From the Desk of Ross Bjork

Howdy!

There is finally a slight chill in the air, which means fall is officially here! Our fall sports are well underway and it is an exciting time to be in Aggieland. Since students arrived back on campus just over a month ago, the energy has been palpable. I am continually amazed by the support and dedication of the 12th Man. Whether it is camping outside of Kyle Field for ticket pull or packing out Reed Arena for a volleyball match, the 12th Man is always there to support our student-athletes.

There is no better example of this spirit providing a boost for our players than this past Saturday night when the second largest crowd in Kyle Field helped us defeat Alabama. The environment was one of a kind and everyone around the world took notice. This example of Aggie Spirit is one of the many things that makes our University the best in the country.

Another special tradition is the Aggie Ring. It is the most visible symbol of the Aggie Network and showcases the academic achievements that our students undergo. I want to congratulate all the students who received their Aggie Ring just a few weeks ago. Ring Day is one of the greatest days in College Station and one that every Aggie looks forward to! Congrats!

This is an important month for our fall sports as they get closer to SEC championships and postseason play. Even though the 12th Man has been coming out strong, we always have room for more fans in the stands and more donors supporting our programs! Purchase your tickets for these sports at 12thman.com/tickets today to guarantee you have a spot in Ellis Field, Kyle Field or Reed Arena to yell for our student-athletes. Special moments only happen because of the great support of our 12th Man donors and you can always make a gift at 12thmanfoundation.com.

It is hard to believe that men's and women's basketball season starts next month and both programs need your enthusiastic support! Season tickets are currently available at 12thman.com/tickets. A unique offering that we are unveiling this year is the Gig 'Em Pass for our men's basketball program. Each Gig `Em Pass gives you 17 vouchers for the 2021-22 season that you redeem as early as November. Seat assignments will be sent out to you 24 hours prior to each game. Make sure to claim your tickets soon, the winter sports season will be here before we know it. Check out the men's schedule here, and the women's here to make your plans.

Thanks and Gig 'Em,
Ross

Sport Updates

For the third time in program history, the football team knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation as the Aggies took down No. 1 Alabama, 41-38, Saturday. Sophomore QB Zach Calzada led the Aggies completing a career-high 21 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Calzada found junior Ainias Smith in the back of the end zone, sending a perfectly-placed 25-yard pass to Smith to tie things up at 38-all with three minutes to play. The Aggie defense held strong on Alabama's final drive of the game, forcing a three-and-out to position A&M for victory. The Aggies will look to keep the momentum in their favor as they travel to Missouri Saturday for an 11 a.m. kick.

The women's cross country team remains undefeated (3-0) after winning the Gans Creek Classic at the University of Missouri. All five scoring Aggies recorded top-25 finishes, including Julia Black and Gemma Goddard, who finished in the top 10. Eric Casarez paced the Aggies on the men's side to remain undefeated on the season at 3-0. He claimed the Gans Creek Classic men's individual title while setting an 8k course record with a time of 23:36.5. It marked the second consecutive week the speedster set a course record, after breaking the Dale Watts record on Sept. 25. The Aggies return to action Saturday as they host the Arturo Barrios Invitational, followed by a week off before entering the SEC Championships in Columbia, Missouri, on Oct. 29.

Equestrian is 1-0 on the season after defeating South Dakota State, 11-8, on Sept. 25. Emmy-Lu Marsh highlighted the meet as she was named Most Outstanding Performer after defeating Lydia Loken, 78-74, in Reining. Her score set an all-time program record high. Haley Riddle defeated Callyn Fox in Horsemanship, 78.5-76, and garnered MOP honors for her efforts. The Aggies travel to Waco on Oct. 15, followed by a trip to South Carolina on Oct. 22, before hosting Georgia on Oct. 29.

Men's golf is currently competing at the SEC Match Play Championship in Shoal Creek, Alabama. Coach Kortan and his team last competed at the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational in Carrollton, Texas, Sept. 13-15. Sam Bennett led the way for the Aggies as he tied for third, marking his ninth career top-five finish. The Maroon & White close out the fall portion of the schedule Oct. 22-24 at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.

The Gerrod Chadwell era has begun in record-setting fashion for our women's golf program. The Aggies opened the year setting a 54-hole program record at the Sam Golden Invitational, while Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio brought home the individual title with the lowest score in A&M history (-14). The Aggies followed that up by finishing runner-up to No. 1 Oklahoma State at the Schooner Fall Classic. The Maroon & White now have two top-four finishes to open the season for just the third time in program history, and the first since the 2014-15 campaign.

Soccer heads down the homestretch of the regular season with four matches remaining. The Maroon & White have two games left on the home slate, including hosting Alabama for Senior Night on Friday, October 15 and their home finale against Vanderbilt on Sunday, October 24. The Aggies are looking for a strong finish to secure their 29th consecutive winning season and 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

The men's swimming & diving team hit the road to begin the 2021-22 season, competing in the SMU Classic. Sophomore Victor Povzner made an impact in his return to action after redshirting a season ago as he posted the highest score on the 1-meter and took second on the 3-meter. In the pool, four swimmers made their A&M debuts as junior transfer Anze Fers Erzen clocked an NCAA B-cut in the 400 IM before taking second in the 200 IM. Sophomore Thomas Shomper was challenged in the meet and rose to the occasion, posting lifetime-best times in the backstroke events. The Aggies return to the pool to host in-state rival Texas on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Rec Center Natatorium.

Women's swimming & diving started the 2021-22 season on the road last week, taking down the Houston Cougars, 163.5-130.5. Sophomores Chloe Stepanek and Olivia Theall each earned multiple first-place finishes, while sophomore transfer Abby Grottle and Israel Olympian Aviv Barzelay also posted a pair of top finishes in their debuts for the Maroon & White. Senior Aimee Wilson swept the springboards to round out an impressive start to the season for the Aggies. A&M returns to action on Friday to take on Texas at 5 p.m. at the Rec Center Natatorium.

Coach Steve Denton and the men's tennis team wrapped up a successful trip last week to Tulsa to open the fall season at the ITA All-American. The squad is excited to host the ITA Texas Regional at the Mitchell Tennis Center tomorrow through Monday. All of the most talented players from across the state will converge on Bryan-College Station as the Aggies host their only fall tournament and hope to have the 12th Man out in full effect on West Campus.

Women's tennis is off to a strong start through their first two tournaments this fall. All-Americans Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova had a standout performance at the ITA All-American Championships, advancing together to the doubles quarterfinals and beating two ranked opponents along the way. Makarova won a hard-fought drag-out match with No. 19-ranked Lea Ma from Georgia, and freshman Mary Stoiana earned a ranked win during the qualifying round at the tournament. A&M also performed well at the H-E-B Invitational in Waco earlier this month, with freshman Jeanette Mireles going 3-1 in singles at the event with two ranked victories under her belt. The Maroon & White return to action with the ITA Texas Regional Championships later this week, Oct. 14-18, at TCU.

The volleyball team partnered with The Side-Out Foundation for its annual Dig Pink match on Thursday, and is less than $500 from reaching its $5,000 goal to support the stage IV breast cancer community. Donations are still being accepted at 12thMan.com/DigPink until this Friday (10/15) in support of the cause. The team continues SEC play this week, hosting Ole Miss on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before traveling to Gainesville for a top-25 matchup against Florida on Saturday.

Reed Arena is bringing back World Fighting Championships next Friday (Oct. 22) for three hours of Mixed Martial Arts. Some of the toughest up and coming MMA stars are back by popular demand for WFC 128. In addition, Reed will be hosting Newsboys on Nov. 19 and "A Very Electric Christmas" on Dec. 23. Tickets for all are available now at reedarena.com.

Aggie Olympians…

At Saturday's football game we honored our three Aggies who won gold at the Summer Olympic Games--track and field's Bryce Deadmon and Athing Mu and men's basketball's Khris Middleton!

It is impressive to have so many Olympic champions at one school, and it illustrates our outstanding student-athletes, coaches and programs.

…and NBA Champions!

Also at the football game, we had the privilege to honor Middleton and some members of the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks team. Khris brought some hardware with him in the Larry O'Brien Trophy as well as his Olympic gold medal. Khris is a consummate Aggie, and we were beyond thrilled to have him and his teammates here this weekend!

Aggies CAN Food Drive

Back for the 21st year, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is spearheading the Aggies CAN Food Drive throughout the month of November.

Aggies CAN started in 2000 with a handful of student-athletes wanting to give back to the community that gave so much to them. What started out as an idea to have a collection at one football game, has grown into the largest student-athlete-driven canned food drive in the nation. The collections will help give back and impact the Brazos Valley.

Texas A&M student-athletes are asking for your help in collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations to benefit the Brazos Valley Food Bank and The 12th Can. We are excited to bring back both virtual and in-person donations this year!

Fans can donate canned goods or monetary donations at any home sporting event from November 5-10. This is just one of the many ways our student-athletes give back to our wonderful community and I appreciate everyone who is able to support a great cause.

The Aggie Commitment

Texas A&M Athletics is still committed to providing yearly opportunities for our student-athletes and staff to update their voter registration in case they have recently moved to town and/or need to update their voter registration for any reason. Sept. 28 was National Voter Registration Day, and we have maintained our partnership with the non-partisan student organization, Aggies Vote. We invited members of the organization and the Brazos Election Office to serve as volunteer deputy registrars outside of the Slocum Nutrition Center to assist student-athletes and staff with voter registration from 5:30-8pm and had approximately 30 student-athletes register to vote. Additionally, we assisted Aggies Vote in reserving a table outside in front of the E. King Gill statue to provide voter registration opportunities for all of the campus community during the day and they were able to register 55 individuals.

Mental Health Awareness Week

October 3-10 was Mental Health Awareness Week, and we had numerous sport programs across our Athletics Department participate in advocating for mental health and its awareness.

Our volleyball team wore green shoelaces for their match against Georgia, and a video was played showing the players discussing the prevalence of common mental health concerns.

Our soccer team also spoke to the many ways they benefit from working with a sport psychologist during their game against Ole Miss while sporting green socks to raise awareness.

As you may have seen during the football game on Saturday, our football student-athletes wore green ribbon helmet stickers against Alabama in order to raise awareness for mental health. Additionally, in support of the Hilinski's Hope Foundation--a non-profit organization created to honor Tyler Hilinski, a former Washington State quarterback who died by suicide in 2018--everyone in attendance held three fingers in the air during the first play of the third quarter to show their commitment to reducing the stigma attached to mental health concerns.

For more information on our counseling and sport psychology services, please check out our website.

Sustainability

Did you know that Texas A&M Athletics has a student-led Green Team? The 12th Man Green Team was established in 2019 with a mission to improve education about our impact on the environment and instill proactive efforts in student-athletes' lifestyles and their futures. They held their first meeting of the school year in September to watch the "Breaking Boundaries" documentary to learn more about the limits of the planet and had a great turn out!