Athletic Report
December 16, 1998

GREYHOUND BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL (6-4 Overall)
The ENMU men’s basketball team defeated Oklahoma Panhandle State, 72-60, in its only game last week to finish the first semester with a 6-4 overall record. The Greyhounds do not play again until a non-conference game at Southern Colorado on Jan. 2.

Junior guard Matt Vail (Grants, NM/Grants H.S.) remained ENMU’s leading scorer. He is averaging 15.0 points per game. Senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/East Carolina), who scored 24 points against Panhandle State, is second on the squad with 14.0 points per game.

GREYHOUNDS DEFEAT PANHANDLE STATE
Eastern New Mexico senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/East Carolina Univ.) scored 24 points, while connecting on 10 of 12 field goals, as the Greyhounds defeated Oklahoma Panhandle St., 72-60, Dec. 12 at OPSU. The win upped Eastern’s record to 6-4 as the Hounds headed into the Holiday Break. Panhandle State fell to 0-11.

ENMU trailed 11-10 just under six minutes into the game, but scored eight unanswered points for an 18-11 lead at the 9:59 mark. The Aggies cut the lead to two points shortly after Eastern’s run, but ENMU closed the first half with a 17-7 run, and led 41-29 at the half. OPSU never got closer than nine points in the second half.

In addition to leading all scorers with 24 points, Rippey grabbed 5 rebounds and earned 3 steals. Senior center Craig Ferris (Ethete, WY/Casper Coll.) scored 14 points and provided a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard James Franklin (Houston, TX/Trinidad State J.C.) also reached double figures with 12 points, and had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

The Greyhounds controlled the boards, earning a 43-28 rebounding margin. ENMU converted 17 of 22 free throws (77.3%), while the Aggies were 11 of 19 at the line (57.9%).

OPSU received 23 points from senior forward Donald Garrett and 19 points from senior guard Cedric Jefferson. Garrett was 9 of 13 from the field, and led OPSU with 5 rebounds.

RIPPEY RANKS 15TH IN NCAA FIELD GOALS
ENMU senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/East Carolina Univ.) is ranked 15th nationally in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage. He has connected on 64.0% of his field goal attempts (55 of 86). Rippey made 10 of 12 shots against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 12. The national leader in field goals is Mark Person of Dowling. He has made 73.5% of his shots.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
The Greyhounds are idle until Sat., Jan. 2, when they travel to Pueblo, Colo. to take on the University of Southern Colorado. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. (MST). ENMU returns home on Thurs., Jan. 7 to host Abilene Christian in the LSC South Division opener for both teams. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. (MST) at Greyhound Arena. ENMU also plays at home on Sat., Jan. 9, when the Greyhounds take on Angelo State at 7:30 p.m. (MST).

ZIA BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (6-3 Overall)
The Zias split a pair of games on Dec. 13 and 14 in San Antonio, Texas. ENMU defeated St. Mary’s, 59-50, on Sun., Dec. 13, but fell to Incarnate Word, 74-68, on Mon., Dec. 14. The Zias finished the first semester with a 6-3 record. ENMU’s next game is at home Jan. 2 against West Texas A&M in the LSC opener for both teams.

Junior post Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) leads Eastern with 13.9 points per game. Junior guard/forward Sharon Max (Kirtland, NM/Kirtland Central H.S.) is second with 11.9 points per game.

ENMU GETS ROAD WIN OVER ST. MARY’S
Junior guard/forward Sharon Max (Kirtland, NM/Kirtland H.S.) scored 13 points, and three players off the bench combined for 27 points, as the Eastern New Mexico University Zias defeated the Rattlers of St. Mary’s University (Texas), 59-50, Dec. 13 in San Antonio. The win improved ENMU to 6-2 on the season. St. Mary’s fell to 6-4.

Max scored 6 of her points in the final 2:40, as the Zias turned a 3-point lead into the 9-point victory. Katheryne Hickman (So., P/F, San Antonio, TX/Castle Hills 1st Bapt.) added 10 points, Jenny Conaway (Jr., P, Midland, TX/ South Plains Coll.) scored 9 points, and Brandi Bates (So., G/F, Plainview, TX/Plainview H.S.) contributed 8 points — all off the bench. The trio of reserves combined for 17 points in the second half (Hickman 6, Bates 6, Conaway 5).

Eastern led 19-17 at the end of the first half, but trailed 32-28 with 11:40 remaining. The Zias moved in front for good with 6:12 to go, when Hickman sank two free throws for a 40-38 lead.

ENMU led by just three points, 44-41, with 3:11 left, following a St. Mary’s basket by Jolene Smith. A field goal by Max gave the Zias a 46-41 lead, and a basket by senior point guard Julie Smith (Albuquerque, NM/Eldorado H.S.) made it 48-41 with 2:17 remaining.

The Rattlers pulled within four points on each of their next two possessions, but Max answered with a basket each time. Eastern made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 40 seconds to secure the victory.

St. Mary’s shot 31.3% for the game, as the Zias gave up just 21 field goals on 67 attempts. The Rattlers were 7 of 16 at the free throw line (43.8%) and made only 1 of 13 three-pointers (7.7%). St. Mary’s achieved a 48-39 rebounding edge, but committed 19 turnovers, while the Zias made 15.

The Zias shot 37.9% (22 of 58), and made 12 of 17 at the line. Hickman grabbed 8 boards, and junior post Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) added 5. Julie Smith finished with 5 assists.

Kristen Harsh led St. Mary’s with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jolene Smith and Paola Vasquez each added 8 points. Shelly Blomer grabbed 8 rebounds, and Tanya Ray led all players with 3 steals.

INCARNATE WORD SLIPS PAST ZIAS
The University of the Incarnate Word connected on 8 of 14 three-pointers and sank 16 of 22 free throws in a 74-68 victory over visiting ENMU on Mon., Dec. 14. Eastern fell to 6-3 with the loss. UIW improved to 9-3.

ENMU made a total of 28 field goals, compared to Incarnate Word’s 25, but the Zias could not overcome a 3-point and field goal deficit. Eastern made five fewer 3-pointers and had nine fewer free throw attempts than the Crusaders. The Zias converted 3 of 9 shots from three-point range and made 9 of 13 free throws.

Incarnate Word trailed 34-32 at the half, but outscored Eastern New Mexico 42-34 during the final 20 minutes. The Crusaders were led by Jenny Carnes and Kylie Nabors, who scored 20 points apiece. Nabors was 12 of 13 at the free throw line, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Melissa Barrera added 11 points for the Crusaders, with Marloes Roetgerink contributing 7 rebounds.

For the Zias, junior post Amanda Mendez scored 17 points and sank 8 of 15 field goal attempts. Sharon Max provided 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, while Bria Norris (Sr., G/F, Amarillo, TX/Amarillo H.S.) chipped in 12 points. Senior point guard Julie Smith led all players with 7 assists, two more than her per game average.

The teams shot nearly identical field goal percentages. The Zias were 28 of 58 for 48.3% and the Crusaders were 25 of 52 for 48.1%. Incarnate Word’s edge in three’s and free throws — plus a 36-29 rebounding margin — allowed the Crusaders to earn the win.

IT TAKES PLENTY OF 3’S TO DEFEAT ZIAS
Eastern New Mexico has lost three games this season. In all three losses, the opponents have shot over 50.0% from three-point range. The victorious opponents have combined to sink 57.7% of their three-point attempts (30-52). In Eastern’s six victories, the opponents are a combined 18 of 72 (25.0%) on three- pointers. The overall 3-point percentage for Eastern’s foes is 38.7% (48 of 124).

On offense, the Zias are among the NCAA Division II leaders in 3-point percentage. ENMU began this week ranked 5th in the nation, hitting 45.2% of its three-point attempts (28 of 62). Max entered the week with 16 three’s on 38 attempts (42.1%) for the Zias.

UP NEXT FOR THE ZIAS
The Zias return to action on Sat., Jan. 2, when they host West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams. Tipoff at Greyhound arena is set for 7:00 p.m. (MST). The Zias will remain at home for LSC games against Abilene Christian on Thurs., Jan. 7 and versus Angelo State on Sat., Jan. 9. Both games are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. (MST).

GREYHOUND FOOTBALL
(INDIVIDUAL HONORS)
WALTON NAMED ALL-AMERICA AND ALL-REGION
ENMU junior middle linebacker Michael Walton (Earth, TX/Texas Tech/Springlake-Earth H.S.) has been named to two All-America teams and one All-Region team. The honors follow a tremendous season for the leader of Eastern’s nationally-ranked defense. Walton was named to the 1998 Burger King Division II Coaches’ All-America Team as chosen by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Walton is the second ENMU player to be named to an AFCA All-America Team. The other was Conrad Hamilton (DB, 1994). Only 11 defensive players were named to the 1998 All-America Team.

He was also named to the Second Team Defense of the 1998 Daktronics, Inc., Division II All-America Football Team as selected by sports information directors at NCAA Division II colleges and universities. Overall, a total of 50 players received First Team or Second Team All-America recognition, including 24 players on defense. Walton became eligible for the All-America award when he was named to the First Team of the Daktronics, Inc., Division II All-West Region Football Team.

Walton, 5’10” 205 pounds, was a First Team All-Lone Star Conference South Division selection this season, and was named LSC South Division Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year. Walton led the LSC in tackles for the second consecutive season, recording 117 tackles in 11 games.

“These awards are well-deserved honors for one of the top defensive players in Division II,” said ENMU Head Football Coach Harold “Bud” Elliott. “Michael Walton is always around the ball, making plays, and leading by example. His football skills and on-the-field leadership are key reasons we had one of the top defensive units in the country this year.”

ENMU finished the 1998 season ranked 9th in total defense in NCAA Division II. The Greyhounds were also ranked 6th in passing efficiency defense, 14th in rushing defense, and 20th in scoring defense.

Walton transferred to ENMU after three semesters as a student at Texas Tech. Since then, he has experienced a tremendous comeback to the game he played as an All-State selection at Springlake-Earth H.S. in Texas.

He earned 96 tackles to lead the Greyhounds during his freshman year. As a sophomore, he led the LSC with 155 tackles, earned a spot on the All-LSC South Division First Team, was named to the Daktronics, Inc., Division II All- West Region Second Team and received Third Team All-America honors from Football Gazette. His 117 total tackles in 1998 included 60 solo tackles, 24 tackles for 157 yards in losses and 7.5 sacks for 72 yards lost.

He has 368 career tackles, including 125 solos. He has made 36 tackles for losses and has forced 8 fumbles. He has started all 33 games in his ENMU career.

Walton helped Eastern’s team reach national prominence over the past three seasons. ENMU was 3-8 in 1996 and 5-6 in 1997, before going 8-3 in 1998. The Greyhounds were ranked as high as a tie for 11th in the NCAA Division II Poll this fall, and finished in a tie for third place in the competitive LSC South Division with a 6-3 Conference record.

In addition to his success on the field, Walton has been an outstanding student. He has a 3.40 grade point average and is majoring in Special Education. He was one of just 11 players named to the 1998 LSC South Division Academic All-Conference Team, and was an LSC All-Academic Team selection in 1997.

“Not only is he an excellent player, but he is an excellent student,” Elliott noted. “He’s really an amazing football player when you consider his size (5’10”, 205 pounds) and the number of tackles and big plays he’s made in the LSC.”

DRAKE SELECTED FOR SNOW BOWL GAME
Senior cornerback Ken Drake (Joliet, IL/Joliet J.C.) has been selected to play for the West squad in the 1999 Snow Bowl. The Snow Bowl, now in its sixth season, will be played on Sat., Jan. 9, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. (CST) at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. The event showcases top NCAA Division II talent, and is expected to attract over 50 professional scouts. Approximately 40 players from previous Snow Bowl games have made NFL teams.

Drake, 5’10” 180 pounds, was named Second Team All-Lone Star Conference South Division this season. He led the Greyhounds with 9 pass break-ups. He also recorded 20 unassisted tackles and 3 assists (23 total tackles). Drake intercepted 2 passes and forced 1 fumble, while helping ENMU place second in the LSC and sixth in NCAA Division II in passing defense (83.9 efficiency rating; 37.8% completion rate for opponents).

As a defensive back at Joliet Junior College, Drake was named First Team All-Region and was a First Team All- Conference selection. He was chosen NJCAA Defensive Back-of-the-Year.

He transferred to ENMU after two seasons at Joliet J.C. In 1996, he started the first seven games and intercepted 2 passes, but missed the rest of the season with a knee injury. He did not play during the 1997 season.

“Ken Drake is a tremendous athlete and one of the top defensive backs in the Lone Star Conference,” Elliott said. “Many NFL teams have shown an interest in his abilities. Playing in the Snow Bowl is a great honor for Ken, and a great opportunity for him to display his strengths to coaches, fans and even more NFL scouts.”