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Lions have three active in NFL

Lion All-American defensive end Derrick Crawford has signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.

Derrick, a 6-4, 295 pound senior from Avon Park, Fla., was named an honorable mention All-America by D2Football.com and was a two-time Daktronics All-West Region selection for the Lions. The Lions co Defensive Most Valuable Player, Derrick was the Lone Star Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2003, led the LSC and ranked 2th in NCAA Division II with 8.5 sacks and ranked fourth in the league in tackles for losses with 14.0 (1.27 per game).

He joins former teammate Cedric Bonner (BS ‘03) and eighth-year pro Kevin Mathis as Lions who are in the NFL.

Kevin, who played for the Lions from 1993 to 1996, is a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons, while Cedric signed with the Buffalo Bills at the end of last season.

Outstanding athletes honored

A pair of outstanding student athletes were honored as top male and female student-athlete at the annual All- Sports Banquet for 2003-04.

Senior football linebacker John Paul Mulligan was named the recipient of the Jesse J. Hawthorne Award as A&M-C’s Outstanding Male Athlete and junior golfer Katie McCranie was presented with the Lib Huggins Award as the university’s Outstanding Female Athlete.

Mulligan of Arlington/Lamar, was a four-year letterman for the Lions and was a three time All-Lone Star Conference selection.

McCranie of Lewisville, was one of the leaders of the Lion women’s golf team. She earned her third All Lone Star Conference team position with a ninth place finish at the LSC Tournament.

Mulligan, a two-time Lion football captain, also claimed the prestigious J.V. Sikes Award as the football player who showed outstanding leadership, attitude, scholarship, loyalty, achievement and desire.

Quinlan/Boles junior Matthew Rager and Canton junior Dalinda Clarkson were presented with top awards as well. Rager was named the winner of the Terry Allen Award that honors men’s basketball players for their scholarship, citizenship, loyalty, contribution to team effort and athletic skill.

Clarkson, in her second season at the university, was tabbed the Susie Knause Memorial Heart Award winner.

The Knause Award is presented to a women’s basketball player for her desire, dedication, leadership and scholarship.

Men’s Basketball – MVP: Thaddeus Daggett; Outstanding Defensive Player: Jason Summers; Outstanding Offensive Player: Clay Lewkowski; Most Improved: Brandon Bowie.

Women’s Basketball – MVP: Tamikki Williams; Outstanding Offensive Player: Hazel Woods; Outstanding Defensive Player: Burgande Jones; Newcomer of the Year: Althea Byfield; Most Improved: Jennifer McCord.

Women’s Cross Country — MVP: Valarie Ponce.

Men’s Cross Country — MVP: Chase Snowden.

Football – Ernest Hawkins Offensive MVP: Willie Whiting; Bobby Fox Defensive MVP: Derrick Crawford.

Men’s Golf – C.W. “Boley” Crawford MVP: Brian Scheffler.

Women’s Golf — MVP: Adi Attaway.

Women’s Soccer – All players awarded LSC regular season championship rings.

Men’s Track and Field – Running Events MVP: Cornelius Price; Field Events MVP: Tommie Jemerson.

Women’s Track and Field – Running Events MVP: Johanne Runyan; Field Events MVP: Mikah Hammond

Volleyball – Attitude Award: Ipolai Kahanu; Effort Award: Megan Redfern; Ethusiasm Award: Samantha Zentz; Performance Award: Amy Wallace.

Lions named All- Lone Star Conference performers

The 2003-04 editions of Lion athletic teams combined to produce 29 All - Lone Star Conference performers for A&M-Commerce.

The spring sports saw senior distance runner Johanne Runyon earn All-LSC in track, while junior women’s golfer Katie McCranie and sophomore men’s linkster Michael Weber both claimed second-team All-LSC honors.

Junior Hazel Woods and senior Tamikki Williams were named All-LSC South firstteam in women’s basketball, with Woods honored as the LSC South’s Newcomer of the Year.

Senior men’s basketball players Clay Lewkowski and Thaddeus Daggett were tabbed as honorable mention All-LSC South.

Sophomore Erin de Wolfe was named the LSC’s Women’s Soccer Outstanding Offensive Player, with Tiffany Adams named the Freshman of the Year. They were joined on the All-LSC first-team by sophomore Melissa Arnold. Juniors Emily Brueggemann and Lanna King were second-team selections.

Head coach Neil Piper was honored as Coach of the Year.

Volleyball collected four all-league players. Senior Amy Wallace was named LSC North first-team, while senior Chantae Weathers, senior Davina Goodman and junior LaTosha Jacobs were honorable mentions.

The football Lions placed three on the All-LSC South first-team, three on the second- team and six honorable mentions.

LSC South Defensive Lineman of the Year senior Derrick Crawford and LSC South Linebacker of the Year senior Jared Williams were joined by junior punter Chris Miller on the first-team.

Senior Myron Davis along with sophomores Victor Bennett and Ryan Graves were tabbed second-team. Seniors Joel Tudman, Willie Whiting, John Paul Mulligan and Anthony Blount were selected honorable mentions along with juniors John Wingate and Tay Weatherspoon.

Cross country teams among top in classroom

The Lions women’s and men’s cross country teams are among the top teams in Division II academically.

The Lion women’s cross country team ranked fourth nationally and the men 11th nationally on the NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Teams list released recently.

The Lion women posted a team grade point average of 3.65 that ranked them fourth overall behind Ohio Valley (W.Va.) at 3.95, Tusculum (Tenn.) at 3.69 and Truman State (Mo.) at 3.67.

The Lion men tallied a team grade point average of 3.41 to rate 11th. Fort Hays State (Kan.) was tops at 3.68, with Colorado School of Mines second at 3.64 and Missouri-Rolla at 3.61.

The Lion cross country squads were the tops among Lone Star Conference teams, with East Central (Okla.) the next LSC school on both the men’s and women’s list. A team must have recorded a 3.00 collective grade point average last fall (during cross country season) to be listed among the cross country coaches All Academic Teams.

Team completes record-setting season

Junior Kari Harrison of Linden- Kildare set a new wind-aided 100 meters school record in the NCAA prelims at 11.75 and went on to place seventh with an 11.77 to earn All- America honors.

The Lions were also represented at the national competition by Jemerson in the triple jump and 100 meters, Taylor in the 100 meters and Mikah Hammond in the pole vault.

In addition to the two records set at the NCAAs, the Lions smashed other school marks this season.

Harrison ran a 24.84 in the women’s 200 meters with a legal wind for a new record and Hammond cleared 12 feet, six inches in the pole vault.

Senior Johanne Runyan of Winslow, Ark., provided three new school records, eliminating the old women’s marks in the 3,000 meters (now 10.20.35), the 5,000 meters (now 17:30.99) and the 3,000 steeplechase (now 11:25.14).

The men’s 4x400 meter team established a new school record in qualifying for the national meet of 3:11.79 in placing second at the LSC meet in the event.

Jemerson, who was an indoor All- American in the triple jump by placing sixth in Boston, set an outdoor record in the triple by leaping 49-2 1/2 with a legal wind.