2021-22 Year in Review

Texas State had a season to remember in 2021-22.

From championship performances to All-American standouts, the Bobcats achieved success in competition and in the classroom.

Here is a look back at the season that was.

Best in the Sun Belt

For the second time in the last four years, Texas State won the Vic Bubas Cup, which is awarded to the top athletic department in the Sun Belt Conference for the competition seasons. The Bobcats beat out South Alabama for the commissioner’s cup thanks to two regular-season Sun Belt championships as well as top-four finishes in the conference standings in eight different sports.

Team Conference Championships

Two Texas State teams returned to a familiar spot in the Sun Belt regular season standings as the men’s basketball and baseball programs won regular season conference championships. Men’s basketball won the Sun Belt title for the second year in a row thanks to a 12-3 conference record, while baseball put together a historic season to capture its second regular season conference championship in the last three full seasons. Baseball posted its best record in program history, went 26-4 in conference play, and was a perfect 15-0 in conference road games.

Baseball Back in the Postseason

For the first time since 2011, the Bobcats were selected to participate in an NCAA Regional. They traveled to Stanford, Calif., where they reached the regional final after beating UC Santa Barbara and Stanford, the tournament’s number two overall seed. 

Over the course of the season, Texas State added gems to their season résumé with wins over the No. 1 (Texas) and 2 (Stanford) teams in the country. As a result, the Bobcats found themselves in the national polls for 12 weeks. They finished the season in the final polls and as high as No. 17.

Alyssa Wilson's Historic Season

After spending the first portion of her collegiate career at UCLA, Alyssa Wilson joined the Texas State women’s track and field program this year as a grad transfer. The Toms River, N.J., native firmly placed her stamp on the program throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by winning five individual Sun Belt championships, breaking school records in three different events, and capturing three All-American honors, including two first team.

Wilson competed in the shot put and weight throw events during the indoor season and the hammer throw, shot put, and discus during the outdoor campaign. In outdoor, she was one of two competitors to compete in three different throwing events at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. She finished second in the hammer by setting a collegiate record by an American.

Postseason Play for the Bobcats

With the help of Wilson, the women’s track and field team – which finished No. 30 in the country – was one of seven Texas State teams represented in postseason play. Men’s cross country (Kwanele Mthembu) and men’s golf (Evan White) reached the NCAA Championships, while the track and field team reached the NCAA postseason in the indoor (women’s) and outdoor (men’s and women’s). The two regular-season conference champions – men’s basketball and baseball – competed in the NCAA Regional and NIT, respectively. It was the first ever appearance for the Bobcats in the NIT.

Track and Field Individual Conference Championships

Across the indoor and outdoor seasons, the Bobcats won 14 individual Sun Belt championships. 

• Lee-Anne Blake – indoor 1 mile
• Will Blaser – indoor shot put
• Men’s 4x400 – indoor
• Men’s 4x400 – outdoor
• Pedro Osorio-Lopez – indoor 800 meter
• Katherine Stuckly – outdoor high jump
• Anayah Washington – indoor long jump
• Alyssa Wilson – indoor weight throw
• Alyssa Wilson – indoor shot put
• Alyssa Wilson – outdoor hammer
• Alyssa Wilson – outdoor shot put
• Alyssa Wilson – outdoor discus
• Dominick Yancy – indoor 400
• Dominick Yancy – outdoor 400

Evan White Wins Individual Medalist Honors

Sitting in fourth place after day one of the 2022 Sun Belt Championship, Evan White vaulted to the top of the leaderboard in the final round to win the individual medalist honors at the conference tournament in April. White, a graduating senior from Lindale, Texas, became just the fourth Bobcat in program history to win conference medalist honors and advance to the NCAA Division I regional round.

Softball Contends Once Again

Texas State softball ended the regular season on a 15-game winning streak to place itself in the national conversation for the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats picked up two more wins to begin the Sun Belt Championship tournament and push the streak to 17 consecutive wins. The program went on to square off against a nationally-ranked Louisiana softball program in the title game, the Bobcats’ first appearance since the 2018 season. However, they narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, despite a 38-19 record, as they were among the ”First Four Out” of the 64 teams selected.

Volleyball Championship Aspirations

The Texas State volleyball program is synonymous with competing for Sun Belt championships. And this past season was no different. The Bobcats went 14-2 in conference play and reached its fifth consecutive Sun Belt Championship tournament title match. While Texas State fell to South Alabama, it still finished the season with 20 wins for the sixth year in a row and extended its streak of consecutive seasons with double-digit conference wins to nine. 

Football Marches On

Going down to the wire with the eventual Big 12 and Sugar Bowl champions in the season opener to ending the year with a win for the first time in seven years, Texas State football took a step forward in 2021. The Bobcats also finished second in the West Division, their best finish since the Sun Belt moved to divisions starting with the 2018 season.

Introducing New Director of Athletics, Don Coryell

After working in Texas State Athletics since 2004, Don Coryell was officially named the Director of Athletics for the Bobcats in August. In his first year overseeing all things Bobcat Athletics, Coryell helped the athletic department win the Bubas Cup, hired two new head coaches (track and field, women’s soccer), completed a seating renovation project at Bobcat Stadium, ignited the capital campaign for the South End Zone Complex, implemented cost of attendance for student-athletes, increased investments in programs, and re-energized a fan base with the success in competition and in the classroom by the Bobcats.

To hear more about his approach to keeping head coaches in San Marcos as well as more things he is looking forward to in his second year, listen to the States Up podcast released in June with him as the guest.

New Head Coaches in the Texas State Family

Texas State welcomed three new head coaches in 2021-22: John Frazier, Steve Holeman and Kendall Brooks.

Frazier, a longtime track coach at UCLA, Tennessee, Arizona and Florida, took his role as the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country on August 2 and led the women’s track and field team to a national finish of No. 30 in the outdoor season – its best finish in 27 years. In Sun Belt action, both indoor teams finished runner-up at the conference meet, while the men’s team finished third in outdoor. He also helped the Bobcats pick up eight All-America honors (two first team, one second team, five honorable mention).

Holeman took over the women’s soccer program in February after spending the last six years at Lamar. A Wake Forest graduate, Holeman has also coached at Aubrun, Georgia and Ole Miss in his 27-year career. 

Brooks was named the new tennis head coach on June 30 after serving as an assistant for the Bobcats for the last two seasons. The highly-respected former head coach has led her teams to five NCAA appearances and a conference championship at the Division II level.

Coach Plunkett Retires

Head tennis coach Tory Plunkett called it a career following the 2021-22 season. Plunkett led the Bobcats for the last 19 years and won 159 dual matches, including 77 against conference opponents. She also led her teams to post a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) 13 years in a row and had 23 ITA Scholar-Athletes recognized. 

All-Americans

Eight different Bobcats picked up a total of eight All-America honors this season, including five on the track and field team.

All-Sun Belt Honorees

Fifty-nine Bobcats were named to All-Sun Belt teams, with the outdoor track and field teams leading the way with 17 honors.

Full list of All-Sun Belt Bobcats include:

• Tristan Stivors (Baseball) - First Team
• Justin Thompson (Baseball) - First Team
• Levi Wells (Baseball) - First Team
• Zeke Wood (Baseball) - First Team
• Dalton Shuffield (Baseball) - First Team
• Jose Gonzalez (Baseball) - Second Team
• John Wuthrich (Baseball) - Second Team
• Caleb Asberry (Men's Basketball) - First Team
• Mason Harrell (Men's Basketball) - Second Team
• Da'Nasia Hood (Women's Basketball) - First Team
• Kennedy Taylor (Women's Basketball) - Second Team
• Dalton Cooper (Football) - Third Team
• Marine Griffaut (Women's Golf) - First Team
• Federica Tavelli-Westerlund (Women's Golf) - Second Team
• Junia Gabasa (Women's Golf) - Second Team
• Evan White (Men's Golf) - Second Team
• Jessica Mullins (Softball) - First Team
• Caitlyn Rogers (Softball) - First Team
• Hannah Earls (Softball) - First Team
• Cat Crenek (Softball) - Second Team
• Ciara Trahan (Softball) - Second Team
• Hana Kvapilova (Women's Tennis) - First Team Singles
• Hana Kvapilova (Women's Tennis) - Second Team Doubles
• Kate Malazonia (Women's Tennis) - Second Team Doubles
• Lee-Anne Blake (Women's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Anayah Washington (Women's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Alyssa Wilson (Women's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Katherine Stuckly (Women's Indoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Sadi Giles (Women's Indoor Track & Field) - Third Team
• Will Blaser (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Taahir Kelly (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Pedro Osorio Lopez (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Donald Rolle (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Brian West (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Dominick Yancy (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Ben Collerton (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Kwanele Mthembu (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Daniel Harrold (Men's Indoor Track & Field) - Third Team
• Katherine Stuckly (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Alyssa Wilson (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Taahir Kelly (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Avery Veiseh (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Brian West (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Dominick Yancy (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - First Team
• Christine Irving (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Anayah Washington (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Victoria Wright (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Sedrickia Wynn (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Ronnie Briscoe, Jr. (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Daniel Harrold (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Bervensky Pierre (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Carlos Wilson (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Second Team
• Lee-Anne Blake (Women's Outdoor Track & Field) - Third Team
• Isaac Sadzewicz (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Third Team
• Simon Thor (Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Third Team
• Emily DeWalt (Volleyball) - First Team
• Janell Fitzgerald (Volleyball) - First Team
• Jada Gardner (Volleyball) - Second Team
• Tyeranee Scott (Volleyball) - Second Team

Best in their Sport

From best at their position to the best in the league, 11 student-athletes and coaches earned a total of 14 “… of the year” awards from the Sun Belt.

• Emily DeWalt (Volleyball)
  • Sun Belt Player of the Year
  • Sun Belt Setter of the Year
• Janell Fitzgerald (Volleyball)
  • Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year
• Terrence Johnson (Men's Basketball)
  • Sun Belt Coach of the Year
• Kwanele Mthembu (Cross Country)
  • Sun Belt Men's Newcomer of the Year
• Jessica Mullins (Softball)
  • Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
• Dalton Shuffield (Baseball)
  • Sun Belt Player of the Year
• Ciara Trahan (Softball)
  • Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
• Steven Trout (Baseball)
  • Sun Belt Coach of the Year
• Brian West (Track & Field)
  • Sun Belt Men's Newcomer of the Year (Indoor)
• Alyssa Wilson (Track & Field)
  • Sun Belt Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Year (Outdoor)
  • Sun Belt Women's Newcomer of the Year (Outdoor)
  • Sun Belt Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Year (Indoor)
• Dominick Yancy (Track & Field)
  • Sun Belt Men's Newcomer of the Year (Outdoor)

Academic Achievements

In addition to championship aspirations, all student-athletes are looking to achieve the ultimate goal of their time at Texas State: graduation.

This year, 76 Bobcats earned their degrees after the fall and spring semesters. 

Meanwhile, 126 other Bobcats picked up Academic Achievement honors from Texas State, which means they had a 3.5 GPA in the spring 2021 and/or fall 2021 semesters. Of the 126, 50 earned a 4.0 GPA in one or both of those semesters.

One of the best traditions at Texas State is the receiving of the “T” Ring. Symbolizing excellence on the playing field as well as the classroom, the “T” Ring is given to Bobcats who receive a “T” letter from the athletics department, complete their NCAA eligibility at Texas State, and earn a bachelor’s degree during the academic year or within one year of their NCAA eligibility expiring.

Forty-one Bobcats received their “T” Rings this spring.

Support from Bobcat Fans

Bobcat Nation showed up in record numbers across several sports in 2021-22. 

Softball ranked among the top 50 in the country in attendance with the help of a record number of season tickets sold. On the other side of the softball diamond, baseball had some of the biggest crowds in school history, including the largest crowd ever of 3,283 when it hosted then-No. 1 Texas in March.

Men’s basketball, in its closing pursuit of its second straight regular season Sun Belt conference title, beat Arkansas State in late February in front of the fourth-largest crowd in program history. The game also featured the largest student attendance in recorded history for the program.

Volleyball, behind another top-of-the-conference performance, finished with the second-best season attendance among Sun Belt teams.

Fans were also able to watch 84 Texas State games and matches on ESPN+ this past year, another year of 80+ broadcasts for all fans to enjoy whenever they are not in Central Texas to cheer on the Bobcats in-person.

Bobcat Bonanza Returns to In-Person

Another sign of support by Bobcat fans was in fundraising. Nearly 1,000 members of the Bobcat Club directly supported Texas State in its pursuit of championships and graduation. The 33rd edition of the Bobcat Bonanza, the largest fundraiser of the year for Texas State Athletics, also returned to in-person in late April. More than 600 Bobcat supporters joined in and celebrated the seasons. 

At the Bonanza, it was announced Bo and Darlene Trevillion made a significant gift to the South End Zone Complex project, which not only pushed the renovation closer to completion but also created an opportunity to honor their late son, Will. In recognition of the amazing contribution to Texas State Athletics, the new weight room in the South End Zone Complex will be named the William Trevillion IV Weight Room Complex. Will, a former Bobcat football player, passed away in January 2016.

Another significant gift this year was provided by longtime NBA player and Texas State Distinguished Alumnus, Jeff Foster. Foster and his wife, Jamie, made a gift to the men’s basketball program to further support the development of the team in its pursuit to win championships and graduate student-athletes.

What's Ahead in 2022-23

While 2021-22 was a standout season for Texas State Athletics, the next year of competition is around the corner. From soccer's home opener on August 18 to volleyball on September 9 to football on September 10, the Bobcats are getting ready for another year ahead.