It is always a good day when a WAC school releases its schedule. And on Monday morning we got a look at one of the new members’ non-conference slate. The UT-Arlington Lady Mavs released their non-conference schedule and it is loaded. UTA won the Sun Belt Conference in 2021-22 and fell just short in an upset bid against Iowa State in March.
But, Shereka Wright’s squad is loaded with WAC Player of the Year candidate Starr Jacobs back.
Also in recent news, Sam Herder of Hero Sports reported that Tarleton is in the midst of an NIL collective that began in July. We will get to that in just a bit.
And if you didn’t see it, we will talk about a tweet regarding dominance in conference play.
Lady Mavs Go Big in Schedule Release
You have a WAC Player of the Year candidate back. There is a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. And a new year in a new conference. So, one should take it easy when putting together a non-conference schedule, right?
Not so fast, my friend!
UT-Arlington head coach Shereka Wright has put together what could be a monster non-conference slate.
The Lady Mavs have games against multiple Big 12 foes, host a Pac-12 opponent and take on some really good mid-major programs. UTA will play at Kansas, at Baylor, at Houston and at former WAC member Lamar. The Lady Mavs also get a neutral site game against Oklahoma. UTA will face Cincinnati and Toledo at the same neutral site.
If that isn’t impressive enough, the Lady Mavs get a home game against Pac-12 foe Arizona to close out the non-conference slate. If College Park Center is not rocking for that game, it will be a dark day.
This is a UTA Lady Mavs squad that finished 20-8 overall last season and won the Sun Belt Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. And with Starr Jacobs back, there are some high expectations for the Lady Mavs in 2022-23.
The non-conference schedule is HERE ?
The schedule includes 8️⃣ teams who participated in postseason play and 5️⃣ that made the NCAA Tournament last season ?
? | https://t.co/iXzHSFmBep#TwoFeetIn | #MavUp pic.twitter.com/EuVeSozvrr
— UTA Lady Mavs (@UTAMavsWBB) August 22, 2022
Tarleton NIL Collective
According to Sam Herder of Hero Sports, Tarleton has an NIL collective called Bleed Purple. This deal has been taking deposits since early July and is already reaching seven figures. The collective is headed by some Tarleton alumni and others in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
It seems it is fitting considering what Tarleton has been doing to improve facilities and garner attention.
Expansion photo update ? pic.twitter.com/e9obTFiA4m
— Tarleton Football (@TarletonFB) August 21, 2022
Dominant Decade in Conference Play
It’s ironic that two weeks after an article was put out on WAC Hoops Digest regarding a decade of dominance, this tweet was put out.
There is no denying that New Mexico State has been the cream of the crop in the WAC since 2012-13. No doubt at all. Six regular season crowns since 2011-12, 75-3 at the Pan Am in WAC games in that time. It’s just amazing what the Aggies have done and the graphic shows it.
Along with that, Stephen F. Austin has been just as dominant and that includes the move to the WAC. The Jacks won 10 straight games to end the regular season and earn a share of the WAC regular season title. Plus, they are one of those three teams in the past decade to beat New Mexico State in Las Cruces.
And it wouldn’t surprise anyone if that dominance continues in 2022-23.
Conference play warriors over the last decade⚔️ pic.twitter.com/rCskWAFRHN
— Parker (@CBKReport) August 21, 2022
CBU Investing in Growth
On Sunday, California Baptist released a tweet regarding a $20 million investment into its Master Facility Plan. It is all part of a $100 million investment in athletic-related projects. This fall CBU debuts the CBU Soccer Stadium while improvements were made to CBU’s baseball and softball fields.
Most of the $20 million in the current phase will go to facility enhancements and capital projects. This includes adding a new baseball and softball clubhouse. The building will be 14,200 square feet inside the Lancers Outdoor Athletic Complex. It is expected to be completed by Summer 2024. It will feature amenities such as locker rooms, sports medicine, physical therapy space, offices for coaching staffs and a conference room. Other amenities are going to be upgrades, also.
“It’s been tremendous to see the work going on around campus this offseason. CBU is an institution committed to continually improving, as evidenced by all of the construction that’s taken place this year,” Director of Athletics Tyler Mariucci said. “The determination of our campus leadership, staff and community of support to provide a first-class student-athlete experience is transformative and will allow for us to compete for Division I conference championships.”
CBU Announces Over $20 Million Phase of Master Facilities Plan
Learn More: https://t.co/7Bk31UHTl9
Full Video: https://t.co/UcJ06iWr6k#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/egOU95jxpZ
— California Baptist Lancers (@CBULancers) August 21, 2022
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