year and a second-team pick, collected his first, first-team nod. • Stewart was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week one time and was ranked No. 50 in the final ITA national singles rankings, while Moore was ranked No. 72 in the ITA’s national singles poll. • Stewart defeated six nationally-ranked singles opponents, including the No. 18 player in the country at Stanford. Moore also outlasted six ranked foes, as his best win came against the nation’s No. 6 player at Texas. • Tulane earned multiple singles wins in both road matches at No. 3 Texas and No. 8 TCU in its final two matches of the spring.
WOMEN’S TENNIS • Freshman Mackenzie Clark was voted to the LSWA All-Louisiana First Team, while sophomore Adelaide Lavery received recognition as an honorable mention. • Clark finished the season ranked 112th in the ITA national singles rankings and was listed in each 24
of the final three polls of the season, reaching as high as No. 101. • Clark became the first Green Wave women’s tennis player to crack the ITA national singles rankings since 2014 and defeated 42nd-ranked Taylor Bridges at LSU (Jan. 31). • Clark reached the second round of the singles main draw and the round of 16 in the doubles main draw at the ITA Southern Regional during the fall. • Freshman Lahari Yelamanchili reached the round of 16 in the singles main draw at the ITA Southern Regional during the fall. • Yelamanchili defeated the nation’s No. 11 singles player and top-seeded Eden Richardson from LSU in the first round of the main draw at the ITA Southern Regional on Oct. 17.
SAILING
WOMEN’S GOLF
• The Green Wave closed the year ranked No. 20 in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll. Tulane also earned national rankings in the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball national polls. • Tulane’s 15 wins at the end of the shortened season were tied for the most in the American Athletic Conference. • The Green Wave posted an 11-1 record at home and closed out the year on a nine-game winning streak. • Tulane had five players with a batting average of .300-or-better. • The Green Wave’s team batting average of .303 ranked second in the league. • Junior right-hander Braden Olthoff led the American Athletic Conference with 47 strikeouts. • Tulane left-handed pitcher Luke Jannetta was named to Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-America team.
• Freshman Carlota Palacios placed second among all golfers at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. • Placed in the top 10 in five of seven tournaments. • Finished with a season-best sixth as a team at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. • Every returning golfer improved her strokes per round average from last season.
BOWLING • Tulane finished the 2019-20 season No. 19 in The National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. • The Green Wave finished the year with a 53-49 mark. • Junior Madison McCall earned NTCA All-American and All-Southland Second Team honors. • McCall led the Green Wave this season with 8,172 pins and a 20.01 frame average. She was 10th in the Southland Conference in frame average and posted the sixth-highest frame fill percentage at 86.4 percent. • Five Tulane bowlers were named to the Southland Bowling League All-Academic team.
• In Tulane’s second varsity fall season, the Green Wave won the SEISA Match Race Championship, the SEISA Fall Coed Regatta and the SEISA Fall Women’s Regatta. • Sophomore Ciara Rodriguez-Horan won the SEISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship (for the second time in her career) and freshman Cameron Giblin won the SEISA Men’s Singlehanded Championship, earning both sailors a spot in the ICSA Singlehanded Championships. • The Green Wave women finished the fall season ranked 15th in the nation, while the coed squad was 20th.
BASEBALL
SWIMMING & DIVING • Senior Olivia Johnson and freshman Lilly Byrne were both selected to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-America team for the 2019-20 season.
• Johnson and Byrne qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships. Between the two individuals, the Green Wave was set to be represented in three separate events which included the 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle and 400 IM events. • Johnson and Byrne’s invitation to the NCAA Championships marked the first time since the program was reinstated in 2003 that the Green Wave had sent two individuals to the national meet. • Byrne made three trips to the medal stand at the American Athletic Conference Championships en route to earning Freshman of the Year honors. She also finished runner-up in the 500 freestyle (4:42.78) and 1,650 freestyle (16:15.69) events. Both performances served as school records. • Johnson captured her third career gold medal at the AAC Championships by successfully defending her 400 IM title finishing in a school-record time of 4:07.72. She closed the league championships by making three trips to the medal stand. • Byrne, Johnson, Kate Amar, Iza Pelka, Kate McDonald and Jordan Morling all earned All-AAC honors.
TRACK & FIELD • Junior Kyah Loyd and senior Brandi Hughes led the way for Tulane on the indoor track in 2019, as the two finished second and third, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles at the American Athletic Conference Championship. Loyd became the new program record holder, with a time of 8.33 seconds in the race, while Hughes finished with a season-best 8.36 seconds. • Sophomore Nastja Modic — who posted top-five finishes in all five meets in 2019 — placed second at the AAC Championship in the pole vault, with a career-best height of 4.13 meters. • Tulane’s 4x400 relay team — made up of Loyd, senior Maya Harewood, sophomore Louise Jones and sophomore Hunter Robinson — finished third at the conference championship with the seventh-best time in school history (3:42.43). • Sophomore Trina Malej finished top four in all of the events she competed in during her second season, moving into fourth in school history with a distance of 12.95 meters in the triple jump.
HAYDYN GIBSON Golf
DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS TICKET SALES
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
• Tulane saw a 43 percent increase in group sales. • The Green Wave set a revenue record for volleyball season tickets. • Tulane Athletics set a record for donated tickets to charities. • Tulane Athletics introduced pedestal scanners to help with the efficiency for fans’ ability to enter the stadium.
• Opened the $1.2 million Slatten Family Strength Center. • Completely rebranded and replaced the playing surface at Yulman Stadium. • Began work on a $4 million broadcast production room and studio that will allow Tulane Athletics to produce game broadcasts for ESPN platforms.
GREEN WAVE CLUB • Green Wave Club Membership grew 11 percent year-over-year during 2019-20. • Surpassed 100 new Olive & Blue Society members with over $1.5 million in new commitments. • Tulanian Level Membership (gifts of $100 to $499) increased 20.3 percent year-over-year. In total, Tulanian Level members contributed $138,763 to the department. • Tulane Athletics received 435 gifts totaling over $160,000 on Give Green Day, setting a record number of gifts, on the way to claiming the Big Green Grand Prize for a second consecutive year. • For the fourth consecutive year, 100 percent of Tulane Athletics’ staff made a gift to the Green Wave Club in 2019-20. • Green Wave Club staff represented Tulane on several NACDA, PacNet, NAADD presentations.
MARKETING • For the second straight year, the department launched a complete marketing, digital, sales and communications campaign entitled #NolaBuilt. The campaign focused on the unique athletics department connection with the city of New Orleans. • Tulane football overall attendance increased by 13 percent. • Tulane football student attendance increased by 42 percent during the 2019 season.
SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITE GROWTH AND MEDIA EXPOSURE • TulaneGreenWave.com had over 3 million page views in 2019-20. • Tulane Athletics had over 10 million impressions across its @TulaneAthletics social media platforms. • The Green Wave social media platforms featured a 56 percent oneyear increase in total engagement. • Tulane Athletics was featured prominently on ESPN’s Sportscenter, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Pat McAfee Show and the Jim Rome Show during the 2019-20 season. • Tulane Athletics posted a 40 percent increase in postgame and weekly football press conferences viewership during the 2019 season. • Green Wave men’s and women’s basketball postgame press conference viewership increased by 122 percent on Facebook.