From the Desk of Ross Bjork

Howdy!

The past several weeks have been full of excitement here in Aggieland. It was great to see everyone out this past weekend for Family Weekend which was full of home sporting events from the Maroon & White Game presented by St. Joseph Health, 44 Farms Team Invitational, The Aggie Invitational, softball, baseball, soccer and men's tennis. Not to mention that Friday was also Aggie Ring Day - congratulations to all the Aggies who received their Aggie Ring!

Last month we announced Joni Taylor as the eighth women's basketball head coach in program history. I am incredibly excited to have Coach Taylor lead our women's basketball team. She is a proven winner and understands what it takes to be successful not only in the Southeastern Conference, but nationally. I cannot wait to see the impact she will have on our program, department and University. Check out more from Coach Taylor's Welcome Event and Press Conference.

Congratulations to Coach Williams and our men's basketball team for their incredible season. I am proud of this team for persevering through the regular season and ending it with a trip to the SEC Championship and NIT Championship games. Though the outcome was not what we had hoped, I know that this team, coaches and staff are poised to keep growing. There are exciting things to come with this program and I look forward to November when we get to see these young men back on the court!

Last week, 66 Aggie student-athletes from seven sports participated in the first-ever Sports Day in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of the Brazos Valley. The mission of Sports Day is to educate kids on the importance of sports and how participating in sports can help develop leadership skills, instill discipline and promote a healthy lifestyle. Over 50 kids from the Brazos Valley attended the event and spent an afternoon playing games, learning about nutrition, and interacting with student-athletes. Equestrian student-athlete and current SAAC Vice President of Selfless Service, Caroline Dance, was instrumental in creating and executing this event, having worked with the Boys & Girls Club, Texas A&M University, and the Athletics Department since October 2021 to bring it to life. Check out more here!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the NIL Panel that I hosted this past Saturday. The discussion was an opportunity for fans to learn from the experts about NIL in the state of Texas, our partnership with INFLCR for the AMPLIFY Local Exchange and how to get involved. If you were not able to make it, check out the recording here.

Thank you to the 12th Man for going above and beyond to record the highest renewal percentage for football season tickets in the history of redeveloped Kyle Field at 94 percent for the upcoming season! Season tickets remain on sale for 2022 and can be purchased through the 12th Man Foundation by calling 888-99-AGGIE or visiting 12thmanfoundation.com.

On any given day of the week you can find our teams competing and I hope to see you supporting our student-athletes at one of our athletic facilities!

Gig 'Em,
Ross

Sport Updates

• A Troy Claunch walk-off home run and a 17-run outburst on Saturday gave the BASEBALL team a series win over Kentucky this weekend at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies are on a four-game road swing which wraps up this weekend at No. 10 Georgia.
• EQUESTRIAN is in Florida this week for the NCEA national championships. The Aggies, in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, are seeded third and will face Baylor in Thursday's quarterfinal round. The championship is scheduled for Saturday.
• WOMEN'S GOLF is underway at the SEC Championships in Hoover. Three rounds of stroke play will seed the top eight teams into match play on Saturday, with the championship scheduled for national television on Easter Sunday (7:30 a.m., SEC Network)
• Congratulations to Brian Kortan and the MEN'S GOLF team for taking the Aggie Invitational title over the weekend at Traditions Club, the Aggies' third crown of the season. Hats off to Walker Lee, whose three-stroke victory gave him medalist honors for the fifth time in his career. Up next is the SEC Championships in two weeks at Sea Island, Georgia.
• Steve Denton's MEN'S TENNIS team picked up its 20th and 21st wins of the season Sunday with a doubleheader sweep. The Aggies close the regular season with big road matches at South Carolina and Florida before turning their attention to next week's SEC Tournament.
• Fifth-ranked WOMEN'S TENNIS controls its own destiny in the SEC championship race, needing a win on either Friday (at Arkansas) or Sunday (at Missouri) to clinch a share of the crown. Two wins would give A&M (25-1, 11-0) the outright title.
• Before a crowd of 22,212, the FOOTBALL team closed spring practice with the Maroon & White Game presented by St. Joseph Health on Saturday at a sun-splashed Kyle Field. In attendance were numerous former players including Super Bowl champions Mike Evans and Von Miller and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.
• SOCCER closed spring competition on Saturday night with a 3-0 win over ULM. The Aggies, who outscored opponents 22-1 in nearly 500 minutes of action, will open the season August 18 at Clemson.
• TRACK & FIELD hosted the 44 Farms Team Invitational over the weekend, and the Aggies shined in front of the home crowd--winning eight events and breaking the school record in the steeplechase. After trips to Florida and Baylor over the next two weekends, Pat Henry's team returns home April 30 for the annual Alumni Muster meet.
• SOFTBALL topped No. 21 LSU on Sunday in the series finale, the Aggies' third ranked win in SEC play, and the Aggies will now head to Knoxville for a showdown with 14th-ranked Tennessee.
• WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING wrapped the season late last month at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, where Chloe Stepanek earned All-America honors for the Aggies.
• Kurtis Mathews led the MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING team at NCAAs one week later, becoming the first national champion diver in program history. He won both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions, helping the Aggies to yet another top-20 finish. For his efforts, Kurtis was named Men's Diver of the Year by the national coaches' organization, the CSCAA, and Jay Lerew was honored as Men's Diving Coach of the Year.
• The AGGIE DANCE TEAM captured the College Classic DIA Team Performance National Championship over the weekend, and 2nd in the jazz competition.

B.L.U.E.print Luncheon

B.L.U.E.print hosted its annual Cookout event on Friday, April 8 and had well over 100 student-athletes and staff in attendance. Those in attendance were able to enjoy music from DJ Casey and create fun memories on the 360-degree photo booth. The food was catered by The Remnant of Nawlins, a locally black-owned restaurant in Bryan. We appreciate those who came out to support and look forward to hosting this event again next year!

Women's History Month

We3 (We Cubed)--an organization that aims to encourage, equip, and empower student-athletes at Texas A&M and beyond--celebrated Women's History Month with an event each week! The organization kicked off March with a game night and social media launch! Then, they hosted a female student-athlete and staff Luncheon at Reed Arena to honor International Women's Day. After spring break, the group collaborated with the 12th Man Green Team to host a Nutrition Night with the Athletic Nutritionists. The month wrapped up with a community service event at the Boys & Girls Club!

Legends Game

At the Maroon & White Game, nearly 40 former Texas A&M student-athletes and coaches returned to Kyle Field to participate in the Lettermen's Association Aggie Legends Flag Football Game presented by the City of Bryan. It was great to see all of the legends come back, and they were able to honor Cathy Capps, who will retire as Assistant Athletics Director of the Lettermen's Association. Cathy joined the Athletics Department in 1995 and has done a remarkable job with the organization.

Sustainability

The 12th Man Green Team hosted a panel discussion featuring four Ecoathletes of different backgrounds and sports. The panelist included Jeremy Casebeer, a sand volleyball player of the Association of Volleyball Professionals, Alena Olsen, USA Rugby 7s player, Sadey Rodriguez, of UVA track and field, and Seyi Smith, an Olympic track and bobsled athlete. Each athlete shared their stories, passions, and backgrounds as they currently use their platform as athletes to promote sustainability. Thank you to everyone who attended the event, both virtually and in person!